Questions and Answers
IFB #6100024368 for Digital Multi-Function Devices (MFDs)
No. / Questions / Answers
1 / From reviewing page 6, it appears that you only are requesting DIRECT RESPONSES from the O.E.M. 1 – 10 Starting with Canon and ending with Xerox.
(We are a full service dealer & service center for several of the O.E.M.’s listed.)
The Co-Stars Program election form talks about Certified Small Business’s and we wanted to clarify if we are, or are not to respond to the IFB, Or participate later under the umbrella of an O.E.M. / As stated in section I-15 Awards of the IFB, "Only Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) which appear within in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for MFPs and Printers, Worldwide, published October 24, 2012, may submit bids for this IFB. " Therefore, Certified Small Business as described in Appendix F are not permitted to bid on this IFB.
2 / Section I-15 states Only Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) which appear within in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for MFP’s and Printers ……
We are a Reseller of two of the product lines. Is the bid only open to Manufacturers? / The IFB is only open to Original Equipment Manufacturers. As stated in section I-15 Awards of the IFB, "Only Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) which appear within in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for MFPs and Printers, Worldwide, published October 24, 2012, may submit bids for this IFB. "
3 / Will the State allow a wholly owned subsidiary to bill leases on behalf of the awarded vendor? / Leases may be assigned as stated in V.46B (Assignments). See also Section V.50I (Financing and Prepayment).
4 / Consumable replenishment Page 12. This section indicates that the State is looking for the vendors to supply unlimited supplies regardless of print volume. Vendors will be guessing at the volume of copies made to price this. The State may actually wind up paying for copies that they do not even make We respectfully request that the State reconsiders this and will accept billing for actual copies made. If you cannot accommodate this request, can you provide current print volumes on your existing fleet of / Print volume of the existing fleet is not available because volume is not tracked as part of the current contract.
An analysis of agency printing volume should be part of the Right-sizing Assessment as defined in section II-3.G of the IFB.
5 / With regards to "only OEM vendors may submit bids" (I-15), does this suggest that recognized dealers may not bid those devices? / Please refer to the answer of questions #2.
6 / V.30 CONTRACT-023.1a Termination Provisions (Dec 2012) Subparagraph a., does this imply that a 48 month term may be cancelled for convenience with non-payment of the remaining term of the agreement? / Section V.49 takes precedence over Section V.30. Bidders should seek legal counsel for questions about the terms.
7 / The IFB clearly states that “the term for each lease will be for 48 months”. The terms and conditions, page 41, V.47 seems to conflict by stating:
“The Contractor may provide any Leased Property under the Contract for any term up to 60 months”
Could you clarify? / As stated in Sections I-3 and II-2 of the IFB, "The term for each lease will be for 48 months with a Fair Market Value purchase option upon the end of the lease term. Each lease may be extended for a period not to exceed twelve (12) months." The total lease term may not exceed 60 months.
8 / Is it the Commonwealth’s intent that all lease pricing include a specific volume allowance based on the stated “pages printed per month minimum” or is the requirement for unlimited black (monochrome) copies? / The "pages printed per month minimum" is a device requirement. There is no limit for copies/prints the Commonwealth may print on the devices leased through the awarded contracts.
9 / Does the Commonwealth have a stated “pages per printed month minimum” for color impressions? Where should a color copy charge be shown in our response? / The device requirements for color impressions can be found in Appendix B - MFD Requirements for Lot 3 (Color). All charges are to be incorporated into the Monthly Lease Cost of the device as part of the bidder's cost submittal within Appendix C - Cost Matrix.
10 / Can you provide average monthly impression volumes for each segment, in order to allow for planning and pricing? / Please refer to the answer of question #4.
11 / Within the MFD requirements document, can you clarify the “Minimum Collating and Stapling Speed”? The 50 PPM mandatory specification is greater than the actual print speed in many cases. / The Commonwealth has amended the "Minimum Collating and Stapling Speed" requirement of Appendix B.
12 / For the most competitive pricing, is it possible to have the IFB extended two weeks? / No.
13 / In the 2007 MFD RFP, CWOPA provided MFD fleet breakdown information, can you provide similar information for this IFB? / Please refer to the answer of question #4.The Commonwealth has amended the IFB to include Appendix K - CWOPA Fleet Breakdown. These figures are based on the current contract in place.
14 / Lot 1 has a mandatory requirement of 50ppm collating and stapling for all / The Commonwealth has amended the "Minimum Collating and Stapling Speed" requirement of Appendix B.
15 / What does “Printed pages able to be copied, scanned, faxed, or overprinted immediately with no damage to original” mean? / This requirement is to ensure the printing technology the OEM submits as part of the bid will allow the Commonwealth to process a printed document multiple times.
16 / What does functional concurrency mean / For purposes of this IFB, functional concurrency is defined as the ability of a device to accomplish multiple functions at the same time (e.g. scanning documents to email while printing separate jobs).
17 / Twain compliance- is this an absolute requirement since we are sending directly to the network? / Yes.
