Board of Education Community High School District 94 West Chicago, IL 60185 Request for Proposals Yearbook Contract Submit your bid to: Marc Wolfe Division Head for Information & Technology & Director of Student Activity 326 Joliet Street, West Chicago, IL 60185 Proposals must be received at the above address no later than Friday, May 29, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. Proposals MUST be submitted in a SEALED ENVELOPE CLEARLY MARKED Request for Proposal - Yearbook Contract Attention Marc Wolfe
Page 2 of 16 326 Joliet Street West Chicago, IL 60185 is interested in obtaining sealed proposals for a Yearbook Contract. Sealed proposals will be received until 10:00 a.m., Friday, May 29, 2015 and opened in public and read at that time by a designated representative at, located at 326 Joliet Street, West Chicago, IL 60185. The School District cannot assume the responsibility for delayed postal deliveries and does not recognize postmarks as representing the fact that a proposal has been received by the School District before the specified deadline. The enclosed proposal forms MUST be used and returned in a sealed envelope clearly marked: Request for Proposals Yearbook Contract Attention Marc Wolfe All proposals shall be submitted with each space properly completely. The Board of Education reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to waive any informality at its discretion. Please fill out the enclosed forms completely. Only the original forms found on the district s website will be accepted. Incomplete forms will be rejected. After the Request for Proposal (RFP) opening, a meeting may be held with Proposal Provider selected by the administrators, advisers, and students. This meeting will allow the Proposal Provider to present their product, and take questions from the committee. Proposal Providers must be prepared to demonstrate their company s services upon request after submission of their proposal. Such a demonstration would include the company s computer programs designed to assist the school in page submission at the direction of the school s yearbook adviser. This demonstration must be attended by the local representative designated within this proposal. Demonstrations will be requested at the sole discretion of the District. The form must contain an original officer s signature. The signing of these proposal forms shall be construed as acceptance of all provisions contained herein. Marc Wolfe Division Head for Information & Technology, Director of Student Activities Name of Company (Print or type) Company Officer s Name (Print or type) Title Signature of Company Officer Date Email Telephone Number Fax Number Complete Address (City, State, Zip)
Page 3 of 16 326 Joliet Street West Chicago, IL 60185 General Specifications Yearbook Contract 1. Modification: These documents shall constitute the entire agreement between the parties upon the award of the contract. No change in, addition, or waiver of terms, conditions, and specifications herein shall be binding on the Board unless approved in writing by the Board. Any change, addition, or amendment of the terms shall be tendered in the bid envelope on an alternate proposal form with an explanation of the proposed alternate. 2. Proposal Submission and Due Date: NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN for the Request For Proposals (RFP) for a Yearbook Contract. Sealed proposals shall be delivered to, 326 Joliet Street, West Chicago, IL 60185, Attention Marc Wolfe, Division Head for Information & Technology and Director of Student Activities any time prior to, but not later than 10:00 a.m. local time on Friday, May 29, 2015 and will be opened and read at that time. The School District cannot assume the responsibility for delayed postal deliveries and does not recognize postmarks as representing the fact that a proposal has been received by the School before the specified deadline. Proposals received after the time specified in the RFP, sent by facsimile or email will not be accepted. Each proposal must be submitted on the enclosed forms provided with these specifications and must be contained in a sealed envelope, which is clearly marked: Request for Proposals Yearbook Contract, Attention Marc Wolfe 3. Withdrawal of Proposals: Proposal Providers may withdraw their proposals at any time prior to the time specified in this request; however, all proposals shall be deemed final and conclusive, and once opened, no proposal shall be subject to correction or amendment for any error or miscalculation. No proposal shall be withdrawn without the consent of the Board of Education of Community High School District 94 after the scheduled closing time for the receipt of the proposal. All proposals submitted must be valid for a minimum period of sixty (60) calendar days after the date set for the proposal opening 4. Late Proposals: Proposals received after the time specified in the RFP will not be considered and returned unopened to the vendor. 5. Reservation of Rights by the District: The Board of Education of Community High School District 94, reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, to waive any irregularities, or informalities and to award each item to different Proposal Provider or all items to a single Proposal Provider unless otherwise noted on the request. It is the intent of the School District to award a contract to the lowest, responsible, responsive Proposal Provider meeting specifications, which is in the best interest of the School District as determined by the Board of Education. The Board of Education of Community High School District 94 will authorize the release of purchase orders upon acceptance of the proposal. 6. Bidder Statements: Any explanation, special offers, or statement in which the Proposal Provider wishes to make must be placed in the same envelope with the proposal, but shall be written separately and independently of the proposal and attached thereto. 7. Taxes: Proposal Providers shall not include taxes in their quotations which school districts are not subject to; namely, Retailers Occupation Tax, (both State and Local) Sales Tax of any kind, Service Use Tax, and any other such applicable tax. The District will provide a Tax-Exempt Number with the initial purchase order to the winner.
