Addendum #2 - K25-0007-29.pdf

Addendum

Procurement Maryland Judiciary – mdcourts.gov/procurement

Addendum No. 2 Printing & Mailing Services – Court Notices

K25-0007-29

05/01/2024

The purpose of this addendum is to amend and clarify certain portions of the above-referenced solicitation with all prospective Bidders/Offerors.

Clarifications:

C2. Delete: Attachment E – Bid/Price Proposal Form

Replace with: Attachment E – Bid/Price Proposal Form – Revision 1

C3. Delete: Section III.D.5.d. “Offeror shall invoice the AOC for postage on a straight pass-through basis. No additional fees or markups shall be allowed. The AOC reserves the right to request documentation to confirm postage is being provided at cost.”

Replace with: Section III.D.5.f “The AOC shall provide the Successful Offeror with the Maryland Judiciary Postal Permit number. The Successful Offeror is responsible for ensuring the permit charges balance with the total monthly mailings. No additional fees or markups shall be allowed. The AOC reserves the right to request documentation to confirm postage is being provided at cost.”

C4. Delete: Section III.B. “One (1) printed page is defined as a printed front page, and blank back page, or both front and back containing print”.

Replace with: “One (1) printed page is defined as a printed front page (simplex), or a printed front and back page (duplex).”

Questions:

Q2. Is it required for all mail to be postmarked in the State of Maryland?

A2. Yes, see RFP Section III.D.5.b.(1).

Q3. Will the AOC accept a proposal from an Offeror that is not MBE or VSBE?

A3. Prime contractors do not have to be MBE or VSBE certified to bid on this RFP. Subcontractors being considered for the MBE goal must be MBE certified in MDOT. Subcontractors being considered for the VSBE goal must be VSBE certified in eMMA.

Q4. Will all payments for services rendered be made directly to the prime contractor?

A4. All payments made are directly to the prime contractor. The prime contractor is then responsible for making appropriate subcontractor payments. These are monitored by the Judiciary through monthly payment reports from both prime contractor and subcontractor(s) sent via email.

Q5. Does the printing facility need to be located in the State of Maryland?

A5. No, Successful Offeror shall ensure that all mail is postmarked in the State of Maryland.

Q6. Are mail merge services required?

A6. Mail merge services are not required. However, the Offeror shall provide householding (e.g., combining notices) and sorting (e.g., zip coding and barcoding) services.

Q7. Who is the incumbent currently providing the services?

A7. There is currently no incumbent providing the services. The services are being provided in house.

Q8. Is the AOC requesting that mailing be sent as pre-sorted first class?

A8. Postage permit will be first class, pre-sorted, bulk rate with Indicia posting markings. The AOC will provide postage permit.

Q9. Will the Offeror receive one (1) print ready PDF to print? Or will it be an estimated fifteen thousand (15,000) files, one (1) for each envelope being mailed (totaling 40,000-80,000 pages)?

A9. No, the Offeror will not receive one (1) print ready PDF to print. The Offeror will receive a PDF for each document. If there are multiple notices to the same address, they are to be added to the same envelope, not exceeding four (4) sheets of paper which will include the multilingual notice.

Q10. What is the definition of one (1) page?

A10. See Section IV.C.1.b. of the RFP.

Q11. Can the AOC provide recent data of daily usage? Including PDF pages per day and envelope usage.

A11. The AOC is unable to determine concrete data for simplex versus duplex pages. The table below shows the total impressions for the months listed based on our printer meter reads. There was an estimated 2,153,045 mailings/envelopes. On April 24, 2024 there were 11,500 mailings/envelopes. The meters click once for simplex, twice for duplex.

Month Total Impressions

July-23 874,293 August-23 1,140,831

September-23 1,020,982 October-23 1,649,267

November-23 1,222,190 December-23 725,141

January-24 1,341,888 February-24 1,070,499

Q12. Does the 8,800,000.00 quantity for one (1) printed page (front & back) include the insert page?

A12. The multi-lingual insert is separate from these figures. See Attachment E – Bid/Price Proposal Form –

Revision 1.

Q13. Who currently completes the mail sorting and creates mailing bar codes?

A13. Pitney Bowes software currently completes these services. The Successful Offeror will take over this responsibility.

Q14. Is the Offeror responsible for merging the sample PDF templates with daily data?

A14. There are no templates. The AOC will provide PDFs for each notice.

Q15. Will Microsoft Excel documents be provided to the Offeror daily to complete the data merge?

A15. Data merge is not required.

Q16. Will the Offeror receive a single print ready PDF file?

A16. No, there will be a PDF for each document. The PDFs will need to be sorted and householded before printing.

Q17. If the AOC is providing one (1) single print ready PDF file to print and assemble, is the PDF document already sorted by zip code?

A17. See A16 above.

Q18. How does your current envelope inserting machine determine when one (1) envelope starts, and another begins?

A18. The sort and merge process also barcodes the document with a barcode that is used by the inserter to determine the number of pages that are inserted into an envelope.

