267040 RFP.pdf

Public Works Department

Subsurface Utility

Exploration Services

RFP NUMBER: 267040

CLOSING DATE: May 29, 2026 AT 4:00 PM (LOCAL TIME)

Page 1 Request for Proposal

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) NUMBER: 267040

Subsurface Utility Exploration Services

INTRODUCTION

The City of Salem, hereinafter referred to as “City”, is seeking proposals from qualified Proposers for providing subsurface utility exploration services on a continuing services basis.

The successful Proposer(s) shall provide subsurface utility exploration to determine the horizontal and vertical location of underground utilities. The utilities shall be premarked pursuant to ORS

952.001. The successful Proposer(s) shall provide all necessary traffic control. The potholing shall be done with a water jet/vacuum excavation method to minimize damage to the utility. The pothole shall be backfilled with native material or controlled density backfill as specified for each individual project. Surface restoration in paved areas shall be permanent cold mix or hot mix asphalt concrete to the depth specified. Surface restoration in non-paved areas shall match the pre-existing conditions.

Proposals will be received until, but not after 4:00 PM (local time), May 29, 2026.

Completed proposals must arrive electronically via Equity Hub’s Bid Locker at https://bidlocker.us/a/salem_or/BidLocker. The City will not accept proposals submitted in any other manner.

NO LATE PROPOSALS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Your proposal must be uploaded prior to the Closing Date and Time. The City strongly recommends that you give yourself sufficient time and at least ONE (1) day before the closing date and time to begin the uploading process and to finalize your submission. The City accepts no responsibility for non-receipt and/or delays in receipt caused by transmission and reception problems, equipment failure, or any other similar cause. Each Proposal is instantly sealed and will only be visible to the City after the closing date and time. Uploading large documents may take significant time, depending on the size of the file(s) and your internet connection speed. You will receive an email confirmation receipt once you finalize your submission. Supported web browsers:

Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Vivaldi. Need Help? Please contact Equity Hub at help@equityhub.us or (267) 225-1407 for technical questions related to your submission.

The Vendor Guide for Bid Locker can be found at Vendor Guide for Bid Locker.

Prospective proposers may obtain these solicitation documents by registering on the OregonBuys website and downloading them. Proposers shall consult the OregonBuys system regularly until closing date and time to avoid missing any notices. To register on OregonBuys go to https://oregonbuys.gov. The City shall advertise all Addenda on OregonBuys. Prospective proposers are solely responsible for checking OregonBuys to determine whether or not any

Addenda have been issued. RFP documents will not be mailed to prospective proposers.

https://bidlocker.us/a/salem_or/BidLocker mailto:help@equityhub.us https://bidlocker.us/files/Vendor%20Guide%20-%20Bid%20Locker%20Base.pdf https://oregonbuys.gov/bso/view/login/login.xhtml https://oregonbuys.gov/bso/view/login/login.xhtml https://oregonbuys.gov/bso/view/login/login.xhtml https://oregonbuys.gov/ https://oregonbuys.gov/bso/view/login/login.xhtml

Page 2 Request for Proposal

Any objections to or comments upon the RFP specifications must be submitted in writing to the office of the Contracts and Procurement Manager, by email sself@cityofsalem.net.

They must be received no later than May 15, 2026 at 5:00 PM (local time).

Proposals received will be held confidential until a recommendation for award has been approved by the Department Director. Thereafter, all Proposals will be available for public inspection by submitting a Public Records Request through the City Recorders Office Public Records Request |

Salem, Oregon (cityofsalem.net).

The City will be the sole judge in determining award of Agreement and reserves the right to reject all Proposals.

Human Rights: It is the express policy of the City that no person shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity on the grounds of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, marital status, familial status or domestic partnership, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or source of income as provided by Salem Revised Code Chapter 97, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other federal nondiscrimination laws. The City’s complete Title

VI Plan may be viewed at Equity & Accessibility | Salem, Oregon (cityofsalem.net). Proposer agrees to comply with all applicable requirements of federal, state, and local civil rights and rehabilitation statutes, rules, and regulations if awarded an agreement by the City.

Solicitations for Subcontracts, Including Procurements of Materials and Equipment: In all solicitations, either by competitive bidding or negotiation made by the successful proposer for work to be performed under a subcontract, including procurements of materials or leases of equipment, each potential subcontractor or supplier shall be notified by the successful proposer of the successful proposer’s obligations under this Agreement and the Salem Revised Code Chapter

97, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other federal nondiscrimination laws.

Note: Errors and Omissions Liability Insurance Coverage will be required.

The City is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.

Questions regarding the City’s RFP process may be addressed to Shawna Self, CPPB, Contracts and Procurement Manager, who may be reached at (503) 588-6445 or by email at sself@cityofsalem.net during City business hours.

The City operates and maintains Americans with Disabilities Act compliant facilities.

Reasonable accommodations are available upon request.

