The Alabama Board of Nursing (ABN) is the regulatory agency for the licensing of nurses. A wallet-sized continuing education (CE) card is presented to CE providers by the licensee when obtaining CE credits. The Board also approves CE providers and cards are provided to each Board-approved provider. The ABN is seeking a vendor to print and distribute CE cards with the same degree of security expected of a Visa or MasterCard manufacturer. Requirements for CE/CE Provider Card Dimensions: CR 80, .30” thick plastic stock, 3.375” wide X 2.125” high Hologram: 1” x 1” 3-D hologram diffractive lamp image which shall be hot stamped on the front of the card or equal security device Color: Multiple PMS colors established by ABN for front of the card; black on the back Front: CE Card - thermal print personalized with the name of the nurse CE Provider Card - thermal print personalized with the name, provider number, status and expiration date of the CE Provider Back: preprinted text with a 2 track HICO magnetic stripe compatible with a TriComm Data Recorder used by the ABN and the ABN’s approved CE providers CE Card - encoded with the name and license number of the nurse in a record format established by the ABN CE Provider Card - encoded with the name, provider number and expiration date of the CE Provider in a record format established by the ABN Once personalized, the card should be laminated for durability Requirements for Distribution of CE/CE Provider Card by Vendor Once card is printed and encoded according to above requirements, card is attached to designated carrier for specific card type (letter format). Dimensions of letter carrier for license card: 8.5” wide and 11” high Design and content of letter carrier for CE/CE provider card: specified and pre-approved by the ABN Vendor distributes via US first-class mail each carrier/card in a #10 US envelope, 4.5” high by 9.5” wide with twin address windows on the front. A verification email message should be sent to the ABN with each production run. Requirements for Transmission of Data from ABN to Vendor Vendor shall accept transmission files on any business day in a secure format pre-approved by the ABN. Vendor shall accept one transmitted file for both CE and CE Provider cards. Services Required of Vendor Turn-around time of minimum of two (2) business days after receipt of CE/CE provider card information, including printing, affixing, and mailing cards per requirements in previous sections. Vendor shall maintain a secure web site for ABN staff to log on and check the status and history of all orders received by Vendor. Vendor shall maintain internal controls to assure security of CE/CE provider cards and licensee/CE provider information. Vendor shall maintain internal audit procedures to verify quality control measures. Vendor shall not modify an established process, including printing, mailing, type of CE/CE provider card, letter carriers, etc. without approval from ABN. Vendor shall monitor blank card stock and inform the ABN when inventory is low. Vendor RequirementsDuring the evaluation period, the apparent lowest bidder may be requested to provide an exact sample of the card(s) to be printed and distributed. Sample data can be provided, if needed, by contacting Brad Jones, IT Director, at brad,
contact@example.gov or
+1 (555) 000-0000.Vendor must provide proof, in the form of a letter, that vendor is certified as a manufacturer of secure cards such as Visa or MasterCard.Vendor must provide technical specifications and product literature on all items bid if bidding an alternate to the specific products.Vendor must provide a narrative description of the internal controls and security measures to be established for the ABN.Vendor must provide proof, in the form of a letter, that the bidding vendor is an authorized sales and service representative for each product bid.Vendor shall specify charges for the following items: Initial design of card Initial design and set-up of letter carriers for CE/CE provider cards Production set-up fee for each “batch” of CE/CE provider cards. Minimum “batch” numbers for a production run shall be included as part of the bid response. Personalization of CE/CE provider card: Thermal print front of card Protective lamination on card Simplex laser print carrier Affix CE/CE provider card to carrier Insert CE/CE provider card into envelope Meter envelope Mail envelope with CE/CE provider card affixed to letter carrier Standard carrier Standard envelope Postage Standard First Class Rate Submission fee for transmitting data electronically, if applicable Cost of plastic cards prior to personalization per specifications identified on page one of this ITB with any volume discounts specified Cost per card, inclusive of production personalization of CE/CE provider card and mailing. Any charges for the ABN making changes to the letter carrier and/or CE/CE provider cards. The ABN should be invoiced at the time of manufacturing. CE/CE provider cards should be invoiced after personalization and mailing on a monthly basis with payment within 45 days of invoice.Subcontracting of services is not acceptable as Vendor selected is primary contractor and is responsible for performing the work required in specifications.
