Berkeley County Water & Sanitation

Transcription

1 Request for Proposal TITLE: CLOSING DATE & TIME: Bill Printing, Payment and Customer Portal Solution November 13, 2:00pm PROPOSALS RECEIVED AFTER THE ABOVE DATE AND TIME WILL BE RETURNED UNOPENED. Additional information and Proposal instructions may be obtained from Cheryl Lyons, Purchasing Manager, by telephone (843) or via at calyons@bcwsa.com. This may be downloaded from the Purchasing Department s webpage on our website at BCWS reserves the right to accept or reject, in whole or in part, any or all proposals and be the sole judge in the evaluation of proposals. BCWS further reserves the right to waive any informalities or technical errors that would otherwise be of no effect to the proposal as submitted. Berkeley County Water & Sanitation Attn: Cheryl Lyons, Manager of Purchasing 212 Oakley Plantation Drive Moncks Corner, SC 29461

2 SECTION DESCRIPTION PAGES A Instructions 3-7 B Background 8-11 C Project Scope 12 D Functional / Technical Requirements E Contents of the Proposal 20 F Evaluation of the Proposals

3 SECTION A INSTRUCTIONS Proposal Procedures and Process This chapter details BCWS procedures for directing the RFP process. BCWS reserves the right in its sole discretion to reject the proposal of any Proposer that fails to comply with any procedure in this chapter. Communications with BCWS All Vendor communications concerning this acquisition shall be directed to the Purchasing Manager. The Purchasing Manager is: Cheryl Lyons calyons@bcwsa.com If delivered, it must be addressed to: Berkeley County Water & Sanitation Attention: Cheryl Lyons, Purchasing Manager 212 Oakley Plantation Drive Moncks Corner, SC Any Proposer seeking to obtain information, clarification, or interpretations from any other BCWS official or BCWS employee other than the Purchasing Manager is advised that such material is used at the Proposer s own risk. BCWS will not be bound by any such information, clarification, or interpretation. Following the Proposal submittal deadline, Proposers shall not contact the Purchasing Manager or any other BCWS employee except to respond to a request by the Purchasing Manager. Contact by a vendor regarding this acquisition with a BCWS employee other than the Purchasing Manager or an individual specifically approved by the Purchasing Manager in writing, may be grounds for rejection of the vendor s proposal. Questions Questions are to be submitted to the Purchasing Manager no later than 4:00 PM, Friday, October 31, 2014, in order to allow sufficient time for BCWS to consider the question before the bids or proposals are due. All questions are to be submitted through directed to the Purchasing Manager s address. Failure to request clarification of any inadequacy, omission, or conflict will not relieve the vendor of any responsibilities under this solicitation or any subsequent contract. It is the responsibility of the interested Proposer to assure that they received responses to questions if any are issued. 3

4 Changes to the RFP/Addenda A change may be made by BCWS if, in the sole judgment of BCWS, the change will not compromise BCWS objectives in this acquisition. A change to this RFP will be made by formal written addendum issued by the BCWS s Purchasing Manager. Addenda issued by BCWS shall become part of this RFP and included as part of the Contract. It is the responsibility of the interested Proposer to assure that they have received Addenda if any are issued. Solicitation Website The Purchasing website offers a place to register or receive solicitations. The website will provide automatic announcements and updates when new materials, addenda, or information is posted regarding the solicitation. The website is department /Sealed Bids, Proposals and RFQs. Receiving Addenda and/or Question and Answers Notwithstanding efforts by BCWS to provide such notice to known vendors, it remains the obligation and responsibility of the Vendor to learn of any addendums, responses, or notices issued by BCWS. Such efforts by BCWS to provide notice or to make it available on the website do not relieve the Vendor from the sole obligation for learning of such material. All Bids sent to BCWS shall be considered compliant to all Addendums, with or without specific confirmation from the Bidder that the Addendum was received and incorporated. However, the Buyer can reject the Bid if it does not reasonably appear to have incorporated the Addendum. The Buyer could decide that the Bidder did incorporate the Addendum information, or could determine that the Bidder failed to incorporate the Addendum changes and that the changes were material so that the Buyer must reject the Offer, or the Buyer may determine that the Bidder failed to incorporate the Addendum changes but that the changes were not material and therefore the Bid may continue to be accepted by the Buyer. Proposal Response Date and Location 1. Proposals must be received by the BCWS Purchasing Department no later than 2:00 PM, Thursday, November 13, Responses should be in a sealed box or envelope clearly marked and addressed with the Purchasing Manager, RFP title and number. If RFP s are not clearly marked, the Vendor has all risks of the RFP being misplaced and not properly delivered. The Purchasing Manager is not responsible for identifying responses submitted that are not properly marked. 3. BCWS requires one (1) original and three (3) hard-copies delivered to the Purchasing Manager. 4. Fax, and CD copies will not be accepted as an alternative to the hard copy requirement. If a CD, fax or version is delivered to BCWS, the hard copy will take priority and be the official document for purposes of proposal review. 5. The RFP response may be hand-delivered or must otherwise be received by the Purchasing Manager at the address provided, by the submittal deadline. Please note that delivery errors could result without careful attention to the proper address. 6. It must be addressed and/or delivered to: Berkeley County Water & Sanitation c/o Cheryl Lyons, 212 Oakley Plantation Drive, Moncks Corner, SC All pricing is to be in United States dollars. 8. The submitter has full responsibility to ensure the proposal arrives to the Berkeley County Water & Sanitation Purchasing Department within the deadline. BCWS assumes no responsibility for delays caused by the US Post Office or any other delivery service. Postmarking by the due date will not substitute for 4