Page 4 of 16 8. Compliance with Laws: The Proposal Provider shall, at all times, observe and comply with all laws, ordinances, regulations and codes of the federal, state, county and other local government agencies, which may in any manner affect the preparation of proposals or the performance of the contract, and in particular any such laws pertaining to safety. 8.1 Each proposal must be accompanied by a Certificate regarding Sexual Harassment Policy certifying that the Proposal Provider has a written sexual harassment policy as required by Section 2-105 of the Illinois Human Rights Act (775 IL-CS5/2-105). No proposal shall be considered responsive unless accompanied by the signed Certificate regarding Sexual Harassment Policy. (Certificate attached). 8.2 Each proposal from a company with 25 or more employees must be accompanied by a Certificate of Compliance with the Illinois Drug-Free Workplace Act, certifying that the Proposal Provider shall provide a drug-free workplace for employees engaged in the performance of work under the contract. No proposal shall be considered responsive unless accompanied by the signed Certificate regarding the Illinois Drug-Free Act where applicable. (Certificate attached) 8.3 Each proposal must be accompanied by a Certificate of Eligibility to Bid certifying that pursuant to Section 33 E-11 of the Illinois Criminal Code of 1961 as amended, Proposal Provider hereby certifies that neither they nor any of the officers, partners, or owners of the business have been convicted in the past five years of the offense of bid-rigging under Section 33 E-3, nor bid rotating under Section 33 E-4. No proposal shall be considered responsive unless accompanied by the signed Certificate of Eligibility to Bid. (Certificate attached) 8.4 It shall be mandatory that the Proposal Provider, does not discriminate against individuals or group of the public, any employee or applicant for employment because of their race, creed, color, national origin, religion, sex, ancestry, age, citizenship status, marital status, physical or mental impairment unrelated to ability, to perform, or unfavorable discharge from military service, or any other form of discrimination prohibited from time to time under the Illinois Human Rights Act. Contractor must comply with all rules and regulations of the Illinois Department of Human Rights, Illinois Human Rights Commission and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. 9. Hold Harmless Agreement: The Proposal Provider agrees to indemnify, hold harmless and defend Community High School District 94, members of the school board, officers, employees, and agents thereof against all suits, actions, legal, proceedings, claims and demands, and against all charges, loss, cost, expenses, and attorney s fees, in any manner caused by, arising from, incident to, connected with, or growing out of the performance of this contract. 10. Signature Constitutes Acceptance: The signing of these proposal forms shall be construed as acceptance of all provisions contained herein. 11. Invoicing/Billing: Proposal Provider is responsible for invoicing/billing the school district according to the purchase orders submitted based on the winning proposal. Invoices may be sent to Community High School District 94, Administration Office, 157 W. Washington, West Chicago, IL 60185 12. Delivery: All proposals must include shipping costs. All deliveries must be made according to the RFP specifications. A purchase order will be processed as soon as a proposal winner has been determined. Delivery of the yearbooks must be scheduled Monday thru Thursday and between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. at 326 Joliet Street, West Chicago, IL 60185. FRIDAY DELIVERIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Proposal Providers are responsible for notifying any transport firms about delivery dates and times. Delivery firm must make arrangements through a phone call 48 hours in advance. Contact Sergio Espinoza at 630-876-6233.
