50-2627004 Fire and EMS Training Equipment and Simulators Additional Manufacturers.pdf

IFB Number: 50-2526048

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OFFER AND ACCEPTANCE

The State seeks offers for the goods, software and/or related services described in this solicitation. The State’s acceptance of any offer must be demonstrated by execution of the acceptance found below and any subsequent Request for Best and Final Offer, if issued. Acceptance shall create a contract having an order of precedence as follows: In cases of conflict between documents comprising the contract, the order of precedence shall be (1) Best and Final Offers, if any, (2) special terms and conditions specific to this IFB/RFQ, (3) specifications, (4) Department of Information Technology Terms and Conditions of this IFB/RFQ, and (5) the agreed portions of the awarded Vendor’s offer. No contract shall be binding on the State until an encumbrance of funds has been made for payment of the sums due under the contract.

EXECUTION

In compliance with this Invitation for Bid / Request for Quote, and subject to all the conditions herein, the undersigned offers and agrees to furnish any or all Services or goods upon which prices are offered, at the price(s) offered herein, within the time specified herein. By executing this offer, I certify that this offer is submitted competitively and without collusion.

Failure to execute/sign offer prior to submittal shall render offer invalid. Late offers are not acceptable.

OFFEROR:

STREET ADDRESS: P.O. BOX: ZIP:

CITY, STATE & ZIP: PHONE:

NAME & TITLE OF PERSON SIGNING: E-MAIL:

AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE: DATE:

Offer valid for 270 days from date of offer opening unless otherwise stated here: ____ days

ACCEPTANCE OF OFFER

If any or all parts of this IFB/RFQ are accepted, an authorized representative of NCCCS shall affix their signature hereto. A copy of this acceptance will be forwarded to the successful vendor(s).

FOR STATE USE ONLY

Offer accepted and contract awarded this ______ day of _____________________, 20____, as indicated on attached certification, by _____________________________________________ (Authorized representative of NCCCS).

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA INVITATION FOR BID: 50-2627004

NC COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM (NCCCS)

Procurement & Auxiliary Services

Offers will be publicly opened: October 27, 2026

Issue Date: September 18, 2026

Refer ALL inquiries regarding this IFB/RFQ to:

Grant F. Braley

Director of Procurement & Auxiliary Services

Email: braleyg@nccommunitycolleges.edu

Phone: (919) 807-7199

Commodity Number: 921016 – Fire Services

Description: Fire and EMS Training Equipment and Simulators Additional Manufacturers

Using Agency: NCCCS

See page 2 for mailing instructions. Requisition No.: N/A mailto:braleyg@nccommunitycolleges.edu

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 INTENT, USE, DURATION AND SCOPE

2.0 GENERAL INFORMATION

2.1 MANDATORY SITE VISIT OR MANDATORY PRE-OFFER CONFERENCE - RESERVED

2.2 VENDOR QUESTIONS

2.3 ADDENDA

2.4 ELECTRONIC OFFER SUBMITTAL

2.5 BASIS FOR REJECTION

2.6 LATE OFFERS

2.7 NON-RESPONSIVE OFFERS

2.8 NOTICE TO VENDORS

2.9 NC E-PROCUREMENT SYSTEM

2.10 DISTRIBUTORS AND RESELLERS

2.11 POSSESSION AND REVIEW

2.12 BEST AND FINAL OFFERS (BAFO)

2.13 AWARD

2.14 POINTS OF CONTACT

3.0 SPECIFICATIONS

3.1 VENDOR STANDARD AGREEMENT(S)

3.2 VENDOR UTILIZATION OF WORKERS OUTSIDE U.S. – DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

3.3 E-VERIFY

3.4 PRODUCT MAKE AND MODEL

3.5 DESCRIPTIVE LITERATURE

3.6 SECURITY SPECIFICATIONS

3.7 ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE SPECIFICATIONS - RESERVED

3.8 PRODUCT RECALL

3.9 WARRANTY

3.10. SERVICE

3.11 MAINTENANCE

3.12 CONTRACT TERM

3.13 DELIVERY AND INSTALLATION

3.14 SPECIFICATIONS

3.15 AUTHORIZED RESELLER

3.16 ADDITIONAL DISCOUNT OFFERS/REBATES

3.17 POST AWARD PRODUCT SUBSTITUTIONS, ADDITIONS & REMOVALS

3.18 TRAINING

3.19 MAINTENANCE MANUAL

3.20 INSTRUCTION MANUALS

3.21 CERTIFICATION AND SAFETY LABELS

3.22 RETURN/RESTOCKING POLICY

3.23 OUT-OF-STOCK & BACK-ORDERS

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4.0 FURNISH AND DELIVER

5.0 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

5.1 RECYCLED CONTENT

5.2. ENERGY STAR PRODUCTS

6.0 DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INSTRUCTIONS TO VENDORS

7.0 DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TERMS AND CONDITIONS

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1.0 INTENT, USE, DURATION AND SCOPE

The North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) in coordination with the North Carolina Community College System Office (NCCCSO) aids and guides in the execution of contracts to ensure more competitive pricing by procuring essential products and services for the fifty-eight (58) Community Colleges within the State of North Carolina. Depending on the participating community college and the type of equipment, software, etc. being procured, data may be stored either on-prem, on cloud (SaaS), or both, and will be used to train students and instructors.

