STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

Western Carolina University

Request for Proposal #: 73-RFP-00778

Conveyor System

Date Issued: 9/1/2026 at 10:00AM ET

Proposal Opening Date: 09/14/2026

At 2:00 AM ET

Direct all inquiries concerning this RFP to:

John Hamm

Associate Director of Purchasing

Email: Jahamm@wcu.edu

Phone: 828-227-7203

Ver. 11/2025

Request for Proposal #

73-RFP-00778

For internal State agency processing, including tabulation of proposals, provide your company’s eVP (Electronic Vendor Portal) Number. Pursuant to G.S. 132-1.10(b) this identification number shall not be released to the public.

This page will be removed and shredded, or otherwise kept confidential, before the procurement file is made available for public inspection.

This page shall be filled out and returned with your proposal.

Failure to do so may subject your proposal to rejection.

Vendor Name

Vendor eVP#

Note: For a contract to be awarded to you, your company (you) must be a North Carolina registered Vendor in good standing. You must enter the Vendor number assigned through eVP (Electronic Vendor

Portal). If you do not have a Vendor number, register at https://evp.nc.gov/Sign

Ver: 11/2025 1

EXECUTION

In compliance with this Request for Proposal (RFP), and subject to all the conditions herein, the undersigned Vendor offers and agrees to furnish and deliver any or all items upon which prices are bid, at the prices set opposite each item within the time specified herein.

By executing this proposal, the undersigned Vendor understands that false certification is a Class I felony and certifies that:

this proposal is submitted competitively and without collusion (G.S. 143-54), that none of its officers, directors, or owners of an unincorporated business entity has been convicted of any violations of Chapter

78A of the General Statutes, the Securities Act of 1933, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (G.S. 143-59.2), and it is not an ineligible Vendor as set forth in G.S. 143-59.1.

Furthermore, by executing this proposal, the undersigned certifies to the best of Vendor’s knowledge and belief, that:

it and its principals are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible or voluntarily excluded from covered transactions by any Federal or State department or agency.

As required by G.S. 143-48.5, the undersigned Vendor certifies that it, and each of its sub-Contractors for any Contract awarded as a result of this RFP, complies with the requirements of Article 2 of Chapter 64 of the NC General Statutes, including the requirement for each employer with more than 25 employees in North Carolina to verify the work authorization of its employees through the federal E-Verify system.

As required by Executive Order 24 (2017), the undersigned Vendor certifies will comply with all Federal and State requirements concerning fair employment and that it does not and will not discriminate, harass, or retaliate against any employee in connection with performance of any Contract arising from this solicitation.

G.S. 133-32 and Executive Order 24 (2009) prohibit the offer to, or acceptance by, any State Employee associated with the preparing plans, specifications, estimates for public Contract; or awarding or administering public Contracts; or inspecting or supervising delivery of the public Contract of any gift from anyone with a Contract with the State, or from any person seeking to do business with the State. By execution of this response to the RFP, the undersigned certifies, for Vendor’s entire organization and its employees or agents, that Vendor are not aware that any such gift has been offered, accepted, or promised by any employees or agents of Vendor’s organization.

By executing this proposal, Vendor certifies that it has read and agreed to the INSTRUCTION TO VENDORS and the NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS incorporated herein. These documents can be accessed from the ATTACHMENTS page within this document.

Division of Western Carolina University

Refer ALL Inquiries regarding this RFP to:

John Hamm Jahamm@wcu.edu 828-227-7203

Request for Proposal # 73-RFP-00778 Proposals will be publicly opened: 9/14/2026 at 2PM ET Microsoft Teams meeting Join:

https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/278308417031604?p=mleaH4dDIibt3gycrs Meeting ID: 278 308 417 031 604 Passcode: oM7Nr62G

Using Agency: Western Carolina University Commodity No. and Description:

Requisition No.:

mailto:Jahamm@wcu.edu https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/278308417031604?p=mleaH4dDIibt3gycrs

Proposal Number: 73-RFP-00778 Vendor: ____________________________________

Ver: 11/2025 2

FOR STATE USE ONLY: Offer accepted and Contract awarded this ____ day of _______________, 20____, as indicated on the attached certification, by ______________________________________________________

Failure to execute/sign proposal prior to submittal may render proposal invalid and it MAY BE REJECTED. Late proposals cannot be accepted.

