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Page 7 – Alabama WIC Vendor Agreement FY 2027-2029 maintain this Agreement in force for its entire term. 3. The Agreement does not constitute a license or property interest. 4. If the Vendor wants to stay authorized beyond the period of this Agreement, the Vendor must reapply for authorization. 5. If a Vendor is disqualified, the Department will terminate the Vendor’s Agreement and the Vendor will have to reapply in order to be authorized after the disqualification period is over. 6. The Vendor shall maintain a consistent selling price to cost ratio or “mark-up” among its non-authorized and authorized WIC foods; the fact that foods are authorized for the WIC Program shall have no bearing on price to cost ratio or “mark- up.” 7. Vendor eWIC transactions and redemptions shall be subject to continual evaluation for WIC Program compliance errors and violations. The Department may require repayment, and impose sanctions regarding eWIC transactions and redemptions consistent with the requirements of this Agreement and federal and state law and regulations. 8. If the Vendor’s presented price exceeds the Vendor’s peer group MARL, the Vendor will be paid at the MARL price without prior notification. 9. Failure to comply with the Department’s policies for creating and mapping store or manufacturer generated fresh fruit/vegetable UPCs and updating the APL shall result in the Vendor’s financial liability for WIC sales transactions involving invalid or unauthorized UPC Codes. 10. Only the WIC participant may enter the PIN to initiate the transaction. The Vendor or any store personnel must not enter the PIN for the WIC participant. 11. Vendors using a stand-beside POS device provided by the Alabama eWIC service provider must execute a service agreement with the Alabama eWIC service provider. Such service agreement must be in force throughout the period of the Alabama WIC Vendor Agreement as a condition of participation as an authorized WIC Vendor. 12. The Vendor shall notify the Department if the stand-beside POS device service agreement with the Alabama eWIC service provider is terminated. Any state provided or eWIC service provider stand-beside POS device must be returned to the respective party upon termination of a service agreement, disqualification, or termination of the Alabama WIC Vendor Agreement. 13. The Department is not liable for costs to repair stand-beside POS devices provided by the Alabama WIC Program or the eWIC service provider, unless such damage is caused by stand-beside equipment malfunction which did not result from improper use of equipment or negligence on the part of the Vendor. 14. The Department may remove excess stand-beside POS devices if actual redemption activity warrants a reduction consistent with the redemption levels outlined in 7 CFR § 246.12(z)(2)(i) and (z)(2)(ii). 15. The Department will not pay or reimburse the Vendor for the interchange fees related to eWIC transactions. 16. The Department is not responsible for ongoing maintenance, processing fees, or operational costs for any Vendor utilizing multi-function systems and equipment, unless the Alabama WIC Program determines the Vendor is necessary for participant access. Multi-function systems are those systems that support tender types in addition to eWIC, such as credit, debit, and SNAP or cash EBT. 17. Vendor’s POS system must meet state certification requirements, including interoperability and Alabama eWIC service provider requirements, prior to being placed in operation to accept eWIC transactions. 18. The Department will not accept eWIC transactions if the Vendor’s eWIC system is reconfigured or modified by the Vendor and/or other parties in such a way that the WIC in-store system no longer exhibits the required system accuracy, integrity, or performance required under which requirements the WIC in-store system was certified. 19. Vendor is liable for the costs of all recertification events. 20. Failure to seek recertification when the Vendor’s system is altered/revised shall subject the Vendor to financial liabilities for all eWIC transactions. 21. All eWIC technical issues must be resolved through the company that maintains the Vendor’s system. 22. The Department conducts routine monitoring visits. The routine monitoring visit is an overt, on-site monitoring visit during which a program representative identifies themselves to Vendor personnel. 23. The Department conducts compliance buy investigations. The compliance buy investigation utilizes an investigative agent posing as a WIC participant transacting eWIC cards. 24. The Department conducts inventory audits. An inventory audit is the official examination and documentation of a WIC Vendor’s inventory, accounts, and records to determine whether the Vendor has purchased sufficient quantities of supplemental foods to provide participants the quantities redeemed during a given time period. 25. Each compliance activity (routine monitoring, compliance buy investigations, and inventory audits) may result in the applicable sanction if a WIC Program violation is found. 26. If eWIC transactions are not processed as set forth in the Vendor Agreement or a WIC Program violation