Stationery Printing Delivery RFP.pdf

The Connecticut General Assembly

Joint Committee on Legislative Management

Martin M. Looney Senate President Pro Tempore

Bob Duff, Senate Majority Leader

Stephen Harding, Senate Republican Leader

Michael Harrington Executive Director

Matthew Ritter Speaker of the House

Jason Rojas, House Majority Leader

Vincent J. Candelora, House Republican Leader

Suite 5100 * Legislative Office Building * Hartford, CT 06106-1591 * (860) 240-0100 * fax (860) 240-0122 * jclm@cga.ct.gov

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

STATIONERY PRINTING & DELIVERY

JCLM27REG0015

PROPOSAL DUE DATE: OCTOBER 16, 2026 TIME: 12:00 pm (noon)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART CONTRACT INFORMATION

A.1 CONNECTICUT GENERAL ASSEMBLY

A.2 OFFICIAL AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION

A.3 SUPPLIER REGISTRATION

A.4 STATE CONTRACTING PORTAL

A.5 TERM OF CONTRACT

A.6 PROCUREMENT TIMELINE

PART B SCOPE OF WORK

B.1 PROJECT SCOPE

B.2 PROJECT PLAN

B.3 REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

PART C PAYMENT TERMS

C.1 COMPENSATION AMOUNT

C.2 INVOICE GUIDELINES

C.3 FREQUENCY OF BILLING

C.4 PAYMENT TERMS

C.5 FIFTEEN DOLLAR MINIMUM

PART D PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

D.1 PROPOSAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

D.2 REQUIRED PROPOSAL DOCUMENTATION

D.3 DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED SUBSEQUENT TO CONTRACT AWARD

PART E EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS

E.1 MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS

E.2 EVALUATION CRITERIA

E.3 PRICE COMPARISON METHODOLOGY

E.4 PRESENTATIONS

E.5 CONTRACT AWARD

ATTACHMENTS

Attachment A Pricing Page Attachment B Proposal Checklist Attachment C CGA Terms and Conditions

PART CONTRACT INFORMATION

A.1 Connecticut General Assembly The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the legislative branch of government of the State of Connecticut. Through statutory enactments, the Joint Committee on Legislative Management (JCLM) is responsible for the coordination and management of legislative affairs and the supervision and approval of any and all legislative expenditures.

A.2 Official Agency Contact Information

Rachel Meddar Office of Legislative Management Procurement Services Contracting Group CGAContracting@cga.ct.gov

(860) 240-1325

A.3 Supplier Registration Please register as a supplier with CT Source in order to view and respond to business opportunities issued by the Connecticut General Assembly. You may quickly register by creating a username and password at the following website:

https://portal.ct.gov/DAS/CTSource/Registration.

A.4 State Contracting Portal All documents and notifications for this procurement will be posted on the State Contracting Portal ("CT Source Portal") located on the CT Source web page hosted by the Department of Administrative Services (DAS). The CT Source Portal can be found at the following web address https://portal.ct.gov/DAS/CTSource/CTSource. To find this solicitation:

• Click on link above

• Select CT Source Bid Board

• Select the "Search Solicitations" button

• Enter the Contract Number in the search field

• Scroll to this procurement and select the solicitation number

A.5 Term of Contract The Contract will be in effect from the date the Contract is executed by both Contractor and the CGA (the “Effective Date”) through November 30, 2031. The CGA reserves the right to extend this Contract upon mutual agreement of both parties for additional terms beyond the original term, prior to termination or expiration, one or more time for a combined total period not to exceed the complete length of the original term.

A.6 Procurement Timeline

Milestone Description of Milestone Date Issue the RFP Posted on the DAS State Contracting Portal. September 17, 2026 Question Deadline Questions shall be submitted via email to

CGAContracting@cga.ct.gov.

September 24, 2026, 12:00 pm (noon)

Answers & Amendments to RFP

All amendments to the RFP and response to written questions will be published on the DAS State Contracting Portal.

October 1, 5:00 pm (End of Day)

Proposal Delivery All Proposals must be submitted to the CGA Contracting Group at CGAContracting@cga.ct.gov. No hard copy Proposals will be accepted.

October 16, 2026, 12:00 pm (noon) mailto:CGAContracting@cga.ct.gov https://portal.ct.gov/DAS/CTSource/Registration https://portal.ct.gov/DAS/CTSource/CTSource

PART B SCOPE OF WORK

B.1 Project Scope The Office of Legislative Management (OLM) on behalf of the Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is soliciting proposals for letterhead, envelopes, and miscellaneous stationery printing products for the legislators and staff of the CGA. The following is the Scope of Work that the CGA anticipates including in the Contract with the awarded respondent:

B.1.1 General Requirements The awarded respondent shall generally provide the following:

a) Provide stationery products, including, but not limited to, letterhead, envelopes, engraved letterhead, engraved envelopes, memo pads, note pads, and notecards, for approximately one hundred eighty-seven (187) legislators and four (4) caucus offices throughout each Contract year. The majority of stationery orders will be placed during the following time periods; however, orders may be place throughout the entire Contract term:

i. January 1, 2027 – June 30, 2027

ii. January 1, 2029 - June 30, 2029

Orders tend to be more frequent after a legislative election year with the appointment of new legislators, titles, and committees. There is no guarantee as to the number and timing of any stationery orders to be placed;

b) Provide all letterhead and envelopes, engraved letterhead with envelopes, and miscellaneous stationery printing products in accordance with the following specifications, except as otherwise defined in Sections B.1.2 through B.1.6 below:

i. All stationery, including letterhead and envelopes, shall be fully typeset in reflex blue ink with different wording for each individual and office. While some items may have commonalities, such as templates and seals, each individual office may have different, personalized wording and set-up. Samples may be available upon request;

ii. An optional Union Bug may be included on each item upon the CGA's request. The Union Bug is a mark reserved for print shops that meet union employment requirements, with each bug carrying an identifying number to track its origin.

c) Accept orders via email in PDF format (.pdf) from the Office of Legislative Management (OLM) staff only.

