16MAPROMS1 - Attachment A - Final - Replacement.docx

75 Pleasant Street, Malden, Massachusetts 02148-4906 Main Telephone: (781) 338-3000 TTY: N.E.T. Relay 1-800-439-2370

Attachment A Conference Space | Catering Services | Hotel Accommodations

Due to difficulties with COMMBUYS beyond the departments control the initial posting under BID # BD-16-1026-DOE02-DOE01-00000005540 has been replaced with this new posting. Many vendors, due to the rolling enrollment check off, were unable to locate the posting based on the glitches in the system. Please read through this document carefully. This bid is a Rolling Enrollment procurement.

Alternate ID: 16MAPROMS1 COMMBUYS Document #: BD-16-1026-DOE02-DOE01-00000005774

Bid Introduction and General Description:

· The purpose of this Bid is for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE), along with the other Education agencies (Early Education and Care, Children’s Trust Fund, Executive Office of Education) to enter into purchase order agreements with multiple Catering Services, Conference Space and Hotel Room Accommodation bidders that qualify to provide services as described within this document.

Procurement Scope and Description:

· The ESE is soliciting Bidders for the acquisition of Catering Services, Conference Space, and Hotel Room Accommodation. This is a departmental Master Agreement (MA) which will also be available for use by the following Education agencies: Early Education and Care, Children’s Trust Fund and the Executive Office of Education. Each Education Agency (named here) is responsible for executing its own encumbrance on MMARS, Purchase Order on COMMBUYS and paying its own invoices for goods and/or services acquired from this bid. The ESE will not be held responsible nor be part of a separate executed contract between another agency and a vendor.

Scope:

· This procurement will be broken up into three (3) categories and will include but not be limited to in general term Catering Services, Conference Space and Hotel Room Accommodation. Categories are as follows:

· Category 1 - General Catering Services which allows bidders to bid on general catering services only (breakfast, lunch, dinners, etc).

· Category 2 - Conference Space with catering services available which allows bidders to bid on conference center/space availability with the option of catering service (e.g. convention centers, halls, etc.). Departments will be able to use catering services with their in-house or subcontracted caterers and/or conference space if required by the department.

· Category 3 - Hotel Room Accommodation Rates with Conference Space and Catering Services available (e.g hotels etc…). This allows bidders to bid on Catering Services and Conference Spaces with the added value option to provide special hotel room rates as it applies to the eligible entity’s needs and requirements.

Description:

· The ESE seeks to award contracts for general catering services, including on-site office meetings, training sessions, conferences and other events. A second aspect of this procurement is to award conference space/centers (e.g. convention centers, colleges, universities etc…) which may require the use of their in-house or subcontracted catering services. A third aspect of this procurement is to award conference centers (e.g. hotels) which require the use of their overnight room accommodations, conference space and in-house or subcontracted catering services.

· For purposes of this bid, the Commonwealth has been divided into Counties, in anticipation of the local nature of catering businesses. Bidders may choose to be qualified in a single County or in multiple Counties. Bidders receiving a contract as a result of this bid will be required to provide services to all cities or towns listed within the Counties they are awarded. See attachment entitled “County Listing” under this bid on COMMBUYS for a detailed listing of each District.

Contract Duration:

· The initial duration of the contract will be for four (4) years, with no options available for renewal. Contractors added after the contract begins will join the existing contractors for the remainder of the contract term. All contracts will expire four (4) years after the initial contract start date, regardless of when vendors’ individual contracts begin.

Estimated Value of the Contract:

· The Estimated Value is $1, 300, 00.00. The Commonwealth makes no guarantee that any commodities or services will be purchased from any Contract resulting from this Solicitation.

Estimated Procurement Calendar:

Bidders Qualifications:

· Company Experience:

· Bidders Background: Bidders MUST submit, with their response, a brief description and/or Firm Profile of their qualifications as they relate to the category bid (see Bidders Response Form document)

· Years in Experience: Bidders MUST have a minimum of two (2) years experience in the category they are bidding.