COMPLETE/FORMAL NAME OF VENDOR:

STREET ADDRESS: P.O. BOX: ZIP:

CITY & STATE & ZIP: TELEPHONE NUMBER: TOLL FREE TEL. NO:

PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS ADDRESS IF DIFFERENT FROM ABOVE (SEE INSTRUCTIONS TO VENDORS ITEM #21):

PRINT NAME & TITLE OF PERSON SIGNING ON BEHALF OF VENDOR:

VENDOR’S AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE: DATE: E-MAIL:

VALIDITY PERIOD

Offer shall be valid for at least sixty (60) days from date of bid opening, unless otherwise stated here: ______ days, or if extended by mutual agreement of the parties in writing. Any withdrawal of this offer shall be made in writing, effective upon receipt by the agency issuing this RFP.

ACCEPTANCE OF PROPOSAL

If your proposal is accepted, all provisions of this RFP, along with the written results of any negotiations, shall constitute the written agreement between the parties (“Contract”). The NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS are incorporated herein and shall apply. Depending upon the Goods or Services being offered, other terms and conditions may apply, as mutually agreed.

(Authorized Representative of Western Carolina University

Ver: 11/2025 3

1.0 PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND

1.1 CONTRACT TERM

2.0 GENERAL INFORMATION

2.1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL DOCUMENT

2.2 NOTICE TO VENDORS REGARDING RFP TERMS AND CONDITIONS

2.4 RFP SCHEDULE

2.5 SITE VISIT or PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE

2.6 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS

2.7 PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL

2.8 PROPOSAL CONTENTS

2.9 ALTERNATE PROPOSALS

2.10 METHOD OF AWARD AND PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCESS

2.11 METHOD OF AWARD

2.12 CONFIDENTIALITY AND PROHIBITED COMMUNICATIONS DURING EVALUATION

2.13 PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCESS

2.14 EVALUATION CRITERIA

2.15 PERFORMANCE OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES

2.16 INTERPRETATION OF TERMS AND PHRASES

3.0 REQUIREMENTS

3.1 PRICING

3.2 TRANSPORTATION AND IDENTIFICATION

3.3 DELIVERY AND INSTALLATION

3.4 AUTHORIZED RESELLER

3.5 WARRANTY

3.6 MAINTENANCE OPTION

3.7 DESCRIPTIVE LITERATURE

3.8 VENDOR EXPERIENCE

4.8 REFERENCES

4.9 VENDOR’S REPRESENTATIONS

4.10 QUESTIONS TO VENDORS .................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

4.11 FINANCIAL STABILITY

4.12 AGENCY INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS MODIFICATION

4.15 SUBCONTACTOR

4.16 SECRETARY OF STATE REGISTRATION

4.18 SUSTAINIBILITY EFFORTS

5.0 PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS AND SCOPE OF WORK

GENERAL

SPECIFICATIONS [if applicable]

5.3 TASKS/DELIVERABLES

5.4 TECHNICAL APPROACH

5.5 CERTIFICATION AND SAFETY LABELS

6.0 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION

6.1 CONTRACT MANAGER AND CUSTOMER SERVICE

6.2 INVOICES

Ver: 11/2025 4

6.3 POST AWARD BUSINESS REVIEW MEETINGS .................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

6.4 CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

6.5 PERIODIC [WEEKLY, MONTHLY] REPORTS ......................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

6.6 ACCEPTANCE OF WORK

6.7 DISPUTE RESOLUTION

6.8 PRODUCT RECALL

6.9 PRICE ADJUSTMENTS

6.10 CONTRACT CHANGES

7.0 ATTACHMENTS

ATTACHMENT A: PRICING (OR COST PROPOSAL)

ATTACHMENT B: INSTRUCTIONS TO VENDORS

ATTACHMENT C: NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL TERMS & CONDITIONS

ATTACHMENT E: CUSTOMER REFERENCE FORM

ATTACHMENT F: LOCATION OF WORKERS UTILIZED BY VENDOR

ATTACHMENT G: CERTIFICATION OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

ATTACHMENT H: VENDOR REQUEST FOR EO50 PRICE-MATCHING

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1.0 PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND

The College of Engineering (COE) at WCU seeks to engage with an automation system integrator for the design and construction of a baseline automated conveyor system. This system will serve as a fixture on which laboratory exercises in robotics and automation may be conducted. It is envisioned that students in the Robotics and Automation concentration of the BS-Mechanical Engineering (BSME) and students pursuing the Robotics and Automation Certificate from other majors within COE will use this conveyor system as a platform to design, mount, and test their own implementations of industrial-level process control solutions.

The intent of this solicitation is to award an Agency Contract.

