Each Request for Proposal is required to be submitted as outlined in this section. Please include a cover and/or first page, containing the name of the project (Merchant Services), name of the respondent, contact information, and submittal date. In addition, provide an opening letter indicating the Vendor's interest in this project, and briefly describe what makes the Vendor a suitable candidate to be selected for Merchant Services. A table of contents should be next. Please provide the following information in the sequence and format prescribed below. Supplemental materials providing additional information may be attached, but the information requested below is to be provided in this format.Vendor InformationVendor's legal name (include and identify entity name change and dba), local address and billing address if different, email address, and phone numberPrimary Individual to contact Provide the name, phone, and email for:Number of years the firm has been in business ExperienceAn organizational chart that explains team member responsibilities.The name and resume of each individual who would be assigned to this project, and each individual assigned to backup each primary person in his/her absence, together with similar information for each individual to be provided under any subcontract.Briefly describe the rationale for the key team members for this project, and what qualities and attributes they possess that will ensure the success of this project.Previous county project(s) experience (if applicable); any project experiences are applicable.References listing client contracts for similar services.Approach to Work Include complete details of the Vendor's ability to meet the requirements and provide the requested services listed in this RFP: Description of the proposed payment processing solutionSecurity and compliance approach System integration capabilities Fraud prevention tools and controlsInclude a summary of innovative ideas and suggestions for implementing or enhancing the scope of services.Describe the Vendor's transition and onboarding plan and include the estimated timelineAdditional services or procedures of benefit to the County (if applicable)Pricing and FeesComplete pricing for all services in the proposal. Itemize and clearly define all applicable feesAdditional InformationA statement outlining any proposal exceptions to the County’s requirements or requested clarifications to the requirements. (if applicable)The caption, case number, Court, Counsel, and general summary of any litigation pending, or judgment rendered within the past three (3) years involving the proposer. (if applicable) Only electronic submittal via the County's eProcurement Portal shall be accepted. No hard copies, emails, or fax submittals are acceptable.Acknowledgement (via the County's eProcurement Portal) of each addendum issued. (if applicable)

1. Without limitation as otherwise set forth in this Agreement, Subrecipient shall comply with all relevant Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Listing Requirements, as amended and supplemented. Specifically, but not by way of limitation, CFDA 21.027 has the following policy requirements:1.1. 31 CFR Part 35, as amended by the Interim final rule published May 17, 2021, at 26786 FR Vol. 86, No. 93; or otherwise subsequently amended by Final Rule.1.2. 2 CFR Part 200, including Subparts B through F1.2.1. Additional Information: The following 2 CFR Policy requirements also apply to this assistance listing: 2 CFR Part 25, Universal Identifier and System for Award Management; 2 CFR Part 170, Reporting Subaward and Executive Compensation Information; and 2 CFR Part 180, OMB Guidelines to Agencies on Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension (Non-procurement). The following 2 CFR Policy requirements are excluded from coverage under this assistance listing: For 2 CFR Part 200, Subpart C, the following provisions do not apply to the SLFRF program: 2 CFR § 200.204 (Notices of Funding Opportunities); 2 CFR § 200.205 (Federal awarding agency review of merit of proposal); 2 CFR § 200.210 (Pre-award costs); and 2 CFR § 200.213 (Reporting a determination that a non-Federal entity is not qualified for a Federal award). For 2 CFR Part 200, Subpart D, the following provisions do not apply to the SLFRF program: 2 CFR § 200.308 (revision of budget or program plan); 2 CFR § 200.309 (modifications to period of performance); CFR § 200.305 (b)(8) and (9) (Federal Payment).2. Without limitation as otherwise set forth in this Agreement, Subrecipient shall ensure that any procurement involving funds authorized by this Agreement complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations, including but not limited to, 2 CFR 200.318 through 200.327, as well as Appendix II to 2 CFR Part 200 (entitled “Agreement Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts Under Federal Awards”).

Registered to do business in Washington State as evidenced by an active Unique Business Identifier (UBI) number.Has a valid federal tax identification number.

