DeSoto County Banking Services

SCOPE OF SERVICES A. GENERAL: The banking services detailed in this section will be performed for the County on a contractual basis for three (3) years with two additional one-year renewals for a potential maximum of five years. Banking service charges will be based on charges proposed for the three years of this Agreement. It is the intent of the County that a single financial institution provides all the banking services specified in this proposal. However, the County, at its sole option, may choose to award various banking services to any number of institutions. Bank service charges included in the submission will be considered as the total cost of providing those services as herein defined in this Request for Proposal (RFP). Changes to the fees for providing the defined services after the Banking Agreement has been executed will not be allowed, in accordance with the terms set forth in this RFP. Any changes in the Scope of the Services (other than very minor changes), including any additional service charges, will be subject to negotiation between the County and the Financial Institution. DeSoto County Banking Services are included in this RFP, and a separate proposal has been implemented reflecting the volumes and the level of services requested for the County. Once the Financial Institution(s) has been awarded the Banking Services, it will be necessary to enter into an Agreement with the County. Additionally, all statements, notices, and copies, etc. applicable to the County will need to be sent directly to the Administrative Services Department. B. ACCOUNTS INCLUDED: The following bank accounts for the County are included in this RFP: General Operating Accounts • Consolidated Account Grant Accounts (as required) • Local Housing Assistance/SHIP • Utilities Capital Payroll Accounts • Payroll Account Other Accounts • Landfill Reserve Account • Volunteer Fire Rescue • Indigent Health Care Trust Fund • Flexible Spending Account • Hurricane Donations Account Lockbox Accounts • Public Safety-EMS C. ACCOUNT STRUCTURE: The County desires to maximize its cash availability through the use of concentration accounts. These account structures will be comprised of the General Operating Accounts, Payroll Account, and Other Accounts as shown in Section B above. However, where required by law (e.g. certain Grant Agreements), special accounts will not be included in the General Operating Accounts. On an operational basis, all disbursements will flow through the General Operating and Payroll Accounts. The total amount of collected funds (based on the Federal Reserve Clearing Schedule) in the Consolidated Account less the $30,000,000.00 retained minimum daily operating balance will be swept into an overnight investment account at the close of the business day. Please indicate the various overnight investment alternatives and their performance compared to the daily Federal Funds rate. The investment alternatives must comply with the Desoto County’s Financial Policy (Attachment 1). The County reserves the right to open additional accounts during the Agreement. 1. Consolidated Account: The purpose of this account is to aggregate the cash balances of the County. Virtually all deposits, disbursements, and incoming and outgoing wire transfers will be made to and from this account. Deposits to the Consolidated Account will be retained in that account until the funds are collected and become available. At that time, they may be either transferred to the Payroll Account or other accounts to cover disbursement requirements or left in the account for the overnight investment. On a daily basis the County Administrator, Finance Director or designee, will have access to or be provided with the collected balance in all of the County's accounts. 2. Grant Accounts: These special accounts will be established as needed and used for specific activities of the County as indicated by their names. They will have minimal activity but will receive deposits and disburse or transfer funds occasionally. 3. Payroll Account: This account will be used solely to process payroll disbursements to employees. Transfers into this account will be made to cover the County’s weekly payroll. Currently all County employees are paid by direct deposit. Printed payroll checks are issued occasionally. 4. Other Accounts: Other accounts may be established over the Agreement term by the County. These accounts will function essentially the same as the Consolidated Account indicated above. Occasional deposits, disbursements, and incoming and outgoing wire transfers will be made to and from these accounts. Transfers between the accounts will be charged to the County only as inter-bank transfers and not as items deposited and checks paid. 5. Reporting: The following is a list of reports that are currently necessary: • Current Day Report • Prior Day Report • Deposits Report • Returned Item Report • ACH Report (CSV Format) • Wire Report • Lockbox Deposit Report 6. Online Banking: The Financial Institution must have an established online banking system that will enable authorized BOCC personnel access to perform the following functions: · Access account balances daily. · Online image retrieval for deposits, checks, credits, debits and returns. · Initiate accounts or book transfers. · Stop Payments - Initiate, approve, release, cancel, delete and inquire. · Wire Transfers (with template service) - Initiate, approve (secured), delete and inquire. · Initiate non-repetitive ACH transactions. · Initiate repetitive ACH transactions, with template service. · Inquire on amounts and detailed addenda for daily ACH deposits. · Positive Pay - Initiate, modify, deny, approve, and release; including online file upload and emailed exception notification (interested in implementing). 