LOGIS Blog

Utility Billing Bill Print Outsourcing

Date Posted: 08/09/11

Utility Billing cities have been working diligently this summer to initiate their bill print outsourcing by setting up meetings with potential mailing vendors and requesting quotes. There are currently three cities working with their selected vendors to program EBP (Electronic Bill Print) files into the CIS Infinity bill print format; several others are close to finalizing their vendor selection.

The EBP file is a flat file that contains all of the billing information needed to create the physical paper bill. The mailing vendor uses this file to program the bill print to exactly match the city’s CIS Infinity bill. Another file transfer option is to export the current cycle bills to a .pdf (Acrobat file) and send it to the vendor for printing and mailing. While the preferred file transfer option is the use of a .pdf, not all vendors have that option available.

Considering that 15 cities or more of our membership are in the process of outsourcing their utility bill printing, and that the majority is pursuing a similar vendor base, it could be very beneficial for the cities to share their vendor outsourcing information. Sharing of this information would not only reduce the outsourcing search and implementation timeline, but may also provide the opportunity for cities to pool their requirements and subsequently reduce their overall costs.

Please note that cities should complete their bill print outsourcing by first quarter 2012.

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Category: Utility Billing