Parent's Guide to Immunizations- 2

The State of Maine Division of Purchases is requesting bids for a Parent's Guide to Immunizations publication, with bids due September 14, 2011. A recycled content price preference is available for paper or paper products containing a minimum of 30 percent post-consumer recycled material that fall within 10 percent of the lowest compliant bid; bidders must clearly identify recycled paper bids and disclose recycled content percentages in their response.

Maine's certified forest and wood procurement policy applies: bidders must specify for each proposed product the percentage of post-consumer recycled fiber content and certified virgin fiber content, provide proof of chain-of-custody certification, and identify all certification labels. Certified fiber is defined as wood fiber from well-managed forest land officially documented by the American Tree Farm System, Forest Stewardship Council, Master Logger Certification Program, Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification affiliated entities, or Sustainable Forestry Initiative. The State reserves authority to pay a price premium of up to 4 percent above the lowest bid to achieve 100 percent post-consumer recycled or certified virgin fiber content; if no bids meet that threshold, preference goes to paper with the highest percentage of qualifying fiber contents provided cost does not exceed 4 percent above the lowest submitted bid price.

Electronic bid submission closes at 2:00 p.m. local time on September 14, 2011. Unit prices must be submitted separately for each item unless otherwise specified. Awards will be made to the lowest responsible bidder offering the best overall value, with consideration given to product quality, specification conformance, delivery dates, and total cost. Cash discounts of 20 days or more from delivery or invoice receipt will be evaluated; shorter discounts will not. The contract may be extended beyond its initial expiration date with contractor consent, not to exceed three years total, and permits an overrun not exceeding 3 percent of the bid amount. Vendor past performance may be considered in award determination.