A. The County is customer service oriented and respects all its citizens. The County firmly believes in a positive approach in dealing with debtors. The Contractor shall not use tactics that may be interpreted as harassment or as demeaning or that may reflect poorly on the County's efforts. The County will review and disallow any collection enforcement procedures not consistent with the County’s desires. However, this shall not be construed as the County making a judgment on the legality of methods employed by the Contractor. B. The Contractor shall exercise high ethical standards in its collection philosophy and techniques. C. The Contractor shall conduct its collection business in a professional manner, which will preserve the dignity of the County and its relationship with its citizens. D. If the County receives complaints regarding the Contractor’s collection process, the Contractor shall cooperate with the County and make available to the County for review any documents or telephone recordings between the Contractor’s staff and person(s) making the complaints. E. The Contractor shall maintain a local office within the State of Washington and local primary contact within the jurisdiction of the County. F. The Contractor shall assign a specific point of contact for communications between King County and the Contractor. G. The Contractor shall exercise its best, prudent and lawful efforts to secure collections on all accounts referred by the County. The Contractor shall conduct all collection activities in compliance with all federal and Washington State laws including those set forth in Section 2.17 Legal Requirements below, and any applicable code provisions or policy the County may enact. H. The Contractor shall not initiate any legal action against debtors without the prior written consent of the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