1.1 CONTRACT TERM

The contract shall commence upon award and remain in effect until all deliverables and requirements specified in the Scope of Work have been successfully completed and accepted by the University.

Proposals shall be submitted in accordance with the terms and conditions of this RFP and any addenda issued hereto.

2.0 GENERAL INFORMATION

Proposals Must be submitted electronically at:

https://wcu.bonfirehub.com/portal/?tab=openOpportunities

WCU’s BSME program includes a recently added concentration in Robotics and Automation Engineering (RAE).

Courses in the RAE concentration are held in room 181 of the Belk building, which is under development as a robotics studio/laboratory. As part of this lab, the program wishes to add a baseline conveyor system (the fixture) as a platform for student learning.

The fixture will move pallets in a closed-loop path of sufficient length to accommodate up to 4 processing stations.

Each station should include one stop gate to hold the pallet at the station and one pre-stop gate to queue the pallets entering the station where room allows. The fixture should be constructed of extruded aluminum to which student-built processing stations, sensors, wiring, compressed air hoses, and other apparatus may be readily attached.

See Figure 1 below for the approximate layout. Dimensions may be adjusted to meet standard component sizes and application constraints.

Figure 1 - Approximate Layout

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2.1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL DOCUMENT

The RFP is comprised of the base RFP document, any attachments, and any addenda released before Contract award, which are incorporated herein by reference.

2.2 NOTICE TO VENDORS REGARDING RFP TERMS AND CONDITIONS

It shall be the Vendor’s responsibility to read the Instructions to Vendors, the North Carolina General Terms and Conditions, all relevant exhibits and attachments, and any other components made a part of this RFP and comply with all requirements and specifications herein. Vendors also are responsible for obtaining and complying with all Addenda and other changes that may be issued in connection with this RFP.

If Vendors have questions or issues regarding any component within this RFP, those must be submitted as questions in accordance with the instructions in the PROPOSAL QUESTIONS Section. If the State determines that any changes will be made as a result of the questions asked, then such decisions will be communicated in the form of an RFP addendum. The State may also elect to leave open the possibility for later negotiation of specific provisions of the Contract that have been addressed during the question-and-answer period, prior to contract award.

Other than through the process of negotiation under 01 NCAC 05B.0503, the State rejects and will not be required to evaluate or consider any additional or modified terms and conditions submitted with Vendor’s proposal. This applies to any language appearing in or attached to the document as part of the Vendor’s proposal that purports to vary any terms and conditions or Vendors’ instructions herein or to render the proposal non-binding or subject to further negotiation. Vendor’s proposal shall constitute a firm offer that shall be held open for the period required herein (“Validity Period” above).

The State may exercise its discretion to consider Vendor proposed modifications. By execution and delivery of this RFP Response, the Vendor agrees that any additional or modified terms and conditions, whether submitted purposely or inadvertently, shall have no force or effect, and will be disregarded unless expressly agreed upon through negotiation and incorporated by way of a Best and Final Offer (BAFO). Noncompliance with, or any attempt to alter or delete, this paragraph shall constitute sufficient grounds to reject Vendor’s proposal as nonresponsive.

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2.4 RFP SCHEDULE

The table below shows the intended schedule for this RFP. The State will make every effort to adhere to this schedule.

[Update the table modifying Events and Responsibility as needed and including a Date and Time for each Event]

Event Responsibility Date and Time

Issue RFP State 9/1/2026 at 10AM ET Hold Pre-Proposal Conference/Site Visit

State N/A

Submit Written Questions

Vendor 9/8/2026 by 10AM ET

Provide Responses to Questions

State 9/9/2026 by 10AM ET

Submit Proposals Vendor 09/14/2026 at 2PM ET Microsoft Teams meeting Join:

https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/278308417031604?p=mleaH4dDIibt3gycrs Meeting ID: 278 308 417 031 604 Passcode: oM7Nr62G

Contract Award State

2.5 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS

Upon review of the RFP documents, Vendors may have questions to clarify or interpret the RFP in order to submit the best proposal possible. To accommodate the Proposal Questions process, Vendors shall submit any such questions by the “Submit Written Questions” date and time provided in the RFP SCHEDULE Section above, unless modified by Addendum.

Written questions shall be e-mailed to Jahamm@wcu.edu by the date and time specified above. Vendors will enter “RFP # 73- RFP-00778 Questions” as the subject for the email. Question submittals will include a reference to the applicable RFP section and be submitted in a format shown below:

Reference Vendor Question

RFP Section, Page Number Vendor question …?