Shawna Self, NIGP-CPP, CPPB, Manager

Contracts and Procurement

FIRST DATE OF SOLICITATION: May 4, 2026

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NUMBER: 267040

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL CLOSING: May 29, 2026 at 4:00 PM (Local Time) mailto:sself@cityofsalem.net https://www.cityofsalem.net/government/public-records-request https://www.cityofsalem.net/government/public-records-request https://www.cityofsalem.net/government/equity-accessibility

Page 3 Request for Proposal

RFP #267040

Subsurface Utility Exploration Services

The City of Salem (“City”) is a municipal corporation serving a community with a population of approximately 177,600. It is the capital of the State of Oregon and the county seat of Marion

County. The City has a Council-Manager form of government with an elected mayor and council.

The City has approximately 1,300 employees and nine operating departments (listed below).

City Manager Legal

Community Services Community Planning and Development

Enterprise Services Police

Fire Public Works

Finance

SECTION 1: BACKGROUND

1.1 Services

The City is seeking proposals to hire Consultants of Record (COR) to provide services on a continuing services basis (see Subsection 1.7). Services will be provided under renewable annual contracts with up to a maximum of four (4) additional one (1) year renewal periods.

Under these contracts, work will be assigned on a project-by-project basis. This process will provide the City with another mechanism to procure services. Additionally, these services may be used to provide technical expertise not possessed by the City staff as needed for various assignments. It is also expected that other City Departments will use these contracts on a limited basis as approved by the Contract Administrator. There are no predetermined, known project assignments at the time of this RFP.

1.2 Primary / Alternate Consultants

The City, via this competitive RFP process, will select a firm to be named as the primary

Consultant of Record (COR) and an additional firm to be named as an alternate Consultant of Record (COR) in the event multiple jobs need to be performed simultaneously that exceed the primary COR’s ability to complete within the City’s required schedule, or agreement cannot be reached with the primary COR on fees for a specific project.

Generally, work will be offered first to the primary COR. The intent is for the primary

COR to be the primary provider of services under this process. The City reserves the right to select either the primary or alternate COR for a project assignment if, at the City’s sole discretion, it is in the City’s best interest to do so.

1.3 Termination of Contract

There will be no guarantee as to the amount of work or size of project, if any, that the primary COR or the alternate COR will be given under these contracts. Generally, work

Page 4 Request for Proposal will be offered first to the primary COR unless at the City’s sole discretion it is in the City’s best interest to offer work to the alternate COR. The City reserves the right to terminate the contract with the primary COR or alternate COR if, after multiple refusals of projects by the COR(s), the City determines at its sole discretion that the intent of the process is not being served.

1.4 Consultant Reimbursable Expenses

See Appendix C for details.

1.5 Project Dollar Limits

The maximum annual and individual project dollar limits are shown in the table in

Subsection 1.7.

1.6 Rate Increases

The negotiated contracts will include set hourly rate schedules for the term of the contract set by each firm following successful consultant selection. Rates may be increased as approved by the City, for each annual contract renewal, at a rate no greater than the inflationary rate for the preceding contract year (July 1 to June 30) as calculated by the

Consumer Price Index for this region as published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Proposers must request increases at the time of contract renewal for next fiscal year.

1.7 Categories and Maximum Contract Amounts

Category of Service

Annual

Contract

Maximum

Individual

Project

Maximum

RFP

Reference

Number

Subsurface Utility Exploration

Services

$75,000.00

$25,000.00

267040

SECTION 2: SCOPE OF REQUESTED SERVICES

2.1 The Consultants of Record shall provide general subsurface utility exploration services on an assignment by assignment basis and for a “not to exceed” fee based on the established rates for the contract. The City makes no guarantee as to the volume of work, if any, that will be assigned in any given contract year. Each project assignment will consist of a specific scope of services as described in subsection 2.2. However, generally services shall include but not be limited to, the general scope of services as shown in subsection 2.5.

2.2 The COR shall deliver a written, signed project proposal within five (5) business days, (or

Page 5 Request for Proposal as otherwise required by the City’s Contract Administrator), following the City’s verbal or written request for proposal for a specific project assignment. The project proposal shall include a detailed description of the scope of the project and breakdown of the hours required for the project utilizing the hourly rates as referenced in this RFP. The proposal shall also include a schedule of work required to complete the project within the City’s required time frame. The City will review the proposal and, if approved, issue a Purchase

Order Release. If a fee, scope, or schedule acceptable to the City is not negotiated within five (5) business days from the time of the delivery of the proposal, the City reserves the right to withdraw the offer and offer the project to the alternate COR or use another method to procure the services.

2.3 The primary COR agrees to provide services for all projects offered by the City unless multiple projects exceed the primary COR’s ability to complete the work within the required time frames. The City, at its sole discretion, can offer a project to the alternate

COR if the primary COR cannot perform within the required time frame, and/or the City and the primary COR cannot reach agreement on scope, fee, and/or schedule, and/or the

City determines it is in the City’s best interest to do so.

