Fort Walton Beach Council agenda — 02-22-11 regular — reading text

bill printing and mailing and related services as outlined in the requirements described below. A. General Requirements 1. Respondents must submit quotes in accordance with the specifications outlined in this Requestfor Quotes. Attachment A — Each variance to the specifications, if any, shall be specifically stated in Exceptions or Deviations to Specifications. 2. A corporate officer, partner, or proprietor should sign the quote in ink. 3. The successful Respondent must comply with all federal, state and local laws, guidelines, regulations, etc. requirements. This includes, but is not necessarily limited to, DOT, OSHA, EPA, and DEP 4. The City of Atlantic Beach is exempt from taxes imposed by the state and federal government. Quotes shall not include any taxes or fees. 5. Respondent warrants by virtue of submission of quote that all prices, terms, and conditions stated should be honored for a period of of quotes. one hundred twenty ( 120) days after the submission Any changes at the time an order is placed shall result in automatic disqualification of the Respondent. 6. Per City ordinance, agreements and contracts with a term in excess of one year shall include the following language: " The performance of the City of Atlantic Beach, Florida and its obligation to pay under this contract is contingent upon annual appropriation by the City Commission of the City of Atlantic Beach." Respondents are warned that this requirement is written into the Code of Ordinances of the City of Atlantic Beach, a public document, and it is binding upon all Respondents, whether or not referenced in any agreement. Paget leg, 47 B. Background Information The City' s Finance Department currently uses utility billing software provided by Sungard Public Sector ( HTE) on an in -house IBM AS /400 mainframe computer. During processing, twelve data files are created with billing data. These data files are downloaded manually by the Utility Billing Supervisor, using IBM Client Access. Data files are then combined in a zip file and transferred to the third -party vendor via email or on an FTP site provided by the third -party vendor. The City has approximately 8, 000 active utility accounts. The City bills monthly, using cycle billing. We have three major billing cycles, with the largest cycle having approximately 3, 000 utility bills. The City also processes various " off-cycle" bills, including final bills and corrected bills. These off cycle - bills can result in as few as one ( 1) bill being generated and submitted to the third -party vendor for processing. The City attempts to combine as many bills as possible in a submission, but timeliness of billing sometimes limits this effort. Total monthly utility bill volume is approximately 8,000 to 8, 300, depending on seasonality. The City' s third -party vendor designed and produces an 8 ' / z" by 11" size bill. The bill is perforated to provide for a return remittance portion. The third -party vendor prints, folds, stuffs, sorts and mails the bills. A return envelope is inserted with the utility bill. The third -party vendor' s software has the capability of identifying those customers on auto pay ( bank draft), and a return envelope is not inserted with those utility bills. The City handles delinquent notices through a separate process, but the third -party vendor performs all of the same functions for the notices as they do for the utility bills. A monthly, informational newsletter, provided directly to the bill printing vendor by a separate third -party vendor, is inserted in the envelope with the utility bill. The multi- colored newsletter is printed on 8 %" x 14" glossy paper, " C" folded. C. Scope of Services —Minimum Requirements The City of Atlantic Beach' s minimum requirements for providing utility bill printing and mailing services: 1. Design a pre -printed utility bill, mutually agreed to by Respondent and City, that includes required historical data, graphics, etc., similar to sample attached (Attachment B) 2. Design a pre -printed delinquent notice, mutually agreed to by Respondent and City, similar to sample attached ( Attachment C) 3. Receive billing and delinquent notice data in a format mutually agreed to by Respondent and City 4. Read data, print bills, fold bills and other documents and insert items into envelopes Read data, print delinquent notices, fold notices and insert items into envelopes 6. Mail the documents using the most economical, yet timely method ( bills and delinquent notices to be mailed " Address Service Requested ") Provide a PDF copy of the utility bills and delinquent notices Provide a monthly, itemized bill of services rendered  8.4.b. D. Additional Services of Interest Please provide a detailed description regarding Respondent' s availability or capability to provide the following additional services of interest that the City may wish to procure, may procure on an irregular basis, or may decide not to procure the Respondent' s services. 1. Provide and insert a # 9 single window return envelope 2. Provide custom programming, beyond initial bill set -up 3. Perform coding Accuracy Support System ( CASS) Certification and National Change of Address ( NCOA) System verification E. Oualifications of Respondent a. Provide description and history of Respondent b. Provide list of position titles and functions to be performed by personnel assigned to fulfill the City' s service requirements C. Demonstrate capability and describe procedures used in handling confidential information and documents d. Submit a copy of the Respondent' s quality control procedures used in providing required services e. Provide technical capabilities for the following: i. receiving and verifying accurate receipt of files ii. routine back -up procedures iii. security procedures iv. disaster recovery procedures f. Provide description of the type and age of equipment to be used g. Describe methods and formats available to receive the City' s billing data h. Discuss advantages and disadvantages of alternative paper types and sizes i. Describe procedures and capabilities for the following: i. printing and reprints ii. folding, sorting, and inserting iii.stocking of forms, envelopes and return envelopes j. Describe mail preparation procedures and specify mail -out location k. Demonstrate capabilities to receive and insert documents from third -party vendors 1. Demonstrate capability to merge accounts into same envelope, e.g., selective intelligent" inserting M. Provide sample utility bill n. Provide sample itemized statement for services rendered by Respondent F. Location of Respondent Specify location of office that will be providing service to the City. Preference will be given to those Respondents whose office location is within 50 miles of the City of Atlantic Beach. G. Schedule Quotes will indicate a precise implementation time and schedule from contract signing to production, including the amount of time each step will take. Packet H. Performance measures a. The Respondent must have the ability to provide service within one business day from time Respondent receives billing data. b. Describe the timefrarne for acceptance or rejection of bill data, to ensure bills are printed on time. C. Specify lead -time and turnaround time necessary for both the receipt of data and receipt of inserts, including acceptance or rejection of bill data. I. Workload Respondent must demonstrate the ability to service the City in relation to existing clients and anticipated workload from pending client agreements. I Previous Experience With Similar Proiects The City requires the successful respondent have at least five ( 5) years experience in providing the services outlined above. Describe or demonstrate that the Respondent has previous experience providing the services required by the City. K. References Provide at least five ( 5) customer references to show capability of processing sensitive financial documents and completing these types of services on specified schedules, with accuracy. L. Pricing a. Provide a cost schedule for the minimum requirements Respondents shall include any and all fees, charges, minimums, start-up costs, hourly rates for programming, analysis, and engineering, and all other costs in the minimum requirements cost schedule submitted. Respondents shall also provide a not -to- exceed amount for implementation of service costs, where applicable. The selected Respondent will be held to all not -to-exceed amounts listed in their quote Respondents are not to include escalator clauses for the cost of supplies, paper, and envelopes, unless they are prepared to justify changes in the service rate to the City. Contracts that include any escalator clause must also allow, in writing, for the unrestricted right of the City to exit the contract, at any time, without payment of penalties, fees, accelerated damages, or any other costs. Respondents must indicate in their quotes and contracts that postage will be reimbursed by the City at USPS cost. The City will accept no markup by the selected Respondent on postage or related fees, permits, and other costs charged by the United States Postal Service. Any attempt to mark up USPS costs will result in disqualification and potential adverse action on the part of the City. b. Provide a separate per item cost schedule for each of the additional services of interest 4 M. Effectiveness and Duration The