WCBOE _ Copier Services RFP 2025.docx

Washington County Schools 501 Industrial Drive Sandersville, GA 31082 (478)552-3981 Fax (478)552-3128

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL:

COPIER/PRINTER SERVICES

PERTINENT DATES

March 6, 2025 Request for Proposal Issued

March 28, 2025 Deadline for Submitting Questions

April 8, 2025 Proposal Deadline

April 9-29, 2025 Bid Review

May 8, 2025 Recommendations Presented to Board

May 9, 2025 Award of Contract

July 1, 2025 Contract Beginning Date

Washington County Schools

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL:

Copier/Printer SERVICES

You are invited to submit sealed proposals to contract with the Washington County Board of Education (herein referred to as the “District”) to provide multifunctional copier/printers, maintenance, supplies, support services, training, and associated hardware and software for their schools and administrative offices.

INTERESTED PARTIES: Interested parties may obtain proposal documents from the District’s administrative offices located at 501 Industrial Drive, Sandersville, Georgia, or from the District’s website – washingtoncountyschoolsga.org.

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: The deadline for receiving proposals is Tuesday, April 8, 2025 at 2:00 PM.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION: A signed copy of the proposal must be submitted by bid day in a sealed envelope marked on the outside, “RFP COPIER SERVICES.” The sealed, marked envelope containing the copy of the proposal should be addressed to:

Vicki Frost Purchasing Manager Washington County Schools 501 Industrial Drive Sandersville, GA 31082

All proposals must be signed by an authorized representative of the Contractor in spaces provided within this RFP and must be returned with the proposal. Emailed RFP’s will not be accepted.

QUESTIONS/INQUIRIES: All inquiries and requests for information regarding the proposal submission shall be directed to Vicki Frost, Purchasing Manager, Washington County Schools, by mail – 501 Industrial Drive, Sandersville, GA 31082: by phone – (478)552-3981 ext.1253, by fax – (478)552-3128, or email – vfrost@washington.k12.ga.us..

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER: The District is an equal opportunity employer and reserves the right to refuse or reject any or all proposals that are not in the best interest of the school system.

WAIVER OF FORMAL DEFECT: The District may waive any technical or formal defect in any proposal not prepared and submitted in accordance with the provisions herein and reject any or all proposals. The proposal must follow the guidelines of the RFP. Any exceptions/additions will cause the proposal to be disregarded. The District will make the award to the most responsive Contractor in its own judgment and in the best interest of the District. The District reserves the right not to award a contract to any bidder.

PERIOD OF SERVICE REQUIRED: The District desires a contract period of July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2030. However, Georgia Code § 20-2-506 requires that any multi-year agreement with a school system “shall terminate absolutely and without further obligation on the part of the school system at the close of the calendar year in which it was executed and at the close of each succeeding calendar year for which it may be renewed.” However, “the contract may provide for automatic renewal unless positive action is taken by the school system to terminate such contract. The contract shall state the total obligation of the school system for the calendar year of execution and shall further state the total obligation which will be incurred in each calendar year renewal term if renewed.”

The contract entered into between the District and the Contractor who submits the successful proposal will provide for automatic renewal at the end of each calendar year during the anticipated contract period of July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2030, subject to the provisions of Georgia Code § 20-2-506.

WASHINGTON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT FACILITIES:

Facility Location

Prior to submitting a bid, the Contractor may schedule and complete a site visit to each District facility.

SUBCONTRACTORS:

The Contractor shall not employ subcontractors for this contract, nor shall the contract be assigned without the written permission of the Washington County Board of Education.

CANCELLATION:

In the event the vendor cannot provide acceptable service at any time during the contract period, the District reserves the right to make other temporary arrangements in the anticipation of changing vendors for the procurement of copier services. Under this clause, the vendor agrees the equipment will remain in place until other arrangements are made.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY, DRUG-FREE EMPLOYER, E-VERIFY:

The Contractor must comply with all statutes of the Equal Opportunity Employer Act, be a Drug-Free Employer in the State of Georgia and participate in the federal E-Verify program. Contractor must submit an E-Verify Affidavit with its proposal (form attached). Contractor must drug test employees before employment and conduct criminal background as well as fingerprint checks according to Georgia’s requirements for school employees prior to the employee beginning allowed work or be present at any District facility where students are present. No employee with a felony conviction or any conviction of sex crime, crime of moral turpitude, or any crime against a child may be assigned by Contractor to a District facility. Copies of drug tests and background tests must be permanently maintained on file by the Contractor and must be made available for inspection by the District upon request.

AWARD METHOD:

The District reserves the right to award a complete proposal based on a five-year term. This contract will be awarded May 9, 2025. Cost-per-copy is a very important consideration; however, service and maintenance ability, including prompt response, is vitally important to the copier operation of the District. With these factors in mind, the award of this contract will not be based on price alone. We are seeking a multifunction copier/printer solution for our District.

