La Crosse County Banking and Purchasing Card Services RFP

La Crosse County Banking and Purchasing Card Services

Section 1 - Introduction

1. Summary of RFP

The objective of this procurement process is to select a financial partner(s) that will serve as La Crosse County’s depository, provide high quality financial services, and purchasing card services.

The financial partnership(s) is divided into two (2) service categories:

A. Banking Services

*Section 2

B. Purchasing Card Services

*Section 3

Vendors may provide a separate proposal for either of the service categories or provide a proposal that combines both categories. Two (or more) organizations may partner to provide a proposal with one of the partners taking the lead role. Partnerships may provide a separate proposal for either of the service categories or provide a proposal that combines both categories.

The selected vendor(s) will be contracted for a seven-year term beginning March 1, 2027.

2. Background Information on the County

La Crosse County, organized in 1851, is located in southwest Wisconsin, along the Mississippi River on the west, with beautiful bluffs and farmland to the east. The County occupies a land area of 481 square miles and serves a population of 124,590 (2025 estimate).

The County’s legislative body is the 30-member Board of Supervisors; each elected to a two-year term in office. The Board delegates responsibility to its membership by using the Standing Committee form of government. The six committees are Executive; Veteran’s, Aging and Long Term Care; Health and Human Services; Judiciary and Law; Planning, Resources and Development; and Public Works and Infrastructure. The Board appoints an Administrator to carry out its policies and ordinances. The Administrator is also responsible for preparing the annual budget, appointing department heads and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the County.

La Crosse County employed 1,199 individuals at the end of 2025. The County’s policy requires employees to have all other wages direct deposited.

Current accounts and average collected balances can be found in Appendix A on page 14.

3. RFP Schedule

The following is a list of the important dates for activities related to the process. La Crosse County reserves the right to change these dates and will post the changes on its web site.

Activity	Time	Date
RFP released		March 20, 2026
Vendor Conference	10:00 AM CST	March 26, 2026
Submission of Proposals	10:00 AM CST	April 29, 2026
Selected Vendors Notified	4:00 PM CST	May 14, 2026
Vendor Interviews		June 2, 2026
Second Interview, if Needed		June 16, 2026
Executive Committee Approval		August 12, 2026
Anticipated Contract Start Date		March 1, 2027

A pre-proposal vendor conference is scheduled for Thursday March 26, 2026, at 10am in the following location:

La Crosse County Administrative Center

Room 0430* (Basement)
212 6th St North
La Crosse, WI

*Room 0430 is in the basement. Elevators are available in the first hallway to the right or left, upon entering the building. The easiest and most convenient way to access the basement is by using the elevator.

The parking lot can be accessed via 7th Street. Please park in the center customer parking section.

Vendors may also attend virtually by contacting Bryan Jostad and Myranda Schumacher no later than 9 am, March 26, 2026, at bjostad@lacrossecounty.org and mschumacher@lacrossecounty.org

Vendor Conference Agenda
1. Welcome and Introduction
2. RFP Overview
3. County Expectations
4. Question and Answer Session

Vendor Qualifications

La Crosse County’s minimum requirements for a vendor to be considered are:

• The vendor must be authorized to do business in the state of Wisconsin

• Vendors must have direct experience serving similar sized government agencies

• The County will consider proposals only from vendors with business operations in geographic proximity to La Crosse County

• Compliance with bonding requirements

• Compliance with state and local law, including Federal Reserve Regulations and NACHA Operating Rules.

• Experience with Collateralization/Safekeeping: The vendor must enter into a “depository agreement” requiring the depository to pledge collateral to secure all County funds over and above amounts guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the State Deposit Guarantee Fund

• It is preferred that vendors be rated by at least one credit agency and carry a long-term debt rating of A- or higher by Standard & Poor’s or equivalent, however, if a rating is not available, vendors must supply audited financial statements with an unmodified opinion from a certified public accountant.

Section 2 - Scope of Banking Services

The following services are required:

1. Online Banking Services

a. Please provide a response to the following:

i. Whether software installation is required

ii. How banking data can be interfaced or integrated with the County’s financial management system, and what support will be available under the contract to configure and maintain the integration. The County’s financial management system is Tyler New World.
* Options for flexibility to adapt systems and processes to changing requirements, regulations, and technology advancements.

iii. If training is available, please describe how and when training will be provided for online services

iv. The County’s Human Resource system is Dayforce.

b. Please provide a detailed description of the vendor’s online services and a list of all capabilities, including the ability to provide the following basic services:

i. Reporting:

1. Daily balance reporting – summary

2. Daily balance reporting – detail (with check detail and images)

3. Daily ACH and wire with full Addenda information

4. Current day reporting

5. Ability to convert reports to Excel

6. Ability to create customizable files that can be easily imported into the County’s financial management system, such as for cleared checks.

