REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

DEBT COLLECTION SERVICES

SOLICITATION #18RP001

RELEASED SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

 Table of Contents
I. NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR PROPSAL
II. ELEGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
III. GENERAL INFORMATION
IV. SUBMITTING YOUR PROPOSAL
V. DETAILED SCOPE OF WORK
VI. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS AND ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
VII. PROPOSAL REPSONSE FORMAT
VIII. EVALUATION CRITERIA
SCHEDULE A: CERTIFICATION OF PROPOSAL
SCHEUDLE B: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
SCHEDULE C: PROPOSED COLLECTION PROCEDURES &
IMPLEMENTATION POLICY
SCHEDULE D: GOVERNMENTAL & SCHOOL EXPERIENCE
SCHEDULE E: REFERENCES
SCHEDULE F: COST PROPOSAL

IX. RFP EVALUATION SCORESHEET

ATTACHMENT A: INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR AGREEMENT

Nebo School District

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 NEBO SCHOOL DISTRICT
REQUEST FOR BID
STUDENT FEE COLLECTION SERVICES
RFP # 18RP001

I. NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

The purpose of this Request for Proposal is to solicit competitive sealed proposals from Collection
agency and to enter into a contract to provide debt collection services for Nebo School District
(NSD). It is anticipated that this RFP may result in a contract award to a single agency.

NSD operates 30 elementary schools, 7 Jr. High schools and 5 high schools, as well as other special
schools and programs. On average, $100,000 is uncollected annually, although there is no
guarantee that his uncollected amount will be the same or similar in the future. The District has
determined outsourcing the collections process will help reduce the amount of uncollected student
fees.

This RFP is designed to provide interested agencies, hereafter referred to as “agency,” with
sufficient basic information to submit proposals meeting minimum requirements, but is not
intended to limit a proposal’s content or exclude any relevant or essential data. Agencies are at
liberty and are encouraged to expand upon the specifications to evidence service capability under
any agreement.

All proposal preparation costs and any associated activities related to this RFP are the sole
responsibility of the agency. NSD is not liable for any costs incurred throughout the entire
selection process.

II. ELEGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

In order to be eligible to respond to this RFP, the agency must meet all of the following minimum
qualifications:

1. Licensed – The proposing agency is properly licensed and registered as a collection

agency and licensed to do business in the State of Utah.
2. The agency must have demonstrated knowledge of the Fair Debt Collection Practices
Act (FDCPA) and provide evidence of enforcement within the office.
3. The agency adheres to all state and federal regulations that are applicable to collection
agencies.
4. The agency must have at least five (5) years’ experience in collections, and should list
the date their company was established. They MUST also have specific school district
(or equivalent) receivable collection experience.

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III. GENERAL INFORMATION

A. Bid Information
All bid documents and addenda will be available on SciQuest. Proposal information should
be contained within Schedules A, B, C, D, E, and F.

B. Inquiries
All inquiries relative to this request for bid must be submitted through SciQuest and will be
answered through SciQuest up to the Q & A deadline.

C. Addendum to RFP
If it becomes necessary to revise this RFP in whole or in part, an addendum will be posted
on SciQuest. Agencies who obtained this RFP by download are required to check SciQuest
for any addenda.

D. RFP Award
When the award is made, it will be posted on SciQuest. In the event that the bid is canceled
after the closing date, that information will be posted on SciQuest as well.

E. Written Agreement
The selected agency must enter into a contract with NSD to provide student fee collection
services required by NSD for the term of the contract. The contract must be performed in
accordance with Independent Contractor Agreement included in this RFP.

F. Contract Period
This agreement shall commence on the date of the RFP award by the Board of Education.
Contract award shall result in a five-year contract, unless terminated early (1) by the breach
of either party as provided below, (2) by mutual agreement of the parties at any time, or (3)
by either party as provided below. In case of breach by either party, the other party may
terminate the contract upon sixty (60) days’ written notice. Either party may terminate
contract without cause upon ninety (90) days’ written notice. In the event of early
termination, the District reserves the right to enter into negotiations with additional
offerors without the need to re-issue and conduct a formal RFP process. In the event of early
termination, the agency agrees to complete all projects “in-process” regardless of the date of
contract termination. Offeror shall be compensated for all completed work in accordance
with the original contract terms as may be amended.

G. CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Any contract resulting from this RFP will include but may not be limited to the District’s
Independent Contractor Agreement (see Attachment A). Exceptions and or additions to the
District’s Independent Contractor Agreement are strongly discouraged.
Exceptions and additions to the District’s Independent Contractor Agreement must be
submitted with the proposal response. Exceptions, additions, service level agreements, etc.
submitted after the date and time for receipt of proposals will not be considered. Website

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 URLs, or information on website URLs must not be submitted with a proposal. URL
terms/conditions provided with a proposal may result in that proposal being rejected as
non-responsive.
The District retains the right to refuse to negotiate exceptions that are excessive, are not in
the best interest of the District, may result in excessive costs to the District, or could
adversely impact existing time constraints.
If negotiations are sought, agency must provide all documents in MS Word format for
redline editing. Vendor must provide the name, contact information, and access to the
person(s) that will be directly involved in legal negotiations.

IV. SUBMITTING YOUR PROPOSAL

A. The proposal and supplemental information must be received by the NSD Purchasing
Department by the due date and time listed on SciQuest. For the electronic proposal
submission you must attach a minimum of two separate documents in SciQuest; a document
titled “Technical Proposal” and a document titled “Cost Proposal.” Cost will be evaluated
independent from the technical proposal, and as such, is to be submitted separate from the
technical proposal. Failure to submit cost separately may result in your proposal being
determined non-responsive. Inclusion of any cost or pricing data within the technical
proposal may also result in your proposal being determined non-responsive.
B. Proposals must be signed by the agency’s authorized official the agency to its proposal for a
period of 60 days from the date of receipt by the NSD Purchasing Department.
C. All proposed information must be submitted on the Proposal Response forms found in
Section VIII.
D. Each agency shall submit only one (1) proposal. Alternate or multiple bids from a single
agency are prohibited. Where multiple proposals are submitted, that item may be deemed
non-responsive.

V. DETAILED SCOPE OF WORK

A. The selected agency will be expected to perform the following:

1. Provide debt collection services on individual accounts, regardless of amount owed

or total number of accounts assigned to Agency, as provided by NSD. All collection
activities must occur with an understanding of the sensitive nature of the ongoing
relationship with NSD and its constituents. Any communication regarding incurred
debt will between the parents or guardians only. No communication about debt
will be made to students.
2. Provide NSD with an online portal that provides access to all NSD collections data.
Data must provide detail on an individual account collection level. The account data
must allow each school to view their accounts and also allow the District the ability
to see all accounts.
3. Provide monthly status reports to the District on all accounts. Show dates, amounts,
funds recovered, fees collected & distributed, actions taken toward recovery,

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 pertinent comments, etc. Reports are to be prepared for and delivered to each
individual school monthly or as requested. Delivery options should be discussed in
your proposal. If the portal allows for this reporting, describe the process of
obtaining them through the portal.
4. The District will provide a single point of contact for contract administration and the
agency must also provide a single point of contact who is located in the state of Utah
for contract administration.
5. The agency will undertake, through proper and lawful means, the collection of all
accounts, including principal, interest, collection costs and legal fees, referred to it
by NSD regardless of amount.
6. The agency will not use any unfair collection practices in the collection of the
accounts or violate any guidelines established by the Federal Trade Commission or
any other state or federal agency having jurisdiction.
7. In the event an account(s) is reduced or canceled by NSD, the agency will provide a
detailed itemization of all activities taken to comply with the contract and return
any applicable documentation.
8. The agency does not have the authority to accept a compromise settlement for any
account without the written consent of NSD.
9. The agency agrees to suspend action, either temporarily or permanently, without
fee or penalty to NSD or debtor, on any account upon notification from the District.
10. The agency will immediately suspend action on any account upon receipt of
notification of bankruptcy. All account and bankruptcy information should be sent
to the district finance department, without penalty or cost to NSD. This includes
accounts where legal action may have been taken.
11. Unless a department has specifically requested, the agency will not undertake legal
proceedings without having received written permission.
a. The agency will provide copies of the summons and complaints to the
District department within 15 days of the service.
b. The agency will provide the District department with a copy of any
judgment, within 15 days of such judgment.
c. The agency does not have the authority to undertake legal proceedings
against accounts without signed, written consent from the District.
12. Unless specifically requested by a department to have accounts be retained for more
than a year, or indefinitely, the agency will not retain any account for more than one
(1) year from the date of placement unless:
a. Payments are being made or the account is in the process of litigation.
b. NSD or debtor disputes the account balance.
13. Any or all of the accounts which have been referred to an agency may be withdrawn
based upon written notification from a pre-designated, authorized person from NSD.
Such withdrawals will be made without cost to NSD.