5 actual receipt of response by the date due. Proposals will be opened after the due date and time. Responses arriving after the deadline may be returned, unopened, to the Proposer, or may simply be declared nonresponsive and not subject to evaluation, or may be found to have been received in accordance to the solicitation requirements, at the sole determination of Purchasing. 9. BCWS will consider supplemental brochures and materials. Proposers are invited to attach any brochures or materials that will assist BCWS in their evaluation. No Reading of Prices BCWS does not conduct a bid opening for RFP responses. BCWS requests that companies refrain from requesting proposal information concerning other respondents until an intention to award is announced, as a measure to best protect the solicitation process, particularly in the event of a cancellation or re-solicitation. With this preference stated, BCWS shall continue to properly fulfill all public disclosure requests for such information, as required by State Law. Offer and Proposal Form Proposer shall provide the response in the format required herein and on any forms provided by BCWS herein. Provide unit prices if appropriate and requested by BCWS, and attach pages if needed. In the case of difference between the unit pricing and the extended price, BCWS shall use the unit pricing. BCWS may correct the extended price accordingly. No Best and Final Offer BCWS reserves the right to make an award without further discussion of the responses submitted; i.e. there will be no best and final offer procedure associated with selecting the apparently successful vendor. Therefore, vendor s response should be submitted on the most favorable terms that Vendor can offer. Contract Terms and Conditions BCWS does not expect to indemnification and may reject all exceptions to indemnification. Submit sample contract as attachment to the bid. Prohibition on Advance Payments No request for early payment, down payment or partial payment will be honored except for products or services already received. Maintenance subscriptions may be paid in advance provided that BCWS should terminate early, the amount paid shall be reimbursed to BCWS on a prorated basis; all other expenses are payable net 30 days after receipt and acceptance of satisfactory compliance. Effective Dates of Offer Proposer submittal must remain valid until BCWS completes award. Should any Proposer object to this condition, the Proposer must provide objection through a question and/or complaint to the Purchasing Manager prior to the proposal due date. Cost of Preparing Proposals BCWS will not be liable for any costs incurred by the Proposer in the preparation and presentation of proposals submitted in response to this RFP including, but not limited to, costs incurred in connection with the Proposer s participation in demonstrations. 5

6 Readability Proposers are advised that BCWS s ability to evaluate proposals is dependent in part on the Proposer s ability and willingness to submit proposals which are well ordered, detailed, comprehensive, and readable. Clarity of language and adequate, accessible documentation is essential. Changes in Proposals Prior to the Proposal submittal closing date and time established for this RFP, a Proposer may make changes to its Proposal provided the change is initialed and dated by the Proposer. No change to a Proposal shall be made after the Proposal closing date and time. Proposer Responsibility to Provide Full Response It is the Proposer s responsibility to provide a full and complete written response, which does not require interpretation or clarification by the Purchasing Manager. The Proposer is to provide all requested materials, forms and information. The Proposer is responsible to ensure the materials submitted will properly and accurately reflects the Proposer specifications and offering. During scoring and evaluation (prior to interviews if any), BCWS will rely upon the submitted materials and shall not accept materials from the Proposer after the RFP deadline; however this does not limit the right of BCWS to consider additional information (such as references that are not provided by the Proposer but are known to BCWS, or past experience by BCWS in assessing responsibility), or to seek clarifications as needed by BCWS. Errors in Proposals Proposers are responsible for errors and omissions in their proposals. No such error or omission shall diminish the Proposer s obligations to BCWS. Withdrawal of Proposal A submittal may be withdrawn by written request of the submitter, prior to the quotation closing date and time. After the closing date and time, the submittal may be withdrawn only with permission by BCWS. Rejection of Proposals, Right to Cancel BCWS reserves the right to reject any or all proposals at any time with no penalty. BCWS also has the right to waive immaterial defects and minor irregularities in any submitted proposal. Proposal Disposition. All material submitted in response to this RFP shall become the property of BCWS upon delivery to the Purchasing Manager. Proposal Format and Organization: Legal Name. Many companies use a Doing Business As name, or a nickname in their daily business. However, BCWS requires the legal name of your company, as it is legally registered. When preparing all forms below, be sure to use the proper company legal name. 6

