Request for Proposals: Copier Printer Services Copier RFP Combined Q&A Answers

Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
Copier Printer Services
Issue Date: October 12, 2026
Issued by
Molly DeFosse
Chief Finance and Facilities Officer
800 Vine Street
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
Deadline for Submittal
November 13, 2026
No later than 12:00 NOON EST
To Bidsandproposals@chpl.org

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL COVER SHEET
The Cincinnati and Hamilton County Library ("CHPL" or "Library") is issuing this Request for Proposal
("RFP") for Copier Printer Services (" Project").
Proposals must be received no later than 12:00 Noon on November 13, 2026. Any Proposal
("Proposal") arriving after 12:00 Noon will be considered late and will receive no consideration for
selection to provide the specified services.
All questions or requests for clarifications should be submitted in writing no later than 5:00 p.m. seven
(7) days prior to the proposal due date to bidsandproposals@chpl.org.
The Proposer ("Proposer") declares to have read, understood, and affirms, by its signature below, to be
bound by all the instructions, terms, conditions, and specifications of this RFP and agrees to fulfill the
requirements of any contract ("Contract") for which it is selected to provide the specified goods or
services at the prices proposed.
The Proposer certifies, by signature affixed to this "Request for Proposal Cover Sheet", that the
information provided in response to this RFP, including certified statements, is accurate and complete.
Federal Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN)
Name of person signing proposal (Please print or type) Title
Proposer Name
Mailing address
City State ZIP
Telephone
Contact Person
E-Mail Address
Authorized Signature
THIS FORM MUST BE SIGNED AND SUBMITTED WITH THE PROPOSAL
2

OVERVIEW
The Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library (CHPL) is seeking proposals from qualified
Offerors for the purchase of printer, copier, and multifunction device (MFP) equipment and related
managed print services.
The Library further intends to make a single award as a result of the RFP. CHPL may consider
multiple awards if it is determined to be in the best interests of the Library.
Offerors, either directly or through their subcontractor(s), must be able to provide all
products/services and meet all of the requirements contained in this solicitation and the successful
Offeror (the Contractor) shall remain responsible for Contract performance, regardless of
subcontractor participation in the work ("Work").
BACKGROUND
CHPL's printing environment supports public and staff printing, copying, scanning, payment, print
release, fleet monitoring, consumables fulfillment, security, and lifecycle management. The Library
intends to standardize the fleet, reduce model and driver complexity, preserve interoperability with
existing Library systems, and establish clear vendor accountability for the managed print
environment.
CHPL is a county district library established in accordance with 3375.20 of the Ohio Revised
Code. The Library, which is a separate legal entity, is financially, managerially and operationally
independent from both Hamilton County and the City of Cincinnati. CHPL is a fully funded political
subdivision and receives the majority of its funding from the State of Ohio and locally voted
property taxes.
PROJECT OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this RFP is to select a vendor that can provide a standardized, centrally managed
printer, copier, and MFP environment that supports public and staff workflows across CHPL
locations. The Library intends to purchase awarded devices outright and obtain associated
maintenance, support, consumables, software, monitoring, lifecycle, and transition services under
the resulting agreement.
The Library desires to enter into a Contract with a partner that will agree to acceptable
levels of service and performance, which include:
1. Trust and reliability.
2. Providing operational efficiency, responsiveness and resourcefulness.
SCOPE OF SERVICES
1. Purpose and Procurement Objectives
The Library is seeking a standardized, centrally managed printer, copier, and multifunction device
(MFP) environment that supports public and staff printing, copying, scanning, payment, print
release, fleet monitoring, consumables fulfillment, security, and lifecycle management. The intent
is to reduce model and driver complexity while establishing clear vendor accountability for the
operation of the managed print environment.
3

