LEGAL NOTICE
Request for Proposal
Notice is hereby given that Rowan College at Gloucester County is requesting proposals for Collection Agency Services. Copies of the Request for Proposal are available in the Purchasing Office, College Services Building – Door #2, 6 Blackwood-Barnesboro Road, Sewell, NJ 08080, (856) 415-2202.
Proposals must be submitted to the Purchasing Office, College Services, Rowan College at Gloucester County, 6 Blackwood-Barnesboro Road, Sewell, NJ 08080. The deadline for receipt of proposals is 4:00 p.m. on August 10, 2017. Any proposals received after said deadline, whether by mail or otherwise will be returned unopened. No proposals will be accepted after the above referenced date. Proposals must be submitted in sealed envelopes with the name of the RFP clearly marked on the outside of the envelope. Proposals may not be faxed or transmitted over the telephone.
Rowan College at Gloucester County assumes no responsibility for delays in any form of carrier, mail or delivery service causing the proposal to be received by the Purchasing Office later than the above referenced scheduled deadline.
Nothing herein is intended to exclude any responsible firm or in any way restrain or restrict competition. All responsible firms are encouraged to submit proposals. Final selection of firm(s) shall be made by the Rowan College at Gloucester County Board of Trustees by formal resolution.
The College reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals submitted in the best interest of the College. The College further reserves the right to waive any defect or informality in any proposal should it be in the best interest of the College. Proposers are required to comply with the requirements of P.L. 1975, c. 127 (N.J.A.C. 17:27) and P.L. 77, c. 33.
This Request for Proposals is a fair and open process to obtain competitive proposals from which the College may choose contractors that best meet the College’s needs based on the evaluation criteria included within the specifications. The College intends to award any contract for these services pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:64A-25.5 and 18A:64A-25.28.
All respondents must comply with P.L. 2001, c.134 & P.L. 2004, c.57 and must submit a copy of the NJ Business Registration Certificate that is issued by the NJ Department of Treasury/Division of Revenue with the Request for Proposal. To obtain further information regarding the Certificate, visit the State’s web site @ www.state.nj.us/treasury/revenue/proofreg.shtml or by calling them at (609) 292-9292.
Any business entity that receives in a calendar year $50,000 or more in aggregate compensation from contracts with a public entity, must annually file with the Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC), a political contribution report by a deadline to be established by ELEC, reporting all contributions made to candidates or candidate committees, for a public office that has ultimate responsibility for the awarding of public contracts. ELEC will post the new disclosure form, filing deadline, and disclosure guidelines on their website: www.elec.state.nj.us.
Board of Trustees
Rowan College at Gloucester County
Dated this: 21st of July, 2017 By: Elizabeth Hall
Executive Director – Financial Services
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0 Purpose Page 4
2.0 Background Information Page 4
3.0 Compliance with Laws Page 5
4.0 Basic Qualifications Page 5
5.0 Scope of Requested.Services Page 5-8
6.0 Procedure for Responding to Request for Proposal Page 8-9
6.1 Submission of Proposal Page 8
6.2 Required Elements of the Proposal Page 8
6.3 Process & Timing Page 9
7.0 Criteria for the Evaluation of Proposals Page 9
8.0 Insurance Page 10
8.1 Professional Liability Page 10
8.2 Workers Compensation and Employer Liability Page 10
8.3 General Liability Page 10
8.4 Auto Liability Page 10
9.0 Indemnification Page 10
10.0 Miscellaneous Requirements Page 11
11.0 Conflict of Interest Page 11
12.0 Fee Page 11
Appendix Page 12
Attachment A: Mandatory Equal Employment Opportunity Language
Attachment B: Procurement and Service Contracts Language “A”
Attachment C: Non-Collusion Affidavit
Attachment D: Stockholder or Partnership Disclosure Requirement
Attachment E: Non-Construction Contracts Language “New Jersey Business Registration Requirements”
1.0 PURPOSE
The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) and resulting contract is to obtain full-service Collection Agency services for Rowan College at Gloucester County for a one-year contract effective September 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018 with two optional one-year renewals. Firms responding to this RFP should have extensive experience and a knowledgeable background and qualifications in the provision of the services described herein. The College reserves the right to award multiple contractors for this service.
