A03-RFI-SAM.gov 1.25.24.docx

Request for Information/Sources Sought

Agency/Office: U.S. Department of Labor, OASAM, Business Office Center (BOC) Location: Arlington, VA PSC: R604 – Support- Administrative: Mailing/Distribution NAICS CODE: 561499 Mail Management Systems, Processing Equipment & Related Solutions

1. GENERAL INFORMATION: The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) prepares the American workforce for new and better jobs and ensures the adequacy of America's workplaces and is responsible for the administration and enforcement of over 180 federal statutes. These legislative mandates and the regulations created to implement them, cover a wide variety of workplace activities for nearly 10 million employers and well over 100 million workers.

The Department of Labor (DOL) has a need to procure an easy-to-use postage solution that will allow users to print postage for various mail classes and special mail services. Agencies within DOL are utilizing various contract vehicles to meet their mailing requirements which prevent the Department from leveraging buying power to achieve the most saving and effective cost control. This requirement is for a Department Wide BPA for an on-line postage capability that will allow current mail functions and capabilities department-wide for users to print postage for various mail classes and special mail services from their workplace PC. This solution must also allow the ability to streamline operations and improve productivity across multi-national, regional, and area offices, as well as by agencies, account numbers, and service type. A Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) vehicle will streamline the process, leverage buying, and achieve purchasing accountability within each of the agencies.

2. OBJECTIVE: This Request for Information (RFI) is being issued by the U.S. Department of Labor, OASAM, Business Office Center to provide easy-to-use online postage capability that will allow current mail functions and capabilities department-wide for users to print postage for various mail classes and special mail services from their workplace PC. This solution must also allow the ability to streamline operations and improve productivity across multi-national, regional, and area offices, as well as by agencies, account numbers, and service type.

3. SCOPE: The Contractor shall furnish a centralized enterprise reporting system that tracks all postal spending nationwide from the provided locations. The reporting system must provide consolidated monthly report by the agency, both quarterly and annual postage usage and account totals to date. An on-line turn-key mail management solution that will allow DOL to produce postage across all designated DOL locations nationwide for various classes of mail to include domestic and international. Shall provide for APO type addresses and provide the capability to track all postage costs and usage via a centralized login with the capability to view, create usage and cost reports by locations.

4. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Ordering Period shall be for one (1) Base Period plus four (4) 12-month Periods beginning on date of award. The Period of Performance reads as follows:

5. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: A Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) vehicle will allow the ability to streamline operations and improve productivity across multi-national, regional, and area offices, as well as by agencies, account numbers, and service type. will streamline the process, leverage buying, and achieve purchasing accountability within each of the agencies.

6. Response:

Respondents should provide the following information:

A. A one-page cover letter that includes your company’s:

a. CAGE code

b. DUNS Number

c. UEI Sam’s Number

d. Business size for the NAICS listed above

e. Contract Point of Contact.

B. Firms will need to provide a response no longer than five (5) pages which addresses each of the Performance Requirements listed in the Performance Work Statement provided with this announcement.

C. The Contractor warrants that they will have obtained all licenses and permits required by law to include County, State, and the Federal Government that are required within DRAFT PWS. If mail equipment is purchased as part of this PWS, the vendor shall provide maintenance and maintaining currency of all equipment to meet the current standards of The United States Postal Service (USPS), Government computer security standards, including, but not limited to Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) standards.

Each major task requires a written explanation to assess for capability.

The major tasks include:

TASKS:

The following tasks are required under the BPA:

5.1 Task 1:

a. The Contractor shall provide an on-line turnkey mail management solution that will allow DOL to produce postage across all designated DOL locations nationwide for various classes of mail to include domestic, international, and the APO type addresses. Also, the capability to track all postage costs and usage via a centralized login with the capability to view, create usage, and cost reports by locations.

b. The Contractor shall include all associated lease or monthly service fees per location, and include any other applicable costs such as costs for any hardware, hosting services, maintenance, and meter rental, etc.

c. The Contractor shall provide postage approved by United States Postal Service (USPS).

d. The Contractor will provide access to the various agencies' activities and reports of DOL's usage to the COR, as designated by the CO.

e. The Contractor shall provide hardware, software, and supplies according to the established BPA pricing at all existing and new locations that open during the contract period of performance provided by the COR.

f. The Contractor shall provide and install all hardware and software upgrades as needed nationwide at no additional costs.

