Request for Proposal S P R I N G F I E L D U T I L I T Y B O A R D MAIN OFFICE

Transcription

1 S P R I N G F I E L D U T I L I T Y B O A R D MAIN OFFICE Request for Proposal Proposal For: Mailing Services Proposal Number: Proposal Release Date: August 5, 2015 Proposal Due Date: August 21, 2015 (4:00 p.m.) Evaluation Period: August 24 28, 2015 Board Approval/Formal Award Date: September 9, 2015 Proposed Contract Start: September 16, 2015 Proposal Submittal Address: Eric Smith Springfield Utility Board Main Office 250 A Street / PO Box 300 Springfield, OR or- Via erics@subutil.com -or- Via Main Office Fax: Project Point of Contact #1: Eric Smith Billing & Meter Reading Manager Management Information Services Division Office erics@subutil.com Project Point of Contact #2: Cindy Flaherty Administrative Assistant Management Information Services Division Office cindyf@subutil.com RFP # * MAILING SERVICES Page 1

2 Request for Proposal Mailing Services Scope of Work Springfield Utility Board (SUB) is required to mail customer billing statements daily, excluding holidays. SUB seeks to contract with a qualified agency for the performance of mailing services. Services will include but are not limited to insertion, CASS certified intelligent mail bar-coding, printing, mailing of bill statements, and services for the dissemination of unscheduled marketing information to customers and individual pieces not covered in bulk rate. The information contained on SUB s customer billing statements/invoices is of a sensitive nature and cannot be shared with anyone. SUB s mailing list shall not be made available to anyone without written authorization by SUB. The contractor shall be familiar with the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act and shall have adopted policies and procedures to detect relevant red flags. In the performance of its services, the contractor shall be prepared to take all appropriate steps to prevent and mitigate identity theft. Proposed Contract Term SUB intends to award contract for a one-year period beginning September 16, 2015, and ending September 16, 2016, with an option based upon mutual agreement of SUB and contractor for renewal in annual increments for one (1) additional year. If SUB elects to renew the contract, it will be at the proposed annual price for the second optional year (see Price Proposal). There is no guarantee that the contract will be extended beyond the original year ending September 16, Contract shall not be renewed beyond September 16, See After Award for Contracting and Employment Regulations, and additional Terms and Conditions beginning on page 6 of this document. Respondent Responsibility Any information relative to this project will be available for prospective proposers at the SUB Main Office at 250 A Street, Springfield, Oregon The contact telephone number is Prior to submitting a proposal, proposer shall contact SUB for clarification of apparent irregularities or errors in the proposal documents. SUB reserves the right to waive minor irregularities or errors contained in the submitted proposal if the intent is clear. However, failure on the proposer s part to request clarification as stipulated above shall obligate the proposer to abide by SUB s decision as the intended meaning of any portion of the document. SUB reserves the right to reject any or all proposals. RFP # * MAILING SERVICES Page 2

3 Proposal Instructions Submitting a Proposal Closing Time: 4:00 p.m. Closing Date: August 21, 2015 Formal sealed proposals will be received until the closing time stated above by SUB s Management Information Services Division. See above for submittal and contact information. Proposals may be submitted via to: erics@subutil.com Proposals may also be submitted via fax: Attn: Eric Smith The entire proposal must arrive at the location and by the time specified for consideration. SUB shall not be responsible for any failure attributable to the transmission or receipt of the Fax Proposal including, but not limited to the following: a) Receipt of garbled or incomplete documents. b) Availability or condition of the receiving fax machine. c) Availability or serviceability of fax machine(s). d) Delay in transmission or receipt of documents. e) Illegibility of Proposal documents. f) Security and confidentiality of data. Respondent is responsible for confirmation of delivery of Proposal. SUB reserves the right to award the contract or purchase solely on the Fax Proposal. However, upon SUB request the successful proposer shall promptly submit its complete, original, signed proposal. Proposal Requirements The completed Questionnaire; including Price Proposal, Performance Specifications, Other Requested Information and References, shall be submitted together prior to the time of closing for proposals. (Submit pages 9-13 of this document and attach any additional information in response to Appendix A, etc.) Proposals shall be signed by an officer or duly authorized representative of the contractor, enclosed in a sealed envelope marked with the number of the proposal (RFP # ) for identification and addressed to: Eric Smith, SUB Main Office, 250 A Street (PO BOX 300), Springfield, OR Bidder Qualifications Under ORS 279A.110, bidders and proposers may be disqualified from bidding for violation of the laws concerning disadvantaged, minority, women or emerging small business enterprises. Bonds The successful bidder shall furnish, as part of execution of the contract, a corporate surety bond in an amount equal to the full amount of the contract. This bond shall be conditioned upon the faithful performance of the contract and upon payment of all persons supplying labor and materials for the construction of the work. The form and surety for the bond shall meet the approval of SUB and its attorney. RFP # * MAILING SERVICES Page 3

