16-Specifications and Requirements-OPN2130844B1 Bulk Laundry Services 9.23.pdf

Specifications and Requirements Bulk Laundry Services

1. Scope of Services

Broward County (“County”) is seeking a vendor (“Vendor”) to provide Bulk Laundry Services for County’s healthcare facilities. This service includes the daily pickup and delivery of various linens, clothing, and other machine-washable items for County’s Broward Addiction Recovery Center (“BARC”). BARC provides substance use treatment services, including detoxification, residential treatment, and outpatient services, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year.

Laundry services are essential to ensure that BARC’s clients receive clean linens, towels, pajamas, and other machine-washable items (the “Services”). County uniforms and non-client personal laundry are not included in or part of this solicitation. Modifications to the types of linen and other machine-washable items, sizes, or requests for additional services within the parameters of the solicitation may be made upon mutual agreement between County and Vendor.

2. Purpose

The purpose of this solicitation is to provide Bulk Laundry Services to BARC and any other County agencies that may need the procured Services.

3. Vendor Qualifications

By submitting a bid to this solicitation, Vendor acknowledges and agrees to the following:

3.1 Vendor is qualified to provide commercial laundry services for healthcare facilities.

3.2 Vendor represents that Vendor is equipped with commercial-grade washer and dryer systems suitable to launder soiled and heavily contaminated items used in healthcare facilities. Typical laundered items for County include, but are not limited to, client pajamas, towels in various sizes, bathmats, linens (such as bed sheets, pillowcases, fitted/flat sheets), curtains, and other machine-washable items

3.3 Vendor must provide proof that all its staff have received the: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) Bloodborne Pathogens training.

3.4 Proof of training (i.e., certificates, documentation, etc.) must be submitted with the solicitation response through BPRO by the date and time specified in the solicitation. If not submitted with the solicitation response, Vendor must submit proof of training within three (3) business days of County’s written request. Failure to submit within the specified timeframe may result in Vendor being deemed nonresponsive.

3.5 After the award, and prior to each contract renewal period (if applicable), Vendor must submit updated staff training certificates to County.

3.6 Vendor acknowledges there is a risk of exposure to infectious diseases, including but not limited to bodily fluids, excrement, and blood. Vendor must adhere to industry standards to mitigate these risks.

3.7 Vendor agrees to adhere to the latest adopted industry standards of cleanliness and sanitary procedures for performing the Services.

3.8 Vendor bid prices incorporate all associated costs, including but not limited to travel, mileage, staff, equipment, and materials, unless explicitly itemized differently in the Bid Table. Vendor agrees to perform all Services on its own, solely and independently, and on its premises. Vendor may, upon County’s express written consent, subcontract no more than twenty-five (25) percent of the requested services.

3.9 Vendor acknowledges that failure to pick up and return laundry within the requested timeframes and failure to perform the Services as outlined in these Specifications and Requirements may result in documented noncompliance with contractual requirements, leading to either termination of the contract, Vendor suspension, or debarment.

3.10 Vendor must return the County’s telephone calls and respond to emails no later than twenty-four (24) hours on receipt of the call or email.

4. Service Requirements The Services under this solicitation include the pick-up of soiled laundry items from the specified County facility(ies) listed in Section 5, then clean, dry, process, fold, bundle, and deliver freshly laundered items for immediate in-service use by County. Vendor must replace or provide credit (equal to market price) to County for items that are damaged or discolored due to factors other than normal wear and tear (including, but not limited to, bleach stains) and at no charge to County.

4.1 Regular Bulk Laundry Services: (Item #0-1 on Bid Table)

a) Pickup and delivery must be made between 8:00 AM and 11:00 AM, seven (7) days a week, including all observed holidays. Vendor must return each laundry pickup in its entirety within twenty-four (24) hours of the pickup times. For example, if Vendor picks up soiled laundry at 8:00 AM, Vendor must return the laundry by 8:00 AM the following day.

4.2 Same Day/Expedited Service: (Item #0-2 on Bid Table. If there is no extra charge, Vendor must enter $0.00 as the unit price)

a) On occasion, County may require a same-day pickup/expedited delivery service. In this instance, Vendor may add one (1) surcharge/flat fee to the Regular Service rate for each request in which County requests a pickup and return of laundry items in the same day.

b) Pick-up for the same day/expedited delivery service must be made between 8:00AM and 11:00 AM, and the original laundry MUST be delivered no later than 5:00 PM on the same day. If Vendor fails to deliver the clean laundry by 5:00 PM without prior notification to County, County will be charged the regular service fee.