2.4 The COR shall designate a key staff person to be the City’s primary contact for the duration of the annual contract. Substitution of these persons shall be by written request and subsequent approval by the City. The City expects the COR to maintain the same project manager and key team members through the duration of the project. The City reserves the right to accept or reject requests by the COR to change the team during the project.

2.5 GENERAL SCOPE

2.5.1 SUBSURFACE UTILITY EXPLORATION

The successful Proposer(s) shall provide subsurface utility exploration to determine the horizontal and vertical location of underground utilities. The utilities shall be premarked pursuant to ORS 952.001. The successful Proposer(s) shall provide all necessary traffic control. The potholing shall be done with a water jet/vacuum excavation method to minimize damage to the utility. The pothole shall be backfilled with native material or controlled density backfill as specified for each individual project. Surface restoration in paved areas shall be permanent cold mix or hot mix asphalt concrete to the depth specified.

Surface restoration in non-paved areas shall match the pre-existing conditions.

Page 6 Request for Proposal

SECTION 3: PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS

Organization of the Proposal

Proposers must organize and present their proposal materials in the same order as presented below, and include page numbers. Proposals received without following this format, or received after the deadline and stated place of delivery, may be rejected as non-responsive.

3.1 COVER LETTER

A. A cover letter indicating the Proposer’s understanding and compliance of the services as specified in the Section 2, Scope of Requested Services, to be performed and the approach to provide these services to meet the needs of the City. State clearly whether or not the Proposer would accept a contract to be an Alternate COR. Signatory of this letter shall be authorized to contractually bind you to a contract with the City. Include your company name, address, contact person, and email address.

3.2 QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

A. Brief summary of the organization, structure, and size of the proposer.

B. Identify the individual(s) in your firm who will provide these services to the

City. Describe specifically the number of years of experience they have in performing the work that is needed by the City and summarize their qualifications to provide these services to the City. Summarize specifically their experience using City design and construction standards, codes and policies and procedures.

3.3 SURVEY OF PAST CLIENTS

A. A list of clients with telephone numbers for all projects and services performed within the last five years by the individuals identified in 3.2 above that are most closely related to the scope of requested services.

3.4 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

A. Provide the definitions of pothole, coring, backfill, etc. Include in definitions the size, depth, etc.

B. Potholing can be shown for a standard depth (ie. 42” 60”, etc). Provide your firm’s standard depth for potholing.

C. Surface restoration in paved areas shall be done with compacted cold patching using Unique Paving Materials (UPM) (a permanent cold patch)

Page 7 Request for Proposal or similar materials. Hot mix asphalt concrete may also be required. Surface restoration in non-paved areas are to match existing conditions. Discuss how surface restoration will be handled.

D. Traffic control will be required. Some projects can be done with just signs and cones. Others will require flaggers. Discuss how traffic control will be handled.

E. Data collection and reporting will be required. Discuss how the horizontal and vertical location of the utility will be referenced, accuracy of locate, etc.

3.5 FEE PROPOSAL

A. A fee schedule of hourly rates broken down per staff classifications. These hourly rates will be incorporated in the COR contract, and will be those used for the duration of the contracts, except for inflationary adjustments as detailed in subsection 1.6 and 6.12. Hourly rates shall include billing rates for straight and overtime. Also include a statement as to the categories of reimbursable expenses not included in hourly rates.

B. Provide costs for potholing, coring, backfill and any other fees that would be associated with the scope of services.

C. Provide rate for your firm’s standard depth for potholing, also provide added costs per inch over the standard depth.

D. Provide added costs for backfill including return and compacting excavated materials up to the bottom of the road surfacing. Provide cost for controlled density backfill if required.

E. Provide costs involved for surface restoration.

F. Provide costs involved for traffic control.

G. It is anticipated that the more potholes done at a given location, the less the cost per pothole due to only one mobilization, etc. Provide prices for the following example numbers of potholes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6-12, 13-18, and over

18.

H. In order to keep the administration of the contracts as simple as possible, the City would like to be able to determine a cost per pothole that includes

Page 8 Request for Proposal the following elements: coring, excavation, backfill, surface restoration, traffic control for a particular project. Also list any other costs that may be associated.

SECTION 4 PROPOSAL EVALUATION CRITERIA AND SELECTION PROCESS

4.1 Evaluation Criteria

Although cost of services is important, the City will not necessarily select the lowest cost proposal for the award. The City reserves the right to award a contract based on initial proposal submittals or, at the sole discretion of the City, to conduct interviews with any or all of the proposers. Any interviews shall be held for the purpose of clarity of proposals and will not be scored. However, the Proposal Selection Committee members may use the interview process as an opportunity to adjust their original proposal scores to reflect any additional understanding of proposals that they derived from the interviews. In addition to submitted proposal information, the City reserves the right to use any information that it is aware of, independent of the submitted proposals, in determining consideration of contract award.

The City will not pay for any costs incurred by proposer in responding to this RFP to include costs to the proposer to conduct interviews and presentations.

