Direct Mail Magazine Service (Career Focus)

San Jacinto Community College District (SJCCD) is requesting proposals for direct mail magazine services featuring Career Focus content, with proposals due September 11, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. Central Time through the IonWave e-bidding platform. A non-mandatory virtual pre-proposal meeting is scheduled for September 1, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. Central Time.

The scope is complete turnkey design, printing, and mailing of a 12-page, full-color self-mailer magazine (8.375 by 10.875 inches when folded) distributed three times annually (January, May, October) to residents within the SJCCD taxing district in East Harris County. The estimated mailing quantity is 270,000 copies per issue, though quantities may vary based on carrier routes. Printing must be offset on 80# or 100# gloss paper. The service includes up to three rounds of revisions per publication, provision of 100 copies for SJCCD offices, accessible PDF files meeting digital accessibility standards, online responsive editions hosted by the vendor with website analytics, and a two-week multi-channel social media campaign per issue.

Pricing shall be submitted as firm net pricing for the initial term with line-item specification of design costs per issue, print costs for 270,000 quantity, postage, online edition hosting, mailing list annual fees, shipping for sample copies, and social media campaign costs. The contract term is one year with four optional one-year renewal periods; price adjustments after the initial term require minimum 30-day notice and are based on Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Houston, Texas, or credible tariff-based cost documentation.

Evaluation is weighted on a 100-point scale: firm qualifications (10 points), scope understanding and approach (25 points), sample products (20 points), references (10 points), exceptions to the contract terms (5 points), and price proposal (30 points). Proposers must submit a minimum of five references from comparable projects within the past three years, preferably from colleges or public sector accounts of similar or larger size. Hardcopy sample products must be received by September 15, 2026. Award recommendations are anticipated in November/December 2026.