13-DOA1436367797 Final.pdf

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

Department of Administration

Invitation for Bid #: 13-DOA1436367797

Mail Pre- Sort Services

Date of Issue: February 20, 2025

Bid Opening Date: March 4, 2025

At 2:00 PM ET

Direct all inquiries concerning this IFB to:

Lisa Campbell

Purchasing Agent

Email: Lisa.campbell@doa.nc.gov

Phone: 984-236-0085

Ver: 11/2023

Invitation for Bid #

13-DOA1436367797

For internal State agency processing, including tabulation of bids, provide your company’s eVP (Electronic Vendor Portal)

Number. Pursuant to G.S. 132-1.10(b) this identification number shall not be released to the public. This page will be removed and shredded, or otherwise kept confidential, before the procurement file is made available for public inspection.

This page shall be filled out and returned with your bid.

Failure to do so may subject your bid to rejection.

Vendor Name

Vendor eVP#

Note: For a contract to be awarded to you, your company (you) must be a North Carolina registered vendor in good standing.

You must enter the vendor number assigned through eVP (Electronic Vendor Portal). If you do not have a vendor number, register at https://vendor.ncgov.com/vendor/login https://vendor.ncgov.com/vendor/login

Bid Number:13-DOA1436367797 Vendor: __________________________________________

Ver: 11/2023 1

Refer ALL Inquiries regarding this IFB to the procurement lead through the Message Board in the Sourcing Tool. See section 2.5 for details:

Invitation for Bid #: 13-DOA1436367797

Bids will be publicly opened: March 4, 2025 @ 2:00 PM

Using Agency: Mail Service Center Commodity No. and Description: 801418 - Mailing services

Requisition No.: 1436367797

EXECUTION

In compliance with this Invitation for Bid (IFB), and subject to all the conditions herein, the undersigned Vendor offers and agrees to furnish and deliver any or all items upon which prices are bid, at the prices set opposite each item within the time specified herein.

By executing this bid, the undersigned Vendor understands that false certification is a Class I felony and certifies that:

▪ this bid is submitted competitively and without collusion (G.S. 143-54),

▪ none of its officers, directors, or owners of an unincorporated business entity has been convicted of any violations of Chapter

78A of the General Statutes, the Securities Act of 1933, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (G.S. 143-59.2), and

▪ it is not an ineligible Vendor as set forth in G.S. 143-59.1.

Furthermore, by executing this bid, the undersigned certifies to the best of Vendor’s knowledge and belief, that:

▪ it and its principals are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible or voluntarily excluded from covered transactions by any Federal or State department or agency.

As required by G.S. 143-48.5, the undersigned Vendor certifies that it, and each of its sub-Contractors for any Contract awarded as a result of this IFB, complies with the requirements of Article 2 of Chapter 64 of the NC General Statutes, including the requirement for each employer with more than 25 employees in North Carolina to verify the work authorization of its employees through the federal E-Verify system.

As required by Executive Order 24 (2017), the undersigned vendor certifies will comply with all Federal and State requirements concerning fair employment and that it does not and will not discriminate, harass, or retaliate against any employee in connection with performance of any Contract arising from this solicitation.

G.S. 133-32 and Executive Order 24 (2009) prohibit the offer to, or acceptance by, any State Employee associated with the preparing plans, specifications, estimates for public contracts; or awarding or administering public contracts; or inspecting or supervising delivery of the public contract of any gift from anyone with a contract with the State, or from any person seeking to do business with the State.

By execution of this response to the IFB, the undersigned certifies, for Vendor’s entire organization and its employees or agents, that Vendor is not aware that any such gift has been offered, accepted, or promised by any employees of your organization.

By executing this bid, Vendor certifies that it has read and agreed to the INSTRUCTION TO VENDORS and the NORTH CAROLINA

GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS incorporated herein. These documents can be accessed from the ATTACHMENTS page within this document.

Department of Administration

Bid Number:13-DOA1436367797

Vendor: __________________________________________

Ver: 11/2023 2

Failure to execute/sign bid prior to submittal may render bid invalid and it MAY BE REJECTED. Late bids shall not be accepted.

COMPLETE/FORMAL NAME OF VENDOR:

STREET ADDRESS: P.O. BOX: ZIP:

CITY & STATE & ZIP: TELEPHONE NUMBER: TOLL FREE TEL. NO:

PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS ADDRESS IF DIFFERENT FROM ABOVE (SEE INSTRUCTIONS TO VENDORS ITEM #21):

PRINT NAME & TITLE OF PERSON SIGNING ON BEHALF OF VENDOR: FAX NUMBER:

VENDOR’S AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE*: DATE: EMAIL:

VALIDITY PERIOD

The offer shall be valid for at least ninety (90) days from date of bid opening, unless otherwise stated here: ______ days, or if extended by mutual agreement of the parties in writing. Any withdrawal of this offer shall be made in writing, effective upon receipt by the agency issuing this IFB.

