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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20063504.tiff A ON Enhancing service through imaging A proposal for: Weld County and ACS Social Services 9,y Ea'4I ;3£ t r. Y e- 'fir Prepared by: LASON Brad Schmelzer 12-15-06 gar,' 5S , /OS( i n { S-5)183 2006-3504 is- --O.‘ LASON SYSTEMS. INC. CUSTOMER SERVICE AGREEMENT LASON Systems, Inc. ("LASON") agrees to supply to Weld County("CUSTOMER") located at 314 N.11`h Avenue Greeley CO 80631, and CUSTOMER agrees to purchase from LASON the scanning and conversion of documents as may be outlined below. The PARTIES agree to be bound by the following exhibits to this agreement, the terms and conditions of which are hereby incorporated by reference: A. STATEMENT OF WORK, attached hereto as EXHIBIT A and which fully and completely describes the services (the "Services")to be provided by LASON to Customer. B. PRICING SCHEDULE AND PAYMENT TERMS, attached hereto as EXHIBIT B and which are based on the Services to be provided to CUSTOMER. C. STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS, attached hereto as EXHIBIT C and which describe in detail all responsibilities, obligations, liabilities and warranties represented by this agreement. The Services to be provided to CUSTOMER under this Agreement are: Project Repetitive X Both Project and Repetitive In witness whereof, this agreement has been executed by a respective signatory of each party whose signature appears below and is on the date of this Agreement duly authorized by all necessary and required corporate action to execute this agreement. SIGNATURES: Weld County LASON Systems, Inc. 315 N 11th Avenue 503 N. Main Street#205 Greeley, CO. 80631 Pueblo, CO. 81003 By: By: [�'to l M. S. Geile Title: Chair, Board of County Commissionerlitle: VP&GM, Western Region Date: 12/20/2006 Date: 12/19/06 MM4ELi A biz UNTY CLERK TO THE BOARD i lit UT CLER O T BOARD c CC( -sSq SOON Conflict of Interest Statement We represent and warrant that(1)we have not offered, and during the term of this evaluation or signed agreement will not offer, to any employee of Weld County or member of such employees family any gift, gratuity or compensation in any form; (2)to the best of our knowledge no employee of Weld County is employed by, or has any ownership interest in, the respondent; (3)there is no understanding or agreement, expressed or implied, for the acquisition of any ownership interest in the respondent by such employee (or family member); and (4)during the term of this evaluation we will not employ any employees or family members of Weld County. Statement of Confidentiality This document contains confidential information provided for the sole purpose of permitting Weld County to evaluate LASON as a prime contractor for document and data conversion services and document management software of Child Welfare,Assistance Payments and Child Support documents. In consideration of receipt of this document, Weld County agrees to maintain such information as privileged and confidential. Information contained within this document will not be conveyed in any manner(written, electronically or verbally)to any person outside the group, who is not directly responsible for evaluation of its contents for the stated purpose, except that there is no obligation to maintain the confidentiality of any information which was known to Weld County prior to receipt of such information; or which becomes publicly known through no fault of Weld County; or is received without obligation of confidentiality. Upon written request, Weld County will return this document and all copies to LASON. Conditions and pricing in this proposal are valid for a period not to exceed (120)days unless extended in writing. LASON Outsourcing Proposal Page 2 of 20 12/15/2006 ASSON TABLE OF CONTENTS CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS 4 BACKGROUND 4 OVERVIEW OF SITE SURVEY 4 EXHIBIT A-LASON SCOPE OF WORK 4 INDEXING 4 DELIVERY 4 WELD COUNTYRESPONSIBILITIES 4 Electronic Information 4 Location 4 LASON RESPONSIBILITIES 5 Pre-Preparation 5 Scanning 5 QUALITY CONTROL PROCESS 5 Tracking System 5 Scanning—Attended Mode QC 5 Image Clean-up Processes 5 Post Scan Automated QC 6 Post Scan Visual QC 6 Post Release QC 6 Workflow Quality Control 6 Post Preparation 6 DOCUMENT IMAGE SPECIFICATIONS 6 SERVICE LEVELS 6 PROJECT MANAGEMENT 7 COMPANY OVERVIEW 6 LASON's INDUSTRY Focus 7 EXHIBIT B-COST PROPOSAL 8 CONVERSION PRICING 8 EXHIBIT C -TERMS AND CONDITIONS 12 LASON Outsourcing Proposal Page 3 of 20 12/15/2006 ,AriN Exhibit A Background Description of business problem being solved By converting these documents to an electronic form and providing access through the EMC Application Xtender document management system, Weld County will be able to: • Raise service levels by allowing for rapid retrieval of imaged data, • Avoid future interfiling errors or loss of documents through misfiling, • Reduce costs by eliminating certain retrieval and copy functions and the need for on-site storage, • Minimize the risk of damage or loss of hardcopy documents as a consequence of frequent retrieval or disaster. Overview of the scanning process LASON received information from our on-site visit on 10-25-06 and the following is a brief list of the specifics of the project. 1. Assistance Payments has an estimated 4,700,000 images. 