RFP 250000001096 - Treasury Address Updating, Direct & Bulk Mail.docx

Michigan.gov/MiProcurement proposal instructions Department of Treasury Address Updating, Direct Mail and/or Bulk Distribution Services Request for Proposal No. 250000001096 Solicitation Manager Name: Adam Zanetti Direct Phone:517-667-1465 Email: zanettia@michigan.gov

This is a Request for Proposal (RFP) for:

Address Updating, Direct Mail and/or Bulk Distribution Services RFP Timeline

*A bidder’s proposal received at 3:00:01 p.m. Eastern is late and subject to disqualification.

This RFP is subject to change. Check www.michigan.gov/SIGMAVSS for current information.

1. PROPOSAL PREPARATION. The State recommends reading all RFP materials prior to preparing a proposal, particularly these Proposal Instructions and the Vendor Questions Worksheet. Bidders must follow these Proposal Instructions and provide a complete response to the items indicated in the RFP Structure and Documentation table below. References and links to websites or external sources may not be used in lieu of providing the information requested in the RFP within the proposal. Include the bidder’s company name in the header of all documents submitted with your proposal. Note that all documents and information submitted as part of a proposal will become public record immediately upon receipt by the State. Proposals received by the State may be posted on the State’s publicly available website after bidders are notified of the award recommendation.

RFP Structure and Documentation

Informational

2. CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THE STATE. The sole point of contact for the State concerning this RFP is listed on the Cover Page. Contacting any other State personnel, agent, consultant, or representative about this RFP may result in bidder disqualification.

3. RESERVED.

4. MODIFICATIONS. The State may modify this RFP at any time. Modifications will be posted on www.michigan.gov/SIGMAVSS. This is the only method by which the RFP may be modified.

5. QUESTIONS. Bidder questions about this RFP must be emailed to the Solicitation Manager no later than the time and date specified on the Cover Page. In the interest of transparency, only written questions are accepted. Answers to questions will be posted on www.michigan.gov/SIGMAVSS. Submit questions using the format below; a Microsoft Excel format or similar is suggested.

6. DELIVERY OF PROPOSAL.

Electronic – The bidder must submit its proposal, all attachments, and any modifications or withdrawals electronically through www.michigan.gov/SIGMAVSS. The price proposal should be saved separately from all other proposal documents. The bidder should submit all documents in a modifiable (native) format (examples include but are not limited to Microsoft Word or Excel and Google Docs or Sheets). In addition to submitting documents in a modifiable format, the bidder may also submit copies of documents in PDF. Attachment file size is limited to 30 MB per document. Bidder’s failure to submit a proposal as required may result in disqualification. The proposal and attachments must be fully uploaded and submitted prior to the proposal deadline. Do not wait until the last minute to submit a proposal, as the SIGMA VSS system requires the creation of an account and entry of certain information, in addition to uploading and submitting the materials. The SIGMA VSS system will not allow a proposal to be submitted after the proposal deadline identified in the solicitation Closing On/Closing Date fields (Summary view/Detail view), even if a portion of the proposal has been uploaded.

Questions on how to submit information or how to navigate in the SIGMA VSS system can be answered by calling (517) 284-0540 or (888) 734-9749. The Solicitation Manager will not provide assistance related to the submittal of the proposal and all attachments on the day of the proposal deadline. Responsibility for a complete submission lies with the bidder. Note that all documents and information submitted in any manner as part of a proposal will become public record immediately upon receipt by the State. Proposals received may be posted by the State on the State’s publicly available website after bidders are notified of the award recommendation.

7. RESERVED.

8. EVALUATION PROCESS. The State will evaluate each proposal based on the following factors:

The State is accepting individual bids for Address Updating (Schedule A - Section 1.2.), Direct Mailing of Forms (Schedule A - Section 1.3) and Bulk Distribution of Forms (Schedule A - Section 1.4). Bidders are not required to bid on all three sections, but may if they wish to.

