6.4 ERMUSR 09-13-2005 Elk River
' Municipal Utilities
13069 Orono Parkway phone: 763.441.2020
Elk River,MN 55330 Fax.763 4418099
August 30, 2005
To: Elk River Municipal Utilities commission
' Jerry Takle
Jim Tralle
John Dietz
' From: Theresa Slominski
Subject: Electronic Bill Payment Processing Vendor
The volume of customers utilizing their own bank's bill payment options is increasing.
Currently when our customers use this, the bill payment center will send us a paper check
to process the payment with. To process the payment it involves opening an envelope,
verifying the customer account that is being paid upon, photocopying the check for our
records, preparing a payment stub for processing, and finally posting the payment. When
we receive 50 bill payments in a day, this can be incredibly time consuming for the staff.
Vanco Electronic Gateway Services provides a bridge between the payment centers and
us. They contact the payment centers and notify them of the companies able to accept
' electronic payments. They then collect the necessary information (which we determine,
as well as the format for receiving this information) and will set up an electronic file for
future payments. Once set up, the payment processing centers send the funds directly to
' our bank account and an electronic file is created that we can upload and post directly to
our billing system. This is a win-win for everyone, as the payment centers don't have to
create the paper check and we don't have to process the paper check— efficiencies are
' implemented on both ends.
The cost for this is minimal. There is a one-time registration fee of$40.00, and then a
' monthly charge of$25.00 plus $.10 per transaction. If we process 500 transactions with
this service it will cost $75.00, which is equivalent to 4 '/2 hours of staff time. To process
500 transactions currently, it uses 12 '/z hours of staff time.
' I have attached the Gateway Agreement and some information about the process and
charges for your review.
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e.service®GATEWAY AGREEMENT
4 THIS AGREEMENT is made and entered as of the date that the last party to the agreement executes it between VANCO
SERVICES,LLC("Vanco")and ("Company").
IRECITALS: services provided to Company pursuant to this Agreement,
shall be paid by Company by a debit entry regardless of
A. Vanco provides services to its customers pursuant to whether such taxes or fees are added to the invoice which
I various e.service®programs,and Vanco provides to Company, and regardless of when such
B. Company desires to purchase "e.service® Gateway" from taxes or fees are determined to be due and owing. The
Vanco pursuant to the terms and conditions of this Agreement. Program Charges are small in relation to the amount of the
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Vanco and Company hereby agree as follows: funds processed by Vanco. The Program Charges have been
established based upon the limitation of liability set forth in
Paragraph 7.
1. e.service® GATEWAY. e.service® Gateway includes
I services whereby Vanco receives payments made by 5. COMPANY WARRANTIES. Company hereby warrants
customers of Company where customers have utilized one of as follows:
several bill payment services or bill collection agents. By a. That it will post payments to its customer's account on the
utilizing e.service® Gateway, Company will receive payment day it receives payment data from Vanco, if possible, but
I data electronically and payments from Vanco by ACH Credit in any event no later than one (1) business day after the
to Company's Account at its financial institution. "ACH"is a date of transmission of such data;
reference to the Automated Clearing House Network for b. That if a customer's payment is late by reason of the fact
transmission of payments. that the payment was not timely posted in accordance
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with Subparagraph a above, Company may not charge its
2. COMPANY DUTIES. Company agrees to comply with all customer any late fee;
of the rules and procedures of Vanco pertaining to e.service® c. Company shall notify Vanco of any payment which has
I Gateway ("Client Procedures"). The Client Procedures may
be amended from time to time by Vanco. The Client not posted within three (3)business days after the date of
receipt of payment data;and
Procedures, including all amendments, are hereby made a part d. No payment received from Vanco may be returned unless
of this Agreement and are incorporated herein by reference. such payment is incorrect, incomplete, not identifiable or
IDCompany acknowledges that it has received a copy of the the account was blocked or closed prior to the time that
Client Procedures. Company will be bound by any the payment was received by Company.
amendments to the Client Procedures seven (7) days after
receipt of the amendments. 6. COMPANY LIABILITY AND INDEMNIFICATION.
