30-270100-DPH - Rabies Tags - Addendum 1.pdf

Office of Procurement, Contracts and Grants

Solicitation Addendum

Solicitation Number: 30-270100-DPH

Solicitation Description: Rabies Tags

Solicitation Opening Date and Time: October 12, 2026, at 2:00 PM ET

Addendum Number: 1

Addendum Date: October 01, 2026

Purchasing Agent: Amanda Kerstetter

1. THIS ADDENDUM DOES NOT NEED TO BE RETURNED.

2. FOLLOWING ARE QUESTIONS RECEIVED FOR THE SOLICITATION AND THE STATE’S RESPONSE TO

THE QUESTIONS.

Q

DOCUMENT

SECTION

VENDOR QUESTION RESPONSE

1 Section 5.1 Specifications, Pages 13 - 16

Could you please confirm whether an alternative to stamped serial numbers would be acceptable for the rabies tags? Our Technician has proposed UV-printed black serial numbers with a clear protective coating on the orange anodized tags, and laser-engraved serial numbers with a white/silver appearance on the silver anodized tags.

No. The specifications strictly require stamped straight-lined lettering on one side for both the 3-Year and 1-Year tags.

Laser engraving or UV printing alternatives do not conform to these explicit stamping setup requirements.

2 Section 5.1 Specifications, Pages 13 - 16

Please confirm whether black lettering is mandatory on both tag designs.

The specifications require straight-lined lettering stamped on one side of the tags.

For Item 1 (3-year tags), text is stamped onto on orange finish aluminum base. For Item 2 (1-year tags), text is stamped onto a plain bright aluminum (silver) finish base. Standard high-contrast legible stamping meeting recognized industry practices must be utilized.

3 Section 4.5 Delivery, Page 11;

Section 5.1 Specifications, Pages 13 - 16

Would the Department consider accepting the full tag and accessory quantities at one designated receiving location in exchange for a lower price? Our proposed offer would cover bulk delivery to that single location, with onward distribution handled by the Department.

No. The Department will not alter this requirement. The contract mandate explicitly required direct drop-ship delivery to approximately 1,521 individual statewide locations across North Carolina. Only remaining unallocated quantities from the initial order are to be shipped to the main Veterinary Public Health (VPH) office.

4 Section 4.9 References, Page

For an authorized reseller/distributor proposing products manufactured and fulfilled by an established manufacturer, may the Vendor

Bidders must provide at least three (3) references for which their own company has supplied the exact model of

NC DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Addendum Number: 1 submit qualifying references from the proposed manufacturer demonstrating successful performance supplying the exact or substantially similar products, or must all three required references reflect contracts performed directly by the bidding Vendor?

equipment offered. References from professional relationships or the manufacturer do not substitute for the vendor’s corporate references demonstrating their own past performance capability.

Reference: Section 4.9 – Customer References If a newer vendor has not previously supplied these exact products, may it provide references from similar government supply contracts and other professional or business relationships?

May the vendor supplement its references with the proposed manufacturer’s or fulfillment provider’s relevant past performance and customer references.

Bidders must provide at least three (3) references for which their own company has supplied the exact model of equipment offered. References from professional relationships or the manufacturer do not substitute for the vendor’s corporate references demonstrating their own past performance capability.

5 Section 4.8 Rabies Tag Samples, Pages 11 - 12

May the proposed manufacturer ship the required samples directly to the VPH sample address on behalf of the bidding Vendor, provided the shipment and samples clearly identify NECL Technology LLC as the bidder and include all required bid, item, and manufacturer information?

Additionally, please confirm whether physical samples are required for all five line items, including the S-hooks, split steel rivets, and split rings, or only for the two rabies tag line items.

Yes, the manufacturer may ship samples directly on your behalf, provided the external packaging is clearly labeled with the Bid Number, Item Number, Manufacturer’s Stock Number, and the Bidder’s Legal name. Physical samples are strictly required for each proposed product (all 5 line items), matching the exact dimensions specified.

