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1 General Information
1.1 Notice
The Board of Trustees of the Nebraska State Colleges will receive responses to a Request for
Proposals (RFP) in the form of sealed bids for an electronic Payment Gateway System (PGS). The
Nebraska State College System (NSCS) consists of Chadron State College (CSC), Peru State College (PSC),
and Wayne State College (WSC). The APPROXIMATE student headcounts for each of the three State
Colleges, based on the Fall Term of the 2014-15 Regular Academic Year, are:
CSC – 2,791
PSC – 2,538
WSC – 3,319
1.2 Purpose
The NSCS is requesting proposals for a PGS Solution. Successful Respondents will propose an online
student payment Solution or Module, along with such alternate (optional) solutions as defined later in
this RFP. All Solutions/Modules will be priced individually, based on an annual cost, and include
responses to the various questions and specifications presented in this RFP. The NSCS will announce
intent to award based on the quality of the proposed Solution responses, and then negotiate a five-year
contract with at least two (2) one-year renewals agreed to by both parties. It is anticipated that the
master contract will have three supplemental contracts to define the Solutions to be initially
implemented at each of the three State Colleges. Subsequent alternate/optional Solutions may be
implemented after the initial implementation utilizing supplemental contract addenda with pricing per
the master contract. The pricing model for any future contract addenda must be consistent with the
response to this RFP.
1.3 Definitions
Definitions used in these requirements and any resultant contract documents shall have the respective
meaning as herein given.
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Respondent -- a party submitting a proposal based on these specifications.
Contractor -- the party which submits the successful proposal and which subsequently enters into a
contract with the College.
College – Chadron State College, Peru State College, or Wayne State College.
Federal -- all agencies, departments or other subdivisions of the Government of the United States of
America.
State -- the State of Nebraska, including all agencies, departments or other subdivisions
thereof.
Accounting Period -- the reporting and payment dates for both Contractor and College as defined
by the contract document.
Nebraska State College System
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Regular Academic Year -- that period of time beginning with the opening of the fall semester and
ending with the close of the spring semester as established by the College's approved academic
calendar.
Vendor—to have the same meaning as “Contractor” above.
Purpose – the need expressed in section 1.2 of this document.
Solution – the combination of product and services proposed by the Contractor; may be considered
a “Module” by some Respondents.
Campus Constituency – those parties affiliated with the College which has some vested interest in
the Solution.
1.4 Basis of Proposals
Proposals are to be based upon specifications contained in this Request for Proposals, including
all sections. No telephone or fax proposals will be considered. No Respondent may withdraw a proposal
for a period of sixty (60) days after the date of proposal opening.
It is the responsibility of the prospective Respondent submitting a proposal to become fully acquainted
with this RFP and the conditions for providing the Solutions to the NSCS. These conditions include, but
are not limited to, legal and tax requirements, compatibility requirements of the PeopleSoft Student
Information System that the NSCS current shares with the University of Nebraska, and the costs
involved in providing software, training, and services to three geographically diverse Colleges in the State of
Nebraska.
1.5 Contractor Selection
The Respondents will be screened and a Contractor selected on the basis of any and all information
that the College deems pertinent to the Purpose of the RFP. The College reserves the right to reject
any or all proposals, to accept other than the low bid, to negotiate with one or more Respondents on
the basis of their initial proposal, and to waive informalities or technicalities in the bidding and evaluation
process.
1.6 Notice of Intent to Award
All Respondents submitting proposals will be promptly notified as to the successful Respondent after
the NSCS has approved the intent to award contract, contingent upon successful negotiation of the
contract.
1.7 Contract and Contract Documents
The College and the successful Respondent shall enter into a written contract, the terms of which shall
reference conditions and specifications put forth in this Request for Proposal, including the terms
mentioned above in Section 1.2. Note that responses to this RFP will include the submission of a draft
contract, per Section 7.
2 CRITICAL DATES
The following summary outlines the critical dates in the process of selecting a Contractor.
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August 26, 2015 - Request for Proposal Issued
Specifications, including these critical dates, Respondent’s qualification requirements, and
other information, are published and made available to prospective Respondents. This is also
the date of the first of three notices/advertisements in two newspapers.
September 10, 2015 – Deadline for written questions
All questions are due via e-mail to the RFP Communications Liaison by 4:00PM Central Standard
Time (CST). The subject line for written questions must be “NSCS PGS RFP Written Questions”.
September 22, 2015 - Proposals Due
 Proposals submitted in response to this Request for Proposal must be received by
2:00 p.m. in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Facilities and Information Technology
(also the RFP Communications Liaison), at which time and place the names of prospective
contractors submitting proposals will be read.
October 14, 2015 – Announce intent to award contract.
November 2, 2015 – Contracting Process Concludes with Final Contract; Begin Initial Implementation.
March 31, 2016 – Completion of Initial Implementation at all three State Colleges.