The evaluation criteria to be used for this RFP are summarized below:

A. Cover Letter (Pass/Fail)

The cover letter will be scored on a pass / fail basis. If a cover letter is included the score will be a pass; if none is included, then the score will be a fail and the proposal will not be considered for award.

B. Qualifications and Experience. 25 points out of 100 points may be awarded for

Qualifications and Experience.

Qualifications will consider the professional qualifications and capacity of the firm to provide municipal public works subsurface utility exploration services.

Individual staff qualifications including licensing, educational degrees, and special training and/or certifications will be part of the evaluation. Individual staff, to be assigned to a project, will also be evaluated on their position in the company and level of responsibility, i.e.: Principle, Senior, Associate, etc.

Experience will consider the prior experience the firm and individual staff proposed for this contract have in performing work similar to the work required herein and on municipal public works projects in such public improvement projects as sanitary sewer systems, storm drainage systems, water systems, and street

Page 9 Request for Proposal systems.

The firms and their staffs with the best qualifications and experience that directly relate to the work required herein will obtain higher points than other proposing firms.

C. Survey of past clients. 15 points out of 100 points may be awarded for Survey of past clients.

Proposer must list three to five good references from other Cities, Counties or State

Agencies, preferably in Oregon. The better the references relate to the work required to be performed as stated within the Scope of Requested Services within this RFP, and the better their recommendations, the higher the points assigned.

D. Additional Information. 30 points out of 100 points may be awarded for

Additional Information as specified in 3.4.

The Proposer is to provide their firm’s definitions or narrative descriptions of each of the items specified in 3.4.

E. Fee Proposal. 30 points out of 100 points may be awarded for Fee Proposal.

1) A fee schedule of hourly rates broken down per staff classifications. These hourly rates will be incorporated in the COR contract, and will be those used for the duration of the contracts, except for inflationary adjustments in subsection 1.6 and 6.12. Hourly rates shall include billing rates for straight and overtime. Also include a statement as to the categories of reimbursable expenses not included in hourly rates. The City will not pay travel time and travel expenses.

2) Provide costs for potholing, coring, backfill and any other fees that would be associated with the scope of services.

3) Provide rate for your firm’s standard depth for potholing, also provide added cost per inch over the standard depth.

4) Provide added costs for backfill including returning and compacting excavated materials up to the bottom of the road surfacing. Provide cost for controlled density backfill if required.

5) Provide costs involved for surface restoration.

Page 10 Request for Proposal

6) Provide costs involved for traffic control.

7) It is anticipated that the more potholes done at a given location, the less the cost per pothole due to only one mobilization, etc. Provide prices for the following example numbers of potholes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6-12, 13-18, and Over

18.

8) In order to keep the administration of this contract as simple as possible, the city would like to be able to determine a cost per pothole that includes the following elements: coring, excavation, backfill, surface restoration, traffic control for a particular project. Also list any other costs that may be associated.

A tabular presentation of the cost per pothole information would be the most useful in analyzing the data. Example tables are shown on the next page. These are examples only, proposer can use other formats.

Cost per pothole – Standard Pothole depth of 42 inches with 4-inch pavement core & restoration

# of Potholes 1 2 3 4 5 6-12 13-18 Over 18

Excavation, 42"

Coring, 4" thick

Density backfill

Restoration, 4”thick

Sub-total

Without Flagging

Flagging Estimate

Total with Flagging

Cost per pothole – Standard Pothole depth of 60-inches with 4-inch pavement core & restoration

# of Potholes 1 2 3 4 5 6-12 13-18 Over 18

Excavation, 42"

Coring, 4” thick

Potholing 18"@$

Density backfill

Density fill 18"@$

Restoration, 4" thick

Sub-total

Without Flagging

Flagging Estimate

Total with Flagging

Page 11 Request for Proposal

4.2 Selection Process

A RFP Selection Committee will be appointed by the City to evaluate and rank all qualifying proposals received by the closing date. If no acceptable arrangements can be made, negotiations with the next highest ranked proposer will occur.

The successful proposer will be required to complete an Agreement in the form of a

Personal Services Agreement (sample included in Appendix A), which will incorporate this RFP and proposer’s response as a part of the Agreement.

Page 12 Request for Proposal

SECTION 5: INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSERS

This section contains administrative and procedural information and instructions for preparation and submittal of the proposal. Note: This RFP process offers several opportunities for prospective proposers to submit formal protests. Filing a protest with the

City requires submitting $500.00 with the formal written protest. Prospective proposers and proposers wishing to submit objections to or comments on RFP specifications of a non-protest nature, must submit them in writing to the office of the Contracts &

Procurement, by email sself@cityofsalem.net. They must be received no later than May 15, 2026, at 5:00 PM (local time). There is no fee for filing objections to or comments on RFP specifications of this non-protest nature.

