1040 BkltfrmsBIDSPECS_2024.pdf

MAINE REVENUE SERVICES

SPECIFICATIONS FOR PRINTING AND MAILING

TAX YEAR 2024 INDIVIDUAL INCOME TAX BOOKLETS & FORMS

Maine Revenue Services (MRS) seeks a contractor to produce, address and mail/ship Maine individual income tax booklets and forms to individual taxpayers by the dates specified. The booklets and forms are to include drop-out inks for imaging. The successful Contractor must use a Heat Set printing process or a similar process for booklets to ensure against print fading and smudging. The booklets must include security-type return envelopes. Some of the income tax booklets must be prepared for mail processing including addressing.

This project includes:

A. Individual Income Tax Booklets for tax year 2024. Only certain quantities are to be addressed and mailed.

B. Individual Income Tax Loose Forms for tax year 2024 (Form 1040ME) to be printed identical to the Form 1040ME, pages 1 through 3 included in the booklets. No addressing or mailing required.

High quality, proper production of documents on schedule is of utmost importance to the State of Maine. Bids will be accepted directly from manufacturers and non-manufacturers. Non-manufacturers bidding on these documents must identify the manufacturer and contact person employed by the manufacturer (to be available throughout the contract period), and provide a letter of commitment from the manufacturer, addressed to the State of Maine, Office of State Procurement Services, agreeing to the specifications and delivery requirements. In addition, non-manufacturers must agree to allow direct and unrestricted communication by MRS staff with the manufacturer.

Failure to agree and comply with the above terms may result in the immediate rejection of the bid.

MRS and the Office of State Procurement Services (OSPS) reserve the right to reject any and all bids received. Award will be made to the bidder who offers the best value.

1. BID CONTENT

All bids submitted must include the following:

A. Cost. The bid must specify the total contract cost, excluding postage and freight costs. Postage and freight costs must each be stated separately. Also, the cost for each additional ink color (see item 6(A)(d) below), the cost for each additional page as may be required (see item 6(C)(b) below) and the cost for reorders (see item 7(G) below) are to be listed as separate items in the bid. The Contractor must include an explanation of any special restrictions or limitations related to adding additional inks or pages.

B. Qualifications. The bid must reflect Contractor qualifications for meeting the requirements of this contract. Such qualifications must at a minimum include equipment, processes, and quality assurance procedures used in the printing, addressing, binding, and mailing of products. Also at a minimum, the Contractor must demonstrate substantial experience in providing the quality products and services required by this contract in a timely manner. Such experience must include a minimum of five years of producing products and services similar to those specified by this contract or proof of successful completion of similar MRS contracts.

C. References. The bid must include a list of customers for whom the Contractor provided a product, including all fulfillment obligations, similar to those required by this contract. Each reference provided must include customer name, customer address, contact person, and contact person telephone number. A summary description of the services and product provided must be given for each reference listed.

D. Samples. The bid submitted must include samples of products similar to those required by this contract including scannable forms/booklets and copies of contracts related to the samples. The samples submitted must include loose forms, booklets and forms containing data imaging. The samples must also show the use of multiple ink colors.

E. Right to Reject. The OSPS reserves the right to reject any bid which does not satisfactorily demonstrate to the OSPS and MRS the absolute ability to produce the quality product on time.

2. QUANTITIES

The following are approximate quantities; actual quantities will be determined based on final filings of 2023 returns. No underruns allowed; overruns may not exceed 3%.

A. Tax year 2024 Individual Income Tax Booklets:

a. 21,000 Resident Booklets – Addressed and Mailed

b. 2,000 Nonresident Booklets – Addressed and Mailed

c. 15,000 Resident Booklets

d. 2,000 Nonresident Booklets

B. Tax year 2024 Individual Income Tax Loose Forms:

a. 3,000 Loose Forms

3. DELIVERY DATES

A. The addressed booklets must be mailed as directed by MRS, to be determined at a later date.

B. The Contractor must drop-ship the non-addressed booklets and all the loose forms FOB to Maine Revenue Services ATTN: Brittany Sanford, 51 Commerce Drive, Augusta, Maine 04330 by November 29, 2024. Lift gate required.

