Official City of Buffalo Merchandise E-Commerce Store, Print-on-Demand and Fulfillment Services

CITY OF BUFFALO
NEW YORK
Office of Communications
65 Niagara Square, Room 224
Buffalo, NY 14202
Phone (716) 851-5844
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Official City of Buffalo Merchandise E-Commerce Store, Print-on-Demand and
Fulfillment Services
DATE ISSUED: September 4, 2026
Question submission deadline: September 11, 2026, 4:00 PM
Submit questions via email to: Quentin Jarzynski, Digital Media Coordinator - qjarzynski@buffalony.gov
Responses to Questions posted to City website: September 18, 2026, by 5:00 PM
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION DATE: OCTOBER 2, 2026, 11:00 AM
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SECTION 1 - INTRODUCTION
The City of Buffalo, through its Office of Communications, has issued this Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking
proposals from qualified merchandise production, e-commerce, print-on-demand, and fulfillment providers
("Offeror") to establish and operate an official City of Buffalo merchandise program. The successful Offeror
will be responsible for providing an online storefront through which members of the public can purchase
officially authorized City of Buffalo merchandise, producing and fulfilling merchandise orders, processing
customer payments, providing reporting tools, and supporting customer service and other services necessary to
operate the City's merchandise program ("Services").
The City's goal is to make official City of Buffalo merchandise more readily available to residents, visitors,
employees, and others through a convenient online store while eliminating the need for the City to maintain,
warehouse, package, or ship individual merchandise orders. The successful Offeror will provide a print-on-
demand and/or on-demand fulfillment model in which merchandise is produced and shipped directly to
customers as orders are placed.
The City anticipates offering a variety of merchandise, including but not limited to, apparel, hats, bags,
drinkware, accessories, and other retail or promotional merchandise. All merchandise, designs, logos, artwork,
and other City branding will be subject to approval by the City's Office of Communications.
The City will also require the ability to purchase merchandise in bulk for employee merchandise, gifts,
promotional purposes, special events, official functions, and other City purposes. Offerors should identify
available bulk-order pricing, volume discounts, minimum order quantities, production timelines, and fulfillment
options.
The City may, in the future, establish a physical merchandise retail location within Buffalo City Hall or another
City facility. While a physical retail location is not an immediate requirement of this RFP, Offerors should
describe their ability to support such an expansion, including wholesale purchasing, product sourcing, and the
ability to supply merchandise in quantities appropriate for physical retail sales.
The City reserves the right to award separate contracts for individual services referenced in this RFP to different
Offerors but would prefer to issue a single contract to an Offeror capable of providing the full range of Services
described herein.
SECTION 2 - INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS
2.1 General Invitation
The City invites all interested parties to submit proposals for the Services described herein.
The Office of Communications will receive all sealed proposals by no later than October 2, 2026, at 11:00 AM.
All proposals must be clearly labeled on the front of the package referencing "REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
FOR OFFICIAL CITY OF BUFFALO MERCHANDISE E-COMMERCE STORE, PRINT-ON-DEMAND
AND FULFILLMENT SERVICES," and delivered VIA MAIL ONLY to:
City of Buffalo
Office of Communications
Attn: Quentin Jarzynski, Digital Media Coordinator
65 Niagara Square, Room 224
Buffalo, New York 14202
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OFFERORS ASSUME ALL RISKS FOR THE TIMELY AND PROPER DELIVERY OF SUBMITTED
PROPOSALS.
The received time of proposals will be determined by the clock at the above noted location. NO
CONSIDERATION WILL BE GIVEN TO PROPOSALS RECEIVED AFTER THE STATED DATE AND
TIME.
Offerors must allow sufficient mail delivery time to ensure receipt of their proposal at the specified location no
later than the specified date and time. It is solely the Offeror's responsibility to ensure the proposal is timely
delivered. Delays in United States mail deliveries or any other means of mail transmittal shall not excuse late
proposal submissions. Offerors are cautioned that the City cannot be responsible for the actions of your chosen
mail carrier.
City of Buffalo staff is available to sign for deliveries on standard business days Monday through Friday, 8:00
AM to 4:00 PM. No in-person deliveries by Offerors will be accepted on any day for this solicitation.
