25-06 Holiday Lighting RFP.pdf

CITY OF GUNNISON

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (Project ID: 25-06)

OUTDOOR HOLIDAY LIGHTING SERVICES

ISSUED: February 21, 2025 QUESTIONS DUE DATE & TIME: March 11, 2025, 5:00 PM MT SUBMIT QUALIFICATIONS NO LATER THAN: March 18, 2025, 2:00 PM MT SUBMIT QUALIFICATIONS ELECTRONICALLY: Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System (“RMEPS”): portal at https://www.bidnetdirect.com/colorado.

Submittals must be received in the RMEPS submission portal on or before the Proposal due date and time. Hardcopy submittals will not be accepted. It is the Respondent’s sole responsibility to ensure all required documents are submitted through RMEPS by the submission deadline. RMEPS does not allow for uploading of documents after the submittal due date and time has closed.

The Submittal will be time-stamped by RMEPS upon receipt. After uploading Submittal documents, Respondents must click the SUBMIT button. The City of Gunnison will not accept uploads that are “saved” but not “submitted”. To verify that a Submittal has been submitted successfully, Respondents may contact BidNet Support or verify, via the Bid Management tab in the Respondent’s account, that the documents are not in “Draft” status. The City does not have access to or control of the Vendor side of RMEPS. Please contact RMEPS at 1-800-835- 4603, Option 2, for technical assistance.

Please Note: Addenda may be issued for this RFP and will be posted online at https://www.bidnetdirect.com/colorado.. Respondents shall ensure all addenda issued are acknowledged and responses thereto submitted along with the required Submittal documents.

Failure to submit such responses may result in disqualification of the respective Submittal.

Statements of Qualifications (as hereinafter defined) received after the above specified due date and time, or which are not prepared and filed in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Request for Qualifications (“RFQ”), may not be considered for evaluation https://www.bidnetdirect.com/colorado.

https://www.bidnetdirect.com/colorado.

I. INVITATION TO SUBMIT PROPOSALS

The City of Gunnison, Colorado respectfully requests proposals for Holiday Lighting Services from qualified vendors. The selected vendor will install commercial-grade LED lighting on 46 downtown trees along the east and west sides of the first 300 blocks of North Main, the north and south sides of the 100 block of east and west Tomichi, and the north side of the 200 block of West Tomichi, along with other required elements discussed further in this request for proposal (the “RFP”).

II. BACKGROUND, DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE OF WORK

A. BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE

In alignment with the City’s strategic priority for economic prosperity, the City supports various holiday decorations and activities within the downtown to enhance the destination and retail experience by elevating the seasonal atmosphere and sense of place for local residents, business owners, and visitors.

B. SCOPE OF WORK TO BE PERFORMED

The City of Gunnison, Colorado is seeking a professional and experienced service provider to purchase, install, maintain, and take down commercial-grade, weather-resistant, and decorative LED lighting on 46 deciduous trees. Exhibit A includes a detailed map of the tree locations, along North Main Street and Tomichi Avenue. The City has not requesting a specified theme or colors and encourages the vendor to recognize the overall objective stated above.

The City shall supply a maximum of 3.5 amps of electrical power (one, two-plug outlet) per tree location, and an automatic timer. Vendor to provide all labor, equipment, tools, and supplies necessary to provide the services. Temporary sidewalk detours are permitted; no pedestrians shall be detoured into the street. Sidewalks that remain open to the public shall provide a minimum 5-foot-wide clear zone for accessibility. Temporary closure of parking spaces is allowed to accommodate installation. Working hours should be scheduled to avoid impacts to peak business hours of operation, as practical.

City anticipates City Council awarding a contract on March 25, 2025, with an executed contract and Notice to Proceed no later than March 31, 2025. The lights for each tree shall be installed and functioning properly no later than November 22, 2025. The lights shall remain in place and function until March 1, 2026 and be removed no later than March 25, 2026.

This RFP details the minimum scope of services and tasks to be completed by the lighting services vendor. It is not the intent of the City to outline a rigid scope of tasks as part of this RFP. The vendor is expected to fully evaluate conditions and determine the complete scope of work to satisfy or exceed the expectations established by the City.

III. INSTRUCTIONS TO SUBMITTERS

The City is interested in retaining the services of a vendor that has a proven record of outdoor holiday lighting skills and expertise.

A. REQUIRED ELEMENTS

The intent of the proposal process is to select the best value proposal. Price is part of the selection factor, and the requirements of the proposal should also focus on the quality of the services. The City shall determine the most qualified vendor based upon the criteria described below in Section III.B.

All proposals shall be limited to a maximum of 5 pages, including the following elements as outlined below:

1. Letter of Interest & Experience: briefly describe your interest and experience in performing the requested scope of services; include the name, address, and contact information of your business.

2. Proposed Holiday Lighting: details regarding the type, style, quantity, and color(s) of bulbs and wire strands that would be used to decorate the trees, and their power requirement. Briefly describe the resources that would be dedicated to performing the services and the timeline for performance.

3. Cost for the labor, and materials to install the holiday lighting on 46 downtown trees.

4. Sample of Past Successes: provide photos of past similar projects to convey professional experience and to demonstrate capabilities.

5. References: provide at least two client references – name, email, and phone number.

B. EVALUATION CRITERIA

Proposals must include the five elements provided in Section III.A of this RFP. The proposals shall be evaluated by the City on the following qualitative basis and scored as follows:

1. Letter of Interest & Experience: 25 points

2. Proposed Holiday Lighting: 25 points

3. Cost to Purchase and Install Lighting: 25 points

4. Sample of Past Successes: 15 points

5. References: 10 points

Total Available Points = 100 points

The Vendor with the highest score will be selected as the best value proposal.

