FY26 MDAR RFQ- PRF84- New Secure Portal for Online Donations to the Mass Animal Fund

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) is seeking a vendor to develop a new secure online donation portal for the Mass Animal Fund through Statewide Contract PRF84: Electronic Payment Solutions. The project aims to replace a previously decommissioned online donation platform, with work targeted to begin in September 2025 and go-live no later than December 2025. The primary deliverable is a dedicated online payment page capable of processing donations, with an anticipated annual revenue of $3,000 and an estimated 100 donations averaging $50 per transaction. The procurement involves implementing a comprehensive donation processing solution with specific requirements including low transaction fees, secure payment channels, and robust reporting capabilities. Key project phases include kick-off, requirements gathering, beta environment development, user acceptance testing, enablement and training, and final launch. The RFQ responses are due by Monday, August 25, 2025, at 5:00 PM, and will be submitted through the COMMBUYS Quote Submission function. Evaluation criteria will include price, vendor experience, geographic location, and overall solution quality, with the contract to be awarded on a "best value" basis.

The procurement is classified as a Small Procurement ($250,000) and demonstrates a preference for Small Business Purchasing Program (SBPP) participating and SDO Certified businesses. No separate Supplier Diversity Plan is required for this opportunity. The contract will leverage the existing PRF84 Statewide Contract, which is effective from May 18, 2023, to April 30, 2027, with potential extensions possible. Four contracted vendors are eligible to respond: Grant Street Group, Inc., NIC Services, LLC, PayIT, LLC, and Catalis Payments, LLC (though Catalis is currently suspended from new business). The contract supports multiple payment channels including credit, debit, and traditional ACH transactions, with potential integration capabilities with the Commonwealth's primary financial system (MMARS). Pricing will be based on the authorized price listing under the PRF84 statewide contract, with all associated costs to be pre-negotiated and listed on the COMMBUYS platform. The Mass Animal Fund, which supports a Voucher Program that has helped over 18,000 local animals and receives over 500 monthly assistance requests, will be the primary beneficiary of this new donation portal.