The Resource Shelf: The Official 2026 Flex Card RFP Cheat Sheet

Your RFP for a 1/1/27 flex card program is an opportunity to look ahead. What elements should you include that help you compete today and innovate tomorrow, as new regulations are written? Your future program should deliver a seamless member experience, simplify your operations, meet evolving regulatory requirements, and tie dollars to outcomes. Here’s what your RFP should address. 

Member Experience and Engagement 

• Accuracy at point of sale is non-negotiable. Ask vendors for their transaction approval rates and how they maintain them. High decline rates frustrate members, drive up call center volume, and hurt retention. Look for solutions that ingest and refresh daily retailer assortment files to ensure item-level accuracy. 
• Your flex card is your members’ most frequent touchpoint with the Plan. Use it as a communications channel by adding engagement communications. Ask vendors if they offer a mobile-optimized portal, an app with item scanning and store locator features, SMS and email communications, IVR functionality, and a U.S.-based call center. What is their roadmap for future communication channels? Meeting members where they are isn’t optional. 
• Real-time notifications keep members informed. Ask how vendors are providing members information at key moments, like card activation, transactions, benefit reloads, and clinical care gap closure reminders. 
• Customer service is the face (and voice) of your plan. Ask about quantitative call center measures for key SLAs. Ask for visuals of real in-market admin screens, so you can see the type of information agents have access to. Does it include detailed, item-level transaction data? When members call with questions, make sure agents have the right information to answer them accurately on the first try. 

Administrative and Operational Efficiency 

• Implementation shouldn’t be painful. Ask vendors how it works, how many people are involved, how many hours it takes, and what the NPS was of last year’s implementations. And always ask for references. The right vendor should handle the majority of the work, minimizing strain on your team and ensuring you launch on time. 
• If your flex card is more than just a marketing tactic, you need program data transparency. Ask vendors if they provide item-level transaction data for CMS reporting (837-ready format) and ongoing benefit design optimization. Ask to see examples of their provided eligibility file management tools, downloadable reports and dashboards, and support ticket tracking. Pro tip: Have your teams make a data wish list before you craft the RFP, so you can ask for exactly what they need. 
• Understand the funding model. Ask vendors if they use an FBO (For the Benefit Of) account structure, so you retain full ownership and control of funds, unspent dollars return to the plan, and there’s no reconciliation or recovery process to manage. 
• How do you want account management to work? Ask vendors if they assign both an Account Manager and Customer Success Manager from the start of implementation. Their co-leadership prevents abrupt handoffs and ensures continuity. Ask for the recommended cadence of regular stewardship meetings to review performance throughout the year. If it isn’t monthly, they likely aren’t paying close enough attention to your plan. 

Compliance and Technology 

• How did the vendor enter the space? Ask whether their platform was purpose-built for healthcare or was adapted from other technologies, like gift cards or HSA. Ask if they are open loop or closed loop and whether they operate the network or license it. There is a big difference in accuracy, flexibility, and data visibility between vendors with direct integrations and those that are third party. Regulatory alignment is critical, especially with CMS’s 2026 Final Rule prohibiting SSBCI use for alcohol, tobacco, non-healthy food, and life insurance.  Ask how the vendor creates approved product lists, how often they can be changed, and how they restrict ineligible items from being covered. Ask for quantitative accuracy rates – if they don’t provide them, that’s a red flag. 
• Your program is unique. Ask vendors how they approach flexibility and customization of approved products lists.  
• Data security is the key to managing fraud, waste, and abuse. Ask if the vendor uses an open-loop network that doesn’t store full card details. This open-loop structure protects against fraudulent use by administrators or agents. 

Your RFP is a reflection of your strategy. Make it work hard to get Plan Year 2027 off to a great start.