7. Ability to create customizable files that can be easily exported from the County’s financial management system into the banking software, such as for direct deposits for vendors and positive pay files.

ii. Execution of Transactions:

1. Transfers between accounts

2. Initiation of wire transfers

3. Initiation of stop payment orders

4. Positive pay actions including time requirements

5. Initiation of ACH transactions; recurring/repetitive/future ACH debit (collection) or credit (direct deposit) transactions

6. Maintenance of wire transfer templates

7. Stale-dating of checks

8. Other services such as EDI, remote collection, controlled disbursement

9. Confirmations availability and format

10. Utilization of a ZBA Payroll account

11. Sweep capabilities for interest maximization

iii. Internal Controls:

1. Online cleared check information/images

2. Multi-level security administration requirements (self-administration required)

3. Secure token or other secure log-in verification measures

4. Positive pay reports (including imaging of exception items)

5. Training of County’s system administrator for managing access

2. Wire Transfer Services

a. Please provide a description of the vendor’s wire transfer services including:

i. Policy on daylight overdrafts, including aggregation of accounts and wire deadlines

ii. Ability of the County to initiate and monitor wire transfers online

iii. Ability to create and store recurring/repetitive wire instructions/templates

iv. Ability to create and store future-dated wire instructions

v. Security measures for wire initiation and approval

3. Automated Clearing House (ACH)

a. La Crosse County utilizes ACH’s for transferring funds between financial institutions, direct deposits for payroll disbursements and any other anticipated payments.

i. The County requires that the vendor be both a sending and receiving institution of the National Automated Clearing House Association

b. Please provide a description of the vendor’s ACH services including:

i. Method by which the County can submit ACH files or initiate ACH via bank software

ii. Pre-notification policy and cost

iii. Re-presentment of checks (RCK) through ACH on a targeted date

iv. Security measures for ACH initiation/origination and ACH reception

4. Availability of Funds

a. La Crosse County requires that funds be made available in an expeditious manner.

b. Please describe the vendor’s availability policies including:

i. Receiving same day credit for deposits

ii. Whether the policies differ from Federal Reserve Bank availability schedule

iii. Any expedited availability options

5. Monthly Statements and Account Analysis

a. The County requires calendar month statements and online viewing of account transaction details, checking images, and available fund balance in real-time.

b. Please provide a description of the vendor’s monthly statements and account analysis services including:

i. When reports are available and how they are made available (e.g. online)

ii. How long report images are maintained online as well as archival process

iii. The vendor’s dispute resolution process

6. Collection and Deposit Services

a. The County currently operates with one pooled checking account which most County funds are deposited into. Deposits are made every other day, and at the end of the month (excluding holidays), typically 2 -3 times per week. Deposits are typically made before noon each day with exceptions occasionally. The volume of monies deposited is heaviest in July and August, due to tax collections.

b. Please provide a description of the vendor’s collection and deposit services including:

i. Cutoff times and requirements by location (vault, teller, bank center, branch)

ii. Vendor policy on strapped/rolled and pricing basis

iii. Credit advice processing (online or mailed)

iv. Discrepancy and write off policies

v. Type of deposit bag used/required

vi. Change order processing

vii. Standard return and re-clear processing

viii. Deposit reconciliation services availability

ix. Deposit location and / or courier services to serve all County locations

*Please describe if a local deposit location is available and / or if a courier service such as an armored vehicle pick up is being proposed. Please describe the details and costs of courier service.

County locations are:

Location	Address
Administrative Center	212 6th Street North, La Crosse, WI
Law Enforcement Center	333 Vine Street, La Crosse, WI
Solid Waste	3200 Berlin Drive, La Crosse, WI
Hillview Health Center	3501 Park Lane Drive, La Crosse, WI
Lakeview Health Center	962 Garland Street, West Sale, WI

x. Vault Services

*Please provide a description of the vault services including deadlines and preparation as well as any service location as well as any fee limitation and fee structures.

xi. Vendor portal and ACH management

7. Remote Deposit Services including Check Truncation and Check Conversion

a. Please provide a description of remote deposit services including:

i. Scanning equipment, software, transfer procedures, batching and security
*Please describe any costs associated with equipment

ii. Portal entry or stand-alone service

iii. Deadlines for same day credit of deposits

iv. Documentation retention policy for checks converted to ACH or processed via remote deposit capture

v. Liability for fraudulent deposit items

8. Collateralization of Deposits

a. The contractor must enter into a "depository agreement" requiring the depository to pledge collateral to secure all County funds over and above amounts guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the State Deposit Guarantee Fund. Collateralization shall take one of three forms:

i. 100% securitization of the amount equal the County's available balance on a daily basis. All securities serving as collateral shall be specifically pledged to the County (not as part of a pooled fund) and placed in a custodial account at a Federal Reserve Bank, a trust department of a commercial bank, or through another financial institution. The custodian may not be owned or controlled by the depository institution or its holding company unless it is a separately operated trust institution. The custodian shall send statements of pledged collateral to the County Treasurer’s office on a monthly basis.

