The purpose of this contract is to provide e-Payment services to state agencies, the State’s judicial branch, and units of local government which currently accept payment cards and e-checks, as authorized by section 215.322, Florida Statutes (F.S.). The Department of Financial Services has requested the following agencies/government entities be prioritized for the “as is” transfer of currently utilized services from the incumbent vendor.
Any government agency may utilize the services available in this contract. However, because the agencies specified above are operating under an existing contract that is expiring, they will be given preference when being scheduled for on boarding. To learn more, contact Trisha Williams, Contract Manager at Department of Financial Services, at Trisha.Williams@myfloridacfo.com.
Under the first round of implementations, the above state agencies will be offered NIC’s payment processing services on a like-for-like basis according to their current contract. For example, if the current vendor was providing a fully hosted web application to process same day and recurring payments, NIC would provide similar capabilities through their core payment platform.
Processing options include providing for the collection and transmission of electronic payments over the internet or telephone. The available services are identified and defined below.
This payment solution is fully hosted by NIC. By leveraging this option, NIC will be responsible for maintaining PCI-DSS compliance for these systems, therefore limiting the scope of responsibilities for the State. The system redirects customers from the agency’s internet site to NIC’s Hosted Common Checkout page, where both customer and payment information are collected. Payments are processed through NIC’s Transaction Payment Engine (TPE) and stored for reconciliation, reporting, refund and chargeback management purposes.
Both customer and payment information are collected and stored on an agency’s internet site or mobile application which is designed and hosted by the agency or another third-party contractor. Payment details are then transmitted via an application programming interface (API) to NIC’s payment gateway for payment processing, authorization, and settlement. By leveraging this option, the agency will have increased responsibilities in maintaining and reporting PCI-DSS compliance.
A payment system through which customers utilize a toll-free number created by NIC to submit payments over an automated phone service. The agency sends a file containing customer information to NIC to allow NIC to authenticate the caller.
NIC will provide PCI-certified POS equipment and equipment software on a like-for-like basis, based upon an existing equipment inventory exercise that was completed at the time of contract negotiations. NIC will provide equipment software upgrades to the POS equipment, along with installation support to ensure the equipment functions properly, at no additional cost to the agency.
NIC will facilitate a method for the receipt of daily custom batch files (which contain ACH instructions and pertinent customer information) from agencies and third-party contractors that host agency payment applications. Each batch file may contain up to 99,999 individual transactions scheduled for a specific date. Batch files will be sent between 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM ET each business day.
The full array of services that are available are specified in detail in the e-Payment Collection and Payment Processing Services Contract (TR 227). To review the contract, please go to https://facts.fldfs.com/Search/ContractSearch.aspx and search for “TR227”. If you have any questions, you may also contact Trisha Williams, Contract Manager at Department of Financial Services, at Trisha.Williams@myfloridacfo.com.
All processes and procedures governing chargebacks, as well as other transactions, refunds, etc., are specified in detail in the e-Payment Collection and Payment Processing contract. To review the contract, please go to https://facts.fldfs.com/Search/ContractSearch.aspx and search for “TR227”. If you have any questions, you may also contact Trisha Williams, Contract Manager at Department of Financial Services, at Trisha.Williams@myfloridacfo.com.
The contract allows for data migration. Upon request, each agency may provide a file that NIC will use to import one year of historical data from the existing vendor.
NIC will be providing implementation services and implementation guidance for the selected e-Payment processing options specific to your agency at no cost. In addition, NIC will also manage the transition duties in working with the agency to obtain the financial information necessary to board new merchant accounts, conduct financial test transactions and train the agency team on reconciliation reporting, refunds, and chargeback processes. Each agency will be responsible for their own development resources (if needed) to code on agency owned or contracted systems.
Once an agency has been scheduled for implementation, they will work with the NIC team to conduct a full discovery of existing processes and technical needs. From there, an individualized implementation plan will be provided to each agency based on the existing services to be replaced.
Agencies are encouraged to specify their preferred transition date in the initial discovery survey. All agencies will not be able to transition in the same phase, therefore NIC will work in tandem with DFS to schedule agencies according to their unique needs and the available project resources.
NIC and the Department of Financial Services are partnering to support state agencies as they transition to the new service contract. To begin the process, identify the point of contact for your agency and have them complete the general inquiry form located on the NIC website at:
https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/0346350b81f3440e87a27cd87e354bd1Once an agency has been scheduled for implementation, Trisha Williams, Contract Manager at Department of Financial Services, along with a project manager from the Tallahassee based NIC team will serve as the point of contacts throughout the entire implementation process and beyond.
The Department of Financial Services has provided the NIC team with a wide assortment of historical data on the existing services, and this has been analyzed and imported into the relevant business documents. Through a series of interviews, all the remaining necessary information will be collected and processed.
With the assistance of DFS and a local NIC project manager, an agency representative will review and complete the Participation Agreement, the contract vehicle that ties the agency to the new contract. Agency participants will also be able to review the Sub-Merchant Agreement, which is a four-party agreement between the DFS, NIC, First Data, and Wells Fargo to allow for e-Payment processing. The other documents that are completed as part of the implementation process are as follows:
The first step in implementation is the completion of the discovery survey, which is a simple, form-based document that identifies the types of e-payment processing options, hardware, and reports the participant is utilizing today to help plan for implementation phase placement.
This document ensures the agency and NIC are in sync with the requested services and deliverables.
The business requirements document provides the necessary details to enable the transition and implementation of the selected e-payment processing options for each agency.
This form allows us to collect all the necessary information for the establishment of merchant accounts with First Data.
This is a dynamic plan intended to provide action items, decisions, and tasks as related to the implementation of each agency.
This document will capture the final technical configuration requirements.
The first phase of contract implementation focuses on providing like-for-like services to agencies identified by the Department of Financial Services. NIC offers a variety of additional value-added services which can be considered for future implementations.
Gov2Go is a mobile application that allows citizens the ability to interact with agencies at all levels of government. By using data provided by citizens, the application learns about a customer’s civic responsibilities, tracks those interactions, creates a personalized timeline and provides notifications on upcoming renewals, payments, and government tasks, and provides for one-click payments to complete transactions.
The Application Engine (known as AppEngine) is a low code solution to quickly build new mobile-first services. This allows participants to deliver services immediately. It integrates with payments, microservices, and Gov2Go and includes reporting and transparency tools.
OTG enables participants to capture simple payments made with payment cards via a mobile application that works with encrypted swipers on mobile devices. This is a standalone application can securely collect and process payments using only a phone/tablet in a mobile setting.
Prompt Pay allows agencies to send a prepopulated payment link by SMS text message and/or email to customers.
CDB offers a subscription and monthly billing service for high volume customers which maintains customer balances, manages service pricing, and stores user profiles.
Event Registration is an events gateway and donation solution which allows agencies to view order histories, manage current registrations, view and download pre-event materials and access reports, create and manage events, as well as view and provide email notifications pertaining to events, memberships, and donations.
The first statewide implementation of the e-Payment Collection and Processing Services contract will focus on transitioning agencies to the new system on a like-for-like basis. In the first phase of the implementation process, a full discovery will be conducted to determine the existing functionality within all systems, including the configurations associated with the available user roles. The new services will be put into place with these existing roles and business rules.