140-20260310092302 GSD.pdf

Gulfport School District 2001 Pass Road · Gulfport, MS 39501

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

The Gulfport School District Board of Trustees is seeking a Request for Proposal at the Administration Office, subject to the attached conditions, until March 24, 2026, at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time for the acquisition of the products and/or services described below.

Yearbooks

The Company/Vendor must submit Request for Proposals and direct inquiries to:

Central Office ATTENTION: Stacey Penny, CFO

2001 Pass Road Gulfport, MS 39501 tammy.owens@gulfportschools.org (inquiries only)

OR

Electronic proposals can be submitted at www.centralbidding.com

To prevent unauthorized access, all copies of the Request for Proposal must be sealed in the package. The following must be clearly typed on a label affixed to the package in a clearly visible location:

PROPOSAL, SUBMITTED IN RESPONSE TO

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL - YEARBOOKS

March 24, 2026, at 10:00 AM ATTENTION: Stacey Penny, CFO

The Gulfport School District Board of Trustees reserves the right to accept or reject any part of a request for proposal, all and any proposals, and waive formalities.

For Gulfport School District Use Only

Date Received Time Received

Received by (Print) Received By (Signature) mailto:tammy.owens@gulfportschools.org http://www.centralbidding.com/

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Table of Contents

Submission Cover Sheet and Configuration Summary ............................................................................................ 3, 4

Proposal Guidelines and Requirements

Pricing

Right to Adjust or Reject Bid Proposals

References

Representatives

Contract Period

Signature

Awarding of Bid/Evaluation ................................................................................................................................ 6-7

Yearbook Specifications

Provider Representative

Technology

Software

Training

Kit Materials

Cover: Hard or Soft

Color Pages

Endsheets

Proofs

Deadlines

Samples

Marketing…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..11

Production and Delivery……………………………………………………………………………………………………..11

Yearbook Pricing Sheet

Request for Proposal Assurances

Request for Proposal Response Checklist

Proposal Exception Summary Form

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Request for Proposal

Provide the following information regarding the person responsible for the completion of this request for proposal. This person is the contact for the Gulfport School District for questions and/or clarifications.

Yearbook Company/Vendor Organization Name

Federal Tax ID Number

Contact Person

Phone Number

Physical Address

Mailing Address

E-mail Address

Fax Number

I hereby declare that the information provided in this request for proposal is active, valid, and a full disclosure of the requested information. I am fully authorized to represent the organization listed above, to act on behalf of it, and to legally bind it in a matter related to this request for proposal.

Subject to acceptance by the Gulfport School District, the Company/Vendor acknowledges that, by submitting a request for proposal and signing in the space indicated below, the vendor is contractually obligated to comply with all terms of this request for proposal. If no Proposal Exception Form is included, the company/vendor indicates that there are no exceptions to the proposal being submitted.

The Company/Vendor further certifies that the organization represented here is an authorized dealer in good standing of the products/services included in this proposal.

Name

Title

Signature

Date

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Configuration Summary

In 100 words or fewer, provide a summary of the main components of products/services offered in this proposal.

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PROPOSAL GUIDELINES AND REQUIREMENTS

Schedule of Request for Proposal

ACTIVITY DATE

Proposals Opened March 24, 2026 @ 10:00 a.m.

Notification of Award by April 7, 2026

Official RFP documents can be downloaded from Central Bidding at www.centralbidding.com. Electronic RFP‘s can be submitted at www.centralbidding.com. Electronic proposals received will be stored in an electronic lockbox until the designated opening time. For any questions relating to the electronic bidding process, please call Central Bidding at 225-810-4814.

The proposal submission must be sealed and consist of one (1) complete original (marked) proposal and two (2) copies of the proposal. Proposals must be mailed or hand-delivered with the following label in a clearly visible location:

PROPOSAL SUBMITTED IN RESPONSE TO

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL - YEARBOOKS

March 24, 2026, at 10:00 AM ATTENTION: Stacey Penny, CFO

Proposals submitted by facsimile (fax) will not be accepted.

Gulfport School District will not be responsible for mail delays or lost mail. Therefore, it is suggested that mailed proposals be sent as certified mail with a return receipt guarantee.

All proposals must be received by the Gulfport School District’s Administration Office no later than March 24, 2026, at 10:00 A.M. Central Standard Time. Any proposals received after the specified date and time will be returned to the sender unopened.

The proposal must be signed by a company official authorized to bind the organization to its provisions.

Receipt or acceptance of a proposal does not imply commitment or obligation on the part of the Gulfport School District to fund any bid proposal submitted.

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Pricing All prices must be submitted on the pricing sheet included herein. The price quoted in the request for proposal should be inclusive. Quoted prices should include applicable taxes, transportation, and shipping fees to the schools, as well as a detailed list of excluded fees with a complete explanation of the nature of the fees. Gulfport School District is exempt from federal and state taxes.

All requests for proposals should include item unit prices and total prices. Discrepancies between the unit price included in the proposal and the total price extension will be resolved by considering the unit price as binding and adjusting the total price accordingly. Gulfport School District reserves the right to accept proposals based on either the individual line-item or the total bid price, whichever provides the greatest benefit to the school district. This proposal is not exclusive to only one vendor.

