OFF53 Contract User Guide 7.2.2025.docx

OFF53: Office Supplies, Recycled Paper and Envelopes UPDATED: July 2, 2025

*The asterisk is required when referencing the contract in the Massachusetts Management Accounting Reporting System (MMARS).

Table of Contents:

Contract User Guide for OFF53

(NOTE: To access hyperlinks below, scroll over desired section and CTL + Click) NOTE: Contract User Guides are updated regularly. Print copies should be compared against the current version posted on mass.gov/osd.

Updated: March 11, 2025 Template version: 8.2 Page 1 of 12 One Ashburton Place, Room 1608 Boston, MA, 02108-1552 Tel: (617) 720 - 3300 | www.mass.gov/osd | TDD: (617) 727 - 2716 | Twitter: @Mass_OSD | Fax: (617) 727 - 4527 NOTE: Contract User Guides are updated regularly. Print copies should be compared against the current version posted on mass.gov/osd.

Updated: July 2, 2025 Template version: 8.2 Page 4 of 12 One Ashburton Place, Room 1608 Boston, MA, 02108-1552 Tel: (617) 720 - 3300 | www.mass.gov/osd | TDD: (617) 727 - 2716 | Twitter: @Mass_OSD | Fax: (617) 727 - 4527

· Contract Summary

· Contract Categories

· Benefits and Cost Savings

· Find Bid/Contract Documents

· Who Can Use This Contract

· Subcontractors

· Supplier Diversity Requirements

· Pricing, Quotes and Purchase Options

· Instructions for MMARS Users

· Environmentally Preferable Products

· Contract Exclusions and Related Statewide Contracts

· Emergency Services

· Shipping/Delivery/Returns

· Additional Information/FAQ's

· Performance and Payment Time Frames Which Exceed Contract Duration

· Strategic Sourcing Team Members

· VENDOR LIST AND INFORMATION

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Contract Summary This is a Statewide Contract for office supplies, recycled paper and envelopes. The Commonwealth has separated and identified the most frequently purchased and popular items on this contract referred to as the “market basket”. Buyers will find competitive pricing for market basket items and have the ability to make immediate price comparisons that will result in significant cost savings and identify environmentally preferable products. Multiple awarded vendors on this contract offer PunchOut catalogs that enable buyers to easily locate and purchase products directly from their websites. Purchases on this contract can be used towards meeting spending goals with diverse businesses certified by OSD's Supplier Diversity Office (SDO). This Statewide Contract replaces OFF47.

Contract Categories This contract includes three categories of products as listed below.

Category 1: Category 1A and Category 1B Office Supplies

· Category 1A: Market Basket Items

· Category 1B: Non-Market Basket Items (Full Catalog) Category 2: Recycled Copy and Print Papers Category 3: Recycled Plain and Printed Envelopes

Benefits and Cost Savings Statewide contracts are an easy way to obtain benefits for your organization by leveraging the Commonwealth’s buying power, solicitation process, contracting expertise, vendor management and oversight, and the availability of environmentally preferable products, dock delivery discounts (DDD), volume purchase discounts (VPD) and Prompt Pay Discounts (PPD).

· This contract offers a market basket representing the most frequently purchased office supply items and pricing was negotiated to obtain the deepest discounts for these items. Since the market basket represents the best value, these should be considered for purchase first. For more information, click here.

· All non-market basket items (Full Catalog), representing all other items on vendor catalogs for office supplies, offer significant discount percentages off list price.

Find Bid/Contract Documents

· All common contract documents, including the Contract User Guide, the Request for Responses, and the Master Price Sheets with the list of the Market Basket Items are located in the Master Blanket Purchase Order (MBPO) “Master Contract Record” for OFF53 and can be accessed directly at PO-24-1080-OSD03-OSD03-32274.

· To find all vendor contract-specific documents and information, visit COMMBUYS.com and search for OFF53 to find related MBPO information.

