Invoice Printing and Mail Services

TACOMA PUBLIC UTILITIES CUSTOMER SERVICES
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
INVOICE PRINTING AND MAIL SERVICES
SPECIFICATION NO. CS26-0120F
Request for Information Specification No. CS26-0120F
Template Revised: 05/09/2025

City of Tacoma
Tacoma Public Utilities / Customer Services
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION CS26-0120F
INVOICE PRINTING AND MAIL SERVICES
Submittal Deadline: Tuesday, July 7, 2026
For in person submittals, the City of Tacoma will designate the time of receipt recorded by the timestamp
located at the lobby security desk, as the official time of receipt. Include the specification number on the
outside of the sealed envelope. Late submittals will be returned unopened and rejected as non-responsive.
Submittal Delivery: Sealed submittals will be received as follows:
By Email: In Person:
sendbid@tacoma.gov Tacoma Public Utilities Administration Building North,
Maximum email size including attachments: 35 MB. Main Floor, Lobby Security Desk
Multiple emails may be sent for each submittal. 3628 South 35th Street
Tacoma, WA 98409
Note: Email may pass through multiple servers before arriving Monday - Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
at its destination. Please allow sufficient time for email delivery
of submittals.
Solicitation Documents: An electronic copy of the complete solicitation documents may be viewed and
obtained by accessing the City of Tacoma Purchasing website at www.TacomaPurchasing.org.
* Register for the Bid Holders List to receive notices of addenda, questions and answers and related updates.
* Click here to see a list of vendors registered for this solicitation.
Pre-Proposal Meeting: A pre-proposal meeting will not be held.
Project Scope: The purpose of this RFI is to conduct market research and better understand available
solutions, service models, and vendor capabilities. The City is particularly interested in capabilities related to
data security, regulatory compliance, scalability, operational flexibility, and secure methods for data transfer,
processing, and distribution.
Estimate: N/A
Paid Sick Leave: The City of Tacoma requires all employers to provide paid sick leave in accordance with
State of Washington law.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA Information: The City of Tacoma, in accordance with Section 504 of
the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), commits to
nondiscrimination on the basis of disability, in all of its programs and activities. Specification materials can be
made available in an alternate format by emailing the contact listed below in the Additional Information section.
Title VI Information:
"The City of Tacoma" in accordance with provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, (78 Stat. 252, 42
U.S.C. sections 2000d to 2000d-4) and the Regulations, hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively
ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises
will be afforded full and fair opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated
against on the grounds of race, color, national origin in consideration of award.
Additional Information: Requests for information regarding the specifications may be obtained by contacting
Sara Bird by email to SBird@Tacoma.gov.
Protest Policy: City of Tacoma protest policy, located at www.tacomapurchasing.org, specifies procedures for
protests submitted prior to and after submittal deadline.
Meeting sites are accessible to persons with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations for persons with
disabilities can be arranged with 48 hours advance notice by calling 253-502-8468.
Page 2 of 8
Form No. SPEC-040C Revised: 06/03/2024

Table of Contents
SUBMITTAL CHECK LIST ......................................................................................................... 4
1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 5
2. PURPOSE .......................................................................................................................... 5
3. CALENDAR OF EVENTS ................................................................................................... 5
4. INQUIRIES ......................................................................................................................... 6
5. DISCLAIMER ...................................................................................................................... 6
6. QUALIFYING CAPABILITIES ............................................................................................. 6
7. CONTENT TO BE SUBMITTED ......................................................................................... 7
8. EQUITY IN CONTRACTING ............................................................................................... 8
9. STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS ........................................................................... 8
10. ADDENDUMS ..................................................................................................................... 8
Request for Information Specification No. CS26-0120F
Template Revised: 05/09/2025
Page 3 of 8

SUBMITTAL CHECK LIST
This checklist is provided as a helpful guide to support respondents in preparing a complete and
well organized submittal. While use of the checklist is not required, following it can significantly
improve clarity and ensure all key materials are included. Submittals must still be received by

the City of Tacoma Purchasing Division by the date and time specified in the Request for
Information page.
The following items make up your submittal package:
Letter of Interest
Supporting literature, which may include technical specifications, data
security information, warranty, brochures, capabilities statements, and/or
standard price lists.
Response to Section 7 - Content to be Submitted (Information Requested)
Any other additional information relevant to this Solicitation
Request for Information Specification No. CS26-0120F
Template Revised: 05/09/2025
Page 4 of 8