VI. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS AND ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

A. Proposed Collection Process and Implementation Plan

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 Describe your collections steps and processes recommended to address NSDs collections
need with an overriding understanding of the District’s desire to maintain positive relations
with our parents/students.

Provide in detail the methods you plan to use to reduce the potential liability to NSD in
carrying out collection activities as an agent representing NSD. Include an implementation
plan as to how you would initially intend to collect on accounts.

B. General Requirements

1. All collection activities of the agency shall be fully documented and coordinated
with the activities of the District. As the work of the agency progresses, advice on
matters of immediate concern to the agency regarding the collection of the accounts,
or any other issues with an account, shall be made available to the District.
2. The Agency shall not assign any interest in the contract, and shall not transfer any
interest, whatsoever, to another agency (whether by assignment or novation)
without written and signed approval from the District.
a. All sub-contractors shall agree to comply with the contents of this RFP,
and the contract.
3. The Agency shall have procedures and provisions that are in place to be employed in
the event of disaster or equipment failure.
4. The agency must have the ability to record phone calls, and be able to send specific
or sample phone calls to the District upon request.
5. The agency and their system must have an internal accounting control process in
place that prevents lost or incorrect payments and information on the customer’s
account.
6. The agency must provide documentation of customer service training for their
employees.
7. The agency must provide, to designated District personnel, online access to our
customers’ account information in their system.

C. Internal Controls and Risk Management

The Agency shall provide a detailed description of the following system controls:
1. System controls that assure accuracy of the processing and reporting of all
transactions processed under the requirements of the RFP.
2. Processes and policies that cover a breach of confidential information including how
customers and the District would be notified.
3. The agency must describe their policies related to data confidentiality, disclosure of
information, and record retention and destruction.
4. The agency’s processes, portal, and internal information systems must protect the
privacy of the customer’s personal and financial information.

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 D. Security Compliance

1. The agency must certify that neither it nor any proposed subcontractors have any
affiliations with person(s) recognized by law enforcement officers as being habitual
criminals or members of criminal cartels, and that they do not have any convictions
or judgments (civil or criminal) for fraud, deceit, or crimes involving moral
turpitude. The agency must also certify that neither it nor any proposed
subcontractors have a petition under the Bankruptcy Act, or any State insolvency
law, filed by or against any of the named, or any order, judgment, or decree of any
federal or State authority barring, suspending, or otherwise limiting the right or
license of the bidder to engage in any business practice or activity.
2. The agency must provide detailed access logs that minimally include date, time and
originating IP number, should the need arise for incident forensics.

E. Costs and Fees

1. The District shall not be liable for any costs or expenses incurred by the agency in
the collection of the accounts. Rates and amounts charged must be within all
applicable federal and state statutes and regulations. Collection fees will be paid to
the agency using the contracted rate applied to the amounts collected.
2. In the event an account is reduced or canceled by the District, no collection fee will
be due the Agency for the amount of reduction or cancellations.
3. The Agency’s collection fee should be reported as a percentage of the payments on
the monthly invoice sent to the District. Charges incurred by the Agency such as
credit card fees, electronic check fees, or any other payment fees are to be paid by
the Agency, not the customer. Other collection fees such as certified mail, skip-
tracing, or any other fees to collect the account, are to be paid by the Agency, not the
customer. The Agency shall only assess the contracted percentage collection fee to
the customer. Any other fees, such as legal for example, must be approved by the
District.
4. If an account has been approved to have legal proceeding taken against it, the
Agency may then pass those charges on to the customer.
5. The Agency must disclose all charges they assess to customers, and their purpose.

VII. PROPOSAL RESPONSE FORMAT

All proposals must include the following schedules or copies thereof. The schedules must be completed in
their entirety. Other materials that support these schedules may be included in the proposal document.