Who Can Use This Contract Applicable Procurement Law Executive Branch Goods and Services: MGL c. 7, § 22; c. 30, § 51, § 52; 801 CMR 21.00;

Eligible Entities Please see the standard list of Eligible Entities on our Eligible Entities Which May Use Statewide Contracts webpage.

Subcontractors The awarded vendor’s use of subcontractors for deliveries is subject to the provisions of the Commonwealth’s Terms and Conditions and Standard Contract Form, as well as other applicable terms of this Statewide Contract.

Supplier Diversity Requirements When selecting vendor(s) without soliciting quotes or a statement of work, Executive Departments should follow below guidance:

When selecting contractors and placing orders, Executive departments shall utilize diverse and small businesses to the extent possible based on contract terms, SDO and departmental policies, laws, and regulations. Additionally, departments shall make a preference for contractors with higher SDP commitments and/or performance whenever such information is available (or is requested from contractors by the department) and the preference is feasible.

OSD provides up-to-date information on the availability of diverse and small businesses on statewide contracts through the Statewide Contract Index available on the COMMBUYS home page. See the “Programs (SDO and SBPP)” tab for current certification and small business status of contractors on this contract.

When selecting vendor(s) from multiple quotes and statement of work, Executive Departments should follow below guidance:

Requirements of the Small Business Purchasing Program for Small Procurements (expected annual value of $250,000 or less) or the Supplier Diversity Program for Large Procurements (expected annual value exceeding $250,000) apply to Executive Departments soliciting quotes or issuing statements of work.

Small Business Award Preference: In accordance with the Supplier Diversity Office’s SBPP Policy, Departments must award contracts for Small Procurements to SBPP-participating small business bidders if both of the following conditions are met:

· The response is received from an eligible small business; AND

· The response meets the Department’s best value criteria as defined in the RFR or RFQ.

SDP Commitment: Businesses awarded large Commonwealth contracts for goods and services (also called prime contractors or prime vendors) are required to make measurable financial commitments to do business with one or more diverse businesses (often called SDP Partners). This business-to-business relationship requirement applies to all Large Procurements for goods and services, which were historically defined as those expected to exceed $150,000 in total spending. Effective July 1, 2021, Large Procurements will be defined as those expected to exceed $250,000 in annual spending.

Executive departments should take into consideration contracted vendors SDP commitments when evaluating responses. Specifically, the following fields of the new SDP Plan Form correspond to the goals stated above:

SDP policy link or attachment (if any)

Additional creative initiatives (if any)

SDP commitment – subcontracting

Evaluate the bidder’s SDP commitment.

SDP commitment – ancillary

SDP commitment – total

Company prior year spending with the list of partners (if available)

Key Evaluation Requirements The following key requirements apply to the evaluation of submitted SDP Plans:

· At least 25% of the available evaluation score must be dedicated to the evaluation of the bidder’s SDP Commitment.

· The majority of the SDP evaluation score should be dedicated to the bidder’s SDP commitment.

· bidders offering more value in their SDP Plan submissions must receive higher scores.

Other Requirements:

· Include SBPP contract language and place it prominently within the RFQ. See SDO Template Language.

· Evaluate bids received from, and award a contract to, an SBPP-participating small business that meets the department’s best value criteria.

· Award to a large business only if there is no SBPP participating in business meeting departments’ best value criteria.

· Conduct a clarification/BAFO/negotiation before disqualifying an SBPP-participating business based on price or desirable criteria.

· See the Best Value Evaluation of Responses to Small Procurements: A Guide for Strategic Sourcing Teams for additional guidance.

· Make a preference for contractors with higher SDP commitments and/or performance whenever such information is available (or is requested from contractors by the department) and the preference is feasible.

· See the Best Value Evaluation of SDP Plan Forms: A Guide for Strategic Sourcing Teams for additional guidance.

1. Note: Departments may ask the prime Contractor for an additional SDP commitment specifically related to the Department’s purchase or engagement. SDP spending for such a purchase or engagement must be reported by the Contractor using the SDP Reporting Form directly to the Department and may not be included in any other SDP reporting filed by the Contractor.

