BHSU Alumni Fall Magazine-Print Project

Black Hills State University's Business Services office, on behalf of the Marketing & Communications department, is issuing a Request for Proposal for printing services for the BHSU Alumni Fall Magazine under a three-year contract with an option to renew for up to two additional one-year increments. The procured services encompass the complete production, finishing, and distribution of 20,000 copies per issue of a 24-page publication (8.5" x 11" finished size) printed in full color on 80# silk cover stock and 60# silk text stock, saddle-stitched with aqueous coating, with three issues to be produced annually for Fall 2026, 2027, and 2028. All services must include prepress, printing, bindery, mailing/fulfillment, and logistics, with vendors required to provide detailed pricing for each service component, cost options for changes after proofs, and pricing for additional copies in 500 and 1,000-copy increments. Qualified vendors must demonstrate specialized expertise, technical competence, available resources, strong past performance records, effective project management techniques, and the ability to handle project constraints, while also providing NCOA database services at no additional charge including address updates and duplicate removal. The proposal submission deadline is May 28, 2026, at 2:00 PM Mountain Time, with proposals required in electronic PDF format emailed to Barbara.Mustard@sdsmt.edu (RFP# 26RFP19782), and offeror questions must be submitted by May 6, 2026; the anticipated award decision and contract negotiation date is June 12, 2026, with the contract term commencing upon signature and extending through December 15, 2028.

The RFP document does not indicate any set-aside designations or restrictions on the types of organizations that can respond, nor does it reference any disadvantaged enterprise requirements or incumbent vendor information. Standard state contract terms apply, requiring vendors to maintain Commercial General Liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence, Professional Liability of $1,000,000, Business Automobile Liability of $1,000,000 per accident, and Workers' Compensation insurance as required by state law. Postage costs will be reimbursed separately through standard state reimbursement procedures and will not be factored into the award decision. The State of South Dakota reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and to negotiate with the highest-ranked offeror or subsequent ranked offerors if negotiations fail. While no specific budget range or award value is provided in the available documentation, vendors should anticipate costs associated with producing approximately 60,000 copies annually (20,000 copies per issue across three issues) for a three-year initial contract period with potential extension options.