REGION 9 ESC

Multi Regional Purchasing Cooperative (Region 9 ESC, Fiscal Agent) – www.mrpctexas.com

• RFP 2020-01 – Combined Purchasing Line Item - Closed April 1, 2020.  The Region 9 ESC Board of Directors awarded this RFP on April 29, 2020.  Award letters are being sent to awarded vendors. 
• RFP 2020-02 – Instructional/General Supplies Catalog Discount  - Closing Date - Tuesday, May 5, 2020 - 2:00 PM (CDT) - Click here for terms & conditions.   
• RFP 2020-03 – Technology Supplies Catalog Discount – Closing Date - Tuesday, May 5, 2020 - 2:00 PM (CDT) - Click here for terms & conditions.

All responses must be entered in the online procurement system Public Purchase – www.publicpurchase.com.  For additional information/assistance contact Dana Parrish, MRPC Specialist, dana.parrish@esc9.net or 940-322-6928.

***Helpful Information – Vendor FAQ’s

3/19/20 – NOTIFICATION:  UPDATE ON MULTI REGIONAL PURCHASING COOPERATIVE RFPs

As of today, March 19, 2020, it is the intention of the MRPC to proceed with all Requests for Proposals currently open as specified with no changes in closing dates.   We will keep vendors apprised of any changes as soon as we know them.

With specific regard to #2020-01 Combined Purchasing Line Item RFP, we are hopeful that the timeline for evaluation and award, schools placing orders, accepting deliveries, etc. will have no significant change.  We know many companies’ supply and delivery chains may have been disrupted by the national health crisis and will work to reasonably resolve any resulting issues while remaining within the confines of the laws governing the bidding process.  If intending to send samples as outlined in the specifications, please hold shipment to be delivered after March 27, 2020, as much as possible.

Region 9 ESC staff are currently on a remote work schedule, but I will be available each business day by email at Dana.Parrish@esc9.net or by phone at 940-322-6928.  Please remember to refer to the Vendor FAQ document for help with commonly asked questions, but do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or if you would like me to walk you through the response process.

Questions/Answers

Applicable to All RFPs

• Q – Do you accept American Express credit card for payment?
  A – According to Public Purchase support agent, methods of payment accepted are Mastercard, Visa and Discover cards.
• Q – Is there an administrative or other type of fee vendors are required to pay for sales they make to districts if awarded this RFP? Are there reporting requirements? 
  A – The $20 registration fee is the only fee charged to the vendor by the MRPC.  The one fee allows you to respond to any or all three of the RFPs issued by the MRPC for this cycle. There are no percentage of sales fees, etc., nor are there any reporting requirements.   If you are awarded as a vendor for #2020-01, purchase orders will be issued to you by the member schools for the one-time purchase of the items.  If you are awarded as a vendor for #2020-02 or #2020-03, you will be shown on the approved vendor list and any transactions after that are between the member school and the vendor.
• Q – I am not seeing one of the RFPs listed to which I would be interested in responding.  What do I need to do?
  A – There are two possible ways:  
  1.   When you log into the Public Purchase system, if you see a message box reading “The Multi Regional Purchasing Cooperative has released RFPs for the upcoming school year…..”, there is an “Open Bids” option to the left that when clicked should show you a list with all three RFPs.
  
  2.    If that message box does not open, or if you do not see all three RFPs, you should see “Select Region” in the upper right hand corner.  Use the drop-down arrow to open the list and select “Texas”.  Then click on the drop-down arrow next to “Select Agency”, and select “Multi Regional Purchasing Cooperative” from the alphabetical list.  That should then give you a listing of all three RFPs.
  
• Q – Where can I get a recap from last year’s bid?
  A – The tabulation/evaluation of the most recent RFPs (2019) are available on the MRPC website (www.mrpctexas.com) under the “Vendors” tab.  Previous years’ tabulations are available under the “Archives” tab.

Regarding #2020-02 Instructional/General Catalog and/or #2020-03 Technology RFP

• Q – Would two-way radios and accessories be considered ‘in-scope’ for this RFP?  Would megaphones be considered ‘in-scope’ for this RFP?
  A – Yes, this RFP has categories for "Security Systems/Supplies", "Transportation Supplies", "Maintenance Supplies", and "Athletics Equipment". I believe what you described could fit into any or all of those categories.
• Q – Does this RFP include digital curriculum? 
  A – We have had similar vendors respond to both our Instructional/General Supplies catalog RFP in the "Curriculum Supplements" category and/or the specific content categories as applicable, and then also reply to our Technology catalog RFP in the "Software - Educational Applications" category.  
• Q – How can I be sure that my response was submitted? 
  A – To confirm that you've submitted to the number of categories you intended, log back into the Public Purchase system and click on "Edit Response".  When the items list opens up, look on the left-hand side about halfway down the page and you should see a box that will show you the number of items with response.  As long as the number of items "with response" equals the number of categories you intended to respond to, you should be in good shape!   
   
