District-Wide Multifunction Devices

Phased replacement to the current fleet of approximately 400 multi-functional copiers throughout Volusia County School District (VCSD). The District’s goal is to start October 1, 20242024, and then continue throughout the school year over a period of 9 months. 3.1. Desired Functions a. Devices should come ready for all features to be used. The contractor should assume all device capabilities will be enabled and therefore should be included in the total cost. Pricing for all specific device functions should be included in the proposal. All features that have the option to enable or disable should be specifically called out in the proposal. Features of devices are to include, but are not limited to: i. Swipe authenticate to print utilizing current Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) credentials and current HID® proximity badges and smart cards ii. Authenticate using the employee ID number iii. Color scanning, minimum 600 dpi iv. Scan to email v. Scan to network and Microsoft OneDrive folder based on user credentials vi. Duplex printing and scanning vii. Full featured drivers for current Windows, Mac OS’s, and mobile devices (Android, iOS) viii. 35-40 PPM standard option and a 60-65 PPM optional upgrade for limited situations ix. Capable of using many medium types including card stock x. Easy to select from many types of medium, auto-detection preferred xi. Multiple paper sizes up to 11x17 xii. High capacity 8.5x11 tray (at least 2000 sheet) xiii. Granular data/reporting on what sites and who’swho is printing from what applications, preferably via a web interface xiv. Sort and staple feature xv. Ability to adjust copy ratio xvi. USB print and store xvii. Ability for optional fax module for an add on xviii. Ability for optional limiting of prints for users xix. Hold print, also known as locked print or hold job, keeps a print job from automatically printing until the user releases it.
b. All proposals should outline electrical requirements, including all accessories and finishers. This should include the number of wall outlets required, NEMA standard used, voltage and amperage usage, etc. c. The proposed solution should include secure print utilizing currently deployed HID® proximity badges or employee ID logon for document security as well as internal departmental billing. User authentication via LDAP connection is required. d. Color and monochrome devices should include the ability to color scan to email, USB, and network and/or Microsoft OneDrive path should be defined by user’s key card/LDAP credentials. Scanning output options should include PDF and image file types and be at a resolution of 100 dpi minimum configurable to at least 600 dpi. The contractor shall specify memory size needs and options for all models proposed. e. Contractors should be prepared to provide demo units for at least four weeks for VCSD ITS staff to evaluate and test device functionality. f. Printing Management System: PaperCut MF - Educational i. Approx. 400 copier embedded licenses or more if need (1 per copier) ii. 5-year options for Maintenance & Support (M&S) iii. Advanced Print Enablement Pack (give unlimited Zones for Print Deploy) g. Printing from computers should be easy for ITS technicians to setup utilizing full featured drivers. Automatic deployment via PaperCut required. Other systems will be considered such as Microsoft Printer Services, PrinterLogic, or Microsoft Universal Print. Full featured drivers are required for all supported versions of Windows, Mac, and Mobile OS (Android, iOS). Windows drivers must be Microsoft Certified. Full features include, but is not limited to, print options such as duplex, drawer selection, medium type, duplexing, stapling, and three-hole punch. Driver and firmware updates should be provided by the Contractor to ITS when available at no additional charge. h. If wireless networking or faxing modules are present, they should include the ability for ITS to disable. a. If wireless networking or faxing modules are present, they should include the ability for ITS to disable. 3.2 Service Expectations a. As part of the installation process, the Contractor shall train and provide all documentation to key operators at each site and ITS technicians. Documentation should include current edition user manuals and quick tip sheets in both hard copy and electronic formats. Training should be done on-site; online training options add value but cannot be the primary means of training. Training sessions for delivered equipment will consist of: i. A detailed explanation of the features of the system installed; ii. Hands-on training of the unit’s features, applications, and benefits; iii. Question and answer period; iv. Providing summary user guides (“Quick Tip sheets”), user manuals and other appropriate materials; v. Follow up sessions to address new and ongoing learning needs and issues. Future key operator training should be provided by Contractor on-demand throughout the life of the lease with no additional cost to VCSD. A proposal for training key district operators should be included in the bid process. b. Weekly, evolving into monthly, calls with the ITS Educational Technology Department to address implementation, service, and training needs. c. Deployment strategies should include ensuring devices are fully functional, properly communicating across the district’s network, installed on the appropriate print server with assistance from ITS, and ready for ITS staff to deploy to end user devices. Also required is the clean-up of all work areas as each install is completed. Clean-up must be completed by the end of each workday. It is also the contractor’s responsibility to remove any related boxes and packing materials