The purpose of this IFB is to award an Agency Specific Term Contract for Vendor(s) to furnish and deliver throughout the contract period, on an as needed basis when ordered by the participating community colleges, a comprehensive, multiple manufacturer’s product line for new, unused, and in current production, Fire and EMS Training Equipment, Training Props, and Simulators which were not previously solicited with 50-2425022 in the following categories:

• Category A: Fire Training Props and Simulators • Category B: EMS Training Equipment and Simulators

The contract resulting from this IFB is a NCCCS convenience contract, except community colleges may have purchasing flexibility under the conditions stated in N.C. G.S. §115D-58.14(a). The Community College System consists of the following colleges:

1. Alamance Community College

2. Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College

3. Beaufort County Community College

4. Bladen Community College

5. Blue Ridge Community College

6. Brunswick Community College

7. Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute

8. Cape Fear Community College

9. Carteret Community College

10. Catawba Valley Community College

11. Central Carolina Community College

12. Central Piedmont Community College

13. Cleveland Community College

14. Coastal Carolina Community College

15. College of The Albemarle

16. Craven Community College

17. Davidson-Davie Community College

18. Durham Technical Community College

19. Edgecombe Community College

20. Fayetteville Technical Community College

21. Forsyth Technical Community College

22. Gaston College

23. Guilford Technical Community College

24. Halifax Community College

25. Haywood Community College

26. Isothermal Community College

27. James Sprunt Community College

28. Johnston Community College

29. Lenoir Community College

30. Martin Community College

31. Mayland Community College

32. McDowell Technical Community College

33. Mitchell Community College

34. Montgomery Community College

35. Nash Community College

36. Pamlico Community College

37. Piedmont Community College

38. Pitt Community College

39. Randolph Community College

40. Richmond Community College

41. Roanoke-Chowan Community College

42. Robeson Community College

43. Rockingham Community College

44. Rowan-Cabarrus Community College

45. Sampson Community College

46. Sandhills Community College

47. South Piedmont Community College

48. Southeastern Community College

49. Southwestern Community College

50. Stanly Community College

51. Surry Community College

52. Tri-County Community College

53. Vance-Granville Community College

54. Wake Technical Community College

55. Wayne Community College

56. Western Piedmont Community College

57. Wilkes Community College

58. Wilson Community College

The Contract shall have an initial term of the Date of Award through May 31, 2029 with the option to renew for four (4) additional one-year periods. The State reserves the right to extend a contract term after the last active term. Bids shall be submitted in accordance with the terms and conditions of this IFB and any addenda issued hereto. Goods and Services will be provided in accordance with the terms and conditions of this IFB.

https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/BySection/Chapter_115D/GS_115D-58.14.pdf

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2.0 GENERAL INFORMATION

2.1 MANDATORY SITE VISIT OR MANDATORY PRE-OFFER CONFERENCE - RESERVED

2.2 VENDOR QUESTIONS

All inquiries regarding the solicitation specifications or requirements are to be addressed to the contact person listed on Page One of this solicitation via the Ariba Sourcing Tool’s message board. Vendor contact regarding this Solicitation with anyone other than the contact person listed on Page One of this Solicitation may be grounds for rejection of said Vendor’s offer.

Written questions concerning this Solicitation will be received until October 6, 2026 at 2:00 PM Eastern

Time. They must be submitted to the contact person listed on Page One of this Solicitation via braleyg@nccommunitycolleges.edu. Please enter “Questions Solicitation 50-2627004” as the subject for the message. Questions should be submitted in the following format:

Reference Vendor Question

IFB Section, Page Number

2.3 ADDENDA

The Agency will issue an Addendum to provide a response to any questions received in accordance with

Section 2.2-VENDOR QUESTIONS, above.

The Agency may issue additional Addenda as needed to modify the specifications, requirements, terms and conditions, etc. Critical information may be included in these Addenda. It is important for Vendors to periodically check the website for any and all Addenda that may be issued prior to the bid opening date.

All Addenda will be posted on the electronic Vendor Portal (eVP) website at https://evp.nc.gov and will become Addenda to this solicitation.

2.4 ELECTRONIC OFFER SUBMITTAL

Due Date: October 27, 2026

Time: 2:00 PM Eastern Time

Sealed offers, subject to the conditions made a part hereof, will be received by the time and date specified above and then opened for furnishing and delivering the commodity as described herein. It is the Vendor’s sole responsibility to submit its offer by the specified time and date of opening.

