City of Conroe Sealed Solicitation

Title: Printing and Mailing Utility Bills

Deadline: 8/17/2023 2:00 PM   (UTC-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada)

Status: Deadline Expired

Solicitation Number: 0817-23

Description: Printing and Mailing Utility Bills

Documents:

Documents as of 8/3/2023
0817-23 Printing and Mailing Utility Bills.pdf
Exhbit A - UB - CURRENT BILLING AND LATE NOTICES - 5-2023 - KB.pdf
Addition 1

Posted: 8/9/2023

Type of Addition: Addendum #1

Overview: Clarification and Q&A

Documents:

Question 1

Posted: 8/1/2023

Question: The RFP references Exhibit A (City’s bill sample) but it does not appear to be included in the RFP or available with the bid documents. Will you please provide?

Response: Exhibit A is uploaded.

Question 2

Posted: 8/1/2023

Question: The RFP references Exhibit C (test data file) but it does not appear to be included in the RFP or available with the bid documents. Will you please provide?

Response: Disregard Exhibit C. Refer to Exhibit A which has been uploaded.

Question 3

Posted: 8/1/2023

Question: Are price increases allowed annually beginning after year 1 of the contract?

Response: Any requested price increases will be determined at the time of contract renewal only and will be at the sole discretion of the contract administrator.

Question 4

Posted: 8/1/2023

Question: 4.5 references a DSM file. Can you please clarify what that is?

Response: Please disregard the reference to a DSM file. The Utility Bills and Late notices are both now a PDF file.

Question 5

Posted: 8/7/2023

Question: Can you confirm that the pricing needs to remain firm for the first 3 years of the contract? (excluding optional inserts and postage)

Response: Yes, pricing shall remain firm for the first 3 years.

Question 6

Posted: 8/7/2023

Question: Regarding #18 on the pricing proposal sheet: How many months of historical PDF images is the City looking to have uploaded into the awarded vendors system? Does this include notices as well?

Response: Line #18 is no longer needed. This will be addressed in an addendum

Question 7

Posted: 8/7/2023

Question: Regarding #4 on the pricing proposal sheet: Since the City is asking for insert pricing of various size on 4.6B, can item #4 be removed from the pricing proposal sheet? Inserts are priced per order and having a large estimated annual volume on the proposal sheet would make any unit price & total inaccurate.

Response: #4 shall remain on the pricing sheet. A clarification is added to the addendum .

Question 8

Posted: 8/8/2023

Question: The answer to question 4 above states that files are now PDF. However, in the RFP (page 15), it states '7.3: The Offeror must mail all utility bills and delinquent notices no later than 24 hours after the data file has been sent by the City of Conroe.' Will this be an XML data file input or PDF input?

Response: The mail out file will be a PDF copy file.

Question 9

Posted: 8/8/2023

Question: RFP Section 4.6A states 'Offeror shall provide no charge Art Setup services for all City of Conroe Flyers and letters to be mailed to residents. The design service includes all graphics, art, excel, PDF, and word documents.' Is the City asking the vendor to provide all graphic art design services at no charge or is the City referring to the vendor taking a supplied art file and using it as is?

Response: Clarification: Current City owned artwork will be considered free. We will add a pricing line for any artwork we require the vendor to create. This will be addressed in the addendum.

Question 10

Posted: 8/8/2023

Question: Since no test data file (Exhibit C) is supplied can we just include bill samples of current clients to use as examples?

Response: See Exhibit A which is uploaded on Vendor Registry

Question 11

Posted: 8/8/2023

Question: 4.7 states that the successful offeror must operate a functioning DMU (Detached Mail Unit) site in the Facility that processes the City of Conroe utility bills and delinquent notices. We are a full service print and mail shop, but not a DMU with USPS personnel on staff. Does this disqualify us from being awarded the bid if submitted?

Response: The UB Department has requested responses from offerors that operate a functioning DMU (Detached Mail Unit) site in the Facility that processes the City of Conroe utility bills and delinquent notices. Responses that do not meet this requirement would not be considered.

Posted: 8/9/2023

Type of Addition: Addendum #1

Overview: Clarification and Q&A

Documents:

Posted: 8/1/2023

Question: The RFP references Exhibit A (City’s bill sample) but it does not appear to be included in the RFP or available with the bid documents. Will you please provide?

Response: Exhibit A is uploaded.

Posted: 8/1/2023

Question: The RFP references Exhibit C (test data file) but it does not appear to be included in the RFP or available with the bid documents. Will you please provide?

Response: Disregard Exhibit C. Refer to Exhibit A which has been uploaded.

Posted: 8/1/2023

Question: Are price increases allowed annually beginning after year 1 of the contract?

Response: Any requested price increases will be determined at the time of contract renewal only and will be at the sole discretion of the contract administrator.

Posted: 8/1/2023

Question: 4.5 references a DSM file. Can you please clarify what that is?

Response: Please disregard the reference to a DSM file. The Utility Bills and Late notices are both now a PDF file.

Posted: 8/7/2023

Question: Can you confirm that the pricing needs to remain firm for the first 3 years of the contract? (excluding optional inserts and postage)

Response: Yes, pricing shall remain firm for the first 3 years.

Posted: 8/7/2023

Question: Regarding #18 on the pricing proposal sheet: How many months of historical PDF images is the City looking to have uploaded into the awarded vendors system? Does this include notices as well?

Response: Line #18 is no longer needed. This will be addressed in an addendum

Posted: 8/7/2023

Question: Regarding #4 on the pricing proposal sheet: Since the City is asking for insert pricing of various size on 4.6B, can item #4 be removed from the pricing proposal sheet? Inserts are priced per order and having a large estimated annual volume on the proposal sheet would make any unit price & total inaccurate.

Response: #4 shall remain on the pricing sheet. A clarification is added to the addendum .

Posted: 8/8/2023

Question: The answer to question 4 above states that files are now PDF. However, in the RFP (page 15), it states '7.3: The Offeror must mail all utility bills and delinquent notices no later than 24 hours after the data file has been sent by the City of Conroe.' Will this be an XML data file input or PDF input?

Response: The mail out file will be a PDF copy file.

Posted: 8/8/2023

Question: RFP Section 4.6A states 'Offeror shall provide no charge Art Setup services for all City of Conroe Flyers and letters to be mailed to residents. The design service includes all graphics, art, excel, PDF, and word documents.' Is the City asking the vendor to provide all graphic art design services at no charge or is the City referring to the vendor taking a supplied art file and using it as is?

Response: Clarification: Current City owned artwork will be considered free. We will add a pricing line for any artwork we require the vendor to create. This will be addressed in the addendum.

Posted: 8/8/2023

Question: Since no test data file (Exhibit C) is supplied can we just include bill samples of current clients to use as examples?

Response: See Exhibit A which is uploaded on Vendor Registry

Posted: 8/8/2023

Question: 4.7 states that the successful offeror must operate a functioning DMU (Detached Mail Unit) site in the Facility that processes the City of Conroe utility bills and delinquent notices. We are a full service print and mail shop, but not a DMU with USPS personnel on staff. Does this disqualify us from being awarded the bid if submitted?

Response: The UB Department has requested responses from offerors that operate a functioning DMU (Detached Mail Unit) site in the Facility that processes the City of Conroe utility bills and delinquent notices. Responses that do not meet this requirement would not be considered.