DCS Print Management Services RFP 417-PMS-DCS27

INVITATION FOR BIDS
Print Management Services
For
DeSoto County School District
September 17, 2026
Vendors:
The DeSoto County School District (the "District") is soliciting bids for certain managed print
strategy pursuant to "Print Management Services" We are looking for the most economical, best
priced option for our District with a robust, remote-access monitoring solution, and an installation
plan that will cause the least disruption to our schools and support sites.
Bids will be received by the DeSoto County School Board of Education, 5 East South Street,
Hernando, MS 38632 or electronically at www.centralbidding.com, until 4:30 pm, CST, October
19, 2026. Neither dating of the bid, nor placing it in the mail by this date will meet legal
requirements. All bids must be received at the Board of Education or electronically at
www.centralbidding.com on or before the date and time specified. The DeSoto County School
Board of Education reserves the right to reject any and/or all unpriced proposals received and to
waive any and all informalities.
If submitting a paper bid, it shall be typed and any changes that are made must be initialed. No
changes shall be allowed after the bids are opened. The DeSoto County School District shall not
be responsible for any errors or omissions. Bids may be hand delivered, mailed, or submitted
electronically. Paper bids must be submitted in a sealed 8" x 10" or larger envelope. Please label
outside envelope or shipping box as follows or the bid may be rejected:
Attn: Jenifer Hale, Purchasing Manager
Print Management Services
#417-PMS-DCS27
October 19th, 2026 @ 4:30 p.m. CST Name
of company or person submitting bid
NOTE: It is the respondent's responsibility to see that its bid is received by the Bidding Office at
the aforesaid address prior to the bid opening date and time. Each bidder is responsible for all costs
incurred in preparing and delivering its bid.
If any Bidder contemplating submitting a bid is in doubt as to the meaning of the requirements of
the bid or the bid process, the Bidder must submit a written request for clarification by 12:00pm,
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CST, October 9th 2026. by email to www.dcs.purchasing@dcsms.org. The District will
respond to all inquiries and render an official interpretation of the question in writing via
addendum/clarification and will be sent to all bidders requesting bid information. The Bidder
shall certify its acknowledgement of the addendum/clarification by noting in space provided
on the Schedule of Required Submittals and Signature Sheet and returning it with their bid.
Questions received after the mentioned deadline for Written Questions/Clarifications shall not be
considered.
Revisions:
The District will be the sole determinants of whether any revisions/addenda should be issued as
a result of any question or other matters, and may extend the bid deadline, if in the District's
judgment such information significantly amends this solicitation, or makes compliance with the
original proposed due date impractical. All properly received bids will be opened at 5 East South
Street, Hernando, MS 38632 on the date and at the time stated above and will be read to the
public. An evaluation of the bids will be conducted after the opening and submitted to the
District's Board of Education or Trustees for approval when the evaluations are complete. The
District reserves the right to reject any and all bids received for any reason, to waive any bid
informality and to negotiate further with any bidder.
If it becomes necessary to revise any part of this Invitation For Bid, specifications and related
documents prior to the assigned return date, the Purchasing Manager will send the revision via email
to all parties to whom the Bidding Agent has sent the Invitation for Bids and related documents. Vendors
must adhere to the due date for Invitation For Bid/Questions listed on the Invitation For Bid
Schedule of Events.
Sincerely,
Stacy Hadley
Executive Director of Financial Services
(Remainder of page intentionally left blank.)
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Bid Coversheet
Board of Education
DeSoto County School District
5 East South Street
Hernando, MS 38632
School Board Members:
Having examined the specifications outlined on the attached pages, the undersigned firm agrees to
furnish and deliver items and provide services according to your specifications and instructions at
the indicated prices. The undersigned firm understands and accepts the instructions and conditions
under which this bid is being submitted.
This bid consists of this Bid Coversheet, a Bid, Vendor Pricing Form, General
Conditions/Specifications, Detailed Specifications, and Invitation For Bid Forms all of which are
attached to this Bid Coversheet. The undersigned understands that a company officer's signature
is required on each form, and unless this has been done, the firm's bid may be considered
incomplete and therefore rejected. Also, included is a list of commercial references and other
required information.
