253-25 RFP 8-5-25.pdf

City Hall – 2nd Floor

Contracts and Purchasing Division

9500 Civic Center Drive

Thornton, CO 80229-4326 Main Phone: (303) 538-7325

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

RFP No. 253-25

VEHICLE DECALS AND WRAPS FOR THORNTON FLEET

Purchasing Analyst of Record: Andrew Miskell, CPPB

Andrew.Miskell@ThorntonCO.gov mailto:Andrew.Miskell@ThorntonCO.gov

Vehicle Decals and Wraps for Thornton Fleet

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A.1 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

A.2 PURCHASING ANALYST OF RECORD:

A.3 GENERAL SUMMARY OF PROCUREMENT NEEDS:

B.1 CURRENT STATE:

B.2 GOALS FROM THIS RFP:

B.3 BUDGETARY REQUIREMENTS:

B.4 AWARD LENGTH:

B.5 SCOPE OF WORK – GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS:

B.6 BRAND GUIDELINES AND EXAMPLES:

B.7 LOCATION OF SERVICES TO BE PERFORMED:

B.8 ESTIMATED QUANTITIES:

B.9 DEMONSTRATIONS AND INTERVIEWS:

B.10 INVOICING REQUIREMENTS:

B.11 PROCUREMENT CARDS PAYMENT CONDITIONS:

B.12 VENDOR PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT:

B.13 COOPERATIVE PURCHASING:

C.1 INSTRUCTIONS FOR ANSWERING QUESTIONS:

C.2 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS:

D.1 PRICING INFORMATION:

D.2 BEST AND FINAL OFFER:

D.3 PRICING AND ANNUAL PRICE UPDATES:

D.4 PROPOSAL ITEMS:

E.1 PROPOSAL POSTED LOCATIONS:

E.2 PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE:

E.3 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS:

E.4 ADDENDA:

E.5 SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS:

S:\SS\C-P\2025\253-25 Vehicle Decals and Wraps\2-BDs\BidNet\1-Original Upload\253-25 RFP 8-5-25

E.6 DOCUMENTS FOR FINAL VENDOR SUBMISSION:

E.7 CONFIDENTIAL AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION

E.8 LATE PROPOSAL SUBMISSIONS:

E.9 AWARDS:

E.10 ACCEPTANCE PERIOD:

E.11 EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS:

E.12 EVALUATION CRITERIA:

E.13 POST AWARD PURCHASE ORDER:

E.14 STANDARD PROPOSAL CONSIDERATIONS:

F.1 SAMPLE AGREEMENT:

G.1 ACCEPTANCE AND ADDENDA ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM:

G.2 SAMPLE AGREEMENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM

G.3 REFERENCES AND AUTHORIZATION AND RELEASE FORM:

H.1 PURCHASING MANAGER FORM:

SCHEDULE, PURCHASING ANALYST OF RECORD, AND GENERAL

SUMMARY OF NEEDS

A.1 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

The following is a list of important items, dates, and times that pertain to this solicitation. All times listed below are in reference to the local Thornton, Colorado time.

Solicitation Item Date Time

Proposal Issued August 11, 2025

Pre-Proposal Conference August 20, 2025 10:00 A.M.

Deadline to Submit Additional Questions August 25, 2025 11:00 P.M.

Response to Written Questions August 29, 2025

Proposal Due Date September 8, 2025 11:00 P.M.

A.2 PURCHASING ANALYST OF RECORD:

The Purchasing Analyst of Record for this solicitation will be the central point of contact throughout the solicitation process. All questions and inquiries must be submitted in writing via a direct email to the Purchasing Analyst. No communication is to be directed to any other Thornton personnel.

The Purchasing Analyst of Record’s contact information is as follows:

Name: Andrew Miskell, CPPB Title: Purchasing Manager

Email: Andrew.Miskell@ThorntonCO.gov

A.3 GENERAL SUMMARY OF PROCUREMENT NEEDS:

The City of Thornton, CO (“Thornton”) is seeking Proposals from interested firms for the purchase of vehicle decals, city logos, Department of Transportation numbers, and/or vehicle wraps, along with installation services, on an as-needed basis for various Thornton owned vehicles and fleet units.

Thornton is not seeking for our City’s logo to be redesigned or rebranded as Thornton has recently adopted a new City logo as of 2024.

mailto:Andrew.Miskell@ThorntonCO.gov

CURRENT STATE, SCOPE OF WORK, AND SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS

B.1 CURRENT STATE:

Thornton is a home-rule city located northeast of Denver in Adams County, Colorado and Thornton has four (4) wards governed by a Mayor and eight (8) City Council members and is managed by a City Manager who serves at the pleasure of the City Council. Thornton is currently the fifth largest city in Colorado, with a current population of approximately one hundred fifty thousand (150,000) citizens. Thornton’s growth in citizen population over the last twenty-five years (82,000 in 2000; 118,000 in 2010) has been significant and is expected to remain constant for the foreseeable future with population growth to approximately two hundred forty thousand (240,000) citizens by 2065.