Schedule A. Certification of Proposal (Technical)

Schedule B. Executive Summary (Technical)
Schedule C. Proposed Procedures (Technical)
Schedule D. Governmental & School Experience (Technical)
Schedule E. References (Technical)
Schedule F. Cost (Cost)

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All proposals must be organized as follows:

A. Technical Proposal Format

Tab 1. Executive Summary. The one or two page executive summary is to briefly describe the agency’s
proposal. This summary should highlight the major features of the proposal. It must indicate any
requirements that cannot be met by the offeror. The reader should be able to determine the essence of the
proposal by reading the executive summary. Protected information requests should be identified in this
section.

Tab 2. Detailed Response. This section should constitute the major portion of the proposal and must
contain at least the following information:
 A complete narrative of the offeror's assessment of the work to be performed, the offeror’s ability
and approach, and the resources necessary to fulfill the requirements. This should demonstrate the
offeror's understanding of the desired overall performance expectations. Clearly indicate any
options or alternatives proposed.

 A specific point-by-point response, in the order listed, in section VI - Technical Requirements and
Additional Qualifications, listed in the RFP.

Tab 3. Protected Information. Please be advised that Utah law considers Proposal Documents as public
records subject to inspection under the Governmental Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA), Utah
Code Ann., §63G-2-101, et seq. The Proposal Documents of the successful and unsuccessful Vendors shall
be open to public inspection, except for portions that are to be non-disclosed as per Utah law. Accordingly,
if a Vendor desires to request that a record be protected, the Vendor must: (a) submit a cover letter with
the Proposal Documents specifically identifying which provisions of the Proposal Documents are claimed to
be considered for business confidentiality or protected (including trade secrets or other reasons for non-
disclosure under GRAMA); and (b) provide a concise statement of the reasons supporting each claimed
provision of business confidentiality or protected.

B. Cost Proposal Format

The proposal must be set forth in such a way that it will allow the merits of the proposal to be
evaluated in conjunction with applicable cost.

VIII. EVALUATION CRITERIA

NSD will evaluate each proposal submitted based on responsiveness to the district’s overall needs.
The award of contract, if made, will be to the agency who is responsive and responsible to all
administrative and technical requirements of the RFP; who has demonstrated competence and
qualifications in regards to providing the services required; the cost and prices for the services
offered; and who receives the highest rating based upon all of the criteria set forth in the RFP.

The process of award will be by committee. The committee will base their evaluation on the
criteria listed on the evaluation scoresheet and then a weighted score will be determined based on
the weighted value of that criteria. The agency receiving the highest score will be awarded the
contract.

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 Schedule A

CERTIFICATION OF PROPOSAL

We have read the Nebo School District Request for Proposal and fully understand its intent. We
certify that we have adequate personnel and resources to fulfill the Proposal requirements. We
further understand that our ability to meet the criteria and provide the required services shall be
judged solely by NSD.

We further certify that, since the receipt of this RFP, no contact, discussion, or negotiation has
been made nor will be made regarding this RFP with any NSD employee or Board of Education
member other than the listed contact people in the RFP. We understand that any such contact
could disqualify this Proposal.

We further certify that we are properly licensed and registered to conduct business within the
scope of this RFP in the State of Utah.

We certify that all schedules and addenda contained herein shall be considered part of the entire
RFP response and that the complete document submitted shall be considered a legally binding
document.

PROPRIETARY INFORMATION

Agencies are required to mark any specific information contained in their Proposal that is not to
be disclosed to the public or used for purposes other than the evaluation of the Proposal. Pricing
and service elements of the successful Proposal will not be considered proprietary. All materials
become the property of NSD and may be returned only at the District's discretion. Proposals
submitted may be reviewed and evaluated by any person at the discretion of the District.

This agreement shall be between Nebo School District and the successful agency.

Agreed to by:

Company Name ____________________________________

Authorized Signature ____________________________________

Name and Title ____________________________________

Telephone ____________________________________

Date ____________________________________

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 Schedule B

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This section should briefly describe the agency’s profile and qualifications. This summary should
highlight the major features of the proposal. It must indicate any requirements that cannot be met
by the agency. The reader should be able to determine the essence of the proposal by reading the
executive summary.

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 Schedule C

PROPOSED COLLECTION PROCEDURES & IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

This section should provide an outline of the proposed collection plan and how to
accomplish the scope as described above. The outline should demonstrate the agency’s
understanding of the requirements and expectations.