The Vendor shall bear the risk for late electronic submission due to unintended or unanticipated delay including, but not limited to, internet issues, network issues, local power outages, or application issues. No offers are able to be uploaded in Ariba after the deadline/bid opening date and time.

a) Submit one (1) signed, original electronic offer via the Ariba Sourcing Module. The Vendor to include the signed Execution Page 1 WITH the remaining pages of the solicitation in one PDF. The

Execution Page 1 must be signed and dated by an official authorized to bind the Vendor’s firm. Failure to return a signed offer shall result in disqualification.

b) File names should identify the Vendor, solicitation, and document in that order (Vendor Name –

Solicitation Number – Offer, etc.).

c) Files must not be password protected. They must be in .PDF, .JPEG, .DOC or .XLS format and capable of being copied to other sources. The Vendor’s offer may be deemed non-responsive if the Agency is unable to open the file(s).

d) If the offer contains any confidential information (as defined in the NCDIT Terms and Conditions, Section

1, Paragraph 18), the Vendor must provide one (1) redacted electronic copy in addition to the original copy.

mailto:braleyg@nccommunitycolleges.edu https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fevp.nc.gov%2F&data=05%7C02%7Candrea.pacyna%40nc.gov%7C018d5d0a9c674f32cc4e08dee88fcd46%7C7a7681dcb9d0449a85c3ecc26cd7ed19%7C0%7C0%7C639203901504717360%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=WkoU%2B%2BBgXOaqIbsooR06hUlVLkGgHwNopOnDeIFRcE8%3D&reserved=0

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2.5 BASIS FOR REJECTION

Pursuant to 9 NCAC 06B.0401, the State reserves the right to reject any and all offers, in whole or in part; by deeming the offer unsatisfactory as to quality or quantity, delivery, price or service offered; non-compliance with the specifications or intent of this solicitation; lack of competitiveness; error(s) in specifications or indications that revision would be advantageous to the State; cancellation or other changes in the intended project, or other determination that the proposed requirement is no longer needed; limitation or lack of available funds; circumstances that prevent determination of the best offer; or any other determination that rejection would be in the best interest of the State. Vendor contact regarding this IFB/RFQ with anyone other than Grant F. Braley may be grounds for rejection of said Vendor’s offer.

2.6 LATE OFFERS

Regardless of cause, late offers will not be accepted and will automatically be disqualified from further consideration. It shall be the Vendor’s sole risk to ensure delivery at the designated office by the designated time. Late offers will not be opened and may be returned to the Vendor at the expense of the Vendor or destroyed if requested.

2.7 NON-RESPONSIVE OFFERS

Vendor offers will be deemed non-responsive by the State and will be rejected without further consideration or evaluation if statements such as the following are included:

• “This offer does not constitute a binding offer”,

• “This offer will be valid only if this offer is selected as a finalist or in the competitive range”,

• “Vendor does not commit or bind itself to any terms and conditions by this submission”,

• “This document and all associated documents are non-binding and shall be used for discussion purposes only”,

• “This offer will not be binding on either party until incorporated in a definitive agreement signed by authorized representatives of both parties”, or

• A statement of similar intent.

2.8 NOTICE TO VENDORS

The State objects to and will not be required to evaluate or consider any additional terms and conditions not previously agreed to by the State and submitted with an Offeror’s response. This applies to any language appearing in or attached to the document as part of the Offeror’s response.

By execution and delivery of this Invitation for Bids and response(s), the Offeror agrees that any additional terms and conditions, whether submitted purposely or inadvertently, shall have no force or effect.

2.9 NC E-PROCUREMENT SYSTEM

The State utilizes the NC eProcurement (NCEP) System to process requisitions and issue purchase orders.

See http://eprocurement.nc.gov/ and General Terms and Conditions, Electronic Procurement for more information.

a) It is the Vendor’s responsibility to read these provisions carefully and to consider them in preparing the response. By signature, the Vendor acknowledges acceptance of all provisions related to NCEP.

b) The transaction fee addressed in General Terms and Condition, Electronic Payment (currently at 1.75%) applies to the purchase of goods only. It does not apply to Vendor Hosted Solutions, IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, software maintenance/support services, or any other type of services.

c) If not already registered in NCEP, the Vendor must register within two (2) days after notification of contract award.

d) The Vendor must be current on all NCEP fees prior to submitting a response. Otherwise, the State may disqualify the Vendor from participating in this solicitation.

http://eprocurement.nc.gov/

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2.10 DISTRIBUTORS AND RESELLERS

“Resellers” as used herein, refers to businesses that routinely sell or distribute Vendor’s Products, and may include

“Distributors”, “Value Added Resellers” (VARs), “Original Equipment Manufacturers” (OEMs), Channel Partners, or such other designations. These businesses must be approved by the State prior to placement of any orders. Any contract established will be subject to this solicitation and any resulting Agreement(s), and to the terms and conditions of the State’s competitive bidding process.

The Agency acknowledges that the Reseller has merely purchased the Third-Party Items for resale or license to the Agency, and that the proprietary and intellectual property rights to the Third Party Items are owned by parties other than the Reseller (“Third Parties”). The Agency further acknowledges that except for the payment to the

Reseller for the Third-Party Items, all of its rights and obligations with respect thereto flow from and to the Third

Parties. The Reseller shall provide the Agency with copies of all documentation and warranties for the Third-Party

Items which are provided to the Reseller. The Reseller shall assign all applicable third-party warranties for

Deliverables to the Agency.

2.11 POSSESSION AND REVIEW

During the evaluation period and prior to award, possession of the bids and accompanying information is limited to personnel of the issuing agency, and to the committee responsible for participating in the evaluation. Vendors who attempt to gain this privileged information, or to influence the evaluation process (i.e. assist in evaluation) will be in violation of purchasing rules and their offer will not be further evaluated or considered.