This citizen population growth has resulted in an expansion and growth of services by the City government and the services it must provide. The expansion has included a growth of employee head counts, both in permanent and temporary/seasonal, which requires a growth in the City’s fleet.

Thornton’s fleet is managed by the Fleet Management team, which is housed as part of the Support Services division within the Management Services Department. The Fleet Manager and their team are responsible for a variety of fleet operations including, but not limited to, maintaining the fleet, reviewing operations, making recommendations regarding the fleet purchases and/or leases, and disposal of Thornton’s fleet.

All purchased fleet units are owned by Thornton, with units that reach their end of life being disposed of by Thornton through our auction service Vendor or as part of a trade negotiation with the OEM supplier. Thornton has contracted with First Vehicle Services (“FVS”) for fleet maintenance services for its’ owned and operated fleet since 1993.

Upon the purchase of a new fleet unit for Thornton’s fleet, the Thornton Fleet Management team will work through various steps to commission the fleet unit as ready for use by a Thornton End User Agency. As part of the commissioning process, Thornton’s Fleet Management team requires for the fleet unit to have various unit numbers, decals, and/or vehicle wraps installed.

While the FVS team does perform fleet maintenance service for Thornton, the FVS team only performs the installation of unit numbers, decals, and city logos on mowers, trailers, and smaller assets as part of their contracted services for Thornton.

Thornton is seeking for a qualified Vendor to perform the design, printing, and installation services for the City’s unit numbers, decals, logos, Department of Transportation (“DOT”) numbers, and/or vehicle wraps on Thornton fleet vehicles on an as-needed basis. This includes for Thornton to have the ability to order numbers and letters from the awarded Vendor on an as-needed basis for the FVS team to install such materials on smaller equipment prior to the equipment being put into service for Thornton.

B.2 GOALS FROM THIS RFP:

Thornton’s desired outcome from this RFP is to find a Vendor that can meet Thornton’s goals for fleet decals and wraps. These goals include, but are not limited to:

1) Having a Vendor that performs high-quality services for a variety of municipal fleet types of vehicles and units.

2) Having a procurement avenue for a multi-year term with a Vendor to perform work on an as-needed basis.

3) Having a Vendor that understands Thornton’s brand identity, goals, and aesthetic for its municipal fleet.

4) Having a Vendor that provides not only the installation of decals and wraps, but also a Vendor that can provide post-installation inspection, warranty service, and touch-ups of vehicle decals and wraps.

B.3 BUDGETARY REQUIREMENTS:

Thornton does not have a specific budget for this project as these services are based on an as-needed basis for when Thornton has new vehicles to implement into the fleet or when a decal or wrap that has already been installed on a vehicle, needs additional work/touch-ups.

B.4 AWARD LENGTH:

The initial award from this solicitation will be from the date of the final signature of the Agreement, until December 31, 2032. No further extensions or renewals shall pass this date for service from the awarded Vendor, unless otherwise previously authorized in writing by the Thornton Purchasing Division.

B.5 SCOPE OF WORK – GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS:

The awarded Vendor from this solicitation will be expected to perform, at minimum, the following tasks regarding Thornton’s fleet.

1) Coordination, design, and review with Thornton’s Fleet Management prior to a vehicle being serviced.

2) Preparing the vehicle, which includes ensuring a clean surface for a wrap and/or decal will adhere properly.

3) Printing a final layout to adhere to the fleet unit.

4) Installation of the graphics, wrap, and/or decals to a Thornton fleet unit.

5) Warranty of no less than (1) year of workmanship quality after installation and upon final acceptance of the work by Thornton’s Fleet Management.

B.6 BRAND GUIDELINES AND EXAMPLES:

Thornton generally has specific color, graphics, and brand designs for its logo. Thornton has provided an overview of its brand guidelines along with pictures of current fleet units as examples in a document that has been provided under separate cover, titled “253-25 RFP Appendix No. 1

– Brand Guidelines and Examples”.

B.7 LOCATION OF SERVICES TO BE PERFORMED:

Thornton’s preference is for the services performed by the Vendor to be done at Thornton’s Main Fleet facility. Thornton has asked how the proposing Vendor would intend on performing these services, including if the services are done at Thornton or at the Vendor’s facility as part of the Vendor Proposal Questions, which is located in Section C of this RFP.

Thornton owns the property and buildings in which the work for these services may be performed. All work performed onsite at Thornton shall have all pricing considered as F.O.B.