3 INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS
3.1 Proposal Submission
Responses will be placed in sealed envelopes marked as noted in section 3.1.1, received at the
location specified in 3.1.2 until the time specified in 3.1.3, at which time and place the bids will be
publicly opened. A complete proposal shall consist of the items listed in section 3.1.5. All
deadline times in this document should be interpreted as Central Standard Time (CST).
3.1.1 RFP Identification
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Nebraska State College System
Payment Gateway System (PGS) Proposal
3.1.2 RFP Opening Location
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Office of the Vice Chancellor for Facilities and Information Technology
Nebraska State College System
1327 H Street, Suite 200
Lincoln, NE 68508
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2:00 PM, September 22, 2015
3.1.3 RFP Due Date
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3.1.4 RFP Responsible parties
3.1.4.1 RFP and Contract Responsible Party
Steven P. Hotovy
Vice Chancellor for Facilities and Information Technology
Nebraska State College System
1327 H Street, Suite 200
Lincoln, NE 68508
shotovy@nscs.edu
p) 402-471-2505
3.1.4.2 RFP Communications Liaison
Same as 3.1.4.1 above.
3.1.5 RFP Response Contents
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Original Proposal, in sealed envelope mailed or delivered to the above address.
One electronic copy, provided to shotovy@nscs.edu.
3.2 Proposal Organization
Respondents must provide written responses or acknowledgements to the following questions and
statements intended to establish their qualification to provide Solutions in accordance with the
specifications included in this RFP. Responses should be numbered to coincide with the numbering
of the questions below and should be presented in the sequence indicated. This information
must be provided as part of the response even if the same or similar information has been
provided to the NSCS as part of previous bids or proposals. Responses should be straightforward
and concise while still covering the topics adequately. Omissions, inaccuracies or misstatements may be
considered cause for disqualification of the Respondent.
3.3 RFP Communication
All communications and/or questions in regard to this request should be in writing, and Respondents are
encouraged to e-mail written questions to the RFP Communications Liaison listed in Section 3.1.4.2.
Please note the deadline for written questions in Section 2 above.
3.4 RFP Errors
If any significant ambiguity, error, conflict, discrepancy, omission, or other deficiency is discovered in
this RFP, Respondents have five (5) business days prior to the RFP due date to notify, in writing, the RFP
Communications Liaison of such error and request modification or clarification of the RFP document. All
written questions will be responded to in writing and provided via post to the RFP website to all
Respondents.
In the event that it becomes necessary to provide additional clarifying data or information, or to revise
any part of this RFP, supplements or revisions will be provided to all recipients of this initial RFP.
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4 NEBRASKA STATE COLLEGE SYSTEM PROFILE
4.1 NSCS Mission
The Nebraska State College System (NSCS) consists of three Colleges – Chadron State College, Peru
State College, and Wayne State College – all of which are open enrollment regional public institutions
geographically positioned to serve the needs of all Nebraskans. The NSCS focuses on accessibility and
affordability while striving to develop students of all academic abilities through quality teaching and
support, and to assist with the development of the three Colleges’ service regions through the
delivery of public service programs and activities.
The three Colleges are primarily undergraduate institutions offering a comprehensive curriculum
with equal emphasis on the arts and sciences, business and teacher education. Graduate
programs are offered at the Master's level in education and business administration and at the
specialist level in education.
The Colleges have built upon its rich tradition of teachers colleges by emphasizing strong teaching and
helpful out-of-class support in a personalized setting. Comprehensive co-curricular programs of
student activities offered in manageable residential settings provides students with opportunities to
enhance personal characteristics and leadership abilities. In addition, the Colleges have become
regional service centers enhancing the quality of life and fostering development in their largely rural
service regions.
The three Colleges have a combined unduplicated student headcount of approximately 8,650 (see
1.1). Over the last fifteen years, enrollment has steadily increased during a period that has seen many
facility improvements, as well as new facilities, along with the revitalization of significant programs.
4.2 College/Contractor Relations
The NSCS believes a quality contractual arrangement is most likely to be achieved when there is good
communication between the NSCS and the Contractor. To assure effective communication, each
College will identify a liaison officer to serve as the primary representative to the Contractor and will
identify those other College officials with specific responsibilities to the program.
5 EXISTING ENVIRONMENT
The three State Colleges are part of a shared PeopleSoft student information system called the Nebraska
Student Information System (NeSIS) owned and operated by the University of Nebraska. The University
of Nebraska and the NSCS are separate constitutional entities with their own individual Boards. The
NSCS pays annual amounts to the University of Nebraska for our three-College share of the costs of
operating the system. A similar arrangement is in place for shared human resource (HR) and payroll
systems operated by the University. The HR and payroll systems are SAP systems which are separate
from NeSIS.