I Company shall be liable for all damages which Vanco suffers
3. VANCO DUTIES. Without limiting or restricting any of by reason of Company's breach of any of its warranties set
the Client Procedures,Vanco shall have the following duties. forth in Paragraph 5 of this Agreement or by reason of any
a. Vanco will electronically transmit payment data to other representation made by it in this Agreement. Company
Company the same day it receives the data from the bill hereby indemnifies and holds Vanco harmless from all claims,
payment services or bill collection agents. damages and causes of action which may be asserted against
b. Vanco will pay Company by an ACH credit to Vanco by reason of Company's breach of said warranties. In
I Company's account at its financial institution
("Company's Account") the next business day after it no event shall Company be liable for any consequential,
special,punitive or indirect loss or damage.
receives funds from the bill payment services or bill
collection agents. A business day means a calendar day 7.VANCO LIABILITY. Vanco shall be responsible only for
I other than a Saturday,Sunday or Federal holiday. performing the services expressly provided for in this
c. Vanco will timely process any returns received from Agreement and shall be liable only for material losses directly
Company by Vanco making an ACH debit to Company's resulting solely from its intentional misconduct in performing
Account. Returns will be made when Company rejects a those services. Except for an obligation to account for all
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payment that is incorrect, incomplete, not identifiable, or funds which it receives from Company's customers, Vanco
the account was blocked or closed prior to the time that shall not have any liability for failing to perform, for delay in
the payment was received by Company. performing, or for negligently performing any services
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pursuant to this Agreement and shall have no liability for any
4. PROGRAM CHARGES AND TAXES. Company agrees consequential,special,punitive or indirect loss or damage.
to pay Vanco monthly for e.service® Gateway by an ACH
debit to Company's Account or from such other financial 8. TERM. This Agreement shall continue in effect unless
account as is designated by Company for the Program terminated by either party upon ninety (90) days written
Charges. Said Program Charges, which Company notice. Provided however, that in the event that Vanco
acknowledges receiving from Vanco, may be modified at any determines that Company has consistently failed to fulfill its
time upon prior written notice. Any taxes or fees,except taxes obligations to timely post payments and to timely make
based upon income, imposed by any federal, state, municipal returns or in the event that Vanco attempts to make a debit to
or other governmental authority that may be applicable to the Company's Account pursuant to Paragraph 4 or a debit for a
Effective 01/01/05
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return pursuant to Paragraph 3(c) which is later returned that all of the necessary and appropriate corporate authority
lebecause the account has insufficient funds in it to permit the exists for said party to execute this Agreement.
debit transaction, Vanco shall be entitled to terminate this
contract immediately upon the occurrence of such event and VANCO SERVICES,LLC
will thereafter give written notice to Company that this
I Agreement has been terminated.
By
9. CONFIDENTIALITY. Vanco acknowledges that in (Vanco Services,LLC Officer's Signature)
I performing services for Company pursuant to this Agreement
that it will have access to information regarding customers that
is confidential. Vanco agrees that it will not disseminate such (Vanco Services,LLC Officer's Printed Name)
confidential information to any third person,either in whole or
I in part, and will not in any manner use said information for its Its
own benefit. Vanco shall also take such steps as are (Vanco Services,LLC Officer's Title)
reasonable and necessary to cause its employees to be Dated:
individually subject to an obligation to treat such information
Ias confidential.
10. MISCELLANEOUS. This Agreement shall constitute COMPANY
the entire agreement between the parties and supersedes all
Iprior oral or written representations, conditions, warranties,
understandings, proposals or agreements regarding e.service® (Legal Business Name)
Gateway. This Agreement shall be construed under the laws
I of the State of Minnesota and the exclusive venue for any
litigation shall be in the courts of the State of Minnesota. The
Company hereby submits to the jurisdiction of said courts. (Doing Business As)
All notices which may be given to either party may be given
I in person or by mail at the last known address of each of the
parties. By
This Agreement may hereafter be amended by Vanco giving (Company Officer's Signature)
0 Company advance written notice of changes to the terms and
conditions of this Agreement. Company's utilization of
e.service® Gateway from Vanco subsequent to such (Company Officer's Printed Name)
notification shall constitute Company's consent to such
I modification. This Agreement may not be assigned by either
party except that either party may assign this Agreement to Its
any successor by merger, consolidation or corporate (Company Officer's Title)
reorganization.
