Collection Agency Services

South Texas College is soliciting proposals for collection agency services (“Proposal”) from one or more service providers (“Respondent”). The successful Respondent(s) will provide collection services in connection with various types of obligations owed by students, faculty, staff, vendors, and visitors, including, without limitation, emergency student loans, installment agreements, unpaid tuition and fees, parking citations, miscellaneous accounts receivable, and other unpaid accounts. The College intends to award a contract for an initial term of one (1) year, with the option to renew for two (2) additional one-year periods.

Background

Founded in 1993, South Texas College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and offers more than 130 degree and certificate options, including associate degrees in various art, science, technology, and health science professions.  Additionally, South Texas College is the only community college in the State of Texas to offer five baccalaureate degrees.   South Texas College has a faculty and staff of more than 2,200 to serve 27,000 students across its five state-of-the-art campuses, two Higher Education Centers, the Regional Center for Public Safety Excellence, and one virtual campus.

Project Details

• Reference ID: 26-27-1006
• Department: Business Office
• Department Head: Katarina Bugariu (Director of Fiscal Affairs)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-06-10T20:00:00.000Z

Evaluation Criteria

• Execution of Offer (1 pts) —

  Pass/Fail 

• Incomplete Proposal (1 pts) —

  Pass/Fail 

• References (if applicable) (1 pts) —

  Pass/Fail 

• The Respondent’s price proposal (45 pts)
• The Respondent’s experience and reputation (10 pts)
• The quality of the Respondent’s goods or services (10 pts)
• The Respondent’s safety record (5 pts)
• The Respondent’s proposed personnel (8 pts)
• The Respondent’s financial capability in relation to the size and scope of the project (8 pts)
• The Respondent’s organization and approach to the project (6 pts)
• The Respondent’s time frame for completing the project (7 pts)
• The impact on STC’s ability to comply with laws and rules relating to Historically Underutilized Businesses (1 pts)
• The purchase price (47 pts)
• The reputation of the vendor and of the vendor's goods or services (10 pts)
• The quality of the vendor's goods or service (16 pts)
• The extent to which the goods or services meet the district's needs (18 pts)
• The vendor's past relationship with the district (3 pts)
• The impact on the ability of the district to comply with laws and rules relating to Historically Underutilized Businesses. (1 pts)
• The total long-term cost to the district to acquire the vendor's goods or services (5 pts)
• For a contract for goods and services, other than goods and services (5 pts) —

  related to telecommunications and information materials, whether the vendor or the vendor’s ultimate parent company or majority owner:

  1. Has its place of business in this state; or

        B. Employs at least 500 persons in this state. 

• The purchase price (42 pts)
• The reputation of the vendor and of the vendor's goods or services (15 pts)
• The quality of the vendor's goods or service (14 pts)
• The extent to which the goods or services meet the district's needs (20 pts)
• The vendor's past relationship with the district (3 pts)
• The impact on the ability of the district to comply with laws and rules relating to Historically Underutilized Businesses. (1 pts)
• The total long-term cost to the district to acquire the vendor's goods or services; and (5 pts)
• For a contract for goods and services, other than goods and services (5 pts) —

  Related to telecommunications and information materials, whether the vendor or the vendor's ultimate parent company or majority owner:

  1. Has its place of business in this state; or
  2. Employs at least 500 persons in this state

   

• The purchase price (37 pts)
• The reputation of the vendor and of the vendor's goods or services (18 pts)
• The quality of the vendor's goods or service (16 pts)
• The extent to which the goods or services meet the district's needs (15 pts)
• The vendor's past relationship with the district (3 pts)
• The impact on the ability of the district to comply with laws and rules relating to Historically Underutilized Businesses. (1 pts)
• The total long-term cost to the district to acquire the vendor's goods or services; and (5 pts)
• For a contract for goods and services, other than goods and services (5 pts) —

  Related to telecommunications and information materials, whether the vendor or the vendor's ultimate parent company or majority owner:

