Private collection of municipal court debt

The Township of Toms River, New Jersey, located in Ocean County, is seeking a qualified private collection agency to recover delinquent municipal court debt through a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process. The procurement aims to contract with a collection agency responsible for collecting outstanding court-imposed fines, penalties, and assessments in compliance with New Jersey Supreme Court procedures and federal and state debt collection laws. Key deliverables include maintaining confidential records, providing secure account access, sending personalized collection notices, operating a call center for inquiries, and submitting detailed monthly reports to the municipal court. The selected agency must be licensed in New Jersey, demonstrate a minimum of three years of municipal debt collection experience, and strictly adhere to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The RFP was released on April 15, 2024, with proposal responses due by April 25, 2024, at 11:30 am, and the initial contract period will span 24 consecutive months, with potential extensions for two additional one-year periods. The agency will be permitted to assess an administrative fee not exceeding 22% of collected amounts, which will be paid by the debtor.

The solicitation does not specify specific set-aside designations or restrictions for disadvantaged enterprises. The collection agency must provide a fidelity bond and maintain appropriate insurance coverage to qualify for the contract. While no incumbent vendor is mentioned in the documentation, the agency must demonstrate technological capabilities for secure data management and reporting. The RFP does not explicitly outline a specific budget range or total contract value, though the financial model allows the agency to recover costs through the administrative fee mechanism. Prospective bidders will be evaluated based on their compliance with licensing requirements, debt collection experience, technological infrastructure, reporting capabilities, and adherence to legal and procedural standards. The Township reserves the right to select the most responsive and responsible bidder that meets all specified criteria and can effectively support the municipal court's debt collection objectives.