2. Child Welfare has an estimated 1,650,000 images. 3. Child Support has an estimated 924,000 images. 4. Document preparation will be performed by Lason. 5. The primary documents will be scanned at 200 dpi into a multi-page non-proprietary Group 4 TIFF format. They will then be easily imported into your EMC Application Xtender document management software. 6. The primary fields to index will be Household Number and Name. Additional document types within the folders will be identified during indexing and are indicated individually in the pricing section of this proposal. 7. Weld County may provide an Excel or Access Database to aide in the indexing and eliminate the need for manual indexing. LASON Scope of Work LASON's solution includes document preparation, batching, scanning, and indexing, all the while, adhering to strict quality control standards. All services included in the solution will be performed at Lason's facility located at 503 N Main Street#205, Pueblo, Colorado 81003 during an 8 hour shift sometime between 7:00 AM and 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday. No work will be performed outside of the United States. LASON will extend service hours to include weekends, if necessary. Indexing Indexing of the records will be done in a batch by cycle using the following attributes: Indexing Size Source Household Number 6 Digit Keyed from file Name 15 Alpha Keyed from file Document Identification See Pricing Section Keyed from file Delivery LASON will deliver a hard disc with the images in single-page TIFF image with the index values in an ASCI Text file. The images and values can then be imported into the EMC Application Xtender document management system. Weld County Responsibilities Electronic Information Weld County may also provide an electronic format of the additional index fields. LASON requests that the information be provided in MS Access, Oracle, Excel or an ASCII file for folders that are to be scanned. LASON Outsourcing Proposal Page 4 of 20 12/15/2006 ‘,At-ON Lason Responsibilities Pre-Preparation • 1) Documents will be batched and placed back into a box or gurney in the same order as received. 2) Remove encumbrances such as: ACCO fasteners, paper clips, and staples. 3) All folded sheets will be unfolded and left flat in prepped file folder. 4) Documents determined to be too thin for proper capture will be photocopied onto 20lb. bond paper to enable capture. 5) Repair torn or damaged pages. 6) Tape torn leading edges. 7) If any documents have a landscape orientation, rotating left or rotating right may be provided as needed for data capture purposes. Lason Responsibilities Scanning Upon completion of final Document pre-preparation and initial validation, LASON will perform the following tasks: 1) Documents will be captured as a duplex page, and with blank-page detection and removal as part of the capture process. 2) Begin the capture process. 3) Scan documents at 200dpi in B &W and output to a non proprietary Tiff Group IV format. 4) Scan documents in"Batch Format"as defined with the visual verification that all pages are being captured properly. Quality Control Process Tracking System LASON utilizes a national production tracking system named LASON Operations Control System (LOCS). Upon project implementation, LASON will log all project tasks into LOCS, enabling the system to track the work in process at any given time and monitor employee performance and quality commitment on every conversion task. LOCS also collects and reports information on customer specifications, pricing,job scheduling,job documentation, labor productivity and utilization, and service billing. A series of reports are run daily that allow LASON management to analyze load factors and overall performance of the conversion process. Scanning —Attended Mode QC LASON's scan operators are required to scan in "Attended Mode"to assure that the best quality image is rendered. In Attended Scanning Mode, the operator visually inspects images as they are captured, and the operator will interrupt scanning if any issues that compromise image quality are detected such as double feeds, folded corners, light images, dark images etc. While Attended Mode Scanning is slower than unattended scanning, it provides the first line of image quality control and avoids re-scanning documents. Image Clean-up Processes Image processing includes de-skew, de-speckle, black border removal and crop. LASON utilizes state-of-the-art production scanners and image processing technologies to render the best possible electronic document images comparable to the quality of the original documents. LASON has developed quality assurance checks throughout the document conversion process. The quality control standards involve precise scanner set-up and testing before the scanning process can begin for each job. Set-up entails scanner adjustments to assure the accurate and complete capture of the documents. LASON Outsourcing Proposal Page 5 of 20 12/15/2006 Post Scan Automated QC After batches are released from the scan station, a series of automated quality control (QC)steps are run against the batch. These steps are unique to every project, and they will be established between LASON and Weld County prior to the start of the project. The quality control measures include several standard steps