4. MAILING

A. All addressed booklets must be mailed Standard (3rd class) Mail in accordance with the mail dates set forth above. Booklets must not be mailed prior to the dates so established.

B. The Contractor must be a certified user of CASS One software and must apply NCOA standards in order to achieve the highest quality postal sort discount. The Contractor must bar code, presort, carrier-route, DDU and SCF all zip codes to the maximum discount allowed by the U.S. Postal Service. The Contractor is responsible for informing MRS of any special mailing requirements such as ancillary endorsement requirements, including appropriate statement(s) to be included on each mail piece. MRS must not be subject to postage due on returned mail. The Contractor must deliver the booklets to the U.S. Postal Service for mailing and certify to the USPS that NCOA standards have been applied.

C. Postal Indicia. The Contractor must include the postal indicia on the front cover of each addressed booklets. Non-addressed booklets must not include the postal indicia. The Contractor is responsible for obtaining a bulk mail permit with the U.S.

Post Office. The Contractor may image the postal indicia during the addressing process, or MRS can incorporate the indicia in the camera-ready copy. If MRS is required to incorporate the indicia into the camera-ready copy, the Contractor must provide the Maine Revenue Services with the appropriate postal indicia permit number.

D. Postage. The state will advance money for postage based upon estimated postage cost. Bidders must list the estimated postage cost as a separate item in the bid submitted. The Contractor must invoice the state for the estimated postage amount in advance of the mailing date in order to obtain the postage advance. After mailing is complete, the Contractor must submit proof of charges with invoice to reconcile account.

E. Postal Service Form 3602-R (Postage Statement - Standard Mail (A) [Other than Nonprofit] - Permit Imprint) must be submitted to the U.S. Postal Service and a copy submitted to MRS. "Name and Address of Individual or Organization for which Mailing is Prepared" must read: State of Maine, Maine Revenue Services, 24 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0024.

F. Approximately 2,000 of the booklets are to be mailed to foreign addresses outside the U.S. These booklets must be inserted into envelopes for mailing. Bidders are requested to include a separate quote for this foreign mailing.

5. ADDRESSING

Addressed booklets are to be jet imaged on the front cover of booklets that are to be mailed to taxpayers. Taxpayer data includes taxpayer name (first, middle initial, last), spouse name (first, middle initial, last), street/PO box address line 1, street/PO box address line 2, city, state, and ZIP code.

A. Data Processing: The Contractor must have on-site data processing capabilities to receive electronic data. Raw data files must be converted to CASS Certified Postage order and into production format. MRS will furnish electronic data for addressing booklets. Electronic data will be zip code sorted. See "CD Layout" attached.

B. Security of Data. All data provided by MRS or duplicates made by the

Contractor or its representatives and any resultant printouts must be kept accountable and under security (approved by MRS) to prevent their release to any unauthorized persons. Data may not be duplicated in whole or in part for any purpose other than to create materials to be used in the performance of this proposal. The Contractor agrees to make no use of this data other than as set forth and prescribed by this proposal. Any edited address overruns or other use of the data which result in the printout of material other than that specifically required for the performance of the contract will be held by the Contractor in a secure place and destroyed pursuant to directions to be subsequently issued by MRS.

Upon completion of the imaging operation, the Contractor must promptly return to MRS the data furnished by MRS to MRS, using a shipping means by which the data can be readily traced in the event of misdirection or loss.

C. Quality: Laser quality black ink (at 100%), 300 x 300 DPI or greater. Courier

11-point monospace font required. Print must be crisp and clear; characters must not touch and there must be no smudging. Addressed booklets are to be jet imaged on the front cover with applicant name and mailing address data (see page 9), carrier route 5-digit presorted and delivered to the Maine State Postal Center for third class, bulk rate mailing.

D. Data: MRS will provide electronic data as specified on page 9 containing data for imaging. Expected availability of data is November 13, 2024.

6. CONSTRUCTION

A. Booklets and Loose Forms.

a. Quality. High quality paper, ink, addressing, registration and perforations are required. The forms will be scanned (optically read and imaged) on IBML scanners (model IBML ImageTrac 6450).

b. Registration. To ensure high quality readability, all forms must be printed in perfect registration, including registration between colors. All margins must remain within a tolerance of +/- 1/32".

c. Paper. Forms must be printed on white virgin stock, 24 lb. OCR bond per specifications attached.

d. Ink. Ink must be Black and PMS-464 (brown). ENVELOPE ink must be:

Black, PMS-294 (blue), and Light Blue. See specifications attached. Because the forms will be scanned, the black and the red ink on the returns must not overlap.