B.1.2 Turnaround Time and Delivery The awarded respondent shall deliver all letterhead, envelopes, and miscellaneous stationery printing products in the manner stated below:

a) The final product shall be delivered within six (6) business days of the date of the email order from OLM staff. A business day is defined as Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., excluding State Holidays.

The following are defined as State Holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Lincoln's Birthday, Washington's Birthday, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day;

b) Rush orders shall be delivered within two (2) business days of the date of the email order from OLM staff;

c) Any individual orders shall be shrink-wrapped or boxed with an included packing list on the outside of such shrink-wrap or box identifying the contents of the package; and

d) Deliveries shall be made to the Legislative Office Building Loading Dock, located at the rear of the building, 300 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106. Deliveries shall be made during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.

B.1.3 Errors Errors to any letterhead, envelopes, and miscellaneous stationery printing products shall be handled in the following manner:

a) Contractor Errors Any errors made by the awarded respondent shall be corrected immediately upon notification by the CGA of the error. The CGA shall provide written notice via email to the awarded respondent of any such error. Upon the CGA's notification, the awarded respondent shall have four (4) business days from the date of the written notice to rectify the error at no additional cost to the CGA.

b) CGA Errors The CGA shall notify the awarded respondent of any errors made in any submitted materials to the awarded respondent immediately. Errors made by the CGA will re-start the turnaround time to begin upon the date of the email order of corrected materials.

B.1.4 Letterhead and Envelopes The awarded respondent shall provide the following letterhead and envelopes in accordance with the specifications listed above in Section B.1.1 (General Requirements) as well as the following additional specifications stated below:

a) Paper stock shall be White Capitol Bond, 24% cotton fiber, recycled, 20# weight;

b) Trim size shall be 8 ½" x 11" letterhead; and

c) Envelope size shall be #10 envelopes.

No substitutions for paper stock or size of any letterhead or envelopes shall be allowed unless approved by an authorized CGA representative.

B.1.4 Engraved Letterhead with Envelope The awarded respondent shall provide the following engraved letterhead and envelopes in accordance with the specifications listed above in Section B.1.1 (General Requirements) as well as the following additional

a) Letterhead: 8 1/2" x 11" stationery with classic laid #24 ivory stock, engraved blue ink PMS #228 printing, and gold foil stamped state seal; and

b) Envelopes: #10, approximately 9 ½" x 4", with classic laid #24 ivory stock, engraved blue ink PMS #228 printing, and gold foil stamped state seal.

B.1.5 Miscellaneous Stationery The awarded respondent shall provide the following miscellaneous stationery in accordance with the specifications listed above in Section B.1.1 (General Requirements) as well as the following additional

a) Memo Pads: 50 sheets per pad, 5 ½" x 8 ½", White Capitol Bond, 24% cotton fiber, recycled, 20# weight;

b) FYI Notepads: 50 sheets per pad, 4 ¼" x 5 ½, White Capitol Bond, 24% cotton fiber, recycled, 20# weight;

and

c) Large Informal Notes (folded note cards and envelopes): Note cards size 6-5/8" x 5" when folded, Park Avenue Lee Panel Card, Ivory, with matching envelope (7 ½" x 5 ¼").

No substitutions for the memo pads and FYI notepads shall be allowed unless approved by an authorized CGA representative.

B.1.6 Additional Letterhead and Stationery Requests The CGA reserves the right to request additional pricing under the Contract for any additional letterhead and stationery items other than those listed on the Pricing Page (Attachment B). Upon CGA request, the awarded respondent shall provide detailed cost breakdown for such items including, but not limited to, paper, ink, and when applicable, engraving, union bug, and any other costs included in the total price for the requested item.

B.1.7 Materials All materials provided by the awarded respondent shall be of the quality specified in this RFP and approved by a designated CGA representative.

B.2 Project Plan The awarded respondent will be required to provide a Project Plan upon contract award and maintain this Plan throughout the term of the contract. The Project Plan shall clearly delineate the methodology to accomplishing the Scope of Work. The awarded respondent shall begin furnishing stationery printing and products upon Contract award.

B.3 Required Qualifications

B.3.1 Respondent Qualifications Respondents shall be a Union Printer with the necessary qualifications to be able to add a Union Bug, as defined in Section B.1.1 (B)(ii) above, to any of the items detailed throughout the Scope of Work section of this RFP.

Respondents' main printing office shall be located within a sixty (60) mile radius of Hartford, CT.

B.3.2 Subcontractors No subcontractors are allowed under this Contract.

PART C PAYMENT TERMS

C.1 Compensation Amount Proposals shall reflect all costs and any payment discounts on the Pricing Page included in this RFP (Attachment A).