4.3 Emergency Services: (Item #0-3 on Bid Table. If there is no extra charge, Vendor must enter $0.00 as the unit price)

a) During a County-declared emergency, including but not limited to the watch phase of a hurricane, Vendor must pick up and deliver clean laundry items within six (6) hours of request so that clean items will be available in the event County needs to evacuate.

b) Vendor must provide the County with an emergency telephone number and the name of an emergency contact who will serve as the designated representative available to County between the hours of 6:00 AM and 10:00 PM, seven (7) days a week, including holidays, if an emergency laundry pickup is needed.

c) County may place calls to Vendor within the prescribed timeframe of 6:00 AM -10:00 PM, and those calls must be returned within 30 minutes from the time County makes the call. Multiple instances of Vendor being nonresponsive to County’s calls may result in contract cancellation.

d) Pickup or Delivery at any other times may be arranged on a case-by-case basis upon expressed prior written approval of County.

4.4 Laundry Hampers (Item #0-4 on the Bid Table. If there is no extra charge, Vendor must enter $0.00 as the unit price)

a) Supply a minimum of ten (10) 30-pound capacity laundry hampers, each accompanied by a linen bag, preferably made of nylon material.

b) Hampers must be stored in a location designated by County and must be returned to County no later than thirty (30) calendar days after the expiration or termination of the contract.

c) Linen bags for the hampers will be swapped periodically for clean ones at no additional cost to County.

4.5 Sign County’s “Laundry Inventory Control Log” which is used by BARC and will be provided to the vendor during onboarding. County and Vendor will weigh the laundry items prior to or upon pickup and indicate the pickup weight on the log.

4.6 Weigh laundered items prior to or upon delivery. Vendor is required to weigh the items before and after cleaning in its facility or truck using Vendor’s weighing mechanisms.

4.7 Wash and dry all items using soaps, detergents, bleaches, and/or other chemicals to render the finished products clean, sanitized, and usable. Vendor must use products that reduce the risk of skin reactions.

4.8 Provide Material Safety Data Sheets (“MSDS”) for all chemicals that are going to be used in the laundering process.

4.9 Material Safety Data Sheets (“MSDS”) should be returned with the Vendor’s submittal. If not provided with submittal, the Vendor must submit within three business days after the County’s request. Vendor may be deemed nonresponsive for failure to fully comply with the stated timeframes.

4.10 Handle and pickup soiled laundry items as follows:

a) Vendor must pick up soiled laundry items from County designated areas within BARC’s Residential and Detox Units at the addresses listed in Section 5. County will inform Vendor of the designated areas at the time of pickup and delivery.

b) Vendor’s staff must handle all laundry items with caution and with minimum agitation to prevent gross microbial contamination of the air and persons handling the laundry.

c) Contaminated laundry items are those that are lightly or heavily contaminated with bodily fluids and excrement (e.g., vomit, blood, feces) and must be bagged and transported in a manner that prevents leakage. County will bag heavily contaminated items in a biohazard bag for Vendor to pick up and launder. Refer to Section 8, Service Standards.

d) Vendor must use a mechanism to prevent cross-contamination of clean and soiled linen while in transport, such as using designated separate containers and carts or bins with covers.

4.11 Handle and deliver clean, laundered items as follows:

a) Vendor must deliver all items in clean and dry condition. If County inadvertently accepts a delivery that is not clean and dry, Vendor is required to rewash and dry the laundry at no additional cost to County.

b) Vendor must fold all items neatly, stack, bundle, and package them in clean containers prior to transporting them to County facilities. This will prevent inadvertent contamination from dust and dirt during the loading, transport, and delivery process.

c) Vendor must pack items by size and type (i.e., sheets together, pillowcases together, towels together, etc.).

d) Vendor must deliver items free of stains, blood, infectious materials, chemicals, and other contaminants. If items are delivered with stains, the County will reject the items and the vendor must re-launder and re-deliver the items at no cost to the county.

e) Upon delivery, Vendor must place clean, bundled, and sorted items in their original covers or packaging directly into the County-designated areas within the Triage and Detox Units.

4.12 Wear sturdy reusable gloves and other appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (“PPE”) as follows:

a) Vendor’s laundry personnel must wear PPE while in contact with all laundry items, as per the latest adopted standards (See Section 7, Service Standards).

b) Vendor staff must not use disposable gloves as they are too thin to endure the pressure that proper sorting of linens requires and will not adequately protect them from cross-contamination if the gloves are torn.

c) Vendor assumes all responsibility and liability for ensuring its personnel are properly trained, protected, and are handling laundry items appropriately.