like corrupt image, large image file size, etc. Post Scan Visual QC After the automated QC has completed, a QC operator will perform visual QC of images and data prior to sending the batch to"Release". The Post Scan inspection is done for 100%of the images and data at the start of the job and scaled back to a 10% random effort after all errors in the process have been corrected. Post Release QC Once images and data have been released from Scanning Workflow, they are written to an agreed upon transfer media. An automated process is run against the batch to ensure all images and data have been written to media and that none are corrupt. Workflow Quality Control LASON's scanning and indexing workflow is managed with Scanning Software. If discrepancies are found within a batch in any step of the conversion process, then the entire batch is directed to Quality Control Module. Images or indexes that require re-work are re-processed to correct identified issues. After final acceptance by the Quality Control Staff, images are moved into the formatting process. Post Preparation LASON will prepare files, post scan and will perform the following tasks for each batch completed: • The documents will be kept at the Lason Pueblo facility and upon written request from Weld County they will be shredded or returned. • Place batch transmittal sheets on top of batch and place rubber band around batch as originally received. • Box documents by"Batch"as completed. • Indicate Batch Numbers on outside end of box, for all batches contained within. Document Image Specifications The folders will be scanned at 200 dpi and stored in TIFF files. Following scanning, quality control and indexing, the documents will be returned to their original boxes. An associated, fielded flat file will contain index keys, an indication of the page number within the document and a"pointer"to the actual image file. Service Levels LASON utilizes a national production tracking system named LASON Operations Control System (LOCS). Upon project implementation, all work is logged into LOCS,which tracks the work in process at any given time and monitors employee performance and quality commitment on every conversion task. LOCS also collects and reports information on customer specifications, pricing,job scheduling,job documentation, labor productivity and utilization, and service billing. A series of reports are run daily that allow LASON management to analyze load factors and overall performance of the conversion process to ensure that turnaround times and quality standards are met. Company Overview LASON enables organizations to secure their decisions and their future by improving the efficiency, effectiveness and productivity of businesses and business processes through outsourced services in industries that are data and document-intensive where accuracy, privacy and security are top concerns. LASON is a leading provider of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) solutions and integrated data and document management services that focuses on driving operational excellence via business process improvement. Our integrated solutions and services leverage LASON's extensive expertise in data management and capture, online LASON Outsourcing Proposal Page 6 of 20 12/15/2006 storage and retrieval, output processing and facilities management. Since our incorporation in 1985, LASON has grown significantly. We currently operate in five countries worldwide, with more than 7,500 employees located in more than 35 offices and production centers. On a monthly basis, our operations support over 5,000 active customers by: • Capturing 3.6 billion characters of data. • Managing over 2.5 billion documents on-line through the company's proprietary, storage and retrieval solution, document DNATM. • Capturing 75 million pages of information via scanning and microfilm. • Printing and distributing more than 50 million documents. • LASON also resells, implements and supports the industry leading technology that we utilize in our facilities including Hyland Software, Kodak and Bell+Howell production scanners, and Wicks and Wilson film scanners. LASON's Industry Focus LASON's focus on operational excellence through business process improvement provides organizations in industries that are data, document and resource intensive with significant real-time financial and operational benefits. LASON further refines its market position by concentrating on industries that have accuracy, privacy and security as top concerns. LASON's solution offerings and services integrate state-of-the-art technology and business process expertise to deliver significant identifiable cost savings to its customers. LASON Outsourcing Proposal Page 7 of 20 12/15/2006 Exhibit B — Cost Proposal Weld County Social Services Scanning Summary of the projects Project Start End Images Price Social Services Child Support 12/27/2006 1/21/2007 924,000 $55,193 Social Services Child Welfare 1/21/2007 3/17/2007 1,650,000 $103,329 Social Services Assistance Payments 3/17/2007 8/2/2007 4,687,500 $292,052 Total 7,261,500 $450,574 11.60% Discount if signed by 12-27-06 and work to start by 1-15-07 ($52,280) Revised Total $398,294 Adjusted price per image $0.055 Di Weld County Social Services Software and Hardware Item Price Quantity Total ApplicationXtender OCR Server—Converts scanned images to text. Full Text Server License.