RFI FOR OFFICE FURNITURE GROUP SALES AND MARKETING

t. This is a Request for Information (RFI) and your response is NOT an offer. The results of this Request for Information (RFI) will be used to develop an Acquisitions Strategy, AND WILL NOT RESULT IN A CONTRACT OF ANY TYPE. This request does not obligate UNICOR OFG to pay any cost that any Respondent incurs in the preparation of its response. All cost associated with the preparation of a response to this request will be borne solely by the Respondent. All submitted responses shall become the property of UNICOR OFG and will not be returned. UNICOR, Federal Prison Industries (FPI) is soliciting proposals for sale and marketing of systems furniture, case goods, seating, metals and accessory items. DESCRIPTION/STATEMENT OF WORK UNICOR Office Furniture Group (OFG) has a contract requirement for sales and marketing of systems furniture, case goods, seating, metals and accessory items. Successful offeror(s) will be responsible for sales and marketing of the Office Furniture Group's product and services offerings during the term of the contract. This shall include but not be limited to the existing products and services and any products or services added at a later date. Successful offeror(s) will be required to work with UNICOR�s spaceplan and design vendor on a daily basis for the duration of this award. The sales force shall have the responsibility to cover the United States including Alaska, Guam, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Hawaii. At a minimum, the sales force must be staffed with 2 regional managers and at least 8 sales representatives. These staff shall be physically located in a manner that they can provide timely responses to customers throughout the United States. Generally, a customer should be responded to within 24 hours. UNICOR will not establish sales force staffing levels in recognition of this being performance based. UNICOR will bear none of the operational costs associated with the sales force. This includes, but is not limited to, salaries, benefits, office costs, office expenses, and travel costs. This shall be considered a cost of doing business and will be the sole responsibility of the successful offeror. The sales force shall be responsible for identifying customers, making sales calls, closing the sale, and facilitating a smooth hand-off to UNICOR's Project Managers once the order has been loaded at UNICOR�s customer service center. The sales representative has a responsibility to educate the customer on UNICOR�s re-entry mission and any processes related to ordering, cancellations, order delays, installation services, and storage charges. Successful offeror shall develop a fact sheet, subject to UNICOR approval, to educate the customer on the "customer's responsibilities" when customer caused delays and changes occur. The successful offeror sales representative and UNICOR sales staff will work together to obtain appropriate procurement document revisions from the customer to facilitate ordering and invoicing. Successful offeror shall maintain a UNICOR customer database by sales representative that shall contain at a minimum the following information: Agency Name Federal Prison Industries Point of Contact Erik Brent Ponder Telephone Number: (870)-630-6000 X1375 Email Address: Brent.Ponder@USDOJ.GOV Alternate Point of Contact: Barbara McMaster Telephone Number: (662)-751-4800 x4112 Email Address:Barbara.McMaster@usdoj.gov UNICOR has ownership of the database, and the information shall not be shared without the written consent of UNICOR. At the end of the contract, the database shall be provided to UNICOR and the successful offerors shall not utilize this information to compete against UNICOR in future endeavors. Successful offeror shall acquire a National Sales Manager upon contract award. This position shall report directly to the UNICOR Office Furniture Group Chief of Sales or his/her designee and have full responsibility for all sales activity for the sales force handling UNICOR products. This position shall have (7) seven years of contract furniture management experience with the federal government/commercial market. The National Sales Manager shall meet with UNICOR management staff in Washington, DC or via teleconference twice a month. These meetings shall be established on mutually agreed days. In addition to hiring a National Sales Manager, a Regional Manager shall be hired to oversee the sales representatives and their territories. Offeror is to provide the following: Offerors shall submit a resume for the National Sales Manager, Regional Managers and all sales representatives they propose in the performance of the contract. National Sales Manager shall have seven (7) years of contract furniture management experience with the federal government/commercial market. Regional Managers shall have a minimum of five (5) years of successful experience in government/commercial furniture sales All sales representatives shall have a minimum of two (2) years of successful experience in government/commercial furniture sales Individual resumes shall be no more than 2 pages in length. Offeror shall provide an Executive Summary and company profile. Offerors will be evaluated on their knowledge of contract furniture management and their experience with the federal government market. The sales force shall be exclusive to UNICOR. Successful offeror shall be responsible for tracking all sales leads from inception to closure. This will include pre-sales and post-sales activity. Successful offeror shall submit to UNICOR by the 5th of each month a report showing, at a minimum, the percentage of successful order receipt, as well as a forecast of expected orders over the next 30, 60, and 90 days. This report shall be by product category and dollars. Sales Management activities will include but not be limited to: o Conduct weekly district sales and marketing operations meeting. o Develop monthly incoming forecast in conjunction with the sales representatives o Maintain a presence at all tradeshows and marketing opportunities that occur within the Sales District of responsibility. o Responsible for the sales goal within the district. o Report monthly on the sales district's performance o Recommend pricing strategies and tactics at the district level. o Conduct and assist district representatives with field presentations o Develop personnel sales relationships with key government specifiers and influencers. Successful offeror shall establish a bid desk to respond to government solicitations and issue quotes to federal customers. UNICOR shall participate in such a manner that any discounts or non-standard terms and conditions given are approved or negotiated by the UNICOR Chief of Sales or his/her designee. Reports to UNICOR management supplied not later than the 5th of each month shall include, but not be limited to: Summary forecast reports by product groups. Sales lead probability report by order Any other reports deemed necessary by UNICOR Successful offerors will be responsible for ensuring that the sales representatives have the appropriate background to allow for the granting of access to customer sites and our SAP system. UNICOR will process all applications in a timely manner. Performance of Work on Government Premises: Current rules and regulations applicable to the premises, where the work will be performed, shall apply to the