To ensure fairness in evaluation, Schedule A - Section 1.2, Schedule A - Section 1.3 and Schedule A - Section 1.4 will have individual scoring criteria. Proposals will be evaluated on the individual score of each section and the combined score of the remaining sections.

Proposals receiving 80 or more technical evaluation points will have pricing evaluated and considered for award.

The State may utilize all bidder information, without regard to a proposal’s technical score, to determine fair market value for goods or services sought. The State is not obligated to accept the lowest price proposal. If applicable, the State’s evaluation will include consideration of a bidder’s qualified disabled veterans/service-disabled veteran owned business(QDV/SDVOB) status under MCL 18.1261(8). Additional information on the SDVOB preference is available at: Michigan.gov/SDVOB.

The State strongly encourages strict adherence to the Contract Terms. The State reserves the right to deem a bid non-responsive for failure to accept the Contract Terms. Nevertheless, the bidder may submit proposed changes to the Contract Terms in track changes (i.e., visible edits) with an explanation of the bidder’s need for each proposed change. Failure to include track changes with an explanation of the bidder’s need for the proposed change constitutes the bidder’s acceptance of the Contract Terms. General statements, such as that the bidder reserves the right to negotiate the terms and conditions, may be considered non-responsive. Failure to respond timely to requests for proposed changes to Contract Terms during ongoing negotiations may be cause for disqualification.

The State may but is not required to conduct an on-site visit to tour and inspect the bidder’s facilities; require an oral presentation of the bidder's proposal; conduct interviews, research, reference checks, and background checks; and request additional price concessions at any point during the evaluation process.

9. NOTICE OF DEFICIENCY. The State reserves the right to issue a Notice of Deficiency to bidders if the State determines after the proposal deadline that a portion of the RFP was deficient, unclear, or ambiguous. Failure to respond to a Notice of Deficiency timely may be cause for disqualification.

10. CLARIFICATION REQUEST. The State reserves the right to issue a Clarification Request to a bidder to clarify its proposal if the State determines the proposal is not clear. Failure to respond to a Clarification Request timely may be cause for disqualification.

11. RESERVATIONS. The State reserves the right to:

a. Disqualify a bidder for failure to follow these instructions.

b. Discontinue the RFP process at any time for any or no reason. The issuance of an RFP, your preparation and submission of a proposal, and the State’s subsequent receipt and evaluation of your proposal does not commit the State to award a contract to you or anyone, even if all the requirements in the RFP are met.

c. Consider late proposals if: (i) no other proposals are received; (ii) no complete proposals are received; (iii) the State received complete proposals, but the proposals did not meet mandatory minimum requirements or technical criteria; or (iv) the award process fails to result in an award.

d. Consider an otherwise disqualified proposal if no other proposals are received.

e. Disqualify a proposal based on: (i) information provided by the bidder in response to this RFP; (2) the bidder’s failure to complete registration on www.michigan.gov/SIGMAVSS ; or (3) if it is determined that a bidder purposely or willfully submitted false or misleading information in response to the RFP.

f. Consider prior performance with the State in making its award decision.

g. Consider overall economic impact to the State when evaluating proposal pricing and in the final award recommendation. This includes but is not limited to: considering principal place of performance, number of Michigan citizens employed or potentially employed, dollars paid to Michigan residents, Michigan capital investments, job creation, tax revenue implications, and economically disadvantaged businesses.

h. Consider total-cost-of-ownership factors (e.g., transition and training costs) when evaluating proposal pricing and in the final award recommendation.

i. Refuse to award a contract to any bidder that has failed to pay State taxes or has outstanding debt with the State.

j. Enter into negotiations with one or more bidders on price, terms, technical requirements, or other deliverables.

k. Award multiple, optional-use contracts, or award by Contract Activity.

l. Evaluate the proposal outside the scope identified in the Evaluation Process section of this document if the State receives only one proposal.