Page 5 of 16 CERTIFICATE OF WRITTEN SEXUAL HARRASSMENT POLICY The undersigned does hereby certify, pursuant to Section 2-105 of the Illinois Human Rights Act, 775 ILCS 5/2-105 that (s)he has a written Sexual Harassment Policy as required by Section 2-105 of the Illinois Human Rights Act in place that shall include, at a minimum, the following information: I. The illegality of sexual harassment; II. The definition of sexual harassment under State law; III. A description of sexual harassment, utilizing examples; IV. An internal complaint process including penalties; V. The legal recourse, investigate and complaint process available through the Illinois Department of Human Rights and the Human Rights Commission; VI. Directions on how to contact the Department of Human Rights Commission; and VII. Protection against retaliation as provided by Section 6-101 of the Human Rights Act. Finally, the contractor must provide a copy of such written policy to the Department of Human Rights upon request. Dated this day of, 2015 (Authorized Signature) Title SUBSCRIBED and SWORN TO before me this day of, 2015. Notary Public Signature My Commission Expires (Official Seal)
Page 6 of 16 CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE WITH ILLINOIS DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE ACT The undersigned does hereby certify that it is not subject to the requirements of Section 3 of the Illinois Drug-Free Workplace Act (30 ILCS 580/3). Dated this day of, 2015 (Authorized Signature) Title SUBSCRIBED and SWORN TO before me this day of, 2015. Notary Public Signature My Commission Expires Official Seal CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE WITH ILLINOIS DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE ACT The undersigned, does hereby certify pursuant to Section 3 of the Illinois Drug-Free Workplace Act (30 ILCS 580/3 Rev. Stat., ch. 127, par. 132.313) that (he, she, it) shall provide a drug-free workplace for all employees engaged in the performance of work under the contact by complying with the requirements of the Illinois Drug-Free Workplace Act and, further certifies, that (he, she, it) is not ineligible for award of this contract by reason of debarment for a violation of the Illinois Drug-Free Workplace Act. Dated this day of, 2015 (Authorized Signature) Title SUBSCRIBED and SWORN TO before me this day of, 2015. Notary Public Signature My Commission Expires Official Seal
Page 7 of 16 CERTIFICATE OF ELIGIBILITY TO CONTRACT The undersigned does hereby certify pursuant to Section 33E-11 of the Illinois Criminal Code of 1961 as amended, contractor hereby certifies that neither (he, she, it) nor any of (his, her, its) partners, officers, or owners of (his, her, its) business has been convicted in the past five (5) years of the offense of bid-rigging under Section 33E-3 of the Illinois Criminal Code of 1961 as amended; that neither (he, she, it) nor any of (his, her, its) partners officers or owners has ever been convicted of the offense of bid-rotating under Section 33E-4 of the Illinois Criminal code of 1961 as amended; and that neither (he, she, it) nor any of (his, her, its) partners, officers or owners has ever been convicted of bribing or attempting to bribe an officer or an employee of the State of Illinois, or has made an admission of guilt of such conduct which is a matter of record. Name of Proposal Provider (Please Print) Submitted Signature SUBSCRIBED and SWORN TO before me this day of, 2015. Notary Public Signature My Commission Expires (Official Seal)
Page 8 of 16 NON-COLLUSION AFFIDAVIT PROJECT: Request For Proposal Yearbook Contract The following Proposal Provider: The undersigned or agent, being duly sworn, on oath, says that they have not, nor has any other member, representative, or agent of the firm, company, corporation, or partnership represented by him/her, entered into any combination, collusion, or agreement with any person relative to the price to be bid by anyone at such letting, nor to prevent any person from bidding nor to induce anyone to refrain from bidding, and that this proposal is made without reference to any other proposal and without any agreement, understanding or combination with any other person in reference to such bidding, or with any Administrator or Member of the Board of Education of Community High School District 94 in order to lessen or restrain free competition in the acceptance of this contract. The undersigned or agent, further states that no person or persons, firms or corporations has, have or will receive directly or indirectly, any rebate, fee gift, commission or thing of value on account of such sale. The undersigned acknowledges and agrees to comply with all terms, conditions and specifications contained herein unless otherwise noted and explained. Dated this day of, 2015 (Authorized Signature) Title PROPOSAL PROVIDER INFORMATION (Please print) NAME: COMPANY S NAME: ADDRESS: (Address, City, State and Zip Code) PHONE: FAX: Email: WEBSITE: SUBSCRIBED and SWORN TO before me this day of, 2015. Notary Public Signature My Commission Expires (Official Seal)
Page 9 of 16 Evaluation of Proposals The School District reserves the right to evaluate and consider the following elements in making an award of this proposal. Criteria Points (out of 100) Pricing 20 Discounts, special promotions, & process to maintain budget (5) Added value options (5) Promotional, sales support, and online sales options (5) Overall cost to students and projected yearly increases (5) Quality of Printing 20 Yearbook samples provided (5) Qualifications of tech support in facility (5) Deadline submissions/process (5) Process of color correction of photos and quality check points (5) Experience & Training 25 Communication of guidelines, staff contacts, and responsibilities (5) Workshops and training opportunities (5) Educational materials (5) Local representatives qualifications for training/support (5) Demonstration of customer service (5) Quality of Service (Technology, Plant Support) 25 Photo enhancement options in online program (5) Online options for parents and students to share photos w/staff (5) Ease of use of online program (5) Online Ad Creation and Tech Support for parents and staff (5) Additional features of online design program (5) Special Offers 10