Proposals are solicited in accordance with the terms, conditions, and instructions set forth in this RFP.
Submission of proposals via telephone, facsimile, e-mail, or any other method not specifically provided for
herein is prohibited. No amendments or changes to proposals will be accepted after the closing date and time.
The City reserves the right to reject any or all proposals.
Any material misrepresentation made by a party may void their proposal and eliminate the party from further
consideration. Any proposal that is based upon violation of federal, state, or local law, or deemed to be non-
responsive, will be eliminated from consideration.
The City shall not be responsible for any expenses or charges incurred by any Offeror in preparing or submitting
a proposal, or in providing any additional information considered necessary by the City in the evaluation of their
proposal.
The City would appreciate the courtesy of being promptly advised if an Offeror does not intend to respond to
this solicitation.
2.2 Schedule
Listed below is the anticipated schedule for all actions related to this RFP. In the event of any change to this
schedule, such change will be posted on the City's website at www.buffalony.gov.
EVENT DATE
Issuance of RFP September 4, 2026
Written Questions from Offerors Due September 11, 2026, 4:00 PM
Responses to Questions Posted on City Website September 18, 2026, by 5:00 PM
Proposals Due October 2, 2026, 11:00 AM
Qualified & Eligible Offerors Selected TBD
2.3 RFP Review, Additional Information, and Questions
Each Offeror is responsible for carefully examining all RFP documents and thoroughly familiarizing themselves
with each of the City's requirements prior to submitting a proposal to ensure their response is in compliance with
this RFP.
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Questions regarding this RFP shall be directed to the City's designee only. Any impermissible contact with any
other City officer or employee regarding this RFP during the procurement period shall result in the rejection of
any such Offeror's proposal. Offerors shall communicate in writing only.
For purposes of this RFP, the City's designee is Quentin Jarzynski, Digital Media Coordinator, Office of
Communications. All questions, requests for clarification, or additional information must be sent by email to
qjarzynski@buffalony.gov and must be received no later than 4:00 PM on September 11, 2026. Offerors shall
not communicate with the City's designee via any other method or outside of the time period set forth herein.
Questions received from all Offerors will be answered and shared via the City's website at www.buffalony.gov
by 5:00 PM on September 18, 2026. The City accepts no responsibility for, and each Offeror agrees not to rely
upon, any verbal or written statements or representations from any other person, whether or not employed by the
City.
Offerors are solely responsible for ensuring that the City has accurate contact information, including an e-mail
address, for the receipt of correspondence. The City does not assume any responsibility for undelivered e-mails.
2.4 Addenda and Modifications
The City reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to amend this RFP at any time prior to the deadline for
submission of proposals. In the event it becomes necessary to revise or expand upon any part of this RFP, all
addenda, amendments, and interpretations will be made in writing and posted on the City's website. All addenda
shall be incorporated as part of this RFP as though originally set forth herein. The City does not assume any
responsibility for the receipt of any addenda sent to any Offeror.
Any information supplied by the City relative to this RFP must be considered in preparing proposals. All other
contacts an Offeror may have had before or after issuance of this RFP, and any information read in news media
or heard in any communication regarding this RFP, should be disregarded in preparing proposals.
2.5 Proposal Format
Offerors are advised to adhere to the submission requirements of this RFP. Failure to comply with the
instructions of this RFP may cause a proposal to be rejected. Submission of a proposal in response to this RFP
constitutes acceptance of all requirements outlined herein.
One (1) original and two (2) copies of the proposal must be prepared on 8.5" x 11" letter size paper, printed
single- or double-sided, and bound on the long side. Each page of the submission must be numbered so that it
can be uniquely identified. Offerors are additionally encouraged, but not required, to submit an electronic PDF
copy of the proposal materials by email to the City's designee for administrative convenience. Legibility, clarity,
and completeness are required.
The proposal must be signed by each individual Offeror or their authorized representative who shall have the
authority to legally bind the Offeror.
In the event an Offeror cannot comply with any term, condition, or requirement of this RFP, such non-
compliance must be clearly noted on the Offeror's letterhead and submitted with the proposal. Offerors are
cautioned that such non-compliance may result in disqualification of their proposal, at the sole discretion of the
City. No allowance will be made for un-noted non-compliance of any kind by the Offeror.
