27-002 2026 Board of Canvassers Referenda Self Mailers - Printing & Mailing

CITY OF PAWTUCKET
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
RFP 27-002
2026 Board of Canvassers
Referenda Self Mailers - Printing & Mailing

Contents:
1.0 Bid/Solicitation Information
2.0 Instructions and Notifications to Bidders
3.0 Overview
4.0 Scope of Work
5.0 Insurance
6.0 Acknowledgement of Risk and Hold Harmless Agreement
7.0 Additional Insurance Requirements
8.0 Proposal Content and Organization
9.0 Evaluation Criteria
10.0 Miscellaneous
11.0 Bid Form
Appendix A Anti-Kickback Acknowledgement
Appendix B City of Pawtucket Purchasing Rules and Regulations and
Terms and Conditions of Purchase
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1.0 - Bid/Solicitation Information
Schedule
Pre-Bid/Proposal Conference: No Yes
Requests for Further Information Period ends: August 20, 2026 at 12:00 PM
Requests for information or clarification must be made electronically to the attention of:
Peter Wingate - Purchasing Agent
E-mail: pwingate@pawtucketri.gov
Please reference the RFP / LOI number on all correspondence. Answers to questions
received, if any, will be posted on the internet as an addendum to this bid solicitation.
RFP Submission Deadline: August 27, 2026 at 12:00 PM
Late submittals will not be considered
Proposals must be mailed or hand-delivered in a sealed envelope marked with the
RFP# and Project Name to:
Pawtucket City Hall - Purchasing Office
137 Roosevelt Avenue
Pawtucket, RI 02860
P r o p o s a l s w i l l b e p u b l i c l y o p e n e d :
Purchasing Board Meeting
4:00 PM, August 27, 2026
100 Freight Street, Pawtucket, RI 02860
Bonds/Surety/Retainage Required
Surety Bond: No Yes
Bidder is required to provide a bid surety in the form of a bid bond or certified check
payable to the City of Pawtucket in an amount not less than five percent (5%) of the bid
price.
Performance Bond: No Yes
The successful bidder will be required to furnish all insurance documentation as outlined
in the attached Purchasing Rules & Regulations and General Terms & Conditions of
Purchase.
Retainage: No Yes
Per RIGL 37-12-10, a retainer of five percent (5%) will be deducted from payments
made to the vendor to secure satisfactory performance of the contractual work.
Miscellaneous
The bid process and resulting contract are subject to the Rules and Regulations and
General Terms and Conditions of Purchase. Submission of a bid in response to this
solicitation is acknowledgement and acceptance of these Rules and Regulations and
General Terms and Conditions of Purchase.
The City of Pawtucket reserves the right to award on the basis of cost alone, accept or
reject any or all bids, and to act in its best interest including, but not limited to, directly

negotiating with any vendor who submits a proposal in response to this RFP and to award
a contract based upon the results of those negotiations alone. Proposals found to be
technically or substantially non-responsive at any point in the evaluation process will be
rejected and not considered further. The City of Pawtucket may, at its sole option,
elect to require presentations(s) by bidders clearly in consideration for award.

2.0 - Instructions and Notifications to Bidders
* It is the vendor's responsibility to examine all specifications and conditions
thoroughly, and comply fully with specifications and all attached terms and
conditions. Vendors must comply with all Federal, State, and City laws,
ordinances and regulations, and meet any and all registration requirements
where required for contractors as set forth by the State of Rhode Island. Failure
to make a complete submission as described herein may result in a rejection of the
proposal.
* All costs associated with developing or submitting a proposal in response to this
Request, or to provide oral or written clarification of its content shall be borne by
the bidder. The City of Pawtucket assumes no responsibility for these costs.
* A submittal may be withdrawn by written request to the Purchasing Agent by the
proposer prior to the stated RFP deadline.
* Prior to the proposal deadline established for this RFP, changes may be made to
a proposal already received by the City if that vendor makes a request to the
Purchasing Agent, in writing, to do so. No changes to a proposal shall be made
after the RFP deadline.
* Proposals are considered to be irrevocable for a period of not less than ninety
(90) days following the opening date, and may not be withdrawn, except with the
express written permission of the Purchasing Agent. Should any vendor object
to this condition, the vendor must provide objection through a question and/or
complaint to the Purchasing Agent prior to the proposal deadline.
* All pricing submitted will be considered to be firm and fixed unless otherwise
indicated herein.