All prices and quotations must be in ink or typewritten. No pencil figures will be permitted. Mistakes are to be crossed out and corrections inserted adjacent to them, and the corrections are to be initialed by the person signing the proposal. Also, corrections made with correction tape or fluid are to be initialed.

Right to Adjust or Reject Request for Proposals The Gulfport School District reserves the right to reject any or all requests for proposals and waive formalities. Furthermore, Gulfport School District reserves the right to adjust quantities of products involved under any item in accordance with the unit prices submitted as part of the proposal.

All awards will be based on the availability of funds. Gulfport School District reserves the right to terminate or modify any part of this procurement process at any time and for any reason; to award one

(1) contract or multiple contracts; to negotiate changes; to make no awards; and to issue new and/or revised policies and clarifications at any time. If it becomes necessary to revise any part of the request for proposal, addenda will be provided to all companies/vendors who requested the original request for proposal packet through written communication delivered by the United States Postal Service and/or by e-mail.

References References from two (2) K-12 educational institutions or institutions of higher learning currently being serviced for which comparable products or services have been provided and/or performed must be included in the proposal. The reference list must include the organizations’ name, contact person, address, and phone number.

Representatives Specify the number of representatives available to service this account and the number of visits the representative will be willing to commit in or to each site.

Contract Period The vendor agrees to supply the items contained in this request for proposal for the period of July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029.

Signature Proposal must be signed.

Evaluation and Awarding of Bid The District will evaluate every submitted proposal and reserves the right to be the sole judge of which

7 Gulfport School District - Request for Proposal: Yearbooks 26-29 proposal best meets the District's needs. During the course of the Contract, the District reserves the right to negotiate changes in the scope, including the quantity and/or cost of the required services/equipment as well as changes in the scope and/or cost of the enhancements offered by the Vendor to the District.

While cost is an important element in the proposal process, many other factors may be considered, and the award will not necessarily be based on the lowest price. The District reserves the right to consider all relevant and reasonable criteria in selecting the successful vendor, which may or may not be expressed in the specifications. After determining that the request for proposal satisfies the mandatory requirements stated in the proposal documents, Gulfport School District, in its sole discretion, will make a comparative assessment of the relative benefits and deficiencies of proposals. The award of a contract resulting from these request for proposal documents shall be based on the lowest and best proposal as determined solely by the Gulfport School District, after consideration of factors that may include, but not be limited to, the following:

· Gulfport School District’s direct experience with Vendor;

· Vendor’s direct experience in the State of Mississippi;

· Vendor’s direct experience in the Southeast;

· Vendor’s financial standing;

· Vendor’s ability to handle additional work;

· Vendor’s price;

· Samples submitted; and

· Overall quality and appearance of Vendor’s bid packet submission

In no way shall the Gulfport School District or the Board of Trustees be required to justify their decision or be held accountable to the Vendor in making its award of the contract or its refusal to contract with any of the parties. The judgment of the value and merit of the bids shall be made solely at the discretion of the Gulfport School District.

All prospective vendors will be notified of the decision regarding the request for proposal award.

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Yearbook Specifications

The following specifications define the minimum requirements for an acceptable yearbook. The vendor is responsible for providing documentation that the yearbook meets the requirements at the time the request for proposal is opened. Compliance must be in place at the time of proposal opening. Lack of documentation will constitute non-compliance with the requirements, is considered incomplete, and will be rejected. Vendors must satisfy themselves, upon examination of these specifications, as to the intent and meaning of the specification. After submission of the request for proposal, neither party will entertain any complaint or claim of misunderstanding regarding the items listed in the proposal.

For each listed specification, check whether the products, features, or services you provide meet or exceed it.

PROVIDER REPRESENTATIVE

✓ MEETS ✓ EXCEEDS SPECIFICATION

1. A representative shall be available for the Yearbook Adviser and/or staff to contact, regarding production progress of material.

2. A representative should be available, upon the Yearbook Adviser's request, to visit the school and consult with the staff.

3. A local representative will call on the school on a specific schedule to be determined between the Yearbook Adviser, staff and representative.

4. A local representative must have the technical capability to assist the Yearbook Adviser and staff in the production of their yearbooks in a state-of-the-art manner.

TECHNOLOGY

1. Vendor must provide an online page-creation platform that integrates Adobe software via the Cloud at no additional cost to the school. School reserves the right to evaluate each company’s software for ease of use, compatibility with school technology, and maximum creative control.

2. Vendor must provide access to free technical support. Support should be available by phone at extended evening times and weekends.

3. Parents should be able to purchase yearbooks and personalization features on-line.

4. Parents should be able to purchase and create student yearbook ads on-line.

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SOFTWARE: Vendor must provide the name and capabilities of the software. The software should be at a minimum:

1. Consistently format each page by setting book-level or section-level specifications for type, photos, and graphics.

2. Automatically number and renumber pictures and art areas.

3. Easily crop photos with automatic slope calculations.

4. Crop photos without ever placing the cropper on a layout.

5. Import digital images from a digital camera or scanner and automatically check the file format and resolutions when imported.

