TERM CONTRACT SPR 4 OAKS CHECKS

This fixed-price contract, issued by the Ohio Department of Administrative Services, seeks a qualified supplier to produce OAKS Checks used for state payroll and financial system payments. The contract term runs from November 1, 2026, through October 31, 2028, with an estimated annual volume of 3 million checks, typically released in batches of 1 million three times per year. The award will be granted to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder who possesses at least two years of experience producing high-tech security forms. The selected vendor must provide a performance bond of 250,000 dollars and undergo a rigorous approval process involving exact-size proofs and a test run of 5,000 samples to ensure hardware compatibility with OCE Varioprint 5000 printers. The checks must adhere to strict technical specifications, including an average opacity of 90 percent or higher, acid-free paper with 4 to 5 percent moisture content, and advanced security features such as the Great Seal of Ohio, fluorescent fibers, micro printing, and thermochromic ink. The supplier is responsible for secure warehousing under specific temperature and humidity controls and must maintain a safety stock of 1 million checks. Delivery requirements are stringent, requiring emergency shipments of at least 50,000 checks to be delivered to Central Ohio within 4 hours of notification and to the Connecticut disaster recovery site within 24 hours. All shipments must be transported via bonded carriers in sealed vehicles, with checks shrink-wrapped in packs of 500 and protected by chipboard.