7 Submit your proposal in the following format and attachments as follows: 1. Pricing: Complete costing of the project with a breakdown of initial costs and recurring costs. 2. Functional/Technical Requirements: Complete Section D, Functional/Technical Requirements, with all applicable charges included. This response is mandatory. 3. Project Layout: Provide a detailed project layout with the phases of the project specified separately with estimated completion dates for each phase. 4. Maintenance Support: Provide proposed maintenance agreement, if applicable. 5. Licensing Agreement: Provide proposed licensing agreement, if applicable. 6. References: Provide three (3) related references and their contact information. 7. Contract: Provide a sample contract for services. 8. Financial Statements: Provide financial statements for the past three (3) years. 9. Additional attachments or information 7

8 SECTION B BACKGROUND BCWS is responsible for operating and maintaining all potable water, sanitary wastewater systems, and solid waste disposal systems owned by Berkeley County, South Carolina. The primary goal of BCWS is to provide clean safe drinking water, sanitary collection and disposal of wastewater and sanitary disposal of solid waste within Berkeley County, South Carolina. Our current annual operating budget exceeds $50M with water rate revenue averaging $650k+ per month and sewer rate revenue averaging $1.8M+ per month. BCWS currently bills over 41,000 water and/or sewer accounts monthly in 4 billing cycles through our CSM, Cogsdale Utility Billing. Cycle 1 is our largest billing cycle and is split into 2 days to allow for planning with operations regarding disconnects and reconnects. Customer rates vary by type of service, customer class and jurisdiction. Billing Cycles: Cycle 1 = Bills on the 25 th, Due on the 10th Cycle 2 = Bills on the 5 th, Due on the 20th Cycle 3 & 4 = Bills on the 15 th, Due on the 30 th Meter readings are imported into Cogsdale Utility Billing from Flexnet, our AMR (automatic meter reading) system, which collects and sends reading information hourly from 14 towers throughout the county. BCWS currently does not have a customer portal to allow customers to view historical data regarding consumption trends, payment and/or billing history. Our current website allows customers to only make a onetime payment, view their current water and/or sewer notice and send a message to BCWS. VC3 currently hosts our website and provides the messaging mechanism for customers to send messages to BCWS. Messages are routed based on settings established in the software by various subjects, such as Sewer Backups, Billing Questions, etc... Customers making a payment online are directed to the South Carolina state website SC.GOV. Customers calling our office are transferred from our IVR (an in-house box utilizing 8 of our own phone lines through AT&T) to the SC.Gov site to complete payment. SC.Gov is a payment engine provided by the State of South Carolina. The use of this payment engine has helped to keep fee cost to our customers as low as possible, but it also has limited capability. For example, although the customer number and location are separate fields in our CSM application, we are not able to separate the fields in the payment engine reporting and this creates issues for BCWS on the reporting, monitoring and analysis of payments and accounts. Customers also do not receive a confirmation number after making their payment, which creates additional phone traffic in the billing office. We also currently download payment information from 3 separate locations while processing accounts during service disconnects. We currently accept payments by lockbox, credit card (Visa or Mastercard), cash, check and bank draft. Printing, mailing and e-billing services for BCWS are currently provided by American Business Solutions in Columbia, South Carolina. 8

9 Below is transaction information based on the past six months: Average IVR credit card amount: $83.21 Maximum IVR credit card amount: $1, Average Web credit card amount: $70.76 Maximum Web credit card amount: $1, Average number of online transactions monthly: 8,280 o Average number of IVR transactions monthly: 3,080 o Average number of Web transactions monthly: 5,200 Average Lockbox Transactions o Average number of monthly e-check transactions: 6,480 o Average amount of monthly e-check transactions: $402,770 o Average number of monthly check transactions: 8,690 o Average amount of monthly check transactions: $649,600 o Average monthly Total of lockbox Payments: $1,052,380 o Average number of monthly lockbox payments: 15,150 ***Average number of e-bills monthly: 1,940 Average number of printed bills monthly: 37,800 ***e-billing with our current vendor is cost prohibitive to BCWS and therefore is not actively promoted at this time. Currently, only 4.5% of our total number of monthly bills are e-billed. CURRENT SERVICES LIST BCWS current services are listed below. All services should be able to be paid by the customer utilizing all payment methods. Water Fees Sewer Fees Grease Trap Fees DHEC Fees Sewer Impact Fees Sewer Connection Fees Water Impact Fees Water Connection Fees Origination Fees Inspection Fees Miscellaneous Late Fees and Fines OBJECTIVES BCWS seeks to achieve the following objectives: Allow BCWS customers to have the ability to view and analyze their current and historical water and/or sewer bills Allow customers to make payment(s) with multiple payment options using multiple methods (scheduled payments, one-time payments with Visa, Mastercard, draft etc ) Provide a reliable, cost effective bill payment solution for BCWS and its customers Provide significant experience implementing and supporting electronic payment applications for a variety of governmental and non-governmental organizations 9

