Scanning_Services.pdf

INVITATION FOR BID

2022-IFB-167

SCANNING SERVICES

City of Pittsburgh

City-County Building

Pittsburgh, PA 15219

RELEASE DATE: September 28, 2022

DEADLINE FOR QUESTIONS: October 12, 2022

RESPONSE DEADLINE: October 19, 2022, 2:00 pm

RESPONSES MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY TO:

https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/pittsburghpa https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/%7bproject.government.code%7d

City of Pittsburgh

INVITATION FOR BID

Scanning Services

I. Introduction II. Instructions to Bidders

III. Equal Opportunity Review Commission Terms IV. General Terms and Conditions V. Scope of Work

VI. Vendor Questionnaire VII. Pricing Proposal

Invitation for Bid #2022-IFB-167 Title: Scanning Services

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. Summary

The City of Pittsburgh Office of Management & Budget, on behalf of the Department of of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections, is soliciting bids for Scanning Services.

1.2. Background

The City of Pittsburgh, Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections is seeking bids for Scanning and

Indexing Services of residential and commercial building permits, site plans, subdivision files, violation case files, occupant load placards, certificates of occupancy, inspection records, and other department hard copy documents to digital format.

1.3. Contact Information

Casey Lerda

Sourcing Specialist

414 Grant street

Procurement Suite 502

Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Email: casey.lerda@pittsburghpa.gov

Phone: (412) 255-0803

Department:

Office of Management & Budget

1.4. Timeline

Release Project Date September 28, 2022

Question Submission Deadline October 12, 2022, 2:00pm

Bid Submission Deadline October 19, 2022, 2:00pm

Question Submission Method All questions shall be submitted via "Q&A" feature on OpenGov.

mailto:casey.lerda@pittsburghpa.gov tel:(412)255-0803

Bid Opening October 19, 2022, 3:00pm

Office of Management & Budget

Bureau of Procurement

414 Grant Street, Room 502

Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Bids will be publicly opened in the presence of a

Sourcing Specialist and a representative from the

Office of the Controller, or their designee.

Period of Contract October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2024 with two, one-year options to renew.

2. INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS

2.1. BID SUBMISSIONS

All bids must be submitted electronically. No bids shall be accepted in person, by U.S. Mail, by private courier service, via oral or email communication, telephone or fax transmission.

2.2. BID ERRORS

If a Bidder submits a bid with a price that is patently incorrect, such that a “reasonable person” would recognize the error, the Bidder shall be given the opportunity to withdraw the entire bid or only the incorrect line item in a bid. If the Bidder wishes to withdraw the entire bid or only a line item, the Bidder shall, within five working days of bid opening, state in a letter to the City the reason for the mistake and request that the City not consider the bid or line item for award.

2.3. SPECIFICATION ERRORS AND BULLETINS (AMENDMENTS)

If any alleged errors are noted in the bid specifications, bidder should immediately notify the City and, if confirmed, a bulletin shall be sent to all bidders. A copy of all bulletins issued shall be submitted electronically with the suppliers bid.

2.4. CLARIFICATION

The City reserves the right to request clarification of any bid before bid award.

2.5. QUALIFIED BIDDERS

All bidders must be merchants dealing in the goods and services on which they bid, and must be qualified to advise as to their application and use. Bidders warrant, and must be able, upon request, to demonstrate, that they possess the knowledge, experience, skill, capital, stock, charters, licenses, permits, patents and personnel necessary to satisfactorily perform the contract for which they submit bids.

2.6. PRE-PRINTED TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Bidder’s pre-printed Terms and Conditions or restrictions commonly appearing on the reverse side of letters submitted with the bid and/or bidder’s specifications material and contract documents shall be disregarded and have no effect.

2.7. SOLICITATION ONLY

This Invitation for Bid is a solicitation only and is not intended to be nor should it be construed to be an offer to enter into any contract or other agreement.

2.8. FATAL BID ERRORS

The following errors shall be deemed fatal and render the bid void: Failure to sign the bid, or bond or both, If the signatures are those of unauthorized persons, or If there is no stated pricing. All other errors are waivable at the sole discretion of the City if such errors would not invalidate a fair and just competitive bidding procedure free of favoritism and fraud and a common standard for all bidders.

2.9. CONTRACT

By submitting a bid, the bidder warrants that if the City makes an award to the bidder, bidder shall, at the option of the City, enter into a written contract with the City. This contract shall consist of the terms and conditions set forth in the solicitation, specifications, and these General Conditions and Instructions to Bidders. If no bid bond or substitute is required and bidder fails or refuses to execute the required documents within thirty (30) days after award by City, bidder shall pay to the City the difference in the amount specified in bidder's bid and the amount City shall pay to fulfill the specifications.

2.10. ALTERATIONS/CORRECTIONS

Any alteration, erasure, addition to or omission of required information, change of the specifications or bidding schedule, is made at the risk of the prospective contractor and may result in the rejection of the bid, unless such changes are authorized by the specifications.

2.11. COLLUSION BETWEEN BIDDERS

If the City develops reason to believe that a single prospective Contractor is involved in the submission of more than one proposal for the same project, which is sufficient cause for rejection of all proposals in which collusion between bidders is suspected.