  1. Has its place of business in this state; or
  2. Employs at least 500 persons in this state

Submission Requirements

• COMPANY PROFILE
• Number of years in business (required)
• Type of Operation (required)
• Legal Name and/or DBA Name (required)
• Employer Identification Number (EIN) (required)
• Number of Employees (required)
• Annual Sales Volume (required)
• Is your company certified as a Historically Underutilized Business (Small, Minority or Woman-Owned) by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts or a Federal agency or department? (required)
• If yes, include a copy of the certification. (required)
• Does the company have its principal place of business in the state of Texas? (required)
• Does the company employ at least five hundred (500) persons in the state of Texas? (required)
• SERVICE QUESTIONNAIRE
• Is Respondent (including any parent companies) currently in default on any loan agreement or financing agreement with any bank, financial institution, or other entity? (required)
• If yes, provide details and prospects for resolution. (required)
• Is the Respondent (including any parent companies) currently for sale or involved in any transaction to acquire other business entities or to become acquired by another business entity? (required)
• If yes, please explain the potential impact. (required)
• Provide balance sheets or financial statements for the past two (2) fiscal years. (required)
• Provide details of all past or pending litigation, arbitration/mediation, or claims filed against Respondent in the last five (5) years. (required)
• For any additional information referencing section 2.4
• Provide a list of all professional and trade organizations with which Respondent is affiliated, including, if applicable, the Coalition of Higher Education Assistance Organizations (“COHEAO”), the National Association of College and University Business Officers (“NACUBO”) and other professional organizations specializing in higher education debt collections, in which the Respondent or individual employees hold membership, and discuss the degree of involvement in these organizations. (required)
• For any additional information referencing section 2.6
• Is the Respondent unable to agree to any of the terms and conditions of this RFP? (required)
• If the Respondent takes exception to any of the terms and conditions of this RFP please explain. (required) —

  The Respondent’s exceptions will be reviewed by STC and may result in disqualification of the Proposal.

• Provide a summary of the Respondent’s overall capabilities, a list of all licenses that allow the Respondent to solicit business and collect debts in Texas, current workload, resources available to provide the services, recent and related experience and expertise, including any experience in representing clients in higher education, with details of the Respondent’s experience representing higher education institutions in the state of Texas. (required)
• For any additional information referencing section 2.9
• Provide the total dollar volume and the number of outstanding obligations, organized by category, currently managed by the Respondent (required)
• What is the dollar value of student debt obligations that were placed with the Respondent for each year from 2023 through 2026? (required)
• Detail the Respondent’s experience in the collection of student debt. Provide the Respondent’s overall collection performance rate, preferably organized by category of student debt, including: (required) —
  • The number, dollar value, and average balance of placements;
  • The total debt collected and recovery percentage;
  • The total number of obligations and the percentage of obligations brought into repayment or cancellation; and
  • The dollar amount and percentage of debt collected, returned to the Respondent’s clients.
• For any additional information referencing section 2.13
• Provide a resume of the proposed key personnel, highlighting relevant past experience (required)
• Describe the training given to the Respondent’s employees, including an explanation of how employees and agents of the Respondent who have contact with debtors are kept up to date on developments in debt collections, including changes in federal and state regulations and institutional requirements. (required)
• For any additional information referencing section 2.16
• Provide a copy of your Red Flag Rules for the protection against identity theft as outlined by the Federal Trade Commission. (required)
• Provide evidence of PCI DSS compliance and/or that of your processing vendors. (required)
• Does the Respondent have bilingual (English and Spanish) personnel to handle inbound/outbound calls? (required)
• Provide the name, title, and telephone number of the Respondent’s primary contact for STC. (required) —

  An alternate shall also be provided in the event of the primary contact’s absence.