· Geographic Service and Delivery areas:

· For the purpose of this BID the Commonwealth has been geographically broken up into Counties. A list of Counties is available on the COMMBUYS website, under this bid. Bidders must indicate the County(s) they will provide services for and MUST be able to provide service for all cities/towns listed under the Counties they are bidding on.

· Prompt Pay Discounts (PPD)

· Bidders agreeing to offer discounts through participation in the Commonwealth Prompt Payment Discount (PPD) initiative for receiving early and/or on-time payments, will receive additional points during evaluation. Bidders must submit agreeable terms for Prompt Payment Discount unless otherwise specified by the SSST.

· Fuel Surcharge Provisions:

· Fuel surcharge provisions - Any bidder(s) awarded a contract as a result of this BID will not charge any additional fuel surcharges on any order received from departments. Departments will NOT be required to pay any additional fuel surcharges upon receipt of contractor invoicing.

· Bidders In-house Contract:

· Bidders requiring a contract from their establishment to be signed by the procuring agency (ESE) must submit a copy of the contract with the bid for approval. All Commonwealth documentation and forms will always supersede any contract an establishment may submit. The contract cannot include gratuity fees of any kind, administrative fees of any kind, penalty fees of any kind (unless beyond the cancellation dates as noted in this bid). All contracts are subject to approval and/or negotiations by the SSST. Once a contract has been approved it will be locked in for the duration of the contract. Any request for change will require approval of the Procurement Director and is not guaranteed.

· Shipping FPB Destinations:

· Delivery must be made at no extra cost to the Commonwealth with all deliveries being FOB destination. All orders will be processed, confirmed and delivered based on established delivery schedules with the Education agency. The ordering location will establish a mutually agreed upon delivery schedule with the contractor(s). The contractor(s) will make delivery of items as requested by the agency. Any change in the specified delivery schedule is subject to approval by the ordering facility. Any item not delivered during an established delivery period may be canceled at no cost to the Commonwealth.

· Any additional costs incurred by the Commonwealth, as a result of the contractor’s failure to deliver is the responsibility of the contractor(s). Any product delivered that does not conform to this requirement will be returned at the contractor’s expense. “Will Call” orders are orders that are to be picked up by the contract user within 24 hours of request and the contractor(s) will provide for “will call” orders if immediate delivery is necessary and the contract user is willing to pick up the order. The contractor(s) may be asked to provide emergency delivery and may charge a compensation rate for such deliveries if agreed to in advance by the ordering entity.

BID requirements for Doing Business after a Contract has been Awarded:

· Security and Confidentiality:

· The Contractor shall comply fully with all security procedures of the Commonwealth and Commonwealth Agencies in performance of this Contract. The Contractor shall not divulge to third parties any confidential information obtained by the Contractor or its agents, distributors, resellers, subcontractors, officers or employees in the course of performing Contract work, including, but not limited to, security procedures, business operations information, or commercial proprietary information in the possession of the Commonwealth Agency.

· Contract Management (Contractor’s interface with the ESE’s contract manager:

· The contract on COMMBUYS for this Departmental Master Agreement is the ESE’s Procurement Director, Mary Anne Siok

· All contract questions must be directed to ESE’s Procurement Director, Mary Anne Siok, at msiok@doe.mass.edu.

· Changes to the Contractor’s contact information, company name, legal name, payment address, tax id number, authorized signatories or EFT information, must be promptly reported, via email, to the contract manager. In some cases additional paperwork will be required and requested to proceed with the change.

· Single Point of contact: Contractor Contract Manager must identify in the bid response a single point of contract to address ordering, delivery and any other issues. (see Bid Response Form).

· Replacement of Contractor must be reported to Mary Anne Siok, via Email, immediately.