Destination by the Vendor, with Thornton’s Main Fleet facility address as:

Fleet Maintenance Services (“Main shop”) 1330 East 126th Avenue Thornton, CO 80241 Number of Service Bays: Eighteen (18)

B.8 ESTIMATED QUANTITIES:

No attempt has been made to establish an estimated figure as to the quantity of items shown on this proposal as they may vary considerably due to conditions over which Thornton has no control. Thornton does not guarantee any quantity of items to be purchased during the agreement term. Thornton’s actual requirements during the period of the resulting agreement are determined by actual needs and availability of appropriated funds.

B.9 DEMONSTRATIONS AND INTERVIEWS:

Thornton reserves the right to review a Vendor’s proposed solution that would be on hand or in the field of use. The proposed solution may be viewed at Thornton’s sole discretion at the Vendor’s facility or Thornton’s Fleet facility. It will be at Thornton’s sole discretion if a demonstration is deemed to be necessary during the evaluation phase of this solicitation.

In addition to demonstrations, Thornton may also elect to conduct Vendor interviews in order to clarify and answer additional questions. All interviews will be held at a physical/virtual location at Thornton’s sole discretion and shall be at Thornton’s decision if an interview is deemed as being necessary.

Thornton shall not compensate a proposing Vendor for any costs incurred by a Vendor that are related to a demonstration or interview conducted by Thornton during this RFP process.

B.10 INVOICING REQUIREMENTS:

Thornton’s Accounts Payable Division is the only division within Thornton that issues payments to Vendors who have submitted invoices. Thornton only issues payments from invoices and will not issue payments to Vendors off of quotes.

Thornton’s standard payment terms are net thirty (30) calendar days after receipt of an invoice.

All invoices submitted shall be emailed to AP.Invoices@ThorntonCO.gov. In lieu of email, physical copies may be submitted to City of Thornton – Accounts Payable, 9500 Civic Center Drive, Thornton, CO 80229-4326. Invoices sent to anyone other than Accounts Payable are not considered to be properly submitted and will not be paid until they are properly submitted.

B.11 PROCUREMENT CARDS PAYMENT CONDITIONS:

Awarded contractors may be asked to have the capability of accepting Thornton’s authorized Procurement Card as a method of payment. No price changes or additional fee(s) may be assessed when accepting the Procurement Card as a form of payment. Vendors unable to comply with this requirement are asked to indicate such exception on vendor letterhead. This exception will be taken into consideration during the evaluation of the received proposals.

B.12 VENDOR PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT:

Thornton may administer a Vendor performance management program as part of this proposal and resulting agreement. The purpose of this program is to create a method for documenting and advising Thornton of exceptional performance or any problems related to the purchased goods and services.

B.13 COOPERATIVE PURCHASING:

Thornton encourages the proper use of cooperative purchasing and reserves the right to make results of this solicitation available to other governmental agencies seeking like equipment, goods, or services. Other agencies using this solicitation must do so according to regulations established by their individual organizations and accept sole responsibility for its use. The terms and conditions of any resulting transaction shall be exclusively between the buyer and the seller.

Buyers and sellers from other municipalities and political subdivisions using this solicitation in a cooperative or “piggy-back” fashion, agree to defend and hold harmless Thornton from any dispute or action arising from its use.

The remainder of this page has been left blank intentionally.

mailto:AP.Invoices@ThorntonCO.gov

PROPOSAL QUESTIONS TO PROSPECTIVE VENDOR

C.1 INSTRUCTIONS FOR ANSWERING QUESTIONS:

Your proposal response must specifically address each of the questions/issues that are listed within this RFP. The quality and detail of your responses, along with how closely your firm can meet or exceed Thornton’s Scope of Work expectations from Section B, will be considered in the overall evaluation of your proposal. Proposers are encouraged to give examples and provide comprehensive information to support your compliance on each point.

All answers provided by the awarded Vendor may be incorporated into the final agreement between the Vendor and Thornton as an additional exhibit or as part of a finalized Scope of Work.

C.2 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS:

To standardize the format of all proposals for evaluation, Proposers are required to respond to all questions in the order given and to list the item number and restate the question prior to giving their answer. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in your proposal being declared non-responsive.

A. GENERAL VENDOR QUESTIONS:

1) General Vendor Summary

Please provide a brief description of the following:

a) Full legal company name;

b) Your headquarters address;

c) Primary company contact including name, phone number, and email address;

d) The year your firm was established;

e) A brief listing of your Vendor core competencies; and

f) A current copy of your firm’s W-9 (IRS version October 2018).