A Heat Set printing process or a similar process must be used to print the booklets to ensure against fading and smudging. There can be no smudging of ink on forms.

The Contractor must quote separately the price for each additional ink color that may be required and include an explanation of any special restrictions or limitations related to adding additional inks.

e. Forms Size. Detached forms and loose forms must measure 8 ½" x 11".

B. Loose Forms Only. The loose forms are to be printed using landscape orientation on 11” x 17” sheets of paper, folded at the center of the 17” dimension and perfed vertically at the center fold. The detached form size must be 8 1/2" x 11".

C. Booklets Only.

a. Booklet Size. (Left side glue bind or saddle stitch)

Addressed: 8 3/4” x 11” Non-addressed: 8 3/4” x 11”

b. Number of Pages. Actual number of pages in each booklet will depend on legislation and MRS’s needs. The expected number of pages for each booklet is as follows. The Contractor must quote separately the cost for each additional page that may be required and include an explanation of any special restrictions or limitations related to adding additional pages.

*Resident Booklets: 28 pages *Nonresident Booklets: 28 pages

c. Construction. Booklets must be bound at the left side using two-wire saddle stitch or with solid glued binding stub on the left edge or other binding method approved by MRS. Use of glue binding requires single-section construction; the gluing together of multiple booklet sections is strictly forbidden. Bid must clearly identify the binding method upon which the bid is based. Identified forms are to be perforated along the 11" dimension on the left side. Construction must be of sufficient strength to travel through the USPS mail process without separation or deterioration. Detached forms must measure 8 ½" by 11".

d. Booklet Specifications. See attached spreadsheet. Subject to change.

e. Perforations. Microperfs are required for clean separation. Left side must be perforated along the 11" dimension only on identified forms (see booklet specifications attached). The forms and schedules must measure 8 1/2" x 11" when detached.

f. Security Type Return Address Envelopes. Envelope must be constructed of conventional, security type white wove 24 lb. bond, measuring 9 1/2" wide x 5" high. Envelope stock must have security backing to maintain confidentiality of documents placed inside. Standard construction is required to avoid glue lines on top, left, and right edges of the envelope (top and right edges are to be sliced for mail opening). Envelope flap must contain 2 removable return address labels that measure 3 1/4” x 1 3/8” each, perforated at the top and sides. Glue from flap must completely cover back of the return address labels. Labels must contain proper fim markings for mail processing by the USPS. One label must be white with black print (no refund label), and the other must be light blue with black print (refund label). Envelopes are to be inserted between signatures (or inserted or attached by some other method approved by MRS) in each booklet during the manufacturing process. Recipient must be able to remove the envelope with no tearing and use it as a return envelope. Copy must include Postal Service bar codes and fim markings. The Contractor is responsible for production of envelope, including camera-ready copy and checking bar code with postal service for accuracy.

Booklet envelopes: Black ink both sides, blue (PMS-294) broken bar on one side (not to exceed 4 1/2" from left side), light blue on envelope flap. Use the following addresses on the tear-off labels:

White label – (no refund) Light Blue label – (refund)

MAINE REVENUE SERVICES MAINE REVENUE SERVICES

PO BOX 1067 PO BOX 1066

AUGUSTA MAINE 04332-1067 AUGUSTA MAINE 04332-1066

Total Quantity – 40m.

*subject to change if booklet quantities change

7. OTHER REQUIREMENTS

A. Composition. The Contractor will be provided camera-ready copy of booklets and forms, except for the envelopes. Camera-ready copy will be available as an Adobe InDesign file. The Contractor must use PC-based Adobe InDesign or otherwise ensure that no changes/errors will result from conversion of files to another desktop publishing program or platform. The bid must specify the program and platform (PC or Macintosh) that will be used. The Contractor will be fully responsible for correcting such errors without cost to the State and without affecting the delivery dates stated above. Expected availability of camera-ready copy is November 15, 2024.