4 Financial Statement During the evaluation process, bidders may be requested to submit a current corporate financial statement including income statement and balance sheet for the latest year ending period. Proposal Acceptance or Rejection Proposals will be received at any time prior to closing on August 21, 2015, at 4:00 p.m. Only the names of the agencies submitting proposals will be made public at this time. Acceptance of proposals and award of contract will follow procedures provided in ORS Chapters 279A, 279B, and 279C, and in accordance with applicable SUB policies. The contractor acknowledges the right of SUB to reject all proposals and to waive any informality or irregularity in any proposal received. In addition, the contractor recognizes the right of SUB to reject a proposal if the contractor has failed to furnish the data required by the Request for Proposal documents, or if the proposal is in any way incomplete or irregular. SUB reserves the right to waive irregularities not affecting substantial rights. SUB reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and may reject, for good cause, any or all proposals upon a finding of SUB that it is in the public interest to do so. Proposal Evaluation A committee of SUB staff will evaluate the proposals. If necessary, the committee will conduct interviews with respondents to clarify information presented in the proposals. The following criteria will be evaluated: Experience and ability References Total cost to the Utility (SUB) Selection of Contractor Proposals are only an offer to contract, made by the Contractor. A contract is formed only if SUB accepts the proposal. The purchase or contract will be awarded to the lowest responsible Bidder who: has substantially complied with all prescribed procedures and requirements; has met the standards of responsibility and evaluative criteria; is capable of meeting the specifications; and is in compliance with applicable SUB policies. In making the award, SUB will consider the time of completion, the experience and responsibility of the contractors as well as the extension of estimated quantities at the unit prices. SUB reserves the right to reject any or all proposals or to waive irregularities not affecting substantial rights. Contract Award Based upon results of the evaluation, staff intends to recommend contract award to SUB s Board of Directors at the regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, September 9, The successful contractor will be notified of the formal award on the morning following the board meeting. Pending receipt of necessary certifications, a contract will be prepared for signature. RFP # * MAILING SERVICES Page 4

5 Protest Procedure 1. Bidders protesting this procurement shall follow the procedures described herein. Protests that do not follow these procedures shall not be considered. This protest procedure constitutes the sole administrative remedy available to bidders under this procurement. 2. All protests must be in writing and signed by the party or an authorized agent of the bidder. The protest must state all facts and arguments on which the protesting party is relying. All protests shall be addressed to: Attn: SUB MIS Director, PO Box 300, Springfield, OR Physical address is 250 A Street, Springfield. 3. Only protests stipulating an issue of fact concerning a matter of bias, discrimination or conflict of interest, or non-compliance with procedures described in the procurement document or SUB policy shall be considered. Protests not based on procedural matters will not be considered. 4. In the event a protest may affect the interest of any bidder, such bidder(s) will be given an opportunity to submit its views and any relevant information on the protest to the buyer. 5. Upon receipt of a protest, a protest review will be held by SUB to review the procurement process utilized. This is not a review of proposals submitted or the evaluation scores received. The review is to ensure agency policy and procedures were followed, all requirements were met and all bidders were treated equally and fairly. 6. Protests shall not be accepted by SUB prior to the actual award of the contract. The protest must be received by SUB within three (3) business days from the date of the notification or award letter. All protests not resolved by the buyer will be scheduled for hearing by SUB s Board of Directors designated as its contract review board. Decisions of the Board will be final. After Award Contracting and Employment Regulations SUB requires that all contractors/vendors comply with Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) wherever and whenever said statutes are not in conflict with requirements set forth under the Charter of the City of Springfield and the policies of SUB. The term in accordance with Oregon Revised Statutes shall be interpreted to mean statues as they appear at the time of proposal. Prospective bidders should avail themselves to the frequent changes that are made in said Statutes to comply with the law. The Statutes are listed on-line at the following link: The Equal Opportunity Clause required by Executive Order 11246, Part 11, Section 202, dated September 24, 1965, as amended and contained in the Office of the Federal Contract Compliance, Rules and Regulations, Chapter 60, Section (a) Regulation 41 CFR entitled Sex Discrimination and Executive Order 11625, promoting the use of minority business enterprises, are incorporated herein by reference. RFP # * MAILING SERVICES Page 5