2) Experience and References

Please provide five (5) current client references that you have sold and implemented the same or like solutions to in the past five (5) years. Of these references, please list as many as available that are other governmental municipalities as possible.

a) Include in your reference information:

i) Name of the municipality or firm;

ii) Client’s headquarters address;

iii) Current reference contact information, including the Reference’s:

(1) Name;

(2) Title;

(3) Phone number;

(4) Email address;

iv) Project start date (date of signed agreement);

v) Project end date (project close-out date);

vi) Project description including all services performed; and

vii) Contractual value.

b) Please provide the number of overall clients that you have currently using your proposed solution, including:

i) Within the United States; and

ii) Within the State of Colorado

B. PROPOSED VENDOR TEAM:

1) Vendor Engagement Team

Please provide the following:

a) What is the number of installers (“technicians”) your firm has on staff?

b) What is the amount of experience, in years, each installer has that may work on a

Thornton Fleet unit?

c) Will your firm be assigning a person that will be a central point of contract for Thornton

(Account Representative) for the awarded period of the agreement? If so, what is that person’s name, title, phone, and email address?

2) Billing

Please provide the following:

a) Does your firm have experience working with local municipal government clients regarding a net thirty (30) day billing and payment method?

b) Does your firm have a dedicated Accounts Receivable person within your organization?

c) How does your firm typically bill for an order and installation of a vehicle decal and/or wrap?

i) Please include a sample invoice for Thornton to better understand your billing.

C. VEHICLE CAPABILITIES:

1) Capabilities. Based upon Thornton’s current fleet and owned units, please confirm your firm’s previous experience and ability to provide decals and/or vehicle wrap services to the following types of units. A simple Yes or No answer will suffice to each of the following:

a) Sedans, Vans, Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs), and Crossover Utility Vehicles (CUVs)

b) Light, Medium, and Heavy Duty (Class 3, 4, and 5)

c) Law Enforcement

d) Fire

e) Rescue/Ambulances

f) Sanitation and Landfill

g) Transit buses or vehicles

h) Trailers

i) Motorcycles

j) Electric vehicles

k) Hybrid vehicles

l) Alternative fuel units (e.g., Propane – forklifts)

m) Other specialized and miscellaneous types of vehicle

D. INSTALLATION METHODOLOGY:

1) Installation Location

a) Is your firm capable of performing the installation of decals and vehicle wraps at a client’s fleet facility?

b) Does your firm require the installation of decals and vehicle wraps to be done at your firm’s location?

i) If yes, where is this location’s physical address or addresses?

c) Can the client drop off the fleet units, or is your firm capable of picking up a client’s fleet unit and dropping it off to them once the work has been completed?

2) Design and Printing

a) What is your experience with designing vehicle wraps with a municipal client?

b) Is your firm’s ability to print out a design in your shop for a vehicle decal and for a vehicle wrap? Please describe the printing, cutting, and laminating process.

c) When designing a vehicle wrap, what is your process for ensuring it meets the client’s expectations for the design prior to the installation on a vehicle?

3) Installation

a) Please describe the process for which your shop installs decals on a client’s fleet unit, including the expected time required for a standard SUV or class 3/4/5 vehicle.

b) Please describe the process for which your shop installs a vehicle wrap on a client’s fleet unit, including the expected time required for a standard SUV or class 3/4/5 vehicle.

E. QUALITY CONTROL, REWORK, AND WARRANTY WORK:

1) Quality Control

a) What types of quality control does your firm perform in order to ensure a quality installation of decals and/or vehicle wrapping has been performed by your technicians?

b) How does your firm handle repeated failures of the same decal or wrap over the same unit/types of fleet units that are not part of a warranty issue?

i) How does your company handle situations where your technician does additional damage to a vehicle while attempting to repair it from an original work order or preventative maintenance repair?

c) What type of care instructions does your firm provide to its’ clients for the care and maintenance of installed decals and vehicle wraps?

2) Rework and Warranty Work

a) What are your company’s policies and procedures on repairs that rework may be identified?

b) How does your company determine that rework is required?

c) How does your firm resolve with the client if the rework is deemed to be true?

d) How many calendar days does your firm provide the client with a workmanship warranty?

e) How does your firm track the warranty periods for your client’s fleet units?

f) What is your firm’s ability to perform touch-ups on an as-requested basis with a client for a fleet unit’s decals and/or vehicle wrap?

F. VALUE ADDED SERVICES, ADDITIONAL DETAILS, AND CLOSING STATEMENT:

1) Value Added Services

a) Please list any additional services that aren’t previously mentioned within your proposal that are offered or included within the proposal pricing that are offered by your firm, in addition to your adherence to Thornton’s Scope of Work.

2) Additional Details

a) Please describe in detail any areas that Thornton has not included in this RFP’s Scope of Work (best practices, missed requirements, etc.) that your team considers to be beneficial, important, relevant, or crucial to the success of your proposed solution.

