JPMC SS Chicago Metro Presort Mail

The State of Illinois Central Management Services (CMS), in agreement with the Chief Procurement Officer for General Services (CPO-GS), is pursuing a sole source procurement to establish a Joint Powers Purchasing Agreement (JPMC) with Pitney Bowes Presort Services, LLC for presort mail services available to all governmental units and qualified not-for-profit agencies. The contract encompasses comprehensive presort mail services including necessary equipment, materials, and personnel for presorting, bar coding, bundling, and delivery of first-class and flat metered mail in compliance with United States Postal Service (USPS) requirements. The vendor must pick up mail between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday (excluding official state and federal holidays) and deliver all first-class letter-sized mail and standard class flat-size mail to USPS within 24 hours. The State processes approximately 3,700,000 pieces of mail annually in the Chicago Metro area and will receive revenue from vendor rebates based on postal workshare savings. The vendor must possess all necessary USPS certifications, including CASS/MASS certification for barcoding equipment and NCOALink compliance, and must demonstrate operational scale to service multiple Chicago Metro locations. The contract is estimated to begin on August 25, 2026, and end on August 24, 2029, with no renewal options. Written comments or requests for a public hearing must be submitted by Friday, May 22, 2026, at 4:00 p.m., with the public hearing scheduled for May 27, 2026, at 2:00 p.m.

The procurement is designated as a sole source contract under the Illinois Procurement Code, limiting response eligibility to Pitney Bowes Presort Services, LLC. CMS justified the sole source designation based on the vendor's unique capability to aggregate mail from multiple clients to achieve the high mail density required to qualify for maximum USPS presort discounts and offer substantial rebates that no other vendor can match. Previous competitive bidding processes (B-40147, B-44787, B-46802, B-42975, and B-46751) yielded no responsive bidders, and the current contract P-28708 has been extended multiple times and expires on August 24, 2026. CMS evaluated alternative vendors through the NASPO ValuePoint Mail-Room Equipment portfolio, including Quadient and Bell & Howell, but determined these contracts do not provide the required USPS presorting and bundling services or the rebate and revenue-sharing model tied to postal workshare savings. The estimated initial contract value is $1,393,057.45 for the three-year term, with funding provided through state appropriated funds. Interested parties may submit written comments to Dianne Richman, Chief Procurement Officer for General Services, at Dianne.Richman@illinois.gov or 217-622-1857.