g. The Contractor shall provide all maintenance/updates on Contractor furnished software and hardware.

h. The Contractor shall provide a mail management system solution including customer support, ongoing system maintenance, security, and user training.

i. The Contractor shall replace broken hardware during the BPA period as necessary and at no additional cost to the government. The contractor will ensure the system presented will be up to date with postage rate information within 12 hours of USPS implementing a postage rate change or increase.

j. The Contractor’s system shall be capable of importing delivery addresses automatically and able to print postage directly from government approved software and hardware.

k. The Contractor shall provide recommendations for optimal delivery methods to include automatic rate calculation based on both dimension and weight.

l. The Contractor shall work closely with the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) to ensure that this project is coordinated to meet the requirements of the BPA.

m. The Contractor payment solution must provide the ability to export historical information on an annual basis for historical retention as per Agency guidelines.

n. The Contractor shall provide a control mechanism over postage usage over multiple locations from a central location.

o. The Contractor shall provide a system capability that allows the user to link other users accounts (e.g., UPS, FedEx, DHL) to a user dashboard to allow the availability to compare rates and delivery times.

p. The Contractor shall make all data available using a secure file transfer protocol (FTP) in a data format (for example: CSV, Excel, TXT, XML, Adobe Reader etc.)

q. The contractor must provide a written installation plan with timeframes and sequencing for the hardware and software as part of each installation, to include network and power requirements, equipment installation, database set up, and report writing and testing. As part of the installation plan the contractor must account for the coordination and establishment of mail IDs from USPS.

r. The Contractor shall provide soft copy of invoice in spreadsheet format for easier payment process. The soft copy will also provide customizable fields for each individual virtual meter location for cost codes, general ledger codes, or other information that will expedite payment processing.

s. Contractor shall provide a postage payment solution that provides the ability to export historical information on an annual basis for historical retention as per Agency guidelines.

t. Contractor shall provide a centralized automated system that tracks all postal spending at each site, using client access codes, and a consolidated report monthly, quarterly, and annually of postage consumed at each location and account totals to date.

u. The Contractor’s shall provide prepayment options and will allow postage purchase’s uploads up to 90 days usage at no additional cost for processing. Postage reloads will be processed once or twice a month upon request from the account user. The Contract’s second payment option will allow for government purchase card payments.

v. The Contractor shall provide two invoices to DOL agencies. One invoice for quarterly maintenance service and one (1) for monthly postage usage/expenditure.

5.2 Task 2:

The solution shall include the following hardware and/or supplies:

Digital scales will be included and replaced during the contract period as necessary by the Contractor at no cost. Larger centers will require larger scales. The following are the scale options:

· Small Equipment Interfaced Scale option is: 10-lb

· Medium equipment Interfaced Scale option is: 30-lb

· Large equipment Interfaced Scale options are 70-lb and 150-lb capacity

Sheet stamp printing labels the solution must be USPS approved and allows the user to calculate and print postage to include both traditional and sheet stamp printing. Sheet stamp printing is defined as using an 8.5x11 sheet of label stock to print multiple stamps from a user’s desktop or network printer. The label stock can be contractor specific stock if the label stock is considered a controlled item.

Electronic return labels the system must provide delivery and signature confirmation to include an electronic return receipt option. Electronic return receipt is defined as the sender receiving an email with a file copy of the receiver’s signature with date and time stamp. The certified return labels must be USPS approved by contract award date.

Postage printing supplies should not be restricted to contractor’s specific supply inventories only.

The system shall provide recommendations for optimal delivery methods to include automatic rate calculation based on both dimension and weight.

System must offer print address and postage in one step for both labels and envelopes, in addition, to automated address verification.

System must provide batch or bulk processing for priority mail flats as defined below:

User imports a file into the system. The file has multiple receiver addresses (up to a 1,000) that the system must verify as part of the processing; upon address verification completion the system must print the address and postage for each recipient in the same format on a continues run.

The system must allow the user to verify the return address and select batch or bulk mail processing.

System must allow for edits of the batch or bulk list after import.

In the event of a restart, the system must be able to continue from where it left off in the address list.