Questions received prior to the submission deadline date, the State’s response, and any additional terms deemed necessary by the State will be posted in the form of an addendum to the electronic Vendor Portal (eVP), https://evp.nc.gov, and shall become an Addendum to this RFP. No information, instruction or advice provided orally or informally by any State personnel, whether made in response to a question or otherwise in connection with this RFP, shall be considered authoritative or binding.

Vendors shall rely only on written material contained in an Addendum to this RFP.

2.7 PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is an absolute requirement. Late bids, regardless of cause, will not be opened or considered, and will be automatically disqualified from further consideration. Vendor shall bear the sole risk of late submission due to unintended or unanticipated delay. It is the Vendor’s sole responsibility to ensure its proposal has been received as described in this RFP by the specified time and date of opening. The date and time of receipt will be marked on each proposal when received. Any proposal or portion thereof received after the proposal submission deadline will be rejected.

Proposals Must be submitted electronically at:

https://wcu.bonfirehub.com/portal/?tab=openOpportunities https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/278308417031604?p=mleaH4dDIibt3gycrs https://evp.nc.gov/

Ver: 11/2025 8

If confidential and proprietary information is included in the proposal, also submit one (1) signed, REDACTED copy of the proposal. Such information may include trade secrets defined by N.C. Gen. Stat. § 66-152 and other information exempted from the Public Records Act pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. §132- 1.2. Vendor may designate information, Products, Services or appropriate portions of its response as confidential, consistent with and to the extent permitted under the statutes and rules set forth above. By so redacting any page, or portion of a page, the Vendor warrants that it has formed a good faith opinion, having received such necessary or proper review by counsel and other knowledgeable advisors, that the portions determined to be confidential and proprietary and redacted as such, meet the requirements of the Rules and Statutes set forth above.

However, under no circumstances shall price information be designated as confidential.

If the Vendor does not provide a redacted version of the proposal with its proposal submission, the Department may release an unredacted version if a record request is received.

Failure to submit a proposal in strict accordance with these instructions shall constitute sufficient cause to reject a Vendor’s proposal(s). Vendors are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to upload proposals.

Critical updated information may be included in Addenda to this RFP. It is important that all Vendors responding on this RFP periodically check the State’s eVP website for any Addenda that may be issued prior to the proposal opening date. All Vendors shall be deemed to have read and understood all information in this RFP and all Addenda thereto.

2.8 PROPOSAL CONTENTS

Vendors shall populate all attachments of this RFP that require the Vendor to provide information and include an authorized signature where requested. Failure to provide all required items, or Vendor’s submission of incomplete items, may result in the State rejecting Vendor’s proposal, in the State’s sole discretion.

Vendor RFP responses shall include the following items and attachments, which shall be arranged in the following order:

a) Cover Letter, which must contain the following: (i) a statement that confirms that the Vendor has read the RFP in its entirety, including all links, and all Addenda released in conjunction with the RFP, (ii) a statement that the Vendor agrees to perform in accordance with the scope of work, requirements, and specifications contained herein; and (iii) Vendor’s agreement to comply with all instructions, terms and conditions, and attachments.

b) Title Page: Include the company name, address, phone number and authorized representative along with the Proposal Number.

c) Completed and signed version of EXECUTION PAGES, along with the body of the RFP.

d) Signed receipt pages of any addenda released in conjunction with this RFP, if required to be returned.

e) Vendor’s Proposal addressing all Specifications of this RFP.

f) Completed version of ATTACHMENT A: PRICING

g) Completed version of ATTACHMENT E: CUSTOMER REFERENCE FORM

h) Completed version of ATTACHMENT F: LOCATION OF WORKERS UTILIZED BY VENDOR

i) Completed and signed version of ATTACHMENT G: CERTIFICATION OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

j) Completed and signed version of ATTACHMENT H: VENDOR REQUEST FOR EO50 PRICE-MATCHING, if applicable

k) Completed and signed version of CERTIFICATION FOR CONTRACTS, GRANTS, LOANS, AND COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS and

OMB STANDARD FORM LLL

2.9 ALTERNATE PROPOSALS

Unless provided otherwise in this RFP, Vendor may submit alternate proposals for comparable Goods, various methods or levels of Service(s), or that propose different options. Alternate proposals must specifically identify the RFP requirements and advantage(s) addressed by the alternate proposal. Any alternate proposal, in addition to the marking described above, must

Ver: 11/2025 9 be clearly marked with the legend: “Alternate Proposal #___ [for ‘name of Vendor’]”. Each proposal must be for a specific set of Goods and Services and must include specific pricing. If a Vendor chooses to respond with various offerings, each must be offered with a separate price and be contained in a separate proposal. Each proposal must be complete and independent of other proposals offered.