All costs of all consumable materials and shipping shall be included in the Pricing provided in response to this RFP. There shall be no reimbursement for travel and/or travel-related expenses. Other expense reimbursements, if allowable under the Contract, shall be supported by detailed paid receipts for charges incurred prior to payments being made by the CGA.

Credit card slips or statements are not acceptable.

C.1.1 Escalation An annual inflationary increase will be automatically applied to this Contract on each anniversary of the contract term. The respondent shall note such percentage increase on the Pricing Page included in this RFP (Attachment A). Invoices shall reflect the rates applicable at the time the services are rendered or goods were provided. It is the responsibility of the Contractor to submit invoices in accordance with this annual increase. Invoices submitted using an old rate will be returned by the CGA to the Contractor for revision and resubmittal.

Billing rates utilized on purchase orders will be determined by the anticipated completion date of the work outlined on the purchase order.

C.1.2 Liquidated Damages Liquidated damages will be incurred as a result of a Contract breach. By law, the three requisite conditions to establish any liquidated damages are that: (1) the damage from a breach of Contract was uncertain in amount or difficult to provide; (2) there was an advance intent by the parties to establish liquidating damages in the event of a Contract breach; and (3) the amount stipulated was reasonable. Hanson Development Co. v. East Great Plains Shopping Center, Inc., 485 A.2d 1296, 1300 (Conn. 1985).

The awarded respondent shall acknowledge that the failure to deliver each order within the required timeframe shall constitute a breach of the Contract. If such default occurs and the awarded respondent fails to timely deliver any order, the awarded respondent shall forfeit twenty-five (25%) percent of the payment due for that order. It is understood by both the awarded respondent and the CGA that this amount has been established due to the difficulty in determining and establishing damages in the event that the awarded respondent does not meet the timelines required by the Contract resulting from this solicitation.

C.2 Invoice Guidelines

C.2.1 Complete Invoice An invoice in considered complete when it includes:

(a) Invoice date;

(b) Invoice number;

(c) Purchase order number;

(d) Detailed description of the goods or services provided, including legislator's last name; and

(e) Charges which correspond to the signed purchase order.

The CGA reserves the right to reject invoices for payment and require revised invoices to be submitted if the invoice does not include the above listed information. The Contractor is responsible for all subcontractor invoices and supporting documentation and must resolve any discrepancies with the subcontractor.

C.3 Frequency of Billing Invoices shall be submitted upon completion of the deliverables outlined in this RFP.

C.4 Payment Terms Payments for goods and services shall be made only after the CGA receives and accepts that goods and/or services and after it receives a properly completed invoice. Payment for all accepted goods and/or services shall be due within forty-five (45) days after acceptance of the goods and/ or services (in arrears) and receipt of a properly prepared invoice in accordance with Conn. Gen. Stat. §4a-71 or twenty-five (25) days if the Contractor is a certified small contractor or minority business enterprise as defined in Conn. Gen. Stat. § 4a-60g.

C.5 Fifteen Dollar Minimum Pursuant to C.G.S. 2-71p(i), “Each contract for contractual services entered into by the committee on and after July 1, 2015, shall require the contractor awarded such contract, and each subcontractor of such contractor, to pay each of the contractor's or subcontractor's employees providing services under such contract, and that are performed or rendered at the Legislative Office Building or the State Capitol, a wage of at least (1) fifteen dollars per hour, or (2) if applicable, the amount required to be paid under subsection (b) of section 31-57f, whichever is greater. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to any employee providing services under such contract who receives services from the Department of Developmental Services.”

PART D PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

D.1 Proposal Submission Guidelines Respondents shall submit proposals in accordance with the following guidelines:

D.1.1 Emailed Proposal/Bid Response Respondents shall only submit one soft copy of their proposal via email to CGAContracting@cga.ct.gov in Portable Document Format (.pdf), which clearly indicated Stationery Printing & Delivery (JCLM22REG0009) Proposal/Bid Submission in the Title of the email.

Respondents shall send a separate follow-up email to CGAContracting@cga.ct.gov to confirm receipt of the proposal submission by the CGA. It is the Respondent's responsibility to follow-up with the CGA via email or telephone if a confirmation email from the CGA is not received. Please be advised that any email with an attached proposal that is 25 MB or larger will be rejected.

ALL HARD COPY PROPOSALS WILL BE REJECTED.

D.2 Required Proposal Documentation Respondents shall submit the following documentation in the following order and format. The CGA reserves the right to disqualify any Proposal which does not include the following documentation.

D.2.1 Pricing Page All respondents SHALL include a completed Pricing Page (Attachment A) in their Proposals.

D.2.2 Forms Respondents shall complete and submit the following forms along with the electronic copy of the proposal only.

The forms listed below include links to the fillable forms which can be completed and submitted electronically.

Proof of Authorization Certification Form Campaign Contribution Certification CHRO Contract Compliance Monitoring Report Vendor Profile W-9 Form

D.2.3 Project Plan The awarded respondent shall include a project plan as part of their proposal that includes an approach to accomplishing the work as specified in the Scope of Work of this RFP (Part B), which shall include, but not limited to:

a) Respondent's process following receipt of emailed order from OLM staff through final printing of order;

b) Respondent's delivery methodology; and

c) List of equipment that would be utilized for this Contract.