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All three Colleges make up one instance of PeopleSoft in the existing NeSIS environment. However,
each College has its’ own business unit within the instance. The current version of PeopleSoft operating
in the NeSIS environment is PeopleSoft Campus Solutions 9.0, utilizing PeopleTools 8.54, and single
sign-on architecture.
Although the University and the NSCS are separate constitutional entities, IT systems governance
committees have been established for both NeSIS and SAP systems that include key personnel of both
entities. Seven campuses in total (four at the University of Nebraska plus the three State Colleges) are
represented on various IT governance committees.
Each of the three State Colleges has their own IT department to manage IT systems on campus.
6 GENERAL CONDITIONS OF THE CONTRACT
All Respondents must indicate their ability to comply with the following terms which are intended to
be set forth in a contract entered into with the Contractor:
6.1 Prompt Payment Act
In the event any amount due under any contract resulting from this RFP remains unpaid for forty-five
(45) days after the due date, the unpaid amount shall bear interest from the 31st day after the due
date at the rate specified in the Prompt Payment Act, Neb. Rev. Stat. §§81-2401 to 81-2408.
6.2 Independent Contractor
The Contractor shall be an independent contractor and not a College employee for all purposes,
including, but not limited to, the application of the Fair Labor Standards Act, minimum wage and
overtime payments, the Federal Insurance Contribution Act, the Social Security Act, the Federal
Unemployment Tax Act, the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, any Nebraska revenue and
taxation law, Nebraska workers' compensation law and Nebraska unemployment insurance law.
The Contractor agrees that it is a separate and independent enterprise from the NSCS, that it has a
full opportunity to find other business, that it has made its own investment in its business, and
that it shall utilize a high level of skill necessary to perform the work. This contract shall not be
construed as creating any partnership, joint venture, or joint employment relationship between the
Contractor and the NSCS, and the NSCS shall not be liable for any obligation incurred by the
Contractor, including but not limited to unpaid minimum wages or overtime premiums. If the
Contractor has employees or subcontractors, the Contractor further agrees to maintain at least the
prescribed minimum workers' compensation insurance coverage for all of the Contractor's
employees for the duration of this contract. The Contractor agrees to furnish the College proof of
workers' compensation insurance coverage upon request.
6.3 Liability Insurance Requirements
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The Contractor is required to carry liability insurance in the amount of one (1) million
dollars per occurrence. The Contractor's insurance policy shall be primary and non-
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contributory. The NSCS shall be named as an additional insured party on the policy and
the certificate of insurance shall reflect that the policy waives its right of subrogation
against the NSCS. A copy of the certificate shall be provided to the NSCS.
Copies of certification of insurance shall be provided by the Contractor at the beginning of
contract negotiations. If work performed under this contract will span multiple years, the
Contractor must provide annual evidence of recertification.
6.4 Access to records
The Contractor agrees to maintain complete records regarding the expenditures of funds provided by
the Colleges under this contract. The Contractor agrees to allow authorized representatives of the
Colleges, the Board, the funding Federal Agency, if any, and the United States Comptroller General, if
appropriate, free access at reasonable times to all records generated or maintained as a result of
this contract for a period of three (3) years after the termination of this contract.
6.5 New Employee Work Eligibility Status
The Contractor will be required to abide by one of the two following options. All Respondents must
affirm that they will be able to do so.
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The Contractor is required and hereby agrees to use a federal immigration verification
system to determine the work eligibility status of new employees physically performing
services within the State of Nebraska. A federal immigration verification system means the
electronic verification of the work authorization program authorized by the Illegal Immigration
Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, 8 U.S.C. 1324a, known as the E-Verify
Program, or an equivalent federal program designated by the United States Department of
Homeland Security or other federal agency authorized to verify the work eligibility status of a
newly hired employee.
The Contractor is an individual or sole proprietorship. The Contractor must complete the
"United States Citizenship Attestation Form," available on the Department of Administrative
Services website at www.das.state.ne.us. If the Contractor indicates on such attestation form
that he or she is a qualified alien, the Contractor agrees to provide US Citizenship and
Immigration Services (USCIS) documentation required to verify the Contractor's lawful
presence in the United States using the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements
(SAVE) Program. The attestation form and USCIS documents (if applicable) must be attached
to the contract.
The Contractor understands and agrees that lawful presence in the United States is required and the
Contractor may be disqualified or the contract terminated if such lawful presence cannot be verified as
required by Neb. Rev. Stat. §4-108.
6.6 Non-Discrimination
The Contractor agrees to comply fully with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, and the
Nebraska Fair Employment Practice Act, Neb. Rev. Stat. §§48-1101 to 48-1125, as amended, in that
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there shall be no discrimination against any employee who is employed in the performance of this
contract, or against any applicant for such employment, because of age, color, national origin, race,
religion, disability or sex. This provision shall include, but not be limited to employment, promotion,
demotion, transfer, recruitment, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation, and
selection for training including apprenticeship. The Contractor further agrees to insert a similar provision
in all subcontracts for services allowed under this contract.
