UI Debit Card Services

The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) is seeking a vendor to provide Unemployment Insurance (UI) Debit Card Services through RFP No. 3202500145. The primary objective is to secure an electronic access card (EAC) service for UI benefits that will be provided at no cost to TWC or UI claimants. Vendors must be U.S.-based financial institutions that are NACHA members, capable of acting as an Originating Depository Financial Institution, and FDIC or NCUSIF compliant. The selected vendor must offer VISA or MasterCard branded debit cards with worldwide acceptance and demonstrate at least five years of debit card services experience. Evaluation criteria will be weighted as follows: Qualifications, Experience and Past Performance (20%), Proposal Solution (40%), and Price Proposal (40%). Key procurement dates include a question submission deadline of January 28, 2025, at 5:00 PM CT, and a proposal submission deadline of February 27, 2025, at 10:00 AM CT, with an anticipated notice of intent in April 2025. Historical program data indicates approximately $589.8 million loaded onto UI debit cards, 8.6 million transactions, and 64,545 new debit card account enrollments between October 2022 and September 2024.

The solicitation does not explicitly mention specific set-aside designations or restrictions for disadvantaged enterprises. Vendors must submit proposals through the TWC Bonfire Portal, with no additional information provided about incumbent vendors or existing infrastructure requirements. While the specific contract value is not disclosed, the program's historical financial activity suggests a significant transaction volume. The pre-proposal conference, held on January 27, 2025, was attended by 36 registered participants from various financial technology and payment processing companies, including The Iridium Group, Rellevate, Conduent, Mastercard, U.S. Bank, Fiserv, SMI, Corpay, MoCaFi, NoCheck, Tyler Technologies, and Visa. Potential vendors will need to carefully review the complete RFP documentation and demonstrate comprehensive capabilities in managing electronic benefit distribution through debit card services. The procurement aims to select a vendor that can efficiently and securely manage UI benefit distributions while providing a user-friendly experience for claimants.