After award of contract the complete bid file will be available to any interested persons with the exception of trade secrets, test information or similar proprietary information as provided by statute and rule. Any proprietary or confidential information, which conforms to exclusions from public records as provided by N.C.G.S. §132-1.2 must be clearly marked as such in the offer when submitted.

2.12 BEST AND FINAL OFFERS (BAFO)

The State may establish a competitive range based upon evaluations of offers, and request BAFOs from the

Vendor(s) within this range; e.g. “Finalist Vendor(s)”. If negotiations or subsequent offers are solicited, the

Vendor(s) shall provide BAFO(s) in response. Failure to deliver a BAFO when requested shall disqualify the non-responsive Vendor from further consideration. The State will evaluate BAFO(s), oral presentations, and product demonstrations as part of the Vendors’ respective offers to determine the final rankings.

2.13 AWARD

It is the general intent to award this contract to one Vendor. As provided by statute, award will be based on Best

Value Analysis, Lowest Price Technically Acceptable Source Selection Method in accordance with N.C.G.S.

§143B-1350(h), which provides that the offer must be in substantial conformity with the specifications herein, and

09 NCAC 06B.0302.

Categories A-B:

All responsive bids will be reviewed, and award or awards will be based on the responsive bids(s) to provide the estimated requirements as to breadth of lines, highest % discount offered off MSRP List, quantity, quality, delivery, service, and/or geographical coverage. It is the State’s intent to have multiple manufacturers represented in each category. In the event that two (2) or more Vendors offer the same manufacturer’s product(s), it is the intent of the

State to make an award to the Vendor with the most complete offering, and highest % discount offered off MSRP

List for a particular manufacturer’s product(s). Products offered must currently be available on the manufacturer’s published MSRP. Submission of manufacturer’s price schedules developed specifically for this Bid will result in disqualification from award consideration.

While the intent of this RFQ is to award a Contract(s) to multiple manufacturers per each category, the State reserves the right to not award any portion of the goods or services or to cancel this RFQ in its entirety without awarding a contract, if it is considered to be most advantageous to the State to do so. The Vendor may bid on (1) one or all categories. The State reserves the right to make partial awards to more than one Vendor of a manufacturer’s products within a category, if the State determines that it is in its best interest to do so to obtain the most complete offering of a manufacturer’s products at the highest % discount offered.

A link to the NC Electronic Vendor Portal (eVP) allows the public to retrieve contract award information electronically from the web site: https://evp.nc.gov/. Results may be found by searching by IFB number or agency name. This information may not be available for several weeks dependent upon the complexity of the acquisition and the length of time to complete the evaluation process.

https://evp.nc.gov/

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2.14 POINTS OF CONTACT

Contact by the Offeror with the persons shown below for contractual and technical matters related to this IFB is only permitted if expressly agreed to by the purchasing lead named on page 5, or upon award of contract:

Vendor Contractual Point of Contact Vendor Technical Point of Contact

Contract Manager Name:

Address:

Email Address:

Phone Number:

Technical Lead Name:

Address:

Email Address:

Phone Number:

State Contractual Point of Contact State Technical Point of Contact

Contract Manager Name:

Address:

Email Address:

Phone Number:

Technical Lead Name:

Address:

Email Address:

Phone Number:

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3.0 SPECIFICATIONS

3.1 VENDOR STANDARD AGREEMENT(S)

The terms and conditions of Vendor’s standard services, license, maintenance or other agreement(s) applicable to Services, Goods, Software and other Products acquired under this Agreement may apply to the extent such terms and conditions do not materially change the terms and conditions of this Agreement. In the event of any conflict between the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the Vendor’s standard agreement(s), the terms and conditions of this Agreement relating to audit and records, jurisdiction, choice of law, the State’s electronic procurement application of law or administrative rules, the remedy for intellectual property infringement and the exclusive remedies and limitation of liability in the DIT Terms and Conditions herein shall apply in all cases and supersede any provisions contained in Vendor’s relevant standard agreement or any other agreement. The State shall not be obligated under any standard license and/or maintenance or other Vendor agreement(s) to indemnify or hold harmless the Vendor, its licensors, successors or assigns; nor arbitrate any dispute, nor pay late fees, legal fees or other similar costs.

3.2 VENDOR UTILIZATION OF WORKERS OUTSIDE U.S. – DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

In accordance with the Statewide Information Security Manual (SISM), the State restricts the location of information systems that receive, process, store, or transmit State and Federal data to the United States which includes the following areas: US States, US Territories, US Embassies, and US Military installations

(stateside or overseas). This restriction applies to the Vendor and to any subcontractors engaged to provide

Services under this Agreement or with access to State Data. The Vendor must ensure that its subcontractor agreements contain the same restrictions and will be responsible for monitoring and enforcing subcontractor compliance at all times.

Pursuant to N.C.G.S. §143B-1361(b), the Vendor must complete the questions below as a Disclosure

Statement with its solicitation response. The Vendor may attach additional pages to its response if needed.

The State of North Carolina will evaluate Disclosure Statement for additional risks, costs, and other factors associated with its service prior to making an award for any such Vendor’s offer. Vendor to complete in its bid response:

a. The location of work performed under a state contract by the Vendor, any subcontractors, employees, or other persons performing the contract and whether any of this work will be performed outside the United States.

Vendor to answer in their offer:

b. The corporate structure and location of corporate employees and activities of the Vendor, its affiliates or any other subcontractors.