6 Assignment Contractor shall not assign or sublet any contract or any part thereof resulting from this RFP without the previous written consent of SUB. Any assignment shall be evidenced by a written subcontract which shall be subject to the approval of SUB, and shall, at a minimum, bind such assignee or other subcontractor to all of the terms and conditions of this contract. Terms and Conditions Terms and Conditions apply. Terms and Conditions are located on the Bids & Proposals page of SUB s website; Insurance Requirements The following insurance coverage(s), in the amounts stated, will be required of the successful bidder. In submitting a quote, the bidder agrees that the following requirements will be met upon award of contract. A certificate of insurance evidencing all policies required shall be delivered to the SUB prior to the commencement of any work. A 30-day notice of cancellation clause shall be included in said certificate(s). SUB has the right to reject any certificate for unacceptable coverage and/or companies. Contractor/Vendor shall endeavor to obtain its insurers commitment to provide 30 calendar days advanced written notice to SUB before any reduction, cancellation or material change of any policy required herein. If the insurer is unwilling or unable to provide such commitment, the Contractor/Vendor shall provide SUB with the relevant sections of its policies describing how the insurer may reduce, modify, or cancel the insurance. Furthermore, the Contractor/Vendor has an affirmative duty to provide SUB with any notice the Contractor/Vendor receives regarding the reduction, modification, or cancellation of its insurance within 48 hours of Contractor/Vendor s receipt of such notice. Indemnification and Hold Harmless Contractor shall defend, indemnify and hold harmless SUB its agents, servants and employees from and against all claims, demands and judgment (including attorney fees) made or recovered against them including but not limited to damages to real or tangible personal property or for bodily injury or death to any person, arising out of, or in connection with any agreement which may come from this proposal, to the extent of such damage, injury or death is caused or sustained in connection with the performance by the contractor, or its employees, servants or agents. SUB shall promptly notify contractor in writing of any such claim or demand to indemnify and shall cooperate with contractor in a reasonable manner to facilitate the defense of such claim. Workers' Compensation Insurance Contractor shall provide its own Workers' Compensation coverage (ORS ) and provide SUB with evidence of such coverage or verification of their election not to be covered. (ORS (7), Sole Proprietors Exception) and assume full responsibility for any liability and exposure under law relating to Workers' Compensation because of any performance of services under any agreement which may be formed subsequent to this proposal and will hold SUB harmless for any industrial accidents that might occur in performance of the scope of work. SUB will not obtain any Workers' Compensation Insurance for the contractor or contractor's employees and subcontractors. RFP # * MAILING SERVICES Page 6

7 Commercial General Liability Insurance Contractor shall, at all times, carry a Comprehensive General Liability insurance policy for at least 1,000,000 combined single limits per occurrence and at least 2,000,000 in the aggregate, for Bodily Injury, Property Damage, and Personal Injury. Automobile Liability Insurance Contractor shall, at all times, carry Automobile Liability Insurance in the amount of 1,000,000 per occurrence for bodily injury and property damage. Professional Liability/Errors & Omissions Insurance Contractor shall, at all times, carry a Professional Liability/Errors and Omissions type policy with limits of at least 500,000. If this policy is a "claims made" type policy, the policy type and company shall be approved by the Risk Manager prior to commencement of any work which might result as an award of this proposal. SUB as Additional Insured Springfield Utility Board, its agents, employees and officials, all while acting within their official capacity as such, shall be named as an additional insured on the Commercial General and Automobile Liability Insurance above. Additional insured status shall apply both to work in progress and completed operations. Bond The successful bidder shall furnish, as part of execution of the contract, a corporate surety bond in an amount equal to the full amount of the contract. This bond shall be conditioned upon the faithful performance of the contract and upon payment of all persons supplying labor and materials for the construction of the work. The form and surety for the bond shall meet the approval of SUB and its attorney. Warranty Contractor warrants to SUB, for a period of one (1) year from the date of acceptance, that product(s)/service(s) will be free from defects in material and workmanship. Contractor agrees to repair or replace, at contractor s expense, any material or workmanship which shall be determined by SUB, to have been thus defective. Substitutions Each contractor represents that his proposal is based upon the specified materials and equipment described in the Proposal Documents. No substitutions will be considered unless written request has been submitted to SUB for approval at least seven (7) days prior to date proposals are due. All revision and/or substitution changes have to be approved in writing and mailed to: Eric Smith, Springfield Utility Board, 250 A Street, PO Box 300, Springfield, Oregon RFP # * MAILING SERVICES Page 7