B. Production Schedule. Shortly after receiving the award, the successful Contractor is required to provide MRS with a Production Schedule that reflects key deadlines for both MRS and the Contractor. The schedule must provide for press proofs (see below) and on-site inspection by MRS personnel during print run, binding, and addressing process.

C. Proofs.

a. Initial proofs of booklets, forms, and envelopes must show color breaks, registration, and pagination. Additional proofs will be required if corrections to initial proofs are necessary. After MRS approval, at least 100 color press proofs for each booklet (a total of 400 proofs) and 100 color press proofs for each loose form are required as samples for testing on MRS’s scanning system. The press proofs are required prior to actual print run and mailing of booklets. The press proofs must include return envelopes. The successful Contractor must guarantee that the proofs contain no variations from the camera-ready copies provided unless specifically requested by MRS. The Contractor will be held responsible for errors discovered after delivery caused by or in the control of the Contractor resulting from the conversion of electronic files or other composition or printing error. (Note: Press proofs are proofs of booklets and loose forms produced from an actual press run.)

The press proofs must be delivered to; Maine Revenue Services, ATTN:

Brittany Sanford, 51 Commerce Drive, Augusta, Maine via overnight mail.

D. On-Site Visit. The Contractor must allow for on-site inspection by MRS staff, including travel and hotel accommodations (one person), during the printing and addressing processes. Bidders are asked to list the estimated cost for an on-site visit using Augusta, Maine as the starting point as a separate item in the bid submitted. The Contractor must invoice the state for the costs of the visit. The Contractor must provide proof of the charges invoiced.

E. Packing.

a. Non-Addressed: Each booklet type (resident form, and nonresident form) is to be packed separately. Each carton must be labeled "quantity – 2024 Income Tax Booklets—Resident" or "quantity - 2024 Income Tax Booklets - Nonresident". Booklets must be packed in cartons of 100 booklets each alternating groups of 25 within the carton. The carton size must be of sufficient size for each quantity.

b. Loose forms must be separately packed in cartons of equal quantities of no more than 2,500 forms per carton. Forms within the carton are to be wrapped or banded in lots of 500 each. Each carton must be labeled "quantity – 2024 Maine Form 1040ME.

F. Quality Control. In addition to the requirements stated in the preceding pages, the Contractor must:

1. Provide verification of ISO 9000 certification.

2. Identify company procedures in the event of equipment failure or other unforeseen circumstances that might otherwise result in project delays to ensure that the job will be completed timely.

3. Ensure that all phases of the project will be completed at one facility. If not, a written, detailed explanation must be provided with the bid outlining the procedures that are to be used.

G. Reorder. Forms must be left standing by the Contractor for one year for additional printing if required. Bidders must quote price of reorders of 5,000 up to 50,000 booklets and/or loose forms. A short delivery time will be required for any reorder.

Updated: 9/30/2024

CD Layout for 1040 Booklet Mailing

Field Length Filler (not used) Pic X(11) Mail/Return Taxpayer PIN (not used) Pic X(6) Filler (not used) Pic X(11) Mail/Return Spouse PIN (not used) Pic X(6) Mail Long Name (not used) Pic X(35) Mail Attention Pic X(30) Mail/Return Address 1 Pic X(30) Mail/Return Address 2 Pic X(30) Mail/Return City Pic X(20) Mail/Return State Pic X(02) Mail/Return Zip Code Pic X(10) (5+4), See note below Mail/Return Country Pic X(10) (blank if USA) Filler (not used) Pic X(61) Mail/Return First Name Pic X(20) Mail/Return Middle Initial Pic X(1) Mail/Return Last Name Pic X(20) Mail/Return Spouse First Name Pic X(20) Mail/Return Spouse Middle Initial Pic X(1) Mail/Return Spouse Last Name Pic X(20) Filler Pic X(18)

Total Record length = 362, Blocksize = 27,874, 79 records per block.

Notes:

(a) Fields with ‘Mail’ in their description are to be used for the mailing address except that the 5-digit zip code is preferred rather than the 10-digit zip code.

(b) No manipulation of data within fields should be required.

(c) Some unnecessary fields may be included. The fields will be labeled 'Filler (not used).’

(d) Mailing information will be provided electronically using Secure FTP.