Nonprofit That Helps The Disable QCoffice Earns $3.5M State Contract

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 Nonprofit That Helps The Disable, QCoffice Earns $3.5M State Contract

A Flagstaff-based nonprofit that helps the disadvantaged and disabled has landed one of the largest set-aside contracts to provide office supplies to the state of Arizona.

QCoffice was recently awarded a set-aside contract to provide and deliver more than 30,000 different office supplies to state offices. Arizona’s set-aside program is a special purchasing mandate that sets aside one percent of the state’s purchasing to certified nonprofits that serve people with disabilities.

Tonnya Jensen, QCoffice Customer Support Team Manager and one of its first employees, uses adaptive equipment for her visual impairment. Tonnya and her team are standing by to help state purchasers and cooperative members with all their office supply needs.

QCoffice has been providing laser imaging supplies to the State since 2006 through the set-aside program. The company also provides refurbished toner cartridges through a similar set-aside contract to the state.

The one-year award will expand QCoffice’s reach statewide. The company currently serves state and local governments and businesses in Phoenix, Prescott, Flagstaff, Sedona, the Verde Valley and Williams.

“This is our biggest step yet toward developing a statewide delivery network employing people with disabilities, allowing us to scale up our model statewide,” said Armando Bernasconi, CEO of Quality Connections, the parent company of QCoffice.

“We believe this is the only contract in the set-aside program that has this big of a scope of products,” said QCOffice Director Doug Arnett. “The most exciting thing for us is helping more people find employment.”

Bernasconi said that the company may add 40 new delivery employees to its rosters over the next year in order to handle the new orders. Additional employees may be added in the call center, if demand is great enough.

The contract could be worth up to $3.5 million, Arnett said.

“That’s how much the state spends on office supplies, there is another contractor that they buy from, so we could get less,” he said.

The contract could also be worth more, several counties, cities and nonprofits piggyback off of the state contract, Arnett said.

In order to deliver supplies to the state, local government and business offices in the Phoenix and Prescott area served by the contract, QCoffice has partnered with VALLEYLIFE and Yavapai Exceptional Industries (YEI!).

VALLEYLIFE and YEI! have missions similar to QCoffice and its parent company Quality Connections, Arnett said.

QCoffice and Quality Connections provide job training, employment and day treatment services for residents with disabilities or disadvantages. VALLEYLIFE provides residential, day, home and vocational training for Phoenix residents with disabilities. And YEI! provides similar job training services for residents with disabilities in the Prescott area.

QCoffice is in the process of developing additional partnerships across the state to reach all state offices and cooperative members, such as cities, counties, schools and nonprofits.

“We were awarded this contract by offering the state simple, consistent and competitive pricing on a catalog of nearly 30,000 items,” Arnett said “Every single product on this contract is priced 32 percent below (manufacture retail price) or list price. This steep discount plus an average sales tax benefit of 9 percent combines for a net savings of 41 percent across the board. QCoffice does not charge sales tax due to our nonprofit status.”

A Flagstaff-based nonprofit that helps the disadvantaged and disabled has landed one of the largest set-aside contracts to provide office supplies to the state of Arizona.

QCoffice was recently awarded a set-aside contract to provide and deliver more than 30,000 different office supplies to state offices. Arizona’s set-aside program is a special purchasing mandate that sets aside one percent of the state’s purchasing to certified nonprofits that serve people with disabilities.

Tonnya Jensen, QCoffice Customer Support Team Manager and one of its first employees, uses adaptive equipment for her visual impairment. Tonnya and her team are standing by to help state purchasers and cooperative members with all their office supply needs.

QCoffice has been providing laser imaging supplies to the State since 2006 through the set-aside program. The company also provides refurbished toner cartridges through a similar set-aside contract to the state.

The one-year award will expand QCoffice’s reach statewide. The company currently serves state and local governments and businesses in Phoenix, Prescott, Flagstaff, Sedona, the Verde Valley and Williams.

“This is our biggest step yet toward developing a statewide delivery network employing people with disabilities, allowing us to scale up our model statewide,” said Armando Bernasconi, CEO of Quality Connections, the parent company of QCoffice.

“We believe this is the only contract in the set-aside program that has this big of a scope of products,” said QCOffice Director Doug Arnett. “The most exciting thing for us is helping more people find employment.”

Bernasconi said that the company may add 40 new delivery employees to its rosters over the next year in order to handle the new orders. Additional employees may be added in the call center, if demand is great enough.

The contract could be worth up to $3.5 million, Arnett said.

“That’s how much the state spends on office supplies, there is another contractor that they buy from, so we could get less,” he said.

The contract could also be worth more, several counties, cities and nonprofits piggyback off of the state contract, Arnett said.

In order to deliver supplies to the state, local government and business offices in the Phoenix and Prescott area served by the contract, QCoffice has partnered with VALLEYLIFE and Yavapai Exceptional Industries (YEI!).

VALLEYLIFE and YEI! have missions similar to QCoffice and its parent company Quality Connections, Arnett said.

QCoffice and Quality Connections provide job training, employment and day treatment services for residents with disabilities or disadvantages. VALLEYLIFE provides residential, day, home and vocational training for Phoenix residents with disabilities. And YEI! provides similar job training services for residents with disabilities in the Prescott area.

QCoffice is in the process of developing additional partnerships across the state to reach all state offices and cooperative members, such as cities, counties, schools and nonprofits.

“We were awarded this contract by offering the state simple, consistent and competitive pricing on a catalog of nearly 30,000 items,” Arnett said “Every single product on this contract is priced 32 percent below (manufacture retail price) or list price. This steep discount plus an average sales tax benefit of 9 percent combines for a net savings of 41 percent across the board. QCoffice does not charge sales tax due to our nonprofit status.”

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December 11, 2014 at 12:31 PM