1-ECPA RFP-Secure Shredding and Document Destruction.pdf

Request for Proposals for Secure Shredding and Document Destruction

Proposals Due/Public Opening: Friday, October 23 10:00 a.m. (ET), 2026

Key Contact: Kelly Taylor; ktaylor@ciesc.org mailto:ktaylor@ciesc.org

BACKGROUND: Indiana school districts continue to face increasing budget pressures driven by rising operational costs, limited funding growth, and the need to maximize resources available for student programs and services.

This solicitation is issued by the Education Cooperative Purchasing Alliance (ECPA) in compliance with

Indiana Public Purchasing Laws (IC 5-22). Participating school corporations in Indiana require qualified contractors to provide secure, compliant, cost-effective shredding, document destruction, purge, and related services to all K-12 public school corporations and other participating public and non-profit agencies throughout Indiana. The intent is to establish a non-mandatory cooperative master agreement that participating agencies may use on an as-needed basis.

Vendors may bid for regional service coverage or statewide service structures.

PURPOSE OF SOLICITATION: ECPA is soliciting competitive sealed proposals from qualified vendors to establish a statewide, multi-district cooperative purchasing contract for Secure Shredding, Document Destruction for K12 schools across the State of Indiana.

● Provide transparent, auditable pricing with no undisclosed fuel, environmental, trip, access, certificate, or administrative surcharges.

● Support recurring scheduled service, on-call service, one-time purge projects, emergency service, and secure media destruction.

● Maintain a secure chain of custody from collection through final destruction and recycling/disposition.

● Allow each participating agency to select the awarded contractor offering the best overall value for its locations and service needs.

● Provide consistent statewide contract terms while allowing regional competition and local service capacity.

Through this Request for Proposals (RFP), participating school districts will leverage cooperative purchasing and aggregated purchasing volume to obtain favorable pricing, reliable paper shredding service and removal services, and value-added support from qualified suppliers.

PROCUREMENT SCHEDULE:

● RFP Issued: Friday, September 25, 2026

● Advertising: Friday, October 2 and Friday, October 9, 2026

● Questions Deadline: Friday, October 9, by 5pm (ET)

● Proposals Due: Friday, October 23, at 10:00 a.m. (ET)

● Evaluation Period: Friday, October 23 - Friday, November 6, 2026

● Board Approval: Wednesday, November 11, 2026***

COOPERATIVE PURCHASING AUTHORITY: This procurement is conducted in strict accordance with the Indiana Interlocal Cooperation Act (IC 36-1-7), allowing a governmental body to enter into an agreement with other governmental bodies to form a cooperative purchasing organization for establishing contracts for goods and services.

LEAD AGENCY ROLE: The Educational Cooperative Purchasing Alliance (ECPA) is a collaborative alliance between eight Indiana education service centers dedicated to streamlining the purchasing process for Indiana’s school districts. Our procurement team, led by the Central Indiana Educational Service Center (CIESC), actively works to remove barriers for schools by vetting top vendors, simplifying the procurement process while ensuring full compliance with state and federal regulations.

SCHOOL DISTRICT ROLE: Participating school districts will execute their own purchase orders, manage their own delivery schedules, and be billed directly by the vendor.

PUBLIC OPENING: Proposals will be publicly opened via Zoom at 10am ET on October 23, 2026, but, pursuant to Indiana law, the contents of competing proposals will not be made available at that time. The name of proposing organizations will be read.

USE OF RESULTING CONTRACT(S): Contracts that are a result of this solicitation will be available to all Indiana public school corporations, charter schools, private schools, and educational service centers.

CONTRACT TERM: Awarded contract(s) will be for three (3) years. The initial contract term will commence upon execution of the contract.

CONTRACT RENEWAL: With mutual agreement of the successful vendor, ECPA reserves the right to renew the prices and terms of the contract resulting from this procurement without additional competitive bidding for two (2) additional one-year terms. Such renewals would allow for the continuation of services and/or the extension of products and services to other locations or programs. Such renewals may be made so as ECPA and the successful vendor(s) agree to the renewal. Price adjustments for renewal terms must be tied to the Producer Price Index (PPI) or a mutually agreed industry index, with a 60 day advance notice requirement.

ANTICIPATED AWARD: ECPA reserves the right to:

● Award to one or multiple suppliers

● Award by geographic region

● Award by category

Awards shall be made to the most responsible vendor(s) determined to provide the best overall value for school districts.

GOVERNING LAW: This contract will be governed by the laws of the State of Indiana.

SCOPE OF PRODUCTS & SERVICES: The selected vendor(s) shall provide one or more of the following products/services for Secure Shredding, Document Destruction:

Recurring Secure Document Destruction

● Provide scheduled pickup frequencies including weekly, biweekly, monthly, every other month, quarterly, semiannual, and custom schedules where offered.