2.12. REJECTION OF BIDS

The City reserves the right to reject, for any reason, any or all bids if it is in the best interest(s) of the City to do so.

2.13. UNIQUE BIDS

Each bidder may only submit one (1) bid on behalf of the organization and all subsidiaries.

3. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY REVIEW COMMISSION TERMS

3.1. MWE/DBE

The City of Pittsburgh is committed to the ideal of providing all citizens an equal opportunity to participate in City and its Authorities' contracting opportunities. It is therefore the City's goal to encourage increased participation of women and minority groups in all City contracts. The City requires that all respondents demonstrate good faith efforts to obtain the participation of Minority-Owned

Business Enterprises (MBE's) and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (WBE's) in work to be performed under City contracts. The levels of MBE and WBE participation will be monitored by the City of

Pittsburghs Equal Opportunity Review Commission (EORC). In order to ensure that there are opportunities for historically disadvantaged minority groups and women to participate on Covered

Contracts, and consistent with the City's current equal employment opportunity practice and goals, the

EORC will review contracts to include an evaluation of a developer/contractors employment of minority groups and women, encourage goals of eighteen (18) percent and seven (7) percent respectively.

3.2. Veteran-Owned Small Business

It is also the City's goal to encourage participation by veteran-owned small businesses in all contracts.

The City of Pittsburgh shall have an annual goal of not less than five (5) percent participation by veteran-owned small businesses in all contracts. The participation goal shall apply to the overall dollar amount expended with respect to the contracts. The City requires that all respondents demonstrate good faith efforts to obtain the participation of veteran-owned small business in work to be performed under City contracts. The levels of veteran-owned participation will be monitored by the City of Pittsburghs EORC.

3.3. Good Faith Commitment

In order to demonstrate good faith commitment to these goals, all respondents are required to complete and submit with their bids the attached MDE/WBE/Veteran-Owned Solicitation and

Commitment Form (which details the efforts made by the respondents to obtain such participation).

Failure to submit a properly completed form along with documentation of Good Faith Commitment may result in rejection of the bid. Participants are encouraged to contact the Equal Opportunity Review

Commission at 412-255-8804 to assist further. For further information, including definitions and additional requirements, please see Chapter 177A (Sections 177A.01 et. seq.) of the City Code and

Section 161.40 of the City Code.

4. GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

4.1. INVOICING TERMS

All invoices must contain the following information. The City of Pittsburgh will no longer accept "lump sum" invoicing:

• The City of Pittsburgh Purchase Order Number (e.g. 123456OC)

• The City Controller Number

• Pricing breakdown on the invoice is to align to the pricing listed on the contract o For all Cost Plus Percent line items, you must list both the cost of the item and the price we are being charged on the invoice so we can ensure we are getting the contracted price o If you have labor hours, they should be separated from the cost of parts

• The awarded supplier should provide proof of the cost of goods along with the invoice

• Payment will be Net 45 days

4.2. DEFINITIONS

CITY: The City of Pittsburgh, a municipal corporation of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

CONTRACTOR: The contracting party or parties, or such party or parties seeking to enter into a contract with the City of Pittsburgh, as the case may be, or the legal representatives of such party or parties.

4.3. EXECUTION OF BIDS

Bids are to be executed by the following persons:

CORPORATION – A corporate officer with authority to make binding agreements for the corporation.

If a bid is executed by any other person, a power of attorney, a copy of the bylaws, or a resolution of the

Board of Directors documenting the authority of that person to sign the bid must accompany the bid.

The power of attorney, bylaw, or resolution must be certified by the Corporate Secretary as a true and correct copy, still in force as of the date of the execution of the contract.

PARTNERSHIP - At least one (1) of the partners.

SOLE PROPRIETORSHIP - The individual owner.

BUSINESS OPERATING UNDER A FICTITIOUS NAME - Entities operating a business under a Fictitious

Name must execute the contract in the name of the entity trading and doing business as the Fictitious

Name

4.4. PERFORMANCE AND/OR PAYMENT BOND

The successful bidder may be required to furnish a performance and/or payment bond with suitable reasonable requirements guaranteeing performance of the contract, with sufficient surety in the amount of one hundred (100) percent of the amount of the contract, within thirty (30) days after the contract has been awarded, unless the Purchasing Officer shall prescribe a shorter period. Upon failure to furnish any required bond within such time, the previous award shall be void and the contract may be awarded to the next lowest responsible bidder meeting the specifications.

4.5. INSURANCE

A certificate evidencing the following minimum insurance must be provided when award is made, unless otherwise specified:

A. GENERAL LIABILITY Single limit of Bodily Injury and Property Damage Combined: $500,000.00 each occurrence. $1,000,000.00 aggregate.

B. CITY OF PITTSBURGH must be listed as "Additional Insured' on the insurance certificate on all policies except those in which no additional insured is permitted (e.g., some professional liability)

1. NOTE: The name(s) of the insured on the certificate must be the same as the name(s) of the

Contractor listed on the bid document.