6.7 ADA & Drug-Free Workplace Requirements
All provisions of this contract are subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Further, the
Contractor certifies that the Contractor operates a drug-free workplace and, during the term of this
contract, will be in compliance with the provisions of the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988.
6.8 Debarment/Suspension Certification
If this contract involves the expenditure of federal funds in the amount of $25,000 or more, the
Contractor certifies that neither it nor its principals is presently debarred, suspended, proposed for
debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this transaction by any
federal department or agency.
6.9 Use of Information; Property Ownership
The Contractor agrees that any and all information gathered in the performance of this contract, either
independently or through the NSCS, shall be held in the strictest confidence and shall be released to no
one other than to the NSCS, without prior written authorization of the NSCS. The Contractor agrees that
no authority or information gained through the existence of this contract will be used to obtain financial
gain for the Contractor, for any member of the Contractor's immediate family, or for any business with
which the Contractor is associated except to the extent provided by this contract.
6.10 Parties; Subcontractors; Assignment
References to the Contractor and the NSCS include the parties' officers, employees, agents, and
independent contractors and subcontractors. The Contractor agrees that no subcontractors shall be
utilized in the performance of this contract without the prior written authorization of the College. The
Contractor agrees not to assign or transfer any interest, rights, or duties in this contract to any person,
firm, or corporation without prior written consent of the College.
6.11 Cancellation
The contract may be canceled by either party upon ninety (90) days' written notice unless a longer
period is negotiated and stated in the contract. Settlement of the amount due to the Contractor upon
cancellation shall be negotiated between the parties based upon (a) specified deliverables completed by
the Contractor and accepted and usable by the College as of the date of termination when the
Contractor initiates termination, or (b) the percentage of services performed by the Contractor as of the
date of termination when the College initiates termination.
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6.12 Default; Remedies
If the Contractor defaults in its obligations under this contract, the NSCS may, at its discretion, exercise
any remedy available by law or in equity. In addition to any other available remedy, the NSCS may
terminate this contract immediately by written notice to the Contractor. The NSCS shall pay the
Contractor only for such performance as has been properly completed and is of use to the NSCS. The
NSCS may, at its discretion, contract for provision of the services required to complete this contract and
hold the Contractor liable for all expenses incurred in such additional contract over and above the
consideration set forth in the contract.
6.13 Unavailability of Funding
Due to possible future reductions in state and/or federal appropriations, the NSCS cannot guarantee the
continued availability of funding for this contract beyond the current fiscal year. In the event funds to
finance this contract become unavailable either in full or in part due to reductions in appropriations for
a future fiscal year, the NSCS may terminate the contract or reduce the consideration by notice in
writing to the Contractor. The notice shall be delivered by certified mail, return receipt requested, or in
person with proof of delivery. The NSCS shall be the final authority as to the availability of funds. The
effective date of contract termination or reduction in consideration shall be the actual effective date of
the elimination or reduction of appropriations. In the event of a reduction in consideration, the
Contractor may cancel this contract as of the effective date of the proposed reduction by written notice
to the NSCS.
6.14 Complete Agreement; Governing Law; Amendment
This contract sets forth the entire agreement of the parties and supersedes all prior negotiations,
discussions, and proposals. There are no promises, understandings, or agreements of any kind
pertaining to this contract other than those stated herein. This contract will be construed, interpreted,
governed and enforced under the laws of the State of Nebraska. This contract may be amended at any
time in writing upon the agreement and signature of both parties.
6.15 Technology Access
All contracts, that include provisions of technology products, systems, and services, including data,
voice, and video technologies, as well as information dissemination methods, shall comply with the
Nebraska Technology Access Standards adopted pursuant to Neb. Rev. Stat. §73-205. These Standards
are available for viewing on the Web at http://nitc.ne.gov/standards/2-201.html, and are incorporated
into this contract as if fully set forth therein.
6.16 Designated NSCS Representative
The designated NSCS representative for purposes of monitoring and oversight of this contract is
identified in Section 3.1.4.1
7 DRAFT CONTRACT SUBMISSION
The NSCS recognizes that the Contractor will have certain desired contract terms and provisions.
Knowledge of these Contractor standard contract terms will help the NSCS gauge the complexity and
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length of the contract drafting and negotiation process. This draft contact submission is part of the
criteria for evaluation of the proposals. As part of the proposal, please submit a draft contract
complete with all desired terms and provisions, as well as pricing for all of the Solutions detailed in
this RFP, per Section 18.
8 SPECIFIC CONDITIONS
8.1 Term of Contract
The term of the contract will be for a period of five years, with a minimum of two (2) one-year optional
renewals.