#456-003-001 $1,999 1 $1,999 Verity K2 Searching Server.Allows the user to search for specific words in the document.#456-003-079 $3,999 1 $3,999 Verity K2 Searching Licenses. #456-002-994 10 users for Child Support 30 users for Child Welfare 50 users for Assistance Payments $279 95 $26,505 ApplicationXtender —Searching Licenses#457-000-313 10 users for Child Support 30 users for Child Welfare 50 users for Assistance Payments $950 95 $90,250 ScanXtender-Scanning Software—#456-003-072 1 for Child Support 2 for Child Welfare 3 for Assistance Payments $499 6 $2,994 AppXtender Workflow Server#456-003-073 $9,999 1 $9,999 AppXtender Workflow Client Licenses #45-003-020 $800 12 $9,600 AppXtender Workflow Process Builder#456-003-074 $4,999 1 $4,999 Fujitsu fi-5750—6 Production Scanners. 71 ppm/142ipm scanner. Includes USB Connections. #PA-03338-6005 $5,450 6 $32,700 EMC Software Annual Maintenance $31,572 1 $31,572 Lason On-Site Annual Maintenance—Hardware and Software $27,187 1 $27,187 Lason Installation and Training-Price per day $1,250 12 $15,000 EMC Software Discount until 12-27-06 ($30,000) Total Revised Software and Hardware $226,804 LASON Outsourcing Proposal Page 8 of 20 12/15/2006 Scanning for Child Support Bar code Pricing Assumptions Count pages Folders 8,800 Documents per folder 1 Page per document 75 Total documents 8,800 8,800 Total pages 660,000 Pages/box 3,000 Total boxes 220 Total pickups(Twice weekly) NA 8 Indexing -Keyed Fields Characters Per folder Total/folder Household Number(Doubled Key) 8 1 8 Name 15 1 15 Total keystrokes per file 23 23 Total keystrokes (Single& House#Double keyed) 202,400 272,800 Conversion Summary Total estimated pages 660,000 Percent duplex 40.0% Estimated image volume 924,000 Total bar code pages 8,800 Estimated keystrokes 272,800 Document Conversion Quantity Unit Price Total Pick-up and delivery 4 $174.50 $698 Document prep(prepare for scan) 600 $18.50 $11,100 Bar code pages 8,800 $0.035 $308 B&W scan with blank page delete 200 dpi 100 Image QC 924,000 $0.040 $36,960 Indexing (domestic) 272,800 $0.009 $2,455 Formatting for Application Xtender and direct import 924,000 $0.003 $2,772 Job set up, programming, conversion rules specifications and project management 12 $75.00 $900 Total $55,193 Optional Items Document shredding (Priced per pound) 12,936 0.25 $3,234 100% page verification (checking of every page to image) 660,000 0.045 $29,700 Conversion Timeline Quantity Start date End date LASON Outsourcing Proposal Page 9 of 20 12/15/2006 AN Conversion set up and testing days 5 12/11/2006 12/22/2006 Conversion duration in working days 18 12/23/2006 1/21/2007 Conversion duration in weeks 4 Boxes per day 12 Pages per day 36,075 LASON Outsourcing Proposal Page 10 of 20 12/15/2006 Scanning for Child Welfare Bar code Pricing Assumptions Count pages Folders 11,000 11,000 Documents per folder 4 Page per document 25 Total documents 44,000 44,000 Total pages 1,100,000 Pages/box 3,000 Total boxes 367 Total pickups(Twice weekly) NA 12 Indexing-Keyed Fields Characters Per folder Total/folder Household Number(Double Key) 8 1 8 Name 15 1 15 Document Type: - Past history - Core Provider - Foster Care - Demographics - Total keystrokes per file 23 23 Total keystrokes (Single & House# Double keyed) 253,000 341,000 Conversion Summary Total estimated pages 1,100,000 Percent duplex 50.0% Estimated image volume 1,650,000 Total bar code pages 55,000 Estimated keystrokes 341,000 Document Conversion Quantity Unit Price 'Total Pick-up and delivery 6 $174.50 $1,047 Document prep (prepare for scan, barcode separation) 1,375 $18.50 $25,438 Bar code pages(Folder& Legal Doc Type) 55,000 $0.035 $1,925 B&W scan with blank page delete 200 dpi 100% image QC 1,650,000 $0.040 $66,000 Indexing (domestic) 341,000 $0.009 $3,069 Formatting for Application Xtender and direct import 1,650,000 $0.003 $4,950 LASON Outsourcing Proposal Page 11 of 20 12/15/2006 Job set up, programming, conversion rules specifications and project management 12 $75.00 $900 Total $103,329 Optional Items Document shredding (Priced per pound) 23,100 0.25 $5,775 100% page verification (checking of every page to image) 1,100,000 0.045 $49,500 Conversion Timeline Quantity Start date End date Conversion set up and testing days 3 1/21/2007 1/29/2007 Conversion duration in working days 30 1/30/2007 3/17/2007 Conversion duration in weeks 6 Boxes per day 12 Pages per day 36,075 LASON Outsourcing Proposal Page 12 of 20 12/15/2006 N Scanning for Assistance Payments Bar code Pricing Assumptions Count pages Folders 31,250 31,250 Documents per folder 4 Page per document 25 Total documents 125,000 125,000 625,000 Total pages 3,125,000 Pages/box 3,000 Total boxes 1,042 Total pickups (Twice weekly) NA 36 Indexing -Keyed Fields Characters Per folder Total/folder Household Number(Doubled Key) 8 1 8 Name 15 1 15 Document Type: (4 barcode sheets per folder+ folder) - Past history - Core Provider - Foster Care - Demographics - Total keystrokes per file 23 23 Total keystrokes(Single& House#Double keyed) 718,750 968,750 Conversion Summary Total estimated pages 3,125,000 Percent duplex 50.0% Estimated image volume I 4,687,500 Total bar code pages 156,250 Estimated keystrokes 968,750 Document Conversion Quantity Unit Price Total Pick-up and delivery 18 $174.50 $3,141 Document prep (prepare for