PULASKI COUNTY SPECIAL SCHOOL DISTRICT 1101-A East Dixon Road/P.O. Box 8601

Little Rock, Arkansas 72216

Request for Proposal (RFP 16-009) Diplomas

(501) 234-2000

August 10, 2015

To Whom It May Concern: The Pulaski County Special School District (PCSSD) invites your offer to provide Diplomas for various schools per the scope of work in the attached request for proposals. In a sealed envelope, return your original and three (3) copies of your proposal to the Purchasing Department, 1101-A East Dixon Road, Little Rock, AR 72216, no later than 09:00 a.m., Monday, August 31, 2015. Please reference on the outside of the envelope(s) the bid number, opening date and time.

Offers will be taken under advisement upon opening and the District will notify the apparent most qualified vendor(s) for further negotiations as needed. Do not contact any district official concerning this RFP without first receiving permission from the Director of Purchasing. The District reserves the right to reject any or all responses and waive any irregularities or formalities in proposals received. The District reserves the right to negotiate with the apparent acceptable vendor(s). Price alone will not be the determining factor. Award will be based upon those considerations, which are in the best interest of the District and will be made to the responsive, responsible offerer whose proposal is judged to be the most effective and economical for the purpose intended, according to the requirements and specifications stated in the Request for Proposal.

________________________________________________________________________________ EXECUTION OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL We, the undersigned, have read all the requirements set forth in this request for proposal including specifications, instructions, conditions and pertinent information regarding the articles being bid on and we agree to furnish these articles at the prices stated. Arkansas Sales or Use Tax Register No.

State Contractor License

Federal ID No. _______________________________ Company Name:___________________________________________________________________________________ Address: ________________________________________________________________________________________ Telephone No.

___________

Fax No.

________

E-mail ______________________________

Name & Title: _____________________________________________________________________________________ (Person authorized to sign bids) (Print)

Signature ________________________________________________________________________________________ BIDS ARE SUBJECT TO REJECTION UNLESS SUBMITTED ON THIS FORM

RFP 16-009

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SECTION I: GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS, TERMS AND CONDITIONS These General Instructions, Terms and Conditions and any special terms and conditions become part of any contract entered into in the event any or all of the response is accepted by the Pulaski County Special School District. Any special terms and conditions included in the Request for Proposal override these general instructions, terms and conditions. DEFINITION OF TERMS

RFP shall mean Request for Proposal. The words vendor, bidder, offerer, company, proposer and contractor may be used synonymously in this document. The terms “District”, “Owner”, or “PCSSD” are used interchangeably and refer to the Pulaski County Special School District. The term’s “response” and “Proposal” may be used synonymously in this document. ISSUING OFFICE

This Request for Proposal is issued by the Purchasing Department, Pulaski County Special School District. Questions relating to this RFP should be directed to Vertina Banks, Buyer regarding RFP16-009 in writing either by e-mail [email protected] or fax 501-490-8639 on or before 9:00 a.m., Monday, August 24, 2015 time). SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL Proposal must be submitted to this office using the forms included on or before the date and time specified for response opening, 9:00 a.m., Monday, August 31, 2015. Each response should be placed in a sealed envelope reflecting RFP number, title and opening date/time on the outside of the envelope. Late responses will not be considered under any circumstances. Failure to complete and sign page 1 of this RFP and sign and notarize page 9, Vendor Statement of Authorized Agency and Non-Collusion may result in disqualification. The person signing the response should show title or authority to bind his/her firm to a contract. Signature must be in ink. Response must be completed either typed or writing in ink. ASSIGNMENTS

Neither any resulting contract nor any interest therein or claim thereunder may or shall be assigned or transferred by the contractor except as expressly authorized in writing by the District. No contract, subcontract or agreement shall be made by the contractor with any other party for furnishing any of the product, work or services herein contracted without the written approval of the District. LIQUIDATED DAMAGES The District shall charge the Contractor for the Contractor’s failure to collect waste, divert recyclable materials set out for separation collection, and operate equipment properly; for the costs of responding to clean-up of litter or fluid spills, complaints and problems; and for other costs relating to failure of the Contractor to comply with other aspects of the Contract.