D.2.4 Experience and Knowledge The awarded respondent shall provide the following information regarding their experience and knowledge accomplishing the work as specified in the Scope of Work of this RFP (Part B), which shall include:

a) Respondent Experience and Knowledge including size of firm (number of employees); years in business;

principal place of business; and evidence that respondent can meet the requirements listed in the Scope of Work section above.

mailto:CGAContracting@cga.ct.gov mailto:CGAContracting@cga.ct.gov https://www.cga.ct.gov/olm/lbd/docs/procurement/forms/Proof_of_Authorization.pdf https://www.cga.ct.gov/olm/lbd/docs/procurement/forms/Certification_Form.pdf https://cga.ct.gov/olm/lbd/docs/procurement/Forms/Campaign%20Contribution%20Certification.pdf https://www.cga.ct.gov/olm/lbd/docs/procurement/forms/CHRO_Contract_Compliance_Form.pdf https://www.cga.ct.gov/olm/lbd/docs/procurement/forms/Vendor_Profile_Form.pdf https://www.cga.ct.gov/olm/lbd/docs/procurement/forms/W-9_Form.pdf

b) Reference Projects including name, title, address and telephone number of references; description of projects; duration of projects; and total project costs.

c) Individual Experience and Knowledge including name and title of personnel assigned to the project; evidence of five years of experience with projects similar to that described in this RFP; resumes OR educational qualifications including professional association memberships; reference projects for each individual along with contact information; and evidence that individuals assigned to work on this project by the respondent can meet the requirements listed in the Scope of Work Section above.

D.2.5 Confidential Information The respondent shall clearly specify which information contained in the Proposal response is respondent Information and therefore should be considered exempt by the CGA from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The respondent may not merely state generally that the materials are proprietary or confidential in nature and not, therefore, subject to release to third parties. Those particular sentences, paragraphs, pages or sections that the respondent believes are exempt from disclosure under the FOIA must be specifically identified as such. Convincing explanation and rationale sufficient to justify each exemption consistent with the FOIA must accompany the request. The rationale and explanation must be stated in terms of the prospective harm to the competitive position of the respondent that would result if the identified material were to be released and the reasons why the materials are legally exempt from release pursuant to the FOIA.

D.2.6 Terms and Conditions Acknowledgement or Specific Exceptions All respondents shall provide either (1) an acknowledge that all the CGA Terms and Conditions included in this RFP in Attachment C will be included in the awarded contract or (2) provide specific, red-lined markups to the CGA Terms and Conditions included in this RFP in Attachment C.

D.3 Documentation Required Subsequent to Contract Award The following shall be provided subsequent to Contract award:

D.3.1 Insurance Certificate Please see minimum required levels listed in the Terms and Conditions section of this RFP. The awarded respondent must name the State of Connecticut/Connecticut General Assembly as an additional insured.

PART E EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS

E.1 Mandatory Requirements Prior to submitting a Proposal, each respondent shall examine the RFP and may visit the site of the work. Each respondent shall fully inform themselves prior to submitting the Proposal as to the existing conditions and limitations under which the work is to be performed, and shall include in the Proposal a sum to cover the cost of items necessary to perform the work as set forth in this RFP. No allowance will be made to a respondent because of lack of such examination or knowledge. The submission of a Proposal will be considered conclusive evidence that the respondent has made such an examination. CGA will determine if Proposals include all the mandatory requirements and are complete submissions. The CGA has the sole discretion to decide if Proposals are nonresponsive to this RFP.

E.2 Evaluation Criteria Complete Proposals will be given to the Evaluation Committee for review. The following Evaluation Criteria will be scored by the Evaluation Committee. Each factor will be scored using a scale of 1 through 5. The individual ratings for each member of the Evaluation Committee will be averaged and then by the criteria weights. The criteria weights are confidential until subsequent to contract award.

Evaluation Criteria Price/Cost Effectiveness The reasonableness of the proposed price.

Strategic Thinking/Planning Approach Overall approach and strategy to accomplish the work outlined in the Scope of Work above within the required timeframe.

Experience and Demonstrated Knowledge Assessment of technical capability of the vendor as demonstrated by the history of the company, past performance, overall experience as demonstrated by reference projects, and experience of individuals assigned to the project.

Terms and Condition Exceptions Review of the extent and severity of exceptions to the standard CGA terms and conditions.

TOTAL

E.3 Price Comparison Methodology Proposals will be compared based on the prices listed on the Pricing Page (Attachment A).

E.4 Presentations After review of the Proposals by the Evaluation Committee, the CGA may schedule times for some or all respondents to make presentations. During these presentations, the respondents may be asked to provide an overview of their written Proposal, answer questions and/or provide clarifications.

E.5 Contract Award All respondents will be notified of the Contract award once approved by the Legislative Leaders. The CGA will notify all respondents once a Contract is awarded.