Page 10 of 16 YEARBOOK SPECIFICATIONS 1. PROPOSAL PROVIDER REPRESENTATIVES: 1.1 A plant representative shall be available for the Yearbook Adviser and/or yearbook staff to contact, regarding production progress of material, both in and out of the plant. Proposal Provider is to furnish the school with the name of the individual at the plant who is capable of making decisions via the telephone, concerning changes or corrections. 1.2 A local yearbook representative shall be available at the request of the Yearbook Adviser or yearbook staff to visit the school and consult with staff. A local representative located within fifty (50) miles of the district is preferred. 1.3 Local representative will call on the school on a specific schedule to be determined between the Yearbook Adviser, staff and representative. 1.4 Local representative must have the technical capability to assist the Yearbook Adviser and staff in the production of their yearbooks in a state-of-the-art manner. 1.5 Local representative shall have the ability to provide monthly progress reports and billing updates to the Yearbook Adviser. 2. TECHNOLOGY: 2.1 Vendor must provide an online page creation program at no charge which must work on the cloud. School reserves the right to evaluate each company s software for ease of use, compatibility with school technology, and maximum creative control. 2.2 Vendor guarantees that it has the technology and resources necessary to receive and process information to complete a quality yearbook for each high school. 2.3 Vendor must provide access to free technical support with extended phone hours, including the ability for technician to view your computer for fast resolution to problems. 2.4 Vendor representative will be required to demonstrate proficiency with required technology to the satisfaction of the RFP review committee. 3. TRAINING: 3.1 Vendor must provide complete instructions for the preparation of the yearbook. Instructions should be both written and in the form of short tutorial videos accessible to all staff members. 3.2 Vendor must have local summer workshop available to adviser and staffs. 3.3 Vendor shall provide the opportunity for the staff members to attend training workshops, or shall provide other training programs for the school. 3.4 Vendor must provide an annual Adviser Workshop to help advisers develop skills in journalism and technology. 3.5 Vendor s representative must provide in-school training to the adviser and/or staff on a regular basis throughout the school year. Training to be planned and agreed upon with Adviser. 3.6 Vendor must provide supplemental webcast training opportunities to the Yearbook Adviser and staff to further develop skills.
Page 11 of 16 3.7 Vendor must provide comprehensive curriculum for the teaching of yearbook concepts to the staff. Curriculum should include up-to-date technology training materials as well as journalism lessons. 4. KIT MATERIALS: All necessary supplies for the preparation of the yearbook are to be provided, with extra materials provided as needed. The kit shall include all necessary tools and support materials required to layout, design, fundraise and market the yearbook. 5. ARTWORK: Vendor shall provide each school the opportunity to meet with a professional artist to develop the theme and to design the cover and endsheets. 6. BOOK SPECIFICATIONS: Book Trim Size: 8 ½ by 11 inches Number of Pages: 208 Number of Copies: 750 Color Printing: All Color Pages Delivery: September 2016 7. COVER: 7.1 School shall have the choice of a custom-designed cover with the choice of four color lithograph, silkscreen, embossed or alternate process, using one or more applied colors to title, date and design. 7.2 The yearbook cover is to be constructed of 120-point or heavier board. There shall be no limit to the area that the school might apply their design including title, year and school name, without added charge for the spine. Proof of cover is to be furnished to the school and approved prior to release for production. 8. BINDING: Books will be tightly Smyth Sewn. 9. PAPER STOCK: All inside pages to be a minimum of 80 pound paper, in choice of gloss or matte finish. 10. ENDSHEETS: Endsheets are to be a minimum 90# stock, one color printed on white, different design front and back. Proof of endsheet is to be furnished to the school and approved prior to release for publication. 11. COLOR PAGES: 11.1 Books will have 100% all color pages. Vendor to provide unlimited use of accent colors on pages in a full range of screens. 11.2 Vendor must provide printed color charts for accurate representation of color accents.. 11.3 Vendor must apply credit for all multiples printed in black and white 11.4 Vendor must provide specific submission deadline requirements for color multiples. 12. PROOFS: 12.1 Vendor must be able to provide high resolution PDF proofs of all pages for review prior to the submission of pages. Proofs must be available immediately and on demand through the online page creation program. 12.2 Vendor must provide hard copy proofs of cover and endsheet. 12.3 Schools will not be charged for proofs or for the shipping of proofs between plant and school.
