Core banking plaform providers: Request for Information

Introduction

Central Liverpool Credit Union (CLCU) is issuing this Request for Information (RfI) to suppliers of core banking software. It is considering replacing its current platform in summer 2023.

CLCU has 13,000 active members holding a mix of 22,000 different savings and loan accounts. The Credit Union processes around 1 million transactions per year. It is currently enjoying record month on month growth in members, loans and savings balances.

The RfI is deliberately short. At this stage, CLCU is requesting short responses about functionality matched against core requirements.

Providers able to meet requirements (directly or through integrations) may then be invited to submit a Request for Proposal (RfP). We will not be asking any short-listed provider to repeat responses given in the RfI. It will be a more practical assessment process.

An eco-system approach

Fundamentally, the platform provider must integrate. Only suppliers with a proven history of successful API-based integrations should respond to this RfI.

By eco-system we mean a core banking platform based on open APIs. It must have the ability to link to other services and features through integrations. These must include credit decisioning, analytics, payments, e-signatures and credit control. This list is not exhaustive. Customer Relationship Management is considered specifically.

A provider may offer the above services themselves. However CLCU must have the ability to easily swap out for another software service without technological or contractual constraints.

Customer relationship management (CRM)

CRM is a key requirement. A provider may offer a CRM, but CLCU must be able to swap out for another provider if preferred. Any external CRM must be fully integrated. If this isn’t currently possible or on the roadmap, please do not respond to this RfI.

The CRM will record every contact with existing and potential members through all channels (online chat, email, telephone, in person). This information will be used to support marketing campaigns and better target services. The CRM will support and manage pipelines and workflow within the Credit Union.

Other requirements

In line with CLCU’s eco-system approach, a provider may not offer all functionality.

We have provided five options for your response:

• Out of the box: This is part of your standard offer, albeit configuration may be required
• We are currently building this: This is in your roadmap and under active construction
• We'd need to build this: This isn’t in your roadmap but there’s a willingness to consider it
• Out of scope - we won't build this: This isn’t in your roadmap, and nor will it be
• We have an integration for this: There is a production API for this
• We will need to build an integration for this: We will consider building an API for this

For each of the above responses, we require an estimate of time to meet a requirement. If this is out of the box or there’s no intention to build the response will be not applicable.

Time estimate relates to elapsed time from start to deployment. This is not an estimate of time to build. For example a requirement may only take 5 hours of developer time to code, but perhaps this isn’t on the roadmap until three months’ hence. Therefore the estimated time is months.

We are looking for an idea of how long it would take from requirements gathering, though development and staging to production.

• Hours: This is a relatively simple task that could be deployed in 8 hours or less
• Days: This could be completed within five working days
• Weeks: This may take up to one month
• Months: This would take a number of months
• N/A: Out of the box, or no intention to build

In addition we have provided a comments box. This is not a mandatory field and there are no additional 'points' for filling it in. The RfI is intended to be a quick document to complete, so only use the comments box if you need to provide context to your response.

Contractual basis

CLCU is open to discussions about contractual agreement and pricing. However a roadmap for future development must be included. This RfI is not seeking information on pricing at this stage. Some requirements will need to be built, configured or integrations deployed. We expect final cost will become apparent at the Request for Proposal stage. CLCU does expect contractual coverage for any to be built requirements.

Timing

23rd January: RfI issued

31st January: Deadline for any clarification questions

1 February: Publication of clarification questions

28th February:  Deadline for submission

31st March: Successful responses invited to full tender