Primary objectives include:
* Standardize the fleet around a limited number of device models and a common print-driver
architecture.
* Maintain full interoperability with the Library's existing PaperCut, TBS 9900 kiosk, and Cartadis
cPad environment.
* Provide centralized device administration so routine configuration changes can be made across
the fleet without touching each device individually.
* Provide proactive monitoring, service, and automated toner/consumables fulfillment to all
Library locations.
* Establish predictable long-term pricing with appropriate protections against excessive annual
increases and inflexible print-volume commitments.
* Provide a defined process for device replacement, lifecycle changes, fleet resizing, and
contract transition.
2. Standardized Device Classes
The Library intends to standardize around three principal device classes. Vendors should propose
one primary model for each class wherever possible. The Library intends to purchase the awarded
devices outright.
Estimated initial equipment purchase quantities are shown below. Quantities are estimates for
proposal pricing and may be adjusted by the Library prior to final award or deployment.
Public Copier / MFP Printer Small Staff MFP Finishing Unit
60 90 55 4
Finishing Unit Requirement (Mandatory): The Library intends to purchase four (4) finishing units.
Each finishing unit must be compatible with and installable on any proposed Public Copier / MFP
model in the standardized fleet and must support stapling, hole punching, and folding. The finishing
unit must operate through the same centrally managed print queues and common driver architecture
used for the Public Copier / MFP, without requiring a separate device-specific print driver. Vendors
must identify any configuration, accessory, or workflow limitations that would prevent a finishing unit
from being moved among or used with any Public Copier / MFP in the proposed fleet.
Device Class Primary Use Key Functions Standardization Goal
PaperCut/ePRINTit
Customer and staff release, Cartadis cPad, One standardized
Public Copier / MFP
print/copy/scan TBS payment integration, copier/MFP model
finishing
PaperCut printing and
One standardized printer
Printer Public and/or staff printing release; common driver
model
compatibility
ADF + platen mixed scan
One standardized compact
Small Staff MFP Staff printing and scanning workflow, SFTP delivery,
staff MFP
receipt printing
4

3. Platform and Integration Requirements
3.1 PaperCut, TBS 9900, and Cartadis cPad Compatibility
Classification: Mandatory
Public multifunction devices must be fully compatible with the Library's existing TBS 9900 kiosks
and Cartadis cPad environment and must support the Library's current PaperCut print-release
workflows, paid copying, and associated accounting/payment functionality.
* The awarded vendor must assume responsibility for end-to-end operability of the proposed
devices with the Library's approved printing, payment, and release environment.
* Compatibility will not be satisfied solely by a manufacturer statement or generic PaperCut
compatibility listing.
* The vendor must coordinate directly with TBS or other required parties when troubleshooting
interoperability issues.
* The Library requires representative devices to be installed and successfully tested with the
actual Library workflow before final model acceptance or broader deployment.
3.2 Transaction Pricing Flexibility and Demonstration
Classification: Scored / Preferred unless otherwise designated
The public copier/MFP solution should support configurable customer pricing that is more granular
than color versus black-and-white alone. The vendor must demonstrate the ability to establish and
correctly charge different prices based on multiple job attributes.
* Black-and-white versus color.
* Paper/page size, including the Library's supported standard and larger page sizes.
* Single-sided (simplex) versus double-sided (duplex) printing and copying.
* Combinations of the above attributes (for example, color ledger duplex versus black-and-white
letter simplex).
* Accurate display and transfer of charges through the Library's TBS 9900 / Cartadis cPad
payment workflow.
* Consistent handling of both released print jobs and walk-up copy transactions.
The pricing logic above must be demonstrated with the proposed copier/MFP and the Library's payment environment
as part of proof-of-concept or acceptance testing.
3.3 Ongoing Integration Responsibility
Classification: Mandatory
The awarded vendor's responsibility for end-to-end interoperability will continue throughout the
entire contract term and will not end after initial installation or acceptance.
* If a manufacturer model change, firmware update, software update, driver update, security
update, or other vendor-controlled change disrupts an approved Library workflow, the awarded
vendor must coordinate resolution and restore the approved functionality.
* This responsibility includes continued interoperability, where applicable, with PaperCut, TBS
ePRINTit, TBS 9900 kiosks, Cartadis cPad hardware, the common driver architecture,
finishing functions, scanning workflows, and centralized management.
* The vendor must coordinate with the applicable manufacturer and third-party providers as
necessary and may not treat a supported integration problem as solely the responsibility of
another vendor.
5