12. AWARD RECOMMENDATION. The contract will be awarded to the responsive and responsible bidder who offers the best value to the State, as determined by the State. Best value will be determined by the bidder meeting the minimum point threshold and offering the best combination of the factors stated in the Evaluation Process section of this document, and price, as demonstrated by the proposal. The State will post an Award Recommendation and Evaluation Synopsis on www.michigan.gov/SIGMAVSS or in the manner it was originally published.

13. DEBRIEF MEETING AND BID PROTEST. The State will publish an Award Recommendation and Evaluation Synopsis which will provide instructions on how to request a debrief meeting.

If you wish to initiate a protest of the award, you must submit your written protest to zanettia@michigan.gov (Cc collinsj17@michigan.gov) no later than 3:00 PM EST, within 5 business days after posting the Award Recommendation and Evaluation Synopsis. The State reserves the right to adjust this timing and will publish any change.

Additional information about the protest process is available at DTMB - Programs and Policies (michigan.gov) under the “Bidder Protests” link.

14. STATE ADMINISTRATIVE BOARD. Contracts equal to $250,000 or greater than require approval by the State Administrative Board. The State Administrative Board’s decision is final; however, its approval does not constitute a contract. The award process is not complete until the awarded contractor receives a contract fully executed by all parties.

15. GENERAL CONDITIONS. The State will not be liable for any costs, expenses, or damages incurred by a bidder participating in this solicitation. The bidder agrees that its proposal will be considered an offer to do business with the State in accordance with its proposal, including the Contract Terms, and that its proposal will be irrevocable and binding for a period of 180 calendar days from date of submission. If a contract is awarded to the bidder, the State may, at its option, incorporate any part of the bidder’s proposal into a contract. This RFP is not an offer to enter into a contract. This RFP may not provide a complete statement of the State’s environment or contain all matters upon which agreement must be reached. The bidder understands that their proposal will become public record immediately upon receipt by the State. Other than verified trade secrets, proposals submitted via www.michigan.gov/SIGMAVSS are the State’s property.

16. CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT FORM AND THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT. As a public record, all portions of the bidder’s proposal and resulting contract are subject to disclosure as required under Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), MCL 15.231, et seq. However, the State may exempt some information from disclosure as permitted by law. Under MCL 18.1261(13)(b), records containing “a trade secret as defined under section 2 of the uniform trade secrets act, 1998 PA 448, MCL 445.1902,” are exempt from disclosure under FOIA. In addition, “financial or proprietary information” submitted with a bidder’s proposal is exempt from disclosure under FOIA. A bidder’s failure to comply with this Section is grounds for rejecting a bidder’s proposal as non-responsive. As a part of its proposal, each bidder must follow the procedure below.

a. SUBMIT A COMPLETED CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT FORM WITH YOUR BID. Completion and submission of the Confidential Treatment Form (CT Form) is required regardless of whether the bidder seeks confidential treatment of information. Failure to submit a completed CT Form may be cause for disqualification from the solicitation process. If a bidder fails to properly complete and submit the CT Form or otherwise fails to follow CT Form instructions, the proposal may be publicly disclosed in its entirety without redaction after an award recommendation.

Complete and sign Section 1 of the CT Form if the bidder does NOT request confidential treatment of information contained in its proposal; or Complete and sign Section 2 of the CT Form if the bidder requests confidential treatment of certain information. Bidder must also submit a copy of the proposal with the trade secret, financial, and proprietary information redacted and clearly labeled as the “PUBLIC COPY.”

