INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB)

Issued August 20, 2026

800 MHz Digital Mobile Radio System Replacement

MCT Project No. 27-1-26400

1 TRANSIT WAY

PONTOON BEACH, IL 62040

Telephone (618) 797-4600

Madison County Transit 800 MHz Digital Mobile Radio System Replacement No. 27-1-26400

Introduction and Bid Summary Page 1 of 7

TABLE OF CONTENTS

VOLUME 1 INTRODUCTION AND BID SUMMARY

INTRO 1 INVITATION

INTRO 2 DATE, TIME AND PLACE OF BID OPENING

INTRO 3 PROCUREMENT SCHEDULE

INTRO 4 OWNER’S PROCUREMENT REPRESENTATIVE

INTRO 5 PROJECT SITE TOUR

INTRO 6 BASIS OF CONTRACT AWARD

INTRO 7 TYPE AND TERM OF CONTRACT

INTRO 8 QUESTIONS AND APPROVED EQUAL / SUBSTITUTION REQUESTS

INTRO 9 AMENDMENTS TO THIS SOLICITATION

INTRO 10 BIDDER’S TERMS AND CONDITIONS

INTRO 11 EXECUTION OF CONTRACT

INTRO 12 PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENT

INTRO 13 RESPONSIVE AND RESPONSIBLE BIDDER

INTRO 14 WITHDRAWAL OF BID

INTRO 15 ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST

INTRO 16 OWNER’S TAX STATUS

INTRO 17 CONSIDERATION OF OFFERS

INTRO 18 REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS

INTRO 19 LAW GOVERNING

INTRO 20 SINGLE BID RESPONSE

INTRO 21 FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (FOIA)

INTRO 22 PROTEST PROCEDURES

INTRO 23 CONTRACTOR DBE SPECIAL PROVISION

INTRO 24 ALLOWANCES

INTRO 25 MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

VOLUME 2 BID SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS

VOLUME 3 BID SUBMITTAL FORMS

VOLUME 4 SAMPLE CONTRACT

VOLUME 5 SCOPE OF WORK

Prospective bidders are advised that the only valid source to receive this Invitation for Bids and addenda is at mct-act.bonfirehub.com. Other sources have not been authorized for distribution. Bidders are responsible for acknowledging all issued addenda with their bid.

https://mct-act.bonfirehub.com/

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VOLUME 1 INTRODUCTION AND BID SUMMARY

INTRO 1 Invitation Firms are invited to submit a sealed bid to the Madison County Mass Transit District (hereinafter “the Owner” or “MCT”) through its Bonfire portal at mct-act.bonfirehub.com until the bid deadline of 2:00 PM Central time on October 16, 2026, at which time the electronic bids will be publicly opened and read out loud in the Owner’s administration building board room located at 1 Transit Way, Pontoon Beach, Illinois 62040.

Bids will be time and date stamped by the Bonfire portal. Bids submitted in any manner other than through the Bonfire portal will not be accepted.

This locally funded project is seeking a qualified Platinum Certified Motorola Partner to install a new private DMR trunked radio system on MCT-owned 800 MHz channels, replacing its end-of-life EDAC system. The vendor shall configure and integrate MCT-furnished equipment at the primary Edwardsville, Illinois, tower site and two additional repeater sites in Madison County, Illinois.

A site visit is mandatory for each prospective bidder. Bidders are encouraged to include relevant subcontractors as necessary to evaluate site conditions affecting their work. Site-visit appointments shall be scheduled in accordance with INTRO 5.

Bidders must be registered in Bonfire to download the IFB documents; registration is free at mct-act.bonfirehub.com. The document takers (plan holders) list is available in the Bonfire portal. All issued IFB addenda and communications will be transmitted through the Bonfire portal.

Contractor shall not pay less than the prevailing rates of wages to all laborers, workmen, and mechanics performing work under this contract, and shall comply with the requirements of the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act (820 ILCS 130/1-12).

A bid guarantee in the amount of five percent (5%) of the total bid price must accompany a bid to ensure that the bidder will honor its bid upon acceptance.

Bids shall remain firm for a period of 90 calendar days from the final due date for bids.

INTRO 2 Date, Time and Place of Bid Opening Electronic bids will be publicly opened and read out loud. Bid deadline:

Date: October 16, 2026

Time: 2:00 PM Central time

Place: Madison County Transit Administration Building Board Room 1 Transit Way Pontoon Beach, IL 62040

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INTRO 3 Procurement Schedule Bidders are advised that the Owner will make a good faith effort to adhere to the following schedule for this procurement.