scan, barcode separation) 3,906 $18.50 $72,261 Bar code pages (Folder& Legal Doc Type) 156,250 $0.035 $5,469 B&W scan with blank page delete 200 dpi 100% image QC 4,687,500 $0.040 $187,500 Indexing (domestic) 968,750 $0.009 $8,719 Formatting for Application Xtender and direct import 4,687,500 $0.003 $14,063 Job set up, programming, conversion rules specifications and project management 12 $75.00 $900 Total $292,052 LASON Outsourcing Proposal Page 13 of 20 12/15/2006 VLsik, irk i Optional Items Document shredding (Priced per pound) 65,625 0.25 $16,406 100% page verification (checking of every page to image) 3,125,000 0.045 $140,625 Conversion Timeline Quantity Start date End date Conversion set up and testing days 5 3/17/2007 3/28/2007 Conversion duration in working days 87 3/29/2007 8/2/2007 Conversion duration in weeks 18 Boxes per day 12 Pages per day 36,075 LASON Outsourcing Proposal Page 14 of 20 12/15/2006 EXHIBIT C TERMS AND CONDITIONS 1. Engagement. CUSTOMER engages LASON to provide to CUSTOMER the services set forth on the Statement of Work attached hereto as Exhibit A (the "Services"), and IASON hereby accepts such engagement for and in consideration of the compensation hereinafter provided, and agrees to perform the Services in a professional, timely and workmanlike manner, consistent with industry standards, and in accordance with and subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement. CUSTOMER hereby agrees that during the term of this Agreement (including any renewal term), LASON shall be the exclusive provider to CUSTOMER of the type of services included in the Services. 2. Term. (a) Project services. The term of this Agreement shall begin on the date hereof and shall continue until all Services are completed and the parties have satisfied all of their respective responsibilities and obligations hereunder. (b) Repetitive services. The term of this Agreement shall be for two years from the date of this Agreement (the "Initial Term"), and shall automatically extend for successive two year terms unless written notice of termination is given by either party to the other not less than ninety (90) days prior to the end of the then current term. (c) Both Project and Repetitive services. With respect to that portion of the Services that are Project services, subparagraph (a) above shall apply. With respect to that portion of the Services that are Repetitive services, subparagraph (b)above shall apply. 3. Billing and Payment. CUSTOMER shall pay LASON for the Services at the rates and charges set forth in the Pricing Schedule and Payment Terms attached hereto as Exhibit B and as such schedule may be amended from time to time. LASON may also vary the rates and charges set forth on Exhibit B to reflect increases in its labor and material costs. All price increases will become effective thirty (30) days after LASON delivers written notice to CUSTOMER. In addition to the foregoing, the following policies with respect to billing and payment shall apply: (a) $0 is CUSTOMER's initial pre-payment amount. If CUSTOMER is required to pay a set-up fee or make another type of initial pre-payment or other assurance of payment, LASON is not obligated to begin providing the Services until such payment is received. (b) Invoices are due and payable upon receipt. If payment is not received by LASON within thirty(30) days of the invoice date, any outstanding balances will bear a late payment fee at the higher rate of: (i) 1.5% per month, or (ii) the maximum rate allowed by law, until paid in full. LASON reserves the right to charge CUSTOMER the costs of collecting delinquent accounts, including filing fees and attorney fees. (c) CUSTOMER shall be billed for and shall be responsible for paying all federal, state, county, local or other excise, sales or use taxes in connection with the provision of the Services. (d) CUSTOMER and LASON agree that time is of the essence for payment of all invoices. If CUSTOMER disagrees with an invoice, CUSTOMER shall timely pay that portion of the invoiced amount not in dispute and, within five (5) days of the invoice date, deliver written notice to LASON, specifying in reasonable detail the basis of CUSTOMER's dispute. LASON and CUSTOMER agree to meet in good faith to discuss a resolution to CUSTOMER's dispute. If, within ten (10) days of CUSTOMER's dispute, the parties cannot agree, LASON and CUSTOMER shall have the right to resort to any legal or equitable remedies available to them under law in order to finally resolve the dispute. LASON Outsourcing Proposal Page 15 of 20 12/15/2006 VA,SfiN NM 4. Change in Scope. CUSTOMER hereby acknowledges that the rates and charges for the Services are based upon the Statement of Work and, among other factors, the Assumptions set forth on Exhibit C attached hereto. LASON, therefore, reserves the right to change its rates and charges to CUSTOMER if the Statement of Work or the Assumptions are materially different than that which is attached to this Agreement. In the event CUSTOMER requests any change in the Services after the date hereof, such change shall be deemed a change to the Statement of Work attached hereto as Exhibit A.LASON and CUSTOMER agree that they will modify the Statement of Work to reflect such changes. If the changes impact labor, materials, time or other direct or indirect costs, then new prices will be mutually determined by LASON and CUSTOMER. The parties agree that LASON shall not be required to perform any additional or modified Services until such time as the parties shall have executed and delivered to the other written amendments to the Statement of Work and the Pricing Schedule and Payment Terms to reflect such additional or modified Services. 