RFP26009 - ETSU Caps and Gowns Final

Agency:	East Tennessee State University
State:	Tennessee
Type of Government:	State & Local
NAICS Category:	336413 - Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing
Posted Date:	Mar 25, 2026
Due Date:	Apr 28, 2026
Original Source:	Please Login to View Page
Contact information:	Please Login to View Page
Bid Documents:	Please Login to View Page

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REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Graduation Caps and Gowns Regalia

RFP No.

Request for Proposal Issue Date

RFP Proposals Due

26009

March 25, 2026

April 28, 2026 at 2:00 PM, EST

___________________________________________

Contact for this RFP is Alex Ortiz, ortizag@etsu.edu

RFP 26009

East Tennessee State University

March 25, 2026

CONTENTS

SECTION

INTRODUCTION

RFP SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS & CONTRACTING INFORMATION

PROPOSAL EVALUATION & CONTRACT AWARD

RFP ATTACHMENTS:

6.1 Ownership Ethnicity Form

6.2 Pro Forma Contract

6.3 Proposal Transmittal/Statement of Certifications & Assurances

6.4 RFP Requirements

6.5 Technical Proposal & Evaluation Guide

6.6 Cost Proposal & Scoring Guide

6.7 N/A

6.8 Listing of System Institutions, UT System of Higher Education

and State of Tennessee

6.9 Vendor Application Form General Instructions

6.10 Vendor Application

6.11 Vendor Product Accessibility Statement and Documentation

6.12 Accessibility Conformance and Remediation Form

6.13 N/A

6.14 Proposer Checklist for Prevention of Common RFP Mistakes that

lead to Proposal Rejection

RFP 26009

INTRODUCTION

East Tennessee State University

March 25, 2026

1.1

Background

East Tennessee State University is located in Johnson City, Tennessee. Comprised of 11 colleges and

schools, including 140 academic programs, ETSU offers degrees in arts and sciences, business and

technology, education and health sciences, including numerous honors and enrichment opportunities

for undergraduates and graduates. The ETSU campus consists of a 350-acre main campus and a 31-

acre Medical College that is located on the Veterans Administration campus. ETSU also has over 20

remote sites that include Distance Education Centers and Medical Clinics.

ETSU had a Spring 2026 enrollment of 12,297 students. Students are taught and served by more

than 2,600 faculty and staff.

For additional information, please visit the ETSU web site at www.etsu.edu

1.2

Statement of Procurement Purpose

East Tennessee State University (ETSU), hereinafter Institution, has issued this Request for Proposal

(RFP) to define the Institution's minimum service requirements; solicit proposals; detail proposal

requirements; and, outline the Institution’s process for evaluating proposals and selecting a contractor

to provide the requested goods and/or goods and/or services.

Through this RFP, Institution seeks to procure necessary goods and/or services at the most favorable,

competitive prices and to give ALL qualified businesses, including those that are small, minority,

women, and service-disabled veteran owned, the opportunity to do business with the Institution.

Vendors must complete the Ownership Ethnicity Form (See Attachment 6.1 for form and classification

definitions). In addition, all small, minority, women and service-disabled veteran owned businesses

are strongly encouraged to register with the Governor’s Office of Diversity Business Enterprise (Go-

DBE) to attain official certification. The Institution shall work with the successful Proposer and the Go-

DBE Office regarding registration/certification.

The University intends to secure a contract for graduation student regalia including:

caps/tassels, gowns, tams, hoods. (not rental).

See Attachment 6.4 for additional information and requirements.

1.3

Scope of Service, Contract Period, and Required Terms and Conditions

The RFP Attachment 6.2, Pro Forma Contract details what the Institution requires:

 Scope of Goods and/or services and Deliverables in Section A;

 Contract Period in Section B;

 Payment Terms in Section C;

 Terms and Conditions in Section D; and,

 Special Terms and Conditions in Section E

The Pro Forma Contract substantially represents the contract document that the successful Proposer

selected by the Institution MUST agree to and sign. A Proposal that limits or changes any of the terms

or conditions contained in the Pro Forma Contract may be considered non-responsive.

RFP 26009

East Tennessee State University

1.4

Coverage and Participation

March 25, 2026

It is acknowledged that East Tennessee State University is issuing this proposal, with the option for

other institutions within the System, the University of Tennessee System of Higher Education and the

State of Tennessee Departments to utilize the resulting Contract. A listing of these institutions is

provided in Attachment 6.8. After the initial term of the resulting Contract, and each year of the

Contract thereafter, the Institution reserves the right to re-negotiate more favorable terms/pricing if

more institutions provided in Attachment 6.8 choose to join the resulting Contract.

1.5

Nondiscrimination

The Contractor shall abide by all applicable federal and state laws pertaining to discrimination and

hereby agrees, warrants, and assures that no person shall be excluded from participation in, be

denied benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination in the performance of this Contract or in

the employment practices of the Contractor on the grounds of classifications protected by Federal or

State law. Accordingly, the Contractor shall, upon request, be required to show proof of such

nondiscrimination and to post in conspicuous places, available to all employees and applicants,

notices of nondiscrimination.