Page 12 of 16 13. DEADLINES: 13.1 Delivery date of books and deadline schedule is dependent upon the school year calendar and will be determined through written agreement between the yearbook adviser and vendor during the first month of school. 13.2 Deadlines are to be spaced as evenly as possible from November 1 of each contract year until the final deadlines are expected. Page submissions will be approximately equal for each deadline. The school will have the opportunity to make up lost time from missed deadlines by submitting copy prior to the next deadline in order to retain the final delivery date as originally scheduled. 13.3 Should it appear that the meeting of a final delivery date is in jeopardy as a result of missed deadlines, the Vendor is responsible for informing the Yearbook Adviser and school administrator immediately so that corrective action can be taken. 14. SPECIAL OFFERS: Indicate any special offers available and cost to school, if any. Please note that special offers may be considered in evaluation of quote only if they are readily quantifiable in terms of monetary value to the school. Special Offers shall be written separately and independently of the proposal and attached thereto in the sealed envelope as specified in the General Specifications.
Page 13 of 16 326 Joliet Street, West Chicago, IL 60185 EXHIBIT A: PROPOSAL Name of Company (Print or type) Submitted By Title Signature of Agent(s) Date Email Telephone Number Fax Number Complete Address (City, State, Zip) Company years in business: Number of employees: Representative years in business: Addendums received: 2016 Base price per yearbook $ Optional: Year 1 renewal: Year 2 renewal: Year 3 renewal: % increase in base price per yearbook % increase in base price per yearbook % increase in base price per yearbook The proposal must include all shipping costs. The signing of the proposal documents shall be construed as acceptance of all provisions contained herein.
Page 14 of 16 EXHIBIT B: REFERENCES List three (3) schools of similar size and volume that the Vendor s Representative has maintained a relationship with for at least three (3) years. Provide yearbooks from these schools illustrating the quality and size requested by West Chicago Community High School. 1. School Name Name of Representative at school to contact City/state/zip of school School s Phone Email address of contact person Length of working relationship with vendor representative 2. School Name Name of Representative at school to contact City/state/zip of school School s Phone Email address of contact person Length of working relationship with vendor representative 3. School Name Name of Representative at school to contact City/state/zip of school School s Phone Email address of contact person Length of working relationship with vendor representative
Page 15 of 16 EXHIBIT C: Questions A separate sheet of paper may be used to answer the questions if necessary and must be included in the sealed RFP. Does your company provide a summer workshop to the yearbook staff? Please provide cost information, curriculum covered, dates and location of this workshop. What additional workshops do you provide to advisers and staff? Please describe workshops and costs. Explain the deadline process for a book that would be published in the Spring? In the fall?
Page 16 of 16 CHECKLIST 1. Deliveries around September 2016. A Purchase Order will have delivery instructions 2. Deliveries can be made between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Monday thru Thursday at the Receiving Dock, 326 Joliet Street, West Chicago, IL 60185 The Receiving Area is located at the southwest end of the building Morning delivery is preferred Notification of delivery must be made to Sergio Espinoza, Building & Grounds 630-876-6233 sespinoza@d94.org 48 hours in advance 3. Send Invoices to: Community High School District 94, Administration Office, 157 W. Washington, West Chicago, IL 60185 ATTENTION: Accounts Payable 4. Required Documents Various certificates and Vendor Information from the RFP documents Proposal References Additional Questions Special Offers must be placed in the sealed envelope with the proposal, but shall be written separately and independently of the proposal and attached. Sample yearbooks from the reference list illustrating the quality and size requested.