Vendor to answer in their offer:

c. Vendor agrees to provide notice of the relocation of the Vendor, employees of the Vendor, subcontractors of the Vendor, or other persons performing Services under a state contract outside of the United States in the event such relocation occurs during the contract term.

Vendor Agrees? ❑ Yes ❑ No

d. Vendor agrees that any Vendor or subcontractor providing call or contact center Services to the State of North Carolina shall disclose to inbound callers the location from which the call or contact center Services are being provided.

Vendor Agrees? ❑ Yes ❑ No

e. Will any work under this contract be performed outside the United States? ❑ Yes ❑ No

The use of resources or workers located outside the United States is a critical security exception that must be escalated to the State Chief Information Officer for review pursuant to N.C.G.S. §143B-1376(c) and §143B-

1320(c). These critical security exceptions are approved only in rare and extenuating circumstances. Vendor should account for this when preparing its response.

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3.3 E-VERIFY

Pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 143B-1350(k), the State shall not enter into a contract unless the awarded Vendor and each of its subcontractors comply with the E-Verify requirements of N.C.G.S. Chapter 64, Article 2.

Vendors are directed to review the foregoing laws. Any awarded Vendor must submit a certification of compliance with E-Verify to the awarding agency, and on a periodic basis thereafter as may be required by the State.

3.4 PRODUCT MAKE AND MODEL

Manufacturer’s name and model/catalog numbers used are for the purpose of identification and to establish quality level desired. Such references are not intended to be restrictive and comparable products of other manufacturer will be considered. However, Vendors are cautioned that any deviation from specifications must be pointed out in its offer.

3.5 DESCRIPTIVE LITERATURE

All offers shall include specifications and technical literature sufficient to allow the State to determine that the equipment meets all requirements. This technical literature will be the primary source for bid evaluation. If a requirement is not addressed in the technical literature it must be supported by additional documentation and included with the bid. Bid responses without sufficient technical documentation may be rejected.

3.6 SECURITY SPECIFICATIONS

Depending on the participating community college and the type of equipment, software, etc. being procured, data may be stored either on-prem, on cloud (SaaS), or both.

3.6.1 SOLUTIONS HOSTED ON STATE INFRASTRUCTURE

Vendors shall provide a completed Vendor Readiness Assessment Report State Hosted Solutions

(“VRAR”) at the request of the agency as when is determined the Vendor meets the criteria to supply.

This report is located at the following website: https://it.nc.gov/documents/vendor-readiness-assessment-report

The Fire and EMS Training Equipment and Simulators Additional Manufacturers will be required to receive and securely manage data that is classified as Program Critical, Low Risk. Refer to the North

Carolina Statewide Data Classification and Handling policy for more information regarding this data classification. The policy is located at the following website: https://it.nc.gov/document/statewide-data-classification-and-handling-policy

To comply with the State’s Security Standards and Policies, State agencies are required to perform annual security/risk assessments on their information systems using NIST 800-53 controls.

3.6.2 SOLUTIONS NOT HOSTED ON STATE INFRASTRUCTURE

The Agency (named on page one (1)) has designated this solicitation to receive and securely manage data that is classified as:

Agency has selected:

❑ Restricted - Restricted data represents the highest risk to the State, State Agencies, and constituents if it is disclosed or compromised. This information is likely to be regulated by State or Federal law, and access to it is restricted to a limited audience (e.g., State and Federal Tax

Information [FTI], Payment Card data, Protected Health Information [PHI], Criminal Justice

Information [CJI], Social Security Administration provided information, etc.)

❑ Confidential - Includes information that is limited to a small audience with a need-to-know or legitimate business case (e.g., State employee personnel records, trade secrets, student records, sensitive public security information, etc.). If exposed to unauthorized parties, data from this category will cause high impact consequences such as regulatory fines, inability to recruit talent, loss of confidence, and/or damage to vendor relationships. This is not a complete list and is subject to legislative changes.

https://it.nc.gov/documents/vendor-readiness-assessment-report https://it.nc.gov/documents/vendor-readiness-assessment-report https://it.nc.gov/document/statewide-data-classification-and-handling-policy

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Internal - This is information typically used within the agency and not for public sharing. Most documents are classified as Internal within the organization, and most State employees would have access. This type of data, if exposed to unauthorized parties, would have a very limited impact on an agency’s reputation, compliance requirements or ability to achieve strategic goals.

Internally classified data does not contain direct identifiers. Often, the effects of the loss of data can be recognized in very subtle ways and may not lead to clear negative consequences causing confusion due to lack of context or minor reputational harm.

❑ Public - Data that is open to public inspection according to state and federal law, or readily available through public sources.

Refer to the North Carolina Statewide Data Classification and Handling policy for more information regarding data classification. The policy is located at the following website:

https://it.nc.gov/document/statewide-data-classification-and-handling-policy.

To comply with the State’s Security Standards and Policies, State agencies are required to perform annual security/risk assessments on their information systems using NIST 800-53 controls.

This requirement additionally applies to all Vendor-provided, agency-managed Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions which will handle data classified as Internal, Confidential, or Restricted.