6 Section 4.8 Rabies Tag Samples, Pages 11 - 12

The solicitation indicates that samples may be provided with a plain finish and without imprinting. Please confirm that samples are not required to contain the final contract-year color, serial numbering, or stamped wording, provided the proposed product otherwise demonstrates compliance with the required material, thickness, dimensions, shape, hole placement, and other applicable physical specifications.

Samples must be supplied with a plain finish and no imprint is required. They must, however, match the exact material, thickness, shape, hole placement, and physical dimensions specified in the solicitation to be considered responsive.

7 Section 4.6 Authorized Reseller, Page 11

If a Vendor proposes products manufactured by more than one manufacturer, for example, one manufacturer for the rabies tags and another for one or more accessories, is a separate manufacturer authorization statement required from each manufacturer whose product is included in the bid?

Bidders who are not the direct manufacturer of the items offered must be authorized distributors or resellers.

Bidders must provide a signed statement from the manufacturer confirming authorization for the products offered. If sourcing from multiple manufacturers, authorization statements must be attached for each.

8 Section 4.5 Delivery, Page 11;

Section 5.1 Specifications, Pages 13 - 16

Please confirm that the proposed manufacturer or its fulfillment facility may perform the required direct shipments to the individual veterinary locations on behalf of the Vendor, provided NECL Technology LLC remains the prime contractor responsible to the State for contract administration, invoicing, reporting, compliance, and overall contract performance.

The vendor may utilize a manufacturer or fulfillment facility to ship orders. However, the awarded vendor shall remain solely and fully liable and responsible for all performance, contract administration, invoicing, reporting, and fulfillment compliance.

9 Section 5.1 Specifications, Pages 13 - 16

The solicitation requires strict inside delivery, adult signature, and secure proof of delivery for shipments to the individual veterinary locations.

Standard commercial ground transit (such as FedEx or UPS) satisfies tracking requirement. Delivery must be safely brought inside the commercial veterinary

Please clarify what the State considers "inside delivery" for these shipments. Would standard commercial ground delivery by a carrier such as UPS or FedEx, with the package delivered to the veterinary facility and an adult signature/proof of delivery obtained, satisfy this requirement, or is an additional inside-delivery service required?

facility, and the carrier must successfully obtain an adult signature and secure proof of delivery.

10 Section 4.5 Delivery, Page 11;

Section 5.1 Specifications, Pages 13 - 16

For purposes of accurately incorporating transportation costs into the fixed unit pricing, if a carrier attempts delivery to a veterinary location but cannot complete delivery because the location is closed, an authorized recipient is unavailable, or another condition outside the Vendor's control prevents delivery, would any resulting redelivery, address-correction, return-to-sender, or reshipment charges be the responsibility of the Vendor?

If so, please confirm whether the State expects these potential costs to be incorporated into the Vendor's fixed unit pricing.

Extra shipping charges stemming from transit address errors or carrier routing issues will be investigated and resolved mutually between VPH and the vendor.

However, because all unit prices must be fully inclusive of all shipping, freight, delivery, and handling fees under FOB Destination terms, standard operating transit risks and carrier attempts must be factored into your fixed unit pricing.

Separate of standalone freight charges cannot be billed.

11 Section 5.1 Specifications, Pages 13 - 16

The solicitation requires transportation costs to be included in the contract unit prices while also requiring individual transit/shipping costs to be reported for each delivery location.

Please confirm that the individual shipping amounts reported in the shipment/delivery log are for reporting purposes only and are not separately billable to the State.

Pursuant to N.C.G.S § 130A-190(b)(2), shipping costs must be itemized in the delivery logs strictly for state-data public tracking and billing verification. They are completely inclusive to the contract unit prices and shall not be charged or billed separately to the State.

