6-RFP 2607KM Comprehensive Online Marketplace Platform for the Purchase of Goods and Services Inv Final.pdf

RFP-2607KM

Comprehensive Online Marketplace Platform for the Purchase of Goods and Services

Introduction/Background Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) Board of Education is soliciting competitive sealed proposals from suppliers for the Comprehensive Online Marketplace Platform for the Purchase of Goods and Services for use by public agencies. The purpose of this solicitation is to establish one or more contracts with qualified suppliers to deliver a centralized, secure, cloud-based procurement platform that enables public agencies to efficiently procure a wide variety of goods and services. Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) is the largest school district in the State of Georgia. Additional information about GCPS can be found at www.gcpsk12.org.

GCPS, as the Lead Public Agency (defined in the section titled “Role of Equalis Group”), has come together with Equalis Group to make the resultant contract(s) (each known as a “Master Agreement”) from this request for competitive sealed proposal available to other public agencies, including municipalities, K-12 school districts, counties, higher education institutions, special districts, tribal nations, and state and federal agencies as well as non-profit and for-profit organizations across the country. (“Public Agencies”), for the public benefit through the Equalis Group’s cooperative purchasing program. GCPS will serve as the contracting agency for any other Public Agency that elects to access the resulting Master Agreement.

The use of the Master Agreement by any public agency is preceded by registration with Equalis Group and by using the Master Agreement (a “Program Participant”), any such Program Participant agrees that it is registered with Equalis Group, whether pursuant to the terms of a Master Intergovernmental Purchasing Cooperative Agreement, that can be accessed at https://equalisgroup.org/member-registration/, or as otherwise agreed to. Under applicable state statutes, public sector entities nationwide that join Equalis Group can purchase products and services through the resulting Master Agreement without having to conduct their own formal procurement process, thereby saving both themselves significant time and money.

Program Participants benefit from pricing based on aggregate spending and the convenience of a contract that has already been advertised and competitively awarded. The awarded supplier(s) benefit from a contract that allows Participating Public Agencies to directly purchase goods and services without the Supplier’s need to respond to multiple competitive solicitations.

Role of Equalis Group Equalis Group works with “Lead Public Agencies”, such as Gwinnett County Public Schools, that are legally empowered to conduct formal procurement processes, enter into Master Agreements, and make those Master Agreements available to public sector organizations such as: municipalities, K-12 school districts, counties, higher education institutions, special districts, tribal nations, and state and federal agencies as well as non-profit and for-profit organizations across the country.

The awarded Supplier(s) and Equalis Group will also enter into a separate management agreement (the “Administration Agreement”) which defines i) the roles and responsibilities of both parties relating to marketing and selling the program to current and prospective Members and ii) the financial terms http://www.gcpsk12.org/ https://equalisgroup.org/member-registration/ https://equalisgroup.org/member-registration/ between the parties. The Awarded Supplier and Equalis Group will work closely together to develop and implement marketing and sales strategies to drive program adoption with current and future Members across the country.

Equalis Group is committed to actively engaging with the Awarded Suppliers to grow profitable public sector revenue by:

• Training Supplier Partners’ sales representatives on the pricing, terms, and conditions of the Master Agreement and how to sell their products and services through this already procured contract vehicle.

• Developing sales tools that address common legal, procurement, and compliance questions.

• Creating, implementing, and managing marketing and sales campaigns to jointly identify public sector prospects across the country.

• Supporting the sales process by providing subject matter expertise to prospective Members on the legitimacy of the procurement process that established the Master Agreement.

The contract is intended to allow participation by the issuing agency as well as other eligible public agencies through cooperative purchasing agreements, including:

• K-12 school districts

• municipalities

• counties

• higher education institutions

• special districts

• tribal nations

• state & federal agencies

• other governmental or public entities

General Information Communication – Gwinnett County Public Schools Personnel: 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. RFP submissions will be received digitally until 10:00 a.m. on Friday, May 15, 2026, through the Euna Procurement (formerly Bonfire) Interactive online portal located at www.gwinnett.bonfirehub.com or by visiting the GCPS Purchasing website at https:publish.gwinnett.k12.ga.us/gcps/home/public/about/business-and-finance/p-and-p. A list of submitting firms will be available the following business day on our website. All communications concerning the Proposal must be submitted in writing to the Gwinnett County Public School’s Purchasing Department. Email to Kim Murphy, NIGP-CPP, CPPB at kim.murphy@gcpsk12.org. Only written questions submitted via Euna Procurement (formerly Bonfire) under the Questions section will be accepted. 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.

A Pre-Proposal Microsoft Teams meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, at 10:00AM EST.

