Catalist

About Government Merchant Acquiring

Government Merchant Acquiring (GMA) is a service that offers Public Sector organisations the ability to accept credit and debit card payments from both businesses and the general public.

Collection of payments for a wide variety of goods and services within the Public Sector is very often limited to cash, cheque or Direct Debit, with little scope outside these payment methods for citizens or organisations to pay by alternative, more efficient and effective means. Accepting payment by card provides customers with a convenient and often cheaper alternative to the traditional cash or cheque payment methods.

The GMA Framework Agreement facilitates over the counter and Internet or telephone payments and enables all UK Public Sector organisations to benefit from a pre-negotiated contract that has been fully tendered through the OJEU process. It provides a variety of payment facilities and options for organisations, ranging from individual Chip and Pin terminals to fully integrated, automatic Internet-based solutions.

The new service can be used to accept payments from customers, suppliers and citizens typically for:

• Student fees Community Charge, Business Tax and other local taxation
• Fines & Court Fees
• Car Parking & Toll Fees
• Rent, Planning Fees, Leisure Centre/Gymnasium, Function Rooms, Catering & Corporate hospitality
• Meals on Wheels/home help
• Licence fees
• Charity donations
• Hospital & dental fees

OGCbuying.solutions manages the Framework Agreement and has a full time team who deal with the day-to-day running of the Framework and any issues and queries that may arise. The team also conduct contract and performance management reviews of the banks and work closely with them to continually develop the Framework, ensuring it embraces new technology.

They are also available to provide advice on carrying out further competitions in line with the revised EU Regulations and are committed to continually developing the Payment Cards web site.

To start receiving credit and debit card payments all you need to do is approach one of the four acquiring banks, who have significant resources that will guide you through the process of setting up the service.

Benefits

The benefits of the Government Merchant Acquiring Framework Agreement include:

• Access to a fully EU Compliant pre-tendered contract which eliminates the need to undertake a costly tender process
• Framework is let on Government Terms and Conditions and not the banks
• Low set-up costs and management fees
• Preferential rates for processing card payments and hiring terminals
• Improved cash flow - banks accounts credited within 3-4 working days
• No cash and cheque handling costs
• Fast, secure, easy transactions
• 24/7 bill payment facilities
• Facilitates the acceptance of online payments
• Access to the latest bank technology and service offerings
• Greater choice and more convenient payment options for customers
• Improved Management Information (MI)
• Ongoing independent advice available from Buying Solutions to ensure customers have a service tailored to their requirements