2.10 METHOD OF AWARD AND PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCESS

2.11 METHOD OF AWARD

North Carolina G.S. 143-52 provides a general list of criteria the State shall use to award contracts, as supplemented by the additional criteria herein. The Goods or Services being procured shall dictate the application and order of criteria; however, all award decisions shall be in the State’s best interest. All qualified proposals will be evaluated, and awards will be made to the Vendor(s) meeting the specific RFP Specifications and achieving the highest and best final evaluation, based on the criteria described below.

While the intent of this RFP is to award a Contract(s) to a single Vendor for all line items, the State reserves the right to make separate awards to different Vendors for one or more line items, to not award one or more line items or to cancel this RFP in its entirety without awarding a Contract, if it is considered to be most advantageous to the State to do so.

If a Vendor selected for award is determined by the State to be a non-resident of North Carolina, all responsive proposals will be reviewed to determine if any of them were submitted by a North Carolina resident Vendor who requested an opportunity to match the price of the winning proposal, pursuant to Executive Order #50 and G.S. 143-59 (for more information, please refer to ATTACHMENT H: VENDOR REQUEST FOR EXECUTIVE ORDER #50 PRICE MATCHING. If such proposals(s) are identified, the State will then determine whether any such proposal falls within the price-match range, and, if so, make a Contract award in accordance with the process that implements G.S. 143-59 and Executive Order #50.

The State reserves the right to waive any minor informality or technicality in proposals received.

2.12 CONFIDENTIALITY AND PROHIBITED COMMUNICATIONS DURING EVALUATION

While this RFP is under evaluation, the responding Vendor, including any subcontractors and suppliers, is prohibited from engaging in conversations intended to influence the outcome of the evaluation. See Paragraph 29 of the Instructions To Vendors entitled COMMUNICATONS BY VENDORS.

Each Vendor submitting a proposal to this RFP, including its employees, agents, subcontractors, suppliers, subsidiaries and affiliates, is prohibited from having any communications with any person inside or outside the using agency; issuing agency;

other government agency office or body (including the procurement lead named above, any department secretary, agency head, members of the General Assembly and Governor’s office); or private entity, if the communication refers to the content of Vendor’s proposal or qualifications, the content of another Vendor’s proposal, another Vendor’s qualifications or ability to perform a resulting contract, and/or the transmittal of any other communication of information that could be reasonably considered to have the effect of directly or indirectly influencing the evaluation of proposals, the award of a contract, or both.

Any Vendor not in compliance with this provision shall be disqualified from evaluation and award. A Vendor’s proposal may be disqualified if its subcontractor and/or supplier engage in any of the foregoing communications during the time that the procurement is active (i.e., the issuance date of the procurement until the date of contract award or cancellation of the procurement). Only those discussions, communications or transmittals of information authorized or initiated by the issuing agency for this RFP or inquiries directed to the procurement lead named in this RFP regarding requirements of the RFP (prior to proposal submission) or the status of the award (after submission) are excepted from this provision.

2.13 PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCESS

Only responsive submissions will be evaluated.

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The State will conduct a One-Step evaluation of Proposals:

Proposals will be received according to the method stated in the Proposal Submittal Section above.

All proposals must be received by the issuing agency not later than the date and time specified in the RFP SCHEDULE Section above, unless modified by Addendum. Vendors are cautioned that this is a request for offers, not an offer or request to contract, and the State reserves the unqualified right to reject any and all offers at any time if such rejection is deemed to be in the best interest of the State.

At the date and time provided in the RFP SCHEDULE Section above, unless modified by Addendum, the proposal from each responding Vendor will be opened publicly and all offers (except those that have been previously withdrawn, or voided bids) will be tabulated. The tabulation shall be made public at the time it is created. When negotiations after receipt of bids are authorized pursuant to G.S. 143-49 and 01 NCAC 05B.0503, only the names of offerors and the Goods and Services offered shall be tabulated at the time of opening. If negotiation is anticipated, cost and price shall become available for public inspection at the time of the award. Interested parties are cautioned that these costs and their components are subject to further evaluation for completeness and correctness and therefore may not be an exact indicator of a Vendor’s pricing position.

At their option, the evaluators may request oral presentations or discussions with any or all Vendors for clarification or to amplify the materials presented in any part of the proposal. Vendors are cautioned, however, that the evaluators are not required to request presentations or other clarification—and often do not. Therefore, all proposals should be complete and reflect the most favorable terms available from the Vendor.