Respondents are encouraged to attend to learn more about this project. All questions or commentary must be received no later than 10:00 am, Friday, May 1, 2026, to allow for appropriate and timely responses.

http://www.gwinnett.bonfirehub.com/ mailto:kim.murphy@gcpsk12.org

Contract Term This contract is effective June 19, 2026, through June 18, 2029, or upon award, with annual price reviews. GCPS reserves the right to extend this proposal by up to two (2) additional 12-month periods, for a total potential term of five (5) years, with the approval of the Gwinnett County Board of Education.

Proposal extensions will be approved in one-year increments. 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.

Invoicing

• All invoices shall note the proposal number RFP-2607KM and associated purchase order number and be broken out in such a manner that GCPS will have no difficulty verifying proper billing.

• Failure to comply with the terms of the contract after a written notice has been issued by

GCPS to the vendor stating that the service provider is failing to meet such terms will result in GCPS terminating the contract.

Solicitation Overview Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) is seeking proposals from qualified suppliers for a centralized, secure, cloud-based online marketplace platform for the purchase of goods and services.

The platform must provide a fully functional, user-friendly e-commerce purchasing experience while ensuring compliance with applicable procurement laws, regulations, agency policies, and public sector purchasing controls.

The resulting contract(s) shall support a hybrid marketplace and category-based purchasing model, enabling GCPS to purchase across multiple product categories through a single platform while maintaining competitive pricing.

The proposed solution shall enable users to:

1. Search and compare products and/or services from multiple suppliers.

2. Place orders using purchase orders, procurement cards, or other authorized payment methods.

3. Manage product catalogs and source competitive pricing.

4. Track orders from placement through delivery.

5. Generate procurement analytics and reporting.

6. Maintain compliance with public purchasing policies and internal controls.

7. Ability to curate a catalog.

The proposed solution shall provide comprehensive order fulfillment services from purchase through delivery and maintain a marketplace environment that supports competitive pricing within each product category. This multi-supplier approach is intended to encourage price competitiveness, enhance product availability, and expand sourcing options. The platform shall include appropriate supplier onboarding, vetting, and validation controls to ensure that all participating suppliers are authorized and eligible to provide goods and services throughout the marketplace.

Scope of Work GCPS is soliciting proposals for a comprehensive online marketplace platform for the purchase of goods and services meeting the below stated requirements:

Marketplace Governance, Vendor Neutrality & Supplier Competition Requirements The comprehensive online marketplace platform for the purchase of goods and services shall provide GCPS with a fair, transparent, and competitive purchasing environment that enables users to identify, evaluate, and purchase goods and services from available sources of supply through the awarded platform. The platform may include products offered directly by the awarded supplier, by third-party suppliers, or through a combination of both, provided the platform supports fair competition, transparency, and meaningful comparisons of available offerings.

The platform shall be structured, governed, and maintained in a manner that promotes transparency, competitive access, and visibility into available purchasing options.

Competitive Access and Platform Transparency

a. The platform shall include the following:

i. Present available products and services in a fair and transparent manner.

ii. Clearly identify the selling source for each listing, including whether the item is offered by the Offeror directly or by a third-party supplier.

iii. Provide agencies with sufficient product and supplier information to support purchasing decisions, including, as applicable, price, relevant product specifications, delivery information, service levels, and seller identity.

iv. Use search results, rankings, recommendations, and category displays based on objective and commercially reasonable factors, such as user search criteria, price, delivery, product relevance, quality, or other disclosed platform criteria.

v. Allow users to evaluate and compare available offerings where comparable sources or products exist within the platform.

vi. Provide tools or features, where applicable, that allow users to compare pricing, product attributes, fulfillment terms, and other relevant purchasing factors across available offerings.

b. To the extent the platform includes third-party suppliers, the awarded supplier(s) shall:

i. Maintain onboarding and participation processes that are commercially reasonable and applied in a nondiscriminatory manner.

ii. Support the ongoing addition of qualified suppliers where appropriate to promote competition and expand available offerings over time.

iii. Display supplier options in a manner that allows users to assess competing offerings without unfair or undisclosed preference.

iv. Maintain and provide, upon request, documentation describing supplier participation standards, onboarding requirements, and any material conditions affecting supplier access to the platform.

Where the awarded supplier(s) offers products directly, the awarded supplier(s) may do so, provided such offerings are presented in a transparent manner and do not prevent agencies from identifying and evaluating other available sources within the platform where such sources exist.

The awarded supplier(s) must not structure or administer the platform in a manner that:

• Unreasonably restricts participation by qualified suppliers where the platform supports third-party supplier participation.

• Obscures whether products are offered by the awarded supplier(s) or another seller.

• Prevents users from making informed comparisons among available options.

• Materially disadvantages competing offerings through undisclosed or arbitrary ranking or display practices.

