The type of service the government is currently receiving. Governments
might consider issuing an RFP sooner if its bank begins making errors, if
the availability of deposits seems to be less favorable than what other
banks offer, or if the bank’s financial condition deteriorates.
Mergers and acquisitions. Banks that have merged or been acquired by
another bank may not offer the same level of service or types of products.
In these cases, the government may consider bidding out its banking to
find a more compatible business partner.
Competition in the area. Because of the numerous mergers and acquisitions
in the banking industry, a government may find that there are few banks
48 M. Corinne Larson
that qualify to respond to its RFP, particularly if the government is required
to do business with banks only in its geographical area. In these instances,
governments might enter into longer contracts with the winning banks and
issue RFPs less often—perhaps every four to five years. An RFP is a laborand
time-intensive project that can tie up staff time for several months.
To help with developing an RFP, many professional associations have
created sample documents that describe the key components.2 A welldeveloped
RFP will include minimum qualifications to bid, a description
of the current system, a description of any services desired, and a standardized
response form or specific guidelines for responding to the
request. The RFP should include size requirements for eligible banks, particularly
if the government has significant amounts of cash. A government
with $10 million may need only one local bank to handle all of its needs,
whereas a government with $100 million may need a bank for custodial
safekeeping, a bank for depository services, and a bank or brokerage firm
for investment services. Qualifications to bid also may include geographic
restrictions, ability to handle special conditions, collateral requirements,
or a Community Reinvestment Act rating.3
To compare individual bank responses more easily, a government can
develop a matrix of evaluation criteria. The evaluation criteria should be
weighted to reflect the government’s ranking of most important to least
important attributes and ratings should be assigned to each bank. The
weighting and rating criteria should be kept simple to avoid complicating
the evaluation process. Once a winning proposal is accepted, a written banking
services contract formalizes the relationship.