ATTACHMENT A

PRICING PAGE

Contract Title: Stationery Printing & Delivery Contract Number: JCLM27REG0015

Compensation

Item Description Quantity Price Item Description Quantity Price Letterhead & Envelopes Letterhead 500 $________ #10 Envelopes 500 $________

1,000 $________ 1,000 $________ 1,500 $________ 1,500 $________ 2,000 $________ 2,000 $________ 2,500 $________ 2,500 $________ 3,000 $________ 3,000 $________

Add 500 $________ Add 500 $________ Miscellaneous Stationery Memo Pads, Package of 10 1 $________ Large Informal Notes/Envelopes 500 $________ Memo Pads, Package of 20 1 $________ Add 500 $________ FYI Notepads, Package of 10 1 $________ FYI Notepads, Package of 20 1 $________ Engraved Letterhead w/ Envelope Engraved Letterhead w/ Gold Seal 500

$________ Engraved Envelopes w/ Gold Seal 500

Add 500 $________ Add 500 $________ Union Bug Additional Costs Cost to add Union Bug to any items

500 $________ Rush Charge – Two Business Days - $________ 1,000 $________ Rush Charge, Engraved – Two Business

Days

1,500 $________ Annual Percentage Escalation, if any - _______%

2,000 $________

2,500 $________

Add 500 $________

Payment Terms Standard payment terms are net 45 days.

Please indicate any early payment discount terms:____________% Discount, ____________Days.

Please indicate if you are a Connecticut SBE/MBE: MBE SBE

The Proposer must include all applicable costs necessary to satisfy the requirements of the solicitation. Prices quoted by the Contractor shall include all freight and/or delivery charges (FOB Destination). The CGA shall not guarantee any minimum or maximum amount of the contractor’s products/services that may be required under the contract. The contractor shall provide products/services on an as needed, if needed basis. It shall be at the CGA's sole discretion as to which products/components are purchased and when (if at all) during the contract. The CGA makes no guarantees about single order quantities or total aggregate order quantities.

The undersigned agrees to furnish all services and/or commodities to the CT General Assembly as described in Contract at the prices listed above.

Company Name:

Company Address:

Signature: Date:

Name (Printed): Title:

Email: FEIN#:

Office Phone #: Cell Phone #:

ATTACHMENT B

PROPOSAL CHECKLIST

Contract Title: Stationery Printing & Delivery Contract Number: JCLM27REG0015

Please email one complete proposal response as a .PDF to CGAContracting@cga.ct.gov. Please structure your Response, specific to the following outline, clearly identifying each section, and numbering your pages:

1. Pricing Page (Attachment A)

2. Forms: Submit all required forms (Section D.2.2)

3. Project Plan

4. Experience and Knowledge

5. Confidential Information

6. Terms and Conditions Acknowledgement/Specific Exceptions

Attachment C: Terms and Conditions

Contract Table of Contents

1. Definitions

2. Contracting Vehicle

3. Description of Goods and Services

4. Rejected Items; Abandonment

5. Order and Delivery

6. Contract Amendments

7. Assignment

8. Termination

9. Cost Modifications

10. Breach

11. Waiver

12. Open Market Purchases

13. Purchase Orders

14. Indemnification

15. Forum and Choice of Law

16. Contractor Guaranties

17. Implied Warranties

18. Goods, Standards and Appurtenances

19. Delivery

20. Goods Inspection

21. Emergency Standby for Goods and/or Services

22. Setoff

23. Force Majeure

24. Advertising

25. Americans With Disabilities Act

26. Representations and Warranties

27. Representations and Warranties Concerning

Motor Vehicles

28. Disclosure of Contractor Parties Litigation

29. Entirety of Contract

30. Attachments

31. Non-Discrimination

32. Tangible Personal Property

33. Whistleblowing

34. Insurance

35. Headings

36. Number and Gender

37. Parties

38. Contractor Changes

39. Further Assurances

40. Audit and Inspection of Plants, Places of

Business and Records

41. Background Checks

42. Continued Performance

43. Working and Labor Synergies

44. Contractor Responsibility

45. Severability

46. Confidential Information

47. References to Statutes, Public Acts, Regulations, Codes and Executive Orders

48. Cross-Default

49. Disclosure of Records

50. Summary of State Ethics Laws

51. Sovereign Immunity

52. Time of the Essence

53. Certification as Small Contractor or Minority

Business Enterprise

54. Campaign Contribution Restriction

55. Protection of Confidential Information

56. Audit Requirements for Recipients of State

Financial Assistance

57. Anti-Trust

58. Representation for Contractor

59. Representation for Official or Employee

60. Iran Energy Investment Certification

61. Campaign Contribution Restriction

62. Access to Contract and State Data

The following provisions will be included in the Contract awarded as a result of this Request for Proposal.

1. Definitions. Unless otherwise indicated, the following terms shall have the following corresponding definitions:

(a) Bid: A Bid submitted in response to a Solicitation.

(b) Claims: All actions, suits, claims, demands, investigations and proceedings of any kind, open, pending or threatened, whether mature, unmatured, contingent, known or unknown, at law or in equity, in any forum.

(c) Confidential Information: This shall mean any name, number or other information that may be used, alone or in conjunction with any other information, to identify a specific individual including, but not limited to, such individual's name, date of birth, mother's maiden name, motor vehicle operator's license number, Social Security number, employee identification number, employer or taxpayer identification number, alien registration number, government passport number, health insurance identification number, demand deposit account number, savings account number, credit card number, debit card number or unique biometric data such as fingerprint, voice print, retina or iris image, or other unique physical representation. Without limiting the foregoing, Confidential Information shall also include any information that the CGA classifies as “confidential” or “restricted.” Confidential Information shall not include information that may be lawfully obtained from publicly available sources or from federal, state, or local government records which are lawfully made available to the general public.