1. INTRODUCTION
The City of Tacoma (City) / Tacoma Public Utilities (TPU) is issuing this Request for Information
(RFI) to obtain information from firms with experience providing utility invoice printing and mail
services.
2. PURPOSE
The purpose of this RFI is to conduct market research and better understand available
solutions, service models, and vendor capabilities. The City is particularly interested in
capabilities related to data security, regulatory compliance, scalability, operational flexibility, and
secure methods for data transfer, processing, and distribution.
Current Process
TPU currently generates invoice files from its SAP system on a daily basis. Files are produced
each morning and processed internally for printing and mailing.
Invoices are printed, inserted, and metered in-house. Invoices are printed and sorted by ZIP
Code and transported by TPU staff to the United States Postal Service Business Mail Entry Unit
(BMEU) for distribution.
Estimated Volumes
TPU produces an average of approximately 6,400 invoices per workday. Volumes may fluctuate
due to holidays, billing cycles, and other operational factors.
The estimated annual volume is approximately 1,600,000 invoices, based on the current
average daily production. Actual volumes may vary depending on customer growth, seasonal
demand, billing schedules, and paperless programs.
RFI Intent
This RFI is issued solely for informational and market research purposes. It does not constitute
a solicitation for bids or proposals and will not result in the award of a contract. Responses will
not be evaluated or scored. Participation is voluntary, and any information provided may be
used by the City to inform future procurement strategies and requirements.
The City also welcomes information regarding industry best practices, emerging technologies,
and innovative approaches related to utility billing, print, and mail services.
3. CALENDAR OF EVENTS
This is a tentative schedule only and may be altered at the sole discretion of the City.
The anticipated schedule of events concerning this Solicitation is as follows:
Question Deadline: 6/22/2026
Questions and Answers Posted: 6/26/2026
Submittal Due Date: 7/7/2026
Request for Information Specification No. CS26-0120F
Template Revised: 05/09/2025
Page 5 of 8

4. INQUIRIES
Submit questions to SBird@Tacoma.gov. Subject line to read: CS26-0120F Invoice
Printing and Mail Services - VENDOR NAME
4.1 Questions marked confidential will not be answered or included.
4.2 The City reserves the discretion to group similar questions to provide a single answer or
not to respond when the requested information is confidential.
4.3 The answers are not typically considered an addendum.
4.4 The City will not be responsible for unsuccessful submittal of questions.
4.5 Written answers to questions will be posted in the event approximately one week after
the question deadline.
5. DISCLAIMER
The City is not liable for any costs incurred by the Respondent for the preparation of materials
or a submittal submitted in response to this RFI, for conducting any presentations to the City, or
any other activities related to responding to this RFI, or related to the contract negotiation
process.
Please note that this Request for Information is not a Request for Bids (RFB) or a Request for
Proposals (RFP), and there is no guarantee that either a RFB or RFP will be issued. A
Respondent's decision to respond, or not to respond, to this Solicitation will NOT be a factor in
evaluating any later RFB or RFP.
While the intent of this Solicitation is to help identify vendors who meet various requirements for
a competitive solicitation, there is no guarantee that any specific information presented by any
Respondent will ultimately be included in any future solicitation issued by the City.
Each Respondent shall bear all expenses incurred by the preparation and presentation of its
Solicitation response. The City will therefore reject any claim made against them in this matter,
regardless of the results of the subsequent processes, if any.
6. QUALIFYING CAPABILITIES
6.1 End to End Services:

Provide full lifecycle support for invoice processing, including data ingestion, print
production, folding, sorting, insertion, USPS presort, document archiving, and payment
processing. Include audit controls, reconciliation reporting, and established disaster
recovery and business continuity capabilities.
Request for Information Specification No. CS26-0120F
Template Revised: 05/09/2025
Page 6 of 8

6.2 Data Intake and Security:
Demonstrate the ability to securely receive invoice data through multiple methods, such
as encrypted file transfer (SFTP), secure cloud storage, or other approved secure
transmission protocols. Describe data validation, encryption standards, and access
controls.
6.3 Print Production:
Provide high-volume print capabilities that meet TPU-specified requirements for color,
formatting, and quality. Include details on print capacity, equipment, and quality
assurance processes.
6.4 Mail Preparation:
Provide automated folding, sorting, and envelope insertion with integrity controls to
ensure accuracy and completeness. Demonstrate compliance with USPS requirements,
including Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMb). Include address quality processes such as
CASS certification and NCOA updates, as well as return mail handling procedures.
6.5 Scalability and Timeliness:
Demonstrate the ability to reliably process daily volumes of approximately 6,000
invoices, with flexibility to accommodate fluctuations due to billing cycles, holidays, or
special events. Include standard turnaround times, cutoff times, and surge capacity
capabilities.
7. CONTENT TO BE SUBMITTED
Please keep your response to 10 pages or less, excluding letter of interest and supporting
literature (see page 5, Submittal Check List), in Word or PDF format. RFI responses should
contain the following:
7.1 Company Information
* Name, address, primary contact, email, phone number
7.2 Relevant Experience
* Experience providing invoice printing and mailing services
* Examples with utilities or public sector clients
* Optional references
7.3 Capabilities and Services
* Alignment to Section 6 capabilities
* End-to-end workflow description
7.4 Technical Approach
* Data intake and archiving methods
* Security controls
* Print and mail processes
Request for Information Specification No. CS26-0120F
Template Revised: 05/09/2025
Page 7 of 8

* Optional e-billing and archiving
7.5 Implementation and Support
* Onboarding approach
* Ongoing support model
* Scalability
7.6 Optional Pricing Information
* High-level pricing model only (not binding)
8. EQUITY IN CONTRACTING
The City of Tacoma is committed to encouraging firms certified through the Washington State
Office of Minority and Women's Business Enterprise to participate in City contracting
opportunities. See the TMC 1.07 Equity in Contracting Policy at the City's
Equity in Contracting Program website.
9. STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS
City of Tacoma Standard Terms and Conditions apply.
10. ADDENDUMS
In the event it becomes necessary to revise any part of this Solicitation, an addendum will be
issued through the event in Ariba.
Request for Information Specification No. CS26-0120F
Template Revised: 05/09/2025
Page 8 of 8