UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO PROFILE
In just half a century, the University of Waterloo, located at the heart of Canada’s technology hub, has become a leading comprehensive university with more than 36,000 full- and part-time students in undergraduate and graduate programs.
Consistently ranked Canada’s most innovative university, Waterloo is home to advanced research and teaching in science and engineering, mathematics and computer science, health, environment, arts and social sciences. From quantum computing and nanotechnology to clinical psychology and health sciences research, Waterloo brings ideas and brilliant minds together, inspiring innovations with real impact today and in the future.
As home to the world's largest post-secondary co-operative education program, Waterloo embraces its connections to the world and encourages enterprising partnerships in learning, research, and commercialization. With campuses and education centres on four continents, and academic partnerships spanning the globe, Waterloo is shaping the future of the planet.
Find out more about the University of Waterloo at https://uwaterloo.ca/about/who-we-are/waterloo-facts.
Background
Waterloo Creative Services, part of the Marketing and Strategic Communications department at the University of Waterloo (UW), provides the campus community with a full spectrum of resources for design, multimedia and print projects through a broad range of services.
Creative Services offer a dedicated team of designers and specialists and provide expertise to cater to project specifications – including graphic design, video production, photography and related services, in accordance with Waterloo’s identity strategy.
The University of Waterloo is soliciting proposals from qualified and experienced printers to provide products and services to support those offered by Creative Services. The University will develop a roster of pre-qualified printers who can provide categorized printed works that comply with brand guidelines and internal processes (invoicing; proof approvals; delivery; etc.) at competitive prices, and, from whom press approvals are possible within reasonable driving times from the University campus.
Although Creative Services staff will be the primary users of the roster, other University departments (e.g. Procurement) may also utilize the roster from time to time. Refer to Section 6.0 – Requirements, in the RFP document for details.
The roster strategy ensures that the University:
- has undertaken a fair and competitive bidding process to select the services;
- obtains the right skill-sets in a timely fashion and at a competitive price;
- develops a relationship with the Successful Respondents to ensure brand awareness and image; and,
- leverages efficiency and reduction of clerical tasks and costs from the time when requirements for the products and services are identified, through to the payment process.
Due to the intent of the roster relationship and the requirements for the roster, the University does not wish to consider agents or brokers for this roster; the questionnaire in Appendix C that forms the basis for evaluations would not be, in most cases, applicable to an agent.
This roster will be non-exclusive, and the University may, from time to time and in its own discretion, purchase services from suppliers who are not on the roster.
The Printing Service categories of the roster are:
1. Digital Print
- Variable printing
- 30 minute maximum driving time for press approvals
- Proof turnaround in under 24 hours
- Delivery under 5 days from sign off
2. Sheetfed Offset Printing
- All commercial offset printing with sheetfed presses
- Convocation Programs + Recruitment Program Brochures + Annual Reports
3. Web Offset Printing
- All commercial offset printing with web presses
- Magazine + Viewbooks
- Note – this is currently only 3 projects total / year (= 2 magazines and 1 Viewbook, annually)
4. Large Format
Respondents do not have to bid on all categories.
Due to the anticipation of a large volume of proposals, the University is restricting the number of short-listed printers for Stage 2 evaluations (sample work and references), and, the number of printers for the roster in accordance with the methodology explained in the RFP document.
Questions regarding this Request for Proposal may be submitted in writing (via email) directed to the RFP Contact Person as follows:
Christine Wagner, CPPB, CSCP, Senior Buyer - Procurement and Contract Services
200 University Avenue West
University of Waterloo, East Campus 2
Waterloo ON N2L 5Z5
Email: cpwagner@uwaterloo.ca or, procure@uwaterloo.ca