4. Driver and Print-Platform Standardization
4.1 Common Driver Architecture
Classification: Mandatory
The Library intends to minimize the number of printer drivers and print queues required to support
the environment. The proposed public copier/MFP, printer, and small staff MFP must utilize a
common manufacturer universal print driver or common driver architecture wherever technically
possible.
* The vendor must identify the exact driver package proposed for each model.
* The vendor must identify any device-specific drivers, extensions, plugins, or applications
required.
* The common driver solution must be suitable for centralized deployment and management in
the Library's Windows environment.
* The driver architecture must maintain compatibility with PaperCut print queues and print-
release workflows.
4.2 Driver Feature Support
Classification: Mandatory
The common driver solution must expose and correctly process all applicable device functions,
including:
* Monochrome and color printing.
* Simplex and duplex printing.
* Multiple paper sizes.
* Automatic paper tray selection.
* Secure/released printing through PaperCut.
* Stapling.
* Hole punching.
* Folding.
* Other finishing options included with the proposed equipment.
The Library must be able to utilize these functions through centrally managed print queues without
requiring separate device-specific drivers wherever possible. The vendor will be required to
demonstrate representative print jobs from Library PaperCut queues to each proposed device
class.
5. Small Staff MFP Requirements
5.1 Mixed ADF and Platen Scanning
Classification: Mandatory
The small staff MFP must include both an automatic document feeder (ADF) and flatbed platen
glass and must support creation of a single scan job containing pages scanned from both sources.
* Staff must be able to begin a scan using the document feeder and then add one or more pages
from the platen glass, or vice versa, without ending the scan session.
* The resulting pages must be combined into one output file or one logical scan transaction.
* Changing between the ADF and platen must not require creation of separate files that staff
must later merge manually.
6

5.2 SFTP Delivery and Receipt Printing
Classification: Mandatory
* The staff MFP must support scan delivery using SFTP.
* The staff MFP must be capable of printing a receipt or confirmation for the completed scan
workflow.
* The proposed solution should allow the receipt to include configurable information such as
date/time, destination, page count, delivery status, and a transaction/reference identifier where
available.
* The vendor must explain whether the receipt confirms actual successful delivery or only
successful job submission.
5.3 Additional Scan Capabilities
Classification: Scored / Preferred unless otherwise designated
* Searchable PDF and/or OCR.
* PDF/A where supported.
* TIFF and JPEG output.
* Configurable resolution and compression.
* Simplex/duplex scanning.
* Blank-page removal.
* Mixed-size originals.
* Configurable file naming.
* Reasonable support for large page counts and file sizes.
6. Centralized Device Administration
6.1 Central Management Platform
Classification: Mandatory
The proposed solution must provide a mechanism for the Library and/or awarded vendor to
centrally administer and configure the printer and MFP fleet. Individually accessing each device's
web interface to make routine configuration changes is not an acceptable fleet-management
model.
The centralized management platform should support, where technically applicable, centralized
viewing, modification, or deployment of:
* SMTP server settings and credentials.
* SFTP configuration and credentials.
* DNS and NTP settings.
* LDAP/directory configuration.
* Network settings.
* SNMP configuration.
* Security settings.
* Device administrator credentials.
* Certificates.
* Scan destinations and workflows.
7

* Email configuration.
* Address books.
* Firmware.
* Device configuration templates.
* Paper and tray configuration.
* Default print, copy, and scan settings.
Example: if the Library changes its SMTP service or SMTP credentials, the fleet-management solution must provide
a practical centralized method to update affected devices rather than requiring staff or a technician to touch every
MFP individually.
Vendors must clearly identify any settings that cannot be managed centrally and explain the
process required to change those settings.
6.2 Configuration Templates and Drift Management
Classification: Mandatory
* Support configuration templates or policies assignable by device type, device group, location,
or other logical grouping.
* Maintain a central inventory containing device model, serial number, IP address/hostname,
physical location, firmware version, meter information, and relevant configuration status.
* Identify devices that differ from the Library's approved configuration baseline.
* Provide a method to correct configuration drift centrally wherever the platform supports the
affected setting.
6.3 Configuration Backup and Rapid Replacement
Classification: Mandatory
The centralized management solution must provide a practical method to preserve, export,
template, or otherwise reproduce the approved configuration of managed devices so failed or
replacement devices can be returned to service quickly.
* The vendor must describe how configuration information is backed up, retained, and restored
or reapplied to a replacement device.
* A failed or replacement MFP should not require manual recreation of routine settings such as
SMTP, SFTP, certificates, PaperCut settings, address books, security settings, cPad-related
configuration, scan workflows, and other standardized device settings when those settings are
supported by the management platform.
* The vendor must identify any settings, secrets, certificates, or integration components that
cannot be restored automatically and describe the documented recovery process for those
items.
7. Automated Fleet Monitoring and Consumables Management
7.1 Automated Monitoring
Classification: Mandatory
The awarded vendor must provide automated monitoring of the managed fleet, including at
minimum:
* Toner levels.
* Waste toner status where measurable.
8

