RFR 251533 DPH Books and Educational Materials new 2 28 24.docx

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of public health

Address: 250 Washington St., Boston, MA

Contact Name: David Harvey

Email : David.harvey@mass.gov

Request for Response (RFR)

Document Title: DPH Books and Educational Materials

COMMBUYS BID Number: BD-24-1031-ADMIN-ADM08-98917

DPH RFR Document Number: RFR 251533

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Key RFR Information All Potential Bidder’s must read

COMMBUYS REGISTRATION

It is the responsibility of the prospective Bidder and awarded Contractor to maintain an active registration in COMMBUYS and to keep current the email address of the Bidder’s contact person and prospective contract manager, if awarded a contract, and to monitor that email inbox for communications from the Purchasing Department, including requests for clarification. The Purchasing Department and the Commonwealth assume no responsibility if a prospective Bidder’s/awarded Contractor’s designated email address is not current, or if technical problems, including those with the prospective Bidder’s/awarded Contractor’s computer, network or internet service provider (ISP) cause email communications sent to/from the prospective Bidder/Awarded contractor and the Purchasing Department to be lost or rejected by any means including email or spam filtering. To register review the COMMBUYS Job Aide COMMBUYS Vendor Registration or go to www.COMMBUYS.com.

QUOTE SUBMISSION

This BID requires the submission of electronic quotes. All Bidders are advised to allow adequate time for submission of their quotes by considering potential online impediments like Internet traffic, Internet connection speed, file size, and file volume. DPH is not responsible for delays encountered by Bidders or their agents, or for a Bidder’s local hardware failures, such as computers or related networks, associated with bid compilation or submission. Bids submitted via COMMBUYS are time stamped by the COMMBUYS system clock which is considered the official time of record.

If you plan to submit a quote to this RFR “No Bid” should not be checked anywhere in your quote in COMMBUYS. This includes on the General Screen and the Items tab. Checking No Bid sends your quote to a different location in COMMBUYS than the rest of the quotes for that Bid and you run the risk of the Department not receiving your response. The department will not guarantee that a bid received with a “No Bid” checked will be reviewed.

Section A: Procurement Overview

A1: Procurement Scope and Description

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (The Department) seeks to contract with agencies and individual publishers for the supply of books and other educational materials in all formats pertaining to but not restricted to public health. This includes but is not limited to domestic and foreign publications, textbooks, reference books, books in print, out-of-print, books on tape, DVD’s, pre-bound books, legal books and materials, medical books and materials, academic books, pamphlets (bound and unbound), government documents, microfilm, microfiche, micro cards, microprint, filmstrips, slides, video tape recordings, audio cassettes, compact disks, laser disks, maps, charts, wall charts. During the life of the contract these products will have the potential for change, bidder(s) awarded a contract will be able to add items at the existing cost levels for which their award is made.

Serials (annuals or periodicals), computer software or materials that require a license are not included in this RFR.

This is being procured as a rolling RFR. Vendors may submit bid responses at any time during the contract period. Bidders receiving an award through this RFR will be selected as needed, but no bidder is guaranteed any business due to a contract award resulting from this RFR.

Section B: Procurement Information B1: Applicable Procurement Law

Executive Branch Goods and Services

B2: Whether Single or Multiple Contractors Are Required For Contract(s)

Check One (“X”):

B3: Calendar Rule Type

B4: Acquisition Method:

B5: Use of a Procurement by a Single or Multiple Departments

· All Executive Office of Health and Human Services agencies.

The Purchasing Department reserves the right to add or remove additional authorized users during the contract term.

B6: Expected Duration of Contract

month(s)

B7: Anticipated Expenditures, Funding Or Compensation For Expected Duration

Dollar Amount

Estimated annualized amount $10,000

Check One (“X”):

Will Federal Funds be used to fund any part of Contract(s)?

*Additional information for contracts with Federal Dollars:

Unique Entity Identifier: On April 4, 2022, the unique entity identifier used across the federal government changed from the DUNS Number to the Unique Entity ID also known as UEI or SAMS number. Any entity that wants to apply for federal contracts or wants to receive federal funds must register with SAM. Entities that use SAM include for profit businesses, nonprofits, government contractors or subcontractors, as well as state and local governments.

Registering with SAM.gov is free and is required for your organization to receive federal funds. Your organization can submit an application to this RFR without being registered on SAM, however if awarded your organization will need to have an active SAM account prior to contract execution.

Unspent Funds: Any funds from Capital, Trust and/or Federal Accounts designated in the budget that are unspent in any fiscal year will not be available for expenditure in the subsequent fiscal year.

Section C: Performance and Contract Specifications

C1: Scope of Services

This RFR is for the purchase of Books and other types of Educational Materials in all formats pertaining to but not restricted to public health. The types of materials included are those typically kept in stock by traditional book wholesalers who sell to libraries and bookstores.

Product. Products will include any and all types of published materials as described in Section A1. Bidder must provide a catalog or catalogs/product list(s)/website link with items available for purchase with list/retail pricing before any discounts listed.

