RFI for office furniture group sales and marketing

Request for Information/Proposal (Market Research)

FPI-RFI-Transportation Services     # RFI0011-26                                                                         

Issue Date:  April 22, 2026

Submittal Due Date:  May 1st, 2026 @10:00 am EST

Issuing Company:   UNICOR, Federal Prison Industries, Inc.

                        Office Furniture Group

                        400 First Street, NW

                        Washington, DC 20534

                        POC: Brent Ponder, Contracting Officer

                        Brent.Ponder@usdoj.gov      

SUBJECT:  THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION FOR OFFICE FURNITURE GROUP FOR SALES AND MARKETING.

All information in this request is considered confidential and shall not be used by the Respondent for any reason other than responding to this request.   This is a Request for Information (RFI) and your response is NOT an offer.    The results of this Request for Information (RFI) will be used to develop an Acquisitions Strategy, AND WILL NOT RESULT IN A CONTRACT OF ANY TYPE.

This request does not obligate UNICOR OFG to pay any cost that any Respondent incurs in the preparation of its response.  All cost associated with the preparation of a response to this request will be borne solely by the Respondent.  All submitted responses shall become the property of UNICOR OFG and will not be returned.

UNICOR, Federal Prison Industries (FPI) is soliciting proposals for sale and marketing of systems furniture, case goods, seating, metals and accessory items.

DESCRIPTION/STATEMENT OF WORK

UNICOR Office Furniture Group (OFG) has a contract requirement for sales and marketing of systems furniture, case goods, seating, metals and accessory items.

 Successful offeror(s) will be responsible for sales and marketing of the Office Furniture Group's product and services offerings during the term of the contract. This shall include but not be limited to the existing products and services and any products or services added at a later date.  Successful offeror(s) will be required to work with UNICOR’s spaceplan and design vendor on a daily basis for the duration of this award.

The sales force shall have the responsibility to cover the United States including Alaska, Guam, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Hawaii. At a minimum, the sales force must be staffed with 2 regional managers and at least 8 sales representatives. These staff shall be physically located in a manner that they can provide timely responses to customers throughout the United States. Generally, a customer should be responded to within 24 hours. UNICOR will not establish sales force staffing levels in recognition of this being performance based.

UNICOR will bear none of the operational costs associated with the sales force. This includes, but is not limited to, salaries, benefits, office costs, office expenses, and travel costs. This shall be considered a cost of doing business and will be the sole responsibility of the successful offeror.

The sales force shall be responsible for identifying customers, making sales calls, closing the sale, and facilitating a smooth hand-off to UNICOR's Project Managers once the order has been loaded at UNICOR’s customer service center. The sales representative has a responsibility to educate the customer on UNICOR’s re-entry mission and any processes related to ordering, cancellations, order delays, installation services, and storage charges. Successful offeror shall develop a fact sheet, subject to UNICOR approval, to educate the customer on the "customer's responsibilities" when customer caused delays and changes occur. The successful offeror sales representative and UNICOR sales staff will work together to obtain appropriate procurement document revisions from the customer to facilitate ordering and invoicing.

Successful offeror shall maintain a UNICOR customer database by sales representative that shall contain at a minimum the following information:

Agency Name Federal Prison Industries

Point of Contact Erik Brent Ponder

Telephone Number: (870)-630-6000 X1375

Email Address: Brent.Ponder@USDOJ.GOV

Alternate Point of Contact: Barbara McMaster

Telephone Number: (662)-751-4800 x4112

Email Address:Barbara.McMaster@usdoj.gov

UNICOR has ownership of the database, and the information shall not be shared without the written consent of UNICOR. At the end of the contract, the database shall be provided to UNICOR and the successful offerors shall not utilize this information to compete against UNICOR in future endeavors.

Successful offeror shall acquire a National Sales Manager upon contract award. This position shall report directly to the UNICOR Office Furniture Group Chief of Sales or his/her designee and have full responsibility for all sales activity for the sales force handling UNICOR products. This position shall have (7) seven years of contract furniture management experience with the federal government/commercial market.