8.2 Firm Prices
Prices for the hardware, software, and services provided must remain firm for two years from the date
of the signed contract. Prices established may be lowered due to general market conditions. Price
increases after the initial two-year period will be limited to 3% per year. Price increase requests
proposed above the 3% limit must be received by the Contract Responsible Party in writing 60 calendar
days prior to the effective date of proposed increase for acceptance or rejection. Such proposed price
increases are limited to fully documented cost increases submitted with the request. If the NSCS deems
cost increases are not acceptable, it reserves the right to rebid the contract in whole or part. Acceptance
of the price increases shall be in the form of an amendment to the contract fully executed by both
parties.
9 PAYMENT GATEWAY FUNCTIONAL GOALS
The NSCS has determined the need to implement a system that will be flexible, affordable, easy to use,
and free of significant reconciliation (or other) issues that require significant time or effort to rectify.
The Solution(s) must:
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Be a turnkey installation with configuration and support originating from one source;
Be easy and fast to install without placing a demand on NSCS or College resources;
Integrate in real time with PeopleSoft Campus Solutions, including mobile solutions;
Be validated for both PCI DSS and PA-DSS compliance;
Be scalable to incorporate future system expansion;
Be flexible enough to communicate with our bank’s recommended credit card processor
and to change processors in the future;
Provide a central payment gateway capable of processing payments by campus,
including transactions made by electronic checks, credit cards, and debit cards;
Offer separate branding for each of the three Colleges;
Have a proven track record with institutions of Higher Education;
The NSCS considers the following to be the most important requirements of this project:
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Ease of installation/implementation, with expandability to add Solutions/Modules in the
future as needs require, and as funding allows;
Separate onsite installation/implementation at each of the three Colleges;
Excellent onsite training during the initial implementation, and training available for
future needs (new employees, added Solutions, and system upgrades/updates).
Excellent customer service that partners with the NSCS to provide the best possible
electronic payment experience for our students.
FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS, SECTIONS 10 – 15:
10 ORACLE/PEOPLESOFT COMPATIBILITY
Explain your Solutions compatibility with Oracle/PeopleSoft systems, and the degree to which your
company is an Oracle/PeopleSoft Partner.
11 ONLINE INTEGRATED STUDENT PAYMENTS
11.1
User Authentication Requirements
a.
b.
c.
d.
11.2
Describe how students are authenticated by your system.
Does your system support single sign-on? If so, does your system support LDAP?
Does your system support SAML 2.0?
Does your system support two-factor authentication?
Authorized Users Requirements
a. Describe how students are able to give third-party users (parents, guardians, etc.)
access to their account. Is your authorized user functionality compliant with FERPA?
Can students limit access rights for each authorized user? If so, explain.
b. Are authorized users given separate passwords or must they use their student’s ID and
password to access billing and account information?
c. Can authorized users maintain separate payment methods (credit cards, checking
accounts, etc.) from their students?
d. Can authorized users make payments for more than one student at the same time?
e. Are students notified if an authorized user makes a payment on their account?
11.3
Electronic Notification Requirements
a. Does your system load email addresses from PeopleSoft? If so, do you also allow for
additional email addresses to be managed by the student?
b. Do you offer text messaging capabilities? Please describe.
c. What types of automated notifications are provided by your system?
d. Can the Colleges edit automatic notifications to reflect our business policies?
e. Can students receive automatic notifications on mobile devices?
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f.
11.4
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In addition to automatic messaging, does your system offer the ability to send onetime electronic messages in email and/or text message format?
Real-Time Requirements
a. The electronic payment system must update the student’s account in real time.
Describe your system’s ability to post payment transactions in real time.
b. Describe your system’s ability to present students and authorized users with the
current account balance. Does the balance include estimated financial aid? (Note: the
reference to financial aid is only for obtaining the account balance. It is not intended to
have all financial aid information flow into the payment system.)
c. Describe your system’s ability to pull current account balances (but not necessarily all
detailed account activity) for activity posted on the student account since the billing
date, in real time.
11.5
Payment Requirements
a. Students and authorized users must be able to store payment profiles. These profiles
must also be accessible to payment plans. Confirm your system has this capability.
b. Does your system provide users with a payment receipt? Is the receipt available via
email?
c. Does your system allow for line item payments?
d. Can students or authorized users purchase additional items, such as yearbooks, or
make donations while making online payments on their accounts?
e. Does the system allow students to make payments for multiple terms, or only for a
single term?
f. Can students use mobile devices to make payments? View scheduled payments?
Access account balances and activity?
g. Describe the access administrators have to student account information.
h. Is the front end of your student pay system mobile ready, and can each College brand
their front ends?
i. Please explain your browser support.
11.6
Convenience Fees
a. Does your system apply convenience fees? If so, please describe.
b. Please describe the process flow for the payer.