• What is the Respondent’s collector-to-supervisor ratio? (required)
• Does the Respondent have a policy with respect to the number of contacts the collectors make based on the size of an Account? (required)
• If yes, describe that policy. (required)
• Are the collectors the Respondent employs compensated based on a salary or a commission? (required)
• Discuss the Respondent’s payment processing procedures and systems, including the forms in which payments on the Accounts will be accepted and the distribution of payments. (required)
• For any additional information referencing section 2.25
• Does the Respondent accept payment by credit card? (required)
• Which credit cards are accepted? (required)
• Describe the Respondent’s collection procedure on students, faculty, staff, vendors, and visitors’ debt obligation that is more than one hundred twenty (120) days past due. (required)
• For any additional information referencing section 2.28
• What is the Respondent’s recovery rate for: (required) —
  • First placement accounts
  • Second placement accounts
  • Third placement account
  • Installment loans
• Is skip-tracing provided as part of regular collection services or is there an additional fee associated with this service? (required) —

  If yes, the fee should be explained in the Pricing Proposal.

• Does the Respondent offer pre-collection services? (required) —

  If yes, the fee should be explained in the Pricing Proposal.

• Does the Respondent undergo an AICPA SAS 70 audit? (required)
• If yes, provide details of the audit.   (required)
• Is the Respondent willing to provide STC with the SAS70 report if requested? (required)
• Provide a description of any additional services offered by the Respondent that may be valuable to STC, such as seminars, training, and access to information regarding regulatory updates. (required)
• Please provide your firm’s current financial rating and supporting documentation. (required)
• Do you maintain a toll-free phone number for debtor outreach and customer service? (required)
• Please provide the phone number and hours of operation. (required)
• Describe your process for credit bureau reporting of bad debt accounts, including timing and compliance practices. (required)
• For any additional information referencing section 2.37
• What percentage of your portfolio consists of Federal student loans or Higher Education accounts? (required)
• How frequently are accounts worked or contacted (e.g., call attempts, letters, digital outreach), and what is your standard contact cadence? (required)
• What is your typical timeline for initial debtor contact after an account is placed with your agency? (required)
• Optional: Upload any additional documents you would like to share.
• References —

  Provide a reference list of at least five (5) clients for which Respondent currently provides services or has provided services of the type and scope requested by this RFP over the past five (5) years. References from higher education are preferred. References must include client name, contact person, telephone number, email address, and length of business relationship.

• Reference #1
• Company Name (required)
• Contact Person & Title (required)
• Phone Number (required)
• E-mail Address (required)
• Reference # 2
• Company Name (required)
• Contact Person & Title (required)
• Phone Number (required)
• E-mail Address (required)
• Reference #3
• Company Name (required)
• Contact Person & Title (required)
• Phone Number (required)
• E-Mail Address (required)
• Reference #4
• Company Name (required)
• Contact Person & Title (required)
• Phone Number (required)
• E-Mail Address (required)
• Reference #5
• Company Name (required)
• Contact Person & Title (required)
• Phone Number (required)
• E-Mail Address (required)
• Addenda Checklist
• Addenda Confirmation (required) —

  Any addenda issued by STC to this RFP will become part of the RFP. Addenda will be numbered sequentially. By clicking "Please confirm" below, the Respondent is acknowledging the receipt of any and all addenda.

• Execution of Offer
• Execution of Offer (required) —

  In compliance with this RFP, and subject to all the conditions herein, the undersigned (“Respondent”) offers and agrees to furnish any or all goods and/or services at the prices quoted. Failure to sign this Execution of Offer (“Offer”), or signing it with a false statement, shall void the Respondent’s Proposal and any resulting contract and may cause the Respondent to be removed from STC vendor lists.

  By clicking "Please confirm" hereon, the Respondent hereby certifies that it:

  1. is a lawfully established business and is regularly engaged in providing the goods and/or services requested herein.
  2. has the necessary experience, knowledge, abilities, skills, and resources to provide the goods and/or perform the services requested herein.
  3. is not currently delinquent in the payment of any franchise taxes owed to the State of Texas under Chapter 171 of the Tax Code or is not subject to the payment of such taxes, and that any false statement with respect to its franchise tax status shall be a material breach of any contract that may result from this solicitation.
  4.  is not currently delinquent in the payment of any property taxes owed to STC, if applicable.
  5. is aware that if Texas Government Code §2252.908, relating to the disclosure of interested parties, is applicable to any contract awarded to the Respondent as a result of this RFP, the Respondent is required to make an electronic filing of Form 1295 with the Texas Ethics Commission as a condition of being awarded the contract.
  6. is a publicly-traded company or, if not a publicly-traded company, no owner, employee or director of the Respondent is either currently employed by STC or has been an employee of STC within the immediate twelve (12) months prior to the time set for the submission of the Proposal to this RFP.
  7. is not suspended, debarred or otherwise declared ineligible to contract by any agency of the federal, state or local government,
  8. has not, in connection with the Proposal, given or offered to give, and does not intend to and shall not give at any time hereafter, any economic opportunity, future employment, gift, loan, gratuity, special discount, trip, favor, or service to an employee or trustee of STC or to a family member of an STC employee or trustee.
  9. nor anyone acting on its behalf, has violated the antitrust laws of the State, codified in Section 15.01, et seq., Texas Business and Commerce Code or the Federal antitrust laws, or has disclosed, directly or indirectly, any information contained in the Respondent’s Proposal to any competitor or any other person engaged in such line of business.
  10. is aware that pursuant to Texas Local Government Code, Chapter 176, all vendors who contract or seek to contract with “local governmental entity” such as STC may be required to complete a conflict-of-interest questionnaire (“CIQ”) if the vendor has a relationship with an officer of STC who is considered a “local government officer” or with a family member of such officer. If completion of a CIQ is required as of the effective date or at any time during the term of any contract resulting from the Proposal, the Respondent shall file the CIQ with STC’s Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services as the designated records administrator, with a copy to the Director of Purchasing. At https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/data/forms/conflict/CIQ.pdf, the Respondent can find the official CIQ form along with a list of STC officers who are defined by Chapter 176 as “local government officers.”
  11. is aware that pursuant to Texas Education Code, Chapter 44.034, a person or business entity, excluding publicly-traded companies and certain vendors of library goods and services, that does business with STC, must notify STC if such person, or an owner or operator of such business entity, has ever been convicted of a felony, and must include in the notification a general description of the conduct that resulted in the felony conviction. At https://finance.southtexascollege.edu/purchasing/purchase/files/Form-Criminal-History.pdf, the Respondent can find a Criminal History Disclosure Form (“CHDF”) that shall be used for this purpose. If the Respondent is required to submit a CHDF pursuant to Chapter 44.034 as of the effective date of any contract resulting from the Proposal, or at any time during the term of such contract, the Respondent shall send the CHDF to STC’s Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services, with a copy to the Director of Purchasing.
  12. confirms that pursuant to Texas Government Code, Title 10, Subtitle D, Section 2155.004(b), relating to compensation received for participating in the preparation of this RFP, the Respondent is not ineligible to receive a contract that results from this RFP and acknowledges that any such contract may be terminated and payment withheld if this certification is inaccurate.
  13. confirms that if the requirements of Texas Government Code Chap. 552.372, governing the preservation of information in connection with certain contracts for more than one million dollars, apply to this RFP and the resulting contract, the Respondent agrees that the contract can be terminated if the Respondent knowingly or intentionally fails to provide the information as required pursuant to that subchapter or to otherwise comply with any other requirement of that subchapter.
  14. is aware that, notwithstanding any conflicting term in any contract, the dispute resolution process set forth in Chapter 2260.004 of the Texas Government Code may be applicable to attempt to resolve any dispute arising under a contract resulting from this RFP and that the damages limitations contained in Chapter 2260.003 may be applicable to the contract.
  15. acknowledges that, pursuant to Section 2276.002 of the Texas Government Code, with respect to any contract resulting from the RFP which meets the minimum monetary and employee headcount requirements under Section 2276.002, the Respondent i) does not boycott energy companies and ii) will not boycott energy companies during the term of the contract.
  16. acknowledges that, pursuant to Section 2271.002 of the Texas Government Code, with respect to any contract resulting from the RFP which meets the minimum monetary and employee headcount requirements under Section 2271.002, the Respondent does not boycott Israel and ii) will not boycott Israel during the term of the contract.
  17. acknowledges that, pursuant to Section 2274.002 of the Texas Government Code, with respect to any contract resulting from the RFP which meets the minimum monetary and employee headcount requirements under Section 2274.002, the Respondent i) does not have a practice, policy, guidance, or directive that discriminates against a firearm entity or firearm trade association and ii) will not discriminate during the term of the contract against a firearm entity or firearm trade association.
  18. certifies that, with respect to prohibitions for engaging in fraud and other illicit conduct relating to hurricane and other disaster relief efforts as set forth in Section 2155.006, Texas Government Code, the Respondent is not ineligible to receive the contract and acknowledges that the contract may be terminated and payment withheld if this certification is inaccurate.
  19. certifies that, with respect to prohibitions on vendors who have engaged in human trafficking violations as set forth in Section 2155.0061, Texas Government Code, the Respondent is not ineligible to receive the specified contract and acknowledges that the contract may be terminated and payment withheld if this certification is inaccurate.
  20. acknowledges that Texas Education Code Section 51.3525 (Responsibility of Governing Boards Regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives) prohibits STC, whether acting through employees or third-party contractors, from engaging in certain activities as set forth in Subsection (b), Subdivision (1) and to adopt policies and procedures for appropriately disciplining, including by termination, any STC contractor who engages in conduct in violation of Subdivision (1), and Respondent represents that any contract resulting from the Proposal, including any services provided thereunder by Respondent, shall, at no time, violate Texas Education Code Section 51.3525 and acknowledges that if Respondent, as a result of its performance under or in connection with any contract resulting from the Proposal, provides any goods or services to STC which would cause STC to be in violation of Section 51.3525, STC may terminate the contract without liability.
  21. certifies that Respondent and, if applicable, any of Respondent’s subsidiaries and holding companies, are not: i. listed in Section 889 of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA); or, ii. listed in Section 1260H of the 2021 NDAA; or, iii. owned by the government of a country on the U.S. Department of Commerce's foreign adversaries list under 15 C.F.R. § 791.4; or, iv. controlled by any governing or regulatory body located in a country on the U.S. Department of Commerce's foreign adversaries list under 15 C.F.R. § 791.4.
  22. acknowledges that the individual signing this Offer as well as the other documents included in the Proposal is authorized to sign such documents on behalf of the Respondent and to bind the Respondent under any contract which may result from the submission of the Proposal.