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The Contractor agrees to pay liquidated damages set forth below: For each failure to collect solid waste and/or recyclable materials which were accessible for collection For each failure to collect a missed collection within 24 hours Damages will state at $50 per incident and may increase, at sole discretion of the District, in increments of up to $50, to a maximum of $500 per incident for repeated failure to perform any one condition as specified in the contract. Within ten (10) days of notification by the District, Contractor may submit a written appeal of the assessment of liquidated damages, with an explanation of damages. The damages will be assessed and a decision will be made within 30 days. Either the payment must be received or the appeal denied with in the 30 days. PHYSICAL DAMAGES AND REPAIR Any damages caused by Contractor’s negligence and/or operations shall be repaired, replaced or reimbursed by Contractor at no charge to the District. The District will approve which action is in the best interest. Damages shall be repaired within (7) calendar days of the incident unless an agreement has been made between both parties. CONFLICT OF INTEREST

By submitting a response, the contractor represents and warrants that no Board member, director or employee of the District is in any manner interested directly or indirectly in the response or contract which may result from the response or in any of the expected profits which might arise therefrom; further, that no attempt has been made to influence or gain favorable advantage by communicating directly or indirectly with any official of the PCSSD. It is understood that any action taken which might tend to degrade the integrity of the competitive response process will be considered as grounds for disqualification or a breach of this contract. CONTRACT GUIDELINES Offerers agree that a contract does not become effective until it is awarded and a written agreement, purchase order, award letter, or other notice to proceed is executed or issued by the District. INDEMNIFICATION AND LEGAL COMPLIANCE The contractor shall at all times observe and fully comply with any and all Federal, State and local laws, statutes, orders, ordinances and regulations. The contractor agrees to save, hold harmless and to indemnify the District, its agents, employees, officers and board members against any and all liability, losses, claims or costs of whatsoever kind or nature relative to the performance of the contract or any occurrence or accident in connection with inadequate design, breach of contract, material failure, default or the performance of any work, services or products supplied, pursuant to the award, whether to property or persons. Further, contractor shall indemnify, hold harmless and defend the District, its agents, employees, officers and board members from any lawsuits, causes of action, claims, liabilities and damages, of any kind and nature, including but not limited to, attorney’s fees and costs, arising out of the performance of this contract whether attributable in whole or in part to any act, omission or negligence of the District, its agents or employees, including, but not limited to, any and all lawsuits, causes of action, claims, liabilities, and damages which the District, its agents or employees may sustain by reason of any failure by contractor to indemnify as provided herein, or any failure by contractor to otherwise perform its obligations pursuant to this contract, or by reason of the injury to or death of any person or persons or the damage to, loss of use of or destruction of any property resulting from work undertaken herein. RFP 16-009

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MINORITY BUSINESS POLICY It is the policy of the District that minority business enterprises shall have the maximum opportunity to participate in the District’s purchasing process. Therefore, the District encourages all minority businesses to compete for goods, services, and construction contracts. NON-COLLUSIVE AFFIDAVIT By submitting a response, the company and the individual personally signing the response represent and warrant that such response is genuine and is neither collusive nor made for or on behalf of any person not named, and that he has neither induced nor solicited any other company to place a sham response nor directly or indirectly caused another company to refrain from or be unable to present a response. NON-DISCRIMINATION The company shall not discriminate against, or segregate, a person or a group of persons on account of race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, familial status, national origin, ancestry, disability or condition of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) or AIDS-related complex in carrying out its duties and obligations pursuant to this agreement nor shall the company or any person claiming under or through the company establish or permit any such practice or practices of discrimination or segregation. The company must include in any and all subcontracts a provision similar to the preceding. PENALTY FOR COLLUSION If at any time it shall be found that the person, firm or corporation to whom a contract has been awarded has, in presenting any response, colluded with any other party or parties, then, in the sole discretion of the District, the contract so awarded shall be null and void or considered breached and the contractor shall be liable to the District for any and all loss and damage of whatsoever nature, which the District may suffer and the District may seek a new contractor. EVALUATION OF PROPOSAL The PCSSD will negotiate, as appropriate, with the apparent acceptable offerer(s). The qualification(s) deemed to be the most practical and advantageous will receive major consideration. Fees will be negotiated with the most qualified individual(s). Offerer(s) may be asked to participate in a pre-award meeting with the District representatives to discuss and clarify contract requirements as pertains to performance expectations, response time, and other aspects of services, as appropriate. Agreements, terms or conditions resulting from this meeting will be written into the resulting contract and will be subject to normal contract enforcement. Evaluation Criteria: The district will select the bid which best fulfills the requirements of this RFP. The proposals will be evaluated based on the following: Quality and completeness of vendor’s goods or services Value: cost to acquire vendor’s goods or services Experience/Qualifications including Reputation of the vendor with District References