ACCEPTANCE OF BIDS

If your bid is accepted, all provisions of this IFB, along with the written results of any negotiations, shall constitute the written agreement between the parties (“Contract”). The NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS are incorporated herein and shall apply. Depending upon the Goods or Services being offered, other terms and conditions may apply, as mutually agreed.

FOR STATE USE ONLY: Offer accepted and Contract awarded this________ day of __________, 20____, as indicated on

The attached certification, by ____________________________________________________________________.

(Authorized Representative of Department of Administration

Ver: 11/2023 3

Contents

1.0 PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND

1.1 CONTRACT TERM

2.0 GENERAL INFORMATION

2.1 INVITATION FOR BID DOCUMENT

2.2 E-PROCUREMENT FEE

NOTICE TO VENDORS REGARDING IFB TERMS AND CONDITIONS

2.3 IFB SCHEDULE

2.4 BID QUESTIONS

2.5 BID SUBMITTAL

2. 6 BID CONTENTS

2.7 ALTERNATE BIDS

2.8 DEFINITIONS, ACRONYMS, AND ABBREVIATIONS

3.0 METHOD OF AWARD AND BID EVALUATION PROCESS

3.1 METHOD OF AWARD

3.2 CONFIDENTIALITY AND PROHIBITED COMMUNICATIONS DURING EVALUATION

3.3 BID EVALUATION PROCESS

3.4 PERFORMANCE OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES

3.5 INTERPRETATION OF TERMS AND PHRASES

4.0 REQUIREMENTS

4.1 PRICING

4.2 INVOICES

4.3 VENDOR EXPERIENCE

4.4 WORK PLAN …………………………………………………………………………………………11

4.5 FINANCIAL STABILITY

4.6 HUB PARTICIPATION

4.7 REFERENCES

4.8 BACKGROUND CHECKS

4.9 PERSONNEL

4.10 VENDOR’S REPRESENTATIONS

4.11 AGENCY INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS MODIFICATION

5.0 SPECIFICATIONS AND SCOPE OF WORK

5.1 SPECIFICATIONS

Ver: 11/2023 4

5.1 TASKS

5.3 POSTAGE

5.4 WORK PLAN ................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

6.0 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION

6.1 CONTACT INFORMATION

6.2 POST AWARD MEETINGS

6.3 CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

6.4 ACCEPTANCE OF WORK

6.5 TRANSITION ASSISTANCE

6.6 DISPUTE RESOLUTION

6.7 CONTRACT CHANGES

6.8 ATTACHMENTS

ATTACHMENT A: PRICING

Ver: 11/2023 5

1.0 PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND

The North Carolina Department of Administration, Office of Fiscal Management, on behalf of the Mail Service Center is soliciting bids from qualified vendors to provide mail presorting services for all state agencies across North Carolina. The Mail Service Center is responsible for providing mail services to all Agencies within the State of North Carolina.

These Services shall include presorting, applying bar codes on mail pieces, and postage metering for the outgoing mail to maximize efficiency and cost savings. The Successful Vendor must demonstrate the ability to provide same -day service to the United States Postal Service (USPS), prepare mail to take full advantage of postal service discounts for presorted mail and perform daily pick up mail from the Mail Service Center located at 3905 Reedy Creek Rd, Raleigh, NC 27607.

The intent of this solicitation is to award an Agency Specific Contract.

1.1 CONTRACT TERM

The Contract shall have an initial term of one year, beginning on the date of contract award (the “Effective Date”).

At the end of the Contract’s current term, the State shall have the option, in its sole discretion, to renew the Contract on the same terms and conditions for up to a total of two additional one-year terms. The State will give the Vendor written notice of its intent whether to exercise each option no later than thirty (30) days before the end of the Contract’s then-current term. In addition to any optional renewal terms, and with the Vendor’s concurrence, the State reserves the right to extend the Contract after the last active term.

Bids shall be submitted in accordance with the terms and conditions of this IFB and any addenda issued hereto.

2.0 GENERAL INFORMATION

2.1 INVITATION FOR BID DOCUMENT

This IFB is comprised of the base IFB document, any attachments, and any addenda released before Contract award, which are incorporated herein by reference.

2.2 E-PROCUREMENT FEE

ATTENTION: The E-Procurement fee may apply to this solicitation. See the paragraph entitled ELECTRONIC PROCUREMENT of the North Carolina General Terms and Conditions.

General information on the E-Procurement Services can be found at: http://eprocurement.nc.gov/.

NOTICE TO VENDORS REGARDING IFB TERMS AND CONDITIONS

It shall be the Vendor’s responsibility to read the Instructions to Vendors, the North Carolina General Terms and Conditions, all relevant exhibits and attachments, and any other components made a part of this IFB and comply with all requirements and specifications herein. Vendors are also responsible for obtaining and complying with all Addenda and other changes that may be issued in connection with this IFB.

