#9 Regular BRMEnvelopes -Green Ink for Aspire, Skowhegan

The State of Maine Division of Purchases is requesting quotations for regular Business Reply Mail envelopes with green ink for the Aspire program at the Department of Health and Human Services in Skowhegan, with quotations due September 17, 2012.

Bidders must submit quotations electronically through the State of Maine's Vendor Self Service platform. All paper products must comply with Maine's certified wood products policy: bidders must specify post-consumer recycled fiber content and certified virgin fiber content, provide chain-of-custody certification or equivalent proof, and identify certification labels from acceptable sources including the Forest Stewardship Council, American Tree Farm System, Sustainable Forestry Initiative, or equivalent. A recycled content price preference applies to bids offering paper containing a minimum of 30% post-consumer recycled material that fall within 10% of the lowest conforming bid; qualifying bids may receive up to a 10% price preference. The State will also pay a price premium of up to 4% above the lowest bid to achieve purchases of paper with 100% post-consumer recycled or certified virgin fiber content.

The envelopes are specified as 3.875" by 8.875" first-class mail pieces for return correspondence to Aspire offices in Skowhegan under USPS Permit No. 8, with precise Facing Identification Mark and POSTNET barcode positioning required for USPS automation compliance. Quotations must include separate unit prices for each item; discrepancies between unit and total prices are resolved by unit price. Payment terms are net 30 from invoice receipt. All prices must exclude federal and state taxes. The State reserves the right to award based on lowest price or best-value evaluation incorporating quality, conformity, delivery time, and cost with price weighted at minimum 25%. The contract includes an extension clause permitting the State Purchasing Director to extend beyond the initial term to a maximum of three years, and an overrun not exceeding 3% of contract value. Vendor past performance may factor in the award decision.