18 / What does Output to network file mean- is this the same as output a file to a shared folder? / "Output to network file" is the same as output a file to a shared folder
19 / To achieve all functionality, is a management server acceptable? / No. The mandatory functionality must be available as part of the leased device.
20 / Appendix G - Device Usage Report Providing usage reports for simplex vs duplex and ledger, legal and letter size pages will require additional software. Does the Commonwealth want the cost of the software included in the proposed lease prices or quoted separately for those agencies that choose to order?- / Since Device Usage Reports can be requested by all agencies, software costs should be included as part of the Monthly Lease Cost.
21 / Appendix G - Device Usage Report- In order to guarantee that an OEM can provide such reporting, additional software is required. Will the Commonwealth of PA mandate agencies to permit the inclusion of such software? / All software provided as part of the awarded contracts must comply with Part II-3T Software of the IFB and Appendix D - Software License Requirements -Agreement.
22 / Appendix G - Device Usage Report-The 48 month lease costs include unlimited copies. Why is it necessary to track meters? / The Commonwealth requires this information to help agencies analyze their printing environments.
23 / IFB Page 6 of 17, I-15 Awards-May an OEM subcontract service to a dealer? / Yes, an OEM may subcontract service to a dealer. Please note: All business interactions will take place between the Commonwealth and the OEM (the awarded bidder).
24 / IFB Page 6 of 17, I-15 Awards-Will the Commonwealth of PA permit an OEM's dealer to sell and invoice under the OEM's contract? / No.
25 / IFB Page 7 of 15-Does the list of OEM's preclude a specific OEM from including clone models with different names? / Yes.
26 / IFB Page 9 of 15, B. Segments in Lots-Will the Commonwealth consider modifying this term to allow OEM's to provide one model for each segment but not require an OEM to respond to ALL segments? / No. Bidders must provide a model for each segment within a Lot. However, bidders are not required to bid on every Lot.
27 / Will Costars orders under this contract utilize the SAP Invoicing plan? / No.
28 / IFB Page 10 of 15, H. Delivery- Historically, the MFP contract for the Commonwealth of PA has required delivery within 30 days. Given the size and weight of the equipment in question, would the state consider changing this delivery time frame from 10 days to 30 days? / No. The Contractor must provide delivery of equipment within ten (10) days of the order, or as otherwise agreed upon by both the Commonwealth and the Contractor.
29 / IFB Page 10 of 15, M. Consumable Replenishment-Is the Commonwealth of PA requiring the OEM to provide unlimited color toner, or is color toner separate from the lease and should be billed for separately? / The Contractor must provide unlimited color toner for Lot 3 as part of the lease price.
30 / IFB Page 13 of 15, O-How does this term affect an agency's option to renew a lease for an additional 12 months? / The Contractor must provide 60-day notice of upcoming lease expiration prior to the end of the initial 48-month term and, if applicable, the end of the additional 12-month period.
31 / Appendix A - V.50 F3-"The Contractor's/Initial Assignee's costs associated with the cleaning of any hard drive to Office of Administration/U.S. Department of Defense standards and he removal and destruction of any hard drive(s) shall be included in the rental amount. The Lessee shall not be required to pay additional charges for the Contractor's/Initial Assignee's cleaning of a hard drive to Office of Administration/U.S. Department of
Defense standards nor for the Contractor's/Initial Assignee's removal and destruction of any hard drive(s) upon the return of a Leased item." Does this mean that the agency has a choice between cleansing the HDD and removal and replacement of the HDD at the end of the lease term? / According to Appendix A - V.50 F1, the contractor has the option of whether to clean or remove and destroy the hard drive.
32 / IFB Page 13 of 15, P-Is the Contractor allowed to charge for relocations outside of the same building location? / According to section II-3 P (Relocation) of the IFB, the contractor may only charge for relocation outside of a 25-mile radius.
33 / IFB Page 14 of 15, 4. Monthly Reports-Are the monthly reports for agency business only? / The Contractor must provide monthly reports to each leasing agency. All reports must be provided to the contract management office (OA OIT).
34 / IFB Page 14 of 15, R Customer Satisfaction-Will the Commonwealth be able to provide additional information about frequency, delivery mode and metrics for the required Customer Satisfaction surveys? / The Customer Satisfaction reports must be submitted on a quarterly basis. Please refer to Appendix - H Sample Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire. The Commonwealth may modify this sample form at its discretion.
35 / IFB Page 15 of 15, U-Does the availability of digital manuals online fulfill this requirement? / Yes, unless a hard copy is requested by an agency. The awarded bidder must provide a direct link to the manuals to be added to the awarded contract overview sheet maintained by the Commonwealth.
36 / IFB Page 15 of 15, W-Our proposed prices are for new, never used, currently manufactured equipment. Data related to "end of life" dates may not be available for these models. Please remove this requirement. / If no end-of-life has been established, the Commonwealth must be notified at the time the end-of-life is established.
37 / IFB Page 15 of 15, W- Not every model is submitted to BLI for evaluation and rating. Please remove this requirement. / This requirement will not be removed.