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PROPRIETARY INFORMATION All information submitted in response to this RFP is public and will be available to interested parties after an award is made by the PCSSD. The bidder should not include as a part of the response to the RFP any information which the bidder believes to be a trade secret or otherwise privileged or confidential. If the bidder wishes to include such material with a response, then the material should be supplied under separate cover and identified as confidential. The District does not warrant or agree to, but will endeavor to, keep that information confidential. Contractor acknowledges that information in the possession of the District may be subject to the provisions of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act. REJECTION OF RESPONSES The PCSSD may reject any and all responses and may reject a response of any party who has failed to perform, been unfaithful and/or delinquent in any former relationship with the District. The District reserves the right to waive any irregularities or formalities in any solicitation or response. The District shall be the sole judge as to which response is best and in determining that fact, may consider the contractor’s business integrity, financial resources, experience, facilities and/or capacity for performing the work. RESERVATIONS This RFP does not commit the District to award a contract, to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of a response to this request, or to procure or contract for services or supplies. The District reserves the right to accept, or reject, in part or its entirety, any response received as a result of this RFP, if it is in the best interest of the District to do so. SEVERABILITY The finding or determination of any part or parts of the General Instructions, Terms and Conditions is void, unenforceable, invalid or voidable shall result in only that part being stricken with the remainder to continue in full force and effect. STATEMENT OF EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS The company may be required, upon request, to prove to the satisfaction of the District that they have the skill, experience and the necessary facilities and financial resources to perform the contract in a satisfactory manner and within the required time. If the evidence of competency is not satisfactory, the response of such company may be rejected. WITHDRAWAL OF RESPONSE A response may be withdrawn before the expiration of the time during which responses may be submitted, without prejudice, by submitting a written request for its withdrawal to the Purchasing Director. F.O.B.: Various PCSSD School locations

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DIPLOMAS A.

B.

C.

GENERAL: 1. Bidder must be a registered manufacturer of diplomas and diploma cases. Orders may not be subject to other manufacturers. 2.

Bidder must submit a sample diploma and case prepared in accordance with these specifications.

3.

Bidder shall state in bid proposal the kind and quality of material and workmanship bid upon and list his specifications applicable to his quotation.

DIPLOMAS: 1. Workmanship: Diplomas are to be printed from steel engraved plates of the finest bank note quality. Process plates of any type are not acceptable. 2.

Size: 6”x 8” insert.

3.

Stock: 100% rag content diploma parchment. Lee’s Diploma Parchment 46# basis or equivalent. Color must be snow white or cream white engrosser’s finish as specified upon ordering.

4.

Printing: To be printed in rich black non-fading ink, sharp and clean.

5.

Engrossing: Mechanically engrossed, using rich nonfading black ink in a style of type to harmonize with the engraved text matter. The graduate’s name and date of graduation are to be engrossed.

CASES: 1. Panoramic style case, with side hinge, to hold 6”x 8” insert. 2.

Cover Material: Finest quality Morocco grained leatherette.

3.

Case Board: Warp resistant, .060 inch thickness, warp resistant smooth binders board. Red label Darvey Board or equivalent.

4.

Padding: Topad #58 to consist of a lamination of #3 cotton wadding glued to case board and a second lamination of 160# card middling separating the wadding from the cover material. The protective lamination must cover the entire wadding. None of the wadding can be exposed to the cover material.

6.

Stamping: non-tarnishable 24-carat gold leaf lettering is to be stamped on the cases for each school indicating the school name and location.

7.

Lining: The lining will consist of two pads 6” x 8”. One pad will have four corner pieces to contain the diploma or certificate snugly. Material to be 40 bar white Moire Calanese acetate. Warp 93.4 (100 denier) 26 filaments – filling 206.3 (200 denier) 52 filaments. Moire lining to have a lamination of white paper.