5.1 Anticipated Schedule (subject to change)

May 4, 2026 ................................................................................... Begin RFP Solicitation

May 15, 2026 at 5:00 PM (local time) ................................. Questions/Clarifications Due

May 29, 2026 at 4:00 PM (local time) .................................................. RFP Closing Date

June 2026 ............................................................... Notice of Intent to Award Agreement

June 2026 ............................................................... Agreement Award (Anticipated Date)

July 1, 2026 ............................................................................................ Notice to Proceed

5.2 Qualification Requirements

Each proposer shall respond to the proposal requirements as presented in Section 3, Proposal Submittal Requirements, of this RFP. Proposals received without the required information may be rejected as being non-responsive.

The City shall have the right to disqualify any proposal as a result of the information gathered in its research.

5.3 Pre-Proposal Interpretation of RFP and Requested Changes

Technical questions relating to the requirement and scope of services of this RFP and/or the RFP process should be directed in writing to the Contracts and Procurement Manager, Contracts and Procurement, by email: sself@cityofsalem.net.

Any clarification or interpretation of the proposal documents will be made only by written notification. The City is not responsible for any explanation, clarification, or interpretation given in any manner except by written notification.

Any person who contemplates submitting a proposal in response to this RFP and who wishes to have the City consider a change in any part of this RFP shall submit to the

Contracts and Procurement Manager of the City of Salem a written request for a change or substitution no later than 5:00 PM (local time), May 15, 2026. The request shall include the proposed change and the reason for the change. Protest against award based on the scope of services or other content of this RFP will not be considered after this time.

Changes to this RFP document shall only be by written addenda.

A copy of any written clarification, interpretation and addendum will be posted on

OregonBuys.

mailto:sself@cityofsalem.net

Page 13 Request for Proposal

5.4 Protest of Solicitation Document and the Procurement Process

A prospective proposer may protest the procurement process or the solicitation document for an Agreement. A prospective proposer must deliver a written protest to the Contracts and Procurement Manager (email: sself@cityofsalem.net) no later than 5:00 PM (local time), May 15, 2026. The prospective proposers shall indicate the reasons for the disagreement through a written protest and shall include a statement of the desired changes to the procurement process or the solicitation document that the prospective proposer believes will remedy the conditions upon which the prospective proposer based its protest.

The written protest must be submitted with a certified check or cashier's check in the amount of $500.00 to cover the costs of processing the protest. The check shall be submitted via USPS, UPS, or FedEx.

5.5 Execution of the Proposal

The proposal shall be executed in the name of the proposer followed by the signature of the officer authorized to sign for the printed or typewritten designation of the office held.

If the proposal is made by a partnership, it shall be executed in the name of the partnership followed by the signature of an authorized partner.

If the proposal is made by a Limited Liability Company (LLC), it shall be executed in the name of the LLC followed by the signature of the authorized member(s) or manager(s) authorized to sign for the LLC and the printed or typewritten designation of the office held in the LLC.

If the proposal is made by a corporation, it shall be executed in the name of the corporation followed by the signature of the officer authorized to sign for the corporation and the printed or typewritten designation of the office they hold in the corporation.

If the proposal is made by a joint venture, it shall be executed by each participant of the joint venture.

5.6 Submission of Proposal

Proposals will be received until, but not after 4:00 PM (local time), May 29, 2026.

Completed proposals must arrive electronically via Equity Hub’s Bid Locker at https://bidlocker.us/a/salem_or/BidLocker. The City will not accept proposals submitted in any other manner.

NO LATE PROPOSALS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Your proposal must be uploaded prior to the Closing Date and Time. The City strongly recommends that you give yourself sufficient time and at least ONE (1) day before the closing date and time to begin the uploading process and to finalize your submission. The

City accepts no responsibility for non-receipt and/or delays in receipt caused by transmission and reception problems, equipment failure, or any other similar cause. Each https://bidlocker.us/a/salem_or/BidLocker

Page 14 Request for Proposal

Proposal is instantly sealed and will only be visible to the City after the closing date and time. Uploading large documents may take significant time, depending on the size of the file(s) and your internet connection speed. You will receive an email confirmation receipt once you finalize your submission.

Supported web browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Vivaldi.

Need Help?

Please contact Equity Hub at help@equityhub.us or 267-225-1407 for technical questions related to your submission.

The Vendor Guide for Bid Locker can be found at Vendor Guide for Bid Locker.

5.7 Response Date

Delivery in the manner stated herein and completeness of submittals as required by this

RFP shall be solely the responsibility of the proposer(s). Submission of proposals or additional information offered after the closing date and time shall not be accepted or considered.

5.8 Withdrawal of Proposal

Proposer(s) may withdraw their proposal, by written notice submitted on the proposer's letterhead, signed by the proposer's authorized representative, delivered to the Contracts and Procurement Office by email at contracts@cityofsalem.net. To be effective, the withdrawal must be received prior to closing date and time. The proposer shall mark a written request to withdraw its proposal as follows: “Proposal Withdrawal - RFP #267040.”

5.9 Notice to Proceed

The successful proposer(s) may be given ten (10) calendar days to execute the Agreement and return it to the City. Contractual work may not begin until the notice to proceed has been issued. The notice to proceed will be issued after execution of the Agreements by the

City. The notice to proceed will authorize commencement of the work based on the

Agreement.