4.13 Provide a receipt for each pickup and delivery of laundry as follows:

a) For each pickup, Vendor must sign County’s Laundry Inventory Control Log (provided during onboarding) acknowledging receipt of the specific items listed on the log.

b) For each delivery, County requires a two-part delivery receipt (one original and one copy). The delivery receipt must include:

• The date of delivery.

• The specific number of each category of item(s) being returned.

c) Vendor must obtain a designated BARC employee’s signature and date at the bottom of the delivery receipt for all deliveries. County will provide Vendor with the designated employee’s information during the onboarding process.

d) Vendor must retain the original signed and dated receipt, and County will keep a copy.

e) Delivery receipts must contain the minimum entries as follows: Vendor’s contact number, email, and service address, date and time of pickup or delivery, aggregate weight of all picked up or returned laundry items, number of returned items at delivery (e.g., pajamas, bathmats, towels, etc.), and a designated BARC County staff signature.

4.14 Provide a designated contact or customer service representative to work directly with County’s Project Manager on all day-to-day matters regarding the contract.

4.15 Provide the physical address where the Services will be performed. County is authorized to periodically inspect Vendor’s laundry facilities, equipment, and vehicles, without notice, to ensure compliance with all guidelines.

4.16 Respond to written, ad-hoc document requests, invoices, service issues in a timely and professional manner. Except for issues noted by County as urgent or an emergency, Vendor will respond to written requests under this provision within three (3) business days.

4.17 Comply with County’s Security Requirements, which include ensuring all Vendor personnel requiring unescorted access to County facilities obtain a County-issued contractor identification badge.

5. Service Location Bulk Laundry Services pickup and delivery locations:

a) BARC Central

325 SW 28th Street Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315

b) BARC Residential 3275 NW 99th Way Coral Springs, FL 33065

County reserves the right to add, delete, or change the service location address over the contract period with reasonable notice to Vendor.

6. Damage, Loss, or Theft

6.1 Vendor acknowledges that Vendor will be responsible for damage, loss, or theft of items that can be documented as having occurred while in Vendor’s possession, up to and including technical failure of Vendor’s machinery, laundry processing deficiencies, or negligence or misconduct of Vendor’s staff.

6.2 At each delivery of laundered laundry, vendor must bring to the attention of County any damaged, worn, or stained items so that they can be repaired or removed from County inventory upon County approval. County must be reimbursed for items discarded without County’s approval.

6.3 In the event of loss, theft, or damage to laundry while in Vendor’s possession, the fair value of items lost or damaged will be determined by County. Vendor agrees to reimburse County in such amount, issue a credit, or allow deduction from the next monthly invoice, of which method will be determined by County.

7. Service Standards

7.1 Vendor must adhere to the latest adopted industry standards by the Centers for Disease Control (“CDC”) and OSHA for sanitary practices and cleanliness while providing commercial laundry services to healthcare facilities, including but not limited to:

a) Do not shake or unnecessarily handle contaminated laundry, as this can aerosolize pathogens and increase the risk of contamination. To prevent the spread of contamination, do not sort or rinse contaminated laundry in the area where it was used.

b) Contaminated laundry will be placed and transported in bags or containers labeled or color-coded in accordance with the OSHA standard found in the link below in paragraph 7.5(b).

c) Whenever contaminated laundry is wet and presents a reasonable likelihood of soak-through or leakage from the bag or container, Vendor must place the laundry and transport it in bags or containers that prevent soak-through and/or leakage of fluids to the exterior.

d) Vendor will ensure that everyone who has contact with contaminated laundry wear protective gloves and other appropriate PPE. All PPE must be provided at Vendor’s expense.

7.2 It is the sole responsibility of Vendor to be familiar with and only use properly trained staff who are familiar with, and in compliance with OSHA standards regarding blood borne pathogens and other potentially infectious materials (as per

OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1030).