* The vendor has full responsibility to ensure that the proposal arrives at the
Purchasing Division Office prior to the deadline set out herein. The City assumes
no responsibility for delays caused by the U.S. Postal Service or any other delivery
service. Postmarking by the due date will not substitute for actual receipt of
response by the due date. Proposals arriving after the deadline may be returned,
unopened, to the vendor, or may simply be declared non-responsive and not
subject to evaluation, at the sole discretion of the Purchasing Agent. For the
purposes of this requirement, the official time and date shall be that of the
time clock in the City of Pawtucket's Purchasing Office.
* It is intended that an award pursuant to this Request will be made to a prime
contractor, who will assume responsibility for all aspects of the work. Joint venture
and cooperative proposals will not be considered, but subcontracts are permitted,
provided that their use is clearly indicated in the bidder's proposal, and the
subcontractor(s) proposed to be used are identified in the proposal.
* Bidders are advised that all materials submitted to the City of Pawtucket for
consideration in response to this Request for Proposals shall be considered to be
public records as defined in Title 38 Chapter 2 of the Rhode Island General
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Laws, without exception, and may be released for inspection immediately upon
request once an award has been made.
* Vendors are responsible for errors and omissions in their proposals. No such
error or omission shall diminish the vendor's obligations to the City.
* The City reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, or portions thereof, at
any time, with no penalty. The City also has the right to waive immaterial defects
and minor irregularities in any submitted proposal at its sole discretion. All material
submitted in response to this RFP shall become the property of the City of
Pawtucket upon delivery to the Purchasing Agent.
* The City asks that companies refrain from requesting proposal information
concerning other respondents until an intention to award is determined, as a
measure to best protect the solicitation process, particularly in the event of a
cancellation or re-solicitation. Proposal materials become public information only
after a contract is awarded.
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3.0 - Overview
The City of Pawtucket is seeking a qualified company to print and mail voter information
self-mailers for the 2026 election.
4.0 - Scope of Work
This contract is for a one (1) time printing & mailing of referenda information
mailers.
The Board of Canvassers Office will provide the Vendor with an Excel worksheet with
the names and addresses of voters. Upon receipt, the Vendor shall run the list through
a CASS validation that also has a Delivery Point Validation Product (DPV). As a
secondary measure, all non-matching addresses found after CASS certification shall be
run through an Address Element Correction Process (AEC-1). After these processes
have been completed, the names and addresses of these voters shall be laser printed
onto each mailer.
Project Timeline:
August 20, 2026 Deadline for Questions (by 12:00 pm)
August 27, 2026 Proposal Due Date (by 12:00 pm)
September 10, 2026 Award Issuance
September 11, 2026 Mailing List Available to Contractor
September 16, 2026 Virtual Proofs Due from the Contractor
September 18, 2026 Virtual Proof Approval Due from the City
October 8, 2026 Delivery to Providence Post Office (Main Office)
Specifications
* Total quantity: 28,500. Exact quantity will be determined by Board of Canvassers
when the Purchase Order (PO) is issued. Printing & mailing of additional copies
over quantity specified in PO will not be accepted.
* Contractor needs to provide virtual proof no later than Sept. 17, 2026 for approval
before moving into production. Approval (or rejection) on the virtual proof will be
provided within one (1) business days.
* Each self-mailer shall be printed double sided in black ink on a single piece
of 34" X 11" or 22" x 17", 60# white stock paper. There are eight (8) pages (8 12"
x 11") when finished. Pages must be numbered.
* Once printed, mailer will be folded to 8 12" x 11" and tabs applied to
prevent opening during mailing.
* Apply addresses to mailer along with the return address of:
Pawtucket Board of Canvassers
137 Roosevelt Ave.
Pawtucket, RI 02860
* Sort, tray and deliver the mailer to below address only
Providence Post Office (Main Office)
24 Corliss Street,
Providence, RI 02904
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* Postage will be paid when invoice is submitted with detailed receipt issued by the
USPS showing number of copies mailed.
* Deliver left-over Self-Mailers after mailing to City of Pawtucket Board of Canvasses.
The mailings are to be sent to each and every voter via first-class bulk mail (pre-sorted,
automation carrier route) and delivered to the Providence Post Office no later than
October 8, 2026
5.0 - Insurance
The vendor shall maintain and keep in force such comprehensive general liability
insurance as shall protect them from claims which may arise from operations under any
contract entered into with the City of Pawtucket, whether such operations be by
themselves or by anyone directly or indirectly employed by them.
The amounts of insurance shall be not less than $1,000,000.00 combined single limit for
any one occurrence covering both bodily injury and property damage, including accidental
death.
The City of Pawtucket shall be named as additional insured on the vendor's General
Liability Policy.
The vendor shall maintain and keep in force such Workers' compensation insurance limits
as required by the statutes of the State of Rhode Island, and Employer's Liability with
limits no less than $500,000.