If Vendors have questions or issues regarding any component of this IFB, those must be submitted as questions in accordance with the instructions in the BID QUESTIONS Section. If the State determines that any changes will be made as a result of the questions asked, then such decisions will be communicated in the form of an IFB addendum. The State may also elect to leave open the possibility for later negotiation of specific provisions of the Contract that have been addressed during the question-and-answer period, prior to contract award.

Other than through the process of negotiation under 01 NCAC 05B.0503, the State rejects and will not be required to evaluate or consider any additional or modified terms and conditions submitted with Vendor’s bid or otherwise. This applies to any language appearing in or attached to the document as part of the Vendor’s bid that purports to vary any terms and conditions or Vendors’ http://eprocurement.nc.gov/

Ver: 11/2023 6 instructions herein or to render the bid non-binding or subject to further negotiation. Vendor’s bid shall constitute a firm offer that shall be held open for the period required herein (“Validity Period” above).

The State may exercise its discretion to consider Vendor proposed modifications. By execution and delivery of this IFB Response, the Vendor agrees that any additional or modified terms and conditions, whether submitted purposely or inadvertently, shall have no force or effect, and will be disregarded unless expressly agreed upon during negotiations and incorporated by way of a Best and

Final Offer (BAFO). Noncompliance with, or any attempt to alter or delete, this paragraph shall constitute sufficient grounds to reject Vendor’s bid as nonresponsive.

2.3 IFB SCHEDULE

The table below shows the intended schedule for this IFB. The State will make every effort to adhere to this schedule.

Event Responsibility Date and Time

Issue IFB State February 20, 2025

Deadline to Submit Written Questions Vendor February 25, 2025 @ 2:00PM

Provide Response to Questions State February 27, 2025

Submit Bids Vendor March 4, 2025 @ 2:00PM

Contract Award State TBD

Contract Effective Date Vendor April 1, 2025

The Department of Administration will be conducting live bid openings over Microsoft Teams conference call. Below is the call-in information for this procurement’s bid opening scheduled for March 4, 2025 @ 2:00PM

Microsoft Teams Need help?

Join the meeting now Meeting ID: 260 261 794 87 Passcode: 8446Jk2L

Dial in by phone +1 984-204-1487,,427668780# United States, Raleigh Find a local number Phone conference ID: 427 668 780# Join on a video conferencing device Tenant key: ncgov@m.webex.com Video ID: 119 951 496 9

2.4 BID QUESTIONS

Upon review of the IFB documents, Vendors may have questions to clarify or interpret the IFB in order to submit the best bid possible.

To accommodate the Bid Questions process, Vendors shall submit any such questions by the “Submit Written Questions” date and time provided in the IFB SCHEDULE Section above, unless modified by Addendum.

Questions related to the content of the solicitation, or the procurement process should be directed to the person on the title page of this document via the Sourcing Tool's message board by the date and time specified in the IFB SCHEDULE Section of this IFB. Vendors will enter “IFB # 13—DOA1436367797 Questions” as the subject of the message. Question submittals should include a reference to the applicable IFB section. This is the only manner in which questions will be received.

Questions or issues related to using the Sourcing Tool itself can be directed to the North Carolina eProcurement Help Desk at 888-

211-7440, Option 2. Help Desk representatives are available Monday through Friday from 7:30 AM ET to 5:00 PM ET.

Questions received prior to the submission deadline date, the State’s response, and any additional terms deemed necessary by the

State will be posted in the Sourcing Tool in the form of an addendum and shall become an Addendum to this IFB. No information, https://aka.ms/JoinTeamsMeeting?omkt=en-US https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_OWJjYmEwMTQtOWExMC00MGJmLWE3MTMtNmFmZTMyMDU1Zjg0%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%227a7681dc-b9d0-449a-85c3-ecc26cd7ed19%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22eba0bdb7-0b77-4d3e-8f1e-17f560c8298a%22%7d tel:+19842041487,,427668780 https://dialin.teams.microsoft.com/c102d528-0544-4660-b869-294e85047e28?id=427668780

Ver: 11/2023 7 instruction or advice provided orally or informally by any State personnel, whether made in response to a question or otherwise in connection with this IFB, shall be considered authoritative or binding. Vendors shall rely only on written material contained in the IFB and an addendum to this IFB.

Questions received prior to the submission deadline date, the State’s response, and any additional terms deemed necessary by the

State will be posted in the form of an addendum to the electronic Vendor Portal (eVP), https://evp.nc.gov, and shall become an

Addendum to this IFB. No information, instruction or advice provided orally or informally by any State personnel, whether made in response to a question or otherwise in connection with this IFB, shall be considered authoritative or binding. Vendors shall rely only on written material contained in the IFB and an addendum to this IFB.