10 Meet all PCI compliance standards Provide the ability and resources to provide electronic payment processing technology and services to be interfaced with BCWS systems to include settlement processing with BCWS bank, BB&T Provide the ability to migrate from the existing web and IVR payment applications to the new payment platform with minimal impact to BCWS applications To provide the ability and resources to design, implement, and support BCWS portion of the electronic payment applications, including the front end Web pages and the interfaces to the associated business applications Allow customers to communicate with BCWS through messaging via a customer portal Provide BCWS with a callout mechanism that allows a customer who has received a call due to a past due notice to be directed to the IVR directly from the message to make payment Provide BCWS with numerous reporting and monitoring data regarding the type of payments made and the methods used by our customer in order to continue to improve the types of services our customers need and request Provide BCWS with software and solutions proven to work with our current CMS, Cogsdale Utility Billing Provide BCWS with a printing, mailing and e-billing solution that allows us some flexibility in updating messages on monthly notices based on various criteria, such as service area, service type (water and/or sewer), service status etc To implement different payment processing options for bill presentment, payment methods, channels, convenience fees, recurring and one time payments, etc., To provide an excellent customer experience through the use of a new customer portal by allowing our customers to view historical usage data, communicate via messaging with BCWS staff and provide the ability to schedule payments etc all in one stop. To provide efficient migration of existing applications To provide the ability and resources to provide electronic payment (credit card and one time ACH) processing technology and services. These technologies and services will be interfaced to BCWS s systems that provide customers with the ability to pay for services and/or goods. The technology should also provide settlement processing with BCWS s bank (BB&T). To provide the ability and resources to design, implement, and support BCWS s portion of the electronic payment applications, including the front end Web pages and the interfaces to the associated business applications. CUSTOMER PORTAL The customer portal, at a minimum, should provide customers the ability to view up to 12 months of account activity, schedule future payments, make a one-time payment, sign up for e-billing or drafts/ach from their account for payment and send and receive messages to and from BCWS Customer Service staff and other divisions of BCWS. It is preferred that the customer have the ability to see their actual bill and have the ability to save or print it at their discretion. The portal would need to be able to retrieve information from Cogsdale Utility Billing software. Customers should have the ability to modify their profile including, but not limited to, the password. Customers should have the ability to link multiple accounts into a single logon profile and be able to retrieve and reset their password securely when desired or lost. BILL PRINTING, MAILING AND E-BILLING The bill printing solution shall provide a full range of bill printing services including, but not limited to, paper bills, e-billing options for each account holder, bill print design, and mailing of paper bills within 24 hours of 10

11 receiving the bill print file and approval to print from BCWS. Approval will be submitted after the processed bill samples for each billing cycle are reviewed by BCWS. It is preferable to combine bill printing and the payment solution if possible. BILL PAYMENT The bill payment solution is to provide the technology to allow customers multiple options to pay BCWS water and sewer related charges. The solution will provide a full range of payment services, including at a minimum, credit cards, debit cards, checking and savings accounts over the internet, mobile phone, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system and On-Behalf-Of (OBO). Services shall be offered 24 hours a day, 7-days a week, and 365 days a year. The payment services shall be provided in accordance with all applicable Card transaction security rules and regulations including payment card industry and data security standards ( PCI DSS ) compliance, all laws, and any other governing authority requirements as may apply. The Proposer shall provide licensing and services to support the bill printing and payment solution. Proposer shall also provide assistance in the initial implementation, migration, and training. BCWS seeks a comprehensive solution to ensure that their customers are offered an expanded choice of payment options from a qualified vendor. CALLOUT SOFTWARE Callout software should provide a system that is Web-based and provides for a secure login from various devices (i.e. Smart Phones, iphones, ipads, Laptops, Desktops, etc ) for operation of the system. The system must be able to utilize notification through phone dialing. The system should be able to provide a non-fee subscription signup service for those with cellular phones and other Smart devices who can subscribe to the system via BCWS website in the event BCWS desires to offer this service. The system will be hosted and housed by the vendor at secure locations for security and data integrity. The system must allow for customers to initiate a transfer to our payment engine from the phone message. BCWS currently uses Blackboard Connect for our callout software. A data file is uploaded to the software to prepare the call list, the message is prepared and the calls sent out. The software is used to send out reminder notices to customers who are facing disconnect due to nonpayment and for communicating emergency messages to both our customers and employees. 11