Marketplace Transaction Transparency

All data generated through the platform shall be fully accessible to the user agency, providing complete transaction data necessary to support procurement transparency, financial reporting, and audit requirements.

At a minimum, the platform must provide users with access to:

• Product descriptions

• Technical Specifications

• Product images

• SKU identifiers

• Searchable keywords and indexing

• Supplier identification

• Pricing information

• Complete order history

• Supplier information for each transaction

• Invoice records

• Shipment and fulfillment details

The platform shall not restrict access to marketplace data or analytics necessary for operational, reporting, or auditing purposes. The platform must allow users to search and filter products and compare offerings from multiple suppliers.

Awarded supplier(s) must also:

• maintain detailed transaction records for all marketplace purchases

• provide reporting tools that allow agencies to export procurement data

• support requests for additional data necessary for public records requests, financial audits, or compliance reviews

Awarded supplier(s) shall not sell, share, or use agency procurement data for commercial purposes without the agency's express written consent, except as necessary to perform services under the contract.

Any aggregated marketplace analytics used for operational improvements must ensure that individual agency purchasing data remains confidential and protected.

Supplier Onboarding & Category Expansion

Awarded supplier(s) shall maintain a structured process for onboarding suppliers (where applicable) and expanding product categories within the online marketplace platform.

Third-party supplier onboarding processes must promote broad supplier participation, competitive pricing, and category diversity.

At a minimum, the awarded supplier(s) shall:

• Maintain documented procedures for onboarding new suppliers to the marketplace.

• Allow qualified suppliers to request participation in the marketplace.

• Provide clear requirements for supplier eligibility, including product quality, service performance, and compliance with applicable procurement regulations.

• Ensure that supplier onboarding processes are applied consistently and without discrimination.

Marketplace Capabilities

Offerors shall describe how their solution meets each of the online marketplace requirements identified in this solicitation. Offerors should also describe any additional capabilities, functionality, or value-added services included in their solution that are not specifically requested in this solicitation but that may improve the usefulness, efficiency, or overall effectiveness of the marketplace platform.

Ordering and Payment Capabilities Offerors shall describe the marketplace platform’s ordering and payment capabilities, including support for purchase orders, credit card or procurement card payments, and centralized accounts receivable processing. Offerors shall also describe the platform’s ability to allow users to select freight and shipping options during checkout, view order history, track shipments, access invoice information, and initiate and manage returns.

Governance, Controls, and Compliance Offerors shall describe the platform’s governance, control, and compliance capabilities, including role-based user permissions, multi-user accounts, organizational group management, customizable approval workflows, spend controls, budget limits, and the ability to restrict product categories based on agency policy or regulatory requirements. Offerors shall also describe the platform’s ability to maintain full revision history and audit trails for workflow changes and to support compliance with applicable public procurement regulations and internal agency purchasing policies. Offerors shall describe how the platform accommodates varying governance structures and compliance requirements.

Reporting and Analytics Offerors shall describe the platform’s reporting and analytics capabilities, including built-in tools that provide visibility into purchasing activity and marketplace performance. Offerors shall address available reporting for spend analytics, order history, supplier utilization, category-level spend analysis, pricing visibility and comparisons, and transaction reporting. Offerors shall also describe the dashboard functionality and the ability to generate standard and custom reports.

Delivery and Fulfillment Offerors shall describe their delivery and fulfillment capabilities from purchase through final delivery.

Responses shall address how order fulfillment is coordinated through marketplace suppliers, how shipment tracking and status updates are provided, how efficient delivery timelines are supported, and how returns are managed, including free returns where available. Offerors shall also describe standard delivery timeframes for commonly purchased products, including availability of delivery within three to five business days when commercially reasonable.

Customer Service and Support Offerors shall describe the customer service and support services provided for marketplace users.

Responses shall address support for account access issues, order status inquiries, delivery and fulfillment questions, catalog support, and technical support. Offerors shall also describe available service channels, including phone support, email support, and online help documentation or knowledge base resources.

Security Requirements Offerors shall describe the marketplace platform’s security capabilities and how the platform meets industry standards for data security and protection of financial information. Responses shall address secure login and authentication processes, role-based access controls, encrypted data transmission, protection of purchasing and financial data, and compliance with applicable cybersecurity standards.

Integration Requirements Offerors are requested to describe the online marketplace’s ability to integrate with e‑procurement platforms. Responses should outline supported integration methods, which may include hosted catalogs, punchout catalogs, and/or listing‑based or search‑based integrations.

Offerors should explain how each integration method may be deployed and maintained, including a high‑level overview of technical requirements, data exchange formats, authentication mechanisms, and typical implementation approaches. Information on compatibility with commonly used e‑procurement systems, flexibility to support future platforms, and any limitations or dependencies should also be included.