5.10 Rights of City to Award or Reject Proposals

This RFP does not commit the City to award or enter into an Agreement. Under no circumstances will the City pay the costs incurred in the preparation of a response to this

RFP. The City reserves the right to:

• Accept or reject any or all proposals or any portion thereof received as a result of this

RFP.

• Negotiate with any proposer(s).

• Accept a proposal and subsequent offers for Agreement from other than the lowest cost proposed.

• Waive any immaterial defects and irregularities in proposals and to waive or modify any irregularities in proposals received, after prior notification to the proposer(s).

mailto:help@equityhub.us https://bidlocker.us/files/Vendor%20Guide%20-%20Bid%20Locker%20Base.pdf

Page 15 Request for Proposal

• In determining the most responsive proposer, take into consideration any or all information supplied by the proposer in the proposal and the City’s investigation into the experience of the proposer. In addition, the City may accept or reject proposals based on minor variations from the stated scope of services and when such action is deemed to be in the City’s best interest.

• Negotiate a final scope and price with the selected proposer that may differ in some respects from this RFP.

• To seek clarifications of each proposal.

• If proposer chooses to participate in negotiations, they may be asked to submit additional information, or other revisions to their proposal as may be required.

• Consider proposal modifications received at any time before the award is made, if such action is in the best interest of the City.

• To negotiate a final Agreement that is in the best interest of the City.

5.11 Contract Administrator

The Contract Administrator is Mary Kopp. All questions relating to the RFP process should be directed in writing to Shawna Self, CPPB, Contracts and Procurement Manager, by email to: sself@cityofsalem.net.

5.12 Economy of Proposal Preparation

Proposals should be prepared simply and economically, by providing a straightforward, concise description of the proposer’s capabilities related to specified elements units or services. Proposals should not include any information not specifically identified or specified as a required response.

5.13 Addenda

In the event that it becomes necessary to revise any part of this RFP, an addendum will be posted on OregonBuys. Prospective proposers are solely responsible for checking

OregonBuys to determine whether or not any addenda have been issued. The City is not responsible for any explanation, clarification, interpretation, or approval made or given in any manner except by addenda. Addenda, if necessary, will be issued not later than five (5)

City business days prior to the RFP closing date. Addenda shall be signed by the same individual that signs the proposal and SHALL BE SUBMITTED with the proposal.

Proposals received without properly signed addenda may be considered non-responsive.

5.14 Protests of Addenda

A prospective proposer may submit a written protest to an addendum within forty-eight

(48) hours by the close of the City’s next business day after issuance of the addendum. The written protest shall (1) Sufficiently identify the addendum being protested; (2) Identify the specific grounds that demonstrate how the addenda is contrary to law, unnecessarily restrictive, legally flawed or improperly specifies a brand name; (3) Include evidence or supporting documentation that supports the grounds on which the protest is based; (4)

Identify the relief sought; and (5) Include a statement of the desired changes to the addendum that the prospective proposer believes will remedy the conditions upon which mailto:sself@cityofsalem.net

Page 16 Request for Proposal the prospective proposer based its protest. The City will not consider a protest to matters not added or modified by the protested addendum. Delivered to the Contracts and

Procurement Division, via email to contracts@cityofsalem.net.

The written protest must be submitted with a certified check or cashier's check in the amount of $500.00 to cover the costs of processing the protest. The check shall be submitted via USPS, UPS, or FedEx.

5.15 Acceptance of Proposal Content

The contents of the proposal of the successful proposer will become contractual obligations if acceptance action ensues. Failure of the successful proposer to accept these obligations in an Agreement may result in cancellation of the award.

5.16 Public Records and Confidentiality of Proposal

This RFP and one copy of each original response received, together with copies of all documents pertaining to the selection of the successful proposer and execution of a copy of the executed agreement, shall be kept for the City by the Contracts and Procurement

Office for a period of five (5) years and made a part of a file or record which shall be open to public inspection.

Public Records. By submitting a proposal, the proposer acknowledges that information submitted in response to this RFP is open to public inspection under the Oregon Public

Records Law, ORS 192.311 through 192.513. The proposer is responsible for becoming familiar with and understanding the provisions of the Public Records Law.

Note: Under no circumstances will any proposal information be disclosed by the

Contracts and Procurement Office prior to receiving a written recommendation to award from the Department Director.

5.17 Human Rights

It is the express policy of the City that no person shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity on the grounds of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, marital status, familial status or domestic partnership, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or source of income as provided by the Salem Revised Code

Chapter 97, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other federal non-discrimination laws. The City’s complete Title VI Plan may be viewed at www.cityofsalem.net.

Successful proposer agrees to comply with all applicable requirements of federal, state, and local civil rights and rehabilitation statutes, rules and regulations if awarded an

Agreement by the City.