Pricing. Bidders must provide at least one of the following: a catalog and/or website link with a price list or a bidder generated product list of products available with list pricing. All items contained in a catalog/website list and/or bidder generated product list shall be included as part of this RFR. As published materials are constantly changing, any list provided may be updated to include future editions and additional new publications. It is not the intent of this RFR to restrict purchases to items specified on this list and DPH can purchase any items a vendor is able to supply.

· Bidders will provide a percentage discount off the current manufacturer’s list price for all products they can supply. The discount should be a minimum discount. Additional discounts may be negotiated between the DPH and the vendor for large volume orders or for other purchases where discounts may be appropriate.

· All pricing will be the lowest offered to any organization within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and must be uniform for all Commonwealth of Massachusetts entities.

· Purchase of international titles will not include a surcharge for currency exchange.

· A purchase order will be provided prior to any service or delivery of any products. Shipping, cancellation, restocking, and other miscellaneous fees are not allowed. The only exception where shipping will be allowed is in case of an emergency order and a request from DPH for rush shipping. All percentage off discounts will be applied over and above any existing membership discount.

Deliveries. All items delivered must be a first quality product. Any items that are determined by the DPH to not be a first quality product will be rejected and returned at the vendor’s expense. All quotations shall be FOB destination. The term FOB destination shall mean delivered and unloaded to the delivery location determined at time of sale, with all charges for transportation and unloading prepaid by the vendor. The only exception where shipping will be allowed is in case of an emergency order and a request from DPH for rush shipping.

A packing slip shall be included with each shipment. On it shall include but not be limited to the date, list of all items on the original order and status of each, and price(s).

C2: Performance Requirements and Contract Monitoring

The Department of Public Health is endeavoring to deliver the best value to facilitate our needs. However, it is important to measure the contractor’s performance to ensure the contract is in compliance with what has been requested and what the contractor has offered in this RFR. The following performance areas will be subject to measurement:

1. Timely Delivery (Commodities, Services, Reports, Billing, etc.)

2. Responsiveness to Departmental Inquiries

3. Quality of Deliverables (Commodities, Services, Reports, etc.)

C4: Contract Invoicing/Payment Specifications.

Proposals requiring any payment prior to delivery will not be acceptable. Invoices shall include but not be limited to the date of service or delivery, list of all items, pricing and invoice number. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is tax exempt. The exempt number shall be provided once the contract is awarded. Any shipment not being high quality, damaged or defective in any way will be returned to the vendor at the vendors’ expense. Accelerated payments are made available by offering a Prompt Pay Discount.

Payment through Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) is required for any contract awarded through this solicitation. If awarded a contract bidders not already enrolled will be required to sign up for EFT as a contract requirement by completing and submitting the Authorization for Electronic Funds Transfer Form to the Department. Additional information will be sent at the time of contract.

Section D: RFR Evaluation

D1: Evaluation Criteria

The responses will be evaluated on the following:

· Ability to provide materials described in this RFR

· Catalog of all available items, titles with prices

· Ability to offer bulk pricing/discounts

Section E: Estimated Procurement Calendar

RFR Release Date

February 28, 2024

Deadline for Submission of RFR Q&A.1

6/28/2033 4pm

Direct questions to:

David.harvey@mass.gov

Deadline for Submission of Responses Also known as the BID Opening Date in COMMBUYS

6/30/2033 4pm

Anticipated Contract Start Date

7/01/2024

1All Questions must be received in writing. Questions can be sent by email no later than the date and time indicated in the Procurement Calendar. All questions should be sent to the email listed in the calendar and should include the RFR title and number in the subject of the email. All Questions with answers will be posted on the COMMBUYS Attachment section for this procurement.

Section F: Instructions for Submission of Responses

F1: Bidder Response Requirements

Potential bidder’s should refer to the Application Response Form found in the Attachments to this RFR on COMMBUYS for required information to be uploaded as part of the quote for this RFR.

F2: Prompt Payment Discounts (PPD) All bidders responding to this procurement are strongly encouraged to participate in the Commonwealth Prompt Payment Discount (PPD) initiative for receiving early and/or on-time payments. PPD benefits both contractors and the Commonwealth. Contractors benefit by increased, usable cash flow as a result of fast and efficient payments for commodities or services rendered. Participation in the Electronic Funds Transfer initiative further maximizes the benefits with payments directed to designated accounts, thus eliminating the impact of check clearance policies and traditional mail lead time or delays. The Commonwealth benefits because contractors reduce the cost of products and services through the applied discount. Payments that are processed electronically can be tracked and verified through the Comptroller’s Vendor Web system. The PPD form can be found on the OSD Forms page and in the attachments section of COMMBUYS for this RFR.

F3: COMMBUYS Submission Instructions All responses are to be submitted electronically using the online submission tools available to Vendors registered in COMMBUYS. There is no charge to register in COMMBUYS. To Register go to www.COMMBUYS.com and click on the “Register” link on the front page. COMMBUYS Vendor Registration Job Aide is also available.

