REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: A MORNING COFFEE FOR 25 JUNE 2012

Dear coffee suppliers

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS SUPPLY OF MORNING COFFEE

I invite proposals for the supply of my morning coffee on Monday 25 June 2012. This request for proposals (RFP) incorporates the following schedules: Schedule 1 sets out the background to the RFP, including a specification for the type of coffee for which I am requesting proposals. Schedule 2 sets out the process I expect to follow in relation to the RFP. Schedule 3 contains the RFP form you must use to provide details of your proposal.

If you wish to submit a proposal, you must submit it to me by no later than 5.00 pm on Monday 18 June 2012. I look forward to receiving your proposal.

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Schedule 1 RFP Background and Types of Proposals Sought

Background
What is coffee? Coffee is a brewed beverage prepared from the seeds of the coffee plant. The seeds (called beans) are roasted to provide a unique taste. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees in many parts of the world. The most well-known coffee growing regions are Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America. The popularity of coffee can be put down to its uniquely bitter taste, and its stimulatory effect on the drinker. The first credible evidence of coffee appears in the Arab world, in the fifteenth century. Today coffee is a globally traded commodity, and for millions of people around the world it provides a livelihood. For millions of others in the West their daily coffee intake has become something of a ritual. My relationship with coffee For some time I was content with instant coffee, but in the late 1990s I discovered a taste for fine espresso coffee. A period of living overseas early in the 2000s installed in me a disdain for the weak milky concoctions generally served throughout the UK and much of the rest of Europe, and I returned to New Zealand determined never again to drink disgusting coffee. While the caffeine hit and the buzz that comes from a good cup of coffee is important to me, I generally confine my coffee drinking to two or three cups a day. My mid-morning coffee is usually the most important, and the successful supplier of my morning hit on 25 June 2012 will need to display an understanding of all aspects of the art of fine coffee making, from bean selection and roasting, down to barista technique and presentation.

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Requirement
My specific requirement is for a superior coffee to be delivered to me on the morning of 25 June 2012. A detailed specification for the cup of coffee I require is set out in Appendix A to this Schedule 1 (Specification).

Types of proposals sought

Proposals must demonstrate an ability to supply the coffee in compliance with the Specification. Proposals must also specify the terms and conditions for the supply of the coffee, including a fixed price. I will not accept proposals from overseas coffee chain franchises, such as Starbucks or Esquires. I would sooner drink my own wee. Suppliers of instant coffee products should not submit proposals, unless they wish those proposals to be spat on, doused with petrol and then ignited. Subject to the above, I am open to considering any other types of proposals you may wish to put forward.

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Appendix A Specification
The perfect flat white.

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Schedule 2 RFP process

I expect to follow the RFP process set out below.

1. 1.1

Submission You may submit more than one proposal. Each proposal will be considered as a separate proposal. Proposals must be submitted by no later than 5.00 pm (New Zealand time) on 18 June 2012. Late proposals may be considered at my sole discretion. You cannot withdraw a proposal, once submitted, while the RFP process is continuing. All proposals must be submitted by email to the attention of: Coffee RFP Administrator imperatorfish@yorke.co.nz

1.2

1.3 1.4

2. 2.1

Evaluation Following the deadline for submitting proposals an Evaluation Committee comprising myself and a number of my imaginary friends will evaluate each proposal to select its preferred proposal(s). The basis on which the Evaluation Committee will evaluate proposals, and the weight to be given to the criteria and other matters that it considers, are to be determined by the Evaluation Committee at its sole discretion. Each proposal will be evaluated on the basis that the price offered, type of coffee proposed, and any other terms included in the proposal, are the best that the supplier is able to offer. If you do not put forward your best terms, you risk having your proposal excluded at the evaluation stage. I am not bound to select the lowest-priced proposal, or any proposal at all. Negotiation I may negotiate with the submitters of one or more preferred proposals. Negotiations will proceed on the basis that my standard terms and conditions for the supply of coffee, which are available on request from me, will apply.

2.2

2.3

2.4 3. 3.1 3.2

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3.3

Given that I expect your proposal to be the best you can offer, I do not intend to initiate negotiation with you on price. However, I do not exclude the possibility that the final price agreed will be different from the price put forward in your proposal, as a result of the impact that other negotiated terms may have on price. I may negotiate and enter into a provisional agreement with a preferred supplier on whatever special terms, in addition to my standard terms and conditions, I consider appropriate. If I am unable to reach a provisional agreement with a provisional supplier within what I consider to be a reasonable time, I may terminate those negotiations and negotiate with a different supplier. Consultation and approval Any provisional agreement will be conditional on consultation with stakeholders and other interested parties, to the extent I consider consultation to be necessary or appropriate, and on my wifes approval. I will not consider any counter-offers received during consultation. The provisional agreement and responses to consultation will be considered by my wife in accordance with her usual way of doing things (which is to issue directives that I obey without question). If my wife does not approve the provisional agreement, then I may initiate negotiations for a provisional agreement with any other suppliers. The RFP process will be complete once I have notified suppliers of either: (a) (b) my decision to accept a negotiated agreement; or the termination of the RFP process.

