Cleveland County Emergency Medical Services. PO Box Shelby, NC Request for Proposal. For. Debt Collection Agency Services

Transcription

1 Cleveland County Emergency Medical Services PO Box 1210 Shelby, NC Request for Proposal For Debt Collection Agency Services Proposals Must Be Submitted by July 16, 2013 Issue Date: June 21, 2013

2 Table of Contents 1. Introduction and Contact Information 2. Proposal Timelines 3. Scope of Services 4. Proposal Instructions 5. Proposal Requirements 6. Contract Performance Standards 7. Selection Process 8. Anticipated Payment Structure 9. Terms of Contract and/or Cancellation Appendix A Fee Schedule for Collection Agency Service Appendix B Bidder s Qualification s/references Appendix C Standard File Layout for Electronic Placement

3 Section 1: Introduction and Contact Information Introduction and Background Cleveland County EMS (CCEMS) is soliciting proposals from debt collection agencies (Contractor) to assist in the collection of delinquent ambulance bills. The decision to award the collection contract shall be based on the ability of the agency to provide adequate service of the accounts and the costs associated with that service. Award will be made as judged to be in the best interest of Cleveland County EMS. Questions and Contact All questions regarding the RFP should be addressed to: Joe Lord, Director PO Box 1210 Shelby, NC Written questions must be received by the EMS Director at least seven (7) days prior to the proposal due date. All questions and answers will be posted on the County website at Contractors are to acknowledge receipt of the addendum(s) as part of their bid submittals. Section 2 Proposal Timelines Release and disseminate the request for proposal. Sealed proposals due Award for RFP Contract effective date Implementation process begins

4 Section 3 Scope of Services This section outlines the minimum contract requirements for collection and reporting services. The minimal requirements are listed here, however, CCEMS is open to alternatives to meet the requirements that may or may not be described below. A. Billing and Collections 1. Retrieve the Debt Setoff file off of the Billing Service FTP site (unless another option is approved to obtain this file securely.) Please see attached and highlighted fields of Standard File Layout for Electronic Placement for patient information sent to you. 2. The Contractor shall accept accounts placed by CCEMS under terms of this agreement and will use its best efforts to collect said accounts utilizing means legal, necessary, and in compliance with the NC Debt Collection Laws, including the Mini-Maranda statement. 3. CCEMS plans to place delinquent accounts immediately. Other accounts will be placed throughout the year as they become delinquent. CCEMS shall make its own efforts at account collections including Wage Garnishment and Debt-Setoff. 4. The Contractor shall provide routine, detailed account information to Finance Department/CCEMS each month and shall provide summary information as required by our County Manager or Finance Director upon request. 5. All data made available to the Contractor by CCEMS and/or our Billing Service is to remain the property of the County and must be treated as confidential information. Health Insurance Protection and Accountability Act laws (HIPAA) apply to ambulance accounts. All listings, which reveal private information of individuals, if not returned to CCEMS, must be properly destroyed so as to keep such information confidential. 6. The Contractor agrees to return to CCEMS, at no charge, accounts referred by mistake. CCEMS will not knowingly refer any accounts where the account holder is serving on active duty in the United States Armed Forces or under bankruptcy.

5 7. CCEMS shall pay no fee for the contractor when the balance due has been reduced resulting from CCEMS action such as refund or credit adjustment. Also, no fee will be paid based upon a collection resulting from a wage garnishment or Debt Setoff collection. Litigation accounts should be handled on a case by case basis depending on account age. 8. Records developed as a result of this agreement are CCEMS records and subject to access, scheduling, and disposition approved by CCEMS. 9. In carrying out any provision of the agreement or in exercising any power or authority granted to the contract thereby, there shall be no liability upon CCEMS. 10. All payments collected on behalf of CCEMS shall be made payable to Cleveland County EMS and mailed to our post office box at agreed upon intervals, whether it is weekly or monthly. 11. Establish internal controls to ensure that policies and procedures are being followed. 12. Contractor shall maintain general liability insurance and professional liability insurance in accordance with usual and customary industry practice. Section 4 Proposal Instructions Interested Contractors should submit two (2) original copies of the proposal to the address listed below no later than 1:00 pm on July 16, Late proposals will not be considered. Joe Lord Cleveland County EMS PO Box 1210 Shelby, NC CCEMS reserves the right to accept any proposal or reject any or all proposals as it deems appropriate and in the best interest of the CCEMS agency. CCEMS is not bound to accept the least costly proposal, but reserves the right to accept the proposal