(a) To comply with the State’s Security Standards and Policies, cloud products are required to comply with applicable FedRAMP or GovRAMP security requirements, including but not limited to, continuous monitoring, incident response, and data classification as outlined in GovRAMP documentation.

(b) To streamline and standardize this requirement the State has adopted GovRAMP which is a Risk and Authorization Management Program that provides a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services.

GovRAMP’s security verification model is based on NIST 800-53 Rev. 5 (or current).

(c) The required GovRAMP verified status will depend on the sensitivity of the data and processes supported by the solution as defined in the Statewide Data Classification and Handling Policy.

(d) For purposes of this solicitation, in accordance with the North Carolina Department of Information Technology Statewide Information Security Manual, a GovRAMP verified status of Confidential is required. At offer submission, if the protected system does not currently hold a validated GovRAMP status, the Vendor will be required to provide their GovRAMP Security Snapshot Score and upon request, the complete Snapshot Matrix. If awarded the contract, Vendor shall have an interim period from the effective date of the contract to achieve the verified GovRAMP status outlined above. The interim time periods for each data classification that requires a verified status are further described below. The Vendor shall provision access to the State to their continuous monitoring packages at a [standard] or [elevated] access level within fourteen (14) days of contract award, and seven (7) days of any subsequent GovRAMP status changes. If a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is required by the Vendor, a copy of the NDA must be uploaded with the response and executed by the Vendor and the State at the time of contract award.

1) Public - For third-party cloud services where the highest category of information to be processed is Public data, the Vendor must submit an updated score for the product annually throughout the contract duration that meets or exceeds the original score at time of contract award. Products with GovRAMP Core, Ready, Authorized or Provisionally Authorized statuses or FedRAMP Rev. 5 authorization also satisfy the security requirement.

2) Internal - For third-party cloud services where the highest category of information to be processed is Internal data, the Vendor must either achieve the status of GovRAMP Core prior to award, or agree to achieve GovRAMP Core status within an interim time period, no later than twelve (12) months from the effective date of the contract.

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3) Confidential - For third-party cloud services where the highest category of information to be processed is Confidential data, the Vendor must either achieve a status of GovRAMP Ready, or agree to achieve GovRAMP Ready status no later than fifteen (15) months from the effective date of the contract.

4) Restricted - For third-party cloud services where the highest category of information to be processed is Restricted Data, the Vendor must either achieve a status of GovRAMP Authorized, or agree to achieve GovRAMP Authorized status no later than twenty-one (21) months from the effective date of the contract.

Upon contract award, Vendor’s who submitted a GovRAMP Security Snapshot Score will be required to enroll in the GovRAMP Progressing Snapshot program prior to any data being transferred, stored or processed. The Vendor must complete their first Progressing Snapshot within ninety (90) days of award, with the expectation that progress will be made on a quarterly basis and access to progress reports must be provisioned to the State. Products must maintain their participation in the Progressing Snapshot program and continued access to progress reports must be provisioned to the State until such time that they have achieved the minimum verified status outlined above. The State will review the Vendor’s progress on a quarterly basis and, in its sole discretion, may determine that the Vendor is not making satisfactory progress in the Progressing Snapshot program. Satisfactory progress shall be a material requirement of the contract.

(e) If the Vendor holds a FedRAMP Rev. 5 authorization at time of award, this authorization can be accepted in lieu of a GovRAMP authorization. Authorizations obtained via the FedRAMP 20x Pilot Program will not be permitted.

If the Vendor’s cloud product currently holds a FedRAMP Authorized designation, at the time of award, the State may require the Vendor to initiate and actively pursue, within thirty (30) days of award, the GovRAMP Fast Track Process, to achieve a GovRAMP Provisionally Authorized or Authorized status in order to satisfy Statewide continuous monitoring requirements.

(f) Additional Security Documentation. Prior to contract award, the State may in its discretion require the Vendor to provide additional security documentation, including but not limited to, vulnerability assessment reports and penetration test reports. The awarded Vendor shall provide additional security documentation upon request by the State during the term of the contract.

Refer to: https://it.nc.gov/documents/statewide-glossary-information-technology-terms for descriptions of the Application Criticality categories.

Refer to: http://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/FIPS/NIST.FIPS.199.pdf for descriptions of NIST system confidentiality, integrity, and availability categories.

3.7 ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE SPECIFICATIONS - RESERVED

3.8 PRODUCT RECALL

Vendor assumes full responsibility for prompt notification of both the contract administrator and purchaser of any product recall in accordance with the applicable state and federal regulations.

3.9 WARRANTY

Manufacturer’s standard warranty shall apply. Vendor shall provide a copy of the manufacturer’s standard warranty with its bid response. Vendor warrants that all equipment furnished under this IFB will be new, and of good material and workmanship.

The report of a problem does not presuppose that every call must result in an “on-site” visit for service/repair.

The Vendor and/or service sub-contractor shall utilize best efforts to resolve problems in a timely fashion through the use of acceptable servicing methods to include, but not limited to, verbal problem analysis and remote diagnosis. The warranty requirement does not impose any additional duty on the State to make other than normal and good faith problem resolution efforts or expenditures of time. Vendor is responsible for compliance with warranty terms by any third-party service provider.