The Institution has designated the following to coordinate compliance with the nondiscrimination

requirements of the State of Tennessee, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with

Disabilities Act of 1990, and applicable federal regulations.

Office of University Counsel

309 Burgin Dossett Hall

Johnson City, TN 37614

423.439.8550

1.6

Assistance to Proposers with a Disability

A Proposer with a handicap or disability may receive accommodation relating to the communication of

this RFP and participation in this RFP process. A Proposer may contact the RFP Coordinator to

request reasonable accommodation no later than the Disability Accommodation Request Deadline in

the RFP Section 2, Schedule of Events.

1.7

RFP Communications

1.7.1

Unauthorized contact regarding this RFP with employees or officials of the Institution other than the

RFP Coordinator named below may result in disqualification from this procurement process.

1.7.1.1

Interested Parties must direct all communications regarding this RFP to the following RFP

Coordinator, who is the Institution’s only official point of contact for this RFP.

Alex Ortiz, Director of Procurement & Contract Services

East Tennessee State University

1276 Gilbreath Dr.

Burgin Dossett Hall, B-1

Johnson City, TN 37614

423.439.6890

ortizag@etsu.edu

1.7.2

The Institution has assigned the following RFP identification number that must be referenced in all

communications regarding the RFP:

RFP 26009

1.7.3

Any oral communication shall be considered unofficial and non-binding with regard to this RFP. Only

the Institution’s official, responses and communications, as defined in Section 1.7.7 below, shall be

considered binding with regard to this RFP. The Institution’s official responses and other official

communications pursuant to this RFP shall constitute an amendment of this RFP.

1.7.4

The RFP Coordinator must receive all written comments, including questions and requests for

clarification, no later than the Written Comments Deadline in the RFP Section 2, Schedule of Events.

RFP 26009

East Tennessee State University

March 25, 2026

1.7.5

Each Proposer shall assume the risk of the method of dispatching any communication or proposal to

the Institution. The Institution assumes no responsibility for delays or delivery failures resulting from

the method of dispatch. Actual or digital “postmarking” of a communication or proposal to the

Institution by the specified deadline date shall not substitute for actual receipt of a communication or

proposal by the Institution.

1.7.6

The Institution reserves the right to determine, at its sole discretion, the appropriate and adequate

responses to written comments, questions, and requests for clarification.

1.7.7

The Institution will convey all official responses and communications and reserves the right to

determine, at its sole discretion, the method of conveying official responses and communications

pursuant to this RFP. Such communication may be transmitted by mail, hand-delivery, facsimile,

electronic mail, Internet posting, or any other means deemed reasonable by the Institution. For

Internet posting, please refer to the following website: Purchasing

1.7.8

Any data or factual information provided by the Institution (in this RFP, an RFP Amendment or any

other communication relating to this RFP) is for informational purposes only. The Institution will make

reasonable efforts to ensure the accuracy of such data or information; however it is the Proposer’s

obligation to independently verify any data or information provided by the Institution.

1.8

Notice of Intent to Propose

Each potential Proposer should submit a Notice of Intent to Propose to the RFP Coordinator by the

deadline in the RFP Section 2, Schedule of Events. The notice should include:

 Proposer’s name

 name and title of a contact person

 address, telephone number, facsimile number, and email address of the contact person

This notification will be used by the RFP Coordinator to send a link to suppliers via email to access

photos of ETSU Regalia.

NOTICE: A Notice of Intent to Propose creates no obligation and is not a prerequisite for making a

proposal, however, it is necessary to ensure receipt of RFP amendments and other communications

regarding the RFP (refer to RFP Sections 1.7, et seq., above).

1.9

Proposal Deadline

Proposals must be submitted no later than the Proposal Deadline time and date detailed in the RFP

Section 2, Schedule of Events. A proposal must respond to the written RFP and any RFP exhibits,

attachments, or amendments. A late proposal shall not be accepted, and a Proposer's failure to

submit a proposal before the deadline shall cause the proposal to be disqualified. It is the

responsibility of the Proposer to ascertain any additional requirements with respect to packaging and

delivery to the Institution. Proposers should be mindful of any potential delays whether foreseeable or

unforeseeable.

1.10

Written Questions/Answer Period

A question and answer period deadline is defined in the RFP Section 2, Schedule of Events. The

purpose of the written question/answer period is to allow Proposers to submit any questions they may

have regarding the scope of goods and/or services requested. To ensure accurate, consistent

responses to all known potential Proposers, the official response to questions will be issued by the

Institution as described in RFP Sections 1.7, et seq., above and on the date in the RFP Section 2,

Schedule of Events.

1.11

Performance Bond – N/A

This page summarizes the opportunity, including an overview and a preview of the attached documents.

RFP26009 - ETSU Caps and Gowns Final

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