Failure to complete and sign a CT Form may result in disqualification of the bidder. If a bidder fails to properly complete and submit the CT Form or otherwise fails to follow the CT Form instructions, the proposal, in its entirety, may be publicly disclosed by the State without redaction after an award recommendation.

b. FOIA REQUESTS. If a FOIA request is made for a bidder’s proposal, the Public Copy may be distributed to the public along with the bidder’s CT Form. The CT Form is a public document and serves as an explanation for the redactions to the Public Copy. Do not put any trade secret, financial, or proprietary information in the CT Form. Do not redact the CT Form itself.

c. NO ADVICE. The State will not advise a bidder as to the nature or content of documents entitled to protection from disclosure under FOIA or other laws, as to the interpretation of such laws, or as to the definition of trade secret or financial or proprietary information. Nothing contained in this provision will modify or amend requirements and obligations imposed on the State by FOIA or other applicable law. The State is not obligated to notify a bidder if a FOIA request for bidder’s proposal is received nor if bidder’s proposal is made available to the public.

d. FAILURE TO REQUEST CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT. Failure to request material be treated as confidential as specified herein relieves the State, its agencies, and personnel from any responsibility for maintaining material in confidence.

e. Bids containing a request to maintain an entire proposal as confidential may be rejected as non-responsive. Bidders may not request confidential treatment with respect to resumes, pricing, and marketing materials. The State reserves the right to determine whether material designated as exempt by a bidder falls under MCL 18.1261 or other applicable FOIA exemptions. If a FOIA request is made for materials that the bidder has identified as trade secret, financial, or proprietary information, the State has the final authority to determine whether the materials are exempt from disclosure under FOIA.

f. Bidder forever releases the State, its departments, subdivisions, officers, and employees from all claims, rights, actions, demands, damages, liabilities, expenses and fees, which arise out of or relate to the disclosure of all or a portion of bidder’s proposal submitted under this RFP. Bidder must defend, indemnify and hold the State, its departments, subdivisions, officers, and employees harmless, without limitation, from and against all actions, claims, losses, liabilities, damages, costs, attorney fees, and expenses (including those required to establish the right to indemnification), arising out of or relating to any FOIA request, including potential litigation and appeals, related to the portion of bidder’s proposal submitted under this RFP that bidder has identified as a trade secret, or financial or proprietary information. The State will notify bidder in writing if indemnification is sought. The State is entitled to: (i) regular updates on proceeding status; (ii) participate in the defense of the proceeding; (iii) employ its own counsel; and to (iv) retain control of the defense, or any portion thereof, if the State deems necessary. Bidder will not, without the State’s written consent (not to be unreasonably withheld), settle, compromise, or consent to the entry of any judgment in or otherwise seek to terminate any claim, action, or proceeding. If a State employee, official, or law is involved or challenged, the State may control the defense of that portion of the claim. Any litigation activity on behalf of the State, or any of its subdivisions under this Section, must be coordinated with the Department of Attorney General. An attorney designated to represent the State may not do so until approved by the Michigan Attorney General and appointed as a Special Assistant Attorney General.

confidential treatment form INSTRUCTIONS. A signed and dated Confidential Treatment Form (CT Form) must be submitted with your proposal, regardless of whether your proposal contains confidential information.

1. Complete either Section 1 or Section 2 of this form and sign where indicated. Do not complete both sections. Note: Completion of Section 2 is required to request confidential treatment.

2. This form must be signed by the individual who signed the bidder’s proposal.

Failure to submit a completed CT Form with your bid is grounds for rejecting the proposal as non-responsive.

In addition, failure to follow the instructions on this form or to properly complete and submit it may result in the entire proposal being publicly disclosed by the State without redaction after an award recommendation.

See the Confidential Treatment Form and the Freedom of Information Act section of the Proposal Instructions for additional information.

Section 1. CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT IS NOT REQUESTED This section must be completed, signed, and submitted with the proposal if the bidder does not request confidential treatment of any material contained in the proposal. If this section is completed, do not complete Section 2.

By signing below, the bidder affirms that confidential treatment of material contained in their proposal is not requested.

RFP Number

RFP Title

Signature

Date

Printed Name, Title, Company

Section 2. CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT IS REQUESTED Bidders must complete, sign, and submit this section with the proposal, to request confidential treatment of any material contained in the proposal. If this section is completed, do not complete Section 1.

