SNAP EBT Planning Consultant

TeleSolv is seeking an experienced SNAP EBT Planning Consultant to support the planning, procurement, implementation and testing of South Dakota’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Electronic Benefits Transfer services. The consultant will provide business, technical and project-planning expertise throughout the development of the request for proposals, evaluation process, advance-planning documentation and system-testing activities. The engagement is expected to continue through 2029. The consultant will maintain the project timeline and help ensure that activities satisfy applicable Government deadlines and requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Review the SNAP EBT services request for proposals and recommend revisions needed to address current federal requirements, policy guidance, procedures, technical standards, the Agricultural Act of 2018 and subsequent amendments, and Quest operating rules applicable to SNAP.
• Research, identify and incorporate South Dakota’s business and technical requirements into updated RFP drafts.
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive project timeline, including activities, milestones, deliverables and applicable Government deadlines.
• Participate in project calls concerning the re-procurement RFP and Advanced Planning Document.
• Help evaluate and implement recommendations and required changes issued by the Government.
• Develop a proposal-evaluation plan addressing technical and cost criteria, pricing evaluation, scoring guidelines, evaluator training and score compilation.
• Prepare evaluator training materials, scoring documents and award-summary documents.
• Plan and support evaluator training through an on-site or virtual format.
• Develop and submit Implementation Advanced Planning Documents and required updates for Government approval.
• Prepare IAPD components including:
• Transmittal letter
• Executive summary
• Functional requirements
• General system design
• Capacity study
• Project management plan and resource requirements
• Security planning
• Training plan
• Schedule of activities, milestones and deliverables
• Cost-allocation plan
• Proposed budget
• Ensure planning documents comply with the current version of FNS Handbook 901 and applicable federal regulations.
• Provide comprehensive test-administration services addressing program requirements, design specifications, performance, usability, capacity and security.
• Plan and coordinate unit, integration, performance, end-to-end, user-acceptance, regression and fail-safe testing.
• Coordinate testing activities with the EBT processor to promote consistency, accuracy and completeness.
• Develop and manage test databases, test cases, scripts, schedules and acceptance procedures.
• Define Go/No-Go criteria and contingency plans, including potential reversion to the legacy system if rollout is delayed or the new system is unusable.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

• Knowledge of SNAP EBT program operations and services.
• Expertise in public-sector procurement and RFP development.
• Knowledge of applicable federal regulations, policy guidance and technical standards.
• Familiarity with the Agricultural Act of 2018, subsequent amendments and Quest operating rules applicable to SNAP.
• Ability to develop technical and cost evaluation criteria, pricing structures and scoring methodologies.
• Experience preparing Advanced Planning Documents, implementation plans or comparable Government planning submissions.
• Knowledge of FNS Handbook 901 requirements.
• Experience developing project schedules, milestones, resource plans, training plans, security plans and budgets.
• Expertise in system-test planning and administration.
• Ability to develop test cases, scripts, databases, acceptance procedures, Go/No-Go criteria and contingency plans.
• Strong technical writing, research, documentation and stakeholder-coordination skills.
• Ability to work independently while coordinating effectively with Government representatives, evaluators and technical vendors.

Qualifications

• Develop and revise SNAP EBT procurement documents.
• Interpret and apply federal program requirements and technical standards.
• Prepare implementation advance-planning documentation.
• Design proposal-evaluation methods and evaluator-training materials.
• Plan, document, coordinate and administer comprehensive EBT system testing.
• Work remotely and travel to South Dakota when required