12 SECTION C SCOPE OF WORK C1. The Successful Offeror shall provide all software, programming, documentation, training materials, personnel, technical knowledge, and project management skills necessary to implement one or more of the systems and/or services outlined in the Request for Proposal and the Functional/Technical Requirements. The proposed solution(s) should run on a MS SQL database (if applicable), and accommodate a minimum of 20 concurrent users. The Successful Offeror shall identify minimum specifications for computers, servers, desktop or network printers, or other equipment necessary to operate the system and/or service in their response to this RFP. BCWS will ensure equipment installed meets or exceeds the minimum specifications and available for use in accordance with timelines identified in the project plan. The Successful Offeror will provide a schedule of equipment required for the successful implementation of the bill payment and bill print solution and the minimum specifications of the listed equipment. C2. The Successful Offeror will develop and submit a Project Implementation Plan with proposal submission. The final Project Implementation Plan will be developed as part of the contract document. As part of this proposal, the Offeror shall define all deliverables and proposed dates for completion. The project plan shall include, but not be limited to, strategies for the installation and implementation of the System. The project plan shall address the tasks necessary for the successful installation and setup of the database, software required to run the application, including interfaces, data conversion and a change management strategy including communication and end-user training. The project plan will indicate the resources required from BCWS for the successful implementation of the project. The Successful Offeror s Project Manager shall maintain a detailed project plan and schedule in Microsoft Project (or other mutually agreed upon software). This project plan shall include a detailed list of tasks for the project and the personnel assigned to each task. The Successful Offeror shall provide BCWS Project Manager an updated project schedule weekly. C3. The Successful Offeror shall develop and submit a comprehensive training plan and strategy suitable for training BCWS Staff to operate the new solution(s) and/or service(s) and provide ongoing support and maintenance. We anticipate training approximately 20 end users. Training must include end user training, functional/system administration training to be handled by the BCWS staff and database/technical administration training to be handled by the Information Technology Department. The Successful Offeror shall provide two complete sets of technical manuals and user manuals to BCWS for administrator and end-user training. Additionally, the Offeror shall provide an electronic copy (Microsoft Word) of the technical and user manual to BCWS. BCWS, at their expense, will have the right to make additional copies of the documents as needed. C4. The Successful Offeror shall provide a detailed testing strategy as part of their response to the RFP to include thorough testing of all transactions and processes used by BCWS. The test strategy shall include, but not be limited to, individual detailed transactions using account information, parallel testing and system testing of processes, interfaces, and conversions. The test strategy should also include methods for verifying the accuracy of information relative to transaction processing, interfaces, data conversion, reports, and account history. C5. The Successful Offeror s solution must provide a series of reports and edits to facilitate BCWS reporting needs, and the verification, validation, reliability, editing, correction and audit of system information and data. 12

13 SECTION D FUNCTIONAL / TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS BCWS recognizes and expects that some vendors will submit proposals only for specific systems and/or services requested in this (RFP). Below is a list of the systems and/or solutions included in this RFP. Please indicate with X which systems and/or solutions you are responding to below: D1 - Bill Printing, Mailing and E-Billing services D2 - Bill Payment solutions D3 - Electronic Bill Presentment & Payment D4 - Customer portal D5 - Call Out Software D6 - IVR One or more of the statements below regarding minimum qualifications may not be applicable to your response if not responding to all portions of the RFP. If the statement is non-applicable, please indicate with N/A. If your proposal includes pairing with a 3 rd party software or solution, or pairing with a specific 3 rd party solution or vendor, please disclose that information as well. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS Please provide a RESPONSE OR N/A (non-applicable) to EACH statement: 1. Payments: The proposed solution must support Visa, MasterCard, American Express and electronic checks (ACH) payments. 2. Payment Options: The proposed solution must be able to accept payment via the internet, mobile device, IVR (Interactive Voice Response) and OBO (On Behalf Of). 3. Bill Presentation: The proposed solution must be able to receive a file, print and mail bills and have the ability to provide bills in an electronic form. 4. PCI Compliance: The Proposer must provide certification of compliance with all current Payment Card Industry (PCI) standards. 5. Security: The proposer is responsible for ensuring that appropriate organizational, procedural, and technical controls are in place to safeguard BCWS s and its customer s information. 6. Relevant Experience: Proposer must have a minimum of three (3) successful implementations. 7. Experienced Staff: The primary staff assigned to the project must have completed at least two (2) previous successful implementations. 8. Project Manager: The Proposer must designate the Project Manager who will have overall, daily responsibility for the project. This person will be responsible for the Proposer s project management and coordination with BCWS. The Project Manager shall be dedicated to BCWS s project as that person s primary assignment for the duration of such person s employment by the Proposer and BCWS is to be informed as soon as possible of any change in assigned key staff. 9. Financial Statements: The proposer must provide financial statements for the past three (3) years. 10. Training: The proposer is responsible for providing training to departments that utilize the customer portal and/or E-Payments Platform. This may include training customer service staff (CS), back-office, and technical and functional staff. 13