* Meter counts.
* Device errors and service codes.
* Offline/unreachable devices.
* Service alerts.
* Firmware levels.
* Device model, serial number, network identity, and Library location.
The vendor must describe whether monitoring is cloud-based, on-premises, or gateway-based
and must disclose required software, network ports, firewall rules, update mechanisms, data flows,
and data retention.
7.2 Automated Toner and Consumables Fulfillment
Classification: Mandatory
The vendor must provide proactive, automated toner replenishment so replacement toner is
delivered to the appropriate Library location before the installed toner is exhausted.
* Each shipment should identify the Library location, device model, device serial number or asset
identifier, toner color/type, and associated device where practical.
* The proposal must describe the toner-order threshold/logic, shipment tracking process,
emergency toner process, and how telemetry failures are detected and resolved.
* The vendor must disclose whether onsite spare toner is recommended or required.
* The vendor must identify whether toner, drums, imaging units, maintenance kits, waste-toner
containers, and other routinely replaced consumables are included in the contracted pricing.
8. Maintenance, Service, and Support
8.1 Service Levels
Classification: Mandatory
* Define service-request acknowledgement time.
* Define technician onsite response time by device/service priority.
* Define restoration or replacement expectations for extended outages.
* Provide escalation procedures and named support contacts.
* Provide technician coverage for all Library locations included in the contract.
* Describe parts availability and procedures for repeated/chronic failures.
* Describe loaner or replacement-device procedures when a device cannot be restored within the
required timeframe.
8.2 Service Reporting
Classification: Scored
* Service calls by device and location.
* Average response time and repair time.
* Repeat service incidents.
* Device uptime/availability where measurable.
* Parts replaced.
* Identification of devices with chronic or increasing failure rates.
* SLA attainment and exceptions.
9

9. Security, Firmware, and Vulnerability Management
9.1 Device Security
Classification: Mandatory
* Encrypted internal storage where supported.
* HTTPS administration and modern TLS support.
* SNMPv3 support.
* Configurable certificates and certificate replacement.
* Unique administrative credentials and role-based administration where supported.
* Ability to disable unused protocols and services.
* Signed firmware and/or secure boot capabilities where offered by the manufacturer.
* Audit logging appropriate to administrative and device activity.
* Ability to restrict administrative access by network/subnet or comparable control where
supported.
9.2 Firmware and Vulnerability Remediation
Classification: Mandatory
* Manufacturer security advisories must be available throughout the supported device lifecycle.
* Firmware/security updates must be made available throughout the contract term for supported
devices.
* The vendor must describe the process and expected timeframe for addressing critical and high-
severity vulnerabilities.
* The Library must be able to centrally determine firmware versions across the fleet.
* The vendor must explain whether firmware can be deployed centrally and what approval/control
the Library has over deployment timing.
9.3 Firmware and Major Configuration Change Control
Classification: Mandatory
The vendor must not automatically deploy fleet-wide firmware or major configuration changes that
could materially affect Library printing, payment, release, finishing, scanning, security, or device-
management workflows without an approved change process.
* Significant firmware and configuration changes must support a pilot -> validation -> fleet
deployment process.
* The Library must be able to require testing on one or more representative devices before
broader deployment.
* Library approval must be obtained before fleet-wide deployment of changes that could affect
PaperCut, TBS ePRINTit, TBS 9900, Cartadis cPad, the common print driver, finishing
options, scanning, authentication, payment, or centralized administration.
* Emergency security remediation must be coordinated with the Library so security risk can be
addressed without unnecessarily disrupting production workflows.
* The vendor must maintain a method to identify which devices received a firmware or major
configuration change and the result of the deployment.
10