Student Banking Services Program

East Carolina University (ECU) has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking a qualified banking services vendor to support student-centered financial wellness initiatives. The primary deliverables include linking personal banking accounts to the campus ID card (1Card) for debit functionality, providing on-campus banking services and resources, implementing incentive programs tied to financial goals, offering exclusive banking tabling at campus events, maintaining campus ATMs at designated locations with potential for an on-campus branch, developing customized marketing programs, and providing financial literacy education for K-12 students and online/non-traditional students. ECU also requires the vendor to facilitate family and student engagement opportunities, establish academic partnerships including summer internships, ensure PCI compliance and FDIC membership, and support the annual "Game of Life" Financial Wellness event. Vendors must demonstrate a minimum of five years of successful higher education brand strategy and management services, preferably with North Carolina experience and public educational institutions of similar or greater size and complexity to ECU. The evaluation will utilize a Best Value method prioritizing Vendor Technical Approach, Vendor Qualifications, Vendor Experience, Vendor References, and Pricing in descending order of importance. Key deadlines include written questions due by April 28, 2026 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time, responses to questions provided by May 5, 2026 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time, and proposals due May 13, 2026 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time via the North Carolina electronic Vendor Portal (eVP), with contract award estimated for June 15, 2026, and an anticipated effective date of July 1, 2026.

The initial contract term shall be three years beginning July 1, 2026, with the State holding the option to renew for up to two additional one-year terms with ninety days' written notice. There are no specific set-aside designations mentioned; however, ECU has established a 10% diverse subcontractor utilization goal and requires vendors to complete HUB Supplemental Vendor Information forms to support this objective. Vendors must provide a Certification of Financial Condition, three customer references using the provided form, location of workers information, and maintain Commercial General Liability insurance of $1,000,000 Combined Single Limit with defense costs in excess of the limit. The vendor is required to integrate with existing campus systems including Salesforce and Canvas, and pricing proposals must detail all potential costs to the University and cardholders, all revenues to ECU (including signing bonuses, annual royalty payments, or guaranteed annual minimums), and financial support for ID card recarding. ECU reserves the right to cancel the contract with thirty days' written notice if vendor performance does not meet requirements and standards. No specific award value or budget range is disclosed in the available documentation.