6. Quickly and easily import names and tagged subjects from layouts to master index list, or import a complete student list, then flow names by grade to portrait page layouts.

7. Use automated portrait page service to add portraits and names to original layouts from school photographer’s photo CD.

8. Create continuous double pages without seams.

9. Provide aviary tool to use for cut out background, selective color, sharpening photos, and whitening details in photos. Software must be accessible online without the need for purchasing Photoshop.

TRAINING

1. Vendor must provide complete instructions for the preparation of the yearbook. Instructions may be written or in the form of short tutorial videos.

2. Vendor shall provide the opportunity for the staff members to attend training workshops, or shall provide other training programs for the school.

3. Vendor’s representative must provide in-school training to the adviser and/or staff as needed throughout the year. Training shall be planned and agreed upon with the Adviser.

4. Vendor will provide curriculum and textbooks (online or hard copy) for classroom instruction on design, photography, writing, and marketing for Gulfport High School.

KIT MATERIALS

1. All necessary supplies for the preparation of the yearbook are to be provided, with extra materials provided as needed.

2. The kit shall include all necessary tools and support materials required to layout, design, fundraise and market the yearbook.

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COVER: HARD OR SOFT

1. School shall have the choice of a custom-designed cover with the choice of four color lithograph, silkscreen, embossed, or alternate process, using one or more applied colors to the title, date, and design.

2. Vendor to provide a custom cover art session (online or in person) for a minimum of one hour with a graphic artist at no cost to the school.

COLOR PAGES

1. Unlimited use of graphics including: backgrounds, screens, and ghosted photographs without additional charges.

2. Unlimited number of photos per page.

ENDSHEETS

1. Minimum of 100lb stock; four-color printed on white; different designs on front and back for a high school yearbook.

2. Minimum of 90lb stock; one-color printing on white; different designs on the front and back for elementary and middle school yearbook.

3. Proof of end sheet is to be furnished to the school and approved prior to release for publication.

PROOFS

1. Vendor must be able to provide high-resolution .pdf proofs of all pages for review at no additional cost prior to the submission of pages.

2. Vendor must be able to provide hard copy proofs of cover and end sheets without the charge of shipping.

DEADLINES

1. Deadlines are to be spaced as evenly as possible from October 1 of each contract year until the final deadlines are expected. The final deadlines will be early spring 2027, 2028, & 2029, to allow the inclusion of spring sports and events.

2. The vendor must allow late deadlines at no additional charge to the school.

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SAMPLES

1. Each vendor shall submit, with the proposal, two sample copies of a yearbook priced in the proposal.

MARKETING

1. Vendor will provide direct-to-consumer marketing (via a mail-out program) to parents/guardians of students for a minimum of three times per year, at intervals aligned with the yearbook pricing schedule.

2. Promotional materials (banners, yard signs, etc) provided to the school at no extra charge.

PRODUCTION AND DELIVERY

1. Delivery Date: On or before May 1, 2027, 2028, and 2029.

2. Printing must take place in the U.S.

3. All runover copies included in the delivery must be at no cost to the school.

4. Vendor shall make changes to the book size and page count at the school’s request without penalizing the school.

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2027-0003 RFP Gulfport School District Yearbook Proposal

Yearbook Pricing Sheet:

School: # Copies # Pages Soft

Cover Hard Cover

Trim Size

Price per Copy Total Cost

Middle:

Bayou View 320 132 X

8.5 x 11

High School:

Gulfport High 350 500 X

9 x 12

375 525 X

9 x 12

380 550 X

9 x 12

Options (Please list. Include an additional page if necessary.)

Student Name

Personalization

Icons

Additional Autograph pages

Clear Plastic Protective Covers

Proposal submitted this ____________Day of ______________________2026.

Firm Signature

Address Printed Name & Title

City, State, Zip Telephone

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Proposal Assurances

The Vendor certifies that this Request for Proposal is made without any prior understanding, agreement, or connection with any person, firm, or corporation making a proposal for the same project, and is in all respects fair, free from outside control, collusion, fraud, or other illegal action.

Proposal Assurance Company Name

Company Address

Contact Name and Title (Print or Type)

Phone Number

Signature

Date

Name

Title

Request for Proposal Response Checklist

These items should be included in your response to the Request for Proposal

✓ # Response

1. One (1) original (marked) Request for Proposal Pricing Sheet.

2. Section I – Signed and Dated

3. Proposal Exception Summary Form (If used)

4. Section II – Vendor Profile and Questions

5. Section II – Proposal Assurances

6. Section III – Point to Point Specifications

7. IRS W-9 Form

8. 2 copies of the proposal

9. References

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SECTION VI

Proposal Exception Summary Form

List and clearly explain any exceptions for all specifications and sections in the table below.

Vendor Proposal Reference

(Reference page, section, and items in proposal where exception is explained)

Brief Explanation of Exception GSD Acceptance (GSD signature if accepted)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.