2. Insurance coverage must be an “OCCURRENCE POLICY". "Claims made” policies are unacceptable.

C. WORKERS’ COMPENSATION: STATUTORY LIMITS.

D. AUTOMOTIVE LIABILITY INSURANCE – MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: $500,000 for each individual occurrence and $1,000,000 in aggregate coverage. This requirement may be explicitly waived by the City when appropriate. •PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY (required at City request): Coverage as shall protect the Supplier and any subcontractor performing work under the Contract, from claims errors and omissions which arise from operation of the Contract, whether such operations are performed by the Supplier, any subcontractor, or anyone directly or indirectly employed by either. The amounts of such insurance shall not be less than $1,000,000 each occurrence/aggregate and $1,000,000 excess liability, each occurrence/aggregate.

Insurance must be maintained in full force and effect throughout the term of the contract. If insurance must be renewed during the term of the contract, the new certificate of insurance must be forwarded to:

Office of Management & Budget, Procurement

Room 502, City-County Building

414 Grant Street

Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Failure to provide and renew such insurance as required shall be deemed a material breach of contract and shall be a basis for immediate termination of this Contract and any related agreement. The insurance requirements of this provision shall be in addition to any other insurance requirements of this

Contract.

4.6. TAX STATUS OF CITY

TAX STATUS OF CITY: The City of Pittsburgh is exempt from Federal excise taxes and transportation taxes. Therefore, bidder should not include any such taxes in its calculations or in the prices bid. The City of Pittsburgh is exempt from state sales tax on certain construction materials and equipment; therefore the bidder awardee shall complete a separate itemized City-approved and provided form for estimated state sales tax to be collected on materials and equipment to be supplied. Contractor's final bid price shall exclude the cost of any sales tax for exempted materials. Any sales tax costs included in the bid price that are subsequently exempted or could have been exempted shall be remitted to the City of

Pittsburgh by the bidder.

4.7. PAYMENT OF TAXES AND SET-OFF

Contractor warrants that any and all taxes or municipal claims that may be payable to the City of

Pittsburgh by Contractor are current and not delinquent. If the City determined that there is an outstanding delinquency, that delinquency must be satisfied before a contract will be awarded to the delinquent Contractor. If any taxes or municipal claims become delinquent or owing during the term of this agreement or prior to final payment by City, Contractor hereby grants City the right to set-off that indebtedness against any amounts owing to contractor under the terms of this Contract and/or any associated agreement. If, at any time, the Contractor fails (or has failed) to enter into any contract awarded by the City, the City expressly reserves the right to recoup any and all costs associated with rebidding or re-awarding of any contract awarded to this Contractor to another Contractor. City reserves the right to apply set-off payments in whatever manner it deems appropriate.

4.8. FIRM PRICE BIDS

The City cannot allow escalation of prices during the contract term. All contracts are for fixed prices.

Such statements as "interest charges applied on accounts 30 days or older" or "prices subject to revision" are considered escalation clauses. Any reference in documents submitted with a bid indicating that the prices are not firm may be cause for rejection of the bid.

4.9. ANTI-DISCRIMINATION

Contractor shall not discriminate in its employment on the basis of race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, place of birth, sex, age, disability, non-job related handicap, or sexual orientation.

Contractor shall comply with the applicable provisions of the Pittsburgh Code of Ordinances, Title Six -

Conduct Article V Discrimination, and any amendments thereto. Contractor also shall comply with the applicable provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, any amendments thereto, and any regulations issued thereunder. Contractor shall incorporate in any subcontracts which may be permitted under the terms of the contract, a requirement that said subcontractors also comply with the provisions of this section.

4.10. CONTRACTOR TO BE QUALIFIED AND RESPONSIBLE

Before any agreement is awarded subsequent to the execution of this Contract, prospective Contractors must satisfy the City that they have the requisite organization, capital, plant, ability and experience to satisfactorily perform the work under this Contract in accordance with the terms and conditions herein and in conformity with the best modern practices and industry standards. Award shall be made to the lowest responsible bidder on an item by item or low total basis as the City determines is in its best interests. Bidders should be mindful that the lowest-priced bidder may not be the lowest responsible bidder. “Lowest responsible bidder” is defined in Pittsburgh’s City Code and via established case law.

4.11. PAYMENT UNDER AGREEMENT

It is the intent of the City to pay all invoices resulting from work performed under an agreement within forty-five (45) calendar days from invoicing. The City CANNOT pay any INTEREST CHARGES or LATE

PAYMENT CHARGES. Any inclusion of such charges may disqualify the proposal from award consideration and/or will be disregarded by the City.

Invoices for payment must be received within thirty (30) calendar days of the completion of work or delivery. City reserves the right to reject, not pay, or reduce total compensation for all invoices that are submitted more than 30 days after delivery of goods or completion of services.

4.12. NOTICE OF AWARD

Regardless of any notification of award to any prospective Contractor, all bids remain open and acceptable by the City for ninety (90) days from the bid opening date. Nothing in this paragraph is to be considered a waiver of the City's rights against a prospective Contractor who fails to execute a contract once it is awarded.