TIME OF THE ESSENCE:

The failure of the successful vendor to perform contracted service or deliver the merchandise within the required time shall constitute a material breach of contract. If a breach occurs, the vendor may be responsible for any damages the school system incurs.

EXEMPTION FROM TAXES:

The District is exempt from State Sales Tax and Federal Excise Tax.

BUY OUT CLAUSE:

If in the event the contractor sells, transfers or relinquishes, whether voluntarily or by operation of law, their ownership interest in the corporation, partnership or proprietorship identified under this agreement, this agreement shall terminate immediately unless prior written consent has been granted by the District. Such consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. The contractor shall promptly notify the District of any actual or proposed change in, transfer or acquisition by another party of control of said corporation, partnership, or proprietorship. For purposes of this document, the word “control” as used herein is not limited to major stockholders but includes actual working control in whatever manner exercised. Any approval by the District of transfer or ownership or control shall be contingent upon the prospective controlling party becoming a signatory to the agreement and otherwise complying with all the terms and conditions herein.

SPECIFICATIONS

(1) This request for proposal is issued for the purpose of acquiring copier management services, which will include the copier equipment along with appropriate cables, all consumable supplies and staples (except paper), emergency repair service, normal repair service, periodic preventative maintenance (to include maintenance kits and parts), operator training services, consulting services, and management reporting for the District. The maintenance agreement should be based on the payment of usage charges – determined by the number of copies made and reconciled on an annual basis. Quoted price shall consist of a single monthly fee to include an annual volume and a cost per copy for usage. Vendor shall quote one price for the machine rental, service and supplies. All vendors are required to propose NEW equipment. The District will not accept remanufactured equipment.

(2) The District averages approximately 639,531 copies produced MONTHLY. Of these copies approximately 7,910 are color. See Attachment A for volumes per school.

(3) Our desired requirements are as follows:

a. Single Pass - Dual scanning document feeders on all Equipment,

b. Multi-position stapling (minimum of 60 pages of 8.5x11 paper) on all finishers,

c. 3,000 pages of paper output on all finishers,

d. Optional accessory for folding finishers capable of z-folding and bi-folding

e. PS & PCL Network printing on all equipment

f. Color scanning, file types JPEG, TIFF, PDF, scanning to folder, email and USB on all copiers

g. Large capacity trays with a minimum of 4,000 sheets of paper capacity on all A3 machines

h. A3 machines that can print, copy and scan through doc feeder and platen glass up to 11x17

i. A4 machines that can print, copy and scan through doc feeder and platen glass up to an 8½x14

j. Follow me printing & secure release with Proximity Card and PIN Authentication on all A3 machines

k. Optional Test grading system

l. Optical Character Recognition

Attachment B contains the minimum requirements for each type of machine. If your copiers or printers come equipped with more features, that would be acceptable; however, it will not be considered in determining the winning bid.

Attachment C contains the proposed list of copiers needed.

(4) Quantities in this solicitation for copiers, supplies and services are ESTIMATES ONLY. Services and supplies furnished by the contractor will be in direct proportion to the actual numbers and volume ranges of copiers required by the District. The District does not guarantee to utilize a specific quantity of copiers.

(5) If required, additional equipment may need to be added to the contract. Units that are added must be charged at the awarded bid price and all specifications described in this request for proposal shall be required for any additional piece of equipment. Any additional equipment will be coterminous with the end of the contract date.

(6) Installation must include unpacking, set-up and removal of any boxes from the school or department site. All components must be tested by the contractor to ensure proper working order at the location of installation. If any components are found to be defective, it is the responsibility of the contractor to obtain replacement parts. Network installation is to include connecting cables, loading appropriate drivers and setting the equipment up with appropriate IP information.

(7) The District shall make every effort to ensure that the ordered placements of copiers, by volume and classification, are directly related to the average monthly volume of copies produced at a given copier site. Should the successful vendor become aware of any site where a copier is being regularly over-used or under-used, they may recommend the replacement of that machine with one of a higher or lower volume range, as appropriate. The final decision, however, as to the machine requirement appropriate for any site shall be solely that of the District.

TECHNICAL MAINTENANCE SUPPORT, INVOICING, REFERENCES

(1) Vendors will be responsible for including a detailed Contract Implementation Schedule with their proposal, which should outline policies for equipment installation, training and on-going customer support procedures, as well as the level of involvement that will be required by the District. The successful vendor will be able to begin implementation of their proposal on JULY 1, 2025.

(2) The vendor is expected to provide qualified and trained service and delivery personnel in sufficient numbers to service and support the requirements under this RFP. In addition, end users should have the ability to order supplies, place service requests or seek technical assistance electronically (on-line) 24/7.