· Identification and approval of subcontractors and joint ventures (see subcontracting policies and the commonwealth terms and conditions)

· Order Cancellations:

· Category 1 – General Catering Services: Seven (7) calendar days notice

· Category 2 – Conference Space with Catering Services Available: Fourteen (14) calendar days notice

· Category 3 – Overnight accommodations with Conference Space and Catering services available: Fourteen (14) calendar days notice

· Shipping, Delivery and Acceptance:

· Delivery must be made at no extra cost to the Commonwealth with all deliveries being FOB destination.

· All orders will be processed, confirmed and delivered based on established delivery schedules with ordering department.

· The ordering department will establish a mutually agreed upon delivery schedule with the contractor(s). The contractor(s) will make delivery of items as requested by the ordering department.

· Any change in the specified delivery schedule is subject to approval by the ordering department.

· Any item not delivered during an established delivery period may be canceled at no cost to the Commonwealth.

· Any additional costs incurred by the Commonwealth as a result of the contractor’s failure to deliver is the responsibility of the contractor (s).

· Any product delivered that does not conform to this requirement will be returned at the contractor’s expense. “Will Call” orders are orders that are to be picked up by the contract user within 24 hours of request and the contractor(s) will provide for “will call” orders if immediate delivery is necessary and the contract user is willing to pick up the order.

· The contractor(s) may be asked to provide emergency delivery and may charge a compensation rate for such deliveries if agreed to in advance by the ordering entity.

· Failure to perform contractual obligations:

· Termination/Suspension:

· The team reserves the right to Terminate or suspend any contract it is determined the contractor(s) is not performing the contractual obligations as stated within this BID.

· Evaluation Criteria:

· Bidder scores will be used to rank Bidders and will determine which Bidders will proceed to subsequent stages of the evaluation and/or enter into negotiations with the Commonwealth to receive a Contract award.

· The team will evaluate responses submitted by bidders. Bidders will be selected based upon their fulfillment of the minimum qualifications listed in this BID and a determination by the team that contracting with the bidder will provide the “best value” to the Commonwealth.

· In making this determination, the SSST will consider and score a number of factors including, but not limited to the following:

· Pricing

· Years Of Experience

· Qualifications / Firms Profile

· References

· Menu Variety

· Conference Room Availability

· Conference Space Capacity

· AV Availability

· Internet Connectivity

· Room Rates

· Municipal Board Of Health Licenses

· Prompt Pay Discount Offer

· Supplier Diversity Program Plan Percentage Offer

Mandatory Requirements:

· Mandatory Specifications must be met in order for a Bid to be evaluated and may be used to disqualify Bidders. In addition, certain mandatory specifications have desirable components to them that may be evaluated by the team. The team reserves the right, in its discretion, to determine if non-compliance with a Mandatory Specification is insignificant or can be easily corrected.

· Solicitation sections that include terms such as: “must”, “shall”, “will” and “required” are “mandatory.” Failure to meet the requirements of a mandatory specification without providing an alternate that is acceptable to the evaluators may result in the disqualification of a Bidder's proposal.

Desirable Specifications:

· Desirable specifications will be scored according to the Evaluation Criteria.

· BID specifications prefaced with language such as: "desirable", "could," "can," "should," "preferably," "prefers," "suggested," and "requested" identify a desirable or discretionary item or factor that is considered by the issuer to be "desirable." The issuer has listed all desirable specifications which will receive points in the evaluation criteria.

Price:

· Please note that price will carry a significant weight in the evaluation process.

· Best overall pricing provided for breakfast, lunch, dinner, conference space and Hotel room accommodation as requested on the “Bidders Response Form Supplier Diversity Program Plan Form 1:

· This form carries a weight of 10% of the total evaluation criteria available

How To Submit A Bid Response

· In order to respond to this bid, please register on the COMMBUYS website. If you need assistance with registering please contact the COMMBUYS helpdesk at: COMMBUYS@state.ma.us or (888) 627-8283 or (617) 720-3197.

· Responses MUST be uploaded (preferably as one single .pdf document) to COMMBUYS. Responses containing several files to download may be deemed non-responsive and rejected by the team for evaluation. Responses not posted to COMMBUYS will not be considered for evaluation. Do not Email and/or mail responses to the department. IMPORTANT NOTE: When uploading your response on COMMBUYS please be sure to enter a $0 dollar amount and select the “no charge” option. This will ensure accuracy when the department awards a bid.