  By clicking "Please confirm" hereon, the Respondent hereby acknowledges and understands that:

  1) STC is a governmental entity and may terminate a contract resulting from this RFP if funds sufficient to pay its obligations are not appropriated by its governing body. In the event of non-appropriation of funds, STC will provide the Respondent with a written notice of the intent to terminate. In the event of such termination, STC will not be considered to be in default or breach of any agreement, nor shall it be liable for any further payments or be liable for any damages or any other amounts which are caused by or associated with such termination.  

  2) a contract resulting from this RFP shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Texas without regard for the conflicts of law provisions. The venue for any suit arising under the contract is fixed in any court of competent jurisdiction of Hidalgo County, Texas.

  3) information, documentation, and other material in connection with this solicitation or any resulting contract may be subject to Chapter 552 of the Texas Government Code (the “Public Information Act”).

  4) any proposed modifications or additions to any of the terms and conditions contained in the RFP will not be considered unless the Respondent specifically requests such modifications or additions in the Proposal.

  The Respondent hereby acknowledges that the Proposal must include the Respondent’s Taxpayer Identification Number and full legal name and address; the failure to confirm the Proposal will disqualify it; and the authorized agent confirming the Proposal may be required by STC to provide evidence of the agent’s authority to bind the Respondent to a contract.

• Brief Description of Service(s)/Product(s) (required)
• Is bonding required for your project? (required)
• Are grant forms required? (required)
• Pricing (required) —
  • Choose Option 1 when you have set line items, for example:
    • This is a quote for goods or commodities.
    • This is a public works bid, with a pricing table that can be uploaded into OpenGov Procurement from an Excel spreadsheet.
    • Seeking services for hourly rate schedules.
  • Choose Option 2 when you need vendors to provide you with the line items.
• Will there be an evaluation? (required)
• Type of Evaluation (required)