Solicitations for Subcontracts, Including Procurements of Materials and Equipment:

In all solicitations either by competitive bidding or negotiation made by the successful proposer for work to be performed under a subcontract, including procurements of materials or leases of equipment, each potential subcontractor or supplier shall be notified by the successful proposer of the successful proposer's obligations under this Agreement mailto:contracts@cityofsalem.net http://www.cityofsalem.net/

Page 17 Request for Proposal and the Salem Revised Code Chapter 97, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other federal non-discrimination laws. (See Appendix B.)

5.18 Discrimination in Subcontracting Prohibited

Proposer agrees not to discriminate against disadvantaged business enterprise, a minority-owned business, a woman-owned business, a veteran-owned or an emerging small business certified under ORS 200.055 in awarding subcontracts as required by ORS 279A.110.

5.19 Notice of Intent to Award

All responsive and evaluated proposers to this RFP will be notified of the City’s intent to award an Agreement not less than seven (7) days prior to award. The City will issue a notice of intent to award based on the results of its evaluation process. The notice of intent to award will be posted on OregonBuys only.

5.20 Protest of Intent to Award

A proposer may protest the award of the Agreement or the intent to award such Agreement, whichever occurs first, if the proposer claims to have been adversely affected or aggrieved by the selection of a proposer. A proposer submitting a protest must claim that the protesting proposer is the highest ranked proposer because the proposals of all higher ranked proposers failed to meet the requirements of this RFP or because the highest ranked proposers otherwise are not qualified to perform the services described in this RFP. The proposer must deliver the written protest to the Contracts and Procurement Division to contracts@cityofsalem.net, within seven (7) days after issuance of the notice of intent to award the Agreement or if no notice of intent to award is issued, within forty-eight (48) hours after award. A proposer’s written protest shall specify the grounds for protest to be considered by the City pursuant to ORS 279B.410(2). The City Manager shall not consider a proposer’s award protest submitted after the above timeline. The written protest must be submitted with a certified check or cashier's check in the amount of $500.00 to cover the costs of processing the protest. The check shall be submitted via USPS, UPS, or FedEx.

5.21 Incurred Costs

Neither the City, nor its officers, agents, or employees are liable for any cost incurred by proposer(s) prior to issuance of an agreement, or purchase order. All prospective proposer(s) who respond to this RFP do so solely at the proposer's cost and expense.

5.22 No Warranty

All facts and opinion stated within this RFP and all supporting documents and data are based upon information available from a variety of sources. No representation or warranty is made with respect thereto.

5.23 Statement of Time

A period of time, unless stated as a number of City business days, shall include Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

Page 18 Request for Proposal

The word “day” as used in this RFP document, and any resulting Agreement awarded as a result of this process, shall constitute a calendar day of twenty-four (24) hours measured from midnight to the next midnight.

When a time period is identified by days, it is computed by excluding the first day and including the last day. When the last day falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or City’s holiday, that time period shall extend to the next City business day.

5.24 Right to Audit

The successful proposer shall maintain financial records and other records as may be prescribed by the City or by applicable federal and state laws, rules, and regulations. The successful proposer(s) shall retain these records for a period of five (5) years after final payment, or until they are audited by the City, whichever event occurs first. These records shall be made available during the term of the Agreement and the subsequent five-year period for examination, transcription, and audit by the City, its designees, or other authorized bodies.

5.25 Accept or Reject Proposals

The City reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals in response to this RFP without cause or to delay or cancel this RFP process without liability to the City if the City determines it is in the public interest to do so.

5.26 Additional Information

The City reserves the right to request additional information following their initial review of the proposal documents that the City deems reasonably necessary to evaluate, rank, and select the most qualified proposer(s). The City staff may conduct a review and verification of confidential information with staff and consultants.

5.27 Right to Modify Process

The City reserves the right to modify the selection process or other aspects of this RFP process at its sole discretion. The Contracts and Procurement Office will take reasonable steps to ensure that any modification or clarification to this RFP are posted on OregonBuys.

5.28 Debarment of Proposer

The Contracts and Procurement Manager may debar prospective proposers from consideration for Agreements for a period of not more than three (3) years if:

1. The prospective proposer has been convicted of a criminal offense as an incident in obtaining or attempting to obtain a public or private contract subcontract or in the performance of such contract or subcontract;

2. The prospective proposer has been convicted under state or federal statutes of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification, or destruction of records, receiving stolen property, or any other offense indicating a lack of business integrity or business honesty that currently, seriously, and directly affects the prospective proposer’s responsibility as a contractor;

Page 19 Request for Proposal

3. The prospective proposer has been convicted under state or federal antitrust statutes;

4. The prospective proposer has committed a violation of a contract provision that is regarded by the Contracts & Procurement Manager or the Construction Contractors

Board to be so serious as to justify debarment. A violation may include but is not limited to a failure to perform the terms of a contract or an unsatisfactory performance in accordance with the terms of the contract. A failure to perform or an unsatisfactory performance caused by acts beyond the control of the contractor may not be considered to be a basis for debarment; or

5. The prospective proposer does not carry any insurance as required by applicable law.

The Contracts and Procurement Manager shall give written notice of the reasons for the debarment and the proposed length of debarment to the person for whom debarment is being considered. The proposer shall be given not less than fourteen (14) days to respond to the

Contracts and Procurement Manager in writing. The Contracts and Procurement Manager shall issue a written decision that states the reason for the action taken and that informs the proposer of the proposer’s appeal rights.

