- Bureau of the Fiscal Service
- Cross-Servicing
- Private Collection Agencies

# Private Collection Agencies

The Bureau of the Fiscal Service first tries to collect the debt in several ways. If the debt remains unpaid, we send it to a private collection agency, or PCA.

A PCA is a private company that specializes in collecting overdue (delinquent) debts from individuals and businesses.

For more about the legal authority for using PCAs, read about the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996.

## PCA Duties

The PCA tries to find and contact the debtor by searching various databases, making phone calls, and sending collection letters.

When the PCA reaches the debtor, it may help resolve the debt by:          - negotiating full or partial payment,
- setting up an agreement for how the debtor will pay over time,
- administrative wage garnishment (where an employer pays the debt over time from the debtor's wages), or,
- finding that the debt may be resolved administratively.

## Current PCAs

### Fiscal Service awards PCA Task Orders

Fiscal Service awards task orders to PCAs for debt collection services under a General Services Administration Schedule.

Fiscal Service’s current task orders to enlist the services of PCA contractors became effective on January 26, 2018. These task orders were awarded to increase the recovery of and resolve delinquent non-tax federal debts. The task orders were awarded for one base year, with four one-year options available.

Fiscal Service awarded task orders to the following contractors to provide delinquent debt collection services:

> 
The CBE Group, Inc.              P.O. Box 2040              Waterloo, IA 50704-2040              Phone number for consumer debts: 1-866-895-4766              Phone number for commercial debts: 1-855-459-1134

ConServe, Inc.              P.O. Box 1528              Fairport, NY 14450              Phone number for consumer debts: 1-866-547-0501              Phone number for commercial debts: 1-866-562-3255

Pioneer Credit Recovery, Inc.              P.O. Box 189              Arcade, NY 14009              Phone number for consumer debts: 1-877-907-1820              Phone number for commercial debts: 1-888-261-7783

Coast Professional, Inc.              P.O. Box 246              Geneseo, NY 14454              Phone number for consumer debts: 1-800-963-5258              Phone number for commercial debts: 1-800-963-4793

Transworld Systems, Inc.              P.O. Box 15616              Wilmington, DE 19850              Phone number: 1-800-550-5069

### Oversight of Private Collection Agency (PCA) Contractors

PCA oversight is conducted by a dedicated staff in DMS. The oversight program is nearly 25 years old. The following describes the major parts of the oversight program.

- Debtor protections                 - PCAs must comply with all applicable federal and state statutes, laws and regulations.                     - Principal statutes: Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Privacy Act of 1974, Federal Claims Collection Standards 
  - PCAs must comply with any special rules or policies of agency programs pertaining to collection of debts owed to that agency
  - PCAs must record all collection calls and provide Debt Management with access                     - Debt Management uses these to verify compliance and investigate debtor complaints 
  - PCAs must grant Debt Management web access to Debt Management accounts on its collection system 
- Complaints against PCAs are rare:                 - Between August 18, 2018 – January 31, 2022:                       - Debt Management received complaints against less than 0.03% of debts distributed
    - Very few were substantiated- 0.00% of total debts distributed 
  - Debt Management takes all complaints seriously and thoroughly reviews each one
  - Debt Management reviews all PCA activities on accounts with complaints and listens to phone calls
  - Debt Management may request removal of a PCA employee from the task orders if they have 2 or more complaints that Debt Management finds concerning
  - Debt Managementmay recall debts from the PCA for substantiated complaints
  - PCAs are expected to take needed corrective actions 
- Debt Management staff perform annual PCA compliance reviews:                 - Debt Management samples accounts and uses a checklist that covers Task Order requirements
  - Debt Management issues a formal findings memo and PCAs must respond to each finding in writing with corrective actions
  - Failure to address areas of non-compliance can lead to discontinuing debt distributions, recalling accounts, up to terminating the task order 

Last modified 07/14/23

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