The V.I. Department of Human Services has opened bidding for the next contractor responsible for the territory’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Electronic Benefits Transfer system, the infrastructure through which eligible Virgin Islands households receive and access their monthly food benefits.
The territory-wide request for proposals was made available August 24 and seeks an Electronic Benefits Transfer, or EBT, contractor for SNAP services. Proposals are due November 23 at 4:30 p.m., according to the Government of the Virgin Islands’ GVIBUY procurement system. The solicitation is an open RFP, and no estimated contract value has been publicly disclosed.
The procurement comes as the government’s existing agreement with Fidelity Information Services, LLC approaches expiration. Department of Property and Procurement records presented to the Legislature show that Fidelity currently operates the SNAP EBT system under a renewal of Contract P037DHSC17. That renewal runs from December 1, 2024 through November 30, 2026, carries a value of $333,333.30, and is supported by local and federal funds.
The new solicitation does not mean Fidelity will necessarily be replaced. The procurement is competitive, and an award has not yet been made. The government is instead seeking proposals for the next period of EBT operations as the existing agreement reaches its scheduled end.
Electronic Benefits Transfer is the mechanism that allows SNAP benefits approved by Human Services to be delivered electronically and spent by recipients at authorized retailers. DHS says eligible Virgin Islanders receive their benefits on the territory’s “Sun, Sand & Sea” EBT card, which functions similarly to a debit card for purchasing qualifying food items. Monthly SNAP benefits are loaded onto those cards for recipients to access electronically.
That function is separate from deciding who qualifies for SNAP. Human Services determines eligibility and benefit levels, while the EBT system provides the electronic infrastructure through which approved benefits are made available and transactions are processed.
The territory has relied on Fidelity for that function for years. The original 2017 contract required the company to implement and operate an EBT system providing eligible households throughout the U.S. Virgin Islands with electronic access to SNAP benefits. The contract also required compliance with applicable federal and territorial laws and the operating standards governing EBT transactions.
Property and Procurement’s historical contract listing shows that the original Fidelity agreement began in September 2017. Subsequent renewal action has kept the system under Fidelity’s operation through the current November 2026 expiration date.
The new GVIBUY posting identifies the procurement as a blanket purchase and lists a contract period beginning October 1, 2026 and ending October 1, 2030. However, that published start date precedes the November 23 bid-opening deadline and also overlaps with the existing Fidelity agreement, which runs through November 30. The public procurement record does not explain that scheduling discrepancy.
The solicitation includes a formal RFP package and supporting professional-services documents. The public listing categorizes the work as professional services and describes the single procurement item as an EBT contractor needed to provide SNAP services for the Department of Human Services throughout the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The procurement comes during a consequential period for the territory’s SNAP program. New federal requirements that took effect September 1 expanded work-related conditions for certain recipients, with Human Services officials estimating that approximately 5,000 Virgin Islanders could be affected. The territory is also facing an increase in its required share of SNAP administrative costs to 75 percent in fiscal year 2027.
For fiscal year 2026, SNAP maximum monthly benefits in the Virgin Islands range from $383 for a one-person household to $1,278 for a household of four, with larger allotments available for larger qualifying households. Those benefits ultimately depend on the EBT infrastructure covered by the new procurement to reach recipients electronically.
DPP lists the solicitation as BD-26-720-7201-672. Bids remain open through November 23, after which the government can evaluate proposals and select a contractor. Until an award is announced, no company has been selected to operate the next phase of the territory’s SNAP EBT system.
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