Results of Beverly Hills USD multifunction copier-printer bid - IS THIS AN MPS DEAL?

On February 28, 2011, the Beverly Hills (CA) Unified School District awarded a contract to “Image IV” (a Konica/Minolta dealer) for 20 small-format multifunction copier-printers.

Bids were invited on a “monthly-lease-cost” (for each machine) PLUS “cost-per-click” for each copy/print (cost-per-copy/print to include toner and maintenance.)

Vendors who submitted bids for this procurement included:

- Image IV (a Southern California Konica/Minolta dealer)

-Xerox Corp

-Canon Corp

-Docusource (Ricoh dealer)

-LDI (Canon dealer)

-Ricoh Corp

Here’s some of the details of the bid award recommendation, as put forth by the BH USD administrator responsible for this procurement:

Re: Acceptance and Award of Bid # 10-11/006 Multi-function Digital Color and Black & White Devices

Background:

Due to the age, older technology, and downtime of the some of the District copiers and in the interest of obtaining the most competitive prices available, the District has conducted a formal bid for the replacement of the older copiers.

Current Consideration:

The bid was for a sixty month lease of new multifunction copiers, including service and supplies (excluding paper & staples). There are nineteen copiers scheduled for replacement, and one that will be added for a total of twenty multifunction copiers.

The results of the bid are as shown on the attachment.

Administrative Recommendation:

The Administration recommends that the Board of Education accept the bid and award the contract to Image IV Systems based on their low bid and ability to meet bid specification.

I’ve placed a copy of the “bid abstract” on Google Docs, and you can access that document to see what each vendor bid by clicking on this link:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0As1al4kFAU9JdFJUM3BFcVpfYTVrWGN5ODlPa0czSnc&hl=en&authkey=CITSiegP

There’s been a lot of discussion in the reprographics industry, the last year, about reprographers getting involved in offering “MPS” – managed print services. Was this an “MPS” deal? And, if so, why did not a single reprographer participate in this bid procurement?

Or, was this not an “MPS” deal? And, if the answer is, “no, it is not an MPS deal,” then I’d like to see someone provide a thorough explanation of - - -

- What is an “MPS” deal?

- How does an “MPS” deal differ from an “FM” deal?

- Which “MPS” deals should reprographers pursue?

At the upcoming IRgA Convention, there will be a breakout (educational) session with this title:

“MPS – Why This Is Key to the Growth of Your Firm”

presenter: Ed Crowley, President & CEO, Photizo Group

If “MPS” is truly “the key” to the “growth” of a reprographer’s business, I’d surely like to have a complete definition of what “MPS” is!