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SECTION 3 - REQUIRED CONTENT
3.1 Cover Letter
Each Offeror or their authorized representative shall prepare and sign a cover letter. Submission of the letter
shall constitute a representation by the Offeror that it is willing and able to perform the Services described in
this RFP and their proposal.
3.2 Company Profile
Each Offeror is required to prepare and submit a brief description of the Offeror's company, which must include
the following information:
1. Name, mailing address, email address, telephone number, and fax number of the primary contact
person for the Offeror;
2. A brief description of the Offeror, including but not limited to the Offeror's history, number of years
in business, size, and office and production facility locations;
3. Workforce, Community Involvement, and Offeror Policies: Offerors should describe any programs or
actions undertaken to attract, recruit, train, retain, and promote minority and female employees,
partners, and associates, and current representation of minorities and women; any programs or
initiatives sponsored or supported that further the development of minority- or women-owned
business enterprises within the City of Buffalo; and any procurement policies or practices adopted that
provide M/WBE suppliers or service business opportunities;
4. Describe any relevant special services the Offeror provides, particularly those that may not be offered
by other Offerors;
5. Offeror must provide an explanation for any contract that was terminated or for which services ceased
prior to the end date of the contract;
6. Proposals must describe the qualifications of key staff members likely to be assigned to work with the
City, including relevant experience, professional background, and role in overseeing the account;
7. A copy of any resolution or other form of authority, signed by a managing partner(s) or officer, listing
the specific individuals authorized to execute agreements on behalf of the Offeror;
8. Financial details demonstrating the Offeror's financial capacity to undertake and complete the
Services;
9. Within the past five (5) years, has your company been involved in litigation, other legal proceedings,
and/or disciplinary or grievance proceedings relating to the provision of services? If so, provide a brief
explanation and indicate the current status or disposition;
10. Within the past five (5) years, have there been any significant developments in your company, such as
changes in ownership or restructuring? Do you anticipate any significant changes in the future? If so,
please describe.
3.3 References
Each Offeror must provide references from at least five (5) customers, companies, or other entities of comparable
characteristics to the City of Buffalo (e.g., municipalities, universities, non-profits, or other institutional clients),
where the Offeror's services have been successfully implemented and have been in use within the last five (5)
years. The City may solicit relevant information concerning the Offeror's record of past performance from
previous clients or any other available sources, whether or not disclosed in the Offeror's submitted proposal.
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SECTION 4 - SCOPE OF SERVICES
4.1 Project Requirements
All Offerors must be capable of designing, developing, hosting, and maintaining a fully functional, custom-
branded e-commerce storefront for the sale of official City of Buffalo merchandise, together with print-on-
demand production and direct-to-customer order fulfillment. All Offerors must document the following:
1. Storefront Design & Branding: Offerors must describe their ability to provide a custom-branded
online storefront reflecting the City of Buffalo's visual identity, including custom domain or
subdomain options, mobile-optimized design, and integration of City-approved logos, colors, and
design elements. All storefront branding, layout, and design elements are subject to review and written
approval by the Office of Communications prior to launch.
2. Design & Artwork Approval Workflow: Offerors must describe their process for submitting new
merchandise designs, artwork, and mock-ups to the Office of Communications for formal written
approval. No merchandise design, artwork, or City branding may be produced, listed for sale, or
offered to the public until it has received written approval from the Office of Communications.
Offerors must describe their standard turnaround time for design approval review and revision cycles,
and the tools or process used to manage approvals (e.g., proofing platform, email-based sign-off,
dedicated account portal).
3. Product Catalog: Offerors must describe their print-on-demand production capabilities, including
available merchandise categories (at minimum, apparel, hats, bags, drinkware, and accessories),
printing methods (e.g., screen printing, embroidery, direct-to-garment, sublimation), and available
product brands, materials, and sizing options.
4. Production & Fulfillment: Offerors must describe their production facilities and locations, average
production time from order to shipment, average shipping/delivery time to customers, and shipping
carriers used.
