Collecting Delinquent Services

The vendor required to provide collect delinquent and overdue taxes, charges, fees, other debts, and related interest, penalties, attorney’s fees, fines, lien charges, and other charges due to the city.
- Requirement:
•    In consultation with the city, provider will analyze available data and make projections and set goals.
•    Provider will work to recover delinquencies forwarded for collection through a series of collection letters, telephone calls and other procedures as agreed by the city.
•    Provider will provide skip tracing or equal and approved methods with documentation providing number of resources and credit bureaus.
•    Provider may also utilize information accessed via skip tracing or other suitable means to discover and pursue, when appropriate, individuals and businesses that may not be reporting and paying their taxes, or do not hold valid city licenses.
•    Provider will contact debtors by certified mail, first-class mail, telephone or fax. 
•    A collector shall not contact a debtor before 7 a.m. Or after 9 p.m. Local time. 
•    Provider will maintain an automated record or phone calls and log of all correspondence with debtors.
•    Provider will maintain a toll-free number for customer service and include the number on all correspondence to debtors.
•    Provider will not use any false statement during the collection process.
•    Provider will accept payment in person, by mail, by telephone, or by internet using checks, money orders, or other method approved by the city, but not cash.
•    Provider will pay for a city lock box.
•    Provider will bear the initial cost and ultimate risk of all expenses relating to collection, including insufficient funds charges. 
•    The city generally will grant provider the right to pursue separate collections of such matters to the extent permitted under applicable law.
•    Provider may receive lesser payment where a taxpayer makes direct payment to the city or where a title company or similar third-party payer makes payment. 
•    Applicants may propose what they believe to be appropriate provisions for those situations.
•    Provider will not collect on accounts in bankruptcy, which will be referred back to the city.
•    Provider must comply with settlement and financial hardship guidelines as promulgated by the city
•    The city may amend guidelines and associated forms in its sole discretion.  
•    The city shall have the right to recall such accounts with long-term agreements without compensation to provider.
•    Provider will comply with the city’s objective to maintain a professional and constructive environment of communication while collecting delinquencies, including but not limited to the city’s policy considerations.
•    Provider will recognize that maintaining that environment – including good working relationships with the legal services community – is as legitimate a basis for the city to redistribute referrals as ensuring collection performance.
•    Provider will maintain good standing with all federal, state and local regulatory agencies.
•    Provider will maintain good standing with the association of credit and collection professionals.
•    Provider will follow all applicable law and will observe the spirit of the fair debt collection practices act and the fair credit extension uniformity act, whether or not they technically apply.
•    Provider will fully train staff in the city’s collection procedures prior to allowing them to begin collection activities.
•    Provider will make appropriate bilingual (english and Spanish speaking) personnel available for delinquent taxpayer assistance during all hours of operation and also will translate letters and notices into Spanish as may be required or appropriate.
•    Provider will submit reports to the city in the format and on the schedule requested by the city.
•    Provider will also provide the city with read only access to the database in which the collection portfolio is maintained.
•    Provider will include in the scope of work the creation and maintenance by provider of a 2-way, automated, regular electronic interface with the city’s integrated tax system, which is planned to replace revenue’s existing tax processing system.  
•    Provider will deposit all collection proceeds, including contingent fees, in the lock box daily and will be compensated by the city solely on a contingent-fee basis.
•    Unless otherwise established in writing at the time of referral, provider will not file legal actions or initiate legal proceedings without express written authorization by the responsible law department attorney.
•    Express written authorization shall include authorizations provided via email.
•    In no event will the city be liable to pay or reimburse the provider for amounts the city has not received.

Contract Period/Term: 
Pre-Proposal Meeting Date: March 4, 2026
Questions/Inquires Deadline: March 9, 2026