3) Closing Statement

a) Please provide a brief narrative (one [1] page or less) of how you believe your company’s proposed solution will best serve Thornton’s needs both now, and in the future of the contractual agreement.

PRICING AND PROPOSAL ITEMS

D.1 PRICING INFORMATION:

This section shall include a description of the proposed costs and prices. All pricing information shall be limited solely to this section of your proposal. This section should address all requirements set forth in Section B as well as any other items pertinent to your proposal pricing such as additional discounts for increased quantities, service requirements, etc. The requirements have been developed to allow Thornton to uniformly evaluate prices submitted for the work. Accordingly, you should follow these instructions carefully and provide all data requested in the formats specified herein and in any referenced attachments.

Any omissions in this proposal shall be identified by each Vendor and incorporated into their proposal including any omissions for hardware, service, support, software, travel, shipping, etc.

which is necessary to the success of the project. All items must be identified as a separate line item with pricing and included as part of this RFP, unless otherwise requested by Thornton.

Thornton will not increase any subsequent agreement or purchase order (neither dollar amount or time) for items not included in the submitted proposal documents. Thornton reserves the right to purchase part or the entire proposal.

D.2 BEST AND FINAL OFFER:

Thornton reserves the right after review and evaluation of Vendors, including after all interviews and demonstrations that have been conducted, to go back to the “short list” of Vendors to conduct a Best and Final Offer (‘BAFO”). If issued, the BAFO may be included as a final pricing evaluation tool by Thornton to aid in the award decision process.

D.3 PRICING AND ANNUAL PRICE UPDATES:

The awarded Vendor must hold the prices quoted firm from the date of final agreement signature, through December 31, 2026, after which time the Vendor may request annual price adjustments for inflation based on the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood Price Index upon mutual agreement of the Parties.

Price adjustment requests are to be made by the Vendor in writing (e.g., email) to the Thornton Purchasing Division, no later than sixty (60) calendar days prior to the agreement’s renewal date or year in which the adjustment may take effect. Should the Vendor fail to submit a request for a price adjustment to Thornton’s Purchasing Division, then the current pricing shall remain in effect for the following renewal period of the agreement.

A link to index that is current at the time of this solicitation has been provided below:

https://data.bls.gov/pdq/SurveyOutputServlet?data_tool=dropmap&series_id=CUURS48BSA0, CUUSS48BSA0 https://data.bls.gov/pdq/SurveyOutputServlet?data_tool=dropmap&series_id=CUURS48BSA0,CUUSS48BSA0 https://data.bls.gov/pdq/SurveyOutputServlet?data_tool=dropmap&series_id=CUURS48BSA0,CUUSS48BSA0

Notwithstanding the above, Thornton may, at its sole discretion, consider other publicly published pricing indices and/or modifications as deemed appropriate given market conditions.

Note, Thornton is under no obligation to make such considerations and may require vendors to provide documentation substantiating any unusual market conditions beyond its control.

D.4 PROPOSAL ITEMS:

The pricing form for this RFP will be in a Microsoft Excel format, with a free-type ability for the Vendor to complete the form. The form is under separate cover and is entitled “253-25 RFP Appendix No. 2 Pricing Form”.

Thornton will be seeking pricing from a prospective Vendor for unit prices, including but not limited to:

• Cost for artwork design of City logo;

• Cost per alphanumeric decal number o Both reflective and non-reflective; and

• Cost per labor hour of installation.

PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS, EVALUATION, AND AWARD

E.1 PROPOSAL POSTED LOCATIONS:

This Request for Proposal (RFP) has been posted publicly to the following locations:

• BidNet® Direct: www.BidNetDirect.com

• Thornton’s Purchasing website: https://solicitations.thorntonco.gov/solicitations

Thornton currently uses BidNet Direct® and its own website to distribute official records for all copies of publicly posted proposals for viewing. Both websites operate as a free to view and download option for prospective Vendors.

Upon request by a Proposing Vendor, the Purchasing Division will also make this solicitation available for viewing at the Contracts and Purchasing Division office. The address for the office is located on the cover page of this RFP.

E.2 PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE:

A Pre-Proposal Conference will be conducted on the date and time listed in the Schedule of Events on the cover page. The proposal scope or work will be reviewed and discussed at this time. The location of the pre-proposal conference is as follows:

City of Thornton – Fleet Maintenance Shop 1330 East 126th Avenue Thornton, CO 80241

E.3 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS:

Thornton shall not be bound by and the Vendor shall not request or rely on any oral interpretation or clarification of this RFP. Therefore, any questions regarding this RFP are encouraged and shall be submitted in writing by email to the Purchasing Analyst of Record listed within this RFP.