3.4

3.5

4. 4.1

4.2 4.3

4.4

4.5

5. 5.1

Miscellaneous I reserve the right: (a) to make such adjustments to the above RFP process as I consider appropriate, at any time during the process, provided that I notify suppliers affected by those changes; not to accept any proposal; to seek clarification of any proposal; to meet with any supplier in relation to its proposal; to enter into an agreement or arrangement that differs in material respects from that envisaged in this RFP document;

(b) (c) (d) (e)

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(f)

to suspend this RFP process. For example, if during the RFP process (and before a provisional agreement is entered into) it becomes apparent to me that further consultation is appropriate or required, for example if I am diagnosed with a food allergy or lactose intolerance that makes the consumption of some types of beverages problematic, I may suspend the RFP process in order to consult, including with appropriate medical professionals or holy persons. In this situation I may ask you to adapt and resubmit your proposal in light of consultation, or alternatively I may request that new proposals be submitted; to terminate this RFP process at any time, by notifying suppliers who submitted proposals, and, following termination, to negotiate with any suppliers on whatever terms I think fit; or to re-advertise for proposals.

(g)

(h) 5.2

I may consult or seek advice from coffee snobs at any stage of the RFP process. I will notify you if the advice of those snobs results in any changes to the terms of the RFP. If they have particular disdain for the product you are offering I will tell you in person, just to see your face. You must not initiate or engage in any communication with other suppliers in relation to the RFP, whether before or after submitting their proposal(s), until such time as a provisional agreement is accepted by me. If you fail to comply with this provision Im taking your car. You must not at any time initiate any communication with my wife or family, or other bloggers, with a view to influencing the outcome of this RFP process. You must pay your own costs for preparing and submitting your proposal. Proposals are submitted in reliance on your own knowledge, skill, and independent advice, and not in reliance on any representations made by me. Your submission of a proposal will be taken as acceptance of the terms contained in this RFP document. I may exclude your proposal if you do not comply with any of the terms contained in this RFP document. This is an RFP and not a tender. Your proposal is not an offer capable of being converted into a contract for the supply of coffee by my apparent acceptance, and instead a separate agreement must be negotiated. I am not liable in any way whatsoever for any direct or indirect loss (including loss of profit), damage or cost of any kind incurred by you or any other person in relation to this RFP. I am under no obligation to treat your proposal as confidential, and I may disclose or otherwise publish any or all of your proposal at any time and without restriction. You will be fine so long as you remember that this is my game and I can change the rules whenever I like. I know, lifes not fair.

5.3

5.4

5.5 5.6

5.7

5.8

5.9

5.10

5.11

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6. 6.1

Anticipated timetable Following receipt of proposals, I anticipate: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) the Evaluation Committee evaluating proposals on 19 June 2012; negotiating with submitters of preferred proposals on 20 June 2012; consulting on a provisional agreement on 21 June 2012; negotiation and execution of the final agreement on 22 June 2012; and delivery of the coffee to me on 25 June 2012.

6.2

The above timeframes are only approximate and may be extended, without notice being required from me, if any stages of the RFP process take longer than anticipated.

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Schedule 3 Proposal form

[Supplier to insert date] Coffee RFP Administrator By email: imperatorfish@yorke.co.nz

Dear Sir

Proposal for the supply of coffee

In response to your request for proposals (RFP) dated 15 June 2012, we put forward the following proposal. Set out below is further information in support of our proposal.

1.

Our contact details Name of supplier: Contact person: Address: Phone: Facsimile: Email address:

2.

Details of coffee [Please specify here full particulars of the coffee to be supplied]

3.

Pricing [Please specify here the proposed price and terms of payment]

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4.

Other key features of our proposal [Please set out here any additional information concerning the proposal]

5.

Information about us and our market expertise [Please specify here any information about your business, including a history of your organisation, and other information demonstrating an ability to make good coffee]

6.

Organisation policies [Please provide full copies of your organisations policies regarding: compliance with environmental best practices the use of fair-trade coffee beans child labour health and safety disaster recovery and disaster management the hiring of Tories.]

7.

References [Please provide details of any customer references, including contract details. You confirm that we are authorised to contact these persons]

8.

Other information [Please set out here any other reasons why I should select you as my coffee supplier]

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