Bidders must specifically identify the information to be protected as confidential and/or proprietary and state the reasons why protection is necessary. As shown in the table below, the following details are required for each confidentiality request.

1. The proposal page number, section number, and paragraph number.

2. Whether the material referenced is Trade Secret (TS), Proprietary Financial Information (FI), or Proprietary Information (PI). Bidders may not request confidential treatment of resumes, pricing, and marketing materials.

3. An explanation of the specific legal grounds that support treatment of the material as TS, FI, or PI and a complete justification as to how the material falls within the scope of an applicable FOIA exemption or relevant case law. Bidders must not simply cite an applicable exemption or case name.

4. The person at their organization authorized to respond to inquiries by the State concerning the material and their contact information.

REQUIRED: Bidders completing this section must also submit a copy of the proposal with the trade secret, financial, and proprietary information redacted and clearly label this redacted copy as the PUBLIC COPY.

(1) Proposal Page #, Section #, Paragraph # (2) Material is Trade Secret (TS), Proprietary Financial Information (FI), Proprietary Information (PI) (3) Applicable FOIA Exemption with Written Justification (4) Bidder Contact Information

Bidders may add rows or additional pages using the same format shown in the table.

State of Michigan FOIA Requests The State reserves the right to determine whether material designated as exempt by a bidder falls under MCL 18.1261 or other applicable FOIA exemptions.

If a FOIA request is made for materials that the bidder has identified as trade secret, financial, or proprietary information, the State has the final authority to determine whether the materials are exempt from disclosure under FOIA.

The State is not obligated to notify a bidder if a FOIA request for bidder’s proposal is received nor if bidder’s proposal is made available to the public. This form, and any additional justification letters, are not exempt from release under FOIA.

By signing below, the bidder affirms that confidential treatment of material contained in their proposal is requested and has attached to this form a redacted “Public Copy” of the bidder’s proposal.

RFP Number

RFP Title

Signature

Date

Printed Name, Title, Company vendor questions worksheet Provide a detailed response to each question. “You” and “company” refers to the bidder.

1. Contact Information

Bidder’s sole contact person during the RFP process. Include name, title, address, email, and phone number.

Person authorized to receive and sign a resulting contract. Include name, title, address, email, phone number and vendor customer code in SIGMA VSS.

2. Company Background Information

Legal business name and address. Include business entity designation, e.g., sole proprietor, Inc., LLC, or LLP.

What state was the company formed in?

Phone number.

Website address.

Number of years in business.

Number of employees.

Legal business name and address of parent company, if any.

Has there been a recent change in organizational structure (e.g., management team) or control (e.g., merger or acquisition) of your company? If the answer is yes: (a) explain why the change occurred and (b) how this change has affected your company.

Discuss your company’s history. Has growth been organic, through mergers and acquisitions, or both?

Has bidder ever been debarred, suspended, or disqualified from bidding or contracting with any entity, including the State of Michigan? If yes, provide the date, the entity, and details about the situation.

Has your company been a party to litigation against the State of Michigan? If the answer is yes, then state the date of initial filing, case name and court number, and jurisdiction.

Within the last 5 years, has your company or any of its related business entities defaulted on a contract or had a contract terminated for cause? If yes, provide the date, contracting entity, type of contract, and details about the termination or default.

State your gross annual sales for each of the last 5 years.

If receiving a contract under this RFP will increase your gross revenue by more than 25% from last year’s sales, explain how the company will scale-up to manage this increase.

Describe partnerships and strategic relationships you think will bring significant value to the State.

State the physical address of the place of business that would have primary responsibility for this account if bidder is awarded a contract under this RFP.

To demonstrate qualification as a qualified disabled veteran, you must provide:

(a) Proof of service and conditions of discharge (DD214 or equivalent);

(b) Proof of service-connected disability (DD214 if the disability was documented at discharge or Veterans Administration Rating Decision Letter or equivalent if the disability was documented after discharge); and

(c) Legal documents setting forth the ownership of the business entity.