12 INSTALLMENT PAYMENT PLANS
12.1
Payment Plan Options
a. The NSCS desires to receive prices for two payment plan options. The first option
would be to implement a solution very similar to the current payment plan
functionality the Colleges have. In this option, the vendor would provide software that
allows the Colleges to set up and manage their own tuition payment plans. The price
for this entry level option should entered in the appropriate place in Section 18.
b. The second payment plan option would be for a full service option where students
choose from several payment plans, and then the vendor manages the plans from that
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point, including balancing, reconciling, and delinquencies. The price for this full service
option should entered in the appropriate place in Section 18.
12.2
Student Self-Service Requirements
a. Describe the student enrollment process in a tuition payment plan.
b. Does your system give students the option to set up scheduled payments in order to
automatically pay plan installments?
c. Can students use mobile devices to make payments and/or view payment plan
installments?
12.3
Plan Administration Requirements
a. Describe the process for administrators to create and manage tuition payment plans.
Include available options for setting up installments, due dates, and payment plan fees
(including late fees).
b. Will the system allow each of the three State Colleges to set up different types of plans
to meet the needs of different students? Please describe.
c. How does your payment plan system account for charges and credits eligible for a
payment plan?
d. The system must allow for financial aid to be included in the payment plan. Describe
how financial aid is used in the plan calculation.
e. Recalculation functionality already exists in our PeopleSoft environment, so we do not
anticipate the need for recalculation in the payment system. Please comment as
necessary.
f. Does your system allow for extended payment plans that cover the entire school year?
g. Can students be automatically migrated from one plan to another? For example, if a
student is enrolled in an Estimated Amounts plan, can they be automatically switched
to a real-time plan?
h. Please describe the flow of payment plan funds. Will the vendor transmit payment plan
funds to the institution via remittance files or will payments be made directly to the
institution and posted directly to the institution’s accounts?
12.4
Administrative Access to Student Payment Plan Requirements
a. Administrators must have the ability to enroll students in a payment plan.
b. Do administrators have access to signed payment plan enrollment agreements?
c. Does your system utilize User Emulation for administrative staff to provide better
assistance to students?
12.5
Reporting Requirements
a. Describe and include examples of payment plan reports available to plan
administrators. Include descriptions and examples of enrollment reports, revenue
reports, delinquency and/or payment plan aging reports, etc.
b. Describe the reports available to plan administrators that can be used for reconciliation
purposes.
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13 HOSTED WEB-BASED CASHIERING
13.1
Cashiering Options
a. The NSCS desires pricing for two different licensing models. See Section 18 for entering
the price for each individual user license at each College. In this model, the price
entered is the cost per license. Please show if discounts apply when a certain amount
of licenses are purchased. In the “Total for all three Colleges” box, offer a pricing
package for “x” amount of licenses that can be distributed as needed to the three
Colleges.
b. Section 18 also provides boxes for pricing of unlimited users/licenses at each College
(as well as a total for all three Colleges as a system). Note that the final Cashiering
licensing options chosen could be a combination of individual licenses and unlimited,
depending on the needs of each College, and the pricing provided.
13.2
System Integration Requirements
a. Do you provide real-time integration with PeopleSoft Campus Solutions?
b. Has your integration been validated by Oracle on a current release of PeopleSoft
Campus Solutions? Please provide your Oracle Datasheet.
c. Please describe how student account payments collected through your solution are
posted to our PeopleSoft student system.
d. Note that the Colleges’ current (and future) credit card processing is as follows: Our
Vendor accepts the credit card information on their site and the debit/credit card
processor is TSYS Merchant Solutions, which is the State of Nebraska current
contractor. TSYS the transfers the funds to the State of Nebraska Treasurer account at
US Bank. However, the state has entered into a new contract with US Bank to be the
state’s debit/credit card processor. US Bank owns Elavon which will replace TSYS as
the card processor, effective October, 15, 2015. Please state your ability/willingness to
work successfully under this scenario.
13.3
Available Payment Methods
a.
Credit Card Processing Requirements
i. Does your solution support credit card transaction processing?
ii. Describe your credit card authorization and settlement process. Are credit cards
authorized in real time? How long before funds are deposited into our bank
account?
iii. The credit card processing software must be processor independent and work with
our existing (and future) credit card processor. Please provide a current list of credit
card processors with whom your solution is certified to work.
b.
Electronic Check Processing Requirements
i. Does your solution support ACH transaction processing?
ii. Is your organization a member of NACHA?
iii. Does your organization employ Accredited ACH Professionals (AAP)?
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Payment Gateway RFP, 8-26-2015
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iv. Describe your electronic check authorization and settlement process. Are routing
numbers validated in real time? How long before funds are deposited into our bank
account?
v. Solution must provide a system that does not require changes to our current
banking relationship.
c.
PIN/PINless Debit Processing Requirements
i. Does your solution support debit card transactions? If so, what type (PIN, PINless,
etc.)?
d.
