United Nations Development Programme Procurement Support Office Annex F SUPPLY REQUIREMENTS and TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS 5.I Introduction The purpose of this ITB is to conduct relevant competitive process to establish Long Terms Agreements (LTA) with regards the provision of printing services for electoral processes, mainly security printing. 5.II Scope of Supply and division into lots The overall quantities of items indicated in Annex G – Price Schedule Form are for reference purposes only for bidders to calculate the unit prices. The listed items represent the most common printing products that are used in electoral processes. These items are divided into 3 LOTS as below: - Ballot paper and paper voter cards - Envelopes - OMR and other types of forms. Bidders are requested to quote for all LOTs with the corresponding items as shown on table in Annex G. The division into LOTs is simply to reflect the different type and nature of the products, their intended use in the various stages of an electoral process as well as the technical features and specifications included in each item in regard to the printing process. GENERAL ASPECTS APPLYING TO ALL LOTS/ITEMS REQUESTED The below general requirements also constitute minimum requirements that bidders must demonstrate and confirm capacity to respond to. The corresponding costs related to such requirements must be included as requested in Annex G. 5.III Artworks transferring Mock artworks are provided with this ITB for Bidders to prepare required samples for evaluation purposes. Such artworks are in PDF format, CMYK high resolution, and will be shared through a link to download such files. For later eventual projects under the LTA, the concrete artwork will be provided in each particular case in common formats such as, but not limited to: PDF, EPS, or PSD. Bidders must provide confirmation on having capacity to receive such artworks by being uploaded to their own secure server if needed. 5.IV Sorting, packing, boxing, labelling Sorting: Typically the printing materials (ballots, envelopes, forms, etc) are required to be delivered packed, labelled and palletized into sets according to the electoral areas or subjects. Hence, this ITB despite is intended to set LTAs includes requirements on such processes, and the relevant costs must be Page 1 of 23 United Nations Development Programme Procurement Support Office included as requested by Bidders in a realistic manner. Packing and boxing: Packing and boxing requirements are provided per each item within the specifications table below in “Technical Specifications Table” in section 5.VII 5.V Pallet Building and Pallet Labelling The packing must be of sturdy export quality of a commercial standard that will provide adequate protection of the goods for carriage by air, sea and/or road to final destinations worldwide, including remote locations under adverse climatic and storage conditions and high humidity – i.e. not less than 17kN edge crush resistance with minimum 60% remaining and with 90% humidity at a temperature of 40C (tropical conditions). The packaging unit must be strong and able to be stacked to a height of 2 pallets as static as well as during transport. All pallets must have card corner protectors down each corner, blocked at foot, film/plastic wrapped and strapped at least twice in each direction using plastic corners and plywood top. Pallets dimensions must be in accordance with airfreight or sea freight loading requirements as applicable in each case during secondary bidding but should not exceed the height of 150 cm. All wood packaging, including pallets and boxes utilized in any shipment must have undergone the treatment, marking and documentation required to meet the specifications described in ISPM Nr 15: Guidelines for Regulating wood Packaging Material in International Trade, available at www.ippc.int. In case of use of plastic pallets, they must possess the same physical features as the wooden pallets described above. Pallets manufactured from other materials than solid wood or plastic are not acceptable. Palletization and packing must be done in the most cost-effective way to minimize freight costs. Cartons must be palletized so that the items with lower serial numbers are placed on top and the higher serial numbers are placed at the bottom of the pallet. Pallet Labelling: Each pallet must contain 4 visible labels (A4 size) affixed on each vertical side. The content of the label will be provided during secondary bidding stage but will typically include: Purchase Order Number, consignee details and destination, description of contents and quantity, gross weight and cubic measurement, etc. 5.VI Misprints/Damaged ballots, envelopes, forms or other types of documents: During the course of the printing process it is envisaged that there may be misprints and/or damaged items. LTA Vendors shall not