Offerors may additionally describe how integrations support core procurement activities such as product search, pricing visibility, cart transfer, order submission, and status updates, as well as any ongoing support provided for integration management.

3. Pricing

Pricing Model Requirements GCPS recognizes that online marketplace solutions may use different pricing models, including but not limited to market-driven and discount-off-list pricing. Accordingly, offerors may propose a pricing model or models that best align with their solution. Regardless of the pricing approach proposed, GCPS will evaluate pricing based on the evaluation factors identified herein and will apply those factors in a manner appropriate to the specific pricing model submitted. Offerors are responsible for clearly describing their proposed pricing methodology, including how prices are established, updated, verified, and applied in practice, so that GCPS can assess the proposal for competitiveness, transparency, auditability, and compliance with public procurement requirements.

Contract pricing shall be competitive and, where applicable, lower than standard retail market pricing.

Pricing shall reflect all applicable contract discounts and include any administrative, supplier, or related fees in the amount displayed to the user. The pricing structure shall also support volume-based discounts, rebates, or other cost-saving incentives when appropriate.

Offerors may propose one or more pricing approaches, including:

1) Market-Driven Pricing

• Real-time or regularly updated pricing based on supplier market conditions

• Algorithmic or market-based price adjustments

• Transparent pricing methodology demonstrating competitiveness

Offerors offering market-driven pricing shall enable price competitiveness by presenting current market offers in a transparent manner and providing sufficient data to evaluate fair and reasonable pricing. At a minimum, the platform shall display current item price, total delivered price, seller identity, available competing offers for the same or similar item where applicable and maintain historical transaction data sufficient for post-award audit and price analysis.

2) Discount-Off-List Pricing

• Fixed discount from the manufacturer's list price or published catalog price

• Clearly defined pricing baseline

Offerors offering discount-off-list pricing shall propose as a percentage discount off the Offeror’s established commercial list price or catalog price. Offeror shall identify, for each proposed product category, catalog, or line item, the specific catalog, price list, schedule, or other pricing document from which the discount is applied.

Offerors shall also provide a detailed description of their pricing methodology, pricing update frequency and procedures, approach to ensuring continued market competitiveness and/or benchmarking and price validation processes.

Price Auditing & Benchmarking

To ensure continued value and pricing competitiveness, the vendor shall support price auditing and benchmarking processes to include, but not limited to the following:

• Maintain pricing transparency within the marketplace.

• Provide mechanisms to compare marketplace pricing against industry benchmarks, retail market pricing, or other pricing where applicable.

• Provide periodic reports demonstrating that marketplace pricing remains competitive with prevailing market conditions.

• Support contract administrator requests for pricing validation or price audits when concerns regarding pricing competitiveness arise.

GCPS reserves the right to request price reviews or corrective action plans when necessary to ensure continued contract value.

Pricing Evaluation Proposed pricing will be evaluated for both competitiveness and evaluability. To receive full consideration under the pricing factor, the Offeror must provide a pricing methodology that is transparent, auditable, and capable of objective comparison across offerors. The proposed pricing approach must be capable of normalization, traceable to an identified pricing basis, and verifiable at the transaction level. Pricing approaches that do not permit reasonable normalization, traceability, or transaction-level verification may receive a lower rating under the pricing factor.

Market-Driven Pricing:

Offeror shall describe the rules governing price changes, including the frequency of updates, data inputs or market indicators used, any pricing floors or ceilings, and the method by which the agency can verify the price presented at the time of transaction. Offeror shall demonstrate how historical presented prices, awarded pricing rules, and final invoiced prices are retained and made available for audit.

Discount-Off-List Pricing:

Offeror shall identify the exact commercial catalog, price list, schedule, or other pricing document from which any proposed discount is applied, including title, version, and effective date. Offeror shall provide the applicable source catalog with its proposal and shall show the list price, discount percentage, and resulting evaluated price for each pricing scenario or market basket item.

Proposal Format and Content The submitted proposal package should be responsive to the specific scope outlined in this request.

Submission of excessive “boilerplate” information is discouraged. In an effort to ensure our ability to evaluate and choose a successful supplier(s) for this contract, respondents are encouraged to organize their proposal as follows:

Section 1 – Introduction and Executive Summary Section 2 –Experience and Past Performance Section 3 – Marketplace Platform Functional and Technical Capabilities Section 4 – References Section 5 – Sample Market Basket/Cost Proposals Section 6 – Additional Information

Proposals should include the following:

Section 1 – Introduction and Executive Summary An executive summary should be prepared that describes the major facts or features of the proposal, including any conclusions, assumptions, and your approach to achieving the objectives for a Comprehensive Online Marketplace Platform for the Purchase of Goods and Services. The provider should include a Company profile detailing financials, the number of employees, and indicate how long it has been in business. List the person(s) who are authorized to make representations for your firm.

