Questions_and_Answers_S-10700-00001355.docx
DOCX document 47 KB Posted
- Attached to
- RFP - Office Supplies (NASPO ValuePoint)
- Solicitation number
- S-10700-00001355
- Issued by
- Marion County, Oregon
About this file
This document is a set of Questions and Answers related to an RFP issued by the State of Oregon on behalf of the NASPO ValuePoint Cooperative Purchasing Program for office supplies. The RFP seeks to establish one or more Master Agreements with qualified offerors to provide office supplies for all Participating States/Participating Entities. The RFP covers a wide range of topics including catalog access, price holds, discount percentages, delivery requirements, subcontractor approval, and pricing documentation. The Master Agreement resulting from this RFP is intended to have an initial term of two years with up to three additional one-year renewal options.
The RFP states that while the initial prices must be held firm for at least six months for Categories 1-48 and three months for Category 49 (copy paper), the category discount rates will remain fixed for the entire term of the Master Agreement. The State indicates it expects to see price volatility in the copy paper market and is willing to allow more frequent price adjustments for those items. The State also confirms that it will accept a wide range of supporting documentation from offerors to justify any requested price increases.
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Answers to Questions and Requests for Clarification
RFP S-10700-00001355
Office Supplies (NASPO ValuePoint)
| Question # |
| RFP Section |
| Question |
| 1 |
| Uploading "Request for Clarifications" doc? |
| We aren't seeing the ability to upload doc's on this Q&A page. If we have a contract document noting the clarification to submit, how should we do that? THX! |
Answer: Proposer shall provide a redlined version of the Sample Master Agreement formatted in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) noting the exceptions. Exceptions should be sent via email to the SPC noted on the Cover Page. The subject line of the email should read: Exceptions to Sample Master Agreement S-10700-00001355. See RFP Amendment 1.
| 2 |
| Access to the website? |
| RFP Document: pg 11 of 23 3.2.7 Catalog & 3.2.8 Price Proposal, pg 15 4.9.5 ? We will need to provide a username & password to access our catalog. Will that be acceptable? And please confirm if once on the site, it will need to show *only "list" price, per section 4.9.5 and user will apply the discounts provided, to assess their market basket item? |
Answer: If a user name and password are necessary to access Proposer's catalog, Proposer shall include the username and password on Attachment G (Price Proposal Form) in cell A4 after the Proposer's catalog link. The prices on the website must be Proposer's list prices. The discount for each Basket item will be determined by applying Proposer's "Proposed Percentage Discount from List Vendor Catalog" identified in column D of Attachment G (Price Proposal Form) for the category the Basket item falls into.
| 3 |
| References to time (deadlines, etc.) |
| Is any reference to time for the purpose of deadline or any other reason intended to be Pacific Time? |
Answer: Yes. All times listed are Pacific Time.
| 4 |
| Completion of Attachments |
| If a bidder is not offering to contract in a specific state for which there is an attachment, does that vendor need to complete any attachments unique to that state? For example, if not offering services in the state of Hawaii, is a bidder required to complete Attachment L? Likewise, as Oregon is the host state for this contract, are bidders required to complete Attachment J regardless of whether or not they intend to offer services in that state? |
Answer: Attachments J through P are terms and conditions specific to individual state participating addenda and are provided as a courtesy in this solicitation for the Master Agreement(s). There is no requirement to complete any of these attachments nor provide comment on any of the terms or conditions. Individual states will negotiate participating addenda post Master Agreement award.