6 which appears, in its judgment, to be the best suited to the interest of the CCEMS department. CCEMS reserves the right to negotiate with any vendor, including but not limited to terms, conditions, pricing, pricing structure, etc. Section 5 Proposal Requirements The RFP should include a response to each of the following criteria. Please provide a table of contents in the format of the proposal requirements along with tabs identifying each section and subsection. Include examples of procedures, reports, or other information where applicable. A. A Letter of Interest including the name, address, and any other pertinent information about the firm. The letter must be signed by an individual authorized to contractually bind the firm and include an expression of the firm s ability and desire to meet the requirements of the proposal. Include a description of the firm s background, its organizational structure, length of time in business, and experience in providing the type of services solicited herein. B. Indicate the staff person that will be primarily responsible for our account. The expectation is that this person will be the point of contact for all activities on the account and will be responsible for making sure that all terms of the contract are executed according to the terms established. C. A list of three (3) client references with which you have had contracts within the past three (3) years. Provide the designated person s name, title, organization, address, telephone number, address, and the relationship with the designated person. (Reference page is included) D. A list of any pending or resolved lawsuits in which the firm was involved during the past five (5) years. If not involved, please indicate. E. Disclose any relevant information that the firm believes demonstrates its qualifications for the project and/or distinguishes the firm s proposal from other proposals. F. Describe and discuss the firm s compliance program and how the program meets or exceeds the requirements of HIPAA.

7 G. Indicate whether or not your organization has had a contract terminated in the last five (5) years, and describe the nature and circumstances. H. Describe how the account will be handled should the account be terminated for any reason. I. Describe any services provided by the firm that are not covered by the RFP, but would assist CCEMS in enhancing its collections. Include examples of these services. J. Describe where the CCEMS data will be stored and how it will be secured and managed? K. Describe any security measures taken to separate CCEMS data from other customer based accounts, or are accounts co-mingled? L. Describe to what extent the collection services you are proposing will include legal services. Describe any thresholds you set before legal services are employed. M. Describe a brief overview of the collection system utilized by the Contractor in respect to the following conditions. The extent to which collection attempts will be made based on the dollar value of the account and the type of attempt that will be made (i.e. collection letter, telephone contact, litigation, etc.) Method of documenting collection attempts and also documentation that such attempts are actually being made. Extent to which accounts will be skip-traced. Indicate varying procedures based upon varying dollar value of account. Detailed sample of a report provided to other agencies on an account-byaccount basic (i.e. detailed activity from period to period). If none, so indicate. N. Provide a statement furnishing the name of insurance carrier and liability limits.

8 Section 6 Contract Performance Standards It is CCEMS s expectation that the contract between the Contractor and our agency will be a performance based contract. During contract negotiations, CCEMS will work with the Contractor to establish these standards. Section 7 Selection Process Proposals will be evaluated based on the responses on all the above items. In addition, the following criteria will be considered: financial stability, collection efforts, and performance of other contracts, knowledge, customer service, references, and pricing. During the evaluation period, CCEMS, at its discretion, may request demonstrations of the Contractor s ability to meet the requirements listed in the Scope of Services. These criteria are to be utilized in the evaluation of qualifications for development of the short list of those offerors to be considered for interviews and/or potential negotiations. Information and/or other factors gathered during interviews, negotiations, or any reference checks, in addition to the information obtained in the RFP, shall be utilized in the final award decision. References may or may not be reviewed or contacted at the discretion of CCEMS. CCEMS reserves the right to contact references other than, and/or in addition to, those furnished by an offeror. Section 8 Anticipated Payment Structure The primary method of payment awarded from this RFP will be based on contingency fees paid on actual collections. CCEMS will compensate the Contractor for collection services at a percentage of net dollars actually collected. CCEMS shall not be separately charged for or be responsible for any costs, bank fees, expenses, or any other cost incurred by the Contractor in the performance of services described in this RFP.

9 Section 9 Terms of Contract and/or Cancellation The term of this contract arising from the RFP will be two (2) years from execution and may include a one (1) year renewal option. CCEMS reserves the right to terminate the Contract without penalty with thirty (30) days notice with or without cause. Also, CCEMS reserves the right to cancel any contract immediately in whole or in part without penalty due to misappropriation of funds or for failure of the contractor to comply with the terms, conditions, and specifications of this contract.

10 Appendix A Fee Schedule for Collection Agency Service THE PROPOSER MUST COMPLETE AND SUBMIT THIS FORM WITH PROPOSAL We, the undersigned, in compliance with the request for Proposal (RFP) for Debt Collection Services, hereby propose to charge the following rates to CCEMS for Collection Services. In making this proposal, we acknowledge that we have read and understand this RFP and hereby submit our proposal in accordance with the terms and conditions of the specifications and agree to fulfill our legal obligations pursuant to the stated contractual provisions. Collection Agency Fee Schedule Company Address City, State, Zip Telephone Date Signature Name and Title Fax Federal ID Number

11 CLEVELAND COUNTY, NC FINANCE & PURCHASING DEPT BIDDER S QUALIFICATIONS/REFERENCES BIDDERS NAME DATE: Bidder must demonstrate that he has a successful record of experience in the type service specified. Otherwise, his proposal may not be considered. The Request for Proposals is for a contract to collect on past due accounts. Therefore, list below at least three (3) accounts that you are now serving. COMPANY PERSON TO CONTACT TELEPHONE NUMBER/ Company Name Address Phone

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