OSD provides up-to-date information on the availability of diverse and small businesses on statewide contracts through the Statewide Contract Index available on the COMMBUYS home page. See the “Programs (SDO and SBPP)” tab for current certification and small business status of contractors on this contract.

Pricing, Quote and Purchase Options Pricing Options

· Purchases made through this contract will be direct, outright purchases.

· To streamline purchasing decisions, all vendor pricing is available in one master price file for each category. These price files can be found in the OFF53 Master Contract Record and include category 1 pricing as a specific discount off the MSRP, and direct pricing for Categories 2 & 3.

· Please note to minimize packaging and transportation impacts, minimum orders on this contract must be at least $50.

Setting Up a COMMBUYS Account COMMBUYS is the Commonwealth’s electronic Market Center supporting online commerce between government purchasers and businesses. If you do not have one already, contact the COMMBUYS Help Desk to set up a COMMBUYS buyer account for your organization: (888)-627-8283 or OSDhelpdesk@mass.gov.

Quick Search in COMMBUYS Log into COMMBUYS, and use the Search box on the COMMBUYS header bar to locate items described on the MBPO or within the vendor catalog line items. Select Contract/Blanket or Catalog from the drop-down menu and enter OFF53.

How To Purchase From The Contract When contacting a vendor on statewide contract, always reference OFF53 to receive contract pricing.

· Select items from a PunchOut catalog and purchase through COMMBUYS PunchOut catalogs offer the convenience of selecting Statewide Contract products from a vendor’s e-commerce website. The PunchOut or Government to Business (G2B) catalogs are available via COMMBUYS only (login to COMMBUYS and select the settings option in the upper right-hand corner [] and choose the G2B PunchOut option). G2B PunchOut can now also be accessed directly on COMMBUYS Landing Page when signed in. Click on Icon on left hand side of page. Select a vendor on the dropdown in COMMBUYS, you are then taken to the vendor’s e-commerce site. After shopping is complete on the vendor’s e-commerce site, selected items are pulled back into COMMBUYS, summarized on a COMMBUYS release Requisition, and are ready to submit for approval. Once approved, it is released to the vendor for processing and fulfillment.

For a description of how to complete this purchase in COMMBUYS, visit the Job Aids for Buyers webpage and select either:

· The Quick Reference Guide (QRG) section and choose the QRG – Creating a Punch Out Order job aid

· The COMMBUYS Purchase Orders section and choose the How to Purchase from a COMMBUYS PunchOut job aid.

Current OFF53 Vendors with PunchOut Catalogs:

· CAM Office, Inc.

· G. A. Blanco & Sons

· Staples Contract & Commercial, Inc.

· ShireWire Global Sales & Distribution, LLC

· W.B. Mason

· Directly purchase fixed price items through COMMBUYS This contract allows buyers to find and quickly purchase specific products/services with pricing within COMMBUYS. In other words, it allows you to create a Release Requisition in COMMBUYS, submit the requisition for approval, and send the vendor a Release Purchase Order. This option is used for vendors who do not have a PunchOut catalog and offer purchasing of products only through single line-item catalogs from COMMBUYS.

NOTE: COMMBUYS will adjust pricing based on quantity for all items that indicate “**Bulk Priced Item - Discounts Applied Based on Quantity**” in the product description. The listed “total cost” reflects the minimum quantity pricing and will adjust accordingly.

For a description of how to complete this purchase in COMMBUYS, visit the Job Aids for Buyers webpage and select:

· The COMMBUYS Requisitions section and choose the Make a Statewide Contract Purchase in COMMBUYS job aid.

Instructions for MMARS Users MMARS users must reference the MA number (OFF53*) in the proper field in MMARS when placing orders with any contractor.