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6.0 - Acknowledgement of Risk & Hold Harmless Agreement
In addition to the indemnity provisions in the City of Pawtucket's Terms and Conditions
of Purchase and to the fullest extent permitted by law, the selected vendor, its officers,
agents, servants, employees, parents, subsidiaries, partners, officers, directors,
attorneys, insurers, and/or affiliates (Releasors) agree to release, waive, discharge and
covenant not to sue the City of Pawtucket, its officers, agents, servants or employees
(Releasees) from any and all liability, claims, cross-claims, rights in law or in equity,
agreements, promises demands, actions and causes of action whatsoever arising out
of or related to any loss, damage, expenses (including without limitation, all legal fees,
expenses, interest and penalties) or injury (including death), of any type, kind or nature
whatsoever, whether based in contract, tort, warranty, or other legal, statutory, or
equitable theory of recovery, which relate to or arise out of the Releasors use of or
presence in and/or on City of Pawtucket property. The Releasors agree to defend,
indemnify and hold harmless the Releasees from (a) any and all claims, loss, liability,
damages or costs by any person, firm, corporation or other entity claiming by, through
or under Releasors in any capacity whatsoever, including all subrogation claims and/or
claims for reimbursement, including any court costs and attorneys fees, that may incur
due to Releasors use of or presence in and on City of Pawtucket property; and (b) any
and all legal actions, including third-party actions, cross-actions, and/or claims for
contribution and/or indemnity with respect to any claims by any other persons, entities,
parties, which relate to or arise out of Releasors use of or presence in and on City of
Pawtucket property.
The Releasors acknowledge the risks that may be involved and hazards connected with
use of or presence in and on City of Pawtucket property but elect to provide services
under any contract with the City of Pawtucket with full knowledge of such risks. Releasors
also acknowledge that any loss, damage, and/or injury sustained by Releasors is not
covered by Releasees insurance. Releasors agree to become fully aware of any safety
risks involved with the performance of services under any contract with the City of
Pawtucket and any safety precautions that need to be followed and agree to take all
such precautions.
The duty to indemnify and/or hold harmless the City of Pawtucket shall not be limited by
the insurance required under the City of Pawtucket Terms and Conditions of Purchase.
7.0 - Additional Insurance Requirements
In addition to the insurance provisions in the City of Pawtucket Terms and Conditions of
Purchase, the liability insurance coverage, except Professional Liability, Errors and
Omissions or Workers' Compensation insurance required for performance of a contract
with the City of Pawtucket shall include the City of Pawtucket, its divisions, officers and
employees as Additional Insureds but only with respect to the selected vendor's
activities under the contract. The insurance required through a policy or endorsement
shall include:
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A. a Waiver of Subrogation waiving any right to recovery the insurance company
may have against the City of Pawtucket; and
B. a provision that the selected vendor's insurance coverage shall be primary with
respect to any insurance, self insurance or self retention maintained by the City
of Pawtucket and that any insurance, self insurance or self retention maintained by
the City of Pawtucket shall be in excess of the selected vendor's insurance and
shall not contribute.
There shall be no cancellation, material change, potential exhaustion of aggregate limits
or non-renewal without thirty (30) days written notice from the selected vendor or its
insurer(s) to the City of Pawtucket's Purchasing Agent. Any failure to comply with the
reporting provision of this clause shall be grounds for immediate termination of the
contract with the City of Pawtucket.
Insurance coverage required under the contract shall be obtained from insurance
companies acceptable to the City of Pawtucket. The selected vendor shall pay for all
deductibles, self insured retentions and/or self insurance included hereunder.
The City of Pawtucket's Purchasing Agent reserves the right to consider and accept
alternative forms and plans of insurance or to require additional or more extensive
coverage for any individual requirement.
8.0 - Proposal Content and Organization
Pricing must include all costs as specified in this solicitation. Pricing for this proposal
must be indicated on the Bid Form in Section 11.0
All Bid Forms must be signed.
Vendors must include on the Bid Form a list of at least four (4) references with whom they
have contracted to do similar work by including the company name, telephone number,
contact person, and number of years they have served this customer. Preferably,
references should be municipalities which are of approximate size as the City of
Pawtucket, and a website address should be included if available.
Respondents must also include an overview of their company's experience including,
but not limited to, the number of years the company has been providing these services,
the size of the company (including the number of employees and locations), a
description of work undertaken that is similar to what is being requested in this RFP,
and, if applicable, certifications that show a knowledge of equipment that would be
serviced or provided under this contract.
If any subcontractors are to be used in the performance of any work contracted for
under this RFP, please list their name(s), contractor license #, address and phone
number, and specific description of the subcontract work to be performed.
One (1) original copy of your proposal must be submitted at the time of submission.
Proposals must be in the following format:
Bid Form
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