HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 2311-2281CITY OF PALO ALTO
CITY COUNCIL
Special Meeting
Monday, February 05, 2024
Council Chambers & Hybrid
5:30 PM
Agenda Item
5.Approval of Amendment No. 2 to Contract S23184693 with Infosend, Inc. for Printing
Services for the Utilities Department Programs and Projects to add $300,000 for a New
Total Not to Exceed Amount of $555,000, and to Amend the Schedule of Rates. CEQA
status: not a project.
City Council
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: CONSENT CALENDAR
Lead Department: Utilities
Meeting Date: February 5, 2024
Staff Report: 2311-2281
TITLE
Approval of Amendment No. 2 to Contract S23184693 with Infosend, Inc. for Printing Services for
the Utilities Department Programs and Projects to add $300,000 for a New Total Not to Exceed
Amount of $555,000, and to Amend the Schedule of Rates. CEQA status: not a project.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that Council approve and authorize the City Manager or their designee to
execute Amendment Number 2 to contract S23184693 with Infosend, Inc. for printing services
for the Utilities Department Programs and Projects to add $300,000 for a total not to exceed
amount of $555,000 through January 31, 2026, and to amend the schedule of rates to include
more types of printing services without increasing existing per-unit costs.
BACKGROUND
On February 1, 2023, the City awarded a contract to Infosend, Inc. to provide print services for
the Utilities Department communication and outreach requirements. Printed materials are
needed for communication on regulatory actions, rates, safety, infrastructure projects, customer
programs, and customer service. Print services include, but are not limited to, monthly utility bill
inserts, full page brochures, triple and bifold brochures, door hangers, envelopes, letterhead,
flyers, posterboards, and more.
Contracting with an outside print vendor is necessary because currently, the City’s Print Shop and
mail room do not have the resources to perform this work in-house. Many of the Department’s
print needs are high volume specialty items that require unique formatting, layout, folding, and
mailing. The City’s Print Shop is unable to meet these needs at this time, however Utilities will
work with the Print Shop in the coming year to determine whether more print materials can be
shifted to in-house printing.
Based on staff’s original estimates, Infosend, Inc. was awarded a contract of $255,000 for a total
amount not to exceed $85,000 per year, for a three-year term. The original estimated contract
dollar amount with Infosend, Inc. is not sufficient to cover the costs for these print services and
therefore the annual not to exceed amount is recommended to be increased.
DISCUSSION
The City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) Department provides electric, natural gas, water, and
wastewater services to approximately 29,500 customers. Fiber optic service is currently available
to commercial customers. Use of printed communication and outreach materials for the
community are critical to the Utilities Department achieving its mission of providing safe, reliable,
cost-effective, and sustainable services.
Printed materials are necessary for CPAU to meet Federal and State regulatory requirements for
public outreach about critical items such as gas safety awareness, drinking water quality, utilities
rates, crisis, and emergency situations. Implementation and outreach about residential and non-
residential customer programs are key to enable CPAU to meet mandates and goals for energy
and water efficiency savings. Print services ensure CPAU informs customers about utility billing,
meter reading, low-income customer programs, and account management services through the
online MyCPAU portal.
Per City rules and regulations, CPAU provides printed notifications to the public for capital
improvement, operations, and maintenance projects. Local policies adopted by City Council such
as the Sustainability and Climate Action Plan (S/CAP) require extensive customer outreach and
marketing for participation in programs and initiatives to meet established goals. CPAU continues
to introduce new technologies to improve customer service through adoption of a new Outage
Management System (OMS), Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), and fiber optic services.
These endeavors require expansive outreach through print and digital means.
During the first year of the contract with Infosend, Inc. it became evident that the original dollar
amount allocated was insufficient to cover the costs for these print services. Staff recommend
increasing the annual not to exceed amount. Staff also recommends amending the schedule of
rates to include additional types of printing services without raising the unit pricing for the
printing services already addressed in the agreement.
While Infosend’s unit pricing has remained the same, more services from Infosend have been
needed than originally anticipated. New programs and initiatives this year created the need for
additional print services beyond the original estimate and additional programs are in
development to align with the City’s Sustainability and Climate Action Plan (S/CAP), beneficial
electrification for homes, buildings, and the transportation sector, and energy and water
efficiency mandates. Over the years, additional outreach is required to meet compliance for
regulations such as gas safety awareness, drinking water quality, and utilities rates.
Print estimates for different types of materials that have informed this recommended contract
not to exceed funding are below. These quantities and type of print materials will vary
throughout the year based on programmatic and outreach needs as well as in house capacity.
1) Monthly utility bill inserts: 600,000 quantity
2) Direct mail postcards: 160,000 quantity
3) Brochures: 100,000 quantity
4) Rate changes notifications: 75,000 quantity
5) Miscellaneous projects: 30,000 quantity
Bid Process
The City issued a Request for Proposal through PlanetBids on August 16, 2022 to identify
providers with experience working with municipal utilities to provide printing services.