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 Schedule D

GOVERNMENTAL & SCHOOL EXPERIENCE

This section should briefly describe the agency’s experience in collections of student fees.

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 Schedule E
REFERENCES

The agency shall submit five (3) references. If possible, these should be of similar school Districts
or institutions, including: the name of the school district or institution, phone number, business
address, the name and email address of a contact person.

Reference #1

Name of School/Institution: ____________________________________________________________________

School/Institution Address: ____________________________________________________________________
Contact Name: ____________________________________________________________________________________
Contact Phone: ____________________________________________________________________________________
Contact Email: ____________________________________________________________________________________

Reference #2

Name of School/Institution: ____________________________________________________________________

School/Institution Address: ____________________________________________________________________
Contact Name: ____________________________________________________________________________________
Contact Phone: ____________________________________________________________________________________
Contact Email: ____________________________________________________________________________________

Reference #3

Name of School/Institution: ____________________________________________________________________

School/Institution Address: ____________________________________________________________________
Contact Name: ____________________________________________________________________________________
Contact Phone: ____________________________________________________________________________________
Contact Email: ____________________________________________________________________________________

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 Schedule F

COST PROPOSAL
*COST IS TO BE SUBMITTED IN A SEPARATE SEALED ENVELOPE APART FROM THE
TECHNICAL PROPOSAL.

PROPOSED FEES (Separate Envelope)

Based on your cost model and assuming $100,000 in uncollected fees, please provide:

1) A detailed list of fixed fees (if any) associated with your collections
process and cost proposal. This should include:

Attorney and/or other legal fees.

And/or

2) The split of collected debts:

District portion of collected fees ____________%

Agency portion of collected fees ____________%

Signature: ____________________________________________

Title: ________________________________________________

Date: _________________________

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 RFP EVALUATION SCORESHEET
Student Fee Collection Agency Services
Solicitation 18RP001

Agency Name: Score will be assigned as follows:

1 = Poor, inadequate, fails to meet requirement
2 = Fair, only partially responsive
Evaluator:
3 = Average, meets minimum requirement
4 = Above average, exceeds minimum requirement
Date: 5 = Superior

Score Weight Points

(1-5)
1. Compliance with RFP Instructions 5 points
X1
possible
2. Collections Process/Proposal and implementation plan or 40 points
X8
approach. possible
3. Specific experience in collection of debts due to school 10 points
districts or similar entity. X2
possible
4. Agency’s demonstrated knowledge of collections and
15 points
ability to meet all other terms, conditions, and specifications X3
possible
in this RFP
5. Agency’s list of references provided 5 points
X1
possible
TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS (75 points
possible) Total

4. Interview, Demonstration, and/or Discussion (if needed) 35 points possible

5. Price Proposal *Inserted
 All Costs, Expenses, Charges, and Fees 30 points possible by
Purchasing
GRAND TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS (140 points
Total
possible)

*Interviews, Demonstrations, and/or Discussions:

The Evaluation Committee may select up to three (3) responsible Vendor candidates for interviews, demonstrations, and/or discussions according to the
points awarded in Factors 1, 2, and 3 above. The Evaluation Committee may award up to an additional fifty (50) points on a forced ranking scale.

+Pricing Formula:
(A) The Vendor with the lowest pricing costs receives 3 points. All other Vendors receive a prorated portion of the 10 points by comparing their pricing
costs to the lowest pricing costs:
[Lowest Vendor Number / Vendor Number = .____ x 10 = (A) (up to 10 points)]
(B) Vendors whose pricing costs are at or below the average of all the Vendors pricing costs receive 10 points. All other Vendors who are above the
average receive a prorated portion of the 10 points by comparing their pricing costs to the average pricing costs:
[Average Vendor Number / Vendor Number = .____ x 20 = (B) (up to 20 points)]
(C) The total number of the points awarded in (A) and (B) above constitutes the final score awarded to a Vendor for their pricing costs:
[(A) (up to 10 points) + (B) (up to 20 points) = (C) Final Score (up to 30 points)]

NOTE: The Evaluation Committee will recommend for approval to the Board of Education of Nebo School District and/or Superintendent, as applicable,
the most responsible and responsive Vendor for this Project in accordance with all of the factors and weightings set forth herein. The Board of Education
of Nebo School District and/or Superintendent, as applicable, has full and absolute discretion and authority on the selection of the Vendor for this Project.

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