from the District’s buildings each day. d. The contractor shall be authorized by the manufacturer to sell/lease and service all installed equipment at VCS’s various sites. Contractor’s technicians specifically trained on models provided to VCSD will provide a high level of customer service. Same day or next day repair services, based on the nature of the service call, should be included in any bids. Preventative Maintenance (PM) calls based on manufacturers’ recommendations should also be included in service agreements. PM service must be scheduled beforehand with the site based key operator to minimize school and administrative department disruption. Contractor will report as required to the ITS Educational Technology Department completion of the required PM. This proactive approach is the responsibility of the contractor, not the school staff, to schedule and implement. District employees shall not be responsible for installing or replacing any equipment components with the exception of toner cartridges/bottles and staple cartridges. e. The Contractor shall provide proactive customer service including timely and automatic replenishment of consumables prior to a device running out, recycling of used/waste consumables, and quick service call response rate with reasonable resolution turnaround time. Replenishment should occur at least 20% of the consumable life. Paper for devices will be provided by VCSD at VCSD’s sole expense. Disposal or return of empty supplies containers (toner bottles and cartridges) should be returnable to the device manufacturer’s recycling center with prepaid postage or shipping labels. f. To submit service requests, an online service request management portal provided by the Contractor is preferred in conjunction with a toll-free telephone number. Key Site Operators, designated ITS personnel, and designated VCS Purchasing personnel should have access to submit service requests. The Contractor shall design, print, and permanently secure a sign or sticker directly on each digital copier/printer installed under this contract listing the following items as applicable: machine identification number/network name, model number, serial number, toll-free phone number, and website for placing service calls. g. Proposals shall be value oriented with lowest cost per page options. The billing should be easy to read and should include site/department specific details. Accountability data by type should be available, i.e.: black & white/color, user, site, machine. An online client visible usage dashboard is required. Optional ability to have billing integrations with VCSD’s Enterprise Resource Planning software (FOCUS). h. Biannual performance reviews shall be held between the Contractor and VCSD to check the status of devices, satisfaction of service maintenance agreements, and review potential cost savings strategies. Proposals should also include a plan for VCSD to remove or add devices to the current contract as VCSD needs change, including changing a small number of machines to a higher PPM model at the cost of that model if conditions warrant. i. The Contractor shall provide VCSD with a Monthly Equipment Performance and Meter Report. Two copies of the report will be provided each month, one copy to Purchasing and one to ITS. The formatting of the Monthly Equipment Performance and Meter Report shall indicate, at a minimum, the following information during the period for each unit in the fleet: i. Unit Identification Number/Network Name ii. Name of Division, Department, or School iii. Room Number iv. Number of Copies utilized v. Number of service calls vi. Number of PM calls performed vii. Total uptime (operational, not just “on”) hours and resulting uptime percentage for the month. The Monthly Equipment Performance and Meter Report shall be sent via email by the tenth (10th) day of each succeeding month during the term of this Contract. VCSD will not be responsible to pay the monthly billing statement unless and until the Contractor has submitted the Monthly Equipment Performance and Meter Report. These reports should highlight devices with excessive service calls (greater than 8 service calls in a three-month period) or devices flagged as being particularly inefficient or problematic. Following consultation between the Contractor and the VCSD contact, such devices shall be replaced with a device of similar functionality (e.g.e.g., volume capacity) at no cost to the district. Optional ability to have billing integrations with VCSD Enterprise Resource Planning software (FOCUS). j. A “lemon clause” that allows for replacement of devices that fail often or require an excessive amount of maintenance should be included in the contract. Each individual unit installed under this contract shall attain at least a 98% monthly uptime performance (fully operational, not just “on”). At VCSD’s discretion, any individual unit not meeting the 98% uptime requirement for three consecutive months shall be replaced with a unit of the same (or equivalent substituted) model. “Uptime” shall be defined as the number of hours, rounded to the nearest one-quarter hour, that a given unit is fully functional and available to be used by an operator. Any number of hours, rounded to the nearest one-quarter hour, that a unit is not fully functional and available to be used by an operator shall be counted as “downtime” hours, subject to the following provisions: Downtime hours shall be tracked and listed by the contractor and counted under the following circumstances: due to a failed part, until such time as the replacement part is installed and working properly; due to a specific capability (i.e., duplexing, document feeding, or scanning, if so equipped) listed in this contract that is not