4-RFI-2604BM Invitation Requirements.pdf

RFI-2604BM Lease of Printers for Print Shop Invitation & Requirements

Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) is soliciting a Request for Information (RFI) from interested service providers for the services of a Lease of Printers for Print Shop. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes. This RFI is NOT a solicitation and does NOT commit any organization to procure any goods or services.

Communication Individuals, firms, and businesses seeking an award of a Gwinnett County Public Schools contract may not initiate or continue any verbal or written communications regarding a solicitation.

Submissions will be received digitally until Thursday, March 26, 2026 at 9:00 AM EST, through Euna Procurement (formerly Bonfire) located at https://gwinnett.bonfirehub.com or by visiting the GCPS Purchasing website at https://www.gcpsk12.org. A list of submitting firms will be available the following business day on our website. All communications concerning the Bid must be submitted in writing to the Gwinnett County Public School’s Purchasing Department via Euna Procurement (formerly Bonfire) under the “Message Center” section of the bid. No response other than written communication by the Purchasing Department will be binding upon Gwinnett County Public Schools.

Violations will be reviewed by the Purchasing Director. If determined that such communication has compromised the competitive process, the offer submitted by the individual, firm, or business may be disqualified from consideration for award. The Purchasing Department, in its discretion, may call upon user departments for clarification in their area of expertise. All questions or commentary must be received in Euna Procurement (formerly Bonfire) under the “Message Center” section no later than Thursday, March 19, 2026 9:00 AM EST to allow for appropriate and timely responses.

GCPS may not enter into a contractual agreement based on this RFI. At some point in the near future, GCPS may elect to issue a more detailed Request for Proposal (RFP) in order to solicit solutions for Lease of Printers for Print Shop.

Term The term of this contract is effective July 1, 2026, or upon award, through June 30, 2031 for a five

(5) year lease. Pursuant to O.C.G.A. Section 50-5-64, this contract shall not be deemed to create a debt of The Board for the payment of any sum beyond the fiscal year of execution or, in the event of a renewal, beyond the fiscal year of such renewal.

Bid Requirements:

Technical Requirements:

Production Printers Review the information below showing volume levels and current printer configurations for the GCPS Print Shop. Based on the provided information, the vendor will develop a comprehensive solution to replace the existing equipment at the GCPS Print Shop, determining the optimal number of printers and inline finishing devices required.

1. Digital Front End Print Controller for all Production Printers

a. Prismasync is the print controller for our current printers.

b. We utilize Prismaprepare as a file makeready solution. Example: multiple up imposition, pagination, creating tabs, adding borders, etc.

2. Monochrome (Black) Digital Production Printer http://www.gcpsk12.org/Page/24587

a. 8.5” x 11” Black ink impressions:

i. Average for the previous six years is 23,100,000. The high was 30,100,000 in

FY2020 and the low was 13,100,000 in FY2025.

ii. Fifty-three percent (53%) of the black impressions are produced in May, June, July, and August, while forty-seven percent (47%) of black impressions are produced throughout the remaining eight months.

iii. Print volumes are not consistent from month to month.

b. Paper:

i. Many jobs have different types of papers requiring up to 6 input trays for the same job

ii. Our current tray configuration on monochrome printers has 8 trays with auto-switching capability to allow paper reloading during production.

iii. We run sheet sizes ranging from 8.5 x 11 to 11 x 17. At least 3 inputs trays must be adjustable to accommodate different sheet sizes.

iv. We run sheets ranging from 60 – 270 gsm.

v. We run coated C1S and C2S, uncoated sheets, NCR paper, and labels.

c. Finishing items:

i. We inline staple approximately 60,000 pieces yearly. Each staple set is between

2 and 100 sheets of 20# Bond. Most staple sets have 1 corner staple but there are some 2 side-staple jobs.

ii. Some staple jobs require variable data programming for subset finishing/stapling.

iii. We in-line saddle stitch approximately 10,000 books ranging from 8 pages to 100 pages on the monochrome printer. About 5000 of these books have square spines.

iv. We produce approximately 60,000 books that require 44-hole punching with high-durability dies. We in-line 44-hole punch approximately 3,000,000 sheets annually. (Total includes black and color jobs.)

v. We in-line 3-hole punch approximately 100,000 sheets annually. (Total includes black and color jobs.)

vi. All current monochrome printers have high-capacity stackers all with offset stacking capabilities in addition to the tray stackers for the stapler/finisher unit.

d. Other:

i. Two of our monochrome printers have scanning capabilities.

ii. Our simplex monochrome printers have de-curling units.

iii. All monochrome printers have job status light poles.