ii. Full coverage of the amount equal to the County’s available balance on a daily basis through Irrevocable Standby Letter of Credit issued by a single entity.

iii. A combination of the above offered by the vendor

b. The vendor cannot reduce amounts held in collateral without the County’s approval

c. Please provide the name of the custodian that will be used

9. Electronic Storage of Documents

a. Please provide a description of the vendor’s electronic document storage options (e.g., archiving by CD or online and retention periods)

10. Overdraft Processing

a. Please provide a description of the vendor’s overdraft processing services including:

i. Whether accounts are aggregated for calculation/fee purposes

ii. Rate basis for overdrafts

iii. Rate basis and definition of “daylight overdrafts”

11. Positive Pay or “Payee” Positive Pay Service

a. The County requires that the vendor utilize positive pay services

b. Please provide a sample report

c. Please provide a description of the vendor’s positive pay services, including:

i. Positive pay services and verification items

ii. Teller data update schedules

iii. Data transmission methods and time windows

iv. Control options – notification default

v. Internet/online access (including technical capabilities and system requirements)

12. Stop Payment Services

a. Please provide a description of the vendor’s stop payment services, including:

i. Online stop payment services (initiation and renewal)

ii. Confirmation requirements

iii. Duration of a stop payment (e.g. six months or in perpetuity) and renewal processing options

Section 3 – Purchasing Card Services

a. La Crosse County currently utilizes procurement cards for many employees. There are approximately 370 procurement cards issued with annual total purchases of approximately $1,500,000 annually.

b. Please provide a description of the vendor’s purchasing card services including:

i. Online card management processes: new card issuance, deletion, replacing, modifying, etc.

ii. Settlement terms/billing cycle options

iii. Payment options

iv. Card control and usage restriction options

v. Information reporting capabilities – paper vs. electronic

vi. Technical capabilities – Internet

vii. Security features – including account number encryption policy

viii. System requirements

ix. References

x. Interface options with the County’s financial system. The procurement card system must be able to create custom reports to import into County’s financial
management system with procurement card transaction details. The County’s financial management system is Tyler New World.

xi. Fraud policy, including fraud monitoring, prevention, and communication

xii. Rebates for purchases, including breakdown by purchase and / or vendor type

xiii. Customer service

xiv. Vendor portal and ACH management

xv. How are purchasing cards delivered / distributed to the County

The following services are optional:

1. Additional Services

a. Please describe any additional services the vendor provides not detailed above that could be beneficial to the County

Section 4 – Proposal Instructions

1. Timeline for the procurement process

See Section 1 for the detailed timeline for the procurement process.

2. Submission of questions

Questions can be submitted to:

Operational Questions:
Amy Twitchell

La Crosse County Treasurer
(608) 785-9711
atwitchell@lacrossecounty.org

Process Questions:
Bryan Jostad

La Crosse County Purchasing Manager

(608) 785-5879
bjostad@lacrossecounty.org

3. Ownership of Proposals

All proposals submitted on time become the property of La Crosse County upon submission, and the proposals will not be returned to the vendors. By submitting a proposal, the vendor agrees that La Crosse County may copy the proposal for purposes of facilitating the evaluation.

4. Other Information

Vendors submitting a Banking Services Proposal shall provide the following information. Vendors submitting a Purchase Card Services only proposal shall provide information that is applicable.

a. The vendor must provide the following general information with the proposal forms:

i. Financial strength

1. Capital ratios, asset quality, earnings, liquidity, sensitivity to market risk, deposits and loans

2. Financial statements for the past two fiscal years (with an unmodified opinion from a certified public accountant)

3. Call reports for the last four quarters or credit information for senior and subordinate debt from a recognized credit rating agency (e.g. Moody’s, S&P, etc.)

4. Rating information from recognized rating agencies (e.g. Veribanc, Highline, etc.)

5. Confirmation that the vendor will communicate to the County any changes in credit rating or bank rating during the contract period

ii. Proof of current standing as an eligible public depository

iii. Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) rating and rating authority. Include information on the vendor’s CRA activity within the La Crosse County jurisdiction

iv. Operating locations (main offices and branches near La Crosse County)

v. Description of industry standard index and spread upon which available balances earn interest or earnings credit by account type

vi. Funds availability schedule and policy

vii. A copy of the vendor’s proposed custodial agreement for the collateral pledged to secure the County’s account. Requirement for execution of the agreement under FIRREA requirements

viii. Confirmation that the vendor will adhere to the County’s collateral policy

ix. The vendor’s disaster recovery plan (back-up sites and system back-up process)

x. Description of the vendor’s dispute resolution and customer service/feedback process

b. The vendor must also provide the following information with proposal forms:

i. Incentives offered for transition or retention

ii. Account servicing

1. Designated account representative. Representatives should have sufficient decision-making authority within the institution in order to resolve issues. In addition, the representative should have a strong understanding of the County’s operations.

2. Back-up staff person

3. Bios of all personnel assigned to the County

iii. References (including two comparable public entities)

iv. Fee attachment listing pricing for required and optional services listed in Banking Services Section 2 and Purchasing Card Section 3.

v. Description of customer service approach that would support the County through changes in applicable legislative changes or compliance requirements (such as NACHA)

vi. Description of customer service approach that proactively partners with the County to share best practices and innovative approaches.

vii. Historical rate attachment that gives the average of interest bearing options for the prior 12 months (interest bearing accounts, money market accounts, ECR and sweep rates)

viii. Transition plan approach and timeline defining implementation periods and defined responsibilities that adhere to the County’s implementation date of March 1, 2027. Detail County resources and responsibilities required in an implementation plan. This includes Banking Services (Section 2) and Purchasing Card Services (Section 3).

7. Amendments to the RPF:

In the event it becomes necessary to amend, alter or delete any part of the RFP, changes to the RFP will be posted on the website.

http://www.co.la-crosse.wi.us/RFP and the DemandStar Network.

Section 5 - Evaluation of Proposals

La Crosse County will evaluate the proposals using the criteria described below.

Category	Points
Scope of Work	100
Costs	100
References and Vendor Qualifications	100
Initial Evaluation Total	300
Interview	300
Grand Total	600

1. Initial Evaluation

a. Each proposal shall receive an initial evaluation. The proposals will be reviewed by an evaluation team. Highest evaluated vendors, up to 4, shall be requested to meet with the evaluation team for an interview. Vendors will be notified of their interview status no later than 4:00 pm CST, May 14, 2026. Vendors advancing to the interview stage will be provided the interview location and agenda.

2. Vendor Interview

a. Vendors participating in this process shall explain and support their written proposal through a presentation, and question/answer forum. Interviews are scheduled for June 2, 2026. Vendors must be available to interview on this date. Vendors may interview in-person, by video conference or a combination of both.

b. Vendors will be notified if a second interview is needed by 4pm, CST June 4, 2026, and will need to be available to interview on June 16, 2026.

Section 6 - Submission of Proposals

All proposals shall be submitted in complete original form using the DemandStar Network. DemandStar will also serve as the proposal collection destination.

* RFP Terms and Conditions document is located on the La Crosse County RFP webpage: https://lacrossecounty.org/home/business/requests-for-proposals/requests-for-proposal

* Vendors submitting a proposal are acknowledging they have read and understand the RFP Terms and Conditions. The successful vendor shall sign the Certification Regarding Suspension and Debarment which is located on the link above.

Proposals submitted will be marked as “La Crosse County Banking and Purchasing Card Services” and must be submitted to DemandStar no later than 10:00 am CST on April 29, 2026.

Proposals received after the above date and time will not be reviewed.

1. Opening of Proposals

The proposals will be publicly opened at 10:05 am CST April 29, 2026, in the following location:

La Crosse County Administrative Center

Room 2100

212 6th Street North

La Crosse, WI 54601

At that time, the names of vendors who properly submitted proposals will be announced. Announcement of the names of the vendors who submitted proposals is not guarantee that the proposals otherwise comply with the specifications of this RFP.

Vendors may attend the Opening of Proposals virtually. Please contact Bryan Jostad at least 24 hours in advance.

End Of RFP

Appendix A

Account Name - Type	2025 Average Monthly Receipts	2025 Average Monthly Balance
Health Insurance - Checking	$23,027	$23,027
Goose Island - Checking	$7,927	$7,927
Clerk of Courts - Checking	$906,590	$902,553
Main Operating Acct - Checking - Sweep	$6,808,146	$6,505,199
Foster Care SS Beneficiaries - Checking	$3,164	$3,104
CDBG Flood Victims - Checking	$ -	$ -
Solid Waste - Forte -Checking	$7,830	$7,163
CDBG Small Cities - Interest - Checking	$68,497	$67,547
CDBG Small Cities - Non-Interest -Checking	$10,840	$10,840
Payroll - ZBA	$ -	$ -
Section 125 - Checking	$97,147	$97,147
Business Checking-FBO Account - Checking	$2,196	$2,196
Commercial Card - Checking	$2,723	$2,723
CORE Jail - Checking	$46,477	$46,284