ESBD_360785_1716580789875_RFI 302-24-Outbound Physical Mail.pdf

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State of Texas Office of the Attorney General

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

OUTBOUND PHYSICAL MAIL

Posting Number: 302-24-Outbound Physical Mail RFI

CLASS: 915 ITEM: 28

CLASS: 915 ITEM: 44

CLASS: 915 ITEM: 57

Posting Date: May 24, 2024

Version: 1.0 ii

RFI Response Deadline: June 7, 2024 2:00 p.m. Central Standard Time (CDT)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION

2 DISCLAIMER

3 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

3.1 Background

3.2 Current Physical Mail Volumes

4 GENERAL INFORMATION AND RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS

4.1 Point of Contact Information

4.2 Response Submission Instructions

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1 INTRODUCTION

The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) Child Support Division (CSD) is the state agency in Texas responsible for collecting child support under Title IV-D of the Social Security Act. This includes collecting child support on behalf of custodial parents and participating in federal programs such as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid, and Foster Care recovery.

The OAG CSD is seeking information from vendors that can provide physical outbound mail services for a remote workforce. The services must include the ability to receive documents uploaded by CSD staff, print the documents, provide and stuff envelopes, address envelopes, if necessary, apply postage, and mail the documents.

Information regarding tools, technologies and solutions should address the stated objectives but does not need to be solely limited to the stated problem. Information regarding applicable industry standards, best practices, potential performance measures, cost structures or pricing methodologies, and any across-the-board, comprehensive, integrated solution that addresses other related issues is welcome.

2 DISCLAIMER

The intent of this RFI is to obtain information. It is not a formal request for a bid. There will be no award or contract developed from a response to this RFI. If the OAG decides to acquire any products or services based on the information submitted in response to this RFI, the appropriate procurement method will be used. The OAG offers no assurance or guarantee that a solicitation for procurement will result from this RFI.

This RFI is being issued on behalf of the OAG CSD. Vendors are invited to provide budget information and describe potential services or solutions for planning purposes only.

Expenses incurred in developing, preparing, or submitting any information, documentation, or other materials in response to this RFI and/or by attending meetings directly or indirectly related to this RFI are entirely the responsibility of the respondents and will neither be paid nor reimbursed by the OAG or any agency of the State of Texas. Respondents develop, prepare or submit any information, documentation or other materials in response to this RFI at their own risk and expense. All information, documentation or other materials submitted in response to this RFI become the property of the OAG. Respondents should retain submission copies for their records.

The OAG reserves the right to use any and all ideas presented in any response.

The OAG will strictly adhere to the requirements of (a) Chapter 441, Subchapter L of the Texas Government Code regarding the preservation, management, and retention of state records and

(b) Chapter 552 of the Texas Government Code (the “Texas Public Information Act”) regarding the disclosure of public information. As a result, by participating in this RFI process you acknowledge that all information, documentation and other materials submitted in response to this RFI may (a) constitute state records for the purposes of Chapter 441, subchapter L of the Texas Government Code and (b) be subject to public disclosure under the Texas Public Information Act.

The OAG CSD is without authority to agree that any information submitted will not be subject to disclosure. Disclosure is governed by the Texas Public Information Act (the "Act"), Chapter 552 of the Texas Government Code. Under the Act, all information held by governmental bodies is open to public disclosure unless it falls within one of the Act's specific exceptions to disclosure.

Vendors are advised to consult with their legal counsel concerning disclosure issues resulting from this RFI process and to take precautions to safeguard trade secrets and other proprietary information.

If it is necessary for a vendor to include proprietary or otherwise confidential information in its response, the vendor must clearly mark all copies of the proprietary or otherwise confidential information, documentation or materials that are being provided to the OAG with a written notice identifying the specific exception(s) to disclosure under the Texas Public Information Act that the vendor claims apply to such information, documentation or material. Subchapter C of the Texas

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Public Information Act sets forth the Act’s exceptions to the required disclosure of information.