38 / Appendix A - V.26 19.1-Hold Harmless Provision. Will the Commonwealth agree that Contractor shall only indemnify the Commonwealth, its officers, agents and employees from claims arising out of the death or bodily injury of any officer, agent or employee of the Commonwealth, or the damage, loss, or destruction of any tangible property of the Commonwealth to the extent caused by Contractor’s negligence or intentional tortious acts? / The contract terms and conditions are not negotiable.
39 / Appendix A Section V.28 CONTRACT-021.1 -Default. What is the Contractor's remedy to Default by the Commonwealth? Will the Commonwealth agree to provide Contractor with written notice of default and a reasonable, thirty day period for Contractor to cure any default? / The contract terms and conditions are not negotiable. Bidders should seek legal counsel for questions about the terms.
40 / Appendix A Section V.30 CONTRACT-023.1A -Termination Provisions. (a) Termination for Convenience: Will the Commonwealth agree that any termination of the awarded contract will not apply or otherwise affect any Lease PO issued by the Commonwealth prior to the date of termination of such contract, and, except for the non-appropriations set forth in the IFB, all such Lease POs for leased equipment shall continue in full force and effect for the entire term set forth therein?
(c) Termination for Cause: See question #3 above. / The contract terms and conditions are not negotiable. Bidders should seek legal counsel for questions about the terms.
41 / Appendix A V.50 CONTRACT-043.5 Leasing Terms and Conditions.-(a) Risk of Loss: Is it the intention of the Commonwealth to have the equipment covered by Contractor’s insurance? / The contract terms and conditions are not negotiable. Bidders should seek legal counsel for questions about the terms.
42 / Miscellaneous-Will the Commonwealth agree that under no circumstances neither party shall be responsible to the other party for consequential, incidental, punitive or indirect damages, even if such party has been advised of the possibility of such damages? / The contract terms and conditions are not negotiable. Bidders should seek legal counsel for questions about the terms.
43 / Appendix B - MFD Requirements, Digital Output, Rows 93 & 94-Since .docx and .rtf are not standard features for most OEMs, having this feature as mandatory will significantly increase the monthly payment to the Commonwealth of PA. Would the state consider making these optional and only agencies who desire the feature will lease it, rather than all agencies paying for the option but not using it. / The Commonwealth has amended the "Digital Output" section of Appendix B.
44 / Appendix B - MFD Requirements, Digital Output, Rows 93 & 94 -Scan to .docx and .rtf would require OCR capabilities, regardless of vendor. Will multiple server space be available to help with OCR document processing speed? Based on volume of OCR documents, this can create a slow scanning process. Will you require OCR application to leverage multiple processing engines in order to receive scans in a timely manor? Would an enterprise platform that supports multiple vendors be a better option? / The Commonwealth has amended the "Digital Output" section of Appendix B.
45 / Appendix B - MFD Requirements-Is a preview of scanned document required before sending to destination? / No.
46 / Appendix B - MFD Requirements-Since not all agencies require Adobe PostScript printing and this is optional for some manufacturers, would the state consider changing this from mandatory to optional to reduce costs? / No, this requirement will not be changed.
47 / Appendix A – Terms and Conditions, Page 7, Item E – Costars Fee - Do vendors pay a $1500 fee for every contract that participates in Costars? So even if we have other contracts where we have paid this fee, we also have to pay this fee for this particular contract? / Vendors must pay a fee for each contract in which it wants to participate in the COSTARs program.
48 / Page 20, V.7 - Can our authorized dealers accept orders and invoice customers under this contract? / No. Please refer to the answer of question #2.
49 / Page 21, V.10 Warranty - Please clarify what the Commonwealth is expecting. Is this a defective equipment warranty for a period of one year and not free service? Will agencies be required to acquire a maintenance contract during that one year period for normal use service and repair? / The information provided in sections II-3 J, K and L supersede any contradictory information provided within V.10 Warranty of Appendix A – Terms and Conditions.
50 / Page 24, V. 20 Billing Requirements - Please clarify your invoicing requirement-
• SAP Vendor Number-We can put this as a customer code but it will not show the rest of the remit to information such as Vendor name and address—is this OK?
• ACH Routing Number-Are you just looking for a code?
• Improper Invoice-Can a vendor take exception to the Commonwealth not paying what they feel is an improper invoice? This is a great financial burden on a vendor to not be paid.
• Please clarify what you mean in the last paragraph of this section-“Each invoice shall be itemized with adequate detail and match the line item on the Purchase Order.” Do you mean that our prices must match the Purchase order? Or do you mean that our invoice has to come out in the exact same item sequence as the purchase order—line item 001 Copier YYYY $ xxxx, Line Item 002, Document Feed $xxxx etc. If you mean the latter, I do not believe that most vendors can comply. Our invoice can match the pricing on the purchase order obviously, but may be in a different order. / Invoicing will be done in accordance with section II-3 G.1 (SAP Invoicing Plan) of the IFB. The Commonwealth will provide additional information to the contractors after awards are made.