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By February 2017, Invoice Cloud was unable to provide the services contracted by IRCDUS and was no longer a viable option. With the programs that can be integrated with CIS being very limited, the search for another option was delayed until the staff had more information about providers with the ability to utilize the gateway that would work without additional programming on a regular basis. IRCDUS consulted with CIS about who could provide the needed services and was referred to Paymentus. ANALYSIS: Paymentus can provide an e -services turn -key platform that would enhance our services with mobile versatility, customer web -based portals, and advanced security with Level 1 Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance. Their platform offers expanded payment options that include Pay -by -Text, Pay -by - Email, MobileWeb, and MobileApp, which is currently not available for IRCDUS customers. Harris Advanced Utility Systems currently has 78 clients in Florida utilizing Paymentus for these services. They have 1,300 nationwide clients, of which 900 are government or municipal utilities. References within the Florida utilities industry were provided, and the feedback was all favorable. The cost of switching to Paymentus for merchant services would increase our projected annual cost by approximately $27,834. All software upgrades and the hosting cost would be the responsibility of Paymentus. Coincidentally, Paymentus is the parent company of Tele -Works, Inc., our current Interactive Telephone Voice Response System (IVR) that provides the gateway to communicate with CIS. The cost would be offset by the IVR services being included with the Paymentus E -Services Platform and eliminate the annual maintenance and support expense. Paymentus will refund a prorated amount estimated at $9,329 (9 months) for the fiscal year 2019. The following advantages and disadvantages have been identified below. Advantages: • Paperless bills look the same as paper bills • Website and mobile access to receive (or view) bills and make payments • Payment options of Pay -by -Text, Pay -by -Email, MobileWeb, and MobileApp • Duplicate payments receive an alert to prevent double payments • Payments can be processed in real time or set up to pay at a later date • Credit card payments are posted to our bank on the date of payment instead of the normal delay time • Bank routing numbers are verified on electronic checks, reducing staff research • Registered customers would not need their account number to pay bill • Anticipated growth in participation in online payments and inquiries by customers would reduce staff phone interaction • Mass notices could be processed with IVR calls at no additional cost to IRCDUS • Eliminates the annual maintenance and support, cost of IVR ports, and license certificates • Paymentus responsible for Level 1 PCI compliance • Paymentus has a redundant system in place to minimize downtime and prevent catastrophic system failures • Proven performance with integration with the CIS program 114 Page 2 of 3