Failure to include the required elements of the proposal shall result in a proposal being rejected with no score assigned. The City reserves the right to waive any minor irregularities.

The City does not discriminate on the grounds of race, religion, color, age, sex, disability, or national origin in consideration of an award. Disadvantaged business enterprises are afforded a full opportunity to submit proposals. Proposals will be evaluated on the Vendor’s qualifications, experience, Project understanding and approach.

The City makes no commitments to any Vendor until such time as the City approves the negotiated contract. The City may reject all proposals when it determines that such action is in the public interest.

C. INTERPRETATIONS AND GOVERNING LAW

All questions regarding the meaning or intent of this RFP must be submitted IN WRITING ONLY VIA EMAIL to the City Clerk at cityclerk@gunnisonco.gov

Questions must be submitted by March 11, 2025 at 5:00 pm MST. Only questions answered by formal written Addenda to this RFP will be binding. Oral and other interpretations or clarifications will be without legal effect and will NOT be considered in awarding the Project.

Addenda will be reported on Bidnetdirect.com. It shall be each Vendors responsibility to make inquiry as to Addenda that have been issued. All Addenda shall become part of this RFP, and all Vendors shall be bound by such Addenda, whether or not received by the Vendor.

All applicable State of Colorado and Federal laws, City ordinances, and licenses and regulations of all agencies having jurisdiction shall apply to the Vendor and Project throughout the Project and are incorporated herein by reference. The Agreement with the selected Vendor, and all questions concerning the execution, validity or invalidity, capacity of the parties, and the performance of the Agreement, shall be interpreted in all respects in accordance with the Home Rule Charter and Code of the City of Gunnison and the laws of the State of Colorado.

IV. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL

Due Date for Proposals: March 18, 2025 at 2:00 pm MST

Submit one (1) electronic pdf copy of your Proposal to the City of Gunnison by use of RMEPS, as detailed on page 1 of this RFP. Email and hard copy proposals will not be accepted. Late submissions will not be accepted.

The City reserves the right to reject any and all proposals or any part thereof, to waive any formalities or informalities and further, to award the services to the most responsive and responsible Vendor, according to the City’s evaluation and as deemed to be in the best interest of the City.

Proposals must meet or exceed requirements contained in this RFP.

mailto:cityclerk@gunnisonco.gov

All costs of the development for Proposal submittal are the responsibility of the Consultant.

Proposals shall be submitted prior to the time and date set for receipt of proposals as indicated in these Instructions and Proposal Requirements, or the modified time and date as indicated by any Addendum. Proposals received after the time and date set for receipt of proposals will not be considered. Vendor shall assume full responsibility for timely delivery at the location designated for receipt of proposals; Vendors must allow adequate time for delivery of their proposal either by hand delivery, postal service, or other delivery service.

No extensions for submittal of an RFP will be granted on an individual basis. If the City determines, in its sole discretion, that the response time it has provided is inadequate for the preparation of complete proposals, or if amendments issued have materially changed the proposal requirements, the City may, at its option, extend the opening or response dates to all firms.

No Vendor may submit more than one proposal. Multiple proposals under different names will not be accepted from one firm or association. Evidence of collusion among Vendors shall be grounds for exclusion of any Consultant who is a participant in any such collusion.

All information submitted to the City by the Vendor is a public record, and may be subject to disclosure under the Colorado Open Records Act, Colorado Revised Statute § 24-72-200.1, et seq. The Vendor shall clearly identify any portion(s) of its proposal that it believes constitutes trade secrets, privileged information, and/or confidential commercial, financial, geological or geophysical data which shall not be subject to disclosure under the Colorado Open Records Act.

To the extent required by Illegal Aliens Public Contracts for Services C.R.S. § 8-17.5-102(1), by submitting a proposal, the Vendor certifies that at the time of proposal submission it does not knowingly employ or contract with an illegal alien who will perform work under its proposal, and that the Consultant will participate in the E-verify program administered by the United States Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration, or the employment verification program administered by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment in order to verify the employment eligibility of all employees who are newly hired for employment to perform work under its proposal.

V. CONFIDENTIALITY

The Vendor may be provided confidential information by the City. Complete confidentiality must be maintained regarding confidential City information and data. Signing of a confidentiality agreement may be required by the Successful Vendor.

The information included in this RFP is for the Vendor’s exclusive use in preparing a proposal and must not be shared, whether written or oral, with any other person or entity or used for any other purpose. The use of the City’s name in any way as a potential client is strictly prohibited.

VI. MODIFICATION AND WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSAL

Proposals submitted early may be modified or withdrawn, subject to the City’s discretion.

Withdrawn proposals may be resubmitted until the deadline for submission of proposals.

VII. SIGNING OF AGREEMENT

When the City gives a notice of award to the Successful Vendor, it will be accompanied by unsigned counterparts of the Agreement and this RFP. The Successful Vendor shall execute the Agreement and deliver it, together with evidence of insurance to the City within ten (10) calendar days from the date of the notice of award. Failure to do so will be adequate and just cause for the annulment or cancellation of the awards.

VIII. PROPOSAL BECOMES CITY PROPERTY

Once submitted, a proposal becomes City property. The City reserves the right to retain all proposals submitted and to use any ideas in a proposal regardless of whether that proposal is selected. Submission of a proposal indicates acceptance by the Vendor of the conditions contained in this RFP.

Exhibit A Holiday Lighting Map.pdf