Business (For- and Not-for-Profit)

Appendix F19

Round 1
Third Party Processors (TPPs) Interview Guide

Third Party Processors (TPPs) Interview Guide

Round 1: Implementation

The purpose of Round 1 Interviews is to document the HIP design, development and implementation process. This guide is intended for use in interviewing applicable third party processors (TPPs) concerning the initial stages of HIP. The interviews will take place approximately 6 to 8 weeks before the implementation of HIP.

It is anticipated that interviews will occur over approximately a one week period and will be completed by phone. Persons to be interviewed will include:

• The TPP’s Technical Contact with the applicable store or stores in Hampden County and, if different, TPP’s technical contact with ACS, the EBT contractor. (responsible for the technical aspects of the changes necessary to implement HIP at the integrated and third party retailers and ACS)

• The TPP’s Relationship Contact with the store or stores in Hampden County (responsible for the store relationship with the integrated retailer)

Interviews will include the following questions. Additional follow-up questions are anticipated, to clarify or expand responses.

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 90 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Research and Analysis, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1014, Alexandria, VA 22302 ATTN: PRA (0584-xxxx). Do not return the completed form to this address.

GENERAL INFORMATION

1. Date and Time of Interview

2. Name(s) and Title(s) of Respondent(s)

3. Location of Interview

4. Provide a brief description of the respondent’s normal job functions and those specifically related to the HIP implementation.

HIP INITIATION

5. How and when did you first learn about the HIP project?

6. Describe your company’s involvement in HIP grant application process.

HIP IMPLEMENTATION

7. Which stores in Hampden County are your customers?

   1. Are you making your system modifications available to all of your Hampden County customers (i.e., integrated retailers and third party retailers)?

8. How and at what point did your firm receive the requirements for system changes that would be required?

   1. How useful and complete were the requirements as provided?

   2. Did you participate directly in any design sessions with ACS or with your stores? If so, please describe.

9. What changes were required and made to your TPP system to meet HIP requirements and what is the status of these changes?

   1. Are changes in settlement and/or reporting required?

   2. Are you making the same changes statewide for all your participating clients’ stores or just those in Hampden County? Please describe.

   3. Did the proposed HIP implementation schedule give you sufficient time for systems development, testing, certification internally and implementation at your stores? Please describe.

   4. What were the greatest challenges in making TPP system modifications and how were they addressed?

10. Has your TPP system been tested and certified since making the modifications for HIP?

    1. Were there any issues during testing and how were they resolved?

    2. Were there additional activities or support that would have allowed you to better ensure that changes were successfully tested and certified?

RETAILER SUPPORT

11. Does your company have a role in downloading the point of sale (POS) terminal software in the checkout lanes at the stores?

    1. If so, what is that role and how is that monitored?

    2. What additional support is provided to your retailer customers to prepare for HIP implementation?

12. What is your role, if any, in the training store staff on the changes?

    1. If so, have you provided or scheduled store training? Please describe.

    2. If you have provided store training, what elements of HIP have been most difficult for retailers to understand and why?

ISSUES/LESSONS LEARNED

13. Looking back, is there anything you would have changed about the implementation process?

14. Other than previously discussed, what issues, if any, have you encountered during implementation and how were they resolved?

15. What lessons learned can be derived from your experiences to date?