Is Vendor authorized by manufacturer to repair equipment offered during the warranty period? Yes No

Will Vendor provide warranty service? Yes No, an authorized third party will perform warranty service https://it.nc.gov/documents/statewide-glossary-information-technology-terms http://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/FIPS/NIST.FIPS.199.pdf

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Contact information for warranty service provider:

Company Name: _____________________________________________

Company Address: _____________________________________________

Contact Person: _____________________________________________

Contact Person Phone Number: _____________________________________________

Contact Person Email: _____________________________________________

3.10. SERVICE

Services shall be provided during normal working hours (8:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST weekdays). Vendor shall state response time, telephone, information, and location from which service will be provided.

Maximum response time to this location after receipt of service call: ______________ hours

Bidder has toll-free number for service calls: YES NO

If yes, state toll-free number: ____________________

Bidder will accept collect call for service. YES NO

State telephone number: _______________________________

Address of service facility: ______________________________

3.11 MAINTENANCE

Vendor must offer at least one (1) additional year of annual maintenance for use after the initial one-year warranty period expires. The State may elect to receive approved provider’s then-current maintenance service upon payment of applicable annual maintenance fees, beginning at the end of the warranty period.

Maintenance services may be renewed upon written notice by the State prior to the contract anniversary date.

Escalation of annual maintenance fees shall not exceed 5% per year. Any maintenance agreements shall be subject to the terms of this contract. For this period, support must be provided from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm

Monday through Friday and shall include an 8x5xNext Business Day maximum response time.

For completion by Vendor: Vendor’s maximum response time to this location after receipt of service call:

____________________________ hours

Describe in detail the items and services to be covered under the extended maintenance:

3.12 CONTRACT TERM

A contract awarded pursuant to this IFB shall have an effective date as provided in the Notice of Award. The term shall be the Date of Award through May 31, 2029. The State retains the option to extend this contract for four (4) additional one (1) year periods at its sole discretion.

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3.13 DELIVERY AND INSTALLATION

The Vendor shall deliver Free-On-Board (FOB) Destination to any requested location within the State of North Carolina with all transportation costs included in the total bid price.

Vendor should complete delivery within thirty (30) consecutive calendar days after receipt of purchase order. For completion by Vendor: Delivery will be made from ______________________________________ (city, state) within _____ consecutive calendar days after receipt of purchase order. Promptness of delivery may be used as a factor in the award criteria.

Installation will be made within ______ consecutive days after receipt of order.

The equipment will be delivered and installed in designated fitness rooms and related facilities and must be suitable for regular use in a commercial or institutional environment. The scope includes a range of fitness equipment and accessories, such as cardiovascular equipment, strength and functional training equipment, and related items, to accommodate varying campus needs and facility layouts.

Delivery shall not be considered to have occurred until installation has been completed. Upon completion of the installation, the Vendor shall remove and properly dispose of all waste and debris from the installation site. Vendor shall be responsible for leaving the installation area clean and ready to use.

The specified location may include a loading dock or area inside a building. Awarded Vendor shall notify Buyer at least two (2) business days in advance of a delivery to allow for the availability of Agency personnel to receive the product(s) if Agency so requires on its purchase order.

Vendor shall furnish all necessary transportation, materials, and supplies as may be required to deliver, install and set-in place ready for owner’s use. The successful Vendor(s) shall notify the Buyer when one or more items in an order cannot be delivered within the time specified. After notification to the Buyer of a fulfillment delay of one or more items in a shipment, the Buyer may cancel undelivered items within an order, or an order in its entirety, without penalty or charge, providing the cancellation occurs before the delayed item or order has shipped.

Installation of items requiring custom or complex fitting or assembly efforts due to the nature of the item may be billed under the following conditions: the amount of the installation charge is identified in Vendor’s catalogue in conjunction with the relevant item, the Buyer is provided an option to affirmatively accept or decline installation services at the time of ordering, and any approved charge is listed as a separate line item on the purchase order and invoice.

Acceptance and approval of charges for installation of such items shall be at the sole discretion of the Buyer.

Any resulting damages to the item or to other State property during the installation by the Vendor shall be repaired at the Vendor's sole expense. General set-up activities needed to make an item ready for use shall not be considered installation and shall be included in the contract price. Upon completion of the installation, the Vendor shall remove and properly dispose of all waste and debris from the installation site. The Vendor shall be responsible for leaving the installation area clean and ready to use.

If circumstances beyond the control of the contractor result in a late delivery or installation, it is the responsibility and obligation of the contractor to notify the Purchasing Agent listed on the purchase order, in writing, immediately upon determining delay of shipment. The written notification should indicate the anticipated delivery date.

3.14 SPECIFICATIONS

Each Vendor shall offer the manufacturer’s complete product line for the categories shown. Parts & Accessories must be available at the percent discount off of the Manufacturer’s Standard Retail Price (MSRP) or other manufacturer’s current published price listing (List Price, Suggested Retail Price, etc.) as referenced for each line item’s category. A non-exhaustive, illustrative list of the manufactures the Purchasing Agency is seeking (Please refer to Section 3.4, Product Make and Model, for further information):

Categories

a) Category A: Fire Training Props and Simulators

Manufacturers: Lion, Firehouse Fabricators, FAAC Incorporated, and Symtech

b) Category B: EMS Training Equipment and Simulators

Manufacturers: DiaMedical, Education Management Solutions, and FAAC Incorporated

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3.15 PREVIOUS AWARDED MANUFACTURERS

The following manufacturers were awarded from a previous solicitation 50-2425022 and will not be considered in this solicitation but can be used as illustrative list of the manufactures the Purchasing Agency is seeking.