In lieu of the documentation identified above, you may provide proof of certification by the National Veterans Business Development Council.

Enter the names of documents submitted with your proposal to demonstrate status as a qualified disabled veteran.

4. Participation in RFP Development or Evaluation

If you enter “YES”, you are not eligible for contract award or to work as a subcontractor for the awarded vendor.

If you enter “YES,” you are not eligible for contract award. An awarded vendor may not partner or subcontract with anyone to provide goods and services required under a resulting contract if that subcontractor or partner assisted in the development of this solicitation.

If you enter “YES”, you are not eligible for contract award or to work as a subcontractor for the awarded vendor.

5. State of Michigan Experience and Prior Experience

Does your company have experience working with the State of Michigan? If so, please provide a list (including the contract number) of the contracts you hold or have held with the State for the last 10 years.

Describe at least 3 relevant experiences from the last 5 years supporting your ability to successfully manage a contract of similar size and scope for the work described in this RFP.

Experience 1

Company name.

Contact name.

Contact role at time of project.

Contact phone.

Contact email.

City.

State.

Zip.

1. Project name and description of the scope of the project.

2. What role did your company play?

3. How is this project experience relevant to the subject of this RFP?

Dollar value.

Start and end date (mm/yy – mm/yy)

Status (completed, live, other – specify phase)

Results obtained.

Experience 2

Company name.

Contact role at time of project.

City.

1. Project name and description of the scope of the project.

Dollar value.

Start and end date (mm/yy – mm/yy)

Status (completed, live, other – specify phase)

Results obtained.

Experience 3

Company name.

Contact role at time of project.

City.

1. Project name and description of the scope of the project.

Dollar value.

Start and end date (mm/yy – mm/yy)

Status (completed, live, other – specify phase)

Results obtained.

6. Standard Contract Terms

Bidder must affirm agreement with the attached Contract Terms. If not in agreement, written exceptions in accordance with the Evaluation Process section of the Proposal Instructions must be provided with Bidder’s proposal.

7. Reserved.

Number of employees currently employed at locations within the State of Michigan.

Number of additional employees to be employed at locations within the State of Michigan if awarded this Contract (if any)

Minimum wage paid to employees employed at locations within the State of Michigan.

Average wage paid to employees employed at locations within the State of Michigan.

Percentage of employees employed at locations within the State of Michigan that are covered by employer-provided health insurance.

10. Labor, Antidiscrimination and Environmental Laws Compliance

Bidder must disclose any violations of state or federal labor, antidiscrimination and employment laws and regulations received within the past five years.

Bidder must disclose any violations of state or federal environmental laws and regulations received within the past five years.

11. Supplier Diversity

SCHEDULE A – STATEMENT OF Work Request for Proposal No. 250000001096 Address Updating, Direct Mail and/or Bulk Distribution Services This schedule identifies the anticipated requirements of any Contract resulting from this RFP. The term “Contractor” in this document refers to a bidder responding to this RFP, as well as the Contractor who is awarded the contract. The term “Bidder” is used to identify where specific responses to the RFP are required.

The Contractor must respond to each requirement or question and explain how it will fulfill each requirement. Attach any supplemental information and appropriately reference within your response.

IMPORTANT NOTE TO CONTRACTORS/BIDDERS: There are specific requirements for which acceptance must be simply acknowledged through a checkbox(es), and others that require further explanation. Click the appropriate checkbox and complete the entries as appropriate.

BACKGROUND

The Michigan Department of Treasury (State) is responsible for the administration of the Individual Income Tax (IIT). Three services required for successful administration of IIT are address updating and cleansing, direct mailing, and bulk distribution of forms. The State is seeking to establish a contract or contracts for these services.

NOTE TO BIDDERS: The State is accepting individual bids for Address Updating (Section 1.2.), Direct Mailing of Forms (Section 1.3) and Bulk Distribution of Forms (Section 1.4). Bidders are not required to bid on all three sections, but may if they wish to. The State reserves the right to award multiple contracts as a result of this RFP. Any contract is intended to have three base years with three one-year renewal options.

