The Vendor is required to provide electronic payment processing services. 
- Provide a comprehensive solution with innovative technology to enhance the customer experience, while reducing contact center calls and reporting issues.
- Electronic payment processing solution requirements:
1. Mobile payment integrations:
• Ability to pay via mobile payment systems, such as venom, PayPal, apple pay, google pay.
• Use tokenization and encryption for security.
2. Customer information sharing:
• Share marketing content such as conservation tips, landscaping advice, and rebate programs.
• Secure login for customers to access personalized information and services.
• Secure storage and sharing of documents like invoices and receipts.
• Modern SaaS structure.
3. API-first approach:
• Where appropriate use APIS for real-time data exchange instead of file drops.
• Provide clear and comprehensive API documentation for developers.
• Implement OAuth or API keys for secure access.
• API integration to external payment source.
4. AI roadmap:
• County water anticipates that the proposer’s solutions will not have all the functionality listed in the AI roadmap section. 
• These should be considered as desirable, but are not mandatory. 
• We are looking to understand how AI is being used in payment process services and how AI can provide benefit for the proposed solution, especially regarding the following items:
• Use AI to detect and prevent fraudulent transactions.
• Implement AI Chatbots for customer support and payment assistance, including multiple language options and accessibility.
• Use AI to optimize payment routing and reduce false declines.
• Understand customer payment behavior and trends.
• Identify and block payment card aggregators.
• May be considered a material breach of the resulting agreement.
5. User experience:
• Ensure the payment portal is easy to use and mobile-friendly.
• Optimize the checkout process to be quick and seamless.
• Provide clear error messages and support options.
• Ability to store wallet information, e.g. credit/debit cards, ach, atm.
• Multiple language options and accessibility.
6. Automation:
• Implement electronic invoicing to streamline billing.
• Use automation to handle routine tasks and reduce manual intervention.
• Overpayment alerts, e.g. validation for large transaction amount.
• Provide real-time notifications and reminders for payments.
7. Property managers, landlord/tenant, government agencies, distributor, and third-party utility billers:
• Offer tools for managing multiple properties and tenants, and account maintenance tracking for move in/outs.
• Integrate with existing property management software.
• Builders/developers purchase new water taps from county water:
• Eliminate the need for paper tap applications and simplify the process of setting up new water service connections with clear instructions for completing necessary paperwork.
• Facilitate online invoicing and payment of new water tap fees and other related costs via ach and credit card.
• Allow builders to track their new water tap application status and receive notifications about required information.
8. Other payments:
• Ability to support acceptance of payments for non-water fees and charges.  
• Examples would include plan review fees, cabin rental, supplier refunds, etc.
• Ability to integrate with oracle JD Edwards enterprise one version 9.2 and oracle customer care and billing (CC&B) version 9.1.
9. Cash payment options:
• Ability to support retail cash payments.
10. Availability of payment options:
• One-time guest pay.
• Recommendations on how to promote low-cost payment options, e.g. ach.
- Verifying payments:
• The system must allow administrators to verify payments (processed, pending, declined, and returned) by searching with criteria such as account number, customer id, card or bank account used, payment amount, confirmation number, email address, date, customer name, or phone number.  
• It must display pending payments securely by payment method, their statuses, and full payment history for each account.  
• Autopay or pay-by-text plan id.  
• The system must display reasoning for declined payment and bank return codes.  
- Void payments:
• The system must enable authorized representatives to void or cancel payments that are still pending, including those made the same day but not yet processed.
• It must also allow voiding of future-dated payments and provide a confirmation message when a payment is successfully voided.  
- Refunds:
• The system must allow for ach and credit or debit card refunds.  
• It must have rules in place to only allow an ach refund to be processed after 10 days of payment being posted.  
• Refunds should only be available for the full payment amount.  
- Blocked payment types:
• The system must support blocking certain payment types for individual users across all channels after three failed or stopped transactions, unless the failure was due to a fatal return. 
• It must allow supervisors to remove blocks, with immediate effect once the request is completed.
- Autopay:
• The system must support robust autopay management. 
• Customer care specialists must be able to assist with autopay plan management in a PCI DSS compliant manner. 
• Representatives must have access to search, view, create, modify, and disable recurring schedules.  
• Notifications must be automatically sent when a bill is generated, confirming that an autopay payment is scheduled. 
• If generation succeeds, a confirmation number must be provided; if it fails (e.g., due to an expired card), the customer must be notified.
• Autopay failures will provide clear and concise directions to the customer on how to remedy.  
- The system must also notify customers when their card is nearing expiration and alert them if a plan is canceled or a payment fails. 
• These compliance notifications must be mandatory and cannot be turned off.   
- County water prefers the ability to detect and manage aggregator card payments, if applicable.  
- The system should allow for budget billing and for customers to select their payment date (nice-to-have).  
- County water would prefer the ability for customers to customize autopay plans including split payments across multiple users and on a percentage basis.  
- Payment history retention:
• The system must be capable of securely storing and providing access to a minimum of two years’ worth of historical payment data. 
• This data should be readily available for reporting, auditing, and customer support purposes.
- Contract Period/Term: 5 years
- Questions/Inquires Deadline: June 09, 2025