● Collect confidential paper without requiring participating agency staff to remove staples, paper clips, binder clips, folders, or similar ordinary office materials, except where the contractor identifies documented equipment limitations.

● Destroy material by cross-cut shredding, particle destruction, pulping, or another secure process that renders information unreadable and not reasonably reconstructable.

● Recycle destroyed paper when commercially and legally practicable.

● Ability to provide locked consoles, carts, bins, totes, or other secure collection containers appropriate to the participating agency's needs.

On-Call and Purge Services

● One-time file-room, records-room, warehouse, office-move, and records-retention purge projects.

● Boxed-record pickup, gaylord/pallet service, loose-file service, and mobile-container service.

● Labor for moving material from designated collection areas when quoted in advance.

● Emergency or expedited pickups with clearly disclosed response time and pricing.

On-Site and Off-Site Destruction

● Offerors shall clearly identify whether they provide mobile on-site destruction, secure off-site destruction, or both. For off-site destruction, the proposal shall describe secure transport, vehicle controls, transfer points, destruction facility controls, and maximum time from pickup to destruction.

Optional Related Services

● Records clean-out support and secure collection for special projects.

● Secure product destruction or non-paper media destruction where specifically quoted.

● Witnessed destruction.

● Recycling/diversion reporting.

● Training or informational materials for school staff regarding secure-disposal procedures.

PRICING REQUIREMENTS:

To account for Indiana’s geography and ensure efficient freight logistics, pricing may be submitted by region or statewide.

Each participating school district is a tax-exempt government entity, so bid pricing must exclude State Sales

Tax and Federal Excise Tax.

ECPA's objective is to eliminate ambiguous or undisclosed fees. Prices must represent the complete charge to the participating agency for the described service, except for separately identified optional services. All fuel, environmental, energy, regulatory, route, stop, administrative, certificate, recycling, invoice, portal, and similar fees must be listed. If a fee is not disclosed in the proposal, it may not be charged under the resulting agreement.

● Routine scheduled service shall be priced per container per service event and/or per month as requested in the workbook.

● One-time purge pricing shall include per box, per pound, per cart/container, per pallet/gaylord, and hourly labor where offered.

● Offerors shall state minimum monthly charges, minimum stop charges, minimum purge quantities, and after-hours/expedited charges.

Price increases, if allowed, shall follow the final master agreement and require advance written documentation and approval. No automatic price escalation shall apply unless expressly incorporated in the executed agreement.

IMPLEMENTATION, ORDERING AND BILLING

● Implementation will be based on individual district needs.

● Vendor will work directly with each district for ordering and billing.

SECURITY, CONFIDENTIALITY AND CHAIN OF CUSTODY

● All confidential material shall remain secured against unauthorized access from placement in a contractor-provided container through final destruction.

● Collection containers shall be lockable, tamper-resistant, and appropriate for placement in schools and administrative facilities.

● Contractor personnel entering school facilities shall display company identification and comply with participating-agency access, visitor, safety, and background-check requirements.

● Vehicles used to transport confidential material shall be secured and operated under documented chain-of-custody procedures.

● Contractor shall maintain written policies for loss, theft, breach, vehicle incident, misrouting, or other security events and promptly notify the affected participating agency of any incident involving its materials.

● Contractor shall provide a Certificate of Destruction for each service event or consolidated billing period, as requested.

● Offeror shall disclose whether it holds NAID AAA Certification or other recognized information-destruction/security certifications. Certification may be evaluated as evidence of controls but shall not be drafted as an unnecessarily restrictive sole qualification unless ECPA elects to require it.

● Because participating schools may dispose of records containing student, employee, health, financial, or other confidential information, the contractor shall comply with all applicable federal and state confidentiality and privacy requirements relevant to the records entrusted to it. The final agreement should include counsel-approved FERPA, HIPAA/business-associate, data-breach, and records provisions where applicable to a specific participating agency.

CONTAINERS AND EQUIPMENT

● Offeror shall list all available container types and nominal capacities, including consoles, 64/65-gallon carts, 95/96-gallon carts, and any larger containers.

● Standard container delivery, installation, locks, keys, liners/bags, repair, replacement due to normal wear, and removal at contract end shall be included in quoted pricing unless specifically identified otherwise.

● Any charge for lost keys, damaged containers caused by agency misuse, stairs, long carries, elevators, restricted access, or special handling must be separately disclosed.

● Containers shall be clean, functional, and suitable for occupied K-12 environments.

DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS: No additional freight, fuel surcharge, transportation fee, or delivery charge shall be assessed unless specifically identified in the vendor’s proposal and approved by ECPA.