Please only complete Sections 1.2, 1.3 and/or 1.4 if you intend on bidding for those services. If you are not bidding on Sections 1.2, 1.3 or 1.4, please leave them blank. All remaining sections are applicable and must be completed.

In the Bidder Box below, the Bidder must check the sections of the RFP they are bidding on:

Bidder must indicate if they are bidding on Address Updating (Section 1.2), Direct Mailing of Forms (Section 1.3) and/or Bulk Distribution of Services (Section 1.4). The bidder is permitted to submit a bid for any individual section or multiple sections, up to and including all sections.

SCOPE

The Contractor responsible for address updating will process approximately 4.4 million taxpayer addresses through the Coding Accuracy Support System (CASS) or a similar application that standardizes the addresses and return the file to Department of Treasury. The mailing Contractor(s) will provide direct mail to individuals and/or bulk distribution fulfillment services necessary to complete the mailing and distribution of State of Michigan (State) and City of Detroit (City) tax forms and booklets.

1. Requirements

1.1. General Requirements

A. Plant Inspection Prior to making an award, the State reserves the right to inspect the plant in which the work will be produced, examine the equipment, facilities, and determine the ability of the Contractor or Subcontractor to perform the work in accordance with the requirements. Failure to pass plant inspection will disqualify bidder from further consideration for award.

List all exception(s):

B. Overtime Requests for overtime payment for any service on a Contract awarded from this RFP will not be paid unless the State Program Manager specifically requests overtime and the State authorizes via a Purchase Order before work is performed in overtime status. Any unauthorized overtime will not be paid by the State.

List all exception(s):

C. Legislative or Treasury Delays The State Program Manager cannot authorize printing or mailing until all applicable legislation is complete. If pending legislation delays the Program Manager’s ability to authorize printing or mailing, the Contractor is not relieved of the obligation to provide service in the number of days originally estimated for each item (see schedules in Sections 1.2B, 1.3B and 1.4C as they apply to Bidder’s proposal).The State is not liable for the cost of any downtime incurred if legislative delays make it impossible for the Program Manager to authorize printing or mailing.

List all exception(s):

D. Calendar Delays All deliveries are specified in calendar days. This includes Saturdays and Sundays but does not include the following holidays: New Year’s Eve third shift, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve third shift and Christmas Day. Third shift is any shift beginning after 6 PM EST.

List all exception(s):

E. Discontinuation of Service At any time, the State may determine that an item is no longer needed. The State is not obligated to pay for any services that it does not authorize via a Purchase Order.

List all exception(s):

F. Emergency Plan The Contractor must have an emergency disaster plan to continue providing service without interruption. The State reserves the right to ask for a copy of the Contractor’s current plan at any time during the contract period. The Contractor must notify the State in writing if there are any significant changes to the plan.

List all exception(s):

Bidder must submit an emergency disaster plan with their proposal. Please ensure the file is clearly labeled with ‘Emergency Disaster Plan’ in the title.

Bidder must describe how they comply with the above requirement(s):

G. Quality Assurance Contractor must maintain and demonstrate a thorough quality assurance program. Any damaged, mutilated, illegibly addressed or incorrectly addressed mailings due to Contractor error MUST be corrected and new mailings processed at Contractor's expense (including printing costs). The Bidder must provide a copy of procedures used to ensure quality standards with the bid response.

List all exception(s):

Bidder must submit a copy of their quality assurance procedures with their proposal. Please ensure the file is clearly labeled with ‘Quality Assurance’ in the title.

Bidder must describe how they comply with the above requirement(s):

1.2. Address Updating

A. Annually, the State provides approximately 4.4 million taxpayer address records in an electronic file for address updating.

1. The State will provide a data file for address updating. Contractor must process the data file through CASS, or a similar application that standardizes addresses to USPS standards, and parse out the standardized address.