5. Payment Processing: Offerors must describe their payment processing capabilities, including accepted
payment methods, PCI-DSS compliance, transaction fees, and how proceeds will be remitted to the
City, including frequency and format of reporting and remittance.
6. Bulk & Wholesale Ordering: Offerors must describe their capabilities for bulk ordering by the City for
employee merchandise, gifts, promotional purposes, special events, and official functions, including
available volume discounts, minimum order quantities, production timelines for bulk orders, and
options for direct delivery to City facilities.
7. Reporting & Analytics: Offerors must describe the sales, inventory, and customer reporting tools
available to the City, including access to real-time or periodic reports on units sold, revenue, best-
selling items, and customer data, subject to applicable privacy laws and requirements.
8. Customer Service: Offerors must describe their customer service model, including support channels
(phone, email, chat), hours of availability, order tracking capabilities, and returns, exchange, and
refund policies.
9. Future Retail Expansion: Offerors must describe their ability to support a potential future physical
retail location within Buffalo City Hall or another City facility, including wholesale purchasing
options, product sourcing, minimum order quantities for retail inventory, and typical lead times.
10. Quality Control & Samples: Offerors must describe their quality control processes and must be
prepared to provide product samples to the City upon request at no cost.
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11. Technology & Data Security: Offerors must describe the technology platform used to operate the
storefront, including uptime guarantees, data security practices, and customer data privacy protections.
Offerors must attach detailed specification sheets, sample storefront screenshots or portfolio examples of
comparable client stores, and complete pricing schedules for all products and services proposed.
4.2 Goals and Objectives
The City's objective is to make official City of Buffalo merchandise conveniently available to residents, visitors,
employees, and others through a turnkey online store, while eliminating the need for the City to maintain,
warehouse, package, or ship individual merchandise orders. Specific objectives include, but are not limited to:
* Provide an easy-to-use, mobile-friendly, and visually appealing online shopping experience that
reflects positively on the City of Buffalo brand.
* Ensure consistent quality across all merchandise produced and shipped to customers.
* Minimize order turnaround and shipping times for customers.
* Provide the City with cost-effective bulk ordering options for internal and promotional use.
* Provide transparent, accurate, and timely reporting on sales, revenue, and inventory activity.
* Maintain the highest standards of customer service and responsiveness to customer inquiries and
issues.
* Support the potential future expansion of a physical retail presence at Buffalo City Hall or another
City facility.
* Maintain strict compliance with the City's design and brand approval requirements for all
merchandise and storefront content.
4.3 Minimum Requirements
Offerors shall state compliance or non-compliance with each specification below by marking either "Y" (Yes,
the Offeror is in compliance) or "N" (No, the Offeror is not in compliance) in the columns provided.
Requirement Y N
1. Offeror must currently operate a print-on-demand and/or on-demand fulfillment e-
commerce platform.
2. Offeror must be able to provide a custom-branded storefront reflecting City of
Buffalo branding, subject to Office of Communications approval.
3. Offeror must provide secure, PCI-DSS compliant payment processing.
4. Offeror must provide sales, inventory, and revenue reporting tools accessible to the
City.
5. Offeror must be able to fulfill and ship individual customer orders directly, with no
City warehousing required.
6. Offeror must offer bulk/wholesale ordering options with volume pricing.
7. Offeror must provide a documented design/artwork approval workflow prior to
production of any item.
8. Offeror must provide customer service support for order inquiries, returns, and
exchanges.
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9. Offeror must be able to support a minimum product catalog including apparel, hats,
bags, drinkware, and accessories.
10. Offeror must provide product samples to the City upon request at no cost.
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SECTION 5 - EVALUATION AND SELECTION PROCESS
5.1 Evaluating Proposals
The evaluation criteria the City will utilize will be based upon the Offeror demonstrating proven knowledge,
understanding, and experience relative to the City's needs, and the Offeror's ability to meet those needs.
Representatives of the City's Office of Communications shall oversee this project, produce and release this RFP,
and evaluate all proposals. The City reserves the right, at the time of evaluation, to request any additional
information it deems necessary in order to decide on any proposal.
All proposals must contain the required information, including but not limited to all expenses, pricing schedules,
payment terms, and contract terms and conditions requested by the City.