(3) The vendor will be responsible for all equipment movement to the District facilities, including any insurance on hardware transport, and for planning and coordinating any changes to existing facilities at the District. The District will provide adequate electrical, network cabling and telephone service. The successful vendor will be required upon delivery to the school/department to unload, assemble and place in designated location, make any necessary adjustments and clean items. The vendor shall also be responsible for removing and disposing of all packing materials from the school/department site.

(4) The vendor is responsible for “key operator” training.

(5) Normal and preventative maintenance will include business hours of 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Maintenance should include, but not be limited to, travel, cleaning, oiling, adjusting and replacing all components necessary. Vendor should provide a monthly maintenance check on all machines. All normal and preventative maintenance as well as priority calls are to be included in the cost-per-copy price. Preventative maintenance shall be completed in accordance with manufacturer’s suggested schedule.

(6) Response time for normal school and administrative offices cannot exceed four (4) hours. If a copier cannot be repaired within four (4) hours, vendor must provide back-up equipment. Back-up equipment must meet or exceed the specifications of that volume range machine. Back-up equipment must be provided within one (1) full business day.

(7) The Vendor will be required to replace copiers that reflect a down-time of 10% or more of the normal working day (8) hours in one 30-day (calendar day) period. The vendor should provide a replacement machine of equal or greater capability until the repair of the original machine is completed.

(8) Invoices are to be sent to the District’s Accounts Payable Department at P O Box 716, Sandersville, GA 31082. The successful vendor must be capable of generating a monthly volume report for each school and/or department, as well as a summary of year-to-date activities for each machine. Reports for monthly, quarterly, or annual activities may be requested by the Purchasing Department. These reports are critical to the operation of the cost-per-copy program and must be generated with accuracy and complete data. These reports must be available upon request by the Purchasing Manager or Accounts Payable Manager.

(9) Vendor will need to provide a list of references demonstrating past and current work experience, including work experience similar to the District environment. This should include the name of the account, address, contact name and telephone number, and dollar amount of contract.

(10) The Vendor shall include a sample Lease and Service contract.

(11) The Vendor shall be responsible for the removal of their equipment at the end of the Lease term at no additional cost to the District.

(12) The District shall not be responsible for any Personal Property Taxes incurred by the Lessee over the course of this contract.

(13) The Vendor shall maintain a toll-free technical support telephone line. This line shall be answered live with North American support personnel except before/after normal business hours. The use of automated answer service or interactive voice or prompts, except after hours will not be permitted. The line shall be accessible to County personnel who wish to obtain competent technical assistance regarding the operation of products supplied by the Contractor.

(14) The Vendor shall not quote any machine that is of lesser capabilities or specifications than is requested in Attachment B

(15) Provided vendors meet the specifications required by this RFP, an alternate proposal may be submitted, in addition, if vendor determines there is an option more beneficial to the District.

PRINTER SERVICES

The District also requests printers and management services, which will include the printer equipment along with appropriate cables, all consumable supplies (except paper), emergency repair service, normal repair service, periodic preventative maintenance (to include maintenance kits and parts), operator training services, consulting services, and management reporting for the District. Technical Maintenance Support and Invoicing will be the same as stated above in the Copier RFP.

The District will require an estimated 225 NEW classroom printers installed, with the following minimum requirements:

1. USB Port

2. Network Port

3. Wireless Capability

4. Both Mac and PC Compatible

5. Minimum paper capacity of 500 sheets of paper and bypass tray

6. Support both PCL and PS emulations

7. Duplexing

8. 45 pages per minute

The vendor will provide all toners/cartridges for these printers and keep a supply of toners/cartridges on site for immediate use.

Lease Price per unit: ________ Black print cost: ________

ATTACHMENT A

Copier Information Per Location

Printer Information Per Location

ATTACHMENT B

Desktop Copiers (low Volume)

Band 1 (minimum copier speed 40)

· Network Color Scanning (to folders, email, and USB)

· Network Printing (need to print PCL and PS documents)

· Minimum of 50-page Dual Scan Document Feeder

· Duplexing (Print and Copy)

· Paper sizes for copy and print: Letter, Legal

· Must be an A4 machine due to available space

Band 1 Lease Price: ________ Cost per Print: ________

Al-a-carte

Desktop Copiers (high volume)

Band 2 (minimum copier speed 50)

· Network Color Scanning (to folders, email, and USB)

· Network Printing (need to print PCL and PS documents)

· Minimum of 75-page Dual Scan Automatic Document Feeder

· Duplexing (Print and Copy)