(d) Confidential Information Breach: This shall mean, generally, an instance where an unauthorized person or entity accesses Confidential Information in any manner, including but not limited to the following occurrences: (1) any Confidential Information that is not encrypted or protected is misplaced, lost, stolen or in any way compromised; (2)one or more third parties have had access to or taken control or possession of any Confidential Information that is not encrypted or protected without prior written authorization from the CGA; (3) the unauthorized acquisition of encrypted or protected Confidential Information together with the confidential process or key that is capable of compromising the integrity of the Confidential Information; or (4) if there is a substantial risk of identity theft or fraud to the CGA, the Contractor, or the State.

(e) Contract: The agreement, as of its Effective Date, between the Contractor and the CGA for any or all Goods or Services at the Solicitation price.

(f) Contractor: A person or entity who submits a Solicitation response and who executes a Contract.

(g) Contractor Parties: A Contractor’s members, directors, officers, shareholders, partners, managers, principal officers, representatives, agents, servants, consultants, employees or any one of them or any other person or entity with whom the Contractor is in privity of oral or written contract and the Contractor intends for such other person or entity to Perform under the Contract in any capacity.

(h) Day: All calendar days other than Saturdays, Sundays and days designated as national or State of Connecticut holidays upon which banks in Connecticut are closed.

(i) Force Majeure: Force Majeure is defined as events that materially affect the cost of the Goods or Services or the time schedule within which to Perform and are outside the control of the party asserting that such an event has occurred, including, but not limited to, labor troubles unrelated to the Contractor, failure of or inadequate permanent power, unavoidable casualties, fire not caused by the Contractor, extraordinary weather conditions, disasters, riots, acts of God, insurrection, epidemic, pandemic or war.

(j) Goods: For purposes of the Contract, all things which are movable at the time that the Contract is effective and which include, without limiting this definition, supplies, materials and equipment, as specified in the Solicitation and set forth in Attachment A.

(k) Goods or Services: Goods, Services or both, as specified in the Solicitation and set forth in Attachment A.

(l) Records: All working papers and such other information and materials as may have been accumulated by the Contractor in performing the Contract, including but not limited to, documents, data, plans, books, computations, drawings, specifications, notes, reports, records, estimates, summaries and correspondence, kept or stored in any form.

(m) Services: The performance of labor or work, as specified in the Solicitation and set forth in Attachment A.

(n) Solicitation: A State request, in whatever form issued, inviting bids, proposals or quotes for Goods or Services, typified by, but not limited to, an invitation to bid, request for proposals, request for information or request for quotes. The Solicitation and this Contract shall be governed by the statutes, regulations and procedures of the State of Connecticut, Department of Administrative Services, even if the CGA has statutes, regulations and procedures which overlap DAS’s. However, to the extent that the CGA has statutes, regulations or procedures which the CGA determines in its sole discretion to be inconsistent with DAS’s, the CGA’s shall control over those of DAS’s.

The Solicitation is incorporated into and made a part of the Contract as if it had been fully set forth in it if, but only if, the Solicitation is in the form of an invitation to bid, request for information or request for quotes. A Solicitation in the form of a request for proposals is not incorporated into the Contract in its entirety, but, rather, it is incorporated into the Contract only to the extent specifically stated in Attachment A.

(o) State: The State of Connecticut, including the CGA and any office, department, board, council, commission, institution or other CGA of the State.

(p) Termination: An end to the Contract prior to the end of its term whether effected pursuant to a right which the Contract creates or for a breach.

(q) Title: all ownership, title, licenses, rights and interest, including, but not limited to, perpetual use, of and to the Goods or Services.

2. Contracting Vehicle. The Solicitation may involve an invitation to bid, request for proposals, request for information or request for quotes, each of which may be governed by different statutory, regulatory and administrative procedures. ALTHOUGH THIS CONTRACT USES THE TERMS “SOLICITATION” AND “BID” IT’S USE OF THOSE TERMS IS INTENDED ONLY FOR PURPOSES OF CONVENIENCE AND SHALL NOT BE DEEMED TO BE A CONTROLLING STATEMENT AS TO THE TYPE OF

SOLICITATION USED OR THE RESPECTIVE RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE PARTIES. THE

IDENTIFICATION IN THE SOLICITATION OF THE PARTICULAR PROCUREMENT VEHICLE THE STATE IS USING TO SOLICIT GOODS OR SERVICES SHALL CONTROL. Therefore, if the Solicitation identifies the procurement vehicle as something other than an Invitation to Bid, the terms “Solicitation” and “Bid, “as used in this Contract shall be read to mean “Request for Proposals,” “Proposal” and “Proposer” or to mean such other terms as are consistent with the Solicitation in order to preserve the integrity of the statutory, regulatory and procedural distinctions among the various procurement vehicles and their corresponding principles.

3. Description of Goods or Services and Additional Terms and Conditions. The Contractor shall perform as set forth in Attachment A. For purposes of this Contract, to perform and the performance in Attachment A. is referred to as “Perform” and the “Performance.”