| Price Holds (RFP Section 3.2.8) |
| With regards to price holds, RFP Section 3.2.8 on Page 11 states that "The prices, rates and costs proposed in Proposer?s response will be valid for the initial term of any resulting Master Agreement. Any request for price or rate adjustment following the initial Master Agreement term must be submitted in accordance with Section 5 of the Sample NASPO ValuePoint Master Agreement (Attachment A)." Insofar as Categories 1-48 contain no item net pricing, is the correct interpretation as pertains to RFP Section 3.2.8 as applicable to Categories 1 - 48 that the discount percentage quoted must remain fixed for the initial term of the Agreement and that net pricing may change as manufacturer list pricing changes on a per item basis? Or, it the intent of this language that ALL NET pricing for category 1 - 48 items must remain fixed for the initial contract term and that contractors cannot pass along any cost increases incurred via changes in manufacturer list pricing? Also, is it NASPO's intention that copy paper items in Attachment G category 49 remain firm for the entire initial term of the contract? Certainly multiple potential bidders will note here that the copy paper market has experienced significant disruption and inflationary volatility over the past year and a half and that price holds of any duration approaching two years are not really feasible at this point in time. We would as that NASPO consider price holds of three month intervals for copy paper/category 49 to more accurately reflect the copy paper market. |
Answer: No. While it is the intent of the State that copy paper items in Category 49 are available for the entire term of the Master Agreement, it is not the State’s intent that their prices remain the same. Understanding the market relative to office supplies, especially paper, the State expects that prices will be held firm for at least 6 months for Category 1 through 48 and 3 months for Category 49 after the effective date of the Master Agreement(s), however, the category discount rate will not change for the term of the Master Agreement(s). Pricing will be negotiated with the successful Proposer(s) after award. See RFP Amendment 3.
| 6 |
| Disclosure of Where Bidder Intends to Offier Services |
| RFP Section 2.4 states that "...the following states have requested to be named in this RFP as potential users of the resulting Master Agreement(s): Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming." As a regional bidder, we can thus identify and specify among those states where we intend to offer services. This question pertains to states not listed in Section 2.4; is there any scenario in which a state or states not listed in RFP section 2.4 may opt onto the Agreement at a later date, and would a bidder who initially identified only states among those listed in RFP Section 2.4 have the opportunity to serve any such new states if able if not having not initially identified those states as potential states it may service from the outset. In other words, would we have to list ALL states the bidder might service a contract from the outset, or only those listed in RFP Section 2.4 with the option to adds states new to the RFP later? |
Answer: Section 2.4 neither guarantees execution of a Participating Addendum by states listed in Section 2.4 nor precludes execution of a Participating Addendum by another state or entity not listed in Section 2.4. Proposers must identify all states for which it will provide products as part of its Proposal, whether or not those states are listed in Section 2.4. See Attachment E, questions 1 and 2.
| 7 |
| RFP Section 2.5 (Historical Usage) |
| Our experience is that sales number over the past few years have been subject to tremendous volatility from year to year due to the COVID pandemic. For that reason, could you provide contract sales for 2019, 2021, and 2022 (if available) in addition to the 2020 figures provided? |
Answer: 2019 aggregate spend: $87.90 Million; 2021 aggregate spend: $66.34 Million; no data available for 2022.
| 8 |
| General |
Due to the long timeframe between the RFP submission date and the resulting contract Go-Live date, will Suppliers be able to update list prices for Categories 1 through 48 as well as Category 49 paper prices based on changes to the RISI index?
Answer: Yes. See answer to question 5 and RFP Amendment #3.
| 9 |
| General |
Will you accept a margin floor to the list-less category discounts?
Answer: No.
| 10 |
| Attachment A, 8.3 |
| Can you please confirm that Inside Delivery does not include desk to desk delivery? If the definition does include desk to desk delivery, Staples reserves the right to charge a delivery fee. |
Answer: Inside Delivery does not include desk to desk delivery.
| 11 |
| Attachment A, 14.3 Assignment/Subcontractors |
| Can you please confirm that couriers and delivery partners are not considered subcontractors requiring approval before use? |
Answer: Couriers and delivery partners are considered subcontractors, however, requiring approval before use will be negotiated at the participating addendum level.
| 12 |
| Attachment A, Sections 5 and 6.1.1; Bid Document, Section 3.2.8 |
| There is conflicting language with the Bid Document, Section 3. Procurement Requirements, Item 3.2.8 and Attachment A, Sections 5 and 3.2.8. -- Can you please confirm that the initial price hold period for Categories 1 through 48 is for the first year of the Master Agreement? |
Answer: See answer to question 5 and RFP Amendment #3.
| 13 |
| Attachment G; Category Discount from List |
| List prices vary across the industry or manufacturers, and therefore are not a consistent benchmark to determine the best value. To the ensure best value and competitive prices for the end customers, would NASPO be open to adjusting the evaluation criteria to compare actual prices instead of percentages off List. |
Answer: No.