Include their titles, addresses, and phone numbers.

Section 2 – Experience and Past Performance Offeror shall describe its experience in providing an online marketplace solution, including the scope, size, and duration of services provided. The response should demonstrate the Offeror’s experience implementing, operating, and supporting an online marketplace for organizational users, and should include examples of comparable projects or contracts. The Offeror shall also describe its experience serving public sector entities, including state or local governments, educational institutions, or other public agencies, and its familiarity with public procurement requirements, contract compliance, reporting, and related public sector needs.

Section 3 – Marketplace Platform Functional and Technical Capabilities Describe how your firm will support GCPS throughout contract implementation, administration, and ongoing use of the resulting online marketplace solution. Include your approach to account management, customer support, user training, and operational support. Also describe your strategy for contract awareness and promotion following award, including how that approach aligns with your existing public-sector practices. Explain how your sales, implementation, and customer service teams will be prepared to present, support, and administer the contract effectively.

Offerors shall describe their overall approach to delivering and supporting the capabilities identified in this RFP, including pricing and value, marketplace functionality, supplier network and competition, governance and compliance controls, reporting and analytics, implementation and support, and security and data protection. Responses should explain how the proposed solution currently provides these capabilities, the extent to which they are available as standard features or configurable options, and any conditions, dependencies, or limitations associated with their use. Where applicable, Offerors should identify whether capabilities are included at no additional cost, require configuration or implementation support, or depend on third-party integrations or supplier participation.

Offerors should also describe how these capabilities will be made available to GCPS and other participating agencies over the term of the contract, including any phased enhancements, onboarding requirements, support resources, or administrative tools necessary for effective use. Responses should be clear, concise, and sufficiently detailed to allow GCPS to evaluate the maturity, availability, and practical application of the proposed marketplace solution in a public sector environment.

Section 4 – References The respondent should provide GCPS, in their proposal, a total of three (3) references from your largest K-12 clients. All information provided should be current and verifiable and should be completed on the form that is provided. Please include the following valid information for each referenced project:

Company Name:

Contact Name:

Address:

City:

State:

Zip:

Telephone Number:

E-mail Address:

Provide a description of any special experience, capabilities, and technical resources that can be attributed to this contract by the respondent. Please verify contact information prior to submission (especially the phone number and E-mail). Failure to verify contact information may result in a significant reduction in your firm’s reference scoring if we are unable to contact the reference firm.

Section 5 – Cost Proposal Offerors shall base their responses and proposed pricing on the assumptions identified in this RFP and in the Market Basket.

Offerors should clearly identify any additional assumptions, conditions, or limitations that may affect pricing, delivery, product availability, or related services.

• Unit pricing must be presented in accordance with the Pricing and Fee Structure requirements of this RFP. For purposes of this RFP:

o The sample market basket (Bid Table BT-46LQ) must be completed. Because the proposed Marketplace Platform may utilize constantly competitive market-driven pricing and/or discount-off-list pricing methodology, submitted pricing must reflect either (a) the current active price available in the marketplace at the time of submission, or (b) the applicable list price and proposed discount in effect at the time of submission. Pricing should include all shipping, handling, and any applicable platform, administrative and/ transaction fees, unless otherwise specified.

o If an item is not available in the marketplace at the time of proposal submission, proposers must indicate:

o The closest equivalent product o The price of that product o The methodology used to determine equivalency

GCPS will evaluate price using a common market basket, usage scenarios, and transactional assumptions established in the solicitation. Offerors shall price the evaluation basket using the same identified pricing basis and assumptions that would apply in actual contract use. Discounts, market-driven pricing rules, fees, shipping charges, administrative charges, and any other elements affecting total evaluated price must be included.

Proposals will be evaluated using a Category-Level Scoring methodology. This approach recognizes that not all Offerors will offer products or services in every category included in the Market Basket. Offerors will be scored only on the categories for which they submit pricing, ensuring that specialists and broad-line suppliers are evaluated equitably on their respective strengths.

The Market Basket consists of 102 representative items organized into six (6) categories. Each category has been assigned a weight reflecting its estimated share of the District’s anticipated annual spend based on historical purchasing data.

Pricing submitted in the Market Basket is provided for evaluation purposes only and is intended solely to facilitate comparison of proposals. Pricing under the resulting contract shall follow a consistently competitive market pricing model to ensure pricing remains aligned with current market conditions throughout the contract term. The quantities, products, and usage scenarios included in the Market Basket do not represent actual or estimated purchase volumes and shall not be construed as a guarantee or commitment that any specific products, services, or quantities will be purchased under the resulting contract.”