12 Section 4.5 Delivery, Page 11;

Section 5.1 Specifications, Pages 13 - 16

For purposes of determining freight and delivery costs, are the approximately 1,521 anticipated delivery locations commercial veterinary/business locations capable of receiving standard commercial carrier deliveries, or could the delivery list include residential or other locations requiring different carrier services or surcharges?

The locations provided in the electronic distribution log are veterinary business locations across the state.

13 Section 3.1 Method of Award, The solicitation indicates that the State intends to award to a single Vendor for all line items but reserves the right to make separate awards.

If the State elects to award individual line items separately, must each unit price submitted by the Vendor stand independently and remain valid if the Vendor receives only that particular line item?

We are asking for clarification because manufacturing, packaging, fulfillment, and freight pricing may be based in part on the combined anticipated volume of the solicitation.

While the intent of the IFB is to award a single vendor for all line items, the State reserves the right to make separate awards. Unit prices submitted in the Attachment A: Pricing Form must stand independently.

14 Section 5.1 Specifications, Pages 13 - 16

Please confirm whether VPH will designate specific serial-number ranges for each veterinary location, or whether the awarded Vendor/manufacturer will assign consecutive serial-number ranges to each location and report those allocations to VPH in the required shipment and serialization records.

The global serial ranges for the contract year are fixed (000001 to 300000 for 3- Year; G-000001 to G-350000 for 1-Year).

VPH provides the locations and overall quantities. The vendor must log and deliver the exact serial number ranges shipped to each distinct ordering location back to the VPH Program Coordinator using the approved Microsoft Excel template.

15 Section 5.1 Specifications, Pages 13 - 16

Please confirm that the State-provided order/distribution information will contain the information necessary to associate each shipment with the appropriate VPH account number, destination, quantities, and required serial-number records.

The State-provided electronic distribution log will contain the necessary destination addresses, item quantities, and VPH account numbers required to complete fulfillment.

16 Section 4.5 Delivery, Page 11

The solicitation states that remaining quantities from the initial order are to be delivered to the main VPH office on or before "December 1, 202." Please confirm that the intended date is December 1, 2026.

The remaining buffer inventory from the initial allocation must be delivered to the main Durham VPH office on or before December 1, 2026.

17 Section 4.5 Delivery, Page 11

The solicitation indicates that initial quantities and ship-to information are anticipated by October 15, 2026, while the anticipated contract award is listed as October 2026. Please confirm that the awarded Vendor's required production and delivery schedule will begin upon award/receipt of the applicable purchase order and State-provided distribution information if those events occur after October 15.

The VPH Program Coordinator intends to provide the final exact order distribution spreadsheet to the awarded vendor by October 15, 2026. Formal obligations and timelines begin upon final contract execution and receipt of the official Purchase Order. Bidders must state their deliver lead time in calendar days from PO receipt directly on page 11.

Section 4.3 Product Identification, Page 10; Section 5.1 Specifications, Pages 13 - 16

Please confirm that products from manufacturers other than the listed reference manufacturer may be offered if they meet all required materials, dimensions, stamping, packaging, performance and delivery requirements.

Products from manufacturers other than the listed reference manufacturer (National Band & Tag) may be offered.

Pursuant to Section 4.3 (Product Identification) of the solicitation, vendors are permitted to offer comparable items which will provide the equivalent capabilities, features and diversity called for in the specifications. Any proposed product must strictly meet or exceed all stated technical specifications, materials, physical dimensions, stamping setups, packaging rules, and delivery deadlines to be considered for an award.

Section 4.3 Product Identification, Page 10; Section 5.1 Specifications, Pages 13 - 16

Please identify what documentation the State will use to determine whether an offered product is functionally equivalent

The State will evaluate functional equivalence based on the following submittals, which must be provided prior to or alongside your electronic bid submission:

• Mandatory Physical Product Samples: Pursuant to Section 4.8, you must submit a physical sample of each proposed item (plain finish, no imprint) by the exact date and time of the bid opening. The State will use these physical samples to directly verify compliance with material types, thickness, shapes, hole placements, and precise physical dimensions.