2.5 BID SUBMITTAL

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is an absolute requirement. Late bids, regardless of cause, will not be opened or considered, and will be automatically disqualified from further consideration. Vendor shall bear the sole risk of late submission due to unintended or unanticipated delay. It is the Vendor’s sole responsibility to ensure its bid has been received as described in this IFB by the specified time and date of opening. The time and date of receipt will be marked on each bid when received. Any bid or portion thereof received after the bid deadline will be rejected.

Failure to submit a bid in strict accordance with these instructions shall constitute sufficient cause to reject a Vendor’s bids(s). Vendors are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to upload bids.

Critical updated information may be included in Addenda to this IFB. It is important that all Vendors responding to this IFB periodically check the State’s eVP website for any Addenda that may be issued prior to the bid opening date. All Vendors shall be deemed to have read and understood all information in this IFB and all Addenda thereto.

2. 6 BID CONTENTS

Vendors shall provide responses to all questions and complete all attachments for this IFB that require the Vendor to provide information and upload them to the Sourcing Event in the Sourcing Tool. Vendor may not be able to submit its response in the Sourcing

Tool unless all required items are addressed. Vendors shall provide authorized signatures where requested. Failure to provide all required items, or Vendor’s submission of incomplete items, may result in the State rejecting Vendor’s bid, in the State’s sole discretion.

Vendors shall upload the following items and attachments in the Sourcing Tool:

a) Title Page: Include the company name, address, phone number and authorized representative along with the Bid Number.

b) Completed and signed version of all EXECUTION PAGES, along with the body of the IFB.

c) Signed receipt pages of any addenda released in conjunction with this IFB, if required to be returned.

d) Vendor’s Response to section 4.3 Vendor Experience, 5.4 Vendor Work Plan

e) Completed version of ATTACHMENT A: PRICING

f) Completed version of ATTACHMENT D: HUB SUPPLEMENTAL VENDOR INFORMATION

g) Completed version of ATTACHMENT E: CUSTOMER REFERENCE FORM

h) Completed version of ATTACHMENT F: LOCATION OF WORKERS UTILIZED BY VENDOR

i) Completed and signed version of ATTACHMENT G: CERTIFICATION OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

2.7 ALTERNATE BIDS

Unless provided otherwise in this IFB, Vendor may submit alternate bids for comparable Goods, various methods or levels of Service(s), or that propose different options. Alternate bid must specifically identify the IFB requirements and advantage(s) addressed by the alternate bid. Any alternate bid, in addition to the marking described above, must be clearly marked with the legend: “Alternate Bid https://evp.nc.gov/

Ver: 11/2023 8

#___”. Each bid must be for a specific set of Goods and Services and must include specific pricing. If a Vendor chooses to respond with various offerings, each must be offered with a separate price and be contained in a separate bid. Each bid must be complete and independent of other bids offered.

2.8 DEFINITIONS, ACRONYMS, AND ABBREVIATIONS

Relevant definitions for this IFB are provided in 01 NCAC 05A .0112 and in the Instructions to Vendors found below which are incorporated herein by this reference.

The following definitions, acronyms, and abbreviations are also relevant to this IFB:

a) DOA: Department of Administration

b) MSC: Mail Service Center

3.0 METHOD OF AWARD AND BID EVALUATION PROCESS

3.1 METHOD OF AWARD

North Carolina G.S. 143-52 provides a general list of criteria the State shall use to award contracts, as supplemented by the additional criteria herein. The Goods or Services being procured shall dictate the application and order of criteria; however, all award decisions shall be in the State’s best interest.

All responsive bids will be reviewed, and an award or awards will be based on the responsive bid(s) offering the lowest price that meets the specifications provided herein, to include any required verifications set out here in such as but not limited to past performance, references, and financial documents.

While the intent of this IFB is to award a Contract(s) to a single Vendor the State reserves the right to make separate awards to different

Vendors for one or more line items, to not award one or more line items, or to cancel this IFB in its entirety without awarding a

Contract, if it is considered to be most advantageous to the State to do so.

The State reserves the right to waive any minor informality or technicality in bids received.

3.2 CONFIDENTIALITY AND PROHIBITED COMMUNICATIONS DURING EVALUATION

While this IFB is under evaluation, the responding Vendor, including any subcontractors and suppliers, is prohibited from engaging in conversations intended to influence the outcome of the evaluation. See Paragraph 29 of the Instructions to Vendors entitled

COMMUNICATIONS BY VENDORS.

Each Vendor submitting a bid to this IFB, including its employees, agents, subcontractors, suppliers, subsidiaries and affiliates, is prohibited from having any communications with any person inside or outside the using agency; issuing agency; other government agency office or body (including the purchaser named above, any department secretary, agency head, members of the General

Assembly and Governor’s office); or private entity, if the communication refers to the content of Vendor’s bid or qualifications, the content of another Vendor’s proposal, another Vendor’s qualifications or ability to perform a resulting contract, and/or the transmittal of any other communication of information that could be reasonably considered to have the effect of directly or indirectly influencing the evaluation of proposals, the award of a contract, or both.