Reserved Rights and Procedures:1. Pierce County expressly reserves the following rights:a. To waive any and/or all irregularities in the proposals submitted.b. To reject any or all proposals or portions thereof.c. To base awards with due regard to quality of services, experience, compliance with specifications, and other such factors as may be necessary in the circumstances.d. To make the award to any vendor or combination of vendors whose proposal(s), in the opinion of the County, is in the best interest of the County.2. Pierce County cannot accept late proposals.3. Reimbursement: Pierce County will not reimburse proposers for any costs involved in the preparation and submission of responses to this RFP or in the preparation for and attendance at subsequent interviews.4. Cooperative PurchasingThe Washington State Interlocal Cooperation Act, Ch. 39.34 RCW, authorizes public agencies to cooperatively purchase goods and services if all parties agree. By responding to this RFP, Consultants agree that other public agencies may purchase goods and services under this solicitation or contract at their own cost and without Pierce County incurring any financial or legal liability for such purchases. Pierce County agrees to allow other public agencies to purchase goods and services under this solicitation or contract, provided that Pierce County is not held financially or legally liable for purchases and that any public agency purchasing under such solicitation or contract file a copy of this invitation and such contract in accordance with RCW 39.34.040.5. Public Records and Proprietary MaterialProposers should be aware that any records they submit to the County or that are used by the County even if the proposers possess the records may be public records under the Washington Public Records Act (RCW 42.56). The County must promptly disclose public records upon request unless a statute exempts them from disclosure. Proposers should also be aware that if even a portion of a record is exempt from disclosure, generally, the rest of the record must be disclosed. Exemptions are narrow and specific.Proposers should clearly mark any record they believe is exempt from disclosure.6. Title VI CompliancePierce County, in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4 and Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, subtitle A, Office of the Secretary, Part 21, nondiscrimination in federally assisted programs of the Department of Transportation issued pursuant to such Act, hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises as defined at 49 CFR Part 26 will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award.

An evaluation team will review the bidding documents and evaluate all responses received based upon the criteria listed herein. The County may request clarifications or additional information, if needed.The County intends to select the Contractor most qualified for this pursuit/solicitation and begin the negotiation and award process based on the requirements of this solicitation.Selected Proposer(s) will be invited to enter into contract negotiations with the County. Should the County and the selected proposer not reach a mutual agreement, the County will terminate negotiations and move to the next ranked contractor and proceed with negotiations. A Proposer’s inability to agree to the terms of the County’s standard contract may be a basis for the County to terminate negotiations and begin negotiating with one or more other Contractors.The County reserves the right to accept or reject any or all submitted bids, to waive as informalities any irregularities, and to contract as the best interest of the County may require. The County may reject bids that are non-responsive or that are submitted by non-responsible contractors.

VENDORS WHO REGISTER AND DOWNLOAD BID DOCUMENTS will be automatically added to the FOLLOWERS list in the County's eProcurement Portal. Notifications for bid updates, addenda, and other bid information will be sent to all vendors who register on the Pierce County eProcurement Portal.

The vendor shall provide comprehensive merchant card processing services, including, but not limited to, the following Payment Processing ServicesProvide processing services of credit and debit card transactions, including, but not limited to: VisaMasterCardAmerican ExpressDiscoverSupport for card-present and card-not-present transactions Ability to process payments via: Point-of-sale (POS)Web-based/online portalsMobile through digital wallets such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay Ability to accept payments using an interactive voice response technology (IVR)Support for recurring and scheduled payments, where applicable. Security and Compliance Comply with all relevant industry standards, including but not limited to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS), to ensure the security of all cardholder data.Provide evidence of compliance with these standards and conduct regular security audits and vulnerability assessments to ensure ongoing compliance.End-to-end encryption and tokenizationFraud detection and prevention tools Secure handling and storage of payment dataAssistance with PCI compliance reporting and validationEquipment and TechnologyAny software associated with providing these services must be web-based and not require software, other than a current web browser, to be installed on county devices. All software must be compatible with County financial systems and third-party softwareAll software must have secure web-based reporting and transaction management toolsSoftware must be in compliance with PCI-DSSSoftware must support Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) v2 to authenticate individual Pierce County employees. The SAMLv2 solution must support Microsoft Azure AD, and Microsoft Active Directory Federated Services via Web Application Proxy.Provide the specifications of all necessary supplies and equipment needed for the departments to accept payments made by credit and debit cards. Purchase or lease any equipment necessary for the departments to accept payments made by credit and debit cards. Settlement and Reporting Provide "interchange plus" pricing for merchant services with two (2) day settlement Provide monthly statements per merchant ID that clearly summarize all revenue-related activity including all chargeback information by data and card type. All processing fees must be separate from revenue deposits. The Statement deposit activity must match the actual deposit activity in the County’s accounts. Capability to credit the bankcard transactions in gross amount and be billed through analysis at month end for the sales discount and fees. Provide the formulas for the calculation of the discount rate and any other associated costs Provide online access and reporting to view and download daily transactions, account reconciliation, and settlement reports by merchant ID, by payment card type, and by transaction. Online access to view, hold, or void transactions before they settle or refund specific transactions.Customer Support & Account Management Provide dedicated account management Provide seven (7) days per week and 24 hours per day technical and customer support with written service level agreements (SLA’s) .Provide business continuity/Disaster Recovery in case of unplanned outages in the vendor’s merchant processing system.Training for County staff as neededThe vendor shall provide initial setup and implementation services, along with online training materials, tutorials, and comprehensive user documentation to support system use.