4. Rejected Items; Abandonment.

(a) The Contractor may deliver, cause to be delivered, or, in any other way, bring or cause to be brought, to any CGA premises or other destination, Goods, as samples or otherwise, and other supplies, materials, equipment or other tangible personal property. The CGA may, by written notice and in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Contract, direct the Contractor to remove any or all such Goods (the “Rejected Goods”) and any or all other supplies, materials, equipment or other tangible personal property (collectively, the “Contractor Property”) from and out of the CGA premises and any other location which the CGA or State manages, leases or controls. The Contractor shall remove the Rejected Goods and the Contractor Property in accordance with the terms and conditions of the written notice. Failure to remove the Rejected Goods or the Contractor Property in accordance with the terms and conditions of the written notice shall mean, for itself and all Contractor Parties, that:

(1) they have voluntarily, intentionally, unconditionally, unequivocally and absolutely abandoned and left unclaimed the Rejected Goods and Contractor Property and relinquished all ownership, title, licenses, rights, possession and interest of, in and to (collectively, “Title”) the Rejected Goods and Contractor Property with the specific and express intent of (A) terminating all of their Title to the Rejected Goods and Contractor Property, (B) vesting Title to the Rejected Goods and Contractor Property in the State of Connecticut and (C) not ever reclaiming Title or any future rights of any type in and to the Rejected Goods and Contractor Property;

(2) there is no ignorance, inadvertence or unawareness to mitigate against the intent to abandon the Rejected Goods or Contractor Property;

(3) they vest authority, without any further act required on their part or the CGA’s part, in the CGA and the State to use or dispose of the Rejected Goods and Contractor Property, in the CGA’s sole discretion, as if the Rejected Goods and Contractor Property were the CGA’s or State’s own property and in accordance with law, without incurring any liability or obligation to the Contractor or any other party;

(4) if the CGA or State incur any costs or expenses in connection with disposing of the Rejected Goods and Contractor Property, including, but not limited to, advertising, moving or storing the Rejected Goods and Contractor Property, auction and other activities, the CGA shall invoice the Contractor for all such cost and expenses and the Contractor shall reimburse the CGA no later than thirty (30) days after the date of invoice; and

(5) they do remise, release and forever discharge the CGA and all State employees, departments, commissions, boards, bureaus, agencies, instrumentalities or political subdivisions and their respective successors, heirs, executors and assigns (collectively, the “State and Its Agents”) of and from all Claims which they and their respective successors or assigns, jointly or severally, ever had, now have or will have against the CGA and the State and Its Agents arising from the use or disposition of the Rejected Goods and Contractor Property.

(b) The Contractor shall secure from each Contractor Party, as appropriate, such document or instrument as necessary or appropriate as will vest in the Contractor plenary authority to bind the Contractor Parties to the full extent necessary or appropriate to give full effect to all of the terms and conditions of this section. The Contractor shall provide, no later than fifteen (15) days after receiving a request from the CGA, such information as the CGA may require to evidence, in the CGA’s sole determination, compliance with this section.

5. Order and Delivery. The Contract shall bind the Contractor to furnish and deliver the Goods or

Services in accordance with Attachment A and at the prices set forth in Attachment B. Subject to the sections in this Contract concerning Force Majeure, Termination and Open Market Purchases, the Contract shall bind the CGA to order the Goods or Services from the Contractor, and to pay for the accepted Goods or Services in accordance with Attachment B.

6. Contract Amendments. No amendment to or modification or other alteration of the Contract shall be valid or binding upon the CGA unless made in writing, and signed by both parties.

7. Assignment. The Contractor shall not assign any of its rights or obligations under the Contract, voluntarily or otherwise, in any manner without the prior written consent of the CGA. The CGA may void any purported assignment in violation of this section and declare the Contractor in breach of Contract. Any Termination by the CGA for a breach is without prejudice to the CGA’s or the State’s rights or possible Claims.

8. Termination.

(a) Notwithstanding any provisions in this Contract, the CGA, through a duly authorized employee, may

Terminate the Contract whenever the CGA makes a written determination that such Termination is in the best interests of the CGA. The CGA shall notify the Contractor in writing of Termination pursuant to this section, which notice shall specify the effective date of Termination and the extent to which the Contractor must complete its Performance under the Contract prior to such date.

(b) Notwithstanding any provisions in this Contract, the CGA, through a duly authorized employee, may, after making a written determination that the Contractor has breached the Contract, Terminate the Contract in accordance with the provisions in the Breach section of this Contract.

(c) The CGA shall send the notice of Termination via certified mail, return receipt requested, to the Contractor at the most current address which the Contractor has furnished to the CGA for purposes of correspondence, or by hand delivery. Upon receiving the notice from the CGA, the Contractor shall immediately discontinue all services affected in accordance with the notice, undertake all commercially reasonable efforts to mitigate any losses or damages, and deliver to the CGA all Records. The Records are deemed to be the property of the CGA and the Contractor shall deliver them to the CGA no later than thirty (30) days after the Termination of the Contract or fifteen (15) days after the Contractor receives a written request from the CGA for the Records. The Contractor shall deliver those Records that exist in electronic, magnetic or other intangible form in a non-proprietary format, such as, but not limited to, ASCII or .TXT.

(d) Upon receipt of a written notice of Termination from the CGA, the Contractor shall cease operations as the CGA directs in the notice, and take all actions that are necessary or appropriate, or that the CGA may reasonably direct, for the protection, and preservation of the Goods and any other property. Except for any work which the CGA directs the Contractor to Perform in the notice prior to the effective date of Termination, and except as otherwise provided in the notice, the Contractor shall terminate or conclude all existing subcontracts and purchase orders and shall not enter into any further subcontracts, purchase orders or commitments.