Questions received up to deadline to submit question in the Schedule of Events will be answered in writing per the Schedule of Events. Answers to questions from any Vendor will be provided to all Vendors via a written addendum.

E.4 ADDENDA:

In the event it becomes necessary to revise, change, modify or cancel this RFP or to provide additional information, addenda will be issued and made available on BidNet® Direct and on Thornton’s website. Changes, clarifications, and answers to RFP questions that have been posted in a written addendum that affect or change the RFP’s Scope of Work shall be considered as to have replaced and superseded the original proposal’s Scope of Work.

http://www.bidnetdirect.com/ https://solicitations.thorntonco.gov/solicitations

It is the responsibility of the proposer/ contractor to confirm that they have acquired all addenda related to this proposal and they have reviewed/ complied with the requirements therein.

E.5 SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS:

Submission of proposals for this RFP may be done electronically through a Vendor portal (currently done via BidNet Direct®). Proposals can be submitted at www.bidnetdirect.com, but shall not be completely submitted later than the date and time indicated in the Schedule of Events.

If you experience problems with BidNet Direct®, please call 1-800-835-4603 for assistance. There is no charge by BidNet Direct® for this service.

Proposing Vendors who are unable to submit a proposal through BidNet®, may request to submit a physical copy of their proposal for consideration. A proposing Vendor shall email the

Purchasing Analyst of Record prior to the question due date listed in the Schedule of Events, for instructions on where and how to submit their physical proposal. All physical proposal submissions shall be submitted and recorded no later than the date and time indicated in the Schedule of Events.

E.6 DOCUMENTS FOR FINAL VENDOR SUBMISSION:

Proposing Vendors are solely responsible to ensure that their submission is complete and responsive prior to a final submission. As a reminder this RFP contains the following documents that will require completion by the proposing Vendor to be considered as initially responsive:

1) Section C.2 – Proposal Questions – Answers provided by the proposing Vendor;

2) Section D.4 – Proposal Items;

3) All additional technical information in support of your proposal;

4) Section G.1 – Acceptance and Addenda Acknowledgement Form;

5) Section G.2 – Sample Agreement Acknowledgement Form; and

6) Section G.3 – References and Authorization Release Form.

It is not necessary for a proposing Vendor to submit this entire RFP document that has been provided by Thornton with the Vendor’s response. Only the above-mentioned items are currently required with your proposal submission. Thornton reserves the right to request any clarification, ask any questions, or request additional documents that may aid in the evaluation of your proposal.

E.7 CONFIDENTIAL AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION

As a Colorado home rule municipality, Thornton is subject to and must comply with the Colorado Open Records Act (“CORA”), C.R.S. § 24-72-201 et seq. All Vendor submitted documents are subject to requests for public records pursuant to CORA. Proposing Vendors must clearly identify within their submissions any information that is confidential and proprietary by http://www.bidnetdirect.com/ marking such information as “Confidential” or “Proprietary” information. Any information a Vendor marks as confidential or proprietary shall comply with CORA and any other applicable statute(s).

Prior to a final award and agreement, Vendor submitted information that is contained within the proposal may be held by Thornton as confidential and proprietary at Thornton’s sole discretion.

In accordance with CORA, upon the conclusion of a final award and agreement, Thornton may, in its sole discretion, release any and all portions of Vendor submissions not marked as confidential or proprietary. Thornton shall be held harmless from any claims arising from the release of confidential and proprietary information not clearly designated as such by the proposing Vendor within their proposal documents to Thornton.

In general, it is not acceptable to Thornton for a proposing Vendor to mark information other than the following items as confidential or proprietary:

1) Financial statements;

2) Project financing data;

3) Litigation history;

4) Tax audit history; and

5) Client lists and references.

Thornton does not generally find it acceptable to mark proposal pricing, nor the entirety of your proposal, as confidential or proprietary. Failure to adhere to these restrictions may result in your proposal being deemed non-responsive.

For more information about Thornton’s processes related to CORA, including using Thornton’s Public Records Request Form or for submission of a CORA request, please visit the website of the office of Thornton’s City Clerk at https://www.thorntonco.gov/government/city-clerk/Pages/default.aspx or you can reach the Clerk’s office by email at Clerk@ThorntonCO.gov or by phone at (303) 538-7615.

E.8 LATE PROPOSAL SUBMISSIONS:

Proposing Vendors are expected to allow adequate time to upload a complete submission for consideration through the electronic Vendor portal (currently BidNet Direct®). The Vendor portal will not allow a Vendor to modify, save, nor upload their proposal after the submittal date and time have passed. It is highly recommended that as a proposing Vendor you do not wait until the last minute to submit your proposal.