14 11. Certified Reseller (or Factory Authorized Reseller): The Proposer, if other than the manufacturer, shall submit with the proposal a current, dated, and signed authorization from the manufacturer that the Proposer is an authorized distributor, dealer or service representative and is authorized to sell the manufacturer's products. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in bid rejection. This includes the certification to license the product and offer in-house service, maintenance, technical training assistance, and warranty services, including availability of spare parts and replacement units if applicable. FUNCTIONAL / TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS This section will provide details regarding the technical and functional capability to provide the systems and solutions requested in this RFP. Vendors must respond to the following information: D1 BILL PRINTING, MAILING AND E-BILLING Note: If not submitting a proposal for Bill Printing, Mailing and e-billing, enter N/A and proceed to the next section: 1. What file transfer and data formats do you support and/or prefer? 2. Do you require the help of a 3 rd party software for any reason? 3. Do you assist with bill design? 4. Do you have experience integrating or working with files from Cogsdale software? 5. How much time do you need for implementation after award? 6. How many customers do you currently serve? Do you currently do work for any water & sewer utility customers? 7. Are there plans to dramatically change your application within 2 years? 8. Can you guarantee tech support within a specified time frame? 9. What is the escalation process for a problem? 10. Do you provide the ability to track the status of bills mailed out? 11. Do you provide the ability to track the status of return envelopes? 12. Do you provide e-billing? 13. Do you assist with e-bill marketing? 14. Can bills be pulled or jobs stopped for Q/A purposes? 15. Describe how bills are resent if necessary. 16. Do you support QR codes and/or bar codes? 17. Do you support selective messaging based on the type of bill, area etc? 18. Do you charge more per bill if we have a second, smaller batch (i.e. Small batch of final bills etc?) 19. Do you have the ability to print and mail bills within 24 hours of receiving the bill print file and approval from BCWS? 20. Anything additional we should know about your solution? 14

15 D2 BILL PAYMENT Note: If not submitting a proposal for Bill payment, enter N/A and proceed to the next section: 1. Do you offer bill payment from our website or customer portal? 2. Do you offer mobile applications for bill payment? 3. Do you allow payment for other fees such as origination fees or impact fees? 4. Do you allow for payment with Visa, Mastercard, American Express and electronic check (ACH)? 5. Do you allow payment via the internet, IVR and OBO (on behalf of)? 6. Do you have the ability to validate ABA and transit numbers for ACH payments real time? 7. Do you provide a confirmation number and/or message to the customer to advise them the payment went through? 8. Do you have the ability to charge or collect any convenience fee separate from the BCWS collections? 9. Do you have the ability to charge BCWS the convenience fee instead of the customer should we decide to absorb the fee? 10. Do you have the ability to create reports that allow transactions/settlements to be journalized for auditing purposes? 11. Is your payment solution compatible with Microsoft Dynamics, Cogsdale Utility Billing? 12. Anything additional we should know about your solution? D3 ELECTRONIC BILL PRESENTMENT & PAYMENT Note: If not submitting a proposal for Electronic Bill Presentment & Payment, enter N/A and proceed to the next section: Note: If not submitting a proposal for Bill payment, enter N/A and proceed to the next section: 1. Can bills be downloaded for use by customers? 2. Is your solution custom or configurable? 3. What payment options are available? 4. Can customers short pay or over pay? If so, do they have the ability to leave a message as to why? 5. Can customers bills be integrated into their bank websites for viewing and paying? 6. Can you migrate current e-bill customers over to your solution? 7. Ability to send e-bills to customers within 24 hours of receiving the bill print files from BCWS? 8. Ability to allow BCWS to receive credit card, debit card and ACH payments without storing customer account information on our servers? 9. Ability for customers to contact a live call center operated by the vendor to make payments? 10. Ability to block cash only customers? 11. Ability to notify customer if credit card on file is expiring? 12. If bounces, do you automatically place the customer on paper billing again? 13. Ability to customer to let them know when auto pay will withdraw from their account in order to allow them to make changes if needed? 14. Anything additional we should know about your solution? D4 CUSTOMER PORTAL 15

16 Note: If not submitting a proposal for a Customer Portal solution, enter N/A and proceed to the next section: 1. Is a separate server required? 2. Is this a hosted application? 3. Is there a live chat feature in your solution? 4. How do you manage disaster recovery? 5. Are there plans to dramatically change your application within 2 years? 6. Can you guarantee tech support within a specified time frame? 7. What is the escalation process for a problem? 8. Do you have real-time data exchange integration with Cogsdales CIS platform? 9. Is your Customer Portal written on top of the Cogsdale CIS Platform? 10. Is your Customer Portal written specific to Cogsdale CIS Platform only? 11. Are you SAW16 and PCI Compliant? 12. Do you allow customers to set up recurring payments? 13. Do you allow customers to set up a login online? 14. Do you allow customers to schedule future one-time payments with all payment types? 15. Do you have the ability to allow customers to pay multiple accounts through a shopping cart feature? 16. Can a customer with multiple notices see all of them at once? 17. Can customer see an up-to-date balance owed? 18. What alerts are available for customers to use? 19. Can customers see and analyze at least 12 months of usage/consumption? 20. Can our Customer Support Specialists step into the software with a customer to see what the customer see when assisting them? 21. Can our Customer Support Specialists access and resend exact replicas of paper bills to customers? 22. Anything additional we should know about your solution? D5 CALLOUT SOFTWARE Note: If not submitting a proposal for a Callout software, enter N/A and proceed to the next section: 1. Does your callout software allow for a customer to be transferred to an IVR to make payment on their account? 2. Is there a limit on the number of calls we can make in each batch or daily, weekly, monthly or annually? 3. Does your software integrate with GIS to pull accounts into the software and make calls? 4. Does the software allow for BCWS to create, edit and send messages? 5. Is your system a hosted system? 6. Does your system require onsite hardware at the client(s) site? 7. Is access to your system Web-based (browser based, user interface) with Secure Login and Password? 8. Does your system require secure access for Administrative purposes? 9. Does your system allow Administrator(s) the ability to assign, access and set permission levels? 10. Does your system include the ability for users to see data for all groups they are a member of? 16