3. Color Digital Production Printer

a. 8.5” x 11” color ink impressions:

i. Average color ink impressions for the previous six years are 1,600,000. The high was 2,000,000 in FY2023 and the low was 1,000,000 in FY2021.

ii. Forty-eight percent (48%) of the color impressions are produced in May, June, July, and August, while fifty-two percent (52%) of color impressions are produced throughout the remaining eight months.

iii. Print Volumes are not consistent from month to month.

iv. Our printers have the capability of printing in color (CMYK) and in black only mode.

b. Paper:

i. Many jobs have different types of papers requiring multiple input trays.

ii. Our current input tray configuration on color printers has 6 trays with auto-switching capability to allow paper reloading during production.

iii. We run sheet sizes ranging from 4.25 x 5.5 to 13 x 19. At least 3 input trays must be adjustable to accommodate different sheet sizes.

iv. We run sheets ranging from 60 – 325 gsm.

v. We run coated C1S and C2S, uncoated sheets, NCR paper, and labels.

c. Finishing items:

i. We inline staple approximately 20,000 pieces yearly. Each staple set is between

2 and 100 sheets of 20# Bond. Most staple sets have 1 corner staple but there are some 2 side-staple jobs.

ii. Some staple jobs require variable data programming for subset finishing/stapling.

iii. We in-line saddle stitch approximately 35,000 books ranging from 8 pages to 100 pages on our color printers.

iv. We produce approximately 60,000 books that require 44-hole punching with high-durability dies. We in-line 44-hole punch approximately 3,000,000 sheets annually. (Total includes black and color jobs.)

v. We in-line 3-hole punch approximately 100,000 sheets annually. (Total includes black and color jobs.)

vi. We inline fold (trifold, half-fold) approximately 50,000 sheets annually.

vii. Color printer stackers have offset stacking capabilities.

d. Other:

i. Our color printers have scanning capabilities. One printer can deliver documents via SMPT.

ii. Our color printers have de-curling units.

iii. All color printers have job status light poles.

Service Level Agreement

1. Service Level Agreement (SLA) to cover all production printers and inline finishing equipment, excluding wide format.

2. Normal business hours are 8:00am to 5:00pm, Monday through Friday, excluding observed holidays.

3. Vendor to provide a method to request service. If the service request method is electronic, then an immediate electronic acknowledgment that the request was received is required.

4. GCPS Print Shop requires an onsite response time no later than five (5) business hours from the receipt of the service request.

5. The service agreement must include all preventative maintenance, labor costs, parts, supplies, and toner/ink. Excluded supplies are paper and staples.

6. Vendor shall provide a list of "wear parts" that require replacement at defined service intervals, including manufacturer recommended replacement cycle. These parts must be available for delivery and installed within two business days of the recommended replacement cycle.

7. Vendor shall provide a list of "common failure parts", which are those parts known by manufacturer's replacement data to account for the top 10% of parts replaced for unplanned failure. These parts must be available for delivery and installed within three business days of a part failure.

8. The vendor is responsible for maintaining a stocked, easily accessible inventory of toner/ink to support all printer units, delivered within two business days of order placement by GCPS.

9. The vendor shall perform detailed, manufacturer-recommended preventative maintenance on all equipment by a manufacturer certified or approved technician, mechanic or other designated person within two business days of the recommended maintenance cycle and provide comprehensive service documentation ahead of time.

10. An annual machine performance review is required during March or April to ensure that all equipment is performing at manufacturer specifications, and to identify significantly worn parts for replacement prior to failure, for the purposes of preventing unexpected failures and minimizing downtime during GCPS peak production in summer months. The vendor shall perform an annual machine performance review by a manufacturer certified or approved technician, mechanic or other designated person between March 1 and April 30 of each calendar year for the purposes stated.

11. Equipment must perform according to manufacturer specifications throughout the lease term;

otherwise, it must be replaced with a comparable unit.