Late proposals will not be accepted. Sole responsibility rests with the proposing Vendor to ensure that its proposal is completely uploaded through the Vendor portal or is received in the Purchasing Office prior to the submission deadline. Proposals that are left in a “Draft” status in the Vendor portal will not be accepted by Thornton for consideration.

All physical proposals received in the Purchasing Office after the submittal date and time will be immediately rejected without consideration.

https://www.thorntonco.gov/government/city-clerk/Pages/default.aspx https://www.thorntonco.gov/government/city-clerk/Pages/default.aspx mailto:Clerk@ThorntonCO.gov

E.9 AWARDS:

Award will be made on an "all or none" basis. Prices must be shown for each item listed.

Proposals submitted without individual item prices listed will be considered as non-responsive and rejected.

E.10 ACCEPTANCE PERIOD:

Submissions in response to this proposal shall remain valid until an award has been made to a proposing Vendor or at a minimum of one hundred twenty (120) calendar days from the time of submission, whichever date comes last.

E.11 EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS:

All proposals will be evaluated by a Selection Committee assigned by the City Manager, or their designee. Proposals shall be evaluated on the basis of qualifications, experience, and the applicability of the solutions offered to meet Thornton’s needs as they pertain to the Evaluation Criteria noted herein and in the context of best value received for the required goods and/or services. Note that any tools utilized by the Selection Committee in their evaluation process are only intended to facilitate the understanding of the submissions received and facilitate the member’s ability to weigh the merits of each proposal. Therefore, any tools utilized by the Selection Committee have no binding effect on their vote or the final award made by Thornton as a result of this RFP.

In addition, other pertinent information which becomes available during the evaluation, interview, or negotiations may be considered in the evaluation. The committee may make a selection on the basis of the Proposals received, or may choose to "short list" prospective firms for further consideration, which may include interviews and or negotiations. The firm selected for the Award will be chosen on the basis of the apparent greatest operational and financial benefit to Thornton, and not necessarily on the basis of lowest price. The City Manager, or their designee, shall make the final determination of the firm selected.

E.12 EVALUATION CRITERIA:

Evaluation criteria for this RFP may include, but is not limited to, the following items:

1) Responsiveness to the needs of Thornton, including the time required to complete the implementation of the awarded Vendor’s solution.

2) Responsibility of the proposing Vendor.

3) The written responses provided by the proposing Vendor to the Proposal Questions –

Section C.2, and all clarification questions asked by Thornton during the RFP evaluation.

4) The proposing Vendor’s submitted pricing.

5) The results of the Vendor’s reference checks.

6) The degree to which the Vendor’s proposal meets or exceeds the needs as defined in the

RFP, including any additional value-add items.

7) The results of any Vendor samples, and/or interviews from this RFP.

8) The agreeability of the Vendor to Thornton’s terms and conditions and the ability to contract with the awarded Vendor.

9) All other applicable information and documents submitted by the Vendor and received by

Thornton in the evaluation of the proposal.

E.13 POST AWARD PURCHASE ORDER:

A Purchase Order (PO) will not be immediately generated by Thornton’s Contracts and Purchasing Division as a result of the Award from this solicitation. However, this Award shall allow Thornton to place orders on an as-needed basis for future years’ worth of needs that may arise, based on City Agency actual needs during the stated award period. All future year POs shall be conditional upon annual appropriation approval by Thornton’s City Council. Thornton shall not be liable for any future charges from the awarded Vendor should the funding not be appropriated and approved by City Council.

E.14 STANDARD PROPOSAL CONSIDERATIONS:

Thornton maintains a standard set of RFP considerations and terms and conditions for RFPs that are non-federally funded and are not through a cooperative awarded process. These considerations are static between each RFP process. It is the sole responsibility of the proposing Vendor to have read all RFP considerations. A copy of these standard RFP considerations has been uploaded with this RFP document as a separate cover.

SAMPLE AGREEMENT

F.1 SAMPLE AGREEMENT:

A sample General Services Agreement has been provided under separate cover as part of this solicitation, which is titled “253-25 RFP Appendix No. 3 Sample GSA”. This sample agreement has been provided to inform the proposing Vendor of Thornton’s terms and conditions expectations for the awarded Vendor from this solicitation. This sample agreement is subject to change at Thornton’s sole discretion.

The sample agreement that has been provided by Thornton shall serve as the overarching agreement for this project, its subsequent renewal years, and all work performed by the Vendor and if applicable, their subcontractors for the duration of the entire agreement period. The opportunity for a prospective Vendor to provide any proposed redlines to Thornton’s sample agreement is during the submittal process and all Vendor proposed redlines shall be submitted with the Vendor’s final proposal. This sample agreement is subject to change at Thornton’s sole discretion.