4.13. COMPLIANCE WITH PENNSYLVANIA "RIGHT TO KNOW" LAW; SUPERFUND

The City of Pittsburgh is obligated to comply with the Pennsylvania Worker and Community Right to

Know and Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (“SARA”) Title III laws. Successful

Contractors, where applicable, must submit a Material Safety Data Sheet (“MSDS”) for hazardous chemicals.

Submit all Material Safety Data Sheets to:

Office of Management & Budget, Procurement

Room 502, City-County Building

414 Grant Street

Pittsburgh, PA 15219

4.14. PRICE LISTS AND CATALOGUES

When price lists are required for a proposal, they are submitted with the bid for the sole purpose of providing an audit reference for the various items on the price list and the manufacturer's price for each item. Price list pricing, as the price list and pricing is stated in the contract, will remain firm for the duration of the contract regardless of manufacturers’ price list changes that may occur during the term of the contract, unless otherwise agreed in the contract. Any reference, which may appear on any price list, to any terms and conditions, such as F.O.B. shipping point or prices subject to change, will not be part of any contract with successful bidders and will be disregarded by the City. Any attempts to enforce such terms and conditions will be considered a material breach of the contract and may result in termination of the contract. Contractors agree to supply the using departments of the City with copies of additional catalogues and price lists as requested.

4.15. USE OF TRADE NAMES

Bidder agrees and warrants that whenever the bidder, in its Bid, describes goods by trade name, catalog number, or "as per sample", the goods so described conform to the specifications. The unauthorized use of any patented articles is done entirely at the risk of the successful bidder.

4.16. INDEMNIFICATION

Contractor hereby agrees to indemnify, save and hold harmless, and defend City, its officers, agents and employees from and against all liens, charges, claims, demands, losses costs, judgments liabilities, and damages of every kind and nature whatsoever, including court costs and attorney’s fees arising by reason of: the performance by Contractor of any services under this Contract; any act, error or omission of Contractor or of an agent, employee or licensee of Contractor or subcontractor of Contractor; and any breach by Contractor of any of the terms conditions or provisions of this Agreement.

4.17. CONTRACTOR THOROUGHLY INFORMED AS TO WORK

Contractor hereby affirms that s/he has read each and every clause in the advertisement, specifications and agreements relating to this work, and fully understands the meaning of each, and hereby agrees that s/he will comply with all the terms, covenants and agreements herein set forth; and that s/he fully understands the character of the work to be performed under this contract.

4.18. SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTES

It is expressly covenanted and agreed that in the event of a disagreement or controversy arising between the Contractor and the City as to the interpretation, specifications, or proper execution of this contract, or as to settlement thereunder, or in the event any disagreement, as to any dispute under this contract or the work involved, such dispute shall be brought immediately to the City’s attention in writing. The City shall decide upon the dispute and such decision shall be final and conclusive, as to all matters in controversy, without exception or appeal, and all right(s) of action at law, in equity or otherwise, under and by virtue of this contract are hereby expressly waived.

4.19. ASSIGNMENT; SUBCONTRACTING

Contractor shall not assign this contract or any right to monies to be paid hereunder without the written consent of City. None of the services covered by this contract shall be subcontracted without the prior written approval of City. It is further agreed that no subcontract, if consented to, shall under any circumstances relieve the Contractor of any liabilities and obligations under this Contract, and should any subcontractor fail to perform the work undertaken in a satisfactory manner, such subcontract must be terminated immediately and ended by the Contractor upon notice of the Director so to do. The successful bidder shall be responsible to require his sub-contractors to comply with all of the insurance requirements of this agreement.

4.20. HOME RULE CHARTER: LIABILITY OF CITY

This contract is subject to the provisions of the Pittsburgh Home Rule Charter; and the liability of City thereunder is limited to amounts authorized by Resolutions of Pittsburgh City Council.

4.21. PREVAILING WAGE ORDINANCE

The Contractor agrees that section 161.16(e) of the Pittsburgh Code of Ordinances, stating that the

Contractor shall pay at least the applicable prevailing wages as shall have been determined by the City

Controller pursuant to the City of Pittsburgh Service Worker Prevailing Wage Ordinance, Title I, Article

VII, Section 161.38(I)(B), and as shall have been determined by the Secretary of Labor and Industry to the workers employed in the performance of any contract for public work subject to the Pennsylvania

Prevailing Wage Act approved August 15, 1961 (Act No. 442), as amended August 9, 1963 (Act No. 342), and the regulations issued pursuant thereto, and all supplements and amendments thereto, shall be made a part of this agreement as fully as if attached hereto, and that s/he will comply in all respects with the provisions thereof, insofar as the same affects this contract.

4.22. ANTI-SWEATSHOP PROVISIONS

The Contractor certifies that none of their goods or products were made under sweatshop conditions as defined in § 161.02(e) of the City Code. If the City is presented with information that would lead the City to reasonably believe that the Contractor or its suppliers may be obtaining goods or products for sale, re-sale, lease or rental to the City that where made under sweatshop condition, upon request of the

City, Contractor shall disclose information, data and materials reflecting Contractor’s practices as they pertain to the procurement and manufacturing of goods/products in compliance with the Anti-sweatshop provisions of Pittsburgh Code Section 160.02.