FIRM: BY: __
ADDRESS: TITLE: _
STATE: TELEPHONE: _
DATE: CELL PHONE: _
EMAIL:
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GENERAL CONDITIONS/SPECIFICATIONS
The DeSoto County School District (the "District") is soliciting bids for a certain managed print
strategy pursuant to a Print Management Services, (the "Agreement").
Bids will be received by the DeSoto County School Board of Education, 5 East South Street,
Hernando, MS 38632 or electronically at www.centralbidding.com, until 4:30 pm, CST, October
19, 2026. Neither dating of the bid, nor placing it in the mail by this date will meet
legal requirements. All bids must be received at the Board of Education or
electronically at www.centralbidding.com on or before the date and time specified. The
DeSoto County School Board of Education reserves the right to reject any and/or all unpriced
proposals received and to waive any and all informalities.
Please address any questions to dcs.purchasing@dcsms.org. The bids will be opened in the
Central Office of DeSoto County Schools at the address and on the date and time noted above. All
bids must be submitted on or before the aforesaid deadline time and date. Envelopes containing bids
must be plainly marked "Print Management Services" along with the name and address of the
bidder and the IFB number. Any notations appearing on the outside of an envelope containing a
sealed bid that purport to amend the bid in any manner will not be considered.
Once submitted, a bid may not be withdrawn for a period of forty-five (45) days following the
scheduled opening date.
The District reserves the following rights:
1) To appoint or authorize a person or persons to evaluate bids and make decisions on matters
pertaining to bids received.
2) To reject any and/or all bids and to waive any informalities.
3) To adjust quantities of supplies or services involved under any item in accordance with the
unit price submitted as part of the bid.
4) To determine the lowest and best bid submitted by a qualified vendor.
Bidders must be licensed to do business in the State of Mississippi. A non-resident bidder
domiciled in a state having laws granting preference to local vendors must be awarded
Mississippi contracts only on the same basis as the non-resident bidder's state awards contracts
to Mississippi vendors. Mississippi vendors will be granted preferences over non-resident
vendors in the awarding of public contracts in the same manner and to the same extent as provided
by the laws of the state of domicile of the non-resident vendor. When a non-resident vendor
submits a bid, the vendor must attach to the bid a copy of its resident state's current law pertaining
to such state's treatment of non-resident vendors. The non-resident vendor must also attach to
its bid evidence of its state of incorporation and principal place of business and a certificate of
good standing evidencing that the vendor is qualified by the Mississippi Secretary of State to do
business in Mississippi.
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PRICES
Prices must be shown on the attached Vendor Pricing Form supplied for this purpose. All bids must
be FIRM PRICES, free of any escalator clauses. Prices must include any taxes. The District will
furnish tax-exemption certificates for State and Federal taxes where applicable.
BILLING
See Section IV of Terms and Conditions for billing instructions. Payment will not be made for
services that have not been rendered.
SOURCE OF VENDOR FINANCING
Any source(s) that a potential vendor utilizes financially to fund the Agreement must be
completely transparent to the District. The District will have no communication or accept any
communication from any third party, including any entity providing financing for a vendor, during
the vendor's bid preparation or during the term of the Print Management Services Agreement for
Copying and Printing Services. The District will not sign or be a party to any third-party financing
agreements, and the vendor will remain responsible to the District in all respects under the
Agreement.
VENDOR REQUIREMENTS
The successful vendor must provide, among other things, the following:
(a) Equipment and service to the District required for the vendor to fulfill its obligations under
the Agreement;
(b) 4-hour maximum response time for service and one-hour maximum phone response
time by the vendor under the Agreement;
(c) A project manager for the installation of equipment who will oversee all aspects of the
installation under the Agreement from start to finish, including connectivity and training.
The project manager will work hand in hand with a designated District contact on a
continual basis (working hours) until the District deems that the installation is complete.
To be clear, it is mandatory that the installation be conducted in continuous days,
without interruption, start to finish until all products and services required by the
Agreement are in place and operational in the District;
(d) Remote monitoring of all networked placements for the purpose of supply
replenishment, maintenance, and service under the Agreement;
(e) Maintain minimum insurance requirements listed in Section II and provide the District
with a current certificate of insurance at all times throughout the entirety of the
Agreement term.