The anticipated timetable for this request for proposal process is as follows:
· Request for Proposal available July 21, 2017
· Submission of questions of clarification deadline July 28, 2017
· Addendum with questions answered disseminated August 1, 2017
· Proposal submission deadline August 10, 2017
· Proposal Award Notification August 15, 2017
2.0 BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Rowan College at Gloucester County has earned the distinction as being one of New Jersey’s most progressive and affordable community colleges. Since its founding in 1967, the College has adhered to its mission to provide a center for learning that strives for academic excellence, supports the economic development of the community and seeks to enhance the community’s quality of life through affordable, accessible programs in a safe and caring environment. From nationally recognized athletic teams to cultural programing, it has enriched the professional and personal lives of residents throughout South Jersey. Each year the college enrolls nearly 10,000 students in over 156,000 college bearing credits in the six academic divisions. Non-credit enrollment through the Workforce & Professional Development Institute accounts for nearly 8,000 non-credit registrations, in addition to nearly 12,000 customized training registrations for the business sector.
As the sole community college within Gloucester County, the College embraces its role as an educational leader for the community through its programs and services at its Sewell location.
The College is an important educational and economic asset to Gloucester County, from a marketing communications standpoint. Therefore, the College has several important and quite different target audiences.
• High school graduates planning to pursue a four-year degree can take their first two years at Gloucester County College and then transfer to a four-year college or university.
• High school graduates planning a course of study leading to immediate employment in a wide variety of fields such as nursing, diagnostic medicine, nuclear medical technology, and any number of computer-oriented sciences to name a few.
• Young adults who entered the work force directly from high school and now find themselves wanting to change their career path or improve skills to be more promotable.
• Adults of all ages looking to improve job related skills, or simply pursue self-enrichment courses.
• The business community seeking customized workforce development education and training programs that influence employees to enroll on an individual basis for courses to improve job skills.
Rowan College at Gloucester County is situated in a highly competitive educational marketplace. Located in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, County residents may choose from numerous four-year colleges and universities, other community colleges in Camden, Cumberland, and Salem Counties and a wide variety of private sector for-profit educational/training providers.
3.0 COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS
The successful firm(s) shall comply with all applicable federal, state, and local statutes, rules and regulations.
Rowan College at Gloucester County is established under authority of the State of New Jersey and is entitled to exemption from State, Federal, and local taxes.
4.0 BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
· The contractor must provide proof that they are licensed in accordance with state level regulation.
· The contractor must certify that every attempt to collect the College’s debts will be in strict compliance with all city, state, and federal laws pertaining to each case.
· The contractor must demonstrate at least five years’ experience in servicing institutional accounts receivable debt.
· The contractor must provide at least three references with institutional account volumes in excess of $100,000.
· The contractor will permit the institution the right to visit the contractor’s office, examine the facilities and view actual operations and procedures prior to the award of the contract, as well as unannounced visits after the award of the contract.
· The contractor must have been audited within the last year prior to contract signing. The audit must include a review of the company’s internal accounting controls in accordance with the AICPA’s statement of audit standard #70 (SAS 70). A copy of the audit with a clean opinion prepared in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards must be provided to the institution. During the period of the contract, the contractor should have an annual audit conducted and submit a copy, thereof, to the College.
5.0 SCOPE OF REQUESTED SERVICES
· The contractor should have the ability to charge on either a flat fee or percentage basis. The type of charge will be determined by the amount and type of debt outstanding.
· The fee schedule and method of calculation shall be included. The contractor will not change the fee or percentage retained during the contract period. The College will have the ability to contract with more than one agency. The contractor shall be in strict compliance with all city, state, and federal laws pertaining to the collection industry.