Category A: Fire Training Props and Simulators awarded manufacturers are FAAC, Fireblast Global, Inc., Firehouse Fabricators, LION Safety Solutions, Anatomy Lab/Pristine Medical, Sim-Tech, Symtech Fire, LLC, and ViziTech.

Category B: EMS Training Equipment and Simulators awarded manufacturers are Generic Accessories, LifeVac, 3b Scientific, EMS, FAAC, Laerdal, Anatomy Lab/Pristine Medical, and TACMED.

3.16 AUTHORIZED RESELLER

The Vendor shall be authorized by the manufacturer to distribute or resell the products and/or maintenance offered in this IFB. The Vendor shall provide a signed statement from the manufacturer confirming authorization with its bid response. Failure to provide this statement shall constitute sufficient grounds for rejection of Vendor’s offer, at the discretion of the State.

Vendor is the: Manufacturer Dealer Reseller Distributor

Authorized: Yes No Attached Manufacturer’s Authority: Yes No

3.17 ADDITIONAL DISCOUNT OFFERS/REBATES

This component of the Pricing Response is optional, but the State encourages Vendors to provide additional financial incentives, if possible, within the scope of this IFB that will benefit the State. These additional incentives could include, but are not limited to, additional discounts based on total spend volumes, tier pricing, rebates, additional discounts by manufacture or product type, etc. Additional Discount Offers shall be in addition to the discounts bid on Discount Off items.

Volume or tier discounts, if offered, shall also be based on the published retail price list. All discounts offered shall remain in effect for the entire contract period and cannot be decreased. However, the discount may be increased, and any such increase shall remain in effect for the reminder of the contract period and any subsequent extensions. Volume or tier discounts, if offered, shall apply to purchase orders placed for delivery to the same location. Vendor may provide volume or tier discounts to orders that include multiple delivery points from the same agency. Rebates will be applied at the time of purchase. The participating community college will request a quote from the Vendor for items purchased. The vendor will indicate on the quote if the item has a rebate, volume discount or other incentive for the participating community college to create a requisition prior to the purchase order being issued.

The State reserves the right to accept or reject all or part of proposed Additional Discount Offers as part of a

Vendor’s Total Price Submittal Value. It is at the State’s sole discretion not to assign value to proposed

Additional Discount Offers which the State cannot quantify or to give only partial value for Additional Discount

Offers. Vendors may offer the State additional discounts.

3.18 POST AWARD PRODUCT SUBSTITUTIONS, ADDITIONS & REMOVALS

Post award product substitutions are not permitted without prior written approval from the Contract Specialist.

Proposed substitutions shall be at the same or higher quality and at the same or lower price as the original item. Failure of the Vendor to comply with this requirement shall constitute sufficient cause to hold the Vendor in default or for removal from the contract.

The products included in this IFB are expected to cover the participating community college’s needs for the term of the Contract. In the case that these needs change over the term of the Contract, the State reserves the right to add additional products to the Contract that can be supplied by an awarded Vendor in the product category if such products have been duly qualified through PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS. The price for these added products will be mutually agreed to by the State and the Vendor but shall be assumed to be offered

Page 16 of 42 Version Aug 5, 2026 for at least a discount similar to what the Vendor has bid on similar products listed in the IFB. The State may remove products from this Contract at its discretion in accordance with the General Terms and Conditions. A

Vendor may request additions to the contract from time to time, and it is the Vendor’s responsibility to submit documentation sufficient to demonstrate that the requested addition meets all relevant requirements of this

IFB. This paragraph shall not be construed as implying that the State must or will add any product to the contract, regardless of qualification under the PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS.

3.19 TRAINING

If required by the Using Agency, the Vendor shall provide qualified representative(s) to instruct owners' operators in the proper operation, safety issues, routine maintenance, troubleshooting and service based on the complexity of the equipment. Training shall be coordinated with the using agency.

3.20 MAINTENANCE MANUAL

The Vendor shall provide with the delivery of each piece of equipment an operation and maintenance manual, and a copy of all warranties.

3.21 INSTRUCTION MANUALS

Vendor shall furnish to the Buyer a hard copy or electronic copy of the complete set of instruction manuals for the products supplied. The manual shall include complete instructions for unpacking, inspecting, installing, adjusting, aligning, and operating the product, together with layout and interconnection diagrams, preventive and corrective maintenance procedures, and complete parts lists, manufacturer's catalog numbers, and ordering information, if applicable. If available, Vendor shall supply such information electronically with the order, or shall direct the Buyer to where the information can be found on the Internet.

3.22 CERTIFICATION AND SAFETY LABELS

All manufactured items and/or fabricated assemblies subject to operation under pressure, operation by connection to an electric source, or operation involving a connection to a manufactured, natural, or liquefied petroleum (LP) gas source shall be constructed and approved in a manner acceptable to the appropriate

State inspector which customarily requires the label or re-examination listing or identification marking of the appropriate safety standard organization; such as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for pressure vessels; the Underwriters Laboratories and /or…