Any Vendor not in compliance with this provision shall be disqualified from evaluation and award. A Vendor’s proposal may be disqualified if its subcontractor and/or supplier engage in any of the foregoing communications during the time that the procurement is active (i.e., the issuance date of the procurement until the date of contract award or cancellation of the procurement). Only those discussions, communications or transmittals of information authorized or initiated by the issuing agency for this IFB, or inquiries directed to the purchaser named in this IFB regarding requirements of the IFB (prior to proposal submission) or the status of the award

(after submission) are excepted from this provision.

Ver: 11/2023 9

3.3 BID EVALUATION PROCESS

The State will conduct an evaluation of responsive Bids, as follows:

Bids will be received according to the method stated in the Bid Submittal section above.

All bids must be received by the issuing agency not later than the date and time specified in the IFB SCHEDULE Section above, unless modified by Addendum. Vendors are cautioned that this is a request for offers, not an offer or request to contract, and the

State reserves the unqualified right to reject any and all offers at any time if such rejection is deemed to be in the best interest of the State.

At the date and time provided in the IFB SCHEDULE Section above, unless modified by Addendum, the bids from each responding

Vendor will be opened publicly and all offers (except those that have been previously withdrawn, or voided bids) will be tabulated.

The tabulation shall be made public at the time it is created. When negotiations after receipt of bids are authorized pursuant to

G.S. 143-49 and 01 NCAC 05B.0503, only the names of offerors and the Goods and Services offered shall be tabulated at the time of opening. Cost and price shall be available for public inspection at the time of the award. Interested parties are cautioned that these costs and their components are subject to further evaluation for completeness and correctness and therefore may not be an exact indicator of a Vendor’s pricing position.

At their option, the evaluators may request oral presentations or discussions with any or all Vendors for clarification or to amplify the materials presented in any part of the bid. Vendors are cautioned, however, that the evaluators are not required to request presentations or other clarification—and often do not. Therefore, all bids should be complete and reflect the most favorable terms available from the Vendor. Prices bid cannot be altered or modified as part of a clarification.

Bids will generally be evaluated, based on completeness, content, cost and responsibility of the Vendor to supply the requested

Goods and Services. Specific evaluation criteria are listed in Section 3.1 METHOD OF AWARD.

Upon completion of the evaluation process, the State will make Award(s) based on the evaluation and post the award(s) to the

State’s eVP website under the IFB number for this solicitation. Award of a Contract to one Vendor does not mean that the other bids lacked merit, but that, all factors considered, the selected bid was deemed most advantageous and represented the best value to the State.

The State reserves the right to negotiate with one or more Vendors, or to reject all original offers and negotiate with one or more sources of supply that may be capable of satisfying the requirement, and in either case to require Vendor to submit a Best and

Final Offer (BAFO) based on discussions and negotiations with the State.

3.4 PERFORMANCE OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES

Vendor shall complete ATTACHMENT F: LOCATION OF WORKERS UTILIZED BY VENDOR. In addition to any other evaluation criteria identified in this IFB, the State may also consider, for purposes of evaluating proposed or actual contract performance outside of the

United States, how that performance may affect the following factors to ensure that any award will be in the best interest of the State:

a) Total cost to the State

b) Level of quality provided by the Vendor

c) Process and performance capability across multiple jurisdictions

d) Protection of the State’s information and intellectual property

e) Availability of pertinent skills

f) Ability to understand the State’s business requirements and internal operational culture

g) Particular risk factors such as the security of the State’s information technology

h) Relations with citizens and employees

i) Contract enforcement jurisdictional issues

Ver: 11/2023 10

3.5 INTERPRETATION OF TERMS AND PHRASES

This IFB serves two functions: (1) to advise potential Vendors of the parameters of the solution being sought by the State; and (2) to provide (together with other specified documents) the terms of the Contract resulting from this procurement. The use of phrases such as “shall,” “must,” and “requirements” are intended to create enforceable contract conditions. In determining whether bids should be evaluated or rejected, the State will take into consideration the degree to which Vendors have proposed or failed to propose solutions that will satisfy the State’s needs as described in the IFB. Except as specifically stated in the IFB, no one requirement shall automatically disqualify a Vendor from consideration. However, failure to comply with any single requirement may result in the State exercising its discretion to reject a bid in its entirety.

4.0 REQUIREMENTS

This Section lists the requirements related to this IFB. By submitting a bid, the Vendor agrees to meet all stated requirements in this

Section as well as any other specifications, requirements, and terms and conditions stated in this IFB. If a Vendor is unclear about a requirement or specification or believes a change to a requirement would allow for the State to receive a better bid, the Vendor is urged to submit these items in the form of a question during the question-and-answer period in accordance with the Bid Questions

Section above.