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8.

Hinge: The hinge of the case shall be the same material as the cover, securely formed and glued.

9.

Case Construction: All corners are to be neatly tucked and formed. The lining boards are to be glued neatly into place. The lining pads must be in line and must be glued securely. The case must be neat and taut. All four corners of the case must coincide when the case is closed.

10.

Gold seals to be printed in center of diploma for writing only. Instructions for each student to be furnished by the principal.

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SECTION THREE: RESPONSE INFORMATION REFERENCES (must provide 3) (1)

Vendor Name: ________________________________________________________________ Representative: _______________________________________________________________ Address: __________________________________________________________________________________ Phone: ________________________________ Fax: _________________________________ E-Mail: ______________________________________________________________________ Services Provided ___________________________________________________________________________ (2)

Vendor Name: ________________________________________________________________ Representative: _______________________________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________ Phone: ________________________________ Fax: _________________________________ E-Mail: ______________________________________________________________________ Services Provided ___________________________________________________________________________ (3)

Vendor Name: ________________________________________________________________ Representative: _______________________________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________ Phone: ________________________________ Fax: _________________________________ E-Mail: ______________________________________________________________________ Services Provided ___________________________________________________________________________

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VENDOR STATEMENT OF AUTHORIZED AGENCY AND NON-COLLUSION This statement must be signed and notarized for the bid to be valid.

Pulaski County Special School District Pulaski County I, ___________________________________________________, hereby state: (1) I am the duly authorized agent of _____________________, the bidder submitting the competitive bid which is attached to this statement, for the purpose of certifying the facts pertaining to the existence of collusion among and between bidders and state officials, as well as facts pertaining to the giving or offering of things of value to government personnel in return for special consideration in the awarding of any contract pursuant to the bid to which this statement is attached. (2) I am fully aware of the facts and circumstances surrounding the making of the bid to which this statement is attached and have been personally and directly involved in the proceedings leading to the submission of the bid. (3) Neither the bidder nor anyone subject to the bidder’s direction or control has been a party: A. To any collusion among bidders in restraint of freedom of competition by agreement to bid at a fixed price or to refrain from bidding; B. To any collusion with any state official or employee as to quantity, quality or price in the prospective contract, or as to any other terms of the prospective contract; or C. In any discussions between bidders and any state official concerning exchange of money or other thing of value for special consideration in the awarding of a contract. (4) I hereby guarantee that the specifications outlined in the bid shall be followed as specified and that deviations from the specifications shall occur only as part of a formal change process approved by the Board of Directors of the school district.

_____________________________________________ Signature Subscribed and sworn to before me this _______day of ____________________, 20_____

_____________________________________________ Notary Public Commission Expires: ____________________________

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BID SPECIFICATIONS DISTRICT SITES JACKSONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

1

Unit Price

Extended Price

2400 Linda Lane, Jacksonville, AR 72076 Case color RED Estimated Graduates 210 2

3

4

5

6

Color Bid

MAUMELLE HIGH SCHOOL 100 Victory Lane, Maumelle, AR 72118 Case Color RED Estimated Graduates 350 MILLS HIGH SCHOOL 1205 E. Dixon Rd, Little Rock, AR 72206 Case Color EMERAL or DARK GREEN Estimated Graduates 160 NORTH PULASKI HIGH SCHOOL 718 Harris Rd, Jacksonville, AR 72076 Case Color MAROON Estimated Graduates 170 ROBINSON HIGH SCHOOL 21501 Highway 10, Little Rock, AR 72212 Case Color BLACK Estimated Graduates 110 SYLVAN HILLS HIGH SCHOOL 484 Bear Paw Rd., Sherwood, AR 72120 Case Color BLUE Estimated Graduates 170

Estimated TOTAL all 6 Schools

1170

Color Bid

Color Bid

Color Bid

Color Bid

Color Bid

Estimated Price

Lettering Color(s) available ____________________________________________________ Warranty

_______________________________________________

Provide actual specifications, samples and colors on both Diplomas and Cases with response. Note: Sales or use Tax – is not to be shown in the bid price but to be added to the invoice billing to the District. Please include in bid price all freight and other delivery charges to destination at designated District facility.

RFP 16-009

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