5.3 Task 3:

Required Specifications:

a. A comprehensive postage accounting and tracking system that is capable of monitoring, tracking, and reporting of all shared mail operations.

b. Mailing system database that allows for the remote or onsite compilation of the data from all the on-line postage accounts under the DOL organizational structure and data downloading to a third-party spreadsheet, database program, or to mail accounting software.

c. Specific and ad-hoc report printing capabilities to print status or postage activity reports using an external printer.

d. Upload departmental cost center, building and region codes (provided by DOL).

e. Generate a variety of reports at the level of detail that will provide the classes of mail, number of items processed, postage cost, transaction date and time, weight, user ID information.

f. The contractor shall provide a standard reports function to summarize data as specified below:

· These reports shall provide on-line account/profile and manifest information, by cost center, on a real-time basis. Real Time is all mailing information is available whenever any mail is processed at any location from a consolidated basis to include the data from all locations on one web-based system and report.

· The reports shall provide information on all package shipments that include shipper, date, weight, destination zip code, customer name, customer address, cost, and cost center.

· The reports shall provide information on all mail shipments that include mail class, date, weight, cost, and cost center.

· Proposed reports shall be easy to use and shall be customizable.

· Proposed system shall be web-based allowing for viewing of the reports from any DOL desktop without any software loaded to a DOL computer.

· The on-line postage system shall make all data available using a secure File Transfer Protocol (FTP) in a data format (for example: CSV, Excel, TXT, XML, Adobe Reader etc.).

g. The Contractor must provide refund administrative support between DOL and USPS at no additional cost.

h. All equipment must receive routine preventive maintenance service.

i. Service calls must be responded to within 4 business hours after receiving the call and service must be rendered in a timely manner and completed within 6 business hours after receiving the call.

j. Installation of the equipment must be completed by a fully trained and qualified technician.

k. Equipment shall comply and meet all Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements.

l. Training must be unlimited and available to all DOL employees responsible for the mail, including Departmental Mail Management Team, regional administrative officers, and mail coordinators.

m. A written quality assurance plan that provides the mitigation steps and/or specific remedies for service delivery issues, to include the integrity, availability, reliability, and security of all data and systems. The plan should also address a continuity of operation plan for instances that exceed the 6-business hour equipment repair requirement.

n. All installations, training, software updates, and maintenance fees are included in the price quote.

o. The Contractor shall provide recommendations for optimal delivery methods to include automatic rate calculation based on both dimension and weight.

p. The Contractor shall provide ability to export historical information on an annual basis for historical retention.

q. Postage payment solution must be capable of being approved by USPS to provide users with the highest level of USPS strategic sourcing discounts through GSA Schedule 36 and Schedule 48.

r. Shall provide new non-refurbished equipment (no grey market items) capable of generating codes used by USPS for Delivery Confirmation. Signature Confirmation and Certified Mail. System must support and print USPS Intelligent Mail Package Barcode (IMPB) labels.

Coding Accuracy Support System (CASS) Certification with Address Correction and Validation:

a. Validate, correct, and standardize customer address data against a mailing list.

b. Validate, correct, and standardize customer address data against individual addresses entered in the shipping system.

c. Add and/or certify ZIP+4 codes.

d. Report all data updates as well as records that still cannot be validated.

Required Specifications Deliverables:

All deliverables shall be submitted to the COR unless otherwise agreed upon and are listed below:

DELIVERABLES SCHEDULE

Remaining 3 meetings held Quarterly.

Contractor Determined

Final – 30 days after award

CO & COR

On-Line System Networking Capability

Additional training provided as needed.

As Designated at task order level

Tasks/Subtasks Deliverables:

The Service Provider shall provide a report each month that includes, at a minimum, the following information (contractor-format acceptable):

· Usage Report. Agency activity and DOL usage report shall be provided to the COR

· Postage Consumption Report shall be provided to the COR.

Firms shall also provide one page that outlines:

Past government experience (task order/contract) with tasks similar in scope of this draft requirement. Past example should include contract numbers, customer information, and identify point of contacts.

Documentation will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining the availability and potential technical capability of all businesses in providing the requirement through SAM.gov.

Note: This is not a request for quotes. A determination by the Government not to compete this requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. This Request for Information (RFI) seeks industry comments to assist the Government in locating potential sources with the ability to satisfy its requirement. Vendors that believe they can provide the needed services that fully meet the Government's requirements may submit substantiating documentation to determine capability.

Submissions should be organized in accordance with the instructions in this document to permit a thorough and accurate review and evaluation. Responses to this RFI must be submitted to Rose Goodwin, Contract Specialist via email no later than Tuesday, January 30, 2024, at 12:00 pm, EST @ goodwin.rose@dol.gov.