Request to bid Prisoner Store Services with Vending option

The Michigan Department of Corrections issued a Request for Information on September 20, 2019, seeking market information on prisoner store services, friends and family care packages, and vending services to consolidate current operations across its correctional facilities serving approximately 38,000 prisoners. The procurement encompasses multiple service categories: prisoner store operations requiring a minimum of 400 approved items with installation of approximately 450 kiosks (minimum two per housing unit) featuring multilingual capability; friends and family care package services supporting quarterly orders via mail, kiosk, telephone, internet, or facsimile; and vending machine services for employee break rooms, prisoner visiting areas, and secure perimeter pop machines currently operated across 30 facilities independently. Deliverables include web-based solutions for MDOC staff to view prisoner order history, daily data file exchanges with MDOC's accounting system, and guaranteed delivery of all orders to MDOC facilities within three business days. The contractor must demonstrate experience with large-scale implementation projects, ability to supply all standardized store list items, processes for preventing contraband, and capabilities for providing healthy food options and religious dietary accommodations. Key evaluation criteria include preferred compensation structures, commission rates, delivery capabilities during business hours before 1:00 p.m. on weekdays, kiosk specifications, and integrated vending machine service capabilities. The RFI deadline for submitting questions was September 27, 2019, with answers posted by October 4, 2019, and vendor responses due by October 11, 2019. The State reserved the right to invite selected vendors for oral presentations and indicated potential development of additional Service Level Agreements during subsequent bid development, including requirements for 24/7/365 customer service and monthly reporting and commission reporting.

The RFI documents do not identify specific set-aside designations, disadvantaged enterprise restrictions, or incumbent vendor information. The State indicated it currently contracts with multiple independent vendors managing vending agreements separately across facilities, though no specific contractor names or incumbent details are disclosed. The MDOC facilities list identifies 35 correctional facilities geographically distributed throughout Michigan, with visitor volumes ranging from zero to 32,500 annually, serving as a baseline metric for planning vending machine placements and operational scope. The State noted that approximately 60 percent of the prisoner population currently has access to tablets, suggesting potential integration with existing prisoner communication infrastructure as an ordering mechanism, though alternative digital ordering platforms are under exploration. The procurement documents contain no specific award values, budget ranges, or contract pricing information; however, the scope encompasses statewide operations across multiple facilities with varying security levels and inmate populations, indicating a substantial service contract. The documents note that the State does not anticipate providing on-site storage space but would consider warehouse space if permanent contractor staff are assigned to facilities, and that delivery schedules operate on a two-week cycle repeated 26 times annually with adjustments for state holidays across the distributed correctional system.