A. INTRODUCTION
Located 170km northwest of Edmonton on Highway 43 via Highway 16, the Town of Whitecourt hosts a population of approximately 15,000, including immediately adjacent county residents, and serves as the largest urban centre between Edmonton and Grande Prairie.
The Town of Whitecourt provides a diverse range of services that are essential to our communities’ wellbeing and quality of life.
B. BACKGROUND
The Town invites proposals from qualified, competent, knowledgeable, and experienced multifunction copier/scanner/printer/fax vendors that will provide full-service copy/scanner/print/fax equipment with maintenance contract as set forth in this Request for Proposals (“RFP”), in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, policies and procedures.
Issue Date: August 23, 2022
RFP Title: Multifunction Copier/Scanner/Printer/Fax - Purchase
Issuing Department:
Town of Whitecourt
Box 509
5004 – 52 Avenue
Whitecourt, AB T7S 1N6
Reporting Responsibility:
The Town of Whitecourt has assigned the coordination of this project to:
Wendy Grimstad-Davidson
Executive Assistant
1-780-778-2273 ext. 104
wendydavidson@whitecourt.ca
C. SERVICES REQUIRED
The selected firm shall provide to the Town all the necessary equipment and services to fulfill its duties and obligations. Duties and obligations include, but are not limited to, provision of the following:
i. Required Equipment
The Town requires three (3) multifunction copier/scanner/printer/fax machine to be located at the Town Office and Allan & Jean Millar Centre (58 Sunset Boulevard). All machines must be capable of printing in colour and in black & white.
ii Minimum Equipment Specifications
1. Machine must be capable of producing double-sided prints/copies.
2. Machine must be rated at a speed of more than 50 prints per minute (ppm) and required to have the capability of printing on stock ranging from 20 lb. bond to 110 lb. index, on letter (8 ½ x 11), legal (8 ½ x 14) and ledger (11 x 17). The machine to be located on the main floor of the Town Office must have the capability of printing on pre-printed, perforated, paper from a high capacity feeder.
3. Machine shall have an automated stapling system, capable of stapling a minimum of 20 sheets of 20 lb. paper.
4. Machine shall have full offset stacking and finishing capabilities.
5. Machine shall possess an automated document feeder, with a minimum capacity of 50 sheets of 20 lb. bond paper.
6. Machine shall have a bypass tray for the purpose of printing on specialized stock.
7. Machine shall be capable of enlarging documents in preset increments to a minimum of 200% and reducing documents in preset increments to a minimum of 64%.
8. Machine shall have the following paper capacity, using standard 20 lb. copy paper:
a. 8 ½ x 11 paper supply - minimum of 1,000 sheets.
b. 8 ½ x 14 paper supply - minimum of 500 sheets.
c. 11 x 17 paper supply - minimum of 250 sheets.
9. Four paper trays with one being adjustable. Vendors may include auxiliary paper trays in order to meet this requirement.
10. Machine shall be capable of scanning. Identify whether or not scanning is an optional feature and delineate all functions of this feature. If optional, identify all costs (i.e. equipment, software, installation, etc.) and technical requirements necessary to the operation of this feature. Identify all formats available (e.g. PDF, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, OCR, etc.)
11. Machine shall be capable of faxing. Identify whether or not faxing is an optional feature and delineate all functions of this feature, including a description of its operation (i.e. fax board, fax driver, etc.). If optional, identify all costs (i.e. equipment, software, installation, etc.) and technical requirements necessary to the operation of this feature.
12. Machine has capability for records management software and give examples of software that is compatible.
12. Provide options for finisher attachment for booklets. Provide separate pricing for finisher options.
Vendors may provide more than one alternative configuration with a written explanation demonstrating that their proposal will meet or exceed the Town’s requirements.
iii. Required Services
The Town requires a maintenance service agreement and these services must consist of all toner, fix/repair, and all maintenance services.
iv. Special Terms & Conditions
1. Equipment offered must be new, unused, and current models. Vendors may be required to provide demonstrations of proposed machines prior to selection of award.
2. The machine shall be delivered, installed and made ready for use by the selected vendor. The vendor will demonstrate and train Town staff at no extra charge.
3. The Town will supply paper and staples for the machine. Vendor shall be responsible for supplying toner, drum, fusers, etc. and shall include the cost in the maintenance price.
4. Proposals must include prices for machine and for maintenance.
5. The maintenance price will be fixed for the contract term with no price increase.
6. The Town of Whitecourt’s current machine(s) must be considered for trade in.
All proposals must contain descriptive literature on the proposed multifunction device(s). At least one technical sheet must be provided for each machine model, accessory or option. Manufacturer specifications must specify certified monthly volumes for each machine. Other descriptive literature or reports, including award certificates from an independent testing agency, will be accepted in addition to required literature.
D. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
i. Trade-in
The vendor will supply a quote on trade-in prices for:
One (1) Xerox AltaLink C8070 which is currently in use at the Town Office.
One (1) Xerox 7970iwhich is currently in use at the Town Office.
One (1) Xerox 7970i which is currently in use at the Allan & Jean Millar Centre.
Contact Wendy Grimstad-Davidson (wendydavidson@whitecourt.ca) to view or for more information.
ii. Service Maintenance
The Contract Period shall begin October 31, 2022 and continue for five (5) years. The Contract may be extended for up to three (3) additional one-year contract periods, beginning in 2028.
E. RESPONDENT QUALIFICATIONS
The Town will only consider proposals from Respondents that:
1. Can demonstrate proven track records of successfully and reliably providing similar services to public and private entities.
2. Are in good standing with the Town and are not involved in any adverse claims against the Town and are not delinquent in their financial obligations to the Town.
F. SELECTION PROCESS AND EVALUATION CRITERIA
Solicitation of respondents is through this Request for Proposals, through general advertising, the Alberta Purchasing Connection and/or invitation. All proposals will be reviewed by the Town of Whitecourt.
The following criteria will be used to establish the successful bidder:
1. Current price and trade-in value 25%
2. Machine Specifications 25%
3. Maintenance Support 25%
4. Maintenance Service Agreement 10%
5. References 10%
6. Time of delivery and warranty 5%
G. SUBMISSION DEADLINE
Proposals must be received by no later than 2:00pm MDST on September 12, 2022. Interested respondents will submit their proposal in PDF format via email and the subject line of the email shall be clearly marked – RFP – Multifunction Copier and submitted to wendydavidson@whitecourt.ca
Proposals will not be considered if received after the submission deadline or if lacking any predetermined requirements.
Note that proposals greater than 5MB will NOT be accepted by the Town of Whitecourt email server. Arrangements for proposal submissions that exceed this file size are to be with the contact for the RFP and may include delivery to the Town Office on a USB and/or alternate secure electronic transmittal (i.e. ftp, dropbox, etc.).
It is the respondent’s responsibility to ensure that it has all the necessary information concerning the intent and requirements of this RFP.
The Town reserves the right to modify specified target dates and to reject any or all submissions (with the lowest proposal not necessarily being accepted) or to cancel or withdraw the RFP for any reason without incurring any cost or liability for costs and damages incurred by a respondent, including, without limitation, any expenses incurred in the preparation of the submission. The Town also reserves the right to request additional information from respondents, to waive any formality or informality in the selection, and to accept the proposal deemed most favorable to the interests of the municipality.
H. FOIP ACT
i. CONFIDENTIALITY OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
The access and privacy provisions of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act govern all documents submitted to the Town. While this Act allows persons a right of access to records in the Town’s custody or control, it also prohibits the Town from disclosing your personal information or confidential business information. This prohibition takes effect if disclosure would be significantly harmful to your business interests or would be an unreasonable invasion of your personal privacy as defined in sections 15 and 16 of the Act. Firms are encouraged to identify those portions of their submissions which they are submitting in confidence and which, if revealed, would harm the business interest of the company.
ii. RATING AND EVALUATION RECORDS
Assessment criteria for this Request for Proposals are public information. Individual assessments of bidders are considered confidential and of interest to competitors or other bidders under this Request for Proposals. Individual assessment information will be provided, upon request, to the submitter/bidder to whom it relates, and to others, only in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
I. CLOSING INFORMATION
1. The Town of Whitecourt is not liable for any costs or expenses or to reimburse or compensate the proponents in any manner whatsoever or under any circumstances including, without limitation, in the event of rejection of all proposals or cancellation of the project.
2. The Town of Whitecourt reserves the right to request that any or all proponents clarify and make revisions to their proposal. The Town may choose to meet with one, several, or all proponents to discuss aspects of their proposal. The Town of Whitecourt is not obligated to seek clarification from any proponent with regard to any aspect of its proposal.
3. The Town is not bound to accept any proposal. Further, the Town reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal in whole or in part, waive any irregularities in the proposal process, and to discuss different or additional items to those included in this RFP, at its sole discretion. The Town may invalidate this RFP and may issue a second RFP at its sole discretion.
4. Proposals received from individuals or legal entities engaged in litigation with the Town of Whitecourt as a party adverse in interest at the time of this RFP will be rejected.
5. The information contained in this RFP is supplied solely as a guideline for the Consultants. While every reasonable attempt has been made to ensure its accuracy, the Town does not guarantee or warrant its accuracy, nor is it necessarily comprehensive.
6. The access and privacy provisions of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act govern all documents and information collected by the Town of Whitecourt relating to this Request for Proposals.
Thank you for your consideration, and we look forward to reviewing your submission.