GEOGRAPHIC REGIONAL BREAKDOWN*:

● NORTHERN REGION: Adams, Allen, Carroll, Cass, Dekalb, Elkhart, Fulton, Grant, Huntington, Jasper, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Lake, LaPorte, Marshall, Miami, Newton, Noble, Porter, Pulaski, St. Joseph, Starke, Steuben, Wabash, Wells, White, Whitley

● CENTRAL REGION: Benton, Blackford, Boone, Clay, Clinton, Delaware, Fayette, Fountain, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Henry, Howard, Jay, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Montgomery, Morgan, Owen, Parke, Putnam, Randolph, Rush, Shelby, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Union, Vermillion, Vigo, Warren, Wayne

● SOUTHERN REGION: Bartholomew, Brown, Clark, Crawford, Daviess, Dearborn, Decatur, Dubois, Floyd, Franklin, Gibson, Greene, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Knox, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Ohio, Orange, Perry, Pike, Posey, Ripley, Scott, Spencer, Sullivan, Switzerland, Vanderburgh, Warrick, Washington

*These regional breakdowns are suggestions. Please indicate in your proposal if there are any counties within each region that you cannot service.

EXCLUSIVITY: ECPA anticipates considerable activity resulting from this RFP award, however no commitment of any kind is made concerning actual quantities to be acquired. ECPA does not guarantee usage as usage depends on the actual needs of the school districts.

Any contract resulting from this solicitation shall be awarded with the understanding and agreement that it is for the sole convenience of the purchaser.

PURCHASE AND DISTRIBUTION OF CONTRACT ITEMS: While ECPA is securing the master contract, the operational relationship exists directly between the awarded vendor(s) and the individual school districts.

● Purchase Order & Invoicing: Participating school districts will issue their own purchase orders directly to the awarded vendor(s).

REPORTING & ADMINISTRATIVE FEE:

● Vendor agrees to provide ECPA a quarterly report of the quantities sold, and sales dollars generated through this contract. Other sales reports may be requested throughout the duration of the contract.

● The vendor agrees to pay ECPA an administrative fee of 1.5% of all sales through the awarded contract. Payments will be made quarterly.

a. Under no circumstances may the administrative fee assessed by ECPA be charged to, passed through to, or otherwise recovered from participating school districts, either directly or indirectly.

PRODUCT AND SERVICE ADDITIONS: New products and/or services that are within the scope of this RFP may be added to the awarded contract at any time during the contract term by written amendment.

ACCEPTANCE OF RFP TERMS: A proposal submitted in response to the RFP shall constitute a binding offer.

Acknowledgement of this condition shall be indicated by the autographic signature of the organization legally authorized to execute contractual obligations. It is assumed by the organization’s response that it acknowledges all terms and conditions of this invitation for an offer. Organizations shall clearly identify any variations between its proposal and the ECPA RFP. Failure to do so shall be deemed a waiver of any rights to subsequently modify the terms of performance, except as outlined or specified in the RFP.

WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSAL: No proposals may be withdrawn for a period of sixty (60) calendar days following the due date of such proposals.

UNRESPONSIVE SUPPLIERS: Proposals from unresponsive vendors will not be accepted. Vendors who have a history of inconsistent service and unreliability will not be considered by the ECPA to be a responsible proposer.

MODIFICATIONS: Modifications, additions, or changes to the terms and conditions of this RFP may be a cause for rejection of a proposal.

QUESTIONS: Questions regarding this RFP shall be submitted IN WRITING via e-mail or through the procurement software by the date referenced in the RFP timeline.

EXCEPTIONS: Vendors shall clearly identify any variations between their proposal and the ECPA RFP on the

EXCEPTIONS TO TERMS, CONDITIONS AND SPECIFICATIONS FORM. Failure to do so shall be deemed a waiver of any rights to subsequently modify the terms of performance, except as outlined or specified in the RFP.

OPEN AND FREE COMPETITION: All ECPA procurement transactions shall be conducted in a manner that provides maximum open and free competition consistent with Title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (7 CFR) sections 3016 and 3019.

PROPOSAL GUIDELINES:

● ECPA will consider proposals from vendors to meet the minimum qualifications as outlined in the

RFP.

● The vendor signing and submitting the proposal must be authorized by and capable of binding the supplier(s) represented. The vendor shall be fully and ultimately responsible for the provision of all products and services per the requirements of the RFP.

● The vendor shall be the sole point of contact for all questions, problems, and warranty issues that may result from this proposal. The failure of Suppliers to act in no way relieves the full responsibility of the respondent for all requirements under this RFP.

● Proposal shall remain firm from the opening of this proposal through the completion of an awarded contract, unless otherwise specified.

