Attachment B – Specifications RFx #3000026308

Envelope Printing, Storage & Distribution for OTS/PSS Scope of Work

Purpose The purpose of this solicitation is to establish an Agency Term contract for the manufacture, printing, storage, distribution, and delivery of standardized envelope products to and on behalf of the Louisiana Office of Technology Services Production Support Services (OTS/PSS). The contract is limited to the production and fulfillment of specific, fixed-specification envelope products used by OTS/PSS production print and mail operations. The contract is reserved for use exclusively by OTS/PSS, its agents, and its assigns; and no other State Agency or Cooperative Purchasing entity may use the contract except with the express, prior, written permission of OTS/PSS.

The initial term of the contract will be 24 months beginning with the date of award. At the option of the State of Louisiana and upon acceptance by Contractor, the contract may be extended for three additional 12-month periods, at the same prices, terms, and conditions. The total contract term may not exceed 60 months.

General Requirements The State intends to award one contract for Statewide Envelope Printing, Storage & Distribution to the responsive, responsible bidder furnishing the lowest overall firm, fixed price. The State further reserves the right to reject individual line items from the award.

The contract shall include the manufacturing, printing, warehousing, delivery, and distribution of standardized envelope products for OTS/PSS. These products are of fixed design and construction, incorporate the proprietary “State of Louisiana” inside security tint pattern, and carry at least one-sided, one-color custom printing. Each product is identified by a State-issued Stock Keeping Unit (SKU).

Orders may be initiated only by authorized representatives of OTS/PSS. No production or shipment may begin without the express, written authorization of OTS/PSS in the form of a Contract Purchase Order.

All products shall be manufactured in accordance with these specifications. Printing shall be first-class in quality, with accurate registration and free from excessive defects.

Payment will be remitted in accordance with Louisiana law only upon delivery of each completed order in good condition to the State’s designated delivery point.

The basis weight for all products is 24lb white wove bond or 60lb offset equivalent; color shall be white with a minimum brightness of 92%. The finish shall be vertical embossed ribbing for all envelopes. All envelopes shall be double-side-seam (SS) construction unless otherwise specified, and shall include commercial flaps. Window film must be fully compliant with United States Postal Services (USPS) machinability requirements.

All products must perform reliably on high-speed automated inserting equipment. Each #10 and 6” × 9.5” envelope shall include 0.75” (3/4”) side seams, a back-panel throat depth of 0.625” (5/8”), and a sealing flap 1.50” (1 ½”) long, unless otherwise specified.

Envelope dimensions shall not vary by more than ± 1/16” (1.6 mm). Side flaps must bond cleanly to the bottom flap without visible curl or ripple. Envelope curl or twist shall not exceed ¼” (6.4 mm) when placed on a flat surface. The maximum flap depth on the minimum-length envelope shall be 2 ¼” (57 mm), unless otherwise specified.

All window patches must be flat and ripple-free and bonded within 1/16” (1.6 mm) of the top edge of the patch material and of the window opening. Where any part of a patch lies within 1” (25 mm) of a side edge, the top of the patch shall be raised to within 1/16” (3.1 mm) of the score line. Glue lines shall not exceed 1/8” (3.2 mm) from the opening edges. For double-window formats, the windows shall not oppose each other front-to-back. Open-window envelopes are not permitted, and no portion of a window may extend above the “V” crease on the back panel.

Each envelope shall include a one-color “State of Louisiana” step-and-repeat security tint pattern printed in a color matching or complementary to the exterior ink. OTS/PSS will furnish the Contractor with vector artwork for this tint.

Reserve Minimum Quantities The Contractor shall manufacture and warehouse, in climate-controlled storage, at least the minimum reserve quantities of the following SKUs:

SKU# Description Reserve

Minimum I-4002 #10 Double Window, Double Score; top window 1.000” ×

4.000”, 0.750” from left, 2.625” from bottom; bottom window 1.250” × 5.000”, 0.750” from left, 1.000” from bottom

1,100 TH

I-4006 6” × 9” Double Window; top window 0.750” × 4.000” at 4.375” from bottom; bottom window 1.250” × 5.000” at 2.500” from bottom

660 TH

I-4695 6” × 9.5” Full Window 660 TH

Table 1. Reserve Minimum for SKUs on Contract

The quantities above constitute the “Reserve Minimum” for each item. The Contractor shall maintain these levels at all times unless otherwise directed in writing by OTS/PSS.

