Request for Information - Transit Subsidy Debit/Charge Card Overview: This is a REQUEST FOR INFORMATION. NO REIMBURSEMENT WILL BE MADE FOR ANY COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH PROVIDING INFORMATION IN RESPONSE TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND ANY FOLLOW-UP REQUESTS. This Request for Information is for informational and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation or commitment by the Government. This notice is intended strictly for market research. Please reference EP-RFI-14-00014 when responding to this announcement. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), Region 5 Chicago, is requesting information on market solutions to provide employees with a debit/credit card for a monthly transit subsidy. US EPA provides a monthly transit subsidy to its employees under the following authorities. 1. Public Law 102-486, Section 1911, Treatment of Employer Provided Transportation Benefits, effective December 31, 1992. 2. Public Law 103-172, Federal Employees Clean Air Incentives Act, effective January 1, 1994. 3. Internal Revenue Code (IRC), Section 132 (f) permits an employer to subsidize employees? cost of commuting to work by mass transit The approximate number of participants at US EPA Region 5 is 900 and are primarily located in the Chicago, IL area.The average monthly value of the subsidies is $95,000 with an annual range of $1.1 to $1.2M. US EPA is seeking options for a bankcard/ debit card to replace printed fare checks. Minimum Requirements: The Agency requires a solution that provides at a minimum the following features: ? Web interface for US EPA Region 5 to administer employees? access to cards. US EPA must be able to review and approve participants, temporarily suspend access or reloading of benefits for participants, and terminate access to the application when the employee leaves the Agency. ? Employees must have the ability to submit monthly transit requests via the internet on a predetermined date each month. For those who request the same amount each month, there must be a function that allows the employee to enter a recurring amount to avoid having to access the application each month. ? Funds must be loaded onto the card at least one week before the end of each month. ? Unused funds must be swept from individual employee accounts and returned to US EPA Region 5 at the end of each monthly cycle. ? Card must be coded for use exclusively for transit purchases. ? Card must be compatible with transit systems used by US EPA Region 5 employees in Chicago including but not limited to: Metra, PACE, CTA, NICTD and AMTRAK. ? Card must be contactless and capable to be used on Ventra fare readers used by the Chicago Transit Agency and Pace. https://www.ventrachicago.com/howitworks/ ? Some employees? monthly transit costs exceed the IRS allowable limit and some transit providers only permit payment for fares to come from one source. As a result, employees must have ability to add a personal credit/debit card onto their web account so that purchases in excess of the employer provided subsidy (balance) will automatically be pulled from their personal debit/bankcard. Responses: Vendors having the capability to meet the above minimum mandatory requirements are invited to submit details of their solution. The responses must include answers to any questions listed above and clearly state how the solution provides the capability to meet our mandatory requirements. There is no page limit, although EPA requests that response are kept to the point with a minimum of marketing material. Your responses will be used solely by the Government for market research purposes. Future requests for proposals may be based on responses under this announcement. Any information, such as pricing structure, that is to be considered Confidential Business Information (CBI) must be clearly marked. The Government will not pay for any materials provided in response to this synopsis and submittals will not be returned to the sender. Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice. No telephone calls requesting a solicitation will be accepted or acknowledged. Submit responses via e-mail to
[email protected]. Subject line of your email must reference EP-RFI-14-00014. The information requested must be received no later than 4:30 pm Central Time March 26, 2014.