Environmentally Preferable Products (EPP) This contract provides Commonwealth buyers an extensive office supply catalog that contains hundreds of Environmentally Preferable Products. Most of the paper and envelope products contain post-consumer recycled content and comply with the US EPA’s Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines and state EPP requirements. EPPs include products and services that contain recycled materials, conserve energy or water, minimize waste, are less toxic and hazardous, reduce the generation, release, or disposal of toxic substances, protect open space and otherwise lessen the impact of such products or services on public health and the environment.

OFF53 includes the following mandatory specifications:

· 30% post-consumer recycled content for all copy paper, some other papers, and most envelopes

· Recycled copy paper must function properly in all copiers, fax machines, laser printers, ink jet printers, offset presses and high-speed production devices

· Additional recycled content requirements for various other office supply products including boxes, calendars, file folders, index cards, mailing tubes, binders, clip boards, picture frames, trash and recycling containers.

· In addition, most copy paper is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council for sustainable forest management.

To find environmentally preferable products, view the vendor price files that are found under each tab of the Master Price File that is located in the OFF53 Master MBPO (under “agency attachments”). All of the individual vendor price files include a field for vendors to indicate recycled content, post-consumer recycled content, and any Environmental Certifications and/or Specified Environmental Attributes that the specific product may have. For the complete list of EPP specifications, see Appendix 1: Product Specifications located in the RFR.

Contract Exclusions and Related Statewide Contracts Awarded vendors are only authorized to provide those items and/or quantities of products that are covered by this contract. If you are unsure of allowed commodities on this contract, e-mail the Contract Manager noted in the Header. The purchases of the following categories are not allowed under this contract, please note appropriate contracts for those categories:

· Office furniture (e.g., desks, chairs, tables, mobile or cube furniture), OFF52

· Janitorial cleaning and related supplies (other than office cleaning supplies), FAC118

· Art and Instructional School Supplies, OFF51

· Printers, copier and fax toner cartridges or bottles (name brand or remanufactured): ITC80

· Paper goods (i.e., paper plates, plastic ware etc.): GRO40

· Food, Prime Grocers: GRO38

· Dairy Products, Baked Goods: GRO41

· Water Services: GRO39

Emergency Services Many statewide contracts are required to provide products or services in cases of statewide emergencies. ML - 801 CMR 21 defines emergency for procurement purposes. Visit the Emergency Response Supplies, Services and Equipment Contact Information for Statewide Contracts list for emergency services related to this contract.

Shipping/Delivery Delivery is F.O.B. destination and shall mean delivery and unloading, at no additional cost. Should the vendor use an independent carrier to satisfy delivery requests, the vendor accepts responsibility for ensuring the carrier will coordinate with the contract user on delivery instructions. Late deliveries or deliveries that cannot be made within the above guidelines may be canceled at no cost to the Eligible Entity. Hours for all deliveries shall be performed during business working hours, usually 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST Monday through Friday. Other delivery hours/is permissible only with the written approval of the Eligible Entity.

Additional Information/FAQs Geographical Service Area All the awarded contractors of this contract have agreed to service all the regions/counties of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Frequently Purchased/Market Basket Items All awarded vendors in Category 1 provided competitive pricing for the most frequently purchased items in this category. The price files have been compiled into a single spreadsheet so buyers can quickly compare pricing across the awarded vendors in this category. Buyers are encouraged to use this compiled list to inform their purchasing decisions. This is a view-only file, to purchase an item from the market basket, buyers will need to go directly to the individual vendor’s PunchOut catalog.

Backordered Items Category 1: Contractors must automatically deliver all backordered items as soon as the items become available. If a Contractor cannot deliver the backordered item(s) within three to five (3-5) business days of the original date of order or in a time frame mutually agreed upon by the Eligible Entity and the Contractor, then the Contractor may deliver an equal or better-quality item at the same price or lower, of the backordered item. The Eligible Entity’s approval of the backorder replacement item is required prior to shipment of the item and should be shipped within two (2) business days of approval. All delivery specifications outlined in this RFR for this category apply to backordered items.

Categories 2 and 3: Contractors must deliver backordered items in a time frame mutually agreed upon by the Eligible Entity and the Contractor. All delivery specifications outlined in this RFR for this category apply to backordered items.