2. The State requires the file returned in the same format provided to the Contractor. If CASS, or similar application, provides a standardized address, each taxpayer record must include the parsed standardized address information in each designated field of the file layout If CASS, or similar application, doesn’t work on the address provided by the State, the fields must be returned space filled. This file must be formatted to ANSI69DEFAULT, which is an ANSI69 format and a standard file name.

3. Contractor must have an SFTP or SSL Connection to transmit the returned file (TC06702Q02) to the State. File must be transmitted no later than December 15 or no more than 10 business days after the Contractor receives the production file.

4. Contractor must name the returned file “TC06702Q02” and the returned file must not be zipped.

List all exception(s):

Bidder must describe how they comply with the above requirement(s):

B. Tentative Address Updating Schedule

* A test update file must be returned to the State for approval before the final production file is released to the Contractor.

List all exception(s):

Bidder must describe how they comply with the above requirement(s):

C. Testing Due to the implementation of a new tax system at the State, the Contractor must participate in end-to-end testing with the Department of Technology, Management and Budget. The anticipated timeline for testing is September 22, 2025, through October 31, 2025.

The Contractor must be available to work with the State by the end of June 2025 to initiate any necessary testing preparations.

Preparations may include but are not limited to file transmission testing, acceptance of test plan and (State) system configuration.

List all exception(s):

Bidder must describe how they comply with the above requirement(s):

D. Confidentiality and Data File Destruction To preserve the confidentiality of the data provided by the State, all work must be produced in the Contractor's plant or in a Subcontractor's plant. Subcontractors are subject to the same safeguard requirements of confidentiality provisions as the Contractor (See Safeguard Requirements of Confidential Tax Data Exhibit 1).

All State data must be protected from unauthorized release. Any duplicates of electronic data made for backup must be completely erased from the Contractor or Subcontractor’s system(s) immediately upon completion of the project. All electronic data must be kept secure in compliance with Exhibit 1 to prevent their release to any unauthorized persons. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD ANY DATA BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN APPROVAL FROM THE STATE.

All electronic data files, including original duplicated files, must be erased/destroyed three business days following the Program Manager’s written request. After destruction of the requested files, the Contractor must provide a Certificate of Destruction (COD) to the Program Manager verifying data was erased/destroyed within five business days of the original written request. Certificate of Destruction must include the item name, date of destruction and the person who certified the destruction.

Contractor and Subcontractor personnel handling or may have access to confidential data must sign a Vendor, Contractor, Subcontractor Confidentiality Agreement (Form 3337) provided by Treasury (Attachment A) and take the annual Disclosure Training provided by the State.

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Bidder must describe how they comply with the above requirement(s):

E. Service Level Agreement (SLA)

1. The Contractor will be held accountable to meet the requirements and the service level requirements established in this Contract.

2. The State reserves the right to reconsider or amend SLA amounts for split awards should they occur.

3. Please Note: Should bidders require clarification or have any questions with regard to the SLAs, they should submit them during the Question and Answer Period of this solicitation; please see the Proposal Instructions for the timeline.

Service Level Agreements for this section will be as follows:

SLA Metric 1. COD Submission

2. The COD must be delivered by 5 PM EST on the fifth business day.

3. The acceptable standard is 100% compliance.

Total Service Level charges will be communicated by the Program Manager to the Contractor upon submission of the completed COD. Total charges will be subtracted from the first invoice issued subsequent to charges being accrued.

F. Access to Tax Information The Contractor must comply with the requirements of Michigan Department of Treasury Safeguard Requirements of Confidential Tax Data (Exhibit 1) and Security Requirements (Exhibit 2).

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1.3. Direct Mailing of Forms

The State requires the mailing of two tax booklets directly to taxpayers for their use in filing taxes.

A. Quantity Estimate All books are 8.5” x 11” with a self-cover. All books are either bound by glue or stitched.

*Quantities and number of pages are estimates and subject to change.

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B. Tentative Direct Mailing Schedule