The nine locations where these services are provided (along with annual volumes) are as follows:Pierce County Law Library (copy fees) AnnualAnnualAnnualAnnualAnnualTotal ItemsTotal $ submittedAvg TicketChargebackCard Type3,25527,1148.240Mastercard 8.40Visa Pierce County Public Records Requests (online) AnnualAnnualAnnualAnnualAnnualTotal ItemsTotal $ submittedAvg TicketChargebackCard Type1,1365,1404.320Mastercard 4.820Visa Finance Sewer Payments (in person) AnnualAnnualAnnualAnnualAnnualTotal ItemsTotal $ submittedAvg TicketChargebackCard Type965197,302191.890Mastercard 203.510Visa 197.080Debit/ATM Assessor Records (plats, etc.) Payments AnnualAnnualAnnualAnnualAnnualTotal ItemsTotal $ submittedAvg TicketChargebackCard Type435,20083.540Mastercard 122.780Visa 22.920Discover Planning Permit Fees (includes a Managed Service Fee Model structure)AnnualAnnualAnnualAnnualAnnualTotal ItemsTotal $ submittedAvg TicketChargebackCard Type12,48627,893,1342,678.680Mastercard 2,054.590Visa 750Discover Sewer SoundGro Sales AnnualAnnualAnnualAnnualAnnualTotal ItemsTotal $ submittedAvg TicketChargebackCard Type539,201119.170Mastercard 100.040Visa 85.950Discover Auditor’s Office – Marriage Licenses AnnualAnnualAnnualAnnualAnnualTotal ItemsTotal $ submittedAvg TicketChargebackCard Type37,4463,023,88576.682Mastercard 81.230Visa 126.460Discover *For the Auditor’s Office the Contractor must be able to provide a customer-initiated payments service gateway. This gateway must interface with the Auditor’s web applications to provide credit card and ACH payment processing to their customers. The customers must be redirected to the gateway for payment processing, along with pertinent transaction data, and then sent back to the Auditor’s site with payment remittance ID (transparent to the customer) for final processing. No customer credit card data will be entered or stored at any time in the Auditor systems. Additionally, the gateway must provide a portal for fiscal staff to access daily reports for reconciliation of the day’s transactions.Sewer Utility – Online Customer Payment Portal (includes a convenience fee)AnnualAnnualAnnualAnnualAnnualTotal ItemsTotal $ submittedAvg TicketChargebackCard Type111,11429,978,493401.666Mastercard 204.895Visa Parks – Special Events AnnualAnnualAnnualAnnualAnnualTotal ItemsTotal $ submittedAvg TicketChargebackCard Type43,324375,70210.470Mastercard 14.461Visa 7.80Discover 15.540Debit/ATM

All questions must be submitted within the County's eProcurement Portal, under the Questions and Answers Section no later than 4:00 pm on Wednesday, March 25, 2026. Vendors must be registered in the eProcurement Portal software to submit questions, receive addenda, notifications, and ultimately submit a proposal.Proposals must be received by the Procurement & Contract Services and the Finance Department before 1:00 pm on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. The vendor is responsible for submitting the proposal before the deadline. The County shall not be responsible for late submittals.

The initial contract period is anticipated to be for four years. The County has the option of renewing for an additional four years after the initial contract is executed. The actual schedule will be negotiated with the selected vendor based on staff availability and the finalized scope of work.Value of Resulting Contract: 6,000,000.00The County intends to award 1 contract for the services described in this RFP.