  (Remember that your entry in the "unit price" field should be your discount rate expressed as a dollar amount - i.e. 10% discount would show as $10.00.   Also enter any brief notes in the "Notes for Agency" field that you would want our member schools to know about your products, the discount rate, etc.)
• Q – Can you help me identify which RFP best fits our products and services? We sell parts to repair Chromebooks, and also have an in-house repair shop to repair Chromebooks. Does this category fit with the Technology Supply Catalog RFP? 
  A – We do have a category on our Technology Catalog RFP #2020-03 for "Workstations - repairs/replacement parts" that it sounds like would fit your description.  We also have a category for "Workstations - refurbished" if you sell any of those also.
• Q –  (Combined questions from two vendors) If we were awarded the Instructional Materials from last year (2019-02) do we need to re-apply?  Will there be a renewal sent for contract #2019-02? 
  A – Yes, all vendors must respond to the new Requests for Proposals each year if they wish to remain listed as an approved vendor from year to year. #2020-02 is basically the renewal of #2019-02, although the evaluation of responses is "fresh" each time.  (Also applicable to Technology Supplies #2020-03). 
• Q – When I click “Save” a message box comes up that says zero unit price is allowed on this bid, but some items have no response.  What do I need to do?
  A – Click "OK" to close the message box.  Your response should then save.  DO NOT MAKE ENTRIES ON LINES TO WHICH YOU ARE NOT REALLY RESPONDING!  It is acceptable to have blank lines.  If you have accidentally made entries on a line to which you didn't intend to respond, click on the trashcan icon on that line.  It will not remove the line from the screen, but it will remove your response on that line. Click "Save" to capture any changes. When finished, VERIFY YOUR RESPONSE by looking at the box on the left hand side (in edit mode).  The number of items with response should equal the number of categories (throughout all 4 pages) to which you intended to respond. 
• Q – We specialize in musical instruments and music cabinets, band towers, etc.  Does this RFP apply to us?
  A – Yes.  RFP #2020-02 Instructional/General Supplies has categories for musical instruments and for fine arts equipment.
• Q – Can the forms be emailed back or does it have to be done via the portal?
  A – All forms are submitted as a part of the online response process. There is no need to download/upload or email any portion of the response. Please review the "Vendor FAQ 2020" document that can be found on the MRPC website (www.mrpctexas.com) under the FAQ-Vendor page for helpful information.
• Q – With the current situation with businesses and schools closing, are there any anticipated delays or extensions to this RFP?
   A – We do not anticipate any extensions to this RFP. The effective date of the award is August 1, 2020 to August 31, 2021, and so we anticipate that schools will be back to normal operations by that time.
• Q – Does a current contract with OMNIA Partners covers this contract as well?
  A – I'm sorry, it does not. The MRPC is a separate cooperative from OMNIA Partners. However, many of the school district members of the MRPC may also be members of OMNIA Partners.
• Q – Which category should be selected for textbooks? I do not see 715 as an option to select.
  A – Your reference to 715 makes me think you are at the portion of the response process for classification codes. The only way we use classification codes is for notification purposes, and since we have such a broad range of categories on our RFP, we cannot list all that apply. We therefore ask all vendors to enter "615-60" (general office supplies) regardless of your product line to ensure that you receive notification each year. When you get further into the response process you will see that we do not have a category specifically for textbooks. I would recommend that you apply to any of our content categories that are appropriate (literacy, science, math, etc.), along with the "Curriculum Supplements", and any of the Library categories you think might be appropriate.
  
  You can see the list of our categories by reviewing the RFP terms and conditions on the Home page of the MRPC website, or you can look at the current list of approved vendors on the Vendors page - www.mrpctexas.com.
  
  If that is still unclear, please feel free to call me at 940-322-6928.
• Q – Can we submit a link to our website in lieu of a catalog?
  A – Yes, you will be required to enter your website as part of the response process. The website address will print on the report that is given to our member schools, so they will generally refer to the website when looking to get a quote. You may submit an electronic catalog in the "general attachments" section of the response if you wish, but it is not required. If you are approved, you may then send physical catalogs and/or marketing materials to the member schools as you wish.
• Q – If we do not participate in lobbying activities, do I need to submit this form?
  A – No. It is not necessary to submit the Conflict of Interest or the Lobbying Disclosure forms unless they do apply to you. Please note that because they are not mandatory, they will NOT show a check mark even if you do complete them.

Regarding #2020-01 Combined Purchasing Line Item RFP

• Q – Would two-way radios and accessories be considered ‘in-scope’ for this RFP?  Would megaphones be considered ‘in-scope’ for this RFP?
  A – No, RFP #2020-01 Combined Purchasing Line Item does not have these items. However, #2020-02 Instructional/General catalog supply RFP, has categories for "Security Systems/Supplies", "Transportation Supplies", "Maintenance Supplies", and "Athletics Equipment". I believe what you described could fit into any or all of those categories.
• Will line item PR-101-LTR PALLET – Letter Size White Multi Purpose Paper, Bright 92 be ordered by the pallet or by the truckload of 21 pallets per PO? 
  A – The orders will come in as pallet quantity - anywhere from 1 pallet to 21 pallets. As you are looking at the bid screen (View Mode), you can click on the "tinkertoy" icon beside the quantity and see what schools are ordering and the quantity per school. The majority of the ordering schools are ordering 10 or less pallets. Please call me at 940-322-6928 if you need additional help in seeing the schools and their quantities.​
• Q – May a vendor bid by line item, grouped, or will this be all or none type bid?
  A – Vendors may bid on any items they carry. Each item is awarded separately.

Region 9 ESC – none open at current time.

For information on any RFPs, contact Dana Parrish, MRPC Specialist, dana.parrish@esc9.net or 940-322-6928.