• Descriptive Literature and Technical Specifications:

Pursuant to Section 2.6 (Item 13), if you are offering an alternative product, you must furnish complete technical specifications, drawings, sketches, or descriptive literature covering the goods. The State will review this documentation to confirm the items meet or exceed all baseline performance metrics and manufacturing requirements.

• Detailed Deviation Sheet: If the proposed product varies in any way from the baseline specifications, you must clearly outline and explain the nature of those variances in detail on an attached sheet under Section 5.2 (Deviations).

Failure to submit the physical samples by the deadline or failure to provide adequate technical descriptive documentation with your eVP response will result in your product being deemed non-responsive and rejected.

Section 4.1 Pricing, Page 10;

Section 4.4 Transportation and Identification, Page 10; Section 4.5 Delivery, Page 11;

Section 5.1 Specifications, Pages 13 - 16

What shipment information should bidders use to calculate freight before submitting their bids?

Can the State provide historical or estimated destination ZIP codes, number of packages, quantities per destination, package dimensions and weights, service levels, and freight costs?

Bidders must calculate freight based on the total initial estimated annual order quantities provided in the Pricing Form:

300,000 3-Year tags, 350,000 1-Year tags, and the associated accessory bag counts, distributed across approximately 1,521 statewide destinations.

The State cannot provide historical destination ZIP codes, package counts, specific dimensions, weights, or past freight costs. Detailed historical shipping data and specific destination lists are proprietary internal files and are unavailable for release during the active solicitation window. Bidders should utilize the following parameters and standard industry metrics to formulate their competitive, all-inclusive pricing:

• Fulfillment Scope: Bidders must assume a comprehensive statewide distribution model spanning all regions of North Carolina to residential or commercial veterinary business endpoints.

• Packaging and Sizing Constraints: Bidders should calculate bulk and transit metrics using the product specifications detailed in Section 5.1. For example, tags must be packaged 100 per straight wire and 500 tags per box. Bidders must use these constraints to project total package dimensions, weights, and shipment counts.

• Required Service Level:

Calculations must factor in standard commercial ground transit equipped to handle strict inside delivery, adult signature capture, and secure proof of delivery for every endpoint.

Pursuant to the Free-On-Board (FOB) Destination terms of this solicitation, all potential freight variables and risks must be fully incorporated into your fixed unit prices. Separate transportation lot charges, allowances, or freight billing outside of the fixed unit prices will not be accepted.

Section 4.5 Delivery, Page 11;

Section 5.1 Specifications, Pages 13 - 16

Please confirm whether approximately 1,521 locations are expected to receive separate shipments during each contract year.

Yes. Approximately 1,521 unique statewide locations are expected to receive separate drop-shipments each contract year.

Section 4.5 Delivery, Page 11;

Section 5.1 Specifications, Pages 13 - 16

Please confirm whether the awarded Vendor must establish and use its own carrier account or whether the State will provide access to a State carrier account.

The awarded Vendor must establish and use its own commercial carrier account.

The State will not provide access to a State carrier account for any shipments associated with this contract.

Section 4.5 Delivery, Page 11;

Section 5.1 Specifications, Pages 13 - 16

What specific carrier service satisfies the requirements for strict inside delivery, adult signature, secure tracking and proof of delivery?

Standard commercial ground services from major national carriers—such as FedEx Ground or UPS Ground—satisfy these requirements, provided the necessary value-added service options are selected at the time of shipment creation.

Section 4.5 Delivery, Page 11;

Section 5.1 Specifications, Pages 13 - 16

If sufficient shipment information cannot be provided before bid opening, will the State consider establishing a uniform freight allowance or allowing verified actual freight costs to be billed separately?

No. The State will not consider establishing a uniform freight allowance, nor will it allow verified actual freight costs to be billed separately.