Upon completion of the technical evaluation, the cost proposals of those Vendors whose technical proposals have been deemed acceptable will be publicly opened. The total cost offered by each Vendor will be tabulated and become a matter of public record. Interested parties are cautioned that these costs and their components are subject to further evaluation for completeness and correctness and therefore may not be an exact indicator of a Vendor’s pricing position.

If negotiation is anticipated under 01 NCAC 05B.0503, pricing may not be public until award.

At their sole option, the evaluators may request oral presentations or discussions with any or all Vendors for the purpose of clarification or to amplify the materials presented in any part of the proposal. Vendors are cautioned, however, that the evaluators are not required to request presentations or other clarification—and often do not.

Upon completion of the evaluation process, the State will make award(s) based on the evaluation and post the award(s) to bonfire, under the RFP number for this solicitation. Award of a Contract to one Vendor does not mean that the other proposals lacked merit, but that, all factors considered, the selected proposal was deemed most advantageous and represented the best value to the State.

The State reserves the right to negotiate with one or more vendors, or to reject all original offers and negotiate with one or more sources of supply that may be capable of satisfying the requirement, and in either case to require Vendor to submit a Best and Final Offer (BAFO) based on discussions and negotiations with the State.

2.14 EVALUATION CRITERIA

In addition to the general criteria in G.S. 143-52 which may or may not be relevant to this RFP, all qualified proposals will be evaluated, and award made based on considering the following criteria, to result in an award most advantageous to the State:

EVALUTION METHOD: Narrative and by consensus of the evaluating committee, explaining the strengths and weaknesses of each proposal and why the recommended awardee(s) provide the best value to the State.

Ver: 11/2025 11

All qualified proposals will be evaluated, and award made based on considering the following criteria listed in descending order of importance, to result in an award most advantageous to the State:

1. Vendor Technical Approach

2. Vendor Qualifications

3. Vendor Experience

4. Pricing

2.15 PERFORMANCE OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES

Vendor shall complete ATTACHMENT F: LOCATION OF WORKERS UTILIZED BY VENDOR. In addition to any other evaluation criteria identified in this RFP, the State may also consider, for purposes of evaluating proposed or actual contract performance outside of the United States, how that performance may affect the following factors to ensure that any award will be in the best interest of the State:

a) Total cost to the State

b) Level of quality provided by the Vendor

c) Process and performance capability across multiple jurisdictions

d) Protection of the State’s information and intellectual property

e) Availability of pertinent skills

f) Ability to understand the State’s business requirements and internal operational culture

g) Particular risk factors such as the security of the State’s information technology

h) Relations with citizens and employees

i) Contract enforcement jurisdictional issues

2.16 INTERPRETATION OF TERMS AND PHRASES

This RFP serves two functions: (1) to advise potential Vendors of the parameters of the solution being sought by the State; and

(2) to provide (together with other specified documents) the terms of the Contract resulting from this procurement. The use of phrases such as “shall,” “must,” and “requirements” are intended to create enforceable contract conditions. In determining whether proposals should be evaluated or rejected, the State will take into consideration the degree to which Vendors have proposed or failed to propose solutions that will satisfy the State’s needs as described in the RFP. Except as specifically stated in the RFP, no one requirement shall automatically disqualify a Vendor from consideration. However, failure to comply with any single requirement may result in the State exercising its discretion to reject a proposal in its entirety.

3.0 REQUIREMENTS

This Section lists the requirements related to this RFP. By submitting a proposal, the Vendor agrees to meet all stated requirements in this Section, as well as any other specifications, requirements, and terms and conditions stated in this RFP. If a Vendor is unclear about a requirement or specification or believes a change in a requirement would allow for the State to receive a better proposal, the Vendor is encouraged to submit these items in the form of a question during the question-and-answer period in accordance with the Proposal Questions Section above.

Proposals will be evaluated based on the Offeror's demonstrated ability to provide a complete conveyor and automation system that satisfies the University's functional requirements and educational objectives. Evaluation will consider the overall quality, completeness, and technical merit of the proposed solution; the Offeror's understanding of the project requirements;

and the degree to which the proposed system meets or exceeds the specifications contained in this solicitation.

The University will consider the Offeror's experience designing, building, integrating, and commissioning industrial automation systems of similar size and complexity.

Evaluation will also include the proposed project approach, design methodology, quality of components, system expandability, maintainability, safety features, and the Offeror's ability to accommodate future instructional use and student-developed enhancements.