· Paper sizes for copy and print: Letter, Legal

· Must be an A4 machine due to available space

Band 2 Lease Price: ________ Cost per Print: ________

Al-a-carte

Mid-Range Copiers

Band 3 (copier speed 40 prints per minute to 49 prints per minute) Band 4 (copier speed 50 prints per minute to 59 prints per minute) Band 5 (copier speed 60 prints per minute to 69 prints per minute)

· Network Color Scanning (to folders, email, and USB)

· Network Printing (need to print PCL and PS documents)

· Minimum of 200-page Dual Scan Automatic Document Feeder

· Duplexing (Print and Copy)

· Minimum of three paper trays plus a bypass tray (one for letter, one for legal, one for ledger, bypass for cardstock)

· One of the above paper trays needs to be a large capacity tray holding a minimum of 3,000 sheets of paper

· Paper sizes for copy and print: Letter, Legal & Ledger

· Follow me printing & secure release

Al-a-carte

High Volume Copiers

Band 6 (copier speed 70 prints per minute to 79 prints per minute) Band 7 (copier speed 80 prints per minute to 89 prints per minute) Band 8 (copier speed 90 prints per minute plus)

· Network Color Scanning (to folders, and email)

· Network Printing (need to print PCL and PS)

· Minimum of 250-page Dual Scan Automatic Document Feeder

· Duplexing (Print and Copy)

· Minimum of three paper trays plus a bypass tray (one for letter, one for legal, one for ledger, bypass for cardstock)

· One of the above paper trays needs to be a large capacity tray holding a minimum of 3,000 sheets of paper

· Multi Position Stapling (minimum of 60 pages of 8.5x11 paper) and 3,000 sheets of output.

· Paper sizes for copy and print: Letter, Legal & Ledger

· Follow me printing & secure release

Al-a-carte

Mid-Range Color Copier

Band 9 (copier speed 50 prints per minute to 59 prints per minute)

· Network Color Scanning (to folders, and email)

· Network Color Printing (need to print PCL and PS)

· Minimum of 200-page Dual Scan Automatic Document Feeder

· Duplexing (Print and Copy)

· Minimum of three paper trays plus a bypass tray (one for letter, one for legal, one for ledger, bypass for cardstock)

· One of the above paper trays needs to be a large capacity tray holding a minimum of 3,000 sheets of paper

· Paper sizes for copy and print: Letter, Legal & Ledger

· Follow me printing & secure release

Band 9 Lease Price per unit: ________ Black print cost: ________ Color print cost: ________

Al-a-carte

Color Desktop Copiers (low Volume)

Band 10 (minimum copier speed 45)

· Network Color Scanning (to folders, email, and USB)

· Network Color Printing (need to print PCL and PS documents)

· Minimum of 75-page Dual Scan Document Feeder

· Duplexing (Print and Copy)

· Paper sizes for copy and print: Letter, Legal

· Must be an A4 machine due to available space

Band 10 Lease Price per unit: ________ Black print cost: ________ Color print cost: ________

Al-a-carte

ATTACHMENT C

Washington County Board of Education - IGAL Academy

Band 3

Washington County Board of Education - IGAL Academy

Band 1

Proposal Sheet

Contract Price Quotation for Copier Services Proposal Deadline is April 8, 2025, 2:00 PM

Total Contract Price for Copier Services for July 1, 2025 thru June 30, 2030 $ ______________________

Total Contract Price for Printer Services for July 1, 2025 thru June 30, 2030 $______________________

Name of Company: _______________________________________________

Address: _______________________________________________

Telephone/Fax Numbers: _______________________________________________

Email Address: _______________________________________________

Company Website: _______________________________________________

Authorized Company Representative: _________________________________________

Title/Position: _________________________________________

Appendix A

Agreement between Washington County Board of Education and

Name of Individual or Business

Any contractor or service provider submitting a proposal or bid, accepting a Purchase Order, and/or entering into any contract for the physical performance of services with the Washington County Board of Education, by signature and witness herein affirms, attests and declares that they are in compliance with O.C.G.A. 13-10-90.

Paragraph (a)

__________________________________ at ___________________________________ Name of Individual or Business Address of Individual or Business has registered with, is authorized to use, and uses the federal work authorization program.

Paragraph (b)

The User Identification Number (E-Verify #) and date of authorization for

__________________________________ is:

User ID # ___________________________________

Date of Authorization ____________________________

Paragraph (c)

______________________________________ will continue to use E-Verify for any contracted services performed for the Washington County Board of Education.

Paragraph (d)

_______________________________________ will contract for the physical performance of services only with sub-contractors who present an affidavit to

___________________________________ with the same information as required in paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of this document.

Hereby attested, affirmed, and declared by below individual signature or signature of authorized agent of:

Printed Name

Signature

Date

Notarized and Witnessed:

Affixed Seal and Date of Witness image1.emf