17 11. Does your system allow the ability for Administrator(s) to manage their user groups on their own? 12. Does your system allow the ability to initiate sessions through Smart Phone, PC Tables, ipads, iphones and Desktop personal computers and phones? 13. Does your system offer unlimited users and user groups? 14. Are your system functionalities and components available to users through a single application and single user interface? 15. Is your system compatible with industry standard browsers and operating systems? 16. Does your system provide confirmation of message receipt? 17. Is your system capable of detecting answering machines and if so, does it have the ability to leave a message? 18. Does your system have the ability to record, store and play back recorded messages? 19. Does your system have the ability to replay messages using a touchtone keypad? 20. Does your system have the ability to create messages in English and in Spanish? 21. Does your system allow the end user to schedule a notification for a future date and time of delivery? 22. Does your system allow the end user to schedule a notification to reoccur over a specific time period? 23. Does your system have unlimited storage capacity for all call lists? 24. Does your system include a toll free number for recipients to call into to hear the last message sent? 25. Does your system allow the end user to select geographic areas on an online map in which notifications will be sent? 26. Does your system allow the end user to edit and save a geographic area for future notification? 27. Does your system allow the end user to delete a saved geographic area from the system? 28. Does your system allow client access at any time? 29. Does your system provide reports as to who was contacted and/or not contacted? 30. Does your system provide on-screen session reports within the user interface. 31. Does your system reporting provide a breakdown of calls? (i.e., Answering machines, busy, ring-no answer, operator intercept, fax, answer, etc.) D6 INTERACTIVE VOICE RECOGNITION (IVR) Note: If not submitting a proposal for an IVR, enter N/A and proceed to the next section: 1. Allows transfer from callout software for payment? 2. Accept a wide range of credit card and check payments? 3. PCI compliant? 4. Allow customer to obtain information on past usage? 5. Can our Customer Support Specialist assist the customer with IVR on the phone? 6. Allow speech recognition? 7. Integration with Cogsdale? 8. Embedded, real-time monitoring of calls/activity? 9. Fax-back capabilities? 10. Customer reporting? 11. Capable of notifying BCWS if interruptions to our service occur? 12. Limits on voice prompts? 13. Translation on voice prompts? (English to other language?) 17

18 PRICING Pricing: The contracting mechanism will include pricing for a variety of services including transaction fees, analysis fees, consulting fees, technical development fees, training fees, returned payment fees, etc. Transaction fees should be calculated with the understanding that such fees will be paid by the customer directly to the Proposer. This section will provide details regarding pricing for the systems and solutions requested in this RFP. Vendors must respond to the following information: D1 Bill Printing, Mailing and e-billing 1. Per printed bill a. Black & White 1 side b. Black and White 2 sides c. Color 1 side d. Color 2 sides 2. Per e-bill 3. Per Printed special letter 4. Per envelope 5. Tracking status bills mailed out 6. Tracking status envelopes returned with payment 7. Set up charge for special mailings 8. Set up charge for bill template, if any 9. Any other costs not listed above D2 Bill Payment 1. Annual maintenance charge(s) 2. One-time setup charge(s) 3. Training charges(s) 4. Fee charges to customers 5. Fee charges to BCWS D3 Electronic Bill Presentment & Payment 1. Annual maintenance charge(s) 2. One-time setup charge(s) 3. Training charges(s) 4. Fee charges to customers 5. Fee charges to BCWS D4 Customer Portal 1. Annual maintenance charge(s) 2. One-time setup charge(s) 3. Training charges(s) 4. License charge(s) for up to 20 concurrent licenses D5 Callout Software 1. Annual maintenance charge(s) 2. Minimum flat charge per month? If so, what does the flat charge include? 18

19 3. One-time setup charge(s) 4. Training charge(s) 5. Charge per call? Per minute? 6. Other charges Berkeley County Water & Sanitation D6 Interactive Voice Recognition (IVR) 1. Annual maintenance charge(s) 2. One-time setup charge(s) 3. Training charges(s) 4. Charges for additional language other than English 5. Reporting charges 6. Other charges 19