Thornton does not anticipate signing any separate Vendor contractual documents, including separate general or online terms and conditions, Vendor agreements, Vendor quotations with separate terms and conditions, etc. Vendors who have such documents that are required for their solution must submit these documents for Thornton’s review and potential incorporation into the final agreement between both Parties as part of their final proposal submission.

The Vendor does not need to complete any of the information within the sample agreement as part of the initial proposal submission process. At Thornton’s sole discretion and as part of a final evaluation process by Selection Committee, the Purchasing Analyst of Record may contact a proposing Vendor for any clarifications.

REQUIRED VENDOR SIGNATURE FORMS

G.1 ACCEPTANCE AND ADDENDA ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM:

1) Vendor indicates acceptance of the following conditions:

City of Thornton Charter Section 7.4 prohibits Thornton from issuing a Purchase Order to firms which employ certain family members of employees unless the Thornton Council determines it is in Thornton's best interest. For the purposes of this Charter Section, a domestic partner shall be considered equivalent to a family member. The Vendor attests to the following:

No City Council Member, member of a board or commission, Municipal Judge, City Manager, City Attorney, or employee of the City of Thornton, or any such person's family member, domestic partner, or person assuming a relationship being the substantial equivalent of the above, has an existing or pending, direct or indirect, financial, pecuniary or personal interest in the proposing firm or this Invitation for Bid, except as follows: (list, if any)______________________________________________________________________

2) The undersigned Vendor, having examined the Proposal Documents, and having full knowledge of the product and/or services requested and described herein, hereby proposes that it will fulfill the obligations contained herein specifications set forth; and that it will furnish all required products and pay all incidental costs all in strict conformity with these Proposal

Documents, for the stated prices as payment in full. Yes ☐ No ☐

3) I acknowledge receipt of any and all published addenda and a copy of the sample agreement as provided by Thornton : Yes ☐ No ☐

4) I acknowledge that I have submitted all items and documents as required of the final proposal submission Yes ☐ No ☐

Proposing Vendor’s Name:

Date:

Submitted By (Printed):

Submitted By (Signature):

Title:

Telephone Number:

Email:

G.2 SAMPLE AGREEMENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM

Regarding Thornton’s Sample Agreement, the undersigned Vendor acknowledges the following:

1) The proposing Vendor has received a copy of Thornton’s sample Agreement.

Yes ☐ No ☐

2) All proposed exceptions to Thornton’s sample Agreement and all proposed Vendor agreements may be included as part of Thornton’s final evaluation process.

3) All proposed exceptions or redlines to Thornton’s sample Agreement by the Vendor, and all proposed terms and conditions have been uploaded with the Vendor’s final proposal as a separate file and has been clearly marked as so.

4) If chosen for award, that Thornton may accept, reject, or negotiate all proposed changes to the terms and conditions of the sample Agreement and all other Vendor proposed terms and conditions.

Should an Agreement be unable to be reached between Thornton and my firm, I acknowledge that Thornton retains the sole discretion to reject the award made and move to another Vendor for award and contractual negotiations.

Proposing Vendor’s Name:

Submitted By (Printed):

Submitted By (Signature):

G.3 REFERENCES AND AUTHORIZATION AND RELEASE FORM:

REFERENCE AUTHORIZATION FORM

A Corporation By: , A Partnership whose address is (Proposing firm) An Individual (Circle One)

Proposing firm has submitted a sealed Proposal to the City of Thornton (Thornton) for this solicitation.

Proposing firm hereby authorizes Thornton to perform such investigation of proposing firm as Thornton deems necessary to establish the qualifications, responsibility, trustworthiness, and financial ability of the proposing firm. By its signature hereon, the proposing firm authorizes Thornton to obtain reference information concerning the proposing firm and releases the party providing such information named above and Thornton from any and all liability to the proposing firm as a result of any reference information provided.

Proposing firm further authorizes Thornton to discuss and release any and all information regarding the Proposing firm’s performance on its forthcoming services related to this project or other past projects upon receiving a request for such information. Proposing firm releases Thornton from any and all liability associated with such a release of information.

Proposing firm further waives any right to receive copies of reference information provided to Thornton. A copy or facsimile of this executed Reference Authorization and Release Form may be used with the same effectiveness as an original.

Proposing Vendor’s Name:

Submitted By (Printed):

Submitted By (Signature):

AUTHORIZATION FOR SOLICITATION POSTING

H.1 PURCHASING MANAGER FORM:

All communications regarding this solicitation shall be directed to the Purchasing Analyst of Record listed within this solicitation in Section A.2 – Purchasing Analyst of Record.

This solicitation has been reviewed and approved for a public posting by the Thornton Purchasing Manager.

Andrew Miskell, CPPB Purchasing Manager