Earned Wage Access

Request for Information # 70T01027I7663N001 Earned Wage Access Services 1. Purpose The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to conduct market research on commercially available Earned Wage Access (EWA) services and to identify capable vendors that may be able to provide a secure, fully managed EWA solution for eligible TSA employees. Information received will support acquisition planning, help TSA assess industry capabilities and implementation approaches, and inform the development of any future solicitation. This RFI is for planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation or commitment by the Government. 2. Anticipated Scope TSA anticipates seeking a Contractor to provide, operate, maintain, and support a voluntary EWA platform for eligible TSA employees. The anticipated service includes secure integration with TSA s designated Federal payroll provider, employee enrollment and identity verification, earned-wage balance calculation, employee fund-transfer options, customer support, platform maintenance, security and compliance reporting, and program management. The attached draft Performance Work Statement provides additional detail regarding the anticipated scope and requirements. 3. Background TSA employs a geographically dispersed workforce across the United States and U.S. territories. TSA Human Capital is exploring EWA as a potential voluntary employee service to support financial readiness and stability by enabling employees to access a portion of wages they have already earned before the standard biweekly Federal payroll date. The intended service would offer an alternative to high-cost lending products, credit cards, or emergency loans, while preserving the integrity of official Federal payroll processes and avoiding direct costs to the U.S. Government. 4. Period and Place of Performance TSA anticipates that any resulting contract may include a one-year base period with subsequent option periods; however, the final period of performance and contract structure will be determined through acquisition planning. Performance is expected to occur primarily at Contractor facilities and in Contractor-hosted cloud environments, with services supporting TSA employees located throughout all U.S. States and U.S. territories. The Contractor may be required to participate in virtual or in-person meetings with TSA personnel as directed by the Government. 5. Performance Outcomes and Objectives The anticipated EWA service should provide eligible, voluntarily enrolled TSA employees with a secure, reliable, and accessible means to access earned but unpaid wages between regular pay cycles. The Contractor should deliver a highly available platform; protect employee and Government information; provide transparent fee disclosures; maintain employee support services; and ensure the solution does not disrupt, alter, or delay official Federal payroll operations. The Contractor will also be expected to maintain appropriate financial capacity, assume responsibility for EWA transactions, provide meaningful performance reporting, and support service continuity during Federal Government shutdowns. 6. Transition TSA does not currently have an existing contract for EWA services. Therefore, any future Contractor would be responsible for transition-in activities necessary to establish a new EWA capability, including implementation planning, coordination with TSA and the designated payroll provider, secure integration and testing, operational readiness activities, and support for employee launch communications as directed by TSA. The Contractor would also be expected to provide transition-out support at the conclusion of the contract or upon Government direction, including secure transfer of Government data and records, continuity coordination, knowledge transfer, and disposition or sanitization of Government Furnished Information, as applicable. 7. Performance Constraints The anticipated service must be provided at no direct cost to the U.S. Government and must not interfere with official Federal payroll processing. The Contractor will be expected to meet applicable Federal security, privacy, accessibility, and records-management requirements, including use of a FedRAMP-authorized environment as applicable and conformance with Section 508 requirements for information and communications technology. The Contractor must assume sole financial and legal responsibility for EWA funds and transactions, maintain transparent employee fee disclosures, support employees nationwide and in U.S. territories, and demonstrate the capability to continue EWA operations during a partial or full Federal Government shutdown in accordance with the attached PWS. 8. Responses to the RFI Should Include Cover Letter, One-Page Limit: Interested parties should provide a one-page cover letter that identifies the company s legal name, business address, Unique Entity Identifier, if available, business size and socioeconomic status, primary point of contact, NAICS codes and applicable Federal contract vehicles. The letter should briefly state the organization s interest in the requirement and indicate whether the organization anticipates serving as a prime contractor or through a teaming arrangement. Capabilities Statement, Five-Page Limit: Interested parties should submit a capabilities statement describing their ability to meet the anticipated EWA requirement described in the attached PWS. The capabilities statement should summarize the organization s EWA platform and employee-support capabilities; relevant experience with Federal or similarly regulated payroll-system integrations; FedRAMP, security, privacy, and Section 508 capabilities; financial capacity to fund wage advances; approach to transaction liability and Government-shutdown continuity; comparable past performance; anticipated implementation approach and timeline; and ability to provide performance reporting, transition support, and transparent employee fee disclosures. Respondents may also identify recommended refinements or considerations for TSA s future acquisition approach. Responses to Government Questions, No Page Limit: In addition to the cover letter and capabilities statement, interested parties should provide concise responses to the following questions. Responses may be included as an attachment and should identify the corresponding question number. Should earned wages be calculated using official time and attendance data? Please describe the recommended approach and rationale. How does the respondent recommend receiving employee salary, pay-rate, and hours-worked information? What cadence does the respondent recommend for receiving salary, pay-rate, and time-and-attendance data files? What controls would the contractor use to prevent employee disbursements from exceeding actual available net pay? How would corrections, retroactive adjustments, late timecard changes, leave-without-pay, and other no-pay situations be handled? How would debt collection be handled if an overpayment occurs? How would the contractor ensure that the service does not interfere with statutory deductions, including court-ordered deductions, tax liens, or other payroll obligations? Would there be a cutoff time or cutoff date for daily payments within each pay period? If so, please describe. How would the contractor s process align with the NFC payroll-processing cycle, pay-period closeout, and official pay day? How would pay reconciliation occur each pay period between contractor disbursements and NFC payroll? In the event of a lapse in appropriations or Federal Government shutdown, how would pay availability be calculated if current payroll or time-and-attendance transmissions are unavailable or delayed? Would the contractor provide a customer-support desk for employee questions, payment issues, corrections, and disputes? Please describe available support channels, hours of operation, escalation procedures, and anticipated response times. What is the proposed process for handling employees who transfer to another organization or separate from TSA? Does the respondent anticipate a need to integrate with internal TSA or other Government systems, such as NFC? If integration is anticipated, what data elements would the contractor s system require? Would the proposed system use a Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), on-premises, hybrid, or other deployment model? What browsers, devices, operating systems, or client-side software would be required for employees and Government administrators to use the system? Would the contractor system include artificial intelligence, machine learning, automation, predictive analytics, generative artificial intelligence, or algorithmic decision-support functionality? If so, please describe the functionality and its intended use. What other Federal agencies or Government customers, if…