5.2 Basis of Selection
A selection panel will be convened, comprised of a representative from the Office of Communications and a
member of the City of Buffalo Department of Administration and Finance, to review the proposals. The award
recommendation will be made for the Offeror whose proposal represents the best overall value to the City. While
total cost will be considered in the award of this RFP, it is not the only factor to be considered, and the lowest-
cost proposal may not necessarily be selected. The City intends to award a contract to the Offeror(s) whose
proposal it deems to be in the best interests of the taxpayers. The City is under no obligation to award any contract
in whole or in part and reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel this RFP at any time before or after
closing, without providing reasons for such cancellation. If only one proposal is received, the City reserves the
right to reject it.
All proposals will be evaluated upon, but not limited to, the following criteria:
WEIGHT FACTOR
E-commerce platform and user experience, including ease of use for customers and City
25% administrators, custom storefront branding capabilities, mobile functionality, and quality of
reporting tools.
Proposed fee structure, including pricing, revenue share or commission, transaction fees,
20%
payment terms, and overall value to the City.
Production quality and fulfillment turnaround time, including printing methods, quality
15%
control processes, and average order-to-delivery time.
Minority workforce development, community involvement, and Offeror policies, as more
15%
fully described in Section 9.4 (Executive Order 16-04).
Offeror's experience and qualifications, including references, relevant past performance,
12%
and demonstrated ability to fulfill the requirements of this RFP.
Bulk order and wholesale purchasing capability, including volume pricing, minimum order
8%
quantities, and support for potential future retail expansion.
Women workforce development, community involvement, and Offeror policies, as more
5%
fully described in Section 9.4 (Executive Order 16-04).
100% TOTAL
The review of proposals will include an analysis of each Offeror's minority and women workforce development,
policies, and community involvement. Each Offeror must provide demonstrative evidence of how it meets these
factors, as more fully described in Section 9.4 (Executive Order 16-04).
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5.3 City's Reservation of Rights
Upon submission of a proposal in response to this RFP, each Offeror acknowledges and consents to the following
conditions relative to the submission, review, and consideration of its proposal:
* All costs incurred by the Offeror in connection with responding to this RFP shall be borne solely by
the Offeror.
* The City reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to reject for any reason any responses or components
thereof and to eliminate any Offeror from further consideration for this procurement.
* The City reserves the right to reject any Offeror that submits an incomplete response or a proposal that
is not responsive to the requirements of this RFP.
* The City reserves the right, without prior notice, to supplement, amend, or otherwise modify this RFP,
or to request additional information.
* All proposals submitted in response to this RFP shall become the property of the City and will not be
returned.
* All proposals submitted in response to this RFP shall constitute public records subject to disclosure.
* The City may request that Offerors personally attend or send representatives for interviews and a
demonstration of the Offeror's proposed platform and services.
* Any proposal not received by the Office of Communications by the stated proposal due date and time
will be rejected.
* Neither the City, nor its officers, officials, nor employees shall be liable for any claims or damages
resulting from the solicitation or preparation of a proposal in response to this RFP.
* The City reserves the right to reject proposals from any person or corporation that is in arrears or
default with the City on any debt and/or contract.
The City further reserves that it may, in its sole discretion, exercise the following rights and options with regard
to this RFP and the procurement process in order to obtain the most advantageous offer for the City: to waive
irregularities or minor non-compliance by any Offeror; to request clarification or further information from one
or more Offerors after closing without becoming obligated to offer the same opportunity to all Offerors; to enter
into negotiations with one or more Offerors without being obligated to negotiate with all Offerors; to reject any
or all proposals or parts thereof; to determine whether any proposal complies or fails to comply with the terms
set forth herein; to determine whether any perceived or actual conflict of interest exists; to change or alter the
schedule for any events called for in this RFP; to conduct investigations of any Offeror as the City deems
necessary; to suspend or terminate the procurement process at any time; and to determine that the City is under
no obligation to complete all or any portion of the procurement process described in this RFP.
Offerors are advised to submit a complete offer as their proposal. Any waiver, clarification, or negotiation will
not be considered an opportunity for Offerors to correct errors in their proposal.
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