Date Milestone

August 20, 2026 IFB issued

September 30, 2026 Deadline for questions and substitution requests at noon Central time

October 2, 2026 Anticipated issuance of addendum with answers to questions (if any)

October 16, 2026 Bid deadline at 2:00 PM Central time

October 30, 2026 Anticipated notice of intent to award a contract

The Owner shall be under no obligation to comply with the procurement schedule shown above, provided that all prospective bidders or other interested parties known to the Owner shall be notified equally of changes made to this schedule by the Owner within a reasonable time after such changes are made. In no event shall any bidder have any redress to the Owner, be it financial or otherwise, in the event that the Owner alters this schedule in any way.

INTRO 4 Owner’s Procurement Representative The Owner's designated procurement representative for this RFQ is:

Name: J’Vaughn Williams Title: Procurement Project Manager

INTRO 5 Project Site Tour Each bidder must complete a site visit before submitting its bid. Appointments shall be made by contacting:

Name: Justin Dixon Title: Fleet Director Phone Number: (618) 578-8491 Email: Jdixon@mct.org

Bidders are reminded that any changes to the IFB will be by written addenda only. Nothing stated at the site visit will change or qualify in any way any of the provisions in the IFB and shall not be binding on the Owner unless provided in an addendum.

Additional questions can be submitted through the Bonfire portal in accordance with INTRO 3 Procurement Schedule.

INTRO 6 Basis of Contract Award Contract award, if any, shall be made to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder as determined by the Total Bid Price (Grand Total). The Total Bid Price must include all costs to the bidder for materials, labor, equipment, supervision, delivery, unloading, handling of material and equipment on site, and any and all items of expense, fees, permits, taxes, bonds, duties, overhead and profit for the full and complete performance of the work as set forth in the IFB. Acceptance of any bid and contract award is subject to approval of the Owner’s Board of Trustees. Bids must be for the contract as a whole. The Owner may award some, all, or none of the alternates, if any, at its sole discretion.

INTRO 7 Type and Term of Contract This contract will be a firm-fixed-price lump-sum contract. Substantial Completion shall be achieved within 90 calendar days after the Notice to Proceed.

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INTRO 8 Questions and Approved Equal / Substitution Requests Questions and substitution requests are due in accordance with the date and time listed in INTRO 3, Procurement Schedule. If there are further questions related to critical and/or contradictory items that come up after this time period, submit these questions to the Owner’s procurement representative without delay so that the Owner can address any issues found prior to the bid deadline. Questions, substitution requests, and other communications must be submitted through the Bonfire portal at mct-act.bonfirehub.com.

The specifications contained in this IFB indicate the Owner’s specific preferences. Descriptions of products in the specifications are not intended to unduly restrict competition. Wherever particular brands, manufacturers or product names are used, they are included solely for the purpose of establishing a description of the minimum quality of the item. Such references should not be construed as advocating or prescribing the use of any particular brand, item or product. Minor variances to the specifications will be considered by the Owner and will be evaluated based on the respective quality and condition of such variance and the degree to which it may affect performance in the Owner’s application. In the Owner’s sole judgment, determinations will be made based on the best interest of the Owner; such decisions will be considered final. The Owner approved variance will be made known to all bidders via addenda. Requests submitted with a bid will be rejected.

Any bidder who desires that the Owner consider any deviation to the technical specifications, brand, manufacturer or product descriptions contained in this IFB must submit a request for clarification / interpretation / substitution that must include, at a minimum, the following information: request number, bidder name and contact information, IFB specification section/page/article reference or drawing/detail reference, type of clarification requested, detailed request and rationale for request, and any relevant attachments. The form should be signed and dated by the bidder. Bidders may submit multiple requests but are instructed to include only one request per form. All pertinent information concerning the brand, manufacturer or product, together with appropriate justification for its use, must be included with the bidder request. Failure to request a deviation for a particular stated Owner preference shall be construed that the bidder intends to comply with the Owner’s desire in every respect.

Substitution requests must come from Prime bidders/contractors; substitution requests from subassemblers/subcontractors/suppliers will not be reviewed.

INTRO 9 Amendments to this Solicitation Any or all changes, additions, or clarifications in connection with this IFB shall be issued by the Owner in the form of written addenda posted at mct-act.bonfirehub.com. Bidder must acknowledge all addenda issued as part of their bid submittal on the Solicitation and Offer Form (IFB Volume 3, Block 18). Oral comments, responses and/or representations shall not be binding upon the Owner.

INTRO 10 Bidder’s Terms and Conditions Bidder imposed terms and conditions submitted with their bid which conflict with this solicitation are considered counter offers and, as such, may cause the bid to be rejected. Terms or conditions that a bidder would like to have considered by the Owner should be submitted according to the requirements of INTRO 8, Questions and Approved Equal / Substitution Requests.