8 Each substitution request shall include a written description of how the proposed alternative(s) differ from those specified, complete with drawings, photographs, samples and any other data or information necessary for a complete evaluation. Substitutions will be accepted only with the understanding that the contractor guarantees substituted methods to be equal or better than that specified and meets all requirements of the specifications. Safety In connection with performance of the work: Contractor shall abide with all current safety regulations of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and those of the Springfield Utility Board. Specifications The proposal document and specifications are considered by SUB to be complete, clear, and understandable. Any requirement indicated in either document and not in the other shall be construed to govern as though the same appeared in both documents. Bidders are notified that they are expected to examine the specifications, the amount and quality of equipment and labor required as well as with ANSI and OSHA specifications, federal, state and local laws pertinent to this inspection. Bidders shall notify SUB of any requirement stated in the Standard that is not consistent with ANSI or OSHA specifications. Payment Specifications The contractor shall submit a monthly invoice that lists service performed during the previous billing period in detail. Payment to contractor shall be made monthly upon invoice. RFP # * MAILING SERVICES Page 8

9 RFP # * MAILING SERVICES Questionnaire (Submit Pages 9 13 plus additional information as requested) *Response shall be made on the enclosed forms. Failure to do so may result in disqualification. SUB assumes no liability for availability or serviceability of fax machine(s). Responsibility for confirmation of delivery is solely the respondents. References Please provide if no work has been done for SUB in the previous 24 months. Bidder shall complete reference information of four (4) jobs of a similar nature to the work proposed, completed during the previous 24-month period. 1) Owner Project Name/ Description Performance Dates Contact Name/ Phone Number 2) Owner Project Name/ Description Performance Dates Contact Name/ Phone Number 3) Owner Project Name/ Description Performance Dates Contact Name/ Phone Number 4) Owner Project Name/ Description Performance Dates Contact Name/ Phone Number RFP # * MAILING SERVICES Page 9

10 RFP # * MAILING SERVICES Questionnaire Submit Pages 9 13 plus additional information as requested Price Proposal Year 1 of Contract I have carefully examined SUB s Scope of Work and Instruction to Bidders, and attached the completed questionnaire. I propose and agree to furnish all the services that I have listed for the following prices. * Printing statements (#1 and #13) is optional if the contractor can perform the other sorting and mailing functions outlined below. Prices during 1 st year of contract, September 16, 2015 to September 16, 2016 Item UOM Description / Quantity Price *1. Piece To print statements using a nightly file provided by SUB. Print must be black and print quality must be adequate enough to meet US Postal Service (USPS) approval of compatibility with the Merlin System. 2. Piece Fold and insert bill statement in envelope (estimate 1,000 2,500 per day) 3. Piece Insert return envelope in envelope with bill statement (estimate 1,000 2,500 per day) 4. Piece Insert additional items (i.e. marketing brochure) with item #2 & #3 5. Piece Fold and insert single sheet credit notices into Notice envelope (1 500 per day) 6. Piece Inset return envelope in envelope with credit notice 7. Daily Pickup mail at customer s location 8. Piece Process each envelope to apply a CASS Certified Intelligent Mail Barcode directly to the envelope to correspond with the address in the window of that envelope. 9. Daily Manually collate all statements so that multiple billing accounts to the same customer and/or location are inserted into one envelope. 10. Daily All mail is to be processed daily and mailed the same day the statements are printed. 11. Annual Professional Error & Omission Insurance with 5,000 limits (Optional. May not be required by SUB) 12. Daily See Appendix A Estimate of Postage costs for a typical day (in Year 1 of Contract), plus attach itemized estimate Prices shall be honored no less than 30 days after proposal opening. RFP # * MAILING SERVICES Page 10