12. For every nine (9) consecutive business hours of unplanned downtime that exceed the standard onsite response time, a 1% credit on the monthly service invoice will be applied. This provision applies to all covered equipment, including printers and finishing equipment. Nine business hours are equivalent to five percent (5%) of a standard production month.

13. If a printer or inline finishing equipment downtime exceeds five (5) business days, then a comparable replacement unit shall be provided.

Wide-Format Printing Review the information below and provide a comparable solution to our current wide-format printer.

Also, recommend a comprehensive wide-format solution that includes printing roll and rigid material, straight edge cutting both materials, and contour cutting of the roll material. Provide specs, maintenance agreement information, and pricing for proposed equipment on the Wide-Format bid table.

1. Current Wide-Format Printer

a. The current printer is 44 Inches wide but the standard roll width we run is 36”.

b. Our standard paper type is 100# matte cover weight

c. The printer is 12-color inkjet

d. 2400 x 1200 dpi

e. We do not have a service contract on our wide format printer.

f. Supplies and ink are purchased from the vendor as needed

g. The printer is roll to sheet.

h. Last year we produced 2600 posters from 18 x 24 up to 24 x 36.

2. Outsourced Wide-Format

a. 5000 Stickers yearly

b. 150 Rigid signs yearly (foamcore, coroplast)

c. 10 Banners yearly

Confidentiality Requirements This document is released for the sole purpose of inviting a response to this RFI and must be considered confidential. Any use, reproduction, or disclosure of the requirements, specifications, or other material in the response is strictly prohibited.

Retention of Responses The service provider will provide a clear and complete response to the services listed in direct response to the requirements set forth in this RFI. RFI responses are not publicly available until after an award by the Gwinnett County Board of Education is made or a contract is entered into.

RFI must be signed by a company official that has authorization to commit company information and resources before uploading in Euna Procurement. All RFI responses become the property of GCPS when submitted. GCPS will make all reasonable efforts to maintain responses in confidence and will release responses only to personnel involved in the review of materials submitted. Release of any information submitted shall be handled in accordance with Georgia’s Open Records Laws. Any supplier’s proprietary information shall be clearly identified as such and the Georgia Code covering such declaration shall be cited by Title, Chapter, Section, Sub-Section, etc. GCPS accepts no responsibility for the release of any information not so noted.

Assessment GCPS will assess the RFI’s received and will evaluate the received proposals based on the service provider’s responses to the stated GCPS requirements, the completeness of the service provider’s response, and the perceived service provider’s capabilities to perform the overall objective of the RFI.

GCPS reserves the right to withdraw this RFI by written notice. GCPS shall incur no liability whatsoever to prospective service providers by reason of such withdrawal, rejection, or acceptance.

General Guidelines The submitted response should be clear, coherent, legible, and prepared in sufficient detail for further consideration. The response should include both general information and, as best as possible, address the specific information requested by this RFI. Pricing information may be provided for purposes of reference.

In preparing the RFI response, emphasis should be placed on brief, complete, and factual data in the areas that are set forth in the response. Maximum use of tables and information summaries should be used in the response. Paraphrasing the specifications in part or whole will be considered insufficient.

Content and quality are more important than quantity.

GCPS assumes no responsibility for the cost of preparation or other expenses incurred by responding to this RFI.

Optional Demo/Interview The decision to conduct a demonstration/interview and the number of service providers included in the demonstration/interview of the services requested in this RFI solution are at the sole discretion of GCPS. Service providers selected to participate in the demonstration/interview will be notified in writing.

All costs associated with the demonstration/interview (if required) will be at the expense of the proposing firm, and the services provider should be available within five (5) working days after request.

Letter of Transmittal A letter of transmittal must accompany each response. This letter must be signed by a person authorized to verify the accuracy of and legally obligate the service provider contractually to the scope, terms, and specifications of the submitted qualification application response.

Supplemental Information Service providers may provide supplemental information for a requirement as an appendix to the RFI response. Information included in the appendix should be referenced in the main body of the RFI response. Information such as product brochures, financial reports, manuals, or sample contracts should also be included in the appendix. This information should be uploaded under the “Additional Information” section within Euna Procurement (formerly Bonfire).

References Three (3) references of contracts of a similar scope and size, located in the Questionnaire RFI-2604BM, Lease of Printers for Print Shop References via Euna Procurement (Formerly Bonfire), are required.

Include client name, address, telephone number, contact information, and how long they have been a client.