4.23. WORKERS COMPENSATION

Contractor hereby agrees to perform the work described in this Contract in accordance with the terms herein and further certifies that it has accepted the provisions of the Worker's Compensation and

Occupational Disease Acts, as amended and supplemented, insofar as the work covered by this contract is concerned, and that it has insured its liability thereunder in accordance with the terms of the said

Acts, as evidenced by the certificate of insurance it has caused to be attached hereto, or will file with the

Director of the Office of Management and Budget before the execution of this Contract, a certificate of exemption form for insurance from the Bureau of Workmen’s Compensation of the Department of

Labor and Industry.

4.24. COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS

Contractor shall fully obey and comply with all Federal, State and Local laws, statutes, ordinances, resolutions, and administrative regulations, which are or should be applicable to any work performed under this Contract. Contractor agrees to maintain throughout duration of the contact, all necessary city, county and state licenses and approvals as applicable (including required professional licenses and exams), and to immediately notify the City of Pittsburgh, Office of Management & Budget of any loss or changes of licenses and approvals.

4.25. GOVERNING LAW

The contract that is formed subject to these articles of Agreement will be construed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

4.26. DEBARMENT

Contractor warrants that it is not prohibited from entering into this Contract with the City by reason of disqualification under subsection (b) of Section 161.22 of the Pittsburgh Code. A document certifying compliance with this Section is attached hereto as an Exhibit and incorporated into and made a part of this Contract.

4.27. STATEMENT OF AFFILIATIONS

Contractor hereby files a Statement of Affiliations with the City, attached hereto as an Exhibit, in compliance with Section 197.08(c) of the Pittsburgh Code.

4.28. TERMINATION

In addition to any rights of termination set forth elsewhere in this Contract or any related agreement, the City may terminate this Contract at any time, without cause or liability, by giving Contractor thirty

(30) days advance written notice of its intention to terminate.

4.29. OPTION TO EXTEND

The City, reserves the right to extend this Contract for up to ninety (90) days after the indicated expiration date. This mechanism would be used in the event that a lapse in the current Contract occurs before a new contract can be established for the services required by the City. When applicable, an extension notice will be issued defining the exact extension of this Contract; all other terms and conditions of the current contract will remain in full force and effect.

4.30. NEW MATERIAL

Unless otherwise provided in the specifications, all goods to be supplied to the City shall be from new, unused, current stock.

4.31. ESTIMATED QUANTITIES

Unless otherwise provided in the specifications, any references in the specifications to quantities of goods or frequency of services to be provided to the City are estimates, and the City reserves the right to require the successful bidder to provide more or less than the estimated quantity or frequency, or to purchase none at all.

4.32. DELIVERY POINT AND TIME

Unless otherwise provided in the specifications, the goods and services to be delivered or provided shall be delivered to or provided at any place or places within Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which the City may designate. All deliveries are to be F.O.B. point of delivery. Unless otherwise provided in the specifications, the successful bidder shall provide all goods and services within thirty (30) days from the date of the City's request therefore.

4.33. FORCE MAJEURE

Neither Contractor nor the City shall be held responsible for losses resulting if the fulfillment of any terms or provisions of an award resulting from this Contract is delayed or prevented by unforeseeable causes including but not restricted to Acts of God, restraint of Government, or for any other causes which are unavoidable through the exercise of due care and beyond the control of the party who is to perform.

4.34. PIGGYBACKING

It is understood that the goods and services described in the specifications may be purchased by the City and any other municipal bodies as set forth in the specifications and bidder agrees to supply the goods and services to the municipal bodies on the same terms and conditions as if they were to be supplied to the City. To the extent that the municipal bodies purchase goods or services, then the municipal bodies, and not the City, shall be liable to the bidder.

4.35. NON-EXCLUSIVITY

The City reserves the right at its sole discretion to utilize other contracts (such as Commonwealth of

Pennsylvania or County of Allegheny contracts) for the goods or services described herein. The City also reserves, at its sole discretion, the right to solicit separately any services that may be included in this agreement.

4.36. SAMPLES

A. By submitting a bid, the bidder agrees to deliver to the City, at the City’s request and at no cost to the City, samples of any or all items upon which the bidder bid. Said samples shall not be returned to the bidder. Inspection or testing by the City does not constitute a waiver of any claims or rights which the City otherwise would have with respect to the quality of goods or workmanship. City shall specify the quantity of samples. If bidder inadvertently provides an incorrect sample or otherwise wishes to exchange the submitted sample with a correct sample, the bidder shall provide a detailed written explanation to the City and have a legitimate reason for the exchange. The bidder shall have only one opportunity to perform such an exchange.

