HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/15/2003, C9 - RFP FOR CONTRACT COPYING SERVICES council
415-03
acEnba Repom On
CITY OF SAN LUIS O B I S P O
FROM: Bill Statler,Director of Finance
Debbie Malicoat,Accounting Supervisor
SUBJECT: RFP FOR CONTRACT COPYING SERVICES
CAO RECOMMENDATION
Approve the Request for Proposal (RFP) for contract copy services and authorize the City
Administrative Officer to award contract to the most responsive proposer.
DISCUSSION
The City currently contracts for approximately 50% of our copying needs. (The other half are
made on in-house copiers.) These contract services are used for large reproduction requirements
such as agenda packets and other reports. The City's Copying Management Policy (Financial
Management Manual Section 725) recommends that documents requiring ten or more copies of a
single sheet with a lead-time of six or more hours should be sent out for reproduction.
The current extension period on the contract awarded to Poor Richard's Press in July of 1999 has
expired. Staff will request proposals from all copy service firms located within the City for a
one-year agreement with a renewal option for an additional two years. If the contract is
extended, prices may be renegotiated based on the annual percentage change in the consumer
price index. Selection will be based on the most responsive proposal with consideration given to
cost per copy, proposal responsive, frequency of pickup and delivery, use of recycled paper,
experience in providing similar services to others and the results of reference checks. Although
cost is a major consideration, under the City's purchasing guidelines for RFP's, these other
criteria will be also be considered in determining the most responsive proposal.
FISCAL IMPACT
The award of a contract to a copy service vendor allows for blanket purchasing by City
departments based on their need for service and funding levels approved in their operating
budgets. Its sets "per copy" pricing, but it does not commit the City to a specific volume or type
of work. As such, the award of a copy service contract does not directly impact the City's
budget. However, labor savings on high volume copy jobs makes contracting out more cost
effective than in-house reproduction; and competitively bidding this work assures us the best
possible combination of service and pricing.
During the past year, the City paid about $46,000 to Poor Richard's Press under the current
contract. Even though this is within the CAO's purchasing approval, we are bringing this to the
Council for approval since the potential exists, based on actual volumes, of costs being more
than $50,000 with the selected vendor, which is more than the CAO's current purchasing
authority.
ON - I
o
RPP for Contract Copying Services Page 2
ALTERNATIVES
1. Provide in-house copying services. To accommodate all of the City's reproduction needs in-
house would require the purchase of additional copy machines, the hiring of additional personnel
to operate the equipment,higher utility costs and the allocation of floor space to run a print shop.
Due to these factors, contracting for large reproduction orders is a more cost-effective approach
in meeting the City's needs.
2. Do not request competitive proposals. Case-by-case orders by departments with various
vendors would result in higher costs and unclear performance requirements. The City is
better served by a master agreement that sets uniform pricing and service standards for all
departments.
ON FILE IN COUNCIL OFFICES
RFP for contact copying services
G:Finance/Copy Contract/Agenda Report.April 15,2003
ca ^a