Offerors shall provide pricing for every item listed within each category the Offeror elects to respond to.

Partial category (i.e., pricing on some but not all items within a category) or categories left entirely blank will result in that category being excluded from scoring and will not count against the Offeror.

Cost/Price Evaluation — Category-Level Scoring Methodology

# Category Items Weight Max Pts

1 Technology & Electronics 25 30% 12.0

2 Office Supplies & Consumables 30 25% 10.0

3 Books & Professional Resources 14 20% 8.0

4 Furniture, Storage & Facilities 14 10% 4.0

5 Science, Lab & Health 10 10% 4.0

6 Classroom & Instructional Supplies 9 5% 2.0

Total 102 100% 40.0

Rationale for Weighting: Technology & Electronics (30%) reflects the high unit cost of items such as scanners, portable TVs, chargers, and iPad accessories purchased in significant quantities. Books & Professional Resources (20%) is weighted above its item count because it includes language translator devices with unit costs exceeding $200 and quantities of 100–322 units, representing substantial spend.

Office Supplies & Consumables (25%) represents the highest item count (30 items) with consistent high-volume purchasing of toner, markers, pens, and paper products. Furniture, Storage & Facilities and Science, Lab & Health are each weighted at 10% reflecting moderate spend levels. Classroom & Instructional Supplies (5%) consists of lower-cost educational games and manipulatives.

Responsiveness Requirements

To be considered responsive, an Offeror must meet the following minimum requirements:

A. Provide pricing for all items within at least two (2) of the six (6) categories.

• Partial category responses (i.e., pricing on some but not all items within a category) will result in that category being deemed non-responsive and excluded from scoring.

B. Categories left entirely blank will not be scored and will not count against the Offeror.

Scoring Calculation

Cost/Price scoring will be calculated using the following steps:

Step 1: Calculate the Category Score.

For each category in which the Offeror has submitted complete pricing, the total Market Basket price for that category will be calculated by summing the extended prices (Unit Price × Approximate Quantity) of all items. The lowest total among all responsive Offerors in that category becomes the benchmark. Each Offeror’s category score is calculated as:

Category Score = (Lowest Category Total ÷ Offeror’s Category Total) × Category Weight

Step 2: Normalize to Responded Categories.

The sum of the category weights for all categories the Offeror responded to becomes the Offeror’s Responded Weight Total. The Offeror’s category scores are then summed and normalized:

Normalized Cost Score = (Sum of Category Scores ÷ Responded Weight Total) × 40

Section 6 – Additional Information Note additional information here. If there is no additional information, please note: “There is no additional information to present”.

Miscellaneous Requirements & Information The Respondent will provide a clear and complete description of the proposed items in direct response to the requirements set forth in this RFP. The description will be enough to enable the evaluation committee to determine that the proposal satisfies the RFP requirements and meets the needs of GCPS and prospective Program Participants.

Proposals submitted are not publicly available until after the award by Gwinnett County Board of Education. All proposals and supporting materials as well as correspondence relating to this RFP become property of Gwinnett County Public Schools when received. Any proprietary information contained in the proposal should be so indicated. However, a general indication that the entire contents, or a major portion, of the proposal is proprietary will not be honored.

Proposals must be signed in ink by a company official that has authorization to commit company resources and shall contain the firm’s full business address.

Addenda & Opening of Proposals It is the ultimate responsibility of the supplier to ensure that they have all applicable addenda prior to submitting a response. Addenda will be posted on the Euna Procurement (formerly Bonfire) website:

https://gwinnett.bonfirehub.com/portal/?tab=openOpportunities or by visiting the GCPS Purchasing website https://www.gcpsk12.org/about-us/divisions-and-teams/budgets-and-financial-reporting/bids-purchasing-opportunities.

https://gwinnett.bonfirehub.com/portal/?tab=openOpportunities https://www.gcpsk12.org/about-us/divisions-and-teams/budgets-and-financial-reporting/bids-purchasing-opportunities https://www.gcpsk12.org/about-us/divisions-and-teams/budgets-and-financial-reporting/bids-purchasing-opportunities

The Opening of solicitations will be conducted electronically through the Euna Procurement (formerly Bonfire) Portal. Only the names of the submitting companies will be made publicly available by the close of business the following business day on our website.

To view the list of respondents, suppliers must log-into the Euna Procurement (formerly Bonfire) Interactive online portal located at https://gwinnett.bonfirehub.com/portal/?tab=openOpportunities or by visiting the GCPS Purchasing website at https://www.gcpsk12.org/about-us/divisions-and-teams/budgets-and-financial-reporting/bids-purchasing-opportunities, click “Solicitations/Annual Contras List/F&O Contracts (Euna Procurement – Formerly Bonfire) and then select the “Past Public Opportunities” tab. The solicitation status will automatically change to “Closed” after the solicitation Due Date and Time.