B. City, at its sole discretion, shall have the right to arrange for testing of samples to determine whether they are within bid specification. City shall indicate to bidder that it desires testing and advise which samples are to be tested and for what purpose. The following additional guidelines shall be followed:

1. Laboratory/testing facility used shall be pre-approved by City;

2. Suppliers shall be solely and fully responsible for the expenses of testing regardless of whether or not the tested sample(s) meets specification;

3. City and bidder shall immediately communicate upon City’s request for testing to determine which laboratory/testing facility shall be used, as well as the time frame in which tests are to be conducted and reported to City;

4.37. PRE-PRINTED TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Bidder’s pre-printed Terms and Conditions or restrictions commonly appearing on the reverse side of letters submitted with the bid and/or bidder’s specifications material and contract documents shall be disregarded and have no effect

4.38. STEEL PRODUCTS

In accordance with Act 3 of the 1978 General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, approved March 3, 1978, if any steel products are to be used or supplied in the performance of the contract, only steel products produced in the United States of America, as defined therein, shall be used or supplied in the performance of the contract.

4.39. EXAMINATION OF FINANCIAL RECORDS

Contractor shall maintain books, program and financial records, documents and other evidence pertaining to costs and expenses related to this Agreement in such detail as will properly reflect all costs of labor, materials, equipment, supplies, services and other costs and expenses of whatever nature for which City funding has been provided under the provisions of this Agreement. The Contractor shall maintain such books, records, documents and other materials in accordance with Generally Accepted

Accounting Principles, where applicable. The Contractor shall provide access, during normal business hours, to such books, program and financial records, documents and other evidence upon request of the

Mayor, the City Controller, or their designees upon receipt of reasonable advance notice, either oral or written. Contractor’s books, records, program and financial records, documents and other evidence pertaining to services provided under this Agreement shall be preserved and made available for a period of three (3) years following the termination of this Agreement. The Mayor, the City Controller, or their designees may audit, examine, review, photocopy, and/or make excerpts or transcripts of any of

Contractor’s books, records, program and financial records, documents and other evidence. Any deficiencies noted in any audit reports or otherwise must be fully resolved by the Contractor, to the

City’s sole satisfaction, within thirty (30) days after the Contractor’s receipt of written notice of such deficiencies. Failure of the Contractor to comply with the provisions set forth in this paragraph may constitute a violation of this Agreement and, at the City’s sole discretion, may result in the City withholding future payments.

4.40. AUTHORIZATION

This Agreement is entered into by the City of Pittsburgh pursuant to City Code § 161.01A and subsequent authorizing resolution.

5. SCOPE OF WORK

5.1. Scope of Work

REQUIREMENTS AND OBJECTIVES:

• Bids will only be considered from authorized vendors who are normally engaged in scanning services.

• Vendor will submit for a scanning service project.

• Routine scanning in the sizes quoted under this bid are not viewed as projects.

• Provide a list of references for services performed of a similar nature on the attached reference form.

• Must have adequate organization, facilities, equipment, and personnel to ensure prompt and efficient service to the City.

• Must provide all labor, materials, tools, and equipment for all services under the Contract.

• Must be capable of creating OCR output files.

• The City of Pittsburgh, Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections is using OnBase as the repository of all electronic records.

• Services are to include pickup, transport, document preparation, scanning, and temporary storage.

• The converted images with metadata (tagged tiff images) must be provided in a format (volume) appropriate to be imported into the City’s OnBase system for record retention purposes.

• It is the sole responsibility of vendor to ensure that vendor's system(s) are kept up-to-date and can provide a volume that is fully compatible with the OnBase system used by the City.

• Create and/or change document types and search keywords within upon request.

Paper documents scanned must be Microsoft windows XP-professional compliant with:

• Instant information access.

• Combined data and all images, including color.

• View and print documents from a desktop computer.

• Define indexing of documents, file, pages from desktop computer.

• All documents must be visible to any computer screen; images must be scanned in color if the original document is in color.

• All documents must be text-searchable.

• Minimal training required.

CONFIDENTIALITY, ACCURACY AND SECURITY OF DOCUMENTATION:

It is vital that the vendor understands the required security of the documents. These documents are irreplaceable and must be safeguarded. Once the awarded vendor receives documents from the City, they are responsible for their safekeeping.

• Vendor accepts that, if awarded, they would assume responsibility for protecting City assets and maintaining their integrity, confidentiality, and availability.

• Vendor must maintain physical and data protection and control of all City files at all times.

• Safeguards against theft, loss, and /or damage must be maintained at the highest levels.

• Vendor would be held responsible for lost, stolen and/or damaged original documents.

• The City may take action, including terminating the contract, upon the first occurrence of a record that is lost, stolen, damaged, or of which any unauthorized reproduction or duplication is made.

• Documents may contain sensitive information such as building plans, intellectual property rights and other sensitive information.

• Once the documents are in the hands of the vendor, the vendor becomes responsible for the security of the documents.

• The vendor may not duplicate, share, or sell information contained in any document.

• Descriptive information on equipment/software to be used in performing services bid in this contract must be included with bid or bid may be subject to rejection.

FACILITIES AND STORAGE:

• The City of Pittsburgh reserves the right to inspect the vendor’s facilities at any time during the contract period.

• Vendor must have the ability to transport and store a minimum of fifty (50) letter/legal file boxes.

• Vendor's scanning and service facility must meet all local, state and federal fire codes including operating fire detection and suppression systems.

• Vendor must be prepared to store all City documents in a clean, secure, dry location and take great care in handling of fragile records.

• All stored documents must be a minimum of four (4) inches above the floor surface.