4.1 PRICING

The proposal price shall constitute the total cost to the State for complete performance in accordance with the requirements and specifications herein, including all applicable charges for handling, transportation, administrative and other similar fees. Complete

ATTACHMENT A: PRICING FORM within this solicitation document and upload in the Sourcing Tool. The pricing provided in

ATTACHMENT A, or resulting from any negotiations, is incorporated herein and shall become part of any resulting Contract.

4.2 INVOICES

Vendor is to invoice monthly for postage used. Vendor is to submit separately, a monthly check for IMb rebate and any other workshare discounts. With no funds being held within abeyance for services or invoices.

Vendor will satisfy DMV presort mail charges by submitting DMV mailings for USPS debit at mail entry from the DMV USPS Enterprise Payment Account (EPA).

Vendor shall provide Mail Service Center separate detailed invoices for all other service charges, including:

• DMV non-presort

• City of Raleigh

• UNC

• UNC-Greensboro

• NC State

• General Assembly

• State Lab of Public Health

• Mail Service Center for miscellaneous

Invoices shall include detailed information to allow the Agency to verify pricing at point of receipt matches the correct price from the original date of order. The following fields shall be included on all invoices, as relevant:

Vendor’s Billing Address, Customer Account Number, NC Contract Number, Order Date, Buyer’s Order Number, Service Descriptions, Price, Quantity, and Unit of Measure.

INVOICES MAY NOT BE PAID UNTIL AN INSPECTION HAS OCCURRED AND THE GOODS OR SERVICES ACCEPTED

4.3 VENDOR EXPERIENCE

In its bid, Vendor shall demonstrate experience with public and/or private sector clients with similar or greater size and complexity to the State of North Carolina. The Vendor shall provide a WRITTEN SUMMARY of the company/corporation, including when the firm

Ver: 11/2023 11 was established, the location of its corporate headquarters, the number of current employees, the types of facilities serviced, the current volume of space being cleaned, and similar contracts held over the past three (3) years. The State may check all public sources to determine whether the Vendor has listed all contracts for similar work within the designated period. If the State determines that the list is incomplete or inaccurate and similar contracts were no listed, the State may contact the entities to make inquiry into the Vendor’s performance of those contracts and the information obtained may be considered as “Reference” information.

4.4 WORK PLAN

In its Bid, Vendor shall include, in narrative, outline, and/or graph form the Vendor's work plan to accomplishing the tasks outlined in the Section 5.0 of this IFB. Vendor shall include a detailed description of how it plans to pick up mail to be processed per the tasks outlined in 5.2.1 from the Mail Service Center, located at 3905 Reedy Creek Rd, Raleigh, NC 27607, and process it according to the tasks outlined in 5.2.1.

4.5 FINANCIAL STABILITY

As a condition of contract award, the Vendor must certify that it has the financial capacity to perform and to continue to perform its obligations under the Contract; that Vendor has no constructive or actual knowledge of an actual or potential legal proceeding being brought against Vendor that could materially adversely affect performance of this Contract; and that entering into this Contract is not prohibited by any contract, or order by any court of competent jurisdiction.

Each Vendor shall certify it is financially stable by completing ATTACHMENT G: CERTIFICATION OF FINANCIAL CONDITION. The State is requiring this certification to minimize potential issues from contracting with a Vendor that is financially unstable. From the date of the Certification to the expiration of the Contract, the Vendor shall notify the State within thirty (30) days of any occurrence or condition that materially alters the truth of any statement made in this Certification. The Contract Manager may require annual recertification of the Vendor’s financial stability.

4.6 HUB PARTICIPATION

Pursuant to North Carolina General Statute G.S. 143-48, it is State policy to encourage and promote the use of small, minority, physically handicapped, and women contractors in purchasing Goods and Services. As such, this IFB will serve to identify those

Vendors that are minority owned or have a strategic plan to support the State’s Historically Underutilized Business program by meeting or exceeding the goal of 10% utilization of diverse firms as 1st or 2nd tier subcontractors. Vendor shall complete ATTACHMENT D: HUB

SUPPLEMENTAL VENDOR INFORMATION.

4.7 REFERENCES

Vendor shall upload to the Sourcing Tool at least three (3) references, using ATTACHMENT E: CUSTOMER REFERENCE FORM, for which it has provided Services of similar size and scope to those proposed herein. The State may contact these users to determine whether the Services provided are substantially similar in scope to those proposed herein and whether Vendor’s performance has been satisfactory. The information obtained may be considered in the evaluation of the Bid.

4.8 BACKGROUND CHECKS

Any personnel or agent of Vendor performing Services under any Contract arising from this IFB may be required to undergo a background check at the expense of the Vendor, if so requested by the State.

