DHHS Substance Abuse/MH Services Colored Letterhead

The State of Maine Department of Health and Human Services is soliciting quotations for colored letterhead for its Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services division, with quotations due December 10, 2013. A recycled-content price preference program applies: bids offering paper or paper products containing a minimum of 30% postconsumer recycled material that fall within 10% of the lowest compliant bid may receive up to a 10% price preference. Bidders must explicitly disclose recycled content percentage in their quotation comments. Additionally, Maine's certified wood products policy requires vendors to specify the percentage of postconsumer recycled fiber and certified virgin fiber content for each proposed product and provide proof of chain-of-custody certification from forest product certification bodies including the Forest Stewardship Council, Sustainable Forestry Initiative, American Tree Farm System, or Master Logger Certification Program. The state may pay a price premium of up to 4% above the lowest bid to achieve 100% postconsumer recycled or certified virgin fiber content; if no bids meet that threshold, preference applies to the highest percentage of these fiber contents provided cost does not exceed 4% above the lowest bid.

All quotations must be submitted electronically through the State of Maine Vendor Self Service (VSS) platform by 2:00 p.m. local time on the due date, with supporting attachments uploaded within the system. Questions are posted through the VSS Question and Answer link with responses accessible to all bidders. Award will be based on the lowest priced conforming quotation or a combination of factors including quality, conformity to specifications, delivery time, and total cost, with price weighted at a minimum of 25 percent. Vendor past performance may be considered. The contract carries a maximum three-year term with an overrun not to exceed 3% of contract value. Delivery is FOB Destination, prepaid by the bidder, with standard payment net 30 days from invoice receipt. The State of Maine is tax-exempt; all quoted prices must exclude federal and state taxes.