Please note that claiming a disclosure exception for provided information does not automatically render such information confidential. Further, merely making a blanket claim that all of the submitted information is protected from disclosure because it contains some proprietary information is not acceptable and shall not render the entire submission confidential. Any information that is not clearly identified as proprietary or confidential shall be deemed to be subject to disclosure pursuant to the Act.

In the event that the OAG receives a request under the Texas Public Information Act for a copy of any information, documentation, or other material for which an exception to required disclosure under the Act is claimed, the OAG will undertake its best efforts to provide the vendor with notice of the request for release of provided information and afford the vendor the opportunity to brief the facts that bring the information under the applicable exceptions of the Act. The vendor would submit the brief to the Open Records Division of the OAG. The Open Records Division is the division within the OAG that governmental bodies (including divisions of the OAG) seeking to withhold information under the Public Information Act must apply to for a decision on whether the information is excepted from disclosure. It is not possible to obtain a decision prior to a request for public disclosure being made since the Open Records Division does not render advisory opinions.

3 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

3.1 Background

Over the past few years, the OAG CSD has transitioned to a virtual model for providing services to its customers utilizing a remote workforce. CSD’s remote staff need a mechanism to generate ad hoc physical mail using electronic resources, eliminating the need to print documents, stuff envelopes, apply postage, and deliver to a post office/mailbox. While CSD directs customers toward digital delivery, physical mail services remain necessary.

CSD is exploring online mailing Software as a Service (SaaS) to fulfill the physical mailing needs of a remote workforce. The OAG CSD is seeking information for a pilot project to confirm the needs, analyze the useability and identify any additional requirements and or services that may be necessary for an eventual statewide CSD rollout of online mailing services.

3.2 Current Physical Mail Volumes

The approximate volume of CSD mail for State Fiscal Year 2023 was 358,084 pieces. These pieces range from a single page to pieces that contain more than 25 pages. Initially, a pilot project may be limited to approximately 40,000 pieces.

4 GENERAL INFORMATION AND RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS

4.1 Point of Contact Information

The Sole Point of Contact for this RFI is:

Sarah Whitsitt, CTCD Procurement and Contract Operations Division 512-463-6353 sarah.whitsitt@oag.texas.gov

Respondents must not contact other OAG personnel concerning this RFI, except as permitted by the Sole Point of Contact.

4.2 Response Submission Instructions

The RFI response deadline is June 7, 2024 2:00 p.m. CDT.

mailto:email@oag.texas.gov

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Please organize your response around the questions below. Also, please elaborate as needed and describe any other things the OAG should consider regarding Outbound Physical Mail Services.

Upload and Mailing

1. What is the maximum number of documents or pages a user can upload and include in a single piece of mail?

2. What types of files are supported for upload? (e.g., PDF, TIFF, Jpg, Word)

3. How are letters printed, stuffed into envelopes, and postage applied?

4. What addresses can a user enter? (e.g., mailing address, return address)

5. Are addresses verified using an address verification service? If so, can a user override the verification function?

6. Is a user able to create an address book that stores commonly used addresses?

7. Can a user preview a document before it is submitted for mailing?

8. What types of mailings are supported? (e.g., first class, certified, return receipts)

9. If certified mail is supported:

a. How is a user able to track certified mail?

b. Can a user access a tracking number for certified mail? If so, when is the tracking number available to the user?

c. Can a user access or receive “return receipt cards” either online or hardcopy? If so, when and how are they available?

10. Can a user search and review prior mailings history and detail?

11. On average, how long does it take from the time of upload to actual mailing for a single piece of mail?

12. Are pre-paid return envelopes available?

13. For larger accounts, can vendors automatically apply seals and return addresses to envelopes?

Account Administration

1. Can multiple users be associated with a single account and that account be billed for all usage?

2. Are reports available to track account usage by user and mail type?

Technical Considerations

1. What browsers are supported? (e.g., Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome)

2. Are solutions strictly web-based? Or are software downloads required to use the mailing service?

3. Is your solution Tx-RAMP certified?

4. Is Okta Single Sign-On supported for larger accounts?