Ver: 11/2025 12

Cost will be considered as part of the overall evaluation; however, award will not necessarily be made to the Offeror submitting the lowest-priced proposal. The University intends to award the responsive and responsible Offeror whose proposal is determined to provide the best overall value and to be most advantageous to the University.

3.1 PRICING

Proposal price shall constitute the total cost to the State for complete performance in accordance with the requirements and specifications herein, including all applicable charges for handling, transportation, administrative and other similar fees.

Complete ATTACHMENT A: PRICING FORM and include in Vendor’s proposal.

INVOICES MAY NOT BE PAID UNTIL AN INSPECTION HAS OCCURRED AND THE GOODS OR SERVICES ACCEPTED.

4.1.1 Import Tariff Temporary Surcharge

Pricing shall be exclusive of any pending tariffs or temporary tariff surcharge. Vendor may request a temporary tariff surcharge in ATTACHMENT A: PRICING SUBMITTAL WORKBOOK as a charge separate from the contract price. Any temporary tariff surcharge(s) associated with purchases shall be provided by way of a percentage tariff surcharge. All tariff surcharges proposed are intended to be temporary and based on current tariff implications specific to related commodities with evidence of submitted documentation of affected MSRP products. Vendor understands that the agency may request additional justification. Any temporary tariff surcharge percentage will be negotiated and mutually agreed upon. The state is not obligated to accept any proposed import tariff surcharge. Proposed tariff surcharges may be used as a factor for evaluation and award.

3.2 TRANSPORTATION AND IDENTIFICATION

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

When an order is placed using a purchase order, the purchase order number shall be shown on all packages and shipping manifests to ensure proper identification and payment of invoices. If an order is placed without using a purchase order, such as via phone, the Buyer’s name shall be shown on all packages. A complete packing list shall accompany each shipment. Vendors shall not ship any products until they have received an order.

3.3 DELIVERY AND INSTALLATION

The Vendor shall deliver Free-On-Board (FOB) Destination to the following location(s):

181 Belk

389 Centennial Dr, Cullowhee, NC 28723

Vendor shall complete delivery within ninety (90) consecutive calendar days after receipt of purchase order.

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. The Vendor shall be responsible for leaving the installation area clean and ready to use.

3.4 AUTHORIZED RESELLER

The Vendor shall be authorized by the manufacturer to distribute or resell the products and/or maintenance offered in this RFP. The Vendor shall provide a signed statement from the manufacturer confirming authorization with its proposal response.

Failure to provide this statement shall constitute sufficient grounds for rejection of Vendor’s offer, at the discretion of the State.

Ver: 11/2025 13

Vendor is the: Manufacturer Dealer Reseller Distributor

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

3.5 WARRANTY

Manufacturer’s standard warranty shall apply. Vendors shall include a copy of the manufacturer’s standard warranty with the proposal response.

Vendor warrants that all equipment furnished under this RFP will be newly manufactured, of good material and workmanship.

The warranty will apply from date equipment is put into operation for a minimum period of twelve (12) months or the length of the manufacturer’s warranty, whichever is longer. Such warranty shall cover the cost of all defective parts replacement, labor, freight, and technicians’ travel at no additional cost to the State, or as specified by the Procurement Entity herein. To the extent not superseded by the terms of this paragraph, manufacturer’s warranty terms shall apply. Vendor’s warranty shall be at least the level of coverage provided for its comparable customers.

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 by using 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 shall be responsible for compliance with warranty terms by any third-party service provider. Vendor shall provide contact information for warranty service provider, below.

Vendor is authorized by manufacturer to repair equipment offered during the warranty period? YES NO

Will the Vendor provide warranty service? YES NO, a manufacturer-authorized third party will perform warranty service.

Contact information for warranty service provider:

Company Name: _______________________________________________

Company Address: _____________________________________________

Contact Person (name): _________________________________________

Contact Person (phone number): __________________________________

Contact Person (email): _________________________________________

3.6 MAINTENANCE OPTION

3.7 DESCRIPTIVE LITERATURE

DESCRIPTIVE LITERATURE/CERTIFICATION

Each proposal shall be accompanied by complete descriptive literature, specifications, certifications, and all other pertinent data necessary for thorough evaluation of the item(s) offered and sufficient to determine compliance of the item(s) with the specifications. Failure to include such information shall be a sufficient basis for rejection of the proposal.

3.8 VENDOR EXPERIENCE

In its Proposal, Vendor shall demonstrate experience with public and/or private sector clients with similar or greater size and complexity to the State. Vendor shall provide information as to the qualifications and experience of all executive, managerial, legal, and professional personnel to be assigned to this project, including resumes citing experience with similar projects and the responsibilities to be assigned to each person.

Ver: 11/2025 14

4.8 REFERENCES

Vendors shall provide at least three (3) references, using ATTACHMENT E: CUSTOMER REFERENCE FORM, for which your company has supplied the exact model of equipment offered. References shall not be from the same company or from the soliciting State entity. In addition, Vendor shall provide references for and identify other government contracts it has received, for which your company has supplied the same or similar model of equipment offered. The State may contact these users to determine quality level of the offered equipment; as well as, but not limited to user satisfaction with Vendor performance.

Information obtained may be considered in the evaluation of the proposal.

4.9 VENDOR’S REPRESENTATIONS

If the proposal results in an award, Vendor agrees that it will not enter any agreement with a third party that may abridge any rights of the State under the Contract. If any Services, deliverables, functions, or responsibilities not specifically described in this solicitation are required for Vendor’s proper performance, provision and delivery of the Service and deliverables under a resulting Contract, or are an inherent part of or necessary sub-task included within such service, they will be deemed to be implied by and included within the scope of the contract to the same extent and in the same manner as if specifically described in the Contract. Unless otherwise expressly provided herein, Vendor will furnish all of its own necessary management, supervision, labor, facilities, furniture, computer and telecommunications equipment, software, supplies and materials necessary for the Vendor to provide and deliver the Services and/or other Deliverables.

4.10 FINANCIAL STABILITY

As a condition of contract award, the Vendor must certify that it has the financial capacity to perform and to continue to perform its obligations under the Contract; that Vendor has no constructive or actual knowledge of an actual or potential legal proceeding being brought against Vendor that could materially adversely affect performance of this Contract; and that entering into this Contract is not prohibited by any contract, or order by any court of competent jurisdiction

Each Vendor shall certify it is financially stable by completing the ATTACHMENT G: CERTIFICATION OF FINANCIAL CONDITION.

The State is requiring this certification to minimize potential performance issues from Contracting with a Vendor that is financially unstable. This Certification shall be deemed continuing, and from the date of the Certification to the expiration of the Contract, the Vendor shall notify the State within thirty (30) days of any occurrence or condition that materially alters the truth of any statement made in this Certification.

4.11 AGENCY INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS MODIFICATION

A. Default Insurance Coverage from the General Terms and Conditions applicable to this Solicitation:

☐ Small Purchases

☒ Contract value in excess of the Small Purchase threshold, but up to $1,000,000.00

☐ Contract value in excess of $1,000,000.00

a) Employer’s Liability $_____________

b) Commercial General Liability $_____________ Combined Single Limit

c) Automobile $_____________ Bodily injury and property damage $_____________ Uninsured/under insured motorist $_____________ Medical payment

4.15 SUBCONTACTOR

No portion of the work shall be subcontracted without prior written consent of the State. In the event that the Vendor desires to subcontract some part of the work specified herein, the Vendor shall furnish with their bid the names, qualifications, and

Ver: 11/2025 15 experience of their proposed subcontractors. The Vendor shall, however, remain solely and fully liable and responsible for the work done by its subcontractor(s) and shall assure compliance with all the requirements and specifications of the contract.

4.16 SECRETARY OF STATE REGISTRATION

Prior to entering into a contract with the State, the awarded Vendor(s) must complete registration with the NC Secretary of State. Upon notification of award, the selected Vendor(s) must furnish evidence of filing within 10 business days. Failure to provide this documentation may result in the disqualification of the Vendor(s) bid from further consideration for the award.

No purchase orders shall be issued prior to confirmation of completed registration with the Secretary of State.

A contract award under the above-referenced solicitation, and the resulting purchase orders, will produce repeated orders and transactions in North Carolina and will constitute “transacting business” in the State, which requires a certificate of authority from the North Carolina Secretary of State as provided in G.S. §55-15-01 (corporations) or §57D-7-01 (LLCs). Please go to: https://www.sosnc.gov/ to register.

Vendor has registered with the North Carolina Secretary of State: Yes☐ No ☐

4.18 SUSTAINIBILITY EFFORTS

According to G.S. 143-58.2, it is the policy of this State to encourage and promote the purchase of products with recycled content and to purchase items that are reusable, refillable, repairable, more durable, and less toxic to the extent that the purchase or use is practicable and cost effective. The bid must describe how environmental requirements which