Discontinued Items Orders must be filled as submitted unless the item has been discontinued by the manufacturer and is not available for shipment. The approval of any proposed substitute product is required prior to shipping the order. The replacement item must be of equal or better quality at an equal or lower price. If the substitute item is less expensive, that must be reflected on the invoice. Unapproved substitutions are not allowed under this Contract and if delivered in error, must be replaced with the requested items or approved substitutes within two (2) business days of notification by the Purchasing Entity. No restocking fees will be charged for unapproved substitute items.

Minimum/Maximum Order Quantities Category 1: Office Supplies Contractors awarded in only Category 1 are allowed to sell only limited quantities of recycled copy paper and unprinted envelopes. These limitations are as follows:

· Thirty-nine (39) cases of recycled paper per order (Maximum)

· Five (5) cases of unprinted envelopes per order (Maximum) Category 3: Recycled Envelopes

· One (1) carton printed stock envelopes (Minimum) Other Discounts

· Prompt Pay Discounts: A discount given to the buyer if paid within a certain time period. These discounts may be found in the Vendor List and Information section below. All discounts offered will be taken in cases where the payment issue date is within the specified number of days listed by vendor and in accordance with the Commonwealth’s Bill Paying Policy. Payment days will be measured from the date goods are received and accepted / performance was completed OR the date an invoice is received by the Commonwealth, whichever is later to the date the payment is issued as an EFT (preferred method) or mailed by the State Treasurer. The date of payment “issue” is the date a payment is considered “paid” not the date a payment is “received” by a Contractor.

· Volume Discounts: discount is provided to the buyer if a certain volume of product or service is purchased.

· Dock Delivery Discount: discount is provided if product is delivered directly to the loading dock If the Needed Product Can Not be Found If the product is not listed in the scope of the product category, a buyer may fill out the OFF53 Product Request Form located in the attachments section of the Master Contract Record and send a request to the OFF53 Contract Manager. The Contact Manager will review items to confirm they meet the contract specifications and respond with a determination.

Performance and Payment Time Frames Which Exceed Contract Duration No new agreements for product and/or services may be executed after this contract has expired as stated on the first page.

Strategic Sourcing Team Members

· Lucy Tosado, Department of Mental Health

· David Harvey, Department of Public Health

· Ed Devlin, Operational Services Division

· Amanda Ferdinand, Operational Services Division

· Nicauris Santana, Operational Services Division

Vendor List and Information*

1. Office Supplies

2. Recycled Paper

3. Envelopes Discounts

(PPD,

Dock Delivery, Other)

Sonia Castro 617-359-7289 617-359-7271 Tatiana.henry@mass.gov

Sonia Castro 617-359-7289 617-359-7271 Tatiana.henry@mass.gov

Sonia Castro 617-359-7289 617-359-7271 Tatiana.henry@mass.gov

VPD: +$5,000 – 1%

DDD: 4%

PO-24-1080-OSD03-OSD03-32268

PO-24-1080-OSD03-OSD03-32265

VPD: $1001-$2000 – 1%

DDD: 2%

8%

1%

PO-24-1080-OSD03-OSD03-32951

PPD: 0.75% 10, 0.50% 15, 0.25 20 days

VPD: $500-$2000 -0.5% $2001-$3500 -1%

$3501-$5000 -1.5% +$5,000 – 1.75%

PO-24-1080-OSD03-OSD03-32316

PPD: 3%-10,15,20,30 days

VPD: +$3,501 – 1%

1%

PPD: 1%-10,15,20,30 days

3%

PO-24-1080-OSD03-OSD03-32285

VPD: +$5,000 – 1%

DDD: 2%

3%

*Note that COMMBUYS is the official system of record for vendor contact information.

** The Master MBPO is the central repository for all common contract files. The Master Price files for Categories 1,2,3 are in the Master Contract Record MBPO.

*** The Solicitation Enabled MBPO is utilized for quoting purposes only.

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