5.29 Proposals submitted by City Employees Prohibited

The City will not purchase any goods or services from City employees unless City Council expressly authorizes the purchase, or the purchase is necessary during a state of emergency and the City Manager approves the purchase.

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SECTION 6: AGREEMENT TERMS AND REQUIREMENTS

6.1 Forfeiture of the Agreement

This Agreement may be canceled at the election of the City at any time for any willful failure or refusal by the successful proposer to perform according to the terms of an

Agreement as herein provided.

6.2 Non-Assignment

If an Agreement is awarded, it shall not be assigned, nor duties be delegated, in part or in total without consent of the City. Reasonable requests for assignment of the Agreements may be granted based on the sole determination of the City.

6.3 Liability Insurance

Successful proposer shall obtain and maintain during the term of this Agreement, a policy or policies of liability insurance including commercial general liability insurance with a combined single limit, or the equivalent, of not less than $2,000,000 (two million dollars) for each occurrence for Bodily Injury and Property Damage.

The insurance required shall include the following coverages:

• Comprehensive General or Commercial General Liability, including personal injury, contractual liability, and products/completed operations coverage;

• Automobile Liability.

Each policy of such insurance shall be on an "occurrence" and not a "claims made" form, and shall:

• Name as additional insured "the City of Salem, Oregon, its officers, agents and employees";

• Apply to each named and additional named insured as though a separate policy had been issued to each, provided that the policy limits shall not be increased thereby;

• Apply as primary coverage for each additional named insured except to the extent that two or more such policies are intended to "layer" coverage and, taken together, they provide total coverage from the first dollar of liability;

• Successful proposer shall immediately notify the City of any change in insurance coverage;

• Successful proposer shall supply an endorsement naming the City, its officers, employees and agents as additional insureds within sixty (60) days of the Effective

Date of the Agreement; and

• Be evidenced by a certificate or certificates of such insurance approved by the City.

6.4 Errors and Omissions

Successful proposer shall carry Errors and Omissions (professional liability) insurance coverage with combined single limits of not less than $2,000,000 (two million dollars).

Successful proposer shall furnish evidence of such coverage through a certificate of insurance in a form acceptable to the City.

Page 21 Request for Proposal

6.5 Workers’ Compensation Law

All subject employers working under an awarded Agreement are either employers that will comply with ORS 656.017 or employers that are exempt under ORS 656.126. Proof of compliance will be required prior to Agreement execution. (See Appendix A)

6.6 Laws of the State of Oregon

By submitting a proposal in response to this RFP, proposer(s) agree that, any terms and conditions stated within any agreement that is awarded as a result of this solicitation shall also include the following laws of the State of Oregon are hereby incorporated by reference into the Agreement: ORS 279B.220, 279B.230, and 279B.235.

Any Agreements awarded and/or purchase order issued as a result of this RFP shall be governed by the laws of the State of Oregon without regard to conflict of laws principles.

Exclusive venue for litigation of any action arising under the Agreement shall be in the

Circuit Court of the State of Oregon for Marion County unless exclusive jurisdiction is in federal court, in which case exclusive venue shall be in the federal district court for the district of Oregon. Each party expressly waives any and all rights to maintain an action under this Agreement in any other venue, and expressly consents that, upon motion of the other party, any case may be dismissed or its venue transferred, as appropriate, so as to effectuate this choice of venue.

6.7 Successful Proposer’s Compliance with Tax Laws

Successful proposer represents and warrants to the City that:

1. Successful proposer shall, throughout the term of this Agreement, including any extensions hereof, comply with:

A. All tax laws of the State of Oregon, including but not limited to ORS 305.620 and

ORS chapters 316, 317, and 318;

B. Any tax provisions imposed by a political subdivision of the State of Oregon applicable to successful proposer; and

C. Any rules, regulations, charter provisions, or ordinances that implement or enforce any of the foregoing tax laws or provisions.

2. If applicable, the successful proposer, for a period of no fewer than six (6) calendar years preceding the Effective Date of this Agreement, has faithfully complied with:

A. All tax laws of the State of Oregon, including but not limited to ORS 305.620 and

ORS chapters 316, 317, and 318;

B. Any tax provisions imposed by a political subdivision of the State of Oregon applicable to successful proposer; and

C. Any rules, regulations, charter provisions, or ordinances that implement or enforce any of the foregoing tax laws or provisions.

Successful proposer’s failure to comply with the tax laws of the State of Oregon and all applicable tax laws of any political subdivision of the State of Oregon shall constitute a material breach of this Agreement.