LIQUIDATED DAMAGES
The vendor must acknowledge that the equipment required by the Agreement must be completely
installed and operational in the District by February 28, 2027. The vendor must agree to pay
liquidated damages in the amount of $100 per day per school in any District where the equipment
is not completely installed and operational by the stated date. The liquidated damages will
continue to accrue for each school until all the equipment is completely installed and operational
at that school. Any liquidated damages will not be imposed as a penalty, but will constitute the
parties' estimate of the damages that will result to a District if the foregoing deadline is not met.
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The Agreement entered into with the successful vendor will contain the liquidated damages
provision described in this IFB.
VENDOR
Vendor must perform the following duties:
(a) employ only persons skilled in the performance of the services required under the
Agreement;
(b) screen each employee by requiring reasonably satisfactory character references before
hiring;
(c) furnish each employee with a form of identification showing the name of the employee
and clearly showing that he is an employee of the Vendor;
(d) direct its employees to be neatly attired during the performance of the services hereunder;
(e) insure no smoking, drug or alcohol use, interactions with students, foul language, yelling
or fighting will be permitted on the District' properties;
(f) comply with and inform its employees of safety and health requirements necessary to
comply with the 1970 Williams-Steiger Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA);
(g) designate a supervisor who will be instructed to check the quality of services provided by
Vendor employees in performing the Agreement;
(h) comply with the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, Mississippi Employment
Protection Act (Senate Bill No. 2988) of 2008, and any other applicable state and federal
laws;
(i) maintain a license to do business in the State of Mississippi;
(j) be responsible for bodily injury and/or property damage caused as a result of services
provided or equipment installed.
DAMAGE CAUSED BY SUCCESSFUL BIDDER
The District will hold the successful bidder responsible for bodily injuries and damage caused
to individuals or the buildings or assets of the District under all conditions.
Agreed to:
FIRM
BY
TITLE
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DeSoto County School District
Print Management Services
Detailed Specifications
INDEX
Section I Definitions
Section II Invitation For Bid Specifications
Section III Invitation For Bid Instructions
Section IV Terms and Conditions
Section V Schedule of Required Submittals and Signature Sheet
Section VI References
Section VII New Equipment Request
Section VIII Vendor Pricing Form
Section IX DeSoto County School District, Print Management
Services
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Section I
Definitions
Addendum: A written instrument, issued solely by the Purchasing Manager, acting on behalf of
the District that details amendments, changes or clarifications to the specifications and terms and
conditions of this IFB. Such written instruments shall be the sole method employed by the District
to amend, change or clarify this IFB, and any claims (from whatever source) that verbal
amendments, changes or clarifications have been made will be summarily rejected by the District.
Agreement, Contract or Purchase Order: An Agreement, in substantially the form hereto as Section
IX, will be entered into by the District and the winning bidder as the result of the Invitation For
Bid.
Awarded Vendor: Vendor selected based on lowest and best response.
Bidding Coordinator: DeSoto County School District, Attention: Jenifer Hale
CPI: Cost per Image
Digital Multifunctional Device: (MFD) Copier that can also print, scan and fax.
Evaluation Criteria: To ensure fairness to respondents, but protect the District, the Invitation For
Bid evaluation and award will be based on scores. Each of the categories is assigned a weighted
percentage with the sum of all categories equaling 100 percent.
Invitation For Bid: Invitation For Bids, also referred to herein as IFB.
Invitation For Bid Closing/Closing Date: The date and time specified in this Invitation For Bid by
which the bid must be received. Bids received after such date and time shall not be considered
valid.
May, Should: Indicates something that is requested but not mandatory. If the Vendor fails to
provide requested information, the District may, at their sole option, either request that the Vendor
provide the information or evaluate the Invitation For Bid without the information.
Respondent: Individual or company submitting a bid in response to this Invitation For Bid.
Shall, Must, Will: Indicates a mandatory requirement. Failure to meet mandatory requirements
will invalidate the bid or result in rejection of a bid as non-responsive.
