158-27-048 Solicitation.pdf

This public body does not discriminate against faith-based organizations in accordance with the Code of Virginia, § 2.2-4343.1 or against a supplier or offeror because of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, political affiliation, or veteran status or any other basis prohibited by state law relating to discrimination in employment. Faith-based organizations may request that the issuing agency not include subparagraph 1.f in General Terms and Condition C. Such a request shall be in writing and explain why an exception should be made.

Invitation for Bids (IFB) Contract # 158-27-048

For

Tax Information Reporting and Filing Services

Issue Date: August 26, 2026

Bid Due Date/Time: September 9, 2026, 1:00 PM EST

Period of Contract: Three (3) years, with two (2) optional one (1) year renewal periods

Single Point of Contact (SPOC): Kim Palmer, Strategic Sourcing and Contract Analyst II

SPOC E-mail Address: kpalmer@varetire.org

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEM (VRS)

1200 E Main Street Richmond, VA 23219

Supplier Checklist The intent of this checklist is to assist the Supplier in providing a complete bid response. It is the responsibility of the Supplier to read the entire solicitation and seek clarification as needed.

☐ Company information completed and included with bid response (refer to page 3 of Supplier Bid Response & Contract document).

☐ Bid contains signature by person legally authorized to bind the bid to a contract. Electronic signature is fine.

☐ Payment Schedule completed (refer to Section V of the Supplier Bid Response & Contract document).

☐ Bid Submission:

☐ Completed Supplier Bid Response & Contract document, including all Appendices (listed below), with the file titled: [Company Name] – 158-27-048 2027 Tax Information Reporting and Filing Services Bid.

• Appendix A: Authorization to Transact Business in the Commonwealth of Virginia form completed and included in Supplier Bid Response & Contract document.

• Appendix B: Commonwealth of Virginia Substitute W-9 completed and included in Supplier Bid Response & Contract document.

• Appendix C: Supplier Reference and Data Sheet form completed and included in Supplier Bid Response & Contract document.

• Appendix D: Small Business Subcontracting Plan form completed and included in Supplier Bid Response & Contract document.

☐ Appendix E: VRS Security Compliance Requirement Information does not need to be completed and submitted. The documents contained in this Appendix E are solely for reference in preparation of a bid.

Table of Contents

I. PURPOSE

II. BACKGROUND

III. PRE-BID CONFERENCE

IV. PUBLIC BID OPENING

V. SUPPLIER INSTRUCTIONS FOR RESPONSE TO IFB

I. PURPOSE

The Virginia Retirement System, referred to here as “VRS” or the “Agency”, is an independent state agency based in Richmond, Virginia which delivers retirement and other benefits to covered Virginia public sector employees through sound financial stewardship and superior customer service.

The purpose and intent of this Invitation for Bids (IFB) is to solicit bids to establish a contract with one or more qualified Supplier(s) for tax information reporting and filing services including high-volume electronic filing and recipient distribution.

A detailed list of requirements and scope of work are provided in Section III of the Supplier Bid Response & Contract document.

II. BACKGROUND

Virginia Retirement System (VRS) administers benefit and payment programs that require annual reporting of taxable payments to recipients and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Social Security Administration (SSA), and the Commonwealth of Virginia (COV) state tax authorities. VRS currently issues tax forms including but not limited to Form W-2, Form 1099-R, Form 1099-MISC, and Form 1099-NEC. VRS anticipates that the annual volumes of each of the forms listed above are approximately:

Form Type Estimated Volume

1099-R 270,000

1099-MISC / NEC 100

W-2 56,000

Total Forms 326,100

VRS seeks a qualified tax information reporting and filing service provider to provide a comprehensive tax reporting solution capable of supporting high-volume form generation, electronic filing and recipient distribution; supporting data ingestion from VRS systems and data validation; and performing filing with federal and state authorities without requiring use of the vendor’s payroll or payment platform.

III. PRE-BID CONFERENCE

An optional/mandatory pre-bid conference will take place virtually on September 2, 2026 at 11:30 AM EST. This pre-bid conference will provide a forum for all potential Suppliers to ask questions about this solicitation before submitting written questions. If interested in attending this pre-bid conference, please contact the SPOC to get a link for the virtual meeting.

IV. PUBLIC BID OPENING

As this IFB requires all bids be sealed upon submission and not be opened until after the bid due date, a public bid opening will take place on September 9, 2026 at 2:00 PM EST. The public bid opening will take place virtually. Below is the link for the meeting:

https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/262122341450697?p=rP40onuPssLIymDnL9

V. SUPPLIER INSTRUCTIONS FOR RESPONSE TO IFB

Suppliers must complete and provide responses to the following documents as instructed in the table below. Bids not submitted in accordance with these instructions may not be considered by VRS.

https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/262122341450697?p=rP40onuPssLIymDnL9

Supplier Response and Submission Instructions

The Supplier shall submit a complete response to the Supplier Bid Response & Contract document, including:

1. Complete and sign the Supplier Information table.

2. Complete the table(s) in Section V. Payment Schedule.

3. Complete all Appendix forms attached to the Supplier Bid Response & Contract document according to their instructions. These include:

- Appendix A: Authorization to Transact Business in the Commonwealth of Virginia

- Appendix B: Commonwealth of Virginia Substitute W9 Form

- Appendix C: Supplier Reference and Data Sheet

- Appendix D: Small Business Subcontracting Plan

Appendix E: VRS Security Compliance Requirement Information is solely for reference during Supplier’s bid preparation. Supplier does not need to complete and submit Appendix E with the other documents listed above as part of the bid submission requirements.

The Supplier shall not include or submit any forms and/or agreements, including Supplier’s standard or master services agreement, requiring VRS signature with its bid or after any contract resulting from this bid process is awarded. Modifications of or additions to any of the Terms & Conditions contained in the Supplier Bid Response & Contract document, to include addition of Supplier’s own Terms & Conditions, will result in a non-responsive bid with no consideration for award.

The Supplier Bid Response & Contract document, including all Appendices attached therein, represents the Entire Agreement with VRS for the services described therein.

All Suppliers shall submit bids electronically through eVA, by Mail, or be hand-delivered by the due date and time.

Supplier must be registered in eVA to submit an electronic response. Supplier must submit one complete copy of the response including all appendices and exhibits.

If paper bids are mailed or hand-delivered, the Supplier shall send the bid directly to VRS at 1200 East Main Street, Richmond, VA 23219. Mailed or hand-delivered bids must be received by VRS by the due date and time to be considered.

The following are instructions for submitting an electronic proposal through eVA:

a. Go to www.eva.virginia.gov

b. Click on “I Sell To Virginia”

c. Click on “eVA Supplier Training”

d. Click on “Viewing and Responding to Solicitations Video”

Supplier should contact eVA Customer Care at 1-866-289-7367 with any questions on how to respond to an open solicitation electronically. VRS in unable to assist suppliers with the use of eVA, to include Supplier registration, accessing and maintaining Supplier accounts, navigation in the eVA system, technical issues, data issues, etc. Bids not submitted electronically as instructed by the bid deadline will not be considered by VRS.

Note: All bids must be submitted in the most current round of bidding to be considered responsive. Any addendum to the IFB will be considered to begin a new round of bidding and will require the bid to be re-submitted if submitted prior to the posting of the addendum.

IMPORTANT: Late or unsealed bids will not be accepted. Faxed or emailed bids will not be accepted.

http://www.eva.virginia.gov/

All questions about this solicitation should be directed to the SPOC, whose information is provided on page 1 of this document and the Supplier Bid Response & Contract document. Do not contact any other VRS personnel aside from the SPOC listed.