Interesting MPS Insight from the State of Washington

First, there is a downloadable PowerPoint presentation on MPS and what it means to the State. And then there is a document that defines MPS and sets up the criteria for vendors.

The three agencies have defined Managed Print Services as follows:

The management discipline of understanding total cost of ownership for an organization's entire scope of printing resources and using that knowledge to make informed decisions and effective use of all printing resources which includes but is not limited to copiers, printers, faxes, and off-site commercial printing. It is the management of these resources as an asset and employing best practices. As a service, Managed Print Services is a model in which office printing capability is provided at a fixed cost per copy. This is not an equipment-based contract, but rather a service in which the provider is fully responsible for the required printing functionality.

The provider has control over placement of devices and make/model mix, which encourages the least number of devices, as well as the most cost-effective mix of devices. The provider is responsible for preventable downtime such as "toner out", which ensures peak performance of the print equipment.

It's very interesting reading to see what a large organization like the State of Washington thinks about MPS and interesting insight to anyone wanting to do business with the state (or similar-sized organizations). The MPS-related materials are a little tricky to find, so best bet is to go to the State's home page and do a search for "Managed Print Services." All of the appropriate documents should come up, including a link for downloading the PowerPoint presentation.