INTRO 11 Execution of Contract The acceptance of a bid for a pending award, if made, shall be evidenced in writing by a Notice of Intent to Award delivered to the successful bidder. Within two weeks after the Notice of Intent to Award is issued, the successful bidder shall deliver to the Owner three (3) signed contracts, proof of insurance, and performance and payment bonds. After receipt of acceptable documentation from the successful bidder and expiration of the bid protest period, then a notice of award and fully executed contract can be issued by the Owner.

INTRO 12 Project Labor Agreement The successful bidder shall execute a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) for this project and must provide a copy to the Owner before the Notice-to-Proceed can be issued. An example of the PLA is provided at mct-act.bonfirehub.com.

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INTRO 13 Responsive and Responsible Bidder All bids received in accordance with the requirements stated in this solicitation shall be screened initially in order to confirm the responsiveness of the written bid, including minimum qualifications, if any.

A responsive bid complies with all material aspects of the solicitation, both as to the method and timeliness of submission, and as to the substance of any resulting contract. The Owner shall ensure that all bids received prior to the deadline stated in the solicitation contain all required forms, signatures, attachments, and other information as specified herein. Bids that do not comply with all material aspects of the solicitation will be rejected as non-responsive.

A responsible bidder is an individual, firm or team that exhibits adequate organization, financial condition, personnel qualifications, facilities, record of past performance, and other characteristics necessary to carry out work related to this solicitation with a high degree of quality and timeliness.

INTRO 14 Withdrawal of Bid The Bonfire portal permits an electronically submitted bid to be withdrawn prior to the final bid deadline.

After the bid deadline, no bid may be withdrawn for the period of time stated in Solicitation and Offer Form.

Negligence on the part of a bidder in preparing its bid shall not confer a right of withdrawal after the bid deadline.

INTRO 15 Organizational Conflict of Interest Unless specifically exempted from the conditions of this provision by the Owner, any Owner contractor, subcontractor, subsidiary, or other entity which is legally related and which develops or drafts specifications, requirements, statements of work, or solicitations, is excluded from competing for the directly ensuing procurement.

INTRO 16 Owner’s Tax Status The Owner is a governmental entity exempt from the payment of applicable Retailer’s Occupation Tax, Service Occupation Tax, Use Tax, Service Use Tax; the Owner’s Illinois governmental exemption certificate number is E99897751 expiring on 03/01/2030.

INTRO 17 Consideration of Offers The Owner shall not be obligated to award a contract solely on the basis of any response made to this IFB, nor does the Owner intend to, nor will it be obligated to pay for the information solicited or obtained. The Owner maintains the right, but shall be under no obligation, to award a contract to the responsive and responsible bidder whose offer is deemed by the Owner to be most advantageous. The Owner reserves the right:

a) To reject any offer and to remove from mailing lists for future procurements the names of any firm or team engaging in collusive or other unlawful practices.

b) To award contract(s) without discussion based upon the initial offers.

c) To waive informalities and minor irregularities in offers received if it believes there is a sound documented business reason for doing so, and to negotiate matters of contractor performance and other matters prior to awarding a contract.

d) To reject any offer if, in the Owner’s sole discretion, the offer is incomplete, the offer is not responsive to the requirements of this solicitation, the bidder does not meet the qualification requirements set forth herein, if any, or it is otherwise determined to be in the best interest of the Owner to reject the offer.

e) To supplement, amend, substitute, or otherwise modify the terms of this solicitation at any time prior to the execution of a final contract.

f) To accept or reject any or all of the items in any offer and award a contract for the whole or only a part of any offer if the Owner determines, in its sole discretion, that it is in the Owner’s best interest to do so.

g) To reject the offer of any bidder that, in the Owner’s sole judgment, has been delinquent or unfaithful in the performance of any contract with the Owner, is financially or technically incapable or is otherwise deemed to not be a responsible bidder/proposer.

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h) To waive any informality, defect, non-responsiveness and/or deviation from this solicitation that is not, in the Owner’s sole judgment, material to the offer.

i) To permit or reject, at the Owner’s sole discretion, amendments (including information inadvertently omitted), modifications, alterations, and/or corrections to offers by one or more of the bidders or proposers following bid or proposal submission.

j) To request additional or clarifying information.

k) To investigate the qualifications of any and all individuals and firms under consideration, to confirm any part of the information furnished in an offer, and to require further evidence of managerial, financial, or professional capabilities which are considered necessary for the successful performance of work described in this solicitation.

l) To cancel the procurement at any time during the process if it appears that the offers received are not suitable for any reason whatsoever.

m) To reject offers that are materially unbalanced, i.e., that contain high unit prices for some items and/or low unit prices for other items.

n) To evaluate offers based on unit prices which will govern over extended prices.

o) To award this contract to a single or multiple service providers deemed to best meet the Owner’s specifications and needs.

p) To award tie bids by drawing lots.