The National Sales Manager shall meet with UNICOR management staff in Washington, DC or via teleconference twice a month. These meetings shall be established on mutually agreed days.

In addition to hiring a National Sales Manager, a Regional Manager shall be hired to oversee the sales representatives and their territories.

Offeror is to provide the following:

  Offerors shall submit a resume for the National Sales Manager, Regional Managers and all sales representatives they propose in the performance of the contract.

National Sales Manager shall have seven (7) years of contract furniture management experience with the federal government/commercial market.

Regional Managers shall have a minimum of five (5) years of successful experience in government/commercial furniture sales

  All sales representatives shall have a minimum of two (2) years of successful experience in government/commercial furniture sales

  Individual resumes shall be no more than 2 pages in length.

  Offeror shall provide an Executive Summary and company profile. Offerors will be evaluated on their knowledge of contract furniture management and their experience with the federal government market.

The sales force shall be exclusive to UNICOR. Successful offeror shall be responsible for tracking all sales leads from inception to closure. This will include pre-sales and post-sales activity. Successful offeror shall submit to UNICOR by the 5th of each month a report showing, at a minimum, the percentage of successful order receipt, as well as a forecast of expected orders over the next 30, 60, and 90 days. This report shall be by product category and dollars.

Sales Management activities will include but not be limited to:

o    Conduct weekly district sales and marketing operations meeting.

o    Develop monthly incoming forecast in conjunction with the sales representatives

o    Maintain a presence at all tradeshows and marketing opportunities that occur within the Sales District of responsibility.

o    Responsible for the sales goal within the district.

o    Report monthly on the sales district's performance

o    Recommend pricing strategies and tactics at the district level.

o    Conduct and assist district representatives with field presentations

o    Develop personnel sales relationships with key government specifiers and influencers.

Successful offeror shall establish a bid desk to respond to government solicitations and issue quotes to federal customers. UNICOR shall participate in such a manner that any discounts or non-standard terms and conditions given are approved or negotiated by the UNICOR Chief of Sales or his/her designee.

Reports to UNICOR management supplied not later than the 5th of each month shall include, but not be limited to:

          Summary forecast reports by product groups.

          Sales lead probability report by order

          Any other reports deemed necessary by UNICOR

Successful offerors will be responsible for ensuring that the sales representatives have the appropriate background to allow for the granting of access to customer sites and our SAP system. UNICOR will process all applications in a timely manner.

Performance of Work on Government Premises: Current rules and regulations applicable to the premises, where the work will be performed, shall apply to the contractor and its employees while working on the premises. These regulations include, but are not limited to, presenting valid identification for entrance, smoking restrictions and following safety procedures.

All new staff shall provide a resume which must be reviewed and approved by UNICOR Chief of Sales.  The resume(s) shall be provided to the Chief of Sales or his/her designee. prior to any interviews

Successful offerors shall receive compensation for the monthly sales in accordance with the following target range of 3-3.5%. Percentages may be reviewed on an annual basis in conjunction with UNICOR customer pricing reviews.

The percentages paid will be based upon a report provided to the offeror by UNICOR Chief of Sales at the end of each month based on invoiced sales report.  Reductions will be taken from final invoice for any canceled sales orders or any chargebacks as the result of sales errors.  Chargebacks will be submitted to offeror for review and will be automatically deducted if no response is received from offeror within 30 days.   The report will include the following OFG  factories:

Allenwood Seating

Ashland Case Goods

Beckley Seating

Coleman Systems

El Reno Metals (UNICOR will supply specific part numbers that will be available for sales/marketing )

Forrest City Case Goods

Milan Systems

UNICOR may add additional locations or products through a modification of the awarded contract.

All request for waivers shall be submitted through UNICOR's website at  www.unicor.gov.

All waiver activity shall be under the oversight of the Chief of Sales, and successful offeror will be directed in their day to day management of the waiver process.

All request for discounts shall be submitted to the Chief of Sales on the attached request form.  Need attached Documents (PDF)

All sample product request shall be submitted to the Chief of Sales on the attached request form. Need attached Documents (PDF)

Successful offeror will facilitate the appropriate training of all sales representatives on UNICOR's complete product offering. UNICOR shall be involved and provide input in this process.

