CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
title
Approve the award of Change Order #1 to Contract 23-185, Bill Printing and Mailing Services, to Sebis Direct, Inc. for an amount not to exceed $350,000 and a total award of $850,000
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DEPARTMENT: Finance Department
SUBMITTED BY: Raymond Munch, Director
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
In February 2025, the Finance Department was notified by FIS that it was discontinuing Biller Direct, the software the City currently uses to allow utility customers to view and pay their bills online. FIS stated that it wanted to have all clients off the obsolete software by the end of 2025.
Following this conversation, Finance staff attended a demonstration of Biller IQ, the new software FIS developed to replace Biller Direct. In addition, the City contacted Sebis Direct, Inc. (Sebis), the third-party vendor the City uses to print and mail paper utility bills, to view a demonstration of their utility billing portal as a comparison.
DISCUSSION:
The FIS and Sebis billing portals both provided better functionality compared to the Biller Direct portal. Additionally, the functionality enhancements were comparable to each other. After careful consideration, staff decided to move forward with Sebis’ online portal. Using the same vendor for the paper and electronic bills creates efficiencies for the City and its customers.
This Change Order is requested to add Sebis’ online utility billing portal to Contract 23-185, Bill Printing and Mailing Services. The online billing portal will include the following customer functionality:
1. Ability to set up automatic payments.
2. Ability to save electronic payment information.
3. Ability to access 13 months of prior statements vs 6 months currently.
4. Monthly email notices will include a PDF copy of the bill versus a link to log in to the e-portal.
The new online portal will go live on January 1, 2026. Finance staff will work with the Communications team to inform utility customers of the changes.
Finance staff estimated the cost for the online billing services at $350,000, assuming a 3% annual increase in online customers over the remaining 26 months of the contract term.
FISCAL IMPACT:
CIP #: N/A
This Change Order for Contract 23-185, Bill Printing and Mailing Services, is expensed to the accounts listed below. The additional award of $350,000 for 26 months represents a cost savings over the existing service, which is budgeted at $268,000 for 2025. The remainder of the award will be budgeted accordingly in 2026.
|
Account Number |
Fund Description |
Total Budget Amount |
|
15171300-531309 |
Electric Utility Fund |
$134,400 |
|
15171500-531309 |
Water Utilities Fund |
$134,400 |