Q19. Why is the Offeror not able to use the AOC’s permit to avoid reimbursement?

A19. See A8 above.

Q20. On average how long does it take to complete the data merge daily?

A20. Householding takes approximately twenty (20) to thirty (30) minutes via Pitney Bowes.

Q21. On average how long does it take to print letters?

A21. Currently using RICOH Lanier Pro Model 8320 printer, after householding is complete, it takes approximately four (4) to five (5) hours using two (2) printers.

Q22. On average how long does it take to complete the mail assembly?

A22. Inserting takes approximately four (4) to five (5) hours using a BlueCrest Rival 12K Split drive inserter.

Q23. The AOC outer, no.10 double window envelope, is a non-standard size of 4-1/4 X 9-3/4 (4-1/8 X 9-1/8 is the industry standard). Would the AOC consider changing the size, and potentially, the window size/placement, if the costs are cheaper?

A23. No.

Q24. The sample letters include a bar code on the left margin, is this bar code to read how many pages are being inserted into each envelope?

A24. The PDFs will not be sent over with barcodes. The Successful Offeror shall add barcodes during the householding process.

Q25. Does the outer envelope require an inside tint?

A25. There is no tinting on the inside of the envelope. See Attachment 2 – Envelope Specifications.

Q26. Would it be acceptable to produce the envelope with side seams instead of diagonal Seams due to equipment compatibility?

A26. No, envelopes must be in accordance with Attachment 2 – Envelope Specifications.

Q27. Sample PDF indicates is slightly larger standard #10 outer envelope (4.25”x9.75” as opposed to 4.125”x9.5”).

Would a standard #10 envelope be acceptable?

A27. See A26 above.

Q28. Please confirm whether the multilingual insert is black/black on 24# paper. Is the insert a preprinted, tri-folded item that is inserted into the envelope at the time of mailing, or is it fully digital and printed in-line with the notice?

A28. The form is preprinted locally on the same printers used to print the notices. Currently, they are not comingled in-line with the output but are inserted at the time of mailing. Weight of paper shall be no less than 20#.

Q29. Can the AOC please clarify whether the receipt of input files will be 7 AM or 7 PM daily Monday–Friday for MDEC Notices?

A29. See Attachment 1 – Printing & Mailing Requirements by Letter Type.

Q30. Is mail to be presorted for direct presentment to the USPS or sent to a commingler?

A30. Mail shall be presorted for direct presentment.

Q31. Will the supplied PDF documents have all fonts fully embedded (i.e., not embedded subsets)?

A31. All fonts are fully embedded in the PDF documents.

Q32. Does the AOC want the Offeror to run the addresses through the National Change of Address (NCOA) process?

A32. No.

Q33. If addresses are determined to be invalid, should those also be returned to the AOC along with the mail pieces with incomplete addresses as indicated in Attachment 1 – Printing & Mailing Requirements by Letter Type?

A33. See Section III.D.4.a of the RFP.

Q34. Are all notices double sided (duplex)?

A34. MDEC notices can be single sided (simplex) or duplex depending on the notice (even number of pages vs odd number of pages). DV notices are simplex.

Q35. Is 24# paper acceptable for MDEC Notices and DV notices that require 20#?

A35. The Offeror can make the determination of the weight of paper. Weight of paper shall be no less than 20#.

Q36. Will NCOA and CASS be required for addresses provided on the PDFs?

A36. No.

Q37. Under the MDEC Notice requirements can the AOC clarify what “No more than 3 notices per envelope” entails? Will household notices be next to each other in the PDF file provided?

A37. No more than four (4) sheets of paper, including the multilingual sheet can be placed in an envelope. The provided PDF files will not be grouped by household.

Q38. Can the Offeror submit two (2) Attachment E – Bid Price Proposal Forms, one (1) for each project type?

MDEC Notices and Domestic Violence Notices?

A38. No, See Clarification C2 above.

Q39. Can the Offeror use a standard #10 envelope with side seam conversion? Double window placement would remain the same.

A39. See A26 above.

Q40. Is the AOC currently mailing the letters as single piece unsorted postage based on the sample files not including a mailing bar code above the address?

A40. No, see A8 above.

Q41. Can the AOC clarify pages versus sheets? Under MDEC requirements, does forty thousand (40,000) pages equal twenty thousand (20,000) duplex sheets?

A41. A page could be simplex or duplex. Forty thousand (40,000) pages is the number of impressions.

All addenda will be incorporated into the final contract documents and will be binding on all Bidders/Offerors responding to this solicitation. Each Bidder/Offeror submitting a bid/proposal must acknowledge receipt of all addenda on the Procurement Portal; failure to acknowledge addenda may result in the rejection of the bid/proposal.

If you have any questions regarding this addendum, please contact me at (410) 260-2556 or email me at Joeshia.brawner@mdcourts.gov

Joeshia Brawner Procurement Officer mailto:Joeshia.brawner@mdcourts.gov