7.3 Vendor’s Services and laundry facilities must comply with the CDC’s “Guidelines for Laundry in Health Care Facilities’ including, but not limited to:

a) The laundry facility is partitioned into two separate areas – a “dirty” area for receiving and handling the dirty laundry and a “clean” area for processing the washed items.

b) To minimize the potential for re-contaminating clean laundry with aerosolized contaminated lint, areas receiving contaminated laundry must be at negative air pressure relative to the clean areas.

c) Laundry areas must have handwashing facilities readily available to workers.

d) Laundry workers must wear appropriate PPE (i. e. gloves and protective garments) while sorting soiled fabrics and textiles.

e) Vendor should not disinfect laundry machine tubs and tumblers. Instead, ensure proper laundry procedures are consistently followed, which includes: 1) physically removing bulk solids (e.g., feces) before the wash/dry cycle; and 2) correctly using temperature, detergent, and laundry additives.

7.4 All washing machines and dryers must be properly maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure maximum performance. The Vendor must sterilize all equipment as per CDC and OSHA guidelines.

7.5 Complete OSHA and CDC guidelines can be found at the following links:

a) https://www.cdc.gov/healthcare-associated-infections/index.html

b) https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.1030

7.6 The transportation process calls for the separation of clean and sterile items from the contaminated linen. Vendor must adhere to the following transportation guidelines:

a) Clean and sterile laundry may be transported in the same vehicle as the contaminated textiles, provided physical barriers and/or space separation are used and proven to be effective in protecting the clean, sterile items from contamination.

b) County reserves the right to inspect Vendor’s transport vehicles to ensure appropriate transportation procedures are being utilized to the satisfaction of County.

VENDOR IS REQUIRED TO BE AWARE OF AND MONITOR THE ABOVE-NOTED

STANDARDS THROUGHOUT THE TERM OF THE CONTRACT.

8. 42 CFR Part 2 and HIPAA Compliance

8.1 It is the responsibility of Vendor to ensure that all staff utilized in the performance of this contract are fully trained and updated regularly on the requirements of the Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Patient Records (42 CFR Part 2) and the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) relating to client confidentiality.

8.2 Vendor will be subject to HIPAA requirements, which mandate that certain responsibilities of Contractors (i.e., Vendor) with access to protected health information (“PHI”) be upheld in accordance with the requirements of the HIPAA, Public Law No. 104-191, as amended.

8.3 Vendor must never use and/or disclose substance use disorder patient records per Code of Federal Regulations (“CFR”) Title 42, Chapter 1, Subchapter A, Part 2, See Link: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-2 https://www.cdc.gov/healthcare-associated-infections/index.html https://www.cdc.gov/healthcare-associated-infections/index.html https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.1030 https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.1030 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-2

8.4 Vendor agrees that both Vendor and its staff will not disclose to anyone directly or indirectly any such personally identifiable information (PII) or other confidential information obtained during provision of services, unless the individual who is the subject of the information consents to the disclosure, in writing, or the disclosure is made pursuant to County’s policies, procedures, and rules, or in accordance with applicable federal or state laws.

8.5 The awarded vendor must sign County’s Business Associate Agreement (BAA).

Attached is a sample Business Associate Agreement between Broward County and the awarded Vendor (Exhibit A – Business Associate Agreement).

9. Invoice Requirements

9.1 Vendor must submit monthly invoices and must indicate all service dates, laundry weights, and applicable rates for the month. The monthly invoice must include copies of the original signed and dated delivery/pickup receipt(s).

9.2 Vendor’s invoices must also include:

• Date of Invoice

• Invoice Number

• Vendor’s Tax ID Number

• Vendor’s remit address and contact information

• Shipping method and date, if applicable

• Location where the laundry services were provided

• Name and telephone number of County Agency requesting Laundry Services

• Reference to County Contract Number, applicable line-item numbers, item descriptions (same as listed in the Laundry Inventory Control Log which will be provided to the vendor during onboarding), quantities, and pricing including unit rate/unit of measure.

• Pre- and post-service weight of laundered items for each service date

• Current and valid County Purchase Order Number (PO#), if applicable

• Total amount of the invoice

9.3 County will pay Vendor for Services after County receives and accepts delivery of such services, and Vendor submits the respective invoices. Failure to provide the correct invoice(s) may cause payment delays.

9.4 Vendor must submit invoices via email to BARC_invoices@broward.org, and copy BARCProcurement@broward.org .

10. Post Award Meeting

10.1 Within five (5) business days after receiving notification of award, Vendor must attend a Post Award Meeting with County to review contract requirements, County procedures, and meet with various individuals who will be responsible for mailto:BARC_invoices@broward.org mailto:BARCProcurement@broward.org monitoring the Services specified herein.

10.2 Vendor must provide the name and contact information of the dedicated service and emergency representative (if different from the regular service representative) to County before the Post Award Meeting.