Proposals were due on September 9, 2022. Table 1 summarizes the solicitation process:
Based on the evaluation, staff selected Infosend because of their municipal experience and
lowest cost proposal. The award of the contract does not guarantee Infosend will be assigned
any dollar amount, quantity, or type of printing materials.
As a result of Council’s approval to maintain in-house print and mail services (Agenda Item 5;
Staff Report 2310-2165)1, Utilities will work with the Print Shop to provision services in-house.
The Print Shop is in the process of adding resources following Council’s approval in late 2023,
which will increase capacity.
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
Funding for FY 2024 is available in the FY 2024 Utilities Operating Budget. Funding for subsequent
years is subject to City Council approval of the annual appropriation of funds through the annual
1 Agenda Item 5, Staff Report 2310-2165
https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=13056
Proposal Descript ion
Utilities Printing
Serv ices (RFP 184693)
Le ngth of Service 3 ye ars
Numbe r of noti ces sent to ve ndors 232
Numbe r of proposals downloade d by vendors 22
Bi ds rece i ved 7
Tab le 1: S u mmary of Solicitation Process
budget process. Table 2 summarizes the breakdown of the amendment amount for the term of
the contract.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This activity is not a project under California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as defined in
CEQA Guidelines, section 15378.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Contract Infosend, Inc., Amendment No. 2 (S23184693)
APPROVED BY:
Dean Batchelor, Director Utilities
Staff: Catherine Elvert, Utilities Communications Manager
Ye ar Original Amendme nt Total
1 85,000$ 50,000$ 135,000$
2 85,000$ 125,000$ 210,000$
3 85,000$ 125,000$ 210,000$
Total 255,000$ 300,000$ 555,000$
Table 2: Breakdown of Amendment
Vers.: Aug. 5, 2019
Page 1 of 6
AMENDMENT NO. 2 TO CONTRACT NO. S23184693
BETWEEN THE CITY OF PALO ALTO AND
INFOSEND, INC.
This Amendment No. 2 (this “Amendment”) to Contract No. S23184693 (the “Contract” as
defined below) is entered into as of January 22, 2024 by and between the CITY OF PALO ALTO, a
California chartered municipal corporation (“CITY”), and INFOSEND, INC., a California Corporation,
located at 4240 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim, CA 92807 (“CONSULTANT”). CITY and CONSULTANT
are referred to collectively as the “Parties” in this Amendment.
R E C I T A L S
A. The Contract (as defined below) was entered into by and between the Parties hereto
for the provision of printing services, as detailed therein.
B. The Parties now wish to amend the Contract in order to increase compensation by
Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($300,000) from Two Hundred Fifty-Five Thousand ($255,000) to
a new total not to exceed amount of Five Hundred Fifty-Five Thousand Dollars ($555,000) with no
change to the contract term, and to amend the schedule of rates.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the covenants, terms, conditions, and provisions of
this Amendment, the Parties agree:
SECTION 1. Definitions. The following definitions shall apply to this Amendment:
a. Contract. The term “Contract” shall mean Contract No. S23184693 between
CONSULTANT and CITY, dated February 1, 2023 as amended by:
Amendment No. 1, dated September 6, 2023
b. Other Terms. Capitalized terms used and not defined in this Amendment
shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Contract.
SECTION 2. Section 4 “NOT TO EXCEED COMPENSATION” of the Contract is hereby
amended to read as follows:
“The compensation to be paid to CONSULTANT for performance of the Services shall be
based on the compensation structure detailed in Exhibit C, entitled “COMPENSATION,”
including any reimbursable expenses specified therein, and the maximum total
compensation shall not exceed Five Hundred Fifty-Five Thousand Dollars ($555,000). The
yearly rate for year one is not to exceed One Hundred Thirty-Five Thousand Dollars
($135,000) and years two and three shall not exceed Two Hundred Ten Thousand dollars
($210,000) per year. The hourly schedule of rates, if applicable, is set out in Exhibit C-1,
entitled “SCHEDULE OF RATES.” Any work performed or expenses incurred for which
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Page 2 of 6
payment would result in a total exceeding the maximum compensation set forth in this
Section 4 shall be at no cost to the CITY.”
SECTION 4. The following exhibit(s) to the Contract is/are hereby amended or added, as
indicated below, to read as set forth in the attachment(s) to this Amendment, which is/are hereby
incorporated in full into this Amendment and into the Contract by this reference:
a. Exhibit “C-1” entitled “SCHEDULE OF RATES”, AMENDED, REPLACES
PREVIOUS.
SECTION 5. Legal Effect. Except as modified by this Amendment, all other provisions of the
Contract, including any exhibits thereto, shall remain in full force and effect.
SECTION 6. Incorporation of Recitals. The recitals set forth above are terms of this
Amendment and are fully incorporated herein by this reference.
(SIGNATURE BLOCK FOLLOWS ON THE NEXT PAGE.)