PICK-UP, TRANSPORT, AND TURNAROUND TIME:

• Vendor is responsible for the pickup of the City records to be scanned.

• The City Department will establish a designated location for pickup and drop-off.

• A checkout list of documents must be signed at pickup.

• When delivering the completed job, a list of all documents included on the delivery should be provided and verified with checkout list before delivery receipt is signed.

• All City documents must be transported in closed, climate-controlled vehicles.

Turnaround Time specifications based on job type:

General Pickups: Three (3) to five (5) business days, not to exceed a maximum of five (5) business days.

Special Projects: Must be identified during the quote process with the director or designee, based on estimated quantity of pages in the order, and not to exceed a maximum of two (2) weeks or ten (10) business days.

Scanned documents: Updated to OnBase, return of hard-copy documents, and the receipt of Document

Import Processor (DIP) file to the City’s appointed project representative must be complete within the prescribed turnaround time based on its job type.

The Vendor will return hard-copy documents and the Document Import Processor (DIP) file to the City’s appointed project representative within the prescribed project timeline.

SERVICES:

• Vendor must be able to pick up and return all City documents that are to be scanned from designated City site(s).

• Vendor must have ability to scan and email any file(s) not yet forwarded to the department, upon request.

• Vendor must be able to process documents in accordance with this bid’s specifications in turnaround time.

• Vendor must not perform work beyond the agreed upon cost, unless authorized by the

Department.

• Departments must provide vendor with records/documents that are stored in adequately marked boxes.

• Each Department is responsible for providing a document manifest for each box of records.

• All Unit Prices must include prepping, scanning, indexing, temporary storage and returning scanned documents to respective packaging and boxes and delivery per requirements.

Vendor is required to send weekly updates via e-mail (and by meetings as requested) to the City department(s).

The vendor is required to provide a designated point of contact staffed by vendor personnel. This line must be available at all times during normal business hours (Monday through Friday, 7:30 A.M. to 4:15

P.M. ET). to the City Department.

5.2. Document Details

Sizes listed are typically seen for bid purposes only but are not all inclusive.

DOCUMENT SIZES:

a. 8-1/2" x 11"

b. 8-1/2" x 14"

c. 11" x 17"

d. 24" x 36"

e. 36" x 42"

DOCUMENT TYPES:

DRAWING/PLANS - All images must be correctly oriented when opened with no rotation. Images must be aligned properly within the image environment. Images must not be skewed or distorted more than

+/- 3 degrees. Image line widths and text thickness must match the original image as closely as possible, without the loss of legibility of any portion of the image.

MULTIPLE PAGE DOCUMENTS - A document may consist of one or many pages. If the document has more than one page this document must be scanned as a multi-page document with the exception of large format documents. Large format drawings may be required to be scanned as separate single page files as per specification of each City department.

The number for permit documents can range from one (1) page to more than 100 pages for each set of plans and the number of sets for scanning each week can vary from one (1) set to more than 30 sets.

There may be instances where documents contain large (24x36) and standard (8.5x11) pages that must need to be merged as one electronic file.

COST SCHEDULE:

Vendor is to supply a complete schedule of cost per page for each document size on the attached cost sheet form.

An hourly rate bid will be applied for pre-approved projects only and must not be combined with the per page cost.

Vendor will visit City Department to assess scope of Special Project and provide the Director or their

Designee a quote for the job, to include hourly cost and turnaround time. The City Department will either approve or deny the quote.

Invoices submitted that include an hourly rate and per page rate will not be paid per the contract unless approved by the director or designee; a corrected invoice may be required for payment processing.

• Materials/Equipment

• Staff hours or cost per line item

• Other costs direct/ indirect

SCANNING REQUIREMENTS

• Records are to be scanned in correct numerical sequence, and/or alphanumerical sequence, as per instructions of the City department.

• Records that possess pictures of different or unconventional sizes must be scanned in accordance with the record or as instructed.

• All original and duplicate copies must be indexed with the name of the job, beginning and ending address, and permit number and the date scanned.

• Upon request the vendor must perform Document Preparation as necessary to scan all files. This includes but is not limited to removing all staples, paperclips, repairing all torn documents, straightening folded plans and mounting irregular size memorandum on standard 8-1/2" by 11" paper.

• The vendor must coordinate with the City regarding their desire for the naming of files and/or folder names.

• The scanning services must include the capability to scan single-sided and double-sided documents. The Bidder must have the ability to scan documents front and back.

• Documents may contain handwritten and/or printed text and/or graphics.

• Graphics may include, but not be limited to, drawings, plans, photographs, icons, graphs, charts and signatures.

• Each scanned image should reflect the color properties of the original document.

Building Plans (both residential and commercial):

Index must include box number, permit number, address location, and if applicable project name (e.g.

City Hall). If the permit has both a file and large-scale plans, separate the file from plans, and all other plans, and should be separate PDFs (e.g. File; Site Plan; Survey).

Site Plan and Subdivision/Consolidation Plans:

Index must include box number, Case Number, address, Application Type (e.g. Site Plan), Project Name.

There should be separate PDFs for the file, and each associated plan, survey, or report (found separate from what is included in file).

