SWITCHING COMMERCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS TO ITC
Effective summer 2018, UTM will complete its transition of commerce management systems from Blackboard to ITC. The commerce management system allows UTM to manage funds, like meal plan funds and print/copy funds, attached to the TCard. The commerce management system includes the supporting database, administrative and reporting software, online fund management software, and point-of-sale hardware for UTM food service outlets and related partners that accept TCard as payment.
Once the transition is complete, the transition to the new commerce management system will appear virtually seamless for students, staff, and faculty who have accounts attached to their TCard – all of your accounts and respective balances will transfer over to the new system.
For more information on the impact of the transition to ITC and how it will affect your TCard, please see below:
- Will I have to get a new TCard?
No, your current TCard will still be valid for all services that were previously accessible through your TCard.
Please note: all of UofT is converting to a new TCard with tap technology. UTM, however, has been using TCard’s with tap technology for over 2 years now.
- Will my TCard have to be reprogrammed?
Only if you want to access your meal plan and print/copy funds using the tap function. The only reprogramming that is required is that of the contactless chip on your TCard, which is one of the ways that your TCard accesses your meal plan and print/copy funds.
Please note: your magnetic stripe will still access your meal plan and print/copy funds without any reprogramming of the chip, but you will not be able to use the tap function of your TCard until the contactless chip is reprogrammed.
- How do I reprogram my TCard?
We will place self-serve reprogramming stations around campus, including near the Hospitality & Retail Services Office, near the IT Help Desk, at the Library, and near the larger food service outlets, where you can reprogram the contactless chip on your TCard in less than 5 seconds. All you have to do is swipe your TCard to access the required information and tap your TCard to program the chip. That’s it. Because you can still access your meal plan and print/copy funds using the magnetic stripe on your card, there is no immediate need to reprogram your chip – do it at your own convenience.
- Will my TCard change?
No - the look and feel of the TCard will not change – all of the functional elements – the magnetic stripe, the bar code, and the contactless chip – on the TCard can still be used and will still pull the same information required for any operation that currently uses the TCard. The reprogramming of your contactless chip is only required if you want to continue to use the tap function of your TCard to access your meal plan and print/copy funds.
- Why is this change being made?
UTM’s contract with its commerce management system, Blackboard, expired. As a result, UTM posted a Request for Proposal for a new commerce management system. Through this process, ITC was selected as the winning bidder by proposing and implementing a commerce management system that will best meet the needs of the UTM community. Additionally, the ITC system will address challenges that UTM was unable to address with its previous system, further benefitting UTM students and other TCard users.
- UTSC and St. George use Blackboard as their commerce management systems – why is UTM going with ITC?
Through the Request for Proposal (RFP) – a public tender process that follows Broader Public Sector procurement guidelines and acts in accordance with the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (formerly the Agreement on Internal Trade) – UTM provided the opportunity for all vendors who provide commerce management systems for post-secondary institutions to submit proposals to UTM based on the scope of work and requirements specified in the RFP. The scope of work and requirements specified in the RFP included administrative and service issues that were brought forward by UTM stakeholders of the commerce management system, including students, Hospitality & Retail Services staff, I&ITS staff, and staff from UTM’s food service contractor. After the bid submissions were measured against the evaluation criteria outlined in the RFP, UTM’s evaluation committee, which included members of Hospitality & Retail Services, I&ITS, and Procurement Services, determined that ITC’s proposal best met the requirements laid out in the RFP and, consequently, would provide the best solution to meet the needs of the UTM community.
- If UTM is going with ITC, will I still be able to use my TCard at UTSC and at St. George campuses?
Yes – any functionality of your TCard or any accounts that you have attached to your TCard that can be used for services at UTSC or at St. George will not change.
- What other changes will I expect from the transition to ITC?
In the short-term, the look of the point-of-sale devices as well as the online process to add funds, monitor balances, and view purchase histories will be different. However, you can expect additional functionality over the previous system that will provide greater convenience and security to you. Additionally, speed of service and transaction accuracy, particularly for meal plan users, will drastically improve.
In the long-term, the transition to the new system better positions UTM to leverage the changes that the central TCard Office has recently made to the TCard. Additionally, UTM can more readily add to the number of services that can be accessed by using your TCard and by using the funds attached to your TCard.
If you have any questions regarding the transition from Blackboard to ITC, please come see us at the Hospitality & Retail Services Office (DV3127) or contact us at 905-569-4795 or at hospitality.utm@utoronto.ca.