11 RFP # * MAILING SERVICES Questionnaire Submit Pages 9 13 plus additional information as requested Price Proposal Optional Year 2 of Contract I have carefully examined SUB s Scope of Work and Instruction to Bidders, and attached the completed questionnaire. I propose and agree to furnish all the services that I have listed for the following prices. * Printing statements (#1 and #13) is optional if the contractor can perform the other sorting and mailing functions outlined below. Prices during Optional 2nd year of Contract, September 16, 2016 to September 16, 2017 Item UOM Description / Quantity Price *13. Piece To print statements using a nightly file provided by SUB. Print must be black and print quality must be adequate enough to meet US Postal Service (USPS) approval of compatibility with the Merlin System. 14. Piece Fold and insert bill statement in envelope (estimate 1,000 2,500 per day) 15. Piece Insert return envelope in envelope with bill statement (estimate 1,000 2,500 per day) 16. Piece Insert additional items (i.e. marketing brochure) with item #14 & # Piece Fold and insert single sheet credit notices into notice envelope (1 500 per day) 18. Piece Inset return envelope in envelope with credit notice 19. Daily Pickup mail at customer s location 20. Piece Process each envelope to apply a CASS Certified Intelligent Mail Barcode directly to the envelope to correspond with the address in the window of that envelope. 21. Daily Manually collate all statements so that multiple billing accounts to the same customer and/or location are inserted into one envelope 22. Daily All mail is to be processed daily and mailed the same day the statements are printed 23. Annual Professional Error & Omission Insurance with 5,000 limits (Optional. May not be required by SUB) 24. Daily See Appendix A Estimate of Postage costs for a typical day (in Optional Year 2 of Contract), plus attach itemized estimate Prices shall be honored no less than 30 days after proposal opening. RFP # * MAILING SERVICES Page 11

12 RFP # * MAILING SERVICES Questionnaire Submit Pages 9 13 plus additional information as requested Performance Specifications Responses to the following sections must be included with the proposal to receive full consideration. Contractors shall indicate Yes or No to each item. Performance Specifications for Entire Length of Contract YES NO 1. Capable of processing and mailing customer bill statements/credit notices on the same workday 2. Capable of delivering daily mail each working day directly to the Gateway Post Office (bulk mailing unit) 3. Process mail locally, within Eugene-Springfield area. 4. Capable of providing a climate controlled storage area for at least six months worth of billing and return envelopes and two months stock of marketing brochures. Estimated inventory: 250,000 billing envelopes, 250,000 return envelopes, 6,000 credit notice envelopes and 70,000 marketing brochures 5. Capable of combining multiple pages going to the same address into one envelope (marked electronically in the file or printed as an OMR code on the statement) 6. Capable of folding and inserting a minimum of six pieces of mail into a #10 window envelope 7. If not printing statements on site, capable of providing daily pick-ups at customer location 8. If printing statements on site, capable of receiving a daily data file with field descriptions and limits printable in the approved format and within the same daily timeline 9. If printing statements on site, capable of loading printer drivers to SUBs network and coordinating with SUB on print jobs and within the same daily timeline 10. Capable of applying a CASS Certified Intelligent Mail Barcode directly to the envelope to correspond with the address in the window of that envelope. 11. Contractor, on a daily basis, can manually co-mingle single or multiple page statements together for multiple page and single page bills going to the same customer so customer receives only one envelope 12. Contractor can combine single pieces of mail (non-bulk mail) with other pieces of mail that have the same zip code and/or weight class for postage savings to the customer 13. Capable of providing SUB with a daily mail activity report on a monthly basis 14. Capable of returning damaged mail to SUB within 24 hours 15. Capable of routinely reporting stock inventory information (i.e., monthly, bimonthly, etc.) RFP # * MAILING SERVICES Page 12

13 RFP # * MAILING SERVICES Questionnaire Submit Pages 9 13 plus additional information as requested Other Requested Information (attach additional pages if needed) 1. Explain how you will take advantage of the various postal discounts available. 2. List software you use to acquire and print bar codes. 3. How much notice is required prior to processing unscheduled bulk mail? 4. If you would require a postage deposit, please describe your policy. 5. Do you contract/subcontract out mailing projects to other contractors? If yes, what services and to whom? 6. If Gateway Post Office (Bulk Mailing Unit) is no longer available for daily mail delivery, please explain an alternate daily mail delivery. Proposal Authorization I attest that my company is a resident of the State of as defined in ORS 279A.029(1)(b) For (Company Name) By (Please print/type name) Authorized Signature Title Date Address Phone Number Fax Number RFP # * MAILING SERVICES Page 13

14 RFP # * MAILING SERVICES Appendix A Appendix A Estimate of Postage Costs Using the Typical Day Mailing File Please download by clicking on this link to find a file of a typical day s Springfield Utility Board mailing addresses. Please use the information in the.pdf file to estimate a typical day s postage fees. The estimate shall be itemized enough to enable SUB to analyze the following items: 1. Total first class postage costs. 2. Bulk mailing discounts broken down by category. 3. Any discounts expected from combining SUB mail with other customers to take advantage of bulk mail discounts SUB would not otherwise be able to take advantage of. RFP # * MAILING SERVICES Page 14