All Quotes must be received by the Department of Public Health before the specified date, month, year and time of the Bid Opening Date displayed on COMMBUYS. Times are Eastern Standard/Daylight Savings (US), as applicable.

All Bidders are advised to allow adequate time for submission by considering potential online submission impediments like Internet traffic, Internet connection speed, file size, and file volume. DPH is not responsible for delays encountered by Bidders or their agents, or for a Bidder’s local hardware failures, such as computers or related networks, associated with bid compilation or submission. Bids submitted via COMMBUYS are time stamped by the COMMBUYS system clock which is considered the official time of record.

Bidders are encouraged to upload attachments well in advance of the Bid Opening Date. This will help to reduce disqualified submissions that can occur if upload is not fully completed or if an attachment is missing at the deadline. Prior to the Bid Opening Date listed in the Procurement Calendar above, documents can easily be deleted and revised versions can be uploaded. If you wish to revise or delete a quote after submission, you may do so prior to the bid opening date. Please review the Withdraw, Reopen, and Resubmit a Quote in COMMBUYS Job Aide for additional instructions.

No Bid in COMMBUYS Quote If you plan to submit a quote to this RFR “No Bid” should not be checked anywhere in your quote in COMMBUYS. This includes on the General Screen and the Items tab. Checking No Bid sends your quote to a different location in COMMBUYS than the rest of the quotes for that Bid and you run the risk of the Department not receiving your response. The department will not guarantee that a bid received with a “No Bid” checked will be reviewed.

Electronic Signatures Quotes submitted via COMMBUYS must be signed electronically by the Bidder or the Bidder’s Agent by accepting the terms and conditions of the bid on the “Terms & Conditions” tab in COMMBUYS. Bidders do this by selecting “Save & Continue” on the “Terms and Conditions” tab after accepting the terms and conditions of the bid. By agreeing to this the submitter attests that s/he is an agent of the Bidder with authority to sign on the Bidder’s behalf, and that s/he has read and assented to each document’s terms.

File Format and Naming Conventions Scanned documents will be accepted and must be scanned in such a way that they can be read on a computer monitor and printed on 81/2” x 11” paper, unless otherwise specified. Attachments must be uploaded individually and cannot be combined in a zipped file.

DPH is requiring that all response attachments that are uploaded in COMMBUYS include the company name of the Bidder, the RFR number and the name of the document. (e.g. Company Name _ RFR Number _Doc Name).

F4: RFR Attachments

To assist bidders in identify the purpose of the attachments for this procurement; the forms posted on the COMMBUYS attachment section have a prefix according to the following chart:

F5: COMMBUYS Support A link to a job aid on How to Submit a Quote on COMMBUYS COMMBUYS Resource Information at www.mass.gov/osd/commbuys Email: Send inquiries to the COMMBUYS OSD Help Desk at OSDHelpDesk@mass.gov Telephone: Call the COMMBUYS Help Desk at 1-888-627-8283 or 617-720-3197. The Help Desk is staffed from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday Eastern Standard or Daylight time, as applicable, except on federal and state holidays.

Technical assistance is available during the procurement process. Every effort is made to respond to inquiries within one business day.

Bidders are advised that COMMBUYS will be unavailable during regularly scheduled maintenance hours of which all users will be notified.

Section G: Other Requirements Pertaining to this RFR

Additional RFR requirements can be found in the document “Additional Requirements for Non POS RFRs” found in the READ folder in the attachments section of COMMBUYS for this RFR.

Amendments to BID DPH reserves the right to make amendments to the Bid after the initial publication. It is each Bidder’s responsibility to check COMMBUYS for any amendments, addenda or modifications to this Bid. DPH and the Commonwealth accept no responsibility and will provide no accommodation to Bidders who submit a quote based on an out-of-date Bid or on information received from a source other than COMMBUYS.

Environmental Purchasing Requirements: See the “Required Procurement Language for Executive Order 515, Establishing an Environmental Purchasing Policy” section of the RFR in the Standard Required Information document posted in the attachments on COMMBUYS for this RFR.

Public Records All information, documents, and attachments submitted as a response to this RFR are considered a public document subject to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, M.G.L., c. 66, s. 10, and to c. 4, s. 7, ss. 26. Please be aware that checking the “confidential” box in COMMBUYS does not bar these documents from being released as a public record pursuant to these statutes once the procurement is awarded, unless statutorily exempt from disclosure.

Vendor Activation Requirements: To receive a contract with state a vendor must be active in The Massachusetts Management Accounting and Reporting System (MMARS). MMARS is the official accounting system of the Commonwealth and once registered a vendor will be issued a Vendor Code number or a “VC” number. This VC number is used for all contracts that a vendor has with state agencies. An organization with existing state contracts or a vendor who has had state contracts with any state agency in the past has been registered in MMARS and does not need to re-submit paperwork again unless existing information in MMARS will need to be updated. Upon notification of a contract award to this RFR, vendors not already registered in MMARS will be sent the required paperwork to be completed before a contract will be awarded which includes a W-9 form, Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) and Contractor Authorized Signatory Listing.

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