5. Use of Service. LASON conducts its business in compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations, with honesty and integrity and with a strong commitment to the highest standards of business ethics. Therefore, LASON is not responsible for, and CUSTOMER shall defend and indemnify LASON against: (a) CUSTOMER's use of the Services that may constitute a violation of the law or the infringement of any third party's proprietary rights; (b) anything CUSTOMER may provide to LASON that LASON incorporates into the Services; (c) CUSTOMER's modification of the Services; and (d) the combination, operation, or use of the Services with any product, data, or apparatus that LASON did not provide. Any claims of illegality or infringement shall not constitute valid justification for dispute of an invoice. CUSTOMER is solely responsible for all Services used, allegedly illegal or otherwise, and for all additional charges as may be associated with such usage. If LASON determines that an illegal or infringement is or may be occurring, LASON has the right, but not the obligation, to discontinue providing any Service associated with such usage. 6. Confidentiality. LASON hereby acknowledges that in performing the Services, it may be furnished or otherwise be provided access to CUSTOMER's confidential information, including trade secrets and other proprietary information, all of which is clearly marked as confidential by CUSTOMER.LASON hereby agrees and covenants to hold in trust and confidence all such information during and following the term of this Agreement; provided, however, that LASON may disclose such confidential information if required by any judicial or government request, requirement or order. Notwithstanding the provisions of this paragraph 6, LASON shall be liable to CUSTOMER only in the event of a willful and material disclosure of CUSTOMER's confidential information or data, provided, that LASON's liability shall be limited to an amount not exceeding the purchase price of the Services provided hereunder. (a) CUSTOMER agrees that CUSTOMER, its officers, employees and agents shall maintain all information disclosed to it by LASON in connection with this Agreement in confidence and will not disclose any such information to anyone else, nor use it for their own benefit or the benefit of others without the written consent of LASON; provided, however, that the CUSTOMER shall have the right to use any such information for its own necessary internal purpose while this Agreement is in effect. (b) CUSTOMER represents and warrants that it has the right to disclose any information provided to LASON in furtherance of the purpose described herein or any Statement of Work,without violating any agreement with or right of any other person or company or violating any law, rule or regulation. Confidential Information hereunder may include Confidential Information of a third party, provided that the third party has authorized such disclosure, and in such event this Agreement shall apply equally to such Confidential Information and shall inure to the benefit of such third party. (c) LASON agrees that it shall maintain the confidentiality of all information provided LASON by CUSTOMER. Such information shall be used only for the intended purpose and shall not be disclosed to other parties without the written consent of CUSTOMER. Further, all data files shall be returned to CUSTOMER upon completion of the specific project for which they were intended. However, LASON shall have the right to use any such information for its own necessary internal purposes. 7. Title to Work Product. LASON and CUSTOMER hereby agree that all deliverables and other work produced exclusively for CUSTOMER pursuant to the terms of this Agreement (the "Intellectual Property"), shall be the LASON Outsourcing Proposal Page 16 of 20 12/15/2006 property of CUSTOMER.CUSTOMER will retain exclusive right and title in and to said Intellectual Property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, CUSTOMER hereby grants to LASON, and LASON reserves a license to use the Intellectual Property for its own benefit and for the benefit of third parties in connection with the conduct of its business. LASON agrees not to resell the images that are converted during this project to any other group. (a) Utilities.CUSTOMER acknowledges that from time-to-time LASON develops certain reusable processes, techniques, information,training material and documentation that are incorporated into its Services that are: (a)not pursuant to this Agreement or(b)under this Agreement which (i)are designed as utilities to LASON proprietary software and services, (ii)are not specifically requested by CUSTOMER pursuant to a Statement of Work,and (iii)do not contain CUSTOMER proprietary materials or Confidential Information(hereinafter collectively referred to as"Utilities").Utilities are LASON's proprietary information and Intellectual Property. It is understood that some of the Utilities may be incorporated into the Services provided by LASON for CUSTOMER,and that nothing in this Agreement or any Statement of Work shall be deemed to transfer or assign ownership of the Utilities and related Intellectual Property Rights from LASON to CUSTOMER. (b) Excluded Inventions. LASON will not be required to assign to CUSTOMER any business concept, invention, discovery, innovation or improvement that LASON developed on its own time and without the use of any CUSTOMER equipment, supplies,facility or Confidential Information (the"Excluded Inventions"). 