Ver: 11/2023 12

4.9 PERSONNEL

Vendor warrants that qualified personnel shall provide Services under this Contract in a professional manner. “Professional manner” means that the personnel performing the Services will possess the skill and competence consistent with the prevailing business standards in the industry. Vendor will serve as the prime contractor under this Contract and shall be responsible for the performance and payment of all subcontractor(s) that may be approved by the State. Names of any third-party Vendors or subcontractors of Vendor may appear for purposes of convenience in Contract documents; and shall not limit Vendor’s obligations hereunder. Vendor will retain executive representation for functional and technical expertise as needed in order to incorporate any work by third party subcontractor(s).

Should the Vendor’s bid result in an award, the Vendor shall be required to agree that it will not substitute key personnel assigned to the performance of the Contract without prior written approval by the Contract Lead. Vendor shall further agree that it will notify the Contract Lead of any desired substitution, including the name(s) and references of Vendor’s recommended substitute personnel.

The State will approve or disapprove the requested substitution in a timely manner. The State may, in its sole discretion, terminate the Services of any person providing Services under this Contract. Upon such termination, the State may request acceptable substitute personnel or terminate the contract Services provided by such personnel.

4.10 VENDOR’S REPRESENTATIONS

If Vendor’s bid results in an award, Vendor agrees that it will not enter any agreement with a third party that may abridge any rights of the State under the Contract. If any Services, deliverables, functions, or responsibilities not specifically described in this solicitation are required for Vendor’s proper performance, provision and delivery of the Service and deliverables under a resulting

Contract, or are an inherent part of or necessary sub-task included within such Service, they will be deemed to be implied by and included within the scope of the Contract to the same extent and in the same manner as if specifically described in the Contract.

Unless otherwise expressly provided herein, Vendor will furnish all of its own necessary management, supervision, labor, facilities, furniture, computer and telecommunications equipment, software, supplies and materials necessary for the Vendor to provide and deliver the Services and/or other Deliverables.

4.11 AGENCY INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS MODIFICATION

Default Insurance Coverage from the General Terms and Conditions applicable to this Solicitation:

☐ Small Purchases

☒ Contract value in excess of the Small Purchase threshold, but up to $1,000,000.00

☐ Contract value in excess of $1,000,000.00

5.0 SPECIFICATIONS AND SCOPE OF WORK

5.1 SPECIFICATIONS

The Department of Administration on behalf of the Mail Service Center is seeking to contract with a qualified Vendor to provide mail pre-sorting services for letters and postcards. The vendor must pick up mail to be processed per the tasks below from the Mail

Service Center, located at 3905 Reedy Creek Rd, Raleigh, NC 27607. With its bid, the Vendor must provide its Work Plan to accomplish these tasks as outlined in Section 5.4: Vendor Work Plan.

Vendor shall…

5.2 TASKS

1. Share Full Service IMb Discount and any other workshare discounts offered by the USPS from Full Services IMb processing.

Ver: 11/2023 13

2. Furnish all necessary facilities, personnel and equipment for the performance of this work.

3. Certify in its response to this solicitation and annually that USPS certifications for NCOA/Move update and full service IMb are current.

4. Pick up mail from the Mail Service Center by 1:00PM ET and process mail for next day induction to USPS mail stream.

5. Be responsible for immediately returning mail damaged in processing with proper credit and prior notification.

6. Ensure rejected mail is processed and inducted to USPS mail stream within 24 hours of rejection. Provide piece count and feedback for administrative purposes.

5.2.2 NC Mail Service Center Tasks

1. Prepare mail for safe and timely transport by containerizing mail in rolling equipment or on Shrink wrapped pallets.

2. Ensure pickup slips are fully completed that identify each job and sent with the correct mail.

3. Notify Vendor of volumes in excess of average daily volumes (ADV.)

5.3 POSTAGE

Vendor proposed rates shall be based upon current USPS postage rates at the time of bid. During the life of this contract, Vendor may align postage pricing based upon current USPS rates, rules and regulations, with a (30) day notice.

The State will agree to deposit, in advance with the awarded Vendor, the initial sum of $250,000.00 “Postage Deposit” to allow the

Vendor to pay USPS for postage on the Division’s behalf. Upon the termination of this contract, Vendor shall return the deposit to the Division after all postage has been paid to Vendor by the Division.

6.0 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION

All Contract Administration requirements are conditioned on an award resulting from this solicitation. This information is provided for the Vendor’s planning purposes.

6.1 CONTACT INFORMATION

A. CONTRACTING AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION

1. The State shall designate and make available to the Vendor a Contract Manager. The Contract Manager shall be the State’s point of contact for Contract related issues and issues concerning performance, progress review, scheduling, and service.