At the State’s order, the Contractor shall release from stored inventory as few as 5,000 units of any item per day, up to full-truckload quantities (approximately 26 pallets per day). Deliveries may occur daily, weekly, or as scheduled by OTS/PSS, and shall be F.O.B. Destination to the address designated in the order.

In the event of termination or non-renewal of the contract, the Contractor shall first ship, and the State shall receive and accept, any or all product ordered up to the Reserve Minimum levels. The Contractor shall be paid at the contract rate for such product. Any product held beyond the Reserve Minimum shall remain the Contractor’s responsibility and expense.

Title to all goods shall transfer to the State upon receipt by the Contractor, after which the Contractor will invoice only for storage and delivery in accordance with the contract.

The Contractor shall remain fully responsible for maintaining all such materials in saleable, usable condition.

The State may at any time request written documentation of the value and condition of stored product. The Contractor shall provide such documentation within the time specified by OTS/PSS. If the Contract terminates or is not renewed, the Contractor shall either (a) ship all stored product to the State in good order or (b) carry out the State’s written direction to sell, destroy, or otherwise dispose of such goods. The State shall bear only the transportation and handling cost for any product transfer it requests.

At the State’s order, the Contractor will release from its stored inventories as few as 5,000 (5 TH) units of any one item per day, or up to multiple items multiple times per day; or up to a “Full Truckload” (26 standard pallets), per day, not exceeding the Reserve Minimum established for each item. Delivery may be on a daily, weekly, or other basis. The Contractor shall arrange for delivery, either in the Contractor’s own vehicle or via third-party courier or freight service. The State anticipates requesting delivery only of whole-pallet quantities, or no fewer than 50,000 (50 TH) units per pallet.

Bidder Eligibility To be eligible for award, the Bidder must have been in continuous business operation for no fewer than 5 calendar years from the date of this solicitation, during which the Bidder’s business was principally engaged in providing services like those in this solicitation. The bidder shall submit documentation demonstrating (i) 5 years of continuous operations (ii) principally engaged in commercial printing or business-to-business print services.

Bid Submittal Requirements The Bidder should furnish a “Third-Party Disclosure” with the bid response or within 5 business days of request by OSP. The “Third-Party Disclosure” shall declare and identify any manufacturers, Contractors, or Subcontractors with whom the Bidder reasonably anticipates engaging in business directly to fulfill any requirement of the contract. To the extent provided by applicable Louisiana Law, and to the extent claimed by the Bidder, the State shall hold the Bidder's “Third-Party Disclosure” in strict confidentiality.

The State reserves the right to reject for cause any Third-Party so identified, and the Bidder shall not engage rejected Third-Parties for any part of any requirement of the contract. If at any time throughout the performance period the Bidder engages a previously unidentified Third-Party for any part of any requirement of the contract, the Bidder shall submit to the State an updated “Third-Party Disclosure” at least 10 calendar days prior to the commencement of work by that Third-Party on any State business relating to the contract.

The Bidder shall furnish a “Plant and Warehouse Location Statement” with the bid response, or within 5 business days of request by OSP. The “Plant and Warehouse Location Statement” shall identify the specific location or locations at or from which the Bidder will produce, print, store, distribute, or deliver the materials required by the contract.

Failure by the Bidder to provide the “Third-Party Disclosure” and “Plant and Warehouse Location Statement” may result in rejection of the bid.

Non-Exclusivity and No Funding Guarantee The contract does not guarantee any minimum purchase quantity or expenditure by OTS/PSS. Orders will be placed only as operationally required. OTS/PSS may procure envelopes or related goods from other sources when determined to be in the State’s best interest.

Data Handling & State Records All data required for print, including originals, templates, data files, graphical elements, layouts, and other production files, furnished to the Contractor by the State or derived by the Contractor from data provided by or belonging to the State, are and shall remain the sole property of the State of Louisiana. The Contractor shall be responsible for archiving all State data for printed jobs and shall maintain a written inventory of such data and files. The State may request an electronic copy of this data at any time, and the Contractor shall furnish the data, and the inventory of the data, to the State at no cost and without unreasonable delay.

The Contractor shall not dispose of any State-owned electronic files or data without prior written authorization by the State; and all State data shall be retained and preserved indefinitely, for the duration of the Contractor’s period of performance; and for no fewer than 5 calendar years following the end of the final contract term.

It shall be the Contractor’s responsibility to maintain proofs for all print jobs in the form of electronic files. If, at any time, the Contractor cannot provide any electronic file or files for which the Contractor has initially confirmed receipt, and if the Contractor further cannot provide proof of transfer or approved disposal of that file, the Contractor shall be required to remake the electronic file or files at no cost to the State.