20 SECTION E CONTENTS OF THE PROPOSAL PROPOSALS - The proposal must contain the following: 1) The submittal package shall contain one (1) original and three (3) hard copies of the proposal. 2) Pricing: The information in Section D: Pricing must be completed along with any other pricing information relevant to the project but not requested. Please indicate if additional equipment or software is needed to utilize your solution, but not provided in your proposal. Pricing must include initial and recurring costs. 3) Project Layout: Provide a detailed project layout with the phases of the project specified separately with estimate completion dates for each phase. 4) Complete Section D Functional/Technical Requirements. This response is mandatory. 5) Maintenance Support: Provide proposed maintenance agreement, if applicable. 6) Licensing Agreement: Provide proposed licensing agreement, if applicable. 7) References: Provide three (3) related references and their contact information. 8) Contract: Provide a sample contract for services. 9) Financial Statements: Provide financial statements for the past three (3) years. 10) Additional attachments and/or information. 20

21 SECTION F EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS EVALUATION PROCESS: Step 1: Proposal Evaluation The selection committee of BCWS will use the following point system to evaluate information: CRITERA POINTS Past experience with similar projects 0 to 10 Functional / Technical Requirements 0 to 25 References, Site Visits and Demonstrations 0 to 15 Maintenance Support and Licensing Agreement 0 to 10 Ability to work with CMS at BCWS and other systems, vendors or solutions 0 to 20 Pricing 0 to 20 Grand Total 100 The BCWS selection committee will evaluate all responsive proposals. Each committee member will rank the respondents separately using a ranking system developed for the project. The committee members, based on their evaluation, will rank the firms highest to lowest. The committee will compare individual ranking, discuss as necessary and determine the ranking of the respondents. A short list of vendors may be created with the highest ranking vendors. Step 2: Demonstrations The BCWS selection committee may require that vendors who remain active and competitive provide a product demonstration at the BCWS location. Vendors invited are to bring the assigned key personnel working on the project. The vendor shall not, in any event, bring individuals who do not work for the vendor or for the vendor as a subcontractor on this project without specific advance authorization by BCWS. The format of the interviews will be as follows: 10 minutes - Prepared questions from the evaluation committee. 25 minutes - Respondents presentation. 10 minutes - Follow up questions and answers. Upon completion of the interviews, each committee member will rank the respondents separately using a ranking developed for post interview. The evaluation will include the evaluation of all submitted information, answers to questions, and presentation. The committee members, based on their evaluation, will rank the firms highest to lowest. The committee will compare individual ranking, discuss as necessary and determine the ranking of the respondents. 21

22 Step 3: References and Site Visits References of the users of the vendor s product and services will be contacted for information. BCWS may use any former client, whether or not they have been submitted by the vendor as references and BCWS may choose to serve as a reference if BCWS has had former work or current work performed by the vendor. Although BCWS anticipates completing reference checks at this point in the process, the evaluation committee may contact the client references of the vendors, or other sources in addition to those specifically provided by the vendor, at any time to assist BCWS in understanding the product. The BCWS staff may travel to the location of the highest ranked vendor(s) for an on-site visit and/or to visit identified user site(s) to evaluate real-world use of one or more of the finalist vendor s respective solution(s), performance and customer service. BCWS may elect to visit all top ranked candidates for a site visit or only those as needed to obtain additional understanding of the vendor proposal. Such site visits will be used as a reference. Transportation costs for the BCWS staff shall be at the expense of BCWS. BCWS will not reimburse the vendor for any vendor costs associated with such visits. Step 4: Final Evaluation: BCWS reserves the right to terminate the process if it decides no proposals meet its requirements. Throughout the evaluation process, BCWS reserves the right to seek clarifications from any Vendor. In the event that two or more Vendors receive the same Total Score, the contract will be awarded to that Vendor whose response indicates the ability to provide the best overall service and benefit to BCWS. AWARD AND CONTRACT EXECUTION INSTRUCTIONS No debriefs to proposers. BCWS issues results and award decisions to all proposers and does not otherwise provide debriefs of the evaluation to their respective proposals. The successful vendor(s) will receive and Intention to Award Letter from the Purchasing Manager after award decisions are made by BCWS. The letter will include instructions for final submittals that are due prior to execution of the contract or purchase order. This contract shall be for five years, with one two-year extension allowed at the option of BCWS. Such extensions shall be automatic, and shall go into effect without written confirmation, unless BCWS provides advance notice of the intention to not renew. The vendor may also provide a notice to not extend, but must provide such notice at least 120 days prior to the otherwise automatic renewal date. Once BCWS has finalized and issued the contract for signature, the vendor must execute the contract and provide all requested documents within ten (10) business days. If the vendor fails to execute the contract with all documents within the ten (10) day time frame, BCWS may cancel the award and proceed to the next ranked vendor or cancel or reissue this solicitation. Cancellation of an award for failure to execute the contract as attached may result in proposer disqualification for future solicitations for this same or similar product/service. END OF DOCUMENT 22