The District: DeSoto County School District
Vendor: Respondent to the Invitation For Bid
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Section II
Invitation For Bid Specifications
GENERAL SCOPE OF WORK
The District is soliciting bids from qualified vendors for the implementation and servicing of print
devices and MFD's for all school locations, support services and other District offices and
facilities. The District intends to select one (1) vendor which has submitted the lowest and best
bid and which satisfies the Invitation For Bid's minimum requirements for new print devices
including MFDs. Single Manufacturer is preferred for District consistency. This program will
include service dispatching, as well as, a proactive service that provides web portal access to the
District for viewing the copier fleet, device status, supply levels, and device utilization.
Respondents must submit a bid based on a cost per impression charge (CPI). The equipment to be
installed under the Agreement is listed in Section VII. The equipment will be installed in the
various schools and other buildings of the District as directed by the District.
Following are the firm specifications which the District requires:
Vendor Qualifications For Evaluation Process and Requested Services (Place in sequential
order as in the Invitation For Bid for evaluation purposes.)
1) Company Information:
(a) Provide a company overview, including dates of incorporation, number of employees,
number of service technicians, and list of all related entities.
(b) Are you a part of a larger company? If so, briefly describe the degree of corporate support.
(c) How many customers do you currently service?
(d) What is your company's mission or corporate philosophy statement? What is your
company's focus (cost, quality, etc.)? How do you differentiate your company from your
competitors?
(e) Do you provide training requirements for all service technicians along with any required
certifications?
(f) Where are your warehouses and service locations? Corporate headquarters?
(g) Describe your company's green initiative and how your products are energy saving and
environmentally safe and friendly.
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2) Insurance Requirements:
Bids will not be accepted unless they are accompanied by a current Certificate of Insurance. The
following minimum insurance requirements must be met or the bid will be considered incomplete
and therefor rejected:
(a) Commercial General Liability - In an amount of $1,000,000.00 per occurrence with
$2,000,000.00 aggregate;
(b) Commercial Auto Liability - Combined Single Limit in an amount of $1,000,000.00;
(c) Worker's Compensation Limits: Statutory-State of Mississippi. Policy must include a
waiver of subrogation in favor of DeSoto County School District
(d) Employers' Liability: $100,000.00 Each Accident; $500,000.00 Disease Policy Limit;
$100,000.00 Disease Each Employee;
(e) Awarded Vendor must name the DeSoto County School District as additional insureds on
the General Liability Policy and Automobile Policy; and
(f) Proof of coverage must be placed on file with the District by the Awarded Vendor and kept
current throughout the term of this Agreement.
3) Equipment Technical Specification:
All printer/MFD devices (or the overall package, as appropriate) must include the features and/or
meet the requirements noted below:
(a) New manufactured print and/or multifunctional devices Single Manufacturer
Preferred, with no used, refurbished or replacement parts, and not used since
manufactured. (No refurbished or remanufactured).
(b) The most current models in production, Single Manufacturer Preferred, with the most
current software/firmware version, and not scheduled for retirement/obsolescence.
(c) No reduction in the mandatory page per minute speeds for each unit listed in Section VII
of the IFB will be allowed. The speeds and applications have been determined by the
District based on the historical and anticipated use of each unit.
(d) All devices must be network compatible and come standard with an internal NIC.
(e) Operable as network printers capable of receiving print requests from any networked PC.
(f) MFD's must be operable as "walk-up" copiers even if temporarily disconnected from the
network.
(g) All Mono Printers, Color Printers, and Desktop MFD's must have laser technology.
(h) All devices must be supplied with OEM consumables, Single Manufacturer Preferred, and
OEM parts ONLY. No compatible or "branded" toners, consumables, or parts of any kind,
will be considered.
(i) All proposed equipment should have print controller language (PCL or UFRii). PostScript
versions of your print drivers must be available upon request for each device model.
(j) All upgrades to software must be included in the original price, including costs to operating
upgrades the school implements.
(k) Color simplex and/or duplex scanning to standard image formats including PDF, TIFF, and
JPEG; transmission to email and network folders;
(l) Color scanning as a standard on all MFD units, including desktop units;
(m) Secure/PIN mailbox for delayed printing, minimum capacity of one hundred (100) inboxes
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