Bid Response Form

· All specifications of this BID that are not mandatory such as those specifically identified as “optional,” “desirable” or in other terms indicating that the specification is not mandatory must have a response within the Bidder Response Form provided on COMMBUYS for this bid in order to be evaluated. Most items within the Bidder Response Form will be scored to determine the apparent successful bidders. The SSST does not want and will not read, consider or evaluate a line by line response to this BID.

Additional Response Terms:

· Prohibition regarding contract terms

· Bidders must not, as part of their bid Responses, propose additional contractual terms, or supplemental or clarifying language pertaining to contractual terms, even if the proposed additions/clarifications are not in conflict with the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions, the Standard Contract Form, or other documents comprising this BID.

· It is essential for Contracting Departments that all contractors’ Contracts can be depended upon to incorporate the same terms and only those terms. Contractors, who wish to propose additional non-conflicting contractual terms, or supplemental or clarifying language, may do so ONLY on a case-by-case basis, negotiated for each specific engagement and memorialized in the Project Statement of Work. This must be done at the time of review and not AFTER a contract has been executed

Bid Response Materials:

· Original ink signatures and dates are required only after contracts have been awarded. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires Contractors to submit original ink-signature versions of the following forms, once requested (and not at the time of original submission):

· Standard Contract Form

· Commonwealth Terms and Conditions

· Contractor Authorized Signatory Listing

· Request for Taxpayer Identification and Verification (Mass. Substitute W9 Form).

· Electronic Funds Transfer

· These forms with ink signatures, must be submitted, once requested by the ESE, within seven (7) calendar days of award notification or their contract may not be executed by the Commonwealth. Bidders who have previous contract(s) with the Commonwealth and have up-to-date, ink-signature versions of the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions and Request for Taxpayer Identification and Verification (Mass. Substitute W9 Form) on file with the Office of the State Comptroller may submit copies of the signed forms. However, a new Standard Contract Form and Contractor Authorized Signatory Listing with original ink signatures must be submitted for each new contract with the Commonwealth.

· The Supplier Diversity Program Plan Form 1 MUST be submitted as part of the bid response. This form will be evaluated during the scoring process. The Supplier Diversity Program Plan Form 2 MUST be submitted by all those vendors awarded a contract, within (7) seven calendar days of award notification or their contract may not be executed by the Commonwealth.

Limits and Restrictions:

· File Format Restrictions

· All scanned documents must be in .pdf format, and must be scanned in such a way that they can be read on a computer monitor and printed on 81/2” x 11” paper, unless otherwise specified. Responses must be uploaded to COMMBUYS as one file.

· Withdrawing a Response

· Prior to Close Date bids may be withdrawn via COMMBUYS prior to the bid opening date.

· Rolling Enrollment

· This is a rolling Enrollment Bid. Responses will be reviewed upon receiving. Responses will be accepted until December 1, 2018 at 12:00 PM.

Submission Requirements:

· The following items must be submitted to respond to this bid:

· Bid Response Form (uploaded to COMMBUYS)

· Supplier Diversity Program Plan Form 1 (Uploaded to COMMBUYS)

· Menu with pricing

· Floor plan or similar document showing location and description of each available space for conferences/meetings

· 3 Business Reference Letters

· If applicable, Environmentally Preferable Products details

· If applicable, Emergency Contact Information document

· If applicable, Added Value Options document

· If applicable, hotel contract terms between the hotel and ESE

Inquiries:

· Questions regarding this bid may be posted on the COMMBUYS website, under this bid. Answers will be provided directly on COMMBUYS.

· Questions may also be emailed to both Mary Anne Siok: MSiok@doe.mass.edu and Jonna Willis: JWillis@doe.mass.edu. Please include in the subject line Questions regarding 16MAPROMS1.

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