(e) The CGA shall, within forty-five (45) days of the effective date of Termination, reimburse the Contractor for its Performance rendered and accepted by the CGA in accordance with Attachment A, in addition to all actual and reasonable costs incurred after Termination in completing those portions of the Performance which the notice required the Contractor to complete. However, the Contractor is not entitled to receive and the CGA is not obligated to tender to the Contractor any payments for anticipated or lost profits. Upon request by the CGA, the Contractor shall assign to the CGA, or any replacement contractor which the CGA designates, all subcontracts, purchase orders and other commitments, deliver to the CGA all Records and other information pertaining to its Performance, and remove from CGA premises, whether leased or owned, all of Contractor’s property, equipment, waste material and rubbish related to its Performance, all as the CGA may request.

(f) For breach or violation of any of the provisions in the section concerning Representations and Warranties, the CGA may Terminate the Contract in accordance with its terms and revoke any consents to assignments given as if the assignments had never been requested or consented to, without liability to the Contractor or Contractor Parties or any third party.

(g) Upon Termination of the Contract, all rights and obligations shall be null and void, so that no party shall have any further rights or obligations to any other party, except with respect to the sections which survive Termination. All representations, warranties, agreements and rights of the parties under the Contract shall survive such Termination to the extent not otherwise limited in the Contract and without each one of them having to be specifically mentioned in the Contract.

(h) Termination of the Contract pursuant to this section shall not be deemed to be a breach of contract by the CGA.

9. Cost Modifications. The parties may agree to a reduction in the cost of the Contract at any time during which the Contract is in effect. Without intending to impose a limitation on the nature of the reduction, the reduction may be to hourly, staffing or unit costs, the total cost of the Contract or the reduction may take such other form as the CGA deems to be necessary or appropriate.

10. Breach. If either party breaches the Contract in any respect, the non-breaching party shall provide written notice of such breach to the breaching party and afford the breaching party an opportunity to cure the breach within ten (10) days from the date that the breaching party receives such notice.

Any other time provided for in the notice shall trump such ten (10) days. Such right to cure period shall be extended if the non-breaching party is satisfied that the breaching party is making a good faith effort to cure but the nature of the breach is such that it cannot be cured within the right to cure period. The notice may include an effective Contract Termination date if the breach is not cured by the stated date and, unless otherwise modified by the non-breaching party in writing prior to the Termination date, no further action shall be required of any party to effect the Termination as of the stated date. If the notice does not set forth an effective Contract Termination date, then the non-breaching party may Terminate the Contract by giving the breaching party no less than twenty four (24) hours' prior written notice. If the CGA believes that the Contractor has not performed according to the Contract, the CGA may withhold payment in whole or in part pending resolution of the Performance issue, provided that the CGA notifies the Contractor in writing prior to the date that the payment would have been due in accordance with Attachment B.

11. Waiver.

(a) No waiver of any breach of the Contract shall be interpreted or deemed to be a waiver of any other or subsequent breach. All remedies afforded in the Contract shall be taken and construed as cumulative, that is, in addition to every other remedy provided in the Contract or at law or in equity.

(b) A party’s failure to insist on strict performance of any provision of the Contract shall only be deemed to be a waiver of rights and remedies concerning that specific instance of Performance and shall not be deemed to be a waiver of any subsequent rights, remedies or breach.

12. Open Market Purchases. Failure of the Contractor to Perform within the time specified in the

Contract, or failure to replace rejected or substandard Goods or fulfill unperformed Services when so requested and as the Contract provides or allows, constitutes a breach of the Contract and as a remedy for such breach, such failure shall constitute authority for the CGA, if it deems it to be necessary or appropriate in its sole discretion, to Terminate the Contract and/or to purchase on the open market, Goods or Services to replace those which have been rejected, not delivered, or not Performed. The CGA shall invoice the Contractor for all such purchases to the extent that they exceed the costs and expenses in Attachment B and the Contractor shall pay the CGA’s invoice immediately after receiving the invoice. If the CGA does not Terminate the Contract, the CGA will deduct such open market purchases from the Contract quantities. However, if the CGA deems it to be in the best interest of the CGA, the CGA may accept and use the Goods and/or Services delivered which are substandard in quality, subject to an adjustment in price to be determined by the CGA.

13. Purchase Orders.

(a) The Contract itself is not an authorization for the Contractor to ship Goods or begin Performance in any way. The Contractor may begin Performance only after it has received a duly issued purchase order against the Contract for Performance.

(b) The CGA shall issue a purchase order against the Contract directly to the Contractor and to no other party.

(c) All purchase orders shall be in written or electronic form, bear the Contract number (if any), be signed and comply with all other State and CGA requirements, particularly the CGA’s requirements concerning procurement. Purchase orders issued in compliance with these requirements shall be deemed to be duly issued.

(d) A Contractor making delivery without a duly issued purchase order in accordance with this section does so at the Contractor’s own risk.

(e) The CGA may, in its sole discretion, deliver to the Contractor any or all duly issued purchase orders via electronic means only, such that the CGA shall not have any additional obligation to deliver to the Contractor a “hard copy” of the purchase order.

14. Indemnification.

(a) The Contractor shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the CGA and its officers, representatives, agents, servants, employees, successors and assigns from and against…