Electronic Payment System

The Vendor is required to provide electronic payment system to transition from the current closed-loop electronic swipe card payment system used in county taxicabs to a modern open-loop payment card system.
- Program operations and management
•    Provide full day-to-day operational management of the county call-n-ride (CNR) program. Responsibilities include managing transportation services for eligible participants and ensuring consistent, efficient, and equitable delivery of services. 
•    The contractor must adhere to all county policies and procedures, maintain program integrity, manage participant interactions, and ensure uninterrupted service.
- Overall project management and staffing
•    Provide sufficient, qualified staff to manage and support the project throughout all phases—including implementation, stabilization, and ongoing operations.
•    Personnel must be skilled in project management, customer service, it, finance, and compliance. 
•    Business hours shall be 8:00 a.m. To 4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday, excluding county holidays, with extended or emergency support available as needed.
- Application programming interface (API) and information technology services
•    Provision and maintenance of all necessary hardware (servers, computers, networking equipment etc.) and software infrastructure (payment processing, database management, security, etc.), including systems supporting payment processing, database management, and cybersecurity controls. 
•    Implementation and maintenance of data backup, disaster recovery, and cybersecurity protocols in accordance with industry best practices. 
•    Hosting and maintenance of secure, web-based portals for participant and administrative access, including real time access to account balances and transaction history.
•    Development and maintenance of APIs to enable integration with county systems, taxicab companies, and transportation network companies (TNCS), and other authorized transportation vendors to support secure transaction processing and data exchange. 
•    Provision of a 24-hour toll-free interactive voice response (IVR) system to provide program participants with real time access to individual account and card balance information.
- Open-loop electronic payment card system
•    Designing and managing the card issuance and activation process for physical and virtual cards. • implementing secure payment processing using merchant category codes (MCCS) to restrict card use to approved vendors. 
•    Supporting reloadable functionality with adjustable funding and transaction limits based on county policies.
- Customer service support
•    Operating a dedicated customer support center reachable via phone, email, or other platforms. 
•    Provision of a 24-hour toll-free interactive voice response (IVR) system to provide program participants with real-time access to individual account and card balance information. 
•    Addressing participant issues, resolving complaints, and offering guidance on card use and program benefits.
- Service and contract monitoring and support
•    Conducting real-time transaction monitoring to detect fraud or misuse. 
•    Analyzing trip data (e.g., time, location, provider, charge amount) to identify trends and improvements. 
•    Monitoring service provider performance to ensure accessibility, reliability, and quality. 
•    Training vendors and participants during program updates or transitions. 
•    Establishing procedures for complaints, incident reporting, service disruption communication, and stakeholder coordination.
- Financial management
•    Maintaining accurate account balances and transaction histories. 
•    Administration of monthly participant fund loading in compliance with eligibility requirements, including oversight and processing of associated account transactions. 
•    Adjusting card balances as necessary to correct errors or implement policy changes. 
•    Conducting audits and reconciliations to ensure accuracy and compliance with county policies. 
•    Provision of comprehensive financial and invoice management services, including acting as the intermediary between county financial operations and participant accounts, and coordinating with electronic payment card providers to ensure accurate and timely fund distribution and reconciliation. 
•    Preparation and timely submission of accurate periodic and ad hoc financial reports to the county.
- Data management and reporting
•    Provision of periodic and customized reporting services, including detailed reports on program participation, usage, card issuance, transactions, and financial activity, as well as any additional reports required to support administrative and operational enhancements. 
•    Maintaining logs of system access and changes to participant accounts.
•    Flagging and reporting suspicious activity or potential fraud. 
•    Delivering data in formats that support program oversight and decision-making.