I Each party hereby warrants and represents that the person
whose signature appears below has been duly authorized and Dated:
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Effective 01/01/05
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VANCO
1 SERVICES
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e.servics4
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CLIENT PROCEDURES
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• e.service® Gateway
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction
1 2. Flow of Funds and Data
3. Vanco Rules and Best Practices
I4. The Online Service Center
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5. Service Center Requirements
6. Returns
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7. Reports/Data Files
7.1. Deposit Report
7 2. Data File
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7.3. Return Item Report
8. Contact Information
III Revised 01/11/05
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1. INTRODUCTION
16 ABOUT e.service®Gateway
I This service provides an easy and affordable way to register for the MasterCard RPPS®Online Biller/Creditor Directory Once
registered, your company will be able to receive electronic payments initiated by your customers through bill pay service providers, bill
collection agents, and credit counseling agencies Once payment data is received, Vanco Services (Vanco)will transmit the data to
I your company in the format of your choice and credit your company's financial institution account for such payments through an
electronic funds transfer utilizing the Automated Clearing House(ACH)Network
VANCO SERVICES RESPONSIBILITIES
I Vanco is responsible for the following
• Facilitating your company's registration to the MasterCard RPPS®Online Biller/Creditor Directory,
• Transmitting to your company the payment data on the same day it is received from MasterCard RPPS,
• Initiating an electronic funds transfer utilizing the ACH Network for settlement of funds into your financial institution account,
• Processing any returns received from your company in a timely manner,and
I . Providing comprehensive reports for your records
IYOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
Your company is responsible for the following
I • Reviewing all reports provided by Vanco,
• Promptly notifying Vanco of any payments that do not apply,
• Posting payments to customers'accounts in a timely manner, and
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• Entering returns via the Online Service Center(see Section 6)
ABOUT MASTERCARD RPPS
ppMasterCard Remote Payment and Presentment Service(RPPS)is a vast payment network whereby customers are able to make
payments to registered billers through virtually all bill pay service providers, bill collection agents, and credit counseling agencies
There are currently thousands of billers nationwide registered on the MatserCard RPPS Online Biller/Creditor Directory
I2. FLOW OF FUNDS AND DATA
Each e.service®Gateway transaction processed by Vanco has a lifecycle This life cycle begins when the customer initiates a
payment through one of several sources and ends with the electronic delivery of payment data and the settlement of funds into your
designated financial institution account(see flow chart below)
ISTEPS INVOLVED IN THE TRANSACTION LIFE CYLCE: FLOW CHART
1) Customer initiates payment
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2) Bill pay service provider, bill collection agent,or credit counseling agency
transmits payment data and funds to Vanco via MasterCard RPPS
Bili Pay Service Bill Collection Credit Counseling
3) Vanco transmits payment data to your company in the format of your choice Providers Agents Ag•nc,es
I4) Vanco initiates an electronic funds transfer for next-day settlement to your
company's financial institution account ru„e,..aYmon,Data
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5) Guaranteed funds credited to your financial institution account MasterCard
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RPPS
NOTE: Your company is required to post the payment to the customer's account f oa.tvairmeni Data
on the same day payment data is received from Vanco,if possible,or no j
11 later than one business day later If for any reason your company is VA N C O
rv^.it Payment o.�,
unable to post a customer's payment within (3)business after the receipt
of payment data,your company is required to notify Vanco of the reason
why it was not posted f ;: k `
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Ile3. VANCO RULES AND BEST PRACTICES
Vanco recommends the following"best practices"
I • Record your assigned Client ID number(GW t#14#0 for easy reference when calling Vanco
• Make time for our Implementation Department to train you on the following:
- Using the Service Center
I - Setting up User ID& Password
Policies
- Timelines
- Reports
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• Apply payments immediately
• Promptly notify Vanco of any payments that do not apply
I • Review Deposit Reports promptly
• Reconcile your Deposit Report to your bank account in a timely manner
I4. THE ONLINE SERVICE CENTER
In order to use e.service®Gateway your company is required to have Internet access To gain access to the Online Service Center,
I assign one individual from your company to be the Service Center Administrator by completing the"Administrator"section of the Client
Information Setup Sheet The Administrator will have the ability to:
• View payment history and operational reports,
I • Initiate the return of funds and data for any payments that your company was unable to post,and
• Setup additional Service Center users