Other Payment Methods
i. Do you offer campus card processing? If so, what type of campus cards do you
support?
14 E-COMMERCE
14.1
Centralized Online Stores
a. The system must provide a centralized storefront application with consolidated
payments into a secure and PCI/PA-DSS certified enterprise payment gateway.
b. The system must be designed to allow multiple merchants (i.e. Departments) to
operate and run stores and accept payments. (Examples: Alumni, Athletics, Parking,
Continuing Education, etc.)
c. The e-Store capability must include a home page, product pages, a shopping cart, a
checkout page, and order status information.
d. Can your system accommodate different tender types and shipping methods on a
merchant-by-merchant and/or product-by-product basis?
e. Does your system have the ability to display stores and/or merchandise items by
category?
f. Can store managers limit access to online stores to selected users?
g. Can non-technical users set up storefronts without extensive vendor support?
h. Does your solution allow customers to register and establish profiles with stored
payment methods, addresses, and order history?
i. The online storefronts should allow for external data to be collected with each product
purchased (such as size, color, etc.).
j. Describe the process of shopping, including adding the desired products to the shopping
cart. Can the shopper pay for all purchases in a single checkout even if they purchase
from multiple online storefronts?
k. Does your system provide confirmation or notification when a payment has been made?
How is this confirmation sent? Via email? Text message?
14.2
Online Donations (Not Part of NeSIS/PeopleSoft System)
a. Does your solution accept donations?
b. Can the system be configured to accept donations as recurring payments, with specified
beginning and ending dates?
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c. Does the system allow the Colleges to change default verbiage to language more
appropriate to donations (e.g. “Additional Gifts” instead of “Continue Shopping”)?
d. Can your system be configured to request donations from shoppers during checkout?
14.3
Online Event Registration (Not Part of NeSIS/PeopleSoft System)
a. Does your system manage event registration?
b. Can the system accept multiple registrations?
c. Can the system accept additional information about the registrant (name, address,
etc.?)
d. Can the system generate a list of event attendees?
14.4
Integration Requirements
a. The system must be capable of providing payment functionality to existing campus
applications. Current third-party applications at the Colleges include CBORD, Heartland
Payment Systems, Blackboard, Sakai, and ISDeducation. Describe your solution’s ability
to meet requirements for these applications.
b. Can ancillary data be appended and “tag along” through the payment process to then
be posted to the URL of the College’s choosing?
c. Can the system integrate with other third-party applications that provide services for
Higher Education? If so, with which systems do you offer integration?
14.5
Mobile Capabilities
a. Can campus customers access online stores from their mobile devices? If so, can mobile
shoppers purchase from more than one online store with a single checkout?
b. Can shoppers access their stored payment profiles from their mobile devices?
c. Can campus donors make donations, and register for events, from their mobile devices?
14.6
POS Capabilities
a. Does your system allow our staff to use POS devices to take in-person payments, and
can we control which administrative users have access to the POS Solution?
b. How does your POS solution integrate with online storefronts?
c. Which devices, and which payment methods, are supported?
15 SECURITY
15.1
PCI Compliance
a. The system must be hosted in a PCI DSS certified data center, and all payment
applications provided in vendor’s solution must be certified PA-DSS compliant.
b. The hosting facility must strictly control physical and electronic access.
15.2
Hosting Services
a. The system must have both a Production and a Test environment.
b. Operations must be monitored 24 x 7.
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c. Contractor must guarantee 99% up time.
d. The system must provide hardware configurations and redundancy to protect against
equipment failures.
16 INSTALLATION, TRAINING AND CUSTOMER SERVICE
16.1 Implementation
a. Describe the project management to be provided by the vendor and quantify how staff and time
are to be allocated to the project).
b. What technical support is provided both during development and post implementation?
c. Identify the resources you will need from the Institution.
d. What type of education and marketing support will you provide to our administration and
students regarding your programs?
16.2 Training
a. Describe your pre-implementation, implementation and ongoing training program. Describe
training methods (in-person, web-based, user-group conferences, etc.).
b. A test system for testing system upgrades, training and troubleshooting purposes, connected to
the Institution test system and test portal systems must be available. Describe your provisions.
c. The State Colleges very much desire individual onsite implementations for each campus. Please
describe how your company can accomplish this, and estimate the amount of time required for
the initial implementation at each College.
16.3 Customer Service
a. Describe the type of support you provide your customers. Include hours of operation of your
Help Desk, website support and email support.
b. What are the escalation procedures when a problem occurs in the system? How are these
problems communicated to the vendor?
c. The Contractor or his authorized representatives shall meet periodically with the Institution,
when requested, to discuss any upgrades, improvements or deficiencies in the system
operation; please indicate your acceptance of this requirement.
d. How will you support upgrades to the system?