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SIGNATURES OF THE PARTIES
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have by their duly authorized representatives executed
this Amendment effective as of the date first above written.
CITY OF PALO ALTO
_____________________________
City Manager
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
_____________________________
City Attorney or designee
INFOSEND, INC.
Officer 1
By:______________________________
Name:___________________________
Title:____________________________
Officer 2
By:______________________________
Name:___________________________
Title:____________________________
Attachments:
EXHIBIT “C-1” “SCHEDULE OF RATES” (AMENDED, REPLACES PREVIOUS)
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President
Russ Rezai
Executive Vice President
Roxana Weil
Vers.: Aug. 5, 2019
Page 4 of 6
EXHIBIT C-1
SCHEDULE OF RATES AMENDMENT NO. 1
(AMENDED, REPLACES PREVIOUS)
CONSULTANT’S schedule of rates is as follows but not limited to the following:
BID
ITEM
DESCRIPTION, WITH UNIT PRICE IN WORDS (PRICE IS INCLUSIVE
OF ALL APPLICABLE TAXES)
UNIT PRICE
1
03-compost-giveaway-station-march
$ 0.16 Sample Item No. 1 from the RFP Attachment E – Cost Proposal
2 Bill Insert
$ 0.16
Sample Item No. 2 from the RFP Attachment E – Cost Proposal
3 cpau_smartenergybooklet2018_v03
$ 1.00
Sample Item No. 3 from the RFP Attachment E – Cost Proposal
4
cpauwaterannual2020
$ 0.80
Sample Item No. 4 from the RFP Attachment E – Cost Proposal
5
CS 100 Door Hanger
$ 0.50
Sample Item No. 5 from the RFP Attachment E – Cost Proposal
6
Door Hanger
$ 0.65
Sample Item No. 6 from the RFP Attachment E – Cost Proposal
7
envelope2
$ 0.40
Sample Item No. 7 from the RFP Attachment E – Cost Proposal
8
Envelope
$ 0.40
Sample Item No. 8 from the RFP Attachment E – Cost Proposal
9
gas-safety-brochure-2021-no-crops
$ 0.18
Sample Item No. 9 from the RFP Attachment E – Cost Proposal
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BID
ITEM
DESCRIPTION, WITH UNIT PRICE IN WORDS (PRICE IS
INCLUSIVE OF ALL APPLICABLE TAXES)
UNIT PRICE
10
Letter head
$ 0.10
Sample Item No. 10 from the RFP Attachment E – Cost Proposal
11 Meter Read Cards a
$ 0.20
Sample Item No. 11 from the RFP Attachment E – Cost Proposal
12
Meter Read Cards b
$ 0.20
Sample Item No. 12 from the RFP Attachment E – Cost Proposal
13
pal032-billinsert-ev-3.2021
$ 0.18
Sample Item No. 13 from the RFP Attachment E – Cost Proposal
14
pal035-billinsert-water-3.2022revise
$ 0.16
Sample Item No. 14 from the RFP Attachment E – Cost Proposal
15
pal035-billinsert-water-3.2022revise- commercial
$ 0.16
Sample Item No. 15 from the RFP Attachment E – Cost Proposal
16
palo-alto-fiber-conversation-utility-insert-new
$ 0.16
Sample Item No. 16 from the RFP Attachment E – Cost Proposal
17
printing services
$ 0.10
Sample Item No. 17 from the RFP Attachment E – Cost Proposal
18 uaag-final-2021-brochure-insertct
$ 1.00
Sample Item No. 18 from the RFP Attachment E – Cost Proposal
19
utility-insert-2.14-for-web
$ 1.00
Sample Item No. 19 from the RFP Attachment E – Cost Proposal
20
AMI/Water Heating RES H20 Energy Tips
$ 0.174
7x11, 4/4, folded to 7x3.67, 100% Recycled
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21
RES Jan EV Charge RES Nov 2023 Heat Pump Water Heater
$ 0.095
7x3.5, 100% Recycled 80# gloss book
22
Green Resources Guide
$ 4.83
Digital print 4/4 8.5x5.5 20 pg. self-booklets on 100# gloss book
w/100% recycled, Fold & Saddle stitch Carton Pack
23
CCR Postcards EDDM mailing to Residents, Businesses & Po boxes
$ 0.137
3.88x9.25 Postcards on 100# 100% Recycled Gloss Cover
24
Letter
$ 0.293
8.5x15.5 letter on 100% recycled 60# offset, #10 printed 1/0 envelope
*Actual pricing will be provided at time of order and based on actual quantity. Unit pricing will
remain constant. Recycled papers will be utilized if available. Total item price will be provided
at time of order and based on actual quantity. The City does not guarantee a minimum or
maximum order quantity. The total compensation for year one is not to exceed One Hundred
Thirty-Five Thousand Dollars ($135,000) and years two and three shall not exceed Two Hundred
Ten Thousand dollars ($210,000) per year.
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