Selection Procedures Respondents should not assume that the Proposal Review Team is familiar with current or past work activities of any Respondent. The proposal package will be evaluated based on the responsiveness to the criteria described below with values weighted as shown below. (MAXIMUM 125 POINTS)

Phase I Maximum Score

Introduction and Executive Summary: Information on the company, demonstrated experience, and information related to the capacity to perform the stated needs and requirements, financial viability and marketplace success. Maximum Points will be given for a submission containing a description of the organizations level of experience and capacity to best perform the terms of the contract required in the proposal specifications.

5 Points

Experience and Past Performance: The extent to which the information submitted describes how the respondent’s background, industry experience and past performance support the goals outlined in the proposal. Maximum Points will be given for submission that clearly outlines how the Respondent background, industry experience and past performance support the goals outlined in the proposal.

10 Points

Pricing Model & Value: The extent to which the information submitted provides a comprehensive description of pricing model and clearly demonstrates how the proposed pricing structure delivers ongoing value, cost savings, and transparency. Maximum Points will be given for submissions that demonstrate complete, clear, and verifiable explanations and provide evidence of competitive pricing backed by data, examples, or benchmarking.

10 Points

Marketplace Platform Solution: The extent to which the proposal demonstrates the overall quality, capability, and suitability of the proposed Marketplace Platform, including platform functionality and technical capabilities, supplier network and marketplace competition, governance and compliance features, reporting and analytics, implementation and support, and security and system integrity. Evaluation will consider the Offeror’s ability to provide a user-friendly, scalable, and reliable platform that supports public sector procurement requirements, meaningful supplier competition, effective internal controls, transparent reporting, successful implementation and ongoing support, and appropriate cybersecurity and data protection measures.

30 Points

References: Provide three (3) references where similar services were offered. Each response is worth a maximum of 20 points. Favorable responses will receive full points. 5 Points

Total Phase 1 Points 60 Points https://gwinnett.bonfirehub.com/portal/?tab=openOpportunities https://www.gcpsk12.org/about-us/divisions-and-teams/budgets-and-financial-reporting/bids-purchasing-opportunities https://www.gcpsk12.org/about-us/divisions-and-teams/budgets-and-financial-reporting/bids-purchasing-opportunities

Phase l: The proposal evaluation team will evaluate responses according to the criteria as described above in Phase 1 and score and rank the proposals and then evaluate the cost as stated in Phase ll.

Phase ll: Cost proposals will then be opened and scored and the results will be combined with the results of Phase l scoring.

Phase: lll: The decision to request an interview is at the sole discretion of the Evaluation Team. All costs associated with this interview (if required) will be at the expense of the proposing firms. If Gwinnett County Public Schools exercises this right to conduct interviews, a maximum of 25 additional points may be assigned. Based upon the final scores, GCPS reserves the right to negotiate with the selected proposer for rates and concessions in the best interest of GCPS. If negotiations with the highest ranked proposer are unsuccessful, Gwinnett County Public Schools may negotiate with the second ranked firm and so on until a satisfactory agreement has been reached and then awarded by the Gwinnett County Board of Education.

Award It is the intent of Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) to award one or more contracts to responsive and responsible Proposer(s) offering the best overall value, taking into consideration quality, selection of equipment, products, and services, and pricing that meet commonly requested specifications. The number of awards will be limited to those Proposers determined necessary to effectively meet the needs of the contract and Program Participants.

In determining the number of contracts to be awarded, GCPS may consider factors including, but not limited to: the number and geographic distribution of Proposers required to provide a comprehensive selection of equipment, products, and services; the strength and reach of a Proposer’s sales and service network to ensure product availability and adequate coverage; total evaluation scores; and the overall completeness and specificity of the proposal submitted. Proposers are expected to provide detailed and specific responses and should not assume prior knowledge by GCPS regarding their organization, products, or services.

GCPS reserves the right to make such investigations as deemed necessary to determine a Proposer’s ability to perform under the contract. Proposers shall furnish all requested information for this purpose.

GCPS further reserves the right to reject any proposal if the submitted evidence or subsequent investigation fails to demonstrate that the Proposer is properly qualified to fulfill the contract requirements.

Phase II

Cost: Sample Market Basket Pricing offered as listed on the Bid Table. Points will be assigned per weighted formula under Section 5, page 19. 40 Points

Total Phase 1 & Phase 2 Points 100 Points

Phase lll Maximum Score

Interview (method TDB): This is an opportunity for the Service Provider to present and introduce their company to GCPS and further explain their capabilities as a service provider. Maximum Points will be given for presentations that demonstrate value, professionalism, a clear picture of their organization and what was specified in the proposal.