functioning to VCSD’s satisfaction; and/or due to copy/print quality that is unreadable or unacceptable for VCSD’s purposes. Downtime hours shall be tracked and listed by the Contractor but not counted under the following circumstances: due to the applicable response time allowance (four hours for school/administrative units or two hours for production units) per service call or email; due to the number of hours associated with performing preventive maintenance; and due to obvious and mutually agreed upon customer abuse. Contractor shall calculate monthly uptime per unit as follows: the total number of uptime hours per calendar month (based on 22 nine-hour working days per calendar month less all countable downtime hours) divided by 198 average working hours per calendar month. A $25 per-hour downtime credit shall be applied to VCSD’s account for each hour or partial hour any individual unit is not operational below the 98% requirement. Downtime credits will appear automatically on the next monthly invoice sent to VCSD. Any one machine requiring more than three (3) service calls (excluding PM calls) in a quarter, must result in the Contractor providing a detailed review of the problem. In the review, a solution must be proposed and accepted by the VCSD designated representative. If the device breaks down after this solution has been implemented, the device must be replaced at the request of the VCSD’s designated representative at no cost to the district. If a repaired device continues to slip below the 98% uptime level over one month following repair, the Contractor shall replace that device with a new permanent device of similar model and function at no cost to VCSD and within two (2) business days after the district’s notification. k. In the event that a device is down, and repairs cannot be completed within twenty-four (24) business hours (three business days) from the time that the first service call is placed, equivalent loaner equipment shall be provided by the Contractor immediately and proactively (without official request by VCSD) at no additional cost or penalty to VCSD. l. Implementation i. The Contractor will provide a clear and organized approach to delivering devices to the district by providing the district an implementation strategy. It should be designed to give the district’s designated points of contact at least 2 weeks’ notice of the intended delivery. ii. The Contractor will work with ITS to determine placement decisions and mutually agreeable schedules. The district will have final approval on new equipment and placement. The Contractor will plan for equipment and space size, location, network, and power requirements. Contractor will confirm that the proposed model will be deliverable (fit through entry doors, fit into interior doors, and fit into identified location) 2 weeks in advance of delivery. iii. The Contractor will also verify if live network ports and appropriate power outlets are available at the proposed locations pre-designated by VCS. If there is not one, the Contractor will consult ITS at least 2 weeks in advance of delivery. Depending on the specific scenario, a district team would coordinate network runs and/or electrical upgrades. iv. Equipment to be installed at the inception of any resulting Contract and during the first two (2) year thereunder must be “New” or “Newly Manufactured” models used for the first time throughout the District. Equipment offered as “Rebuilt”, “Used”, “Reconditioned”, “Remanufactured” or “Discontinued” shall not be installed during the first two (2) years of any resulting Contract. During years, three (3), four (4) and five (5) of a five-year Contract, the Contractor may install either “New”, Newly Manufactured”, “Rebuild”, “Used”, “Reconditioned”, “Remanufactured” or “Discontinued” of the same proposed model at its discretion; Any change to a newer model that equipment will be required to be “New” or “Newly Manufactured” and Equipment model selected must operate in the same manner and with the same efficiency and reliability as the equipment installed in years one (1) and two (2). Contractor must inform the District in writing of its intentions to install other than “New” or “Newly Manufactured” equipment prior to the installation of such equipment. v. Should VCS’s needs change, units will be removed including their associated costs from the contract or additional units will be provided by the Contractor to the District at the current contracted rate. The Contractor must fulfill such additional equipment requests with equipment meeting the specifications as described within ten (10) business days of receipt of a request from the VCS Chief Technology Officer, ITS Print Shop Manager, Director of Purchasing, or designees. Adding units will in no way renew or extend the term of the Contract. vi. The District may, at no additional cost or penalty, require the Contractor to relocate equipment between the District’s various facilities. ITS personnel shall be authorized to move equipment within the same facility at no charge without voiding any warranties or service contracts. vii. Should a model of equipment originally installed under the Contract become discontinued by the manufacturer during the term of the Contract, the Contractor may, with the written approval of the District, substitute a similar model when it is required by the District to add units or replace units. Such model(s) to be substituted must be of equal or greater capability as the model to be replaced and must be offered at the same cost-per-copy cost as the original model. Equipment should be “New” or “Newly Manufactured”. Contractor must communicate its intentions to the District regarding this section prior to installation of any substituted equipment.