request any additional payment for misprints and/or damaged items. It is the Vendor’s responsibility to dispose of such items (including wastage) in a secure manner, which should be included in the prices provided. Certificates of secure disposal will be required in specific projects. Page 2 of 23 United Nations Development Programme Procurement Support Office Security of Information – in the cases of a specific project when disks and data have been provided by the EMBs, such data must be destroyed in a secure manner and bidders must certify that no copies of the data or images have remained. All plates used in the printing process must be destroyed and a certificate of destruction, duly signed by the company representative, must be provided if requested by UNDP/EMB. Additionally, and in the framework of this ITB, Bidders are requested to provide a Declaration of Confidentiality and Non Disclosure of any information or artworks provided under this process and/or in case of an eventual LTA would be set with UNDP (please see Section 2 above, Documentation Requested). Inventory list: In relation to eventual projects, and besides the shipping documents, suppliers will be required typically to provide a full and detailed inventory list. The list must identify each pallet by its reverse print numerical reference starting from their low numbers and finishing with the high numbers, the number of boxes on the pallet, and the ballot papers serial numbers for each box. Please provide also such list (as a mock inventory list) with reference to the LOTs you quote for. Rights to reproduce: In a specific project where a printed is contracted for printing electoral materials, the right to reproduce the ballots, or images thereof, remains at all times with the EMBs. Upon completion of the contracted quantity of ballots, the printer may not reproduce any format or image of the ballot without prior written authority from EMB. Use of Languages: Printers must have capacity and confirm their ability and experience to work in all sorts of letters/numeric characters. Company (Printer Shop) Logos: Company logos should not appear on any of the products. This will include, but not restricted to; the ballots, envelopes, forms, boxes, labels, other packaging materials. UNDP and/or EMB Representative on-site: During an eventual project under LTA, UNDP and/or EMB may provide a number of staff members to be on-site (at printing premises) at appropriate stages of the operation. These staff will be available during normal working hours and on call 24 hours a day, whilst they are working with the contracted printer. It is required that the printer must provide the following facilities to on-site representatives, at no cost to the purchaser: a) Office space and furniture with internet access. b) Use of telephone lines, if requested to receive official calls. Page 3 of 23 United Nations Development Programme Procurement Support Office 5.VII Technical Specifications Table All items offered must be fully described in the 4th column responding to each of the line specifications described in the 3rd column from the left in the table below. In addition, for each item, bidders must state also either « No deviations » or highlight a clear description of the delivation(s),as stated in BDS. Item Description of items offered, and Bidders’ Item description Description and minimum/mandatory specifications No statement on deviations. LOT 1 BALLOTS AND VOTER CARDS 1. General aspects: Ballots are to be composed of 2 parts, the ballot itself and the stub. The stub remains within the pad, after tearing off the ballot paper. 2. Perforation: A perforation line between the stub and the ballot must allow the ballot to be easily removed from the stub without need to use scissor or ruler and without damaging the paper and must ensure that serial numbers remain on the stub. Small size ballot 3. Serial numbering: 8 digit serial number printed on the stub and positioned in paper (80 mm x the centre of the stub parallel to the perforation line. 110 mm): 4. Printing process: Offset, 4 colours process CMYK, one side or two side printing as required. One or two side 5. Trimming: No borders on the ballot paper. Printing must go right to the edge printed of the paper after it has been trimmed. 1 6. Binding and labelling of pads: Ballots to be bound into pads of 100 ballots with DIVERSE using the stub as the binding portion of the ballot. The pads must have a front POTENTIAL cover in white paper of 200 gsm on which a label will be affixed or printed security features mentioning the name of the elections, province and possibly constituency, and the ballots serial numbers included in the pad. The pads must have also Approx. 50 a back cover in paper of 250 gsm to make the pad rigid. different artworks 7. Stitching: Minimum 2 stainless metal staples providing strong and reliable stitching of the pads.