25 Points

GRAND TOTAL 125 Points

GCPS reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals, to waive technicalities, informalities, and minor irregularities, and to make awards in the best interest of GCPS and Program Participants. Awards may be made to a single Proposer or multiple Proposers, and may be issued for the entire solicitation, by category, in part, or not at all, at the sole discretion of GCPS.

Awards may be structured on a category-by-category basis, with the highest-scoring Offeror in each category designated as the primary supplier, or based on the highest overall composite scores across all evaluation factors. GCPS may also make multiple awards to ensure adequate coverage across all categories and to promote ongoing competitive pricing.

In the event that evaluation scores, when rounded to the nearest whole number, result in a tie, the award will be determined based on lowest cost.

Additional Provisions

1. Price Adjustments Pricing submitted in the Market Basket is for evaluation purposes only and is intended solely to facilitate comparison of proposals. Pricing under the resulting contract shall be based on a consistently competitive market pricing model, in accordance with the terms of the contract and subject to District approval.

2. Catalog Discount In addition to Market Basket pricing, Offerors are encouraged to submit a percentage discount off published catalog or list prices. This discount may be considered as a secondary factor in the cost evaluation but will not replace the Market Basket scoring methodology.

3. Right to Request Clarification GCPS reserves the right to request written clarification of any proposal or pricing submitted.

Offerors may be required to verify that pricing is accurate, sustainable, and not predatory.

4. Best and Final Offers (BAFO) GCPS reserves the right to request Best and Final Offers from Offerors within the competitive range.

5. Protest Procedures Any protest of the evaluation or award shall be conducted in accordance with the procedures established in the GCPS Purchasing Policy.

Price Adjustments The “unit price” quoted on the BidTable must be all-inclusive. “All-inclusive” shall be constructed as costs incorporating all charges for labor, material, equipment, testing, shipping and any other cost incurred. No separate line-item rates or charges will be accepted.

During the term of the contract, only industry-wide changes in price, reflected by documentation from supplying manufacturer/mill(s) will be approved. Pricing is subject to manufacturer’s increase/decrease, and for the amount of the increase/decrease only. Prices cannot be increased for ninety (90) days after the contract begins. Prices cannot be increased within ninety (90) days of any previous price increase.

Price reductions must be applied to Gwinnett County Public Schools costs as soon as applied to vendor’s costs. Tarriff increases are not included und er this section, see “Tariff -Based Price Adjustment” below.

Tariff-Based Price Adjustment

In the event that new tariffs, changes to existing tariffs, or trade restrictions are imposed by any governmental authority after the effective date of this contract, and such changes materially increase the cost of goods or materials necessary for performance, the supplier may request a price adjustment.

The request must include documentation demonstrating the tariff’s impact on unit cost. The parties agree to engage in good-faith negotiations within 15 days to consider price modifications, substitute goods, or alternative sourcing arrangements, with the goal of minimizing disruption to public services and maintaining the continuity of supply. The parties shall negotiate in good faith to reach a fair adjustment not to exceed 20% of the original contract price.

Rejection of Proposals All proposals will be reviewed for completeness of the submission requirements. If a proposal fails to meet a material requirement in the RFP, or is incomplete or contains irregularities, the proposal may be rejected. A deviation is material to the extent that a response is not in substantial accord with the requirements in the RFP.

Immaterial deviations may cause a proposal to be rejected. District may or may not waive an immaterial deviation or defect in a proposal. District's waiver of an immaterial deviation or defect shall in no way modify the RFP or excuse Proposer from full compliance with solicitation document specifications.

District reserves the right to reject all proposals or proposals when the proposed costs are not considered reasonable. District reserves the right to eliminate any individual service contained in the proposal.

Request for Clarification or Additional Information GCPS’s reserves the right to request clarification of information provided and to request additional information required to assist in the evaluation process. GCPS’s reserves the right to reject all proposals, to negotiate changes in the scope of work or services to be provided, and to otherwise waive any technicalities.

Right to Re-Solicit Gwinnett County Board of Education reserves the right to reject any and all proposals. The school system may waive any informalities or minor technicalities.

Termination For Cause GCPS may terminate this agreement for cause upon ten days prior written notice to the contractor of the contractor’s default in the performance of any term of this agreement. Such termination shall be without prejudice to any of GCPS’s rights or remedies by law.

Termination For Convenience GCPS may terminate this agreement for its convenience at any time upon 30 days written notice to the contractor. In the event of GCPS’s termination of this agreement for convenience, the contractor will be paid for those services actually performed. Partially completed performance of the agreement will be compensated based upon a signed statement of completion to be submitted by the contractor, which shall itemize each element of performance.