REVIEW AND AWARD PROCESS: In order to allow ECPA the opportunity to evaluate each proposal thoroughly, ECPA requires that any response to this solicitation be valid and irrevocable for sixty (60) days after official opening date and time.

ECPA reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, to clarify items in a proposal, and to waive errors or corrections in a proposal. ECPA reserves the right to reject the proposal of any respondent who has previously failed to perform similar contracts with school districts and/or other eligible entities satisfactorily. The winning proposal will be recommended to the Governing Board for final approval.

PROTEST PROCEDURES: Vendor’s whose proposal has been timely filed and who is aggrieved by the award of a contract to another offeror may appeal the decision by filing a written notice of appeal. The notice must be filed within ten (10) business days of the date of award of the contract, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and legal state holidays. The notice of appeal must clearly and fully identify all the issues being contested by reference to the page, and section of the solicitation document and/or award of contract. An appeal will be heard by the designated ECPA members unless the petitioner is not an aggrieved party, or a prior request by the same petitioner relating to the same contract award has been granted, or the request is capricious, frivolous, or without merit. The burden of proof lies with the petitioner. The evidence presented must specifically address and be limited to one or more of the following:

1. Violation of State or Federal law.

2. Irregularities creating fundamental unfairness; or

3. Arbitrary or capricious award.

ECPA will provide a written response within ten (10) business days after hearing the appeal and shall be the final decision on the matter.

INCURRING COSTS: ECPA is not liable for any cost incurred by offerors prior to the issuance of a procurement document.

NEGOTIATIONS: ECPA may conduct exclusive or concurrent negotiations with vendors deemed reasonably susceptible for award. Proposal details, including pricing, will remain confidential. Negotiations do not constitute a contract award or confer on any property rights. If negotiations do not progress, ECPA may terminate discussions and negotiate with the next most qualified vendor(s). ECPA may conduct interviews as part of the evaluation process but is not required to do so. Interview costs will not be reimbursed.

EVALUATION CRITERIA: ECPA’s procurement evaluation committee will review and evaluate all proposals and make a recommendation to the Board of Directors for award of contracts. Proposals will be evaluated by the following selection criteria:

CRITERIA POINTS POSSIBLE

Pricing for Services (Bins- if applicable) 40

Service Coverage and Capacity 10

Security and Destruction Procedures 20

Implementation and Customer Service 15

Vendor Reliability, References 10

Value-Added Services 5

TOTAL 100

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION: Proposals must be submitted through the Indigo procurement portal by date and time specified. Late submissions will not be considered.

PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS:

1. Technical Response: Vendor demonstrates their ability to meet the needs outlined in the RFP by addressing questions included in solicitation.

2. Pricing Response: Completed Excel pricing workbook

3. Required Procurement Forms: Signed documents provided with the solicitation

TECHNICAL RESPONSE:

Pricing for Services (Bins- if applicable)

1. Identify every fee, surcharge, minimum, exception, or circumstance that can increase the quoted price.

2. Explain how districts with dozens of buildings can receive consolidated billing with location-level detail.

Service Coverage and Capacity

1. Identify all Indiana counties in which your company can provide routine service at the quoted contract price.

2. Identify each dispatch location and destruction facility expected to support Indiana service.

Security and Destruction Procedures

1. State whether destruction is performed on-site, off-site, or both.

2. Describe the chain of custody from collection through destruction and recycling/disposition.

3. Describe employee background screening, confidentiality agreements, training, and identification requirements

4. Describe vehicle security, route controls, GPS, alarm/locking features, and procedures for unattended vehicles.

5. Identify all subcontractors anticipated for Indiana and their role.

6. Describe the Certificate of Destruction process and sample fields included.

7. Identify all current information-destruction/security certifications and provide evidence.

8. Describe incident/breach response and escalation procedures.

Implementation and Customer Service

1. Describe your customer portal, service-ticket, reporting, and invoice capabilities.

Vendor Reliability, References

1. Describe how missed pickups are tracked and corrected.

2. Provide three comparable references, including at least one multi-location public-sector or education customer if available.

Value-Added Services

1. Please include information about any additional value-added services your organization is including in this proposal for K-12 school districts.

PRICING RESPONSE:

Vendors must complete the PRICING WORKBOOK (Excel format) provided that outlines per-unit costs for each product bid across each region in Indiana. This must be uploaded into the procurement system.

REQUIRED PROCUREMENT FORMS:

Vendors must complete all forms included in the file labeled “Required Procurement Forms” and upload into the procurement system.

ECPA Secure Shredding and Document Destruction Workbook .xlsx https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1e8fyicOX1OIWaHMzPYcsNbe1vPV0OcIB/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=116160221368939740714&rtpof=true&sd=true

Request for Proposals for