PThe Service Center,located on our web site www.vancoservices.com,is available 24/7 from any computer with Internet access
For each authorized user, including the Administrator,Vanco will need the following information
• First and last name
I • An eight character User-ID
• A valid email address
II5. SERVICE CENTER REQUIREMENTS
I 128-bit Encryption:Vanco requires that your company use a browser capable of 128-bit encryption Encryption is a security measure
whereby information is scrambled as it is transmitted over the Internet to ensure confidentiality Having a browser with 128-bit
encryption will ensure maximum security during your Service Center sessions
I 'Upon logging in to the Service Center, you can confirm that your session is encrypted by locating a small icon. Netscape Navigator and
Internet Explorer users will see a padlock icon in the lower right corner of the browser For information about your browser's specific
security capabilities go to the help section on the browser menu If your browser needs to be upgraded,we recommend downloading
I the latest version of one of the following browsers
• Netscape®Navigator
www netscape.com/computing/download/index html
I • Microsoft®Internet Explorer
www microsoft com/windows/ie/downloads/default asp
IIVirus Protection: Vanco requires that your company run anti-virus software before transmitting data through the Service Center The
anti-virus software your company runs should be commercially available and updated no less than once per month
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6. RETURNS
Payments may only be returned if your company rejects a payment that is incorrect, incomplete, not identifiable, or the account was
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blocked or closed prior to the time that your company received the payment If a payment needs to be returned, your company has
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within three (3)business days after the receipt of payment data to submit the return To submit a return logon to Vanco's secure Online
Service Center and enter the appropriate data Once the returns have been entered,Vanco will initiate an ACH debit to your
company's financial institution account for settlement on the next business day Vanco processes returns at 3:00 p.m.Central Time
Ieach business day
NOTE: A"business day" is any calendar day other than a Saturday, Sunday, or Federal holiday.
I7. REPORTS/DATA FILES
I The way in which you receive payment data from Vanco depends on your company's individual preferences Vanco's operational
reports may be emailed,faxed,or downloaded at any time via Vanco's secure Online Service Center. There is a charge for faxing
reports(see Program Charges) If your company prefers, Vanco can generate a data file in addition to our reports,which may be
I downloaded via the Service Center or emailed
7.1. DEPOSIT REPORT
DESCRIPTION: Shows the number of payments processed and the dollar amount to be credited to your financial institution
I account the next business day If your company prefers,Vanco can create this report with a detailed list of
each individual payment(call for details)
TIMING: Generated on the day Vanco receives payment data from bill pay service providers, bill collection agents,or
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collection agencies
NOTE: A"business day" is any calendar day other than a Saturday, Sunday,or Federal holiday
PII 7.2. DATA FILE
DESCRIPTION: The data file is optional and shows the same data as the Deposit Report. Your company may choose to
receive Vanco's standard format or a format customized according to your company's preferences
ITIMING: Same as Deposit Report
7.3. RETURN ITEM REPORT
IDESCRIPTION: Provides a confirmation of any returns that your company entered via the Online Service Center,with the
total dollar amount to be debited from your financial institution account the next business day for payments
that your company has rejected
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TIMING: Generated on the day your company initiated the return of funds and data via the Service Center
NOTE: A"business day" is any calendar day other than a Saturday, Sunday,or Federal holiday
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8. CONTACT INFORMATION
IInitial Training Implementation
Toll Free 800-675-7430
I Ongoing Support Client Services Department
Toll-Free 800-675-7430
Fax 952-983-8665
Email cs@vancoservices corn
ID Mailing Address Vanco Services, LLC
12600 Whitewater Drive
Suite 200
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Minnetonka, MN 55343
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V A N C O Program Charges
SER VICES
e.service® Gateway
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REGISTRATION FEE $40.00 One-time
PROGRAM FEE $25.00 Per Month
TRANSACTION FEES $0.10 Per Transaction
Fee is charged per payment processed
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REPORTS
1 • Vanco's on-line Service Center NO CHARGE
• E-mail NO CHARGE
• Fax $5 00 Per Month
REMITTANCE DATA FILE LAYOUTS
1/10 • Vanco standard file layouts and most bank Lock Box formats NO CHARGE
• Programming for special data file layouts will be billed on an hourly rate Call for pricing
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**Pacing subject to change** Effective 01/01/05
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ELK RIVER MUNICIPAL UTILITIES EDUCATION/ SEMINAR REPORT
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EMPLOYEE NAME / .
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TITLE OF EDUCATION/SEMINAR `
IORGANIZATION SPONSORING EDUCATION/ SEMINAR f , " - . - . ,
DATES ATTENDED -' - '
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SIGNATURE