1-RFI 007.27.B8.pdf

PROCUREMENT OFFICE

10910 Clarksville Pike, Ellicott City, MD 21042 410-313-6644

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

Web-2-Print SaaS Tool Reference Number: RFI_007.27.B8 RFI Issue Date: July 31, 2026 Question Deadline: August 10, 2026 12pm EDT Submission Deadline: August 31, 2026 4pm EDT

1. PURPOSE

1.1 Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) for planning and informational purposes only. The intent of this RFI is to gather information regarding commercially-available Web-2-Print Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).

1.2 This RFI is not a solicitation, and responses will be utilized strictly for the purposes of information gathering. No cost can be charged to HCPSS for any reason. This document shall not be construed as a request or authorization to perform work at HCPSS’s expense. This RFI does not represent a commitment to purchase or lease.

1.3 There is no solicitation at this time; however, if a requirement does arise vendors will be made aware through the issuance of a Request for Proposal (RFP). Submission to this RFI constitutes acknowledgment that the vendor has read and agrees to such terms. Submission to this RFI does not give any vendor an advantage or disadvantage in any future solicitation. A response to this RFI will not be considered a response to any potential Requests for Proposal.

2. BACKGROUND

The HCPSS Print Services Team produces approximately 3 million impressions per month across multiple Canon production devices. Currently more than 5,000 jobs per month are processed in a single shift with ten total employees, six of which are equipment operators. Print Services operators utilize Dell 64-bit laptops with a minimum of 16 GB RAM, 2 GB graphics cards, Intel i5 2.2 GHz processors, 466 GB hard drives, with no pen or touch input.

The Print Services fleet consists of the following production devices:

Production Copiers—each device has a PrismaSync controller Large Format Devices

• Canon Varioprint 140 – Seven (7) units • Roland VG-640 - One (1) unit

• Canon 6270 Titan – One (1) unit • Canon IPF8400 - One (1) unit

• Canon C800 – One (1) unit • Canon IPF Pro 4000S – Two (2) units

• Canon C910 – One (1) unit

3. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR HCPSS IT ENTERPRISE

HCPSS seeks a Web-2-Print SaaS Tool that:

• Is able to integrate with Active Directory (or Azure AD) to facilitate Single Sign-On (SSO) using our existing identity system

• Uses secure Application programming Interfaces (APIs) for any integrations

• HCPSS prefers to avoid direct access into our internal network

• Has support for Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

• Offers role-based access (e.g., standard users vs. admins) o Allow separate categories of Admin (such as Day-to-Day Administration and Secondary/Over-sight Administration roles)

• Has the ability to quickly disable access when staff leave

• Has the ability to produce audit logs for logins, admin actions, and print activity

• Has the ability to export or integrate logs with commercially-available monitoring tools.

HCPSS seeks clarity from vendors on how they handle data, with the following minimum expectations:

• Data ownership remains with HCPSS

• Clear data retention and deletion terms

• Clarity from vendors on how they handle data, such as:

o Data encrypted in transit (HTTPS) and at rest o Definition of where data is stored (is it U.S.-based? This is important since we are a K-12 organization) o Ability to delete data upon request

• No reuse of our data for analytics, AI training, or marketing

• Vendor must comply with student data privacy requirements

• Data sharing must be limited and contractually protected

HCPSS has the following IT security requirements:

• A current SOC 2 Type II report (or equivalent security audit)

• Documented security practices (access control, patching, monitoring)

• Breach notification commitments (they must inform us quickly if something goes wrong)

• Uptime commitments (SLA)

• Backup and disaster recovery capabilities

4. SOFWARE CAPABILITY OF DIFFERENT SaaS Web-2-Print TOOLS

HCPSS seeks information about:

• Printer Neutrality

• Web Browser Compatibility

• Report Generation and Data Import/Export Capabilities

• Variable Data Printing (VDP) functionality

• Job Ticket Creation and Job Type (ex. Stapling, 3-hole punching, folding, book assembly)

• PDF Creation & Proofing

• Approvals & Notifications within the system

• Accounting Functionality o Ability to assign cost centers to jobs o Ability to assign prices to jobs

• Ordering and Inventory Controls

• Print Production Management and Configuration abilities (paper type, size, job-label)

• Job Submission formats (paper, email, digital media, etc.)

Vendor is encouraged to share any relevant information about Web-2-Print Software as a Service tool.