INTRO 18 Representations and Certifications By submitting a bid, the bidder certifies the following:

a) It has notified a surety company that they are submitting a bid for work to be performed on the project.

b) It has no direct or indirect pecuniary or proprietary interest, and that it shall not acquire any interest which conflicts in any manner or degree with the work required to be performed and/or provided under this contract, and that it shall not employ any person or agent having any such interest. In the event that the successful bidder, its agents, employees or representatives hereafter acquire such a conflict of interest, the successful bidder shall immediately disclose such interest to the Owner and immediately take action to eliminate the conflict or to withdraw from this contract, as the Owner may require.

c) No person or selling agency except bona fide employees or designated agents or representatives of bidder or proposer has been employed or retained to solicit or secure this contract with an understanding that a commission, percentage, brokerage, or contingent fee would be paid; and no gratuities in the form of entertainment, gifts or otherwise were offered or given by bidder or any of its agents, employees or representatives, to any official, member or employee of the Owner or other governmental agency with a view toward securing this contract or securing favorable treatment with respect to the awarding or amending, or the making of any determination with respect to the performance required under, a contract with the Owner.

d) The number and amount of other contracts and awards pending which the bidder is or will be obligated to perform, now and during the course of this project, will not interfere with or hinder the timely prosecution of work.

e) The bid price has been arrived at independently, without consultation, communications, or agreement for the purpose of restricting competition.

f) It has not offered any money or other valuable thing to any person to induce them not to bid or propose on this project, or as recompense for his not having bid or propose on this project.

g) It will pay, and require each subcontractor to pay, laborers and mechanics employed directly upon the site of the work no less than the local prevailing wages and fringe benefits paid on projects of similar character.

h) The bidder is properly organized and qualified to do business in the State of Illinois and has any and all approvals, registration, and licenses to do business in the State and with the Owner and that the person executing the bid/proposal on behalf of the bidder is the duly authorized representative of the bidder/proposer and has the requisite authority to do so.

i) It acknowledges receipt of the IFB to include the project manual and drawings directly from the Owner; other sources are invalid.

j) It has examined the site and bidding documents and shall be responsible for performing all work specifically required by all parts of the bidding and contract documents, including drawings and

Introduction and Bid Summary Page 7 of 7 specifications for the entire project even though such work may be included as related requirements specified in other Divisions or Sections.

k) It will accomplish the work in accordance with the contract.

l) It has read and understands the terms and conditions set forth in this solicitation and agrees to them with no exceptions.

m) It will comply with the requirements of 2 C.F.R. part 180, subpart C, as supplemented by 2 C.F.R.

part 1200, while this offer is valid and throughout the period of any contract that may arise from this offer.

INTRO 19 Law Governing Bidder shall recognize that all applicable Federal and State laws, including, but not limited to the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act, certifications, municipal ordinances, and rules and regulations of all authorities having jurisdiction over the services to be provided shall apply to the Contract throughout, and they will be deemed to be included in the Contract the same as though herein written out in full. All matters of law pertaining to this Contract shall be governed by, and construed according to, the laws of the State of Illinois, excluding, however, choice of laws principles.

INTRO 20 Single Bid Response In the event that only one responsive and responsible bid is received in response to this IFB, the Owner may require assistance from the single bidder in the preparation of a bid price analysis, in order to determine whether the single bid received by the Owner is fair and reasonable.

INTRO 21 Freedom of Information (FOIA) Access to the Owner’s government records is governed by the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140/1). To the extent allowed by law, all bids and supporting documents shall become public information held in custody of the Owner after the bid deadline. The bidder shall be responsible for ensuring that confidential commercial or financial information, trade secrets or proprietary information — with such determinations to be made by the Owner in its sole discretion — bears appropriate notices relating to its confidential character.

INTRO 22 Protest Procedures Any protest initiated by a protesting party concerning procurement actions will be administered in accordance with the agency’s Protest Procedures, which are available at www.mct.org/procurement.

INTRO 23 Contractor DBE Special Provision Reserved.

INTRO 24 Allowances Reserved.

INTRO 25 Minimum Requirements The following requirements will be evaluated on a pass/fail basis. A bidder that does not meet all the requirements will be determined to be non-responsive and ineligible for award.

1. Contractor must be a Platinum Level service and Installer ranking with Motorola USA.

To demonstrate compliance, the bidder shall submit a current certificate, letter, or other official documentation issued by Motorola confirming this status. The documentation must be valid as of the bid deadline.

2. The bidder must have completed or supported major Motorola system projects within the past five years.

To demonstrate compliance, the bidder shall provide the customer name, project description, Motorola system or equipment involved, bidder’s role, completion date, and customer contact information for each project.

http://www.mct.org/procurement