17 RESPONDENT QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
Only proposals from qualified organizations or individuals currently engaged in comparable Solutions
to those requested in this RFP and which have demonstrated the ability to perform as specified with
excellent service shall be considered further in the evaluation process. The College alone shall determine
whether a Respondent meets the minimum qualifications for consideration. The College reserves the
right to inspect facilities and operations currently under the Respondent's management and to
consult other colleges or entities which are currently being or have in the past been served by the
Respondent.
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a. Provide a brief history of your company demonstrating your experience in providing
software solutions to Higher Education. Also explain any mergers, buyouts, or acquisitions
of your company – or your company acquiring another company – within the last two (2)
years, and describe how your business model has changed as a result.
b. Indicate how long the Vendor has been performing the services required by this RFP. How
many campuses do you currently support for the proposed services?
c. Identify at least five (5) institutions of higher education for which you have performed
similar services. Describe the service performed, results obtained and current status of the
project. Provide the name, title, telephone number, email address of your key contact(s) at
the organization and solutions implemented.
d. The Institution prefers not to deal with multiple vendors during either the deployment or
operation of the system. We understand some companies rely on business partners to
implement their systems. If applicable, please submit your partner(s) complete contact
information as well as a description of their services.
18 PRICING
Pricing shall be provided below as annual fees per the first year of the contract. Please refer to Sections
8.2, 12.1, and 13.1, and then state the prices below:
Section, Solution
Chadron
State College
11, Online Integrated Student $
Payments
Peru State
College
$
Wayne State
College
$
Total for all
Three Colleges
$
12, Installment Payment
Plans, Entry Level Option
$
$
$
$
12, Installment Payment
Plans, Additional Cost for Full
Service Option
13, Hosted Web-Based
Cashiering, Price for each
Individual License
13, Hosted Web-Based
Cashiering, Price for
Unlimited Licenses
14, E-Commerce
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
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19 EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS
The NSCS desires creative proposals that incorporate the requirements and approaches outlined in
this RFP. Proposals will be evaluated using the following weighted criteria:
Criteria
Contract General Conditions
Draft Contract Submission
Specific Conditions
Functional Goals are Met
Functional Requirements Quality of Responses
Implementation, Training, and Customer
Service Responses
Respondent Qualifications
Financial structure and total economic value of
the proposal
Overall quality of RFP response
Corresponding RFP Section
6
7
8
9
10 - Oracle/PeopleSoft Compatibility
11 - Online Integrated Student Payments
12 - Installment Payment Plans
13 - Hosted Web-Based Cashiering
14 - E-Commerce
15 - Security
16
Weight
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
10
17, plus reference checks
18
10
25
All
5
After determining that a proposal satisfies the mandatory requirements in the RFP, a
comparative assessment of the proposal in relationship to the published evaluation criteria shall be
made. The NSCS reserves the right to consider historic information and fact, whether gained from
the proposal, questions and answer conferences, references, or any other source, in the evaluation
process.
It is the Respondent’s responsibility to submit complete responses to all questions in this RFP in
accordance with the format and instructions requested. The Respondent is cautioned that it is the
Respondent’s responsibility to submit information related to the evaluation categories, and the College
is under no obligation to solicit such information if it is not included in the submitted proposal.
Failure to submit such information may cause an adverse impact on the evaluation of the
Respondent’s proposal.
19.1 Proposal review and selection process
Proposals submitted in response to this RFP shall be reviewed and evaluated by a committee of the
Colleges’ Constituency convened for that purpose. The committee shall prepare observations and
comments to the individual noted in section 3.1.4, who shall together prepare a recommendation to
the Chancellor as to award of contract.
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19.2 Pre-award Presentations and Negotiations
The NSCS may require presentations from the highest ranked Respondents, and may be asked to provide
additional information about their proposal. Prior to the award, the NSCS may elect to communicate
with the highest ranked Respondents submitting a proposal for the purposes of:
—
—
—
—
Resolving minor differences;
Clarifying necessary details and responsibilities;
Emphasizing important issues and points;
Examining ways to improve any subsequent contract and/or its constituent documents.
The NSCS reserves the right to request additional information or clarification on any matter included
in a proposal. The NSCS reserves the right to negotiate with any Respondent to arrive at a final
decision.
19.3 Award
The NSCS reserves the right to:





Accept or reject any or all proposals, or any part thereof, or to withhold the award and to waive,
or decline to waive, irregularities in any proposal when determined that it is in its best interest
of the NSCS to do so
Cancel and/or reissue this RFP at any time
Retain all proposals submitted in response to this RFP
Invite some, all, or none of the Respondent(s) for interviews, demonstrations, presentations and
further discussion
Award one, some, or none of the Respondents who submit proposals
19.4 Notification of Award
An award is made on execution of a written contract by both parties. Only the NSCS is authorized to issue
news releases relating to this Request for Proposals, its evaluation, award and/or performance of the
contract.
END.