5.3. Quality and Requirements

IMAGE FILES/INDEXING:

• Scanned documents must be viewable in TIFF format at a minimum of 300 dpi.

• Other format types may be requested.

• The scanning services must include the capability to scan single-sided and double-sided documents.

• The vendor must have the ability to scan documents ranging from 8-1/2" x 11" to 36" x 42".

• Large format scans (17" x 22" and greater) at 300 dpi or 400 dpi or as required, must be produced separately from the small format scanning.

• Each drawing package must be broken down and scanned to specifications.

• The control sheets must be dropped by post process from the permit file upon final assembly of the images and the indexes.

• Each drawing must be post processed as indicated in the above settings for small format scanning.

• All data must be preserved in a form identical to, or functionally equal to, the original record.

• Scanning must be performed in the same order as the paper is received and prepped.

• The scanned images produced should normally be done in black and white, however, some documents may require grayscale, bi-tonal or color depending on the information contained within the documents; if grayscale/color conveys information and producing black and white documents would cause the loss of information conveyed, adjustments must be made accordingly.

• Scanning must be performed in the same order as the paper is received and prepped.

• Documents must be returned to the box they were removed from and all control sheets must remain in their place.

• File folders are not to be scanned.

Documents must be scanned at 300 dpi and must be post processed utilizing the following processes:

• Deskew

• Black border removal

• Punch hole filter

• Image enhancement (for poor quality documents)

• Noise Reduction

• Image smoothing

• Documents must be rotated to provide maximum readability (e.g. letters must be in the proper orientation when the document is displayed without rotation).

• Scanned images must be delivered to the Department’s representative via an approved digital media.

• Each scanned image must have a unique file name specified by the City.

• After completion of each scanned document, a frame by frame inspection is required by the vendor to ensure legibility and completeness of record.

• Scanning process should provide for automatic detection for duplex scanning and blank pages.

Report and discuss any problem images that cannot be captured to meet benchmark specifications.

• Vendor must sight-verify a random sampling of the resulting output for clarity and faithful reproduction.

• All documents and data that fail this quality assurance process are to be rescanned at no additional cost to the City until the prescribed quality is met.

• Vendor is required to perform a final quality control step that compares the final output to the manifest the City provides to ensure that every document has been imaged and indexed.

• In the event that the source document is not clear and legible, or a clear and legible reproduction cannot be produced, the vendor is to inform and provide a report to the respective City department and Project Manager, along with the document source in question.

DOCUMENT PREPARATION AND QUALITY ASSURANCE OF DOCUMENTS:

• Documents are stored in multiple formats and media, including loose pages, stapled and assorted binding or binders.

• Document preparation may require separation of documents from their binding prior to scanning.

• The condition of most documents is good; however, some older documents must require special handling.

• Documents may contain handwritten and/or printed text and/or graphics.

• Graphics may include, but not be limited to, drawings, plans, photographs, icons, graphs, charts and signatures.

• Each scanned image should reflect the color properties of the original document.

• Preparation by the vendor is to include removal of all staples, fasteners, and paperclips; repair of torn or deteriorated edges with non-reflective tape or other method as accepted;

ordering/proper orientation of documents; examination of back sides for additional information to be scanned; straightening of folded plans; mounting any irregular size memorandum on standard 8-1/2" x 11" paper; and otherwise making the documents ready for processing.

• Documents do not need to be re-stapled, re-fastened, re-paperclipped or re-bound.

• In preparation for scanning, vendor should recognize the need for special image enhancement or threshold settings for unusual or discolored plans.

• Improve upon original clarity of difficult scans, identification of bi-tonal or grayscale needs.

• After the scanning/media conversion services have been completed, prior to return delivery, the vendor must perform a final quality control step that compares the final output to the manifest the City provided to ensure that every document has been digitized and indexed.

• The vendor must provide to the City a report comparing the documents provided to the final output with each product delivery.

• The City must implement this process in conjunction with the vendor.

5.4. Delivery, Tracking & Records

DOCUMENT TRACKING AND INVENTORY:

• Vendor must pick up and return originals as requested by the City.

• The City is open to process re-engineering as suggested by vendor.

• Vendor must maintain an automated tracking system to allow for the retrieval of any document that is in process.

• Any discrepancies between the City department's inventory transmittal and the items received by the vendor are to be resolved within five (5) business days.

RECORDS ACCESSIBILITY:

In the event a document is needed, the City requires designated City staff have access to original City documents supplied to the vendor.

The vendor must provide the ability to locate and return to the City department any original document within twenty-four (24) hours from the time of request by an authorized department agent. After the

City has fulfilled its need the vendor must also pick up these documents and return with them to the vendor’s site to complete the scanning, indexing or conversion process, whichever applies.

The City may, alternatively, request the vendor scan a specific document out of order and provide it to the City within twenty-four (24) hours. This would typically occur to fill a public records request or other time-sensitive City business.

The estimated number of file retrievals could be 5 to 7 retrievals for public records request a week. The expected format of these files is either PDF or hard copy files.

DEFINITIONS:

• Turnaround time is defined as the time the order is picked up from the time the order is completed and…