8. Risk of Loss and Insurance. CUSTOMER acknowledges that it has unique knowledge of the value of any electronic data processing media, papers or other tangible personal property furnished by CUSTOMER to LASON in connection with the provision of the Services (the "CUSTOMER Property").CUSTOMER hereby agrees and represents to LASON that it has and shall maintain policies of insurance in amounts necessary or required to insure against any loss of or damage to the CUSTOMER Property while the same is within the care, custody and control of LASON.CUSTOMER agrees that LASON shall not be responsible for nor liable for any damage to or loss of CUSTOMER Property. 9. Warranties; Limitation of Liability; and Remedies. LASON will provide the Services to CUSTOMER according to industry standards. LASON MAKES NO OTHER WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICES PROVIDED HEREUNDER, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR FUNCTION. As a material inducement for LASON to provide the Services at the rates and charges stated herein, CUSTOMER agrees that, in no event, shall LASON be liable for(a) any loss, expense or damage associated with CUSTOMER's or a third party's loss of revenue, profits, savings business or goodwill or (b) any indirect, exemplary, proximate, consequential or incidental damages and expenses of any nature relating to this Agreement or the Services. Customer's sole and exclusive remedy in the case of a breach of this Agreement by LASON shall be a refund of the price paid for those Services not provided in accordance with the terms of this Agreement as a result of LASON's breach. 10. Termination. This Agreement may be terminated prior to the end of the Initial Term or any renewal term thereof only(a) by mutual agreement of CUSTOMER and LASON, (b) in the event CUSTOMER materially breaches this Agreement, by LASON upon thirty (30) days written notice to CUSTOMER provided that CUSTOMER has not, within such thirty day period, cured such breach, or (c) in the event LASON materially breaches this Agreement, by CUSTOMER upon thirty (30) days written notice to LASON provided that LASON has not, within such thirty day period, cured such breach. If either party files suit as a result of a material breach, the prevailing party shall be entitled to recover its reasonable attorney's fees as fixed by the court or arbitrator. The parties agree that the minimum monthly charge, if any, provided in this Agreement shall not be used as the measure of damages. 11. Utilities - Excluded Inventions. CUSTOMER acknowledges that from time-to-time LASON develops certain reusable processes, techniques, information, training material and documentation that are incorporated into its Services that are: (a) not pursuant to this Agreement or(b) under this Agreement which (i) are designed as utilities to LASON proprietary software and services, (ii) are not specifically requested by CUSTOMER pursuant to a Statement of Work, and (iii) do not contain CUSTOMER proprietary materials or Confidential Information (hereinafter collectively referred to as "Utilities").Utilities are LASON's proprietary information and Intellectual Property. It is understood that some of the Utilities may be incorporated into the Services provided by LASON for CUSTOMER, and that nothing in this Agreement or any Statement of Work shall be deemed to LASON Outsourcing Proposal Page 17 of 20 12/15/2006 transfer or assign ownership of the Utilities and related Intellectual Property Rights from LASON to CUSTOMER. LASON will not be required to assign to CUSTOMER any business concept, invention, discovery, innovation or improvement that LASON developed on its own time and without the use of any Client equipment, supplies, facility or Confidential Information (the"Excluded Inventions"). 12. Force Maieure. Other than with respect to failure to make payments due hereunder, neither party shall be liable under this Agreement for delays, failure to perform, damages, losses or destruction, or malfunction of any equipment, or any consequence thereof, caused or occasioned by, or due to fire, earthquake, flood, water, the elements, labor disputes or shortages, utility curtailments, power failures, explosions, civil disturbances, governmental actions, shortages of equipment or supplies, unavailability of transportation, acts or omissions of third parties, or any other cause beyond their reasonable control, provided that the party affect by such event shall immediately begin or resume performance as soon as practicable after the event has been abated. CUSTOMER agrees that, without limiting the generality thereof, the limitations of liability and exclusivity of remedies set forth in paragraph 9 of this agreement, shall apply, in all respects, to any losses arising from a Year 2000 related "computer date failure. "As used herein, the term "computer date failure" means the failure of any of LASON's computer systems, programs, software, internal timers, or the like (a) to properly handle the dates of calendar year 1999 or subsequent years, or (b)to be compatible with any other system, program, software, internal timer, or the like, with respect to the handling of dates of calendar year 1999 or subsequent years. 