Contract Manager Point of Contact

Name:

Office Phone:

Mobile Phone:

Ver: 11/2023 14

Email:

Mailing Address

Physical Address:

B. VENDOR CONTACT INFORMATION

1. The Vendor shall be required to designate and make available to the State a customer service contact

a) The Vendor shall provide the Contract Administrator with a current local office location (address), a business office number, 24-hour emergency contact number, cell phone number(s) for Owner, Supervisors, and Day Porters, and email address where communications are to be sent. The vendor shall notify the Contract Administration within twenty-four

(24) hours of any changes in contact information.

b. The Vendor or a responsible management official of the firm must respond within one (1) hour after telephone contact from the contract administrator.

Vendor Customer Service Point of Contact

Name:

Office Phone:

Mobile Phone:

Email:

Mailing Address:

Physical Address:

6.2 POST AWARD MEETINGS

The Vendor, at the request of the State, shall be required to meet at a designated schedule as set by the Contracting Agency with the State for Performance Review meetings. The purpose of these meetings will be to review project progress, discuss

Vendor and State performance, address outstanding issues, review problem resolution, provide direction, evaluate continuous improvement, and cost saving ideas, and discuss any other pertinent topics.

Vendor shall notify Contract Administrator if Vendor is unable to attend in a timely manner at which time an alternate date and time for meeting may be scheduled. Failure to notify the Contract Administrator of absence will result in a Vendor

Warning. Three (3) undocumented absences during the term of contract may result in a Vendor Complaint.

6.3 CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

The State encourages the Vendor to identify opportunities to reduce the total cost to the State. A continuous improvement effort consists of various ways to enhance business efficiencies as performance progresses.

Ver: 11/2023 15

6.4 ACCEPTANCE OF WORK

Performance of the work and/or delivery of Goods shall be conducted and completed at least in accordance with the Contract requirements and recognized and customarily accepted industry practices. Performance shall be considered complete when the

Services or Goods are approved as acceptable by the Contract Administrator.

6.5 TRANSITION ASSISTANCE

If a Contract results from this solicitation, and the Contract is not renewed at the end of the last active term, or is canceled prior to its expiration, for any reason, Vendor shall provide transition assistance to the State, at the option of the State, for up to (6) six months to allow for the expired or canceled portion of the Services to continue without interruption or adverse effect, and to facilitate the orderly transfer of such Services to the State or its designees. If the State exercises this option, the Parties agree that such transition assistance shall be governed by the terms and conditions of the Contract (notwithstanding this expiration or cancellation), except for those Contract terms or conditions that do not reasonably apply to such transition assistance. The State shall agree to pay Vendor for any resources utilized in performing such transition assistance at the most current rates provided by the Contract for performance of the Services or other resources utilized.

6.6 DISPUTE RESOLUTION

During the performance of the Contract, the parties agree that it is in their mutual interest to resolve disputes informally. Any claims by the Vendor shall be submitted in writing to the State’s Contract Manager for resolution. Any claims by the State shall be submitted in writing to the Vendor’s Project Manager for resolution. The Parties shall agree to negotiate in good faith and use all reasonable efforts to resolve such dispute(s).

During the time the Parties are attempting to resolve any dispute, each shall proceed diligently to perform their respective duties and responsibilities under this Contract. The Parties will agree on a reasonable amount of time to resolve a dispute. If a dispute cannot be resolved between the Parties within the agreed upon period, either Party may elect to exercise any other remedies available under the Contract, or at law. This provision, when agreed in the Contract, shall not constitute an agreement by either party to mediate or arbitrate any dispute. www.ncadmin.nc.gov/businesses/fiscal-management

6.7 CONTRACT CHANGES

Contract changes, if any, over the life of the Contract shall be implemented by contract amendments agreed to in writing by the State and Vendor. Amendments to the contract can only be made through the Contract Administrator.

6.8 ATTACHMENTS

Attachment A: Pricing is below within this solicitation document. All other attachments to this IFB are found within the Ariba Sourcing

Tool, and are incorporated herein, and shall be submitted by responding in the Sourcing Tool.

Ver: 11/2023 16

ATTACHMENT A: PRICING

FURNISH AND DELIVER: (**Volume per month quantities for evaluation purposes only. The state does not guarantee any minimums or maximums under this contract)

PROPOSED RATES

Postage Affixed 3/5-digit

Vendor affixed postage

IMb (rebate) and workshare discounts

Sort Fee per piece

All in cost per piece

Estimated Volume per

Month**

Total Extended Cost per month

(All in Cost per piece x Estimated

Volume per month)

First Class Letters with postage affixed

1,000.000

First Class letters without postage affixed.

320,000

First Class Postcards with postage affixed

85,000

First Class Postcards without postage affixed

85,000

TOTAL MONTHLY SERVICES COST $________________________________

TOTAL ANNUAL SERVICES COST (Monthly Services Cost x 12) $________________________________