· In addition, the contractor shall provide a percentage basis or flat fee charge for second placement accounts and for accounts that the contractor and the College mutually agree to pursue legal action.
· The contractor shall agree that all current first placement accounts remain listed as first placement accounts and all current second placement accounts remain listed as second placement accounts upon conversion and transfer.
· The contractor shall utilize letter techniques, telephone contacts, and skip-tracing while determining the best course of action to resolve the debt. Litigation may not result without direct authorization of the college. Contractor will provide current policy for litigation including cost and any minimum balance requirements.
· Automated payment plans.
· Students have the ability to make payments on line.
· The college shall have the ability to place accounts on line (live) and review account activity.
· On-line client access to accounts for four (4) individual users.
· Automated Quarterly Standard Performance Reports to include but not limited to: statistical reports by account status, amount assigned, age at assignment, and age from date assigned. Reference reports such as: status descriptions, payment history, file upload history, and previous history reports.
· Customized Client Reports.
· The contractor shall determine which accounts are unrecoverable no sooner than 365 days of receipt from the institution. College notification is required within 30 days of determination.
· The College anticipates placing accounts for collection activity valued at approximately $150,000 to $250,000 annually.
· Contractor will provide current policy for credit bureau reporting. No account may be reported sooner than 90 days from placement unless the College provides written consent.
· The College reserves the right to cancel accounts with the contractor, at any time, without financial implications.
DATA REQUIREMENTS
· The contractor must provide an outline and implementation plan, acceptable to the institution, of procedures to be followed to convert existing data to the contractor’s program.
· The contractor shall provide professionally qualified personnel to:
a) Review existing data for accuracy and completeness of student accounts
b) Visit the College’s Sewell campus to obtain the data necessary for the conversion and updating of student files.
c) Assist in instructing college personnel in data requirements for conversion and placement of student accounts. i.e. registration forms, refund policies, promissory notes.
d) Assist in instructing college personnel with in-house collection techniques to minimize past due accounts by providing such things as sample demand letter, proper phone techniques and in-house software options. Note – the college attempts collection prior to transferring accounts to an agency to process.
ACCOUNTING AND RECORD KEEPING REQUIREMENTS
· The contractor will process and report the following:
a) Account Acknowledgement: This report should be in alphabetical sequence outlining debtor names, social security and account number, a brief description of the debt and the principal amount placed for collection. To be delivered as accounts are placed.
b) Debtor Status report: This report shall outline all accounts placed for collection. The information will note the accounts’ date of placement, last payment activity and the account status. To be delivered on a quarterly basis.
c) Client Statement and Remittance report and payment: This report shall summarize the payment activity for the month. The report will itemize each debtor payment and note running balances. Attached is the remittance information and payment. Report and payment to be delivered monthly to the College no later than the 5th working day of each month.
d) Recalled Accounts report: This report will note accounts returned to the college for any reason. A complete history file shall be maintained for each account in case the account is reactivated. To be delivered as accounts are recalled.
e) Collection Actuary: This report shall list collection activity as it relates to the month of placement. To be delivered on a monthly basis.
f) Account Aging Analysis: This report will age accounts based on elapsed time from the date of the last payment to the report date. To be delivered on a quarterly basis.
These items must be delivered to the College as indicated above. All reports can be submitted on paper or by electronic media accessible to the College. Agency must also illustrate the ability to provide reporting information via electronic media.
TRANSFER OF RESPONSIBILITIES REQUIREMENTS
· During the period of conversion, the contractor shall make written progress reports to the College on a weekly basis. These reports will include:
a) A statement of progress
b) A statement of the nature of any difficulties experienced
c) A statement of necessary action required to eliminate difficulties
· The contractor must agree that the College has sole ownership of all student account information. This covers all tapes, correspondence and files. All such information shall be delivered to the college upon cancellation of the contract.