Sales Representatives shall perform in a professional manner at all times.

Successful offeror shall maintain and provide to UNICOR Chief of Sales a detailed list of all sales representatives to include but not limited to:

o    Name:

o    Location

o    Phone Number

o    Territory to be covered by each Sales representative (Listing to include territory map).

Any changes shall be provided in writing to the Chief of Sales

The list of sales representatives and their territories shall be provided as part of the written proposal   Also it must be kept up to date and provided to the Chief of Sales and Program Management quarterly. Successful offeror is to notify UNICOR Contracting, Chief of Sales and Chief of Project Management in writing within 24 hours of any changes to the list of sales representatives.

UNICOR Office Furniture Group sales/marketing includes but may not be limited to the following UNICOR Products:

Systems

Movable/Demountable Walls - versatile components that can be incorporated into a systems environment or can be installed from floor to ceiling to form offices. Options include a variety of finishes, transparent or translucent panel featuring a built in marker board or slat wall tiles, as well as doors, etc.

Privacy Screens/Panels - movable components that come in a variety of sizes and configurations. May be free standing, fastened to work surfaces, or form the supporting structure for work surfaces, or form the supporting structure for work surfaces.

Work Surfaces - may be a floor supported or panel supported work surfaces. Comes in a variety of finishes, may be angular or curvi-linear, may include privacy screens and storage options. Accommodates technology demands, including electrical needs, computer accessories, computer cable, fiber optics, etc. Options may include nesting tables, conferencing corners, etc.

Storage Products - includes a wide variety of products including overhead bins, mobile and stationary pedestals, group storage and filing, storage cabinets, wardrobe/storage cabinets. Product options may include a variety of finishes (paint, laminate, veneer, fabric, etc.).

Miscellaneous Office Enhancements - a variety of products that increase the utility of systems furniture including paper management, tack boards and mobile privacy screens.

UNICOR Case Goods

Baritone Wood

Relevate Wood

Integrate Laminate

Harmony Laminate

UNICOR Seating

Ergonomic Task

Lounge (1, 2, 3 place seating)

Executive

Guest and Reception

Drafting Stools

Stacking Chairs

Tables

Breakroom

Occasional

Conference

Training/Classroom

Float

Coffee

End Table

Sofa Tables

Files/Bookcases/Storage

Lateral files - Wood, Metal and Laminate ( 2, 3, 4 and 5 high)

Stationary/Mobile Storage Pedestals - Wood, Metal and Laminate

Vertical filing Systems - Wood, Metal and Laminate (4 and 5 high) Bookcases Wood, Metal and Laminate (2, 3, 4 and 5 high)

Accessories

Monitor Arms

Ergonomic Keyboards

Mouse Pads

CPU Holder and Mount

Desk Lights

Access Rails

Cable Management

Metals

Storage Lockers

Shelving

Ware Systems

Industrial Racking

Industrial Cantilever racking

Industrial Stacking Rack

FPI's intention is to award a single award contract.

Successful offerors sales staff, National and Regional Sales Managers SHALL pass security requirements as set forth by each agency. This may vary based on level of security at site. All staff must complete and pass a NCIC check. Forms are provided for reference. These forms will be requested upon contract award.

UNICOR, FPI is seeking information about the Contractor’s capability to provide offers for Sales and Marketing.   All interested parties shall furnish the following minimum information:

1. Name of Company
2. Telephone number and email address
3. Company profile
4. Provide Business Size (ie. Large, Small, Socio Economic Category)
5. Any other information contractor deems pertinent to this request.

Any questions as a result of this Request for Information (RFI) shall be addressed in writing to Brent.Ponder@usdoj.gov no later than 10:00 am Friday May 1, 2026.    No phone calls will be accepted.   

Response Deadline:    Friday, May 1, 2026  at 10:00 am EST

Responses shall be sent via email only to Brent Ponder@ Brent.Ponder@usdoj.gov