14. Notices. All notices, requests, demands and other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be effective and deemed to have been received (a) when delivered in person, (b) 5 days after having been mailed by certified or registered United States mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested, or (c) the next business day after having been sent by a nationally recognized overnight mail or courier service, return receipt requested. Notices shall be sent to the parties at their respective addresses appearing on the signature page to this Agreement. 15. Binding Effect. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by the parties to this Agreement and their respective successors and assigns. 16. Entire Agreement. The parties agree to be bound by the terms of this Agreement and further agree that this Agreement is the complete and exclusive statement of agreement between the parties. This Agreement supersedes all agreements, proposals, oral or written, and other communications between the parties relating to the subject matter of this Agreement. No amendment or modification to this Agreement and no waiver of any provision shall be valid unless in writing and signed by both parties. If CUSTOMER issues a purchase order or memorandum or other instrument covering the Services provided herein, such purchase order, memorandum or other instrument shall be for CUSTOMER's internal purposes only, and any and all terms and conditions contained therein, whether printed or written, shall not vary, modify or add to the terms and conditions of this Agreement. 17. Governing Law. The validity, construction and effect of this Agreement shall be governed by the law of the state within which the Services are to be provided. In the event Services are to be provided in more than one state,the law of the State of Delaware shall govern. 18. Assignability. This Agreement shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of the parties, their successors and assigns, including without limitation, any successor to either party resulting by reason of corporate merger or consolidation. 19. Severability. If any provision or paragraph of this Agreement is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions of this Agreement. 20. Non Waiver. No waiver or failure to exercise any option, right or privilege under the terms of this Agreement on any occasion or occasions shall be construed to be a waiver of the same or any other option, right or privilege on any other occasion. LASON Outsourcing Proposal Page 18 of 20 12/15/2006 V )4...t. AtON 21. NON-RECRUITMENT AND NON-HIRE; RIGHT TO HIRE. Both Parties recognize that each Party and their affiliated companies have made substantial efforts and incurred substantial expense to recruit, employ and train personnel with whom each Party and/or its employees may have contact. CUSTOMER shall not,without LASON's prior written consent, actively recruit and employ any person who is or was employed by LASON and/or any of its affiliated companies, so long as this Agreement is in effect and for a period of one year following its termination. LASON shall not, without COMPANY's consent, actively recruit and employ a COMPANY employee during the term of this Agreement and for a period of one (1) year following termination of this Agreement. The following activities will not constitute"active recruitment": (a) a party receives an unsolicited resume for an employee of the other Party, either directly from the employee or from an employment agency or recruiter, and thereafter interviews or negotiates employment with such employee. Résumés shall be unsolicited unless a party specifically identifies a particular employee by name in its request for resumes; or (b) a party places a recruiting advertisement directed at the general public and thereafter interviews or negotiates employment with an employee responding to such advertisement; or (c) a party discusses employment with an employee of the other Party prior to the Effective Date of this Agreement and thereafter interviews or negotiates employment with such employee.An affidavit by such employee to the effect that employment was actually discussed on a certain date prior to the Effective Date shall be conclusive proof of this fact. In the event of a breach of the covenant contained above, the injured party shall have the right To take any one or more of the following actions, concurrently or successively: (1)Immediately terminate this Agreement upon written notice; (2)Seek an injunction against further violations of this Section; (3)Pursue whatever other remedies are available under this Agreement or at law and equity. In the event of dissolution or cessation of the business of either party such party waives all rights in this Section and the other party may actively recruit and employ employees of such party. • LASON Outsourcing Proposal Page 19 of 20 12/15/2006 Hello