Amend 2- ITB 2026-0400-0266- Heat Applied Cigarette Tax Stamps.pdf

This is Amendment 2 to an Invitation to Bid (ITB) issued by the State of Alaska Department of Revenue, Tax Division for the procurement of heat-applied cigarette tax stamps. The amendment updates responses to two bidder questions and revises the ITB schedule. The state requires approximately 17.5 million PM (Philip Morris) cigarette tax stamps and 115,000 NPM (non-Philip Morris) cigarette tax stamps annually, equivalent to 33 cases of PM stamps (540,000 stamps per case) and one case of NPM stamps per year. The stamps must measure approximately 0.75 inches by 0.75 inches with at least three distinctive colors and safety tint lettering to prevent counterfeiting and must be produced using gravure process or equivalent technology. The deadline for receipt of questions is 2:00 PM Alaska Time on April 8, 2026, and the bid due date is 3:00 PM Alaska Time on May 1, 2026. Bid evaluations are scheduled to be completed by May 6, 2026, with a Notice of Intent to Award on April 8, 2026, and contract issuance on May 15, 2026. The contract will run from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2030 as a four-year firm term with two one-year renewal options exercised at the state's sole discretion.

Regarding the specific clarifications addressed in Amendment 2, bidders may submit samples of stamps that include all proposed security features but need not be the specific stamp design currently used by another government agency, with all samples required by the May 1, 2026 bid due date. The state provided images of current Alaska cigarette tax stamp designs for both PM and NPM versions to assist bidders in their design submissions. Pricing must be quoted on a per-15,000-stamp basis with F.O.B. destination within Alaska, and all shipping and delivery costs must be included in the bid price. The state has established a $275,000 budget for the entire contract term including renewals, and any bids exceeding this amount will be deemed non-responsive. Qualified bidders must demonstrate a minimum of three years in business providing heat-applied cigarette tax stamps and provide references from at least three government entities currently using their stamps, each with minimum annual usage of 20,000,000 stamps. All work must be performed entirely within the contractor's U.S. facilities with no subcontracting or assignment permitted without state consent.