2027 Official City Newspaper Contract

The City of Westland is seeking proposals from experienced and qualified vendors for professional services related to our Official City Newspaper Contract.

Newspapers submitting bids must be qualified to publish legal notices under the laws of the State of Michigan as defined in Public Act of 247 of 1963 (691.1051).

The bid shall be in effect for a one-year period, beginning January 1, 2027.

The bidder shall submit two (2) copies of the Bid Response.

Each Bidder must provide a statement in the bid response document which indicates the ability to publish in the following manner, or meet the following requirements:

Section A: Legal Publications

• Heading Type shall be 8 point. Body type shall be 7 point. The black line print box shall be no more than 1/8 inch from copy on all sides.
• The Bidder must be able to receive electronic transmission of files in the latest version of Microsoft Word and an Adobe PDF file format.
• The Bidder must provide notification of deadline for publication schedules and any additional requirements.
• The bidder shall indicate cost for any additional incidental services to this bid.
• The bidder shall indicate the cost of "affidavit of publication" certifications.
• The bidder shall indicate the placement of legal notices and publication in the newspaper.
• The bidder shall submit an "affidavit of circulation" signed by the publisher [...] for January 1, 2026 thru December 31, 2026.
• The bidder shall quote a publication price per column inch of print and also define the size of the column inch published in the paper bidding.
• The bidder shall indicate percent use of recycled paper.
• The bidder shall indicate the availability of a website which provides access to view the City of Westland's Legal publications at no cost to the public. If there is a cost to the City, please indicate the cost.
• The bidder shall submit the layout of four sample public notices including the cost of each notice as would be published in the newspaper.

Section B: Classified Publications

- The bidder shall include the cost of Classified Advertising rate per column inch covering the same bid contract period as relate to market options, publication on Sunday, weekends, or special editions.

The request for proposal and any accompanying documents shall be submitted by the time specified (no exceptions will be made) in a sealed envelope addressed to City of Westland, Purchasing Division, 36300 Warren Road, Westland, MI 48185. Bidders also have the option to submit their proposal electronically.

After proposals are received, the City reserves the right to conduct a qualifications-based selection process taking into consideration the fee proposed. The proposal award will not be based solely upon cost, but will be evaluated based upon criteria formulated around the most important features of services, of which experience, references, capacity, and scheduling may be overriding factors.

Selection criteria

1. Experience and Qualifications
2. Capacity
3. Methodology/Work Plan
4. Comparable Projects
5. Cost
6. Past Performance

The City of Westland requires all applicants to submit three references.

Insurance limits: Comprehensive General Liability $1,000,000; Employer's Liability $1,000,000 per occurrence; Motor Vehicle Bodily Injury and Property Damage $500,000 per occurrence each; umbrella excess liability of at least two million dollars.

No offer may be withdrawn after opening for a period of sixty days unless otherwise specified.