| 14 |
| RFP Attachments (aside from Attachment A) |
| For the provisions in the RFP Attachments (aside from Attachment A) that bidders are permitted to take exception to, would NASPO like to see those exceptions in the form of redlines or some other format? |
Answer: Attachment A (Sample Master Agreement) is the only document bidders are permitted to take exception to. Please see RFP Amendment 2.
| 15 |
| Attachment A, Section 5, Pricing and Attachment A, Exhibit 1, Section 6.1.1) |
| Section 5 of Attachment A contemplates the submission of requests for price increases following the ?first year of the Master Agreement,? but Section 6.1.1 of Exhibit 1 to Attachment A requires that ?all prices and rates must be guaranteed for the Initial Term of the Master Agreement.? Are requests for price increases permitted during the Initial Term of the Master Agreement after the first year of the Master Agreement has elapsed? |
Answer: See answer to question 5 and RFP Amendment #3.
| 16 |
| Attachment A, Section 5, Pricing (unit price increases) |
| When the Contractor requests ?unit price increases? pursuant to Section 5 of Attachment A and submits ?supporting documentation acceptable to the Lead State,? what criteria would the Lead State use to evaluate and/or reject the requested unit price increases? |
Answer: Any and all documentation that supports the requested increase. Examples could be Consumer and Producer Price indices, manufacturer letters, etc.
| 17 |
| Attachment A, Exhibit 1, Section 6.1.3, Pricing |
| When the Contractor requests ?price or rate adjustment? pursuant to Section 6.1.3 of Exhibit 1 to Attachment A and submits ?sufficient documentation supporting the request,? what criteria would the Lead State use to evaluate and/or reject the requested price or rate adjustment? |
Answer: Any and all documentation that supports the requested increase. Examples could be Consumer and Producer Price indices, manufacturer letters, etc.
| 18 |
| Attachment A, Section 5, Pricing (supporting documentation) |
| What information should be included in ?supporting documentation? provided in support of a requested ?unit price increase[]? pursuant to Section 5 of Attachment A in order for that information to be deemed ?acceptable to the Lead State?? |
Answer: Any and all documentation that supports the requested increase. Examples could be Consumer and Producer Price indices, manufacturer letters, etc.
| 19 |
| Attachment A, Exhibit 1, Section 6.1.3, Pricing |
| What information should be included in ?sufficient documentation? provided in support of a requested ?price or rate adjustment? pursuant to Section 6.1.3 of Exhibit 1 to Attachment A in order for the request to be granted?? |
Answer: Any and all documentation that supports the requested increase. Examples could be Consumer and Producer Price indices, manufacturer letters, etc.
| 20 |
| Attachment A, Section 5, Pricing and Attachment A, Exhibit 1, Section 6.1.3 |
| What differences are there between the information required in support of a request for a ?price or rate adjustment? pursuant to Section 6.1.3 of Exhibit 1 to Attachment A, and the information required in support of a request for a ?unit price increase[]? under Section 5 of Attachment A? |
Answer:
| 21 |
| Attachment A, Section 5, Pricing (price or rate adjustment[s]) |
| Section 5 of Attachment A contemplates certain acceptable ?price or rate adjustment[s],? but notes that the ?discount percentage may never decrease.? Is the intent of the price or rate adjustments to account for changes in the Contractor?s ?list price? over the course of the Master Agreement? |
Answer: Yes.
| 22 |
| Att G - Price Proposal (Un-Categorized) |
| Can representative examples be provided of uncategorized items? |
Answer: Items that are office supplies that do not fit into the other categories, such as coffee, tea, creamer, sugar, water, anti-glare filters, foot rests, back rests, door stops, magnets, HDMI cables, etc.
| 23 |
| Att E - Requirements (Pg 4, Section 4 - Off-Line Ordering Process) |
| Can this be amended to only apply to items NOT available for order online? |
Answer: The State does not believe a change is necessary.
| 24 |
| Att E - Requirements (Pg 15, Section 12 - Retail Store Purchases) |
| Would NASPO be willing to give this requirement equal weight as geographic coverage, since both ensure customers have access to items in a timely manner? |
Answer: Yes. See RFP Amendment #3.
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