All information, including statistical and census data, derived from or arising in connection with a contract issued pursuant to this solicitation is and shall remain the property of the State of Louisiana, and the Contractor may not use, disclose, sell, share, or otherwise disseminate, or cause to be used, disclosed, sold, shared, or otherwise disseminated, any State information, without the express, specific, written authorization of the State Chief Information Officer, the Director of State Procurement, or their designee.

All financial, statistical, personal, technical, and other data, and information relating to the State’s operations which are designated confidential by the State and made available to the Contractor in order to carry out the contract, shall be protected by the Contractor from unauthorized use and disclosure through the observance of the same or more effective procedural requirements as are applicable to the State. The identification of all such confidential data and information, as well as the State's procedural requirements for protection of such data and information from unauthorized use and disclosure, shall be provided by the State in writing to the Contractor. If the methods and procedures employed by the Contractor for the protection of the Contractor's data and information are deemed by the State to be adequate for the protection of the State’s confidential information, such methods and procedures may be used, with the written consent of the State, to carry out the intent of this paragraph. The Contractor shall not be required under the provisions of the paragraph to keep confidential any data or information, which is or becomes publicly available, is already rightfully in the Contractor’s possession, is independently developed by the Contractor outside the scope of the contract, or which is rightfully obtained from third parties.

Samples The State reserves the right to require the apparent low bidder, or any bidder whose bid is under consideration for award, to submit samples of similar envelope work prior to award.

If requested, samples must be received within 10 business days of the State's request, unless otherwise approved by the State in writing. Samples shall be furnished at the bidder's expense and provided at no cost to the State.

Samples shall be sent to:

Office of State Procurement Attn: Chase Williams 1201 N. Third Street, Suite 2-160 Baton Rouge, LA 70802

Packages must be clearly labeled with the solicitation number, bid opening date, bidder's name, and item number, if applicable.

Samples may be requested to evaluate bidder's responsibility, production capability, construction quality, print quality, window placement, adhesive performance, paper stock, inside tint quality, and suitability for high-speed mail insertion and other State operational requirements.

Unless otherwise requested by the State in writing, samples submitted prior to award do not have to be produced specifically for the State. Samples may consist of prior commercial envelope work of similar size, construction, material, tint, window placement, print coverage, adhesive type, or intended use.

The State may reject samples that are materially dissimilar to the envelope products required by the solicitation or that do not provide a reasonable basis for evaluation. The State may require sample quantities sufficient to permit visual review, measurement, handling, and production-equipment compatibility review.

Samples shall become the property of the State upon receipt, unless the State agrees otherwise in writing. Failure by a bidder to provide requested samples within the timeframe specified by the State may result in rejection of the bid.

Acceptance or approval of samples prior to award shall not waive any specification, warranty, inspection, acceptance, proof, or performance requirement of the contract.

Final products furnished under the contract shall conform to all contract specifications, regardless of any pre-award sample reviewed by the State.

Climate Controlled Requirements The Contractor shall store all State product and all product held for delivery to the State in a secure, clean, dry, pest-controlled, and climate-controlled warehouse suitable for paper-based envelope inventory. Storage areas shall protect product from water, excessive humidity, excessive heat, direct sunlight, dust, contamination, crushing, deformation, theft, and unauthorized access.

All stored product shall be maintained on pallets, racks, shelves, or other suitable storage systems and shall not be stored directly on the floor. The products shall remain wrapped, boxed, labeled, segregated, and identifiable by SKU number, product type, lot number, production date, and contract purchase order, as applicable. The Contractor shall maintain inventory in usable, saleable, and machinable condition until accepted by the State.

Climate conditions shall be maintained within a temperature range of 65° to 85° degrees Fahrenheit and a relative humidity range of 40% to 60%. Paper moisture content shall remain within 4% to 6% by mass. The Contractor shall notify OTS/PSS in writing of any temperature, humidity, water, pest, fire, security, or other storage event that could reasonably affect product integrity, adhesive performance, paper curl, window patch integrity, print quality, or performance on high-speed inserting equipment.

The State may inspect any storage location used for State product during normal business hours and may request samples from stored inventory for quality assurance, production testing, or inserter-compatibility review. The Contractor shall replace, at no additional cost to the State, any product that becomes damaged, contaminated, deteriorated, nonconforming, or unsuitable for its intended use while in the Contractor’s care, custody, or control.