7. Same Day Processing: The capability to process and post all County related transactions accepted and/or received by the Financial Institution to the County's account on the same day. 8. Direct Payments/Deposits: The Financial Institution will receive direct payments or deposits to County accounts other than from the County. 9. Returned Items: Daily, the institution will notify the County of all returned items. D. DISASTER RECOVERY: The Financial Institution shall provide basic information regarding their disaster recovery plan including specific plans related to servicing the County in the event of a disaster. E. INTEREST: Monthly total interest earnings should be posted to each account by the last day of the month. The BOCC’s current Earning Credit Rate (ECR) is 1.1%. F. COLLATERAL: Prior to receiving the BOCC deposits, a Financial Institution must be certified as being a "Qualified Public Depository" under the Florida Security for Public Deposits Act, which was effective January 1, 1982. The characteristics of eligible collateral are subject to the criteria of Chapter 280, Florida Statutes, as amended, and will be further subject to modification as to quantity, quality and type by action of the State of Florida Chief Financial Officer. The pledge, substitution and withdrawal of collateral securities will also be achieved in accordance with procedures established by the Florida Security for Public Deposits Act and the State Treasurer's Office. Noncompliance with Chapter 280, F.S. or withdrawal from the QPD program, either voluntary or involuntary, will cause the Banking Service Agreement to be void in its entirety and will result in immediate withdrawal of all County funds. G. DESIGNATION OF BOCC PERSONNEL: The DeSoto County BOCC will provide the Financial Institution with the names, and signatures (where applicable), of personnel authorized to provide instructions for wire transfers, internal bank transfers, investments, and other services, including online banking services that require prior authorization. H. DIRECT DEPOSIT AND DEBIT: The Financial Institution will provide ACH direct deposit of payroll and ACH debit transmittals and identify processing deadlines. The BOCC's financial software (ERP Pro 9 – Tyler Technologies) currently produces ACH format NACHA files for direct deposit and debit transactions. The Financial Institution will assist the County in transferring these transactions via the federal ACH system. I. FINANCING: The Financial Institution agrees to provide bids to the County for financing programs on a prompt and competitive basis with no penalty for prepayment. J. ONLINE BANKING SERVICES: As part of the proposal, the Financial Institution will furnish the County with the following information related to online banking services: 1. Minimum required hardware platform 2. Minimum required operating system (Windows 11 Pro). 3. Web browser requirements (Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Firefox) K. AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS: Deposits will be made periodically during the business day to a designated cashier or location mutually agreed upon by the County and the awarded Financial Institution. If your Financial Institution has adopted an earlier cutoff time than close of business day for daily ledger credit, please note this exception on Exhibit D. The awarded Financial Institution must have the capability to process and post all County-related transactions accepted and/or received by the Financial Institution to the County's account on the same day. The awarded Financial Institution agrees to credit the County's Accounts for selected items according to the following schedule: 1. Incoming Federal Reserve Wire Transfers - same day availability and ledger credit regardless of time of receipt. 2. Incoming Clearinghouse Wire Transfers - either same day or following day availability depending on Clearinghouse rules. All other checks will be based on the Federal Reserve's "availability schedule." Proposing Financial Institutions are required to attach a copy of their availability schedule if different than Federal Reserve availability schedule. The County will review such changes and if in the opinion of the County, such change will have a material adverse impact on the investable balance, the proposal may be considered non-responsive. Additionally, the County requests same day availability for U.S. Treasury checks deposited. L. AUTOMATIC OVERNIGHT INVESTMENT PROGRAM: Repurchase Agreement or Money Market: The awarded Financial Institution agrees to automatically invest the collected balance (less minimum maintained balance of $30,000,000.00) in the County's Consolidated Account on the financial institution's books at the close of the business day into an overnight repurchase agreement or money market. The daily investment rate proposed for the overnight repurchase agreement or money market shall be based on the day's Federal Funds Rate. As part of this Request for Proposals, the financial institution shall indicate the number of basis points it will pay for this overnight investment over or under the Federal Funds Rate. Alternative investment programs may be proposed at the option of the Financial Institution. If your Financial Institution is proposing the overnight repurchase agreement or money market described above, and the Financial Institution does not wish to propose any alternative investment program then there is no need to consider the remainder of this section. The Financial Institution may also want to consider proposing an overnight repurchase agreement and an alternative. The County reserves the right to accept or reject any alternative investment programs. Per Page 32 of the County’s Financial Policy, Attachment 1, pertaining to “Suitable and Authorized Investments” - Repurchase Agreements or Money Markets will be made only for direct obligations of the U.S. Government, obligations guaranteed by the U.S. Government, and direct obligations of government agencies. Alternative security, such as "AAA" rated corporate debt, may be considered by the County. The Repurchase Agreement will be evidenced by a written Master Repurchase Agreement Proposing Financial Institutions must provide evidence that they are a "qualified public depository" as defined under Florida Statutes Chapter 280. M. WIRE TRANSFERS: Incoming: The County intends to consider all incoming wire transfers received by the Financial Institution prior to the end of the business day as "available for investment" by the County. Outgoing: The awarded Financial Institution agrees to execute any wire transfer order within one (1) business day after notification by the Finance Director or designee through online banking services, or by telephone, or by fax. Wire transfers ordered by the County and not received by the destination party by 5:00 p.m. will be traced by the Financial Institution from origin to destination to ascertain the party responsible for delaying the transfer. Other: The Administrative Services Department desires to process wire transfers through online banking services. Please provide details on your Financial Institution's capability of handling this service as well as the security provisions available, in your response. The Financial Institution agrees to provide copies of the wire transfer confirmation evidencing the amount, date and time, as well as wire transfer number for all incoming and outgoing wire transfers daily to the Finance Dept. by email. The County desires to enter into a "Wire Transfer Agreement" with the awarded Financial Institution for all wire transfers incoming and outgoing. Please include a copy of your "Wire Transfer Agreement" with your proposal. The Wire Transfer Agreement must take into consideration the provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) Article 4A. The County reserves the right to negotiate the Agreement. If your Financial Institution is unwilling to negotiate any provisions within the Wire Transfer Agreement, then this must be treated as an exception and placed on Exhibit D. N. ACCOUNT RECONCILIATION: The awarded Financial Institution will provide reconciliation service for all accounts specified in this RFP. Reconciliation services include the following requirements: 1. Return an imaged copy of all canceled checks, sorted by check number monthly. 2. Return an imaged copy of all other items, such as debit and credit memos, and deposit tickets in date order monthly. 3. Online banking service – download banking transactions in csv file format for import into County’s accounting software (ERP Pro 9 – Tyler Technologies) Also provide information on alternative reconciliation services provided by your institution. O. PAYROLL DIRECT DEPOSIT: The County currently offers direct deposit of payroll through automated clearing house to its employees. Payroll is paid weekly to approximately 200 employees. Please indicate any incentive services such as free or low-cost checking accounts that would be offered to those employees maintaining accounts at your Financial Institution. P. STATEMENT AND ADVICE FREQUENCY: Monthly bank statements and the reconciliation data will be available for the full calendar month and will be provided to the County's Administrative Services Department within five (5) business days after the end of the month. Online banking service downloads for a particular month will be available on the first business day of the subsequent month. The Monthly Account Analysis Report for a particular month will be completed and delivered to the Administrative Services Department within ten (10) calendar days after the end of the month. Q. DESIGNATED ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: The County requests that the Financial Institution provide the name of a designated account executive, as well as an alternate. The designated account executives must have the authority to make timely decisions in the normal course of business on their own without having to refer to others within the Financial Institution. A brief resume of the designated account executives must be submitted as part of the proposal. R. OTHER BANKING SERVICES: 1. The County intends to either cover through compensating balances or pay for all services specified within this RFP. Other services which Financial Institutions customarily provide at no cost shall be provided to the County without charge. All other supplies must be priced and included in the proposal submitted. The County specifically requests the following supplies be priced and included in the proposal. • Checks (laser printed) 4,000 per fiscal year • Deposit Slips/Tickets 24 books to start • Deposit Bags 10-Plain • Endorsement Stamps 4 • Cash/Change Envelopes 1,000 • RDC Scanner (Teller Scan TS-240) 1 device 2. At no time will any charges be applied against any of the accounts established through this Request for Proposal. All charges will be paid by direct invoice or by compensating balances as requested in this RFP. Unless agreed to by the County, this RFP will contain all the costs associated with providing banking services, as requested, for the County. 3. All debit and credit memos required to adjust errors caused by the Financial Institution will not be charged to the County. 4. Stop Payments: All stop payments will be made through the financial institution’s online banking services. 5. ACH Transactions: The Financial Institution’s online banking services will allow the Administrative Services Department to monitor ACH transactions. 6. The Financial Institution will receive direct payments or deposits to County accounts other than from the County. 7. Provide a detailed description of the bank's online banking services, the functions that can be performed and the types of reports that can be issued. Additional information can be attached to the proposal. 8. As a part of this Request for Proposals, the bank shall indicate the number of basis points it will pay for the overnight investment over or under the Federal Funds Rate. 9. Please provide details on your bank's capability of handling this service as well as the security provisions available, in your response. 10. Please provide a list of five (5) clients that have utilized the services being offered to the County. Include: name, address, contact and telephone number. 11. Indicate at least three clients with whom we may speak during the evaluation phase. 12. The County will require credit cards (with no annual fee or charges) issued to a small number of employees determined by the County Administrator. *** ***Upon award, the Financial Institute will be provided with a listing of active cardholders and their credit limits. Replacement cards must be issued in a timely manner to ensure daily operations are not compromised. III. OPTIONAL BANKING SERVICES: In addition to the minimum services described above, the County requests proposals for optional banking services. These services should include a brief description and anticipated cost. A Proposer may, as part of their proposal, submit additional information for optional banking services that the Proposer feels would be in the best interest of the County. The optional banking services may be exercised at any time during the period of the contract. The County may be interested in the following optional banking services: A. PURCHASING CARDS: The County is interested in obtaining information pertaining to purchasing card programs which may be available through the financial institution. Information should be provided on the program offered and potential opportunities for participation through Consortiums or Cooperative Agreements. B. LOCK BOX SERVICES: The County has implemented Lock Box services for EMS collection. Information must be provided on services offered including pricing. The County has an average of 200 accounts billed each month. The monthly average account balance is $25,000.00. EMS balance is transferred to Consolidated Account monthly online. Imaging file reports must be included (front and back). Users must be allowed to view transactions daily with images available online for 90 days. Users must also be allowed to transfer available account balances within the lockbox account if a payment was posted incorrectly or sent in error. IV. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be eligible to respond to the RFP, a Financial Institution must meet the following minimum qualifications: A. LOCATION & FACILITIES: · The Proposer must be a Federal or Florida chartered bank or Savings and Loan Association with a principal branch office located within Desoto County. · The Proposer must be an FDIC insured institution and online with the Federal Reserve Bank for funds and securities. · The Proposer must have adequate organization, facilities, equipment and personnel to ensure prompt and efficient services to the County. The financial institution must provide secure online banking capabilities that will allow authorized Clerk personnel access to perform the following functions: n Access account balances daily. n Online image retrieval for credits, debits and returns. n Initiate accounts or book transfers. n Stop Payments - Initiate, approve, release, cancel, delete and inquire. n Wire Transfers - Initiate, approve, delete and inquire. n Initiate non-repetitive ACH transactions. n Initiate repetitive ACH transactions, with template service. n Inquire on amounts and detailed addenda for daily ACH deposits. n Positive Pay - Initiate, modify, deny, approve, and release; including online file upload and emailed exception notification. n Generate necessary reports. B. QUALIFIED PUBLIC DEPOSITORY CERTIFICATION: · The Proposer must be certified as a "Qualified Public Depository" (QPD) under the Florida Security for Public Deposits Act and comply with Chapter 136, Florida Statutes, "County Depositories", and its subsequent legislation. The Proposer is required to provide proof of certification by furnishing copies of letters, certificates, etc. which will document this status. · The Proposer must adhere to the requirements of Chapter 280.17, Florida Statutes, Requirements for public depositors; notice to public depositors and governmental units; loss of protection, in its entirety. · If awarded the Banking Services Agreement, the Financial Institution will be required to maintain the designation of a Qualified Public Depository in good standing throughout the term of the Agreement. Failure to maintain certification as a QPD will result in immediate termination of the Banking Service Agreement by the County. · Submit financial statements for the past two fiscal years (must include an auditor's unqualified opinion and appropriate notes to financial statements) · Agree to provide copies of all quarterly and annual financial statements within 30 days of their release to the stockholders, for the duration of this banking agreement. C. CREDIT RATINGS: · The Proposer must provide the County with two (2) recent credit ratings from nationally recognized rating agencies. V. PROPOSALS: A. EXPLANATION OF PROPOSAL FORMS: Use of the Proposal Forms (Exhibits B Proposal Pricing) or a copy thereof is required of all Proposers. No proposal will be considered without amounts being placed on this form. If the Financial Institution is unable to meet or exceed the requirements specified, then the phrase "No Proposal" should be entered for that particular item The Proposal will be on a variable cost basis. Under the variable cost method, actual monthly services will be counted and the volume of transactions will be computed to determine the direct fee to be charged to the County. The County reserves the right to use other financial institutions for accounts that have little activity such as reserve and grant accounts. The County also reserves the right to eliminate any individual service contained in the Proposal, if based on analysis, the fees for providing the services are excessive, or if the service proposed can be administratively performed in an alternative manner. The County may select several proposals and pick and choose which services it wants. Therefore, each element of the pricing structure should stand on its own and not be required to buy the entire package of services. B. COMPLETION OF PROPOSAL FORMS: Each Financial Institution should review the proposal form and price each service specified. Per item charges should be extended to the "Annual Charges" column. The total of this column will be entered on the line "Total Proposed". C. MONTHLY SERVICE CHARGE COMPENSATION: The County reserves the right to have the option of paying for the services through monthly billings or compensating balances, or a combination thereof. If compensating balances are used, the County must be able to roll over excess balances to subsequent months. If paying for services through monthly billings, the awarded financial institution will prepare on a monthly basis, a detailed billing for services rendered. Total service charges will be calculated based on the actual number of transactions for a month, multiplied by the fixed charge per item. It is the intention of the County that all per item charges remain fixed over the life of the initial three year Agreement. However, the County recognizes that an adjustment in a per item charge may be necessary based on price changes by the Federal Reserve System. Adjustments in per item charges will only be allowed by complying with the following conditions: The per-item charge (or portion thereof) will change only for corresponding adjustments in the Federal Reserve System's Fee Schedules, on or after the effective date of the adjustments. Changes in the Federal Reserve Fee Schedules must be final, and not proposed. Awarded Financial Institution will provide the County a copy of the Federal Reserve System's notification supporting the adjustment, with the "Monthly Account Analysis Report." VI. SUMMARY: The County intends to enter into a formal Banking Services Agreement with the awarded Financial Institution which will incorporate all provisions of the Request for Proposal. Additional terms will not be included in the Agreement unless mutually agreed to by both parties. VII. PROPOSAL DUE DATE; All proposals, including hard copies and electronic copies, must be submitted sealed to the DeSoto County Purchasing Department no later than 2:00 P.M. on November 12, 2026. Sealed proposal submissions shall include one (1) original proposal, marked as such, four (4) complete copies of the proposal, and one (1) complete electronic copy on a flash drive. For proper identification, all submissions must be clearly marked with the statement “DeSoto County RFP #26-23-00 – Banking Services,” and this marking shall appear both on the outside of the sealed package or shipping container and on the proposal documents inside. Proposals should be addressed for mail or hand delivery as follows: Cindy Talamantez, CPPO, CPPB Purchasing Director DeSoto County Board of County Commissioners Purchasing Department 201 East Oak Street, Suite 203 Arcadia, FL 34266 TENTATIVE SCHEDULE RFP ADVERTISEMENT RELEASE: Summer/Fall 2026 PROPOSAL SUBMISSION DEADLINE: November 12, 2026 REVIEW/RANKING: November 2026 AGENDA DEADLINE: December 1, 2026 BOARD APPROVAL: December 15, 2026 VIII. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL: A. Incurred Expenses: The County is not responsible for any expenses which Proposers may incur preparing and submitting proposals called for in this Request for Proposals. B. Interviews: The County reserves the right to conduct personal interviews or require presentations prior to selection. The County will not be liable for any costs incurred by the Proposer in connection with such interviews/presentations. C. Request for Modification: The County reserves the right to request that the Proposer modify his proposal to more fully meet the needs of the County. D. Proposal Acknowledgment: By submitting a proposal, the Proposer certifies that he has fully read and understands the proposal method and has full knowledge of the scope, nature, and quality of work to be performed. E. Request for Additional Information: The Proposer shall furnish such additional information as the DeSoto County may reasonably require. This includes information which indicates financial resources as well as ability to provide the system and/or services. The County reserves the right to make investigations of the qualifications of the Proposer as it deems appropriate, including but not limited to, a background investigation conducted by the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office. F. Acceptance/Rejection/Modification to Proposals: The County reserves the right to negotiate modifications to proposals that it deems acceptable, reject any and all proposals, and to waive minor irregularities in the proposals. G. Proposal Binding: All proposals submitted shall be binding for one hundred twenty (120) calendar days following opening. H. Addendum or Amendment to Request for Proposal: If it becomes necessary to revise or amend any part of this Request for Proposal, the County Purchasing Officer will furnish the revision by written Addendum to all prospective Proposers who received an original Request for Proposal. I. Economy of Preparation: Proposals should be prepared simply and economically, providing a straightforward, concise description of the proposer's ability to fulfill the requirements of the proposal. J. Proprietary Information: In accordance with Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes (Public Records Law), and except as may be provided by other applicable State and Federal Laws, all Proposers should be aware that this Request for Proposals and the responses are in the public domain. However, the Proposers are requested to identify specifically any information contained in their proposals which they consider confidential and/or proprietary and which they believe to be exempt from disclosure, citing specifically the applicable exempting law. All proposals received from Proposers in response to this Request for Proposal will become the property of the DeSoto County and will not be returned to the Proposers. In the event of contract award, all documentation produced as part of the Agreement will become the exclusive property of the County. K. Proposal Pricing: The intent of this proposal is to enter into an Agreement with a Financial Institution which can provide the services as specified herein. A firm fixed price proposal shall be submitted. Pricing for additional services, as requested in the Request for Proposal, shall be provided. L. Estimate of Volume: The County has indicated an estimated number of transactions within this RFP. This estimate was based on the County's historic records. The County makes no guarantee regarding volume, and nothing contained herein or in any supporting documentation shall be construed as either minimum or maximum volumes. IX. INFORMATION REQUIRED OF PROPOSER: In order to insure a uniform review process and to obtain the maximum degree of comparability, proposals shall follow the Response Format Criteria outlined in this Section. TAB A. INTRODUCTION: a) Title Page: Show the name of Proposer's agency/firm, address, telephone number, name of contact person, date, and the subject: "RFP #26-23-00 - Banking Services." b) Executive Summary: Optional however if included please limit to 2 pages. TAB B. TABLE OF CONTENTS: Include a clear identification of the material by section and by page number. TAB C. UNDERSTANDING AND APPROACH: (maximum 20 points): a) Describe understanding of Scope of Services. b) Describe approach to complete work. c) Describe online services offered to demonstrate ability to comply with the Scope of Services. TAB D. QUALIFICATIONS OF INSTITUTION/STAFF EXPERIENCE (max. 25 points): a) Insert all required forms and supporting documentation. b) Any supplemental materials which might enhance the County's understanding of the institute and its capabilities and experience. c) Include resumes and experience of Account Representatives responsible for the management of our account and services. d) Indicate the number of people, by level, within the local office that will handle the banking services for DeSoto County. e) Provide a list of the local office's current and prior banking clients indicating the type(s) of services performed and the number of years served for each. f) Indicate the experience in providing similar banking services to other Florida entities which are similar in size and complexity to DeSoto County. TAB E. FINANCIAL STRENGTH AND CAPABILITY (maximum 20 points): a) Provide a statement indicating financial capability of the institution. b) Provide audited financial statements for the two (2) most recent fiscal years. TAB F. CONVERSION SCHEDULE (maximum 15 points): a) Describe how your institution will prepare to implement this banking service Agreement. b) Transition scheduling for acquiring staffing, office, customer communications, management activity and other similar preparatory tasks. c) Provide a projected conversion schedule that includes events and their timetable, and the itemized cost allowances and/or costs for the conversion processes which are included in the proposal. Event prerequisites and dependencies shall be identified. TAB G. PRICE PROPOSAL (maximum 20 points): a) Forms have been provided giving estimated items/transactions. These amounts were determined using historical data. Insert the required forms along with a complete listing of fees and charges for services charged for but not identified on the Proposal form. If the detailed anticipated costs are not identified in your proposal, the County will not accept charges unless specifically authorized by the County's Administrative Services Director in advance. X. SELECTION PROCESS AND EVALUATION CRITERIA: Proposals shall be reviewed by an evaluation committee and ranked based upon the RFP evaluation criteria identified in Section VIII. Each committee member shall perform their own independent ranking based upon these criteria. The highest ranked Financial Institution shall be determined by their total accumulative score of all committee members. After receipt and review of the proposals and at the discretion of the County, proposers may be asked to give a short presentation and/or interview as part of the selection and ranking process. The evaluation committee will be comprised of DeSoto BOCC Staff with the most comprehensive understanding and working knowledge of the required services. The County reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to waive minor irregularities in the proposals. The County further reserves the right to seek new proposals when such a procedure is reasonably in the best interest of the County to do so. XI. AGREEMENT NEGOTIATIONS AND EXECUTION: Negotiations for an Agreement shall follow the order of ranking from highest to lowest total score. The selection process shall be open to the public and records shall be maintained in accordance with Florida records retention requirements. The County may require the selected Proposer to submit other additional information to its proposal, as may result from negotiations. Negotiations of an Agreement for services shall follow the initial selection process with the top ranked Proposer. Should a satisfactory Agreement not be achievable with the top ranked Proposer, then the next ranked Proposer shall be contacted and negotiations shall begin with each next highest ranked Proposer and so on. After negotiations, the recommended Financial Institution and Agreement will be submitted for review to the County Attorney prior to submittal to the Board of County Commissioners. The reviewed Agreement will be placed on a Board of County Commissioners' Agenda for their approval and execution. XII. QUESTIONS REGARDING SPECIFICATIONS OR PROPOSAL PROCESS: Any questions relative to interpretation of specifications or the proposal process shall be addressed to the County Purchasing Director, in writing, in ample time before the period set for the receipt and opening of proposals. No inquiries, submitted within seven (7) days of the date set for receipt of proposals will be given any consideration. Any interpretation made to prospective Proposers will be expressed in the form of an addendum to the Scope of Services which, if issued, will be conveyed in writing to all prospective Proposers no later than five (5) days before the date set for receipt of proposals. It will be the responsibility of the Proposer to contact the Purchasing Director's Office prior to submitting a proposal to ascertain if any addenda have been issued, to obtain all such addenda, and to return executed addenda with the proposal. Direct inquiries to: CINDY TALAMANTEZ, CPPO,CPPB PURCHASING DIRECTOR DeSoto County Board of County Commissioners 201 East Oak Street, Suite 203 Arcadia, FL 34266 863-993-4816 phone 863-993-4819 fax c.talamantez@desotobocc.com DeSoto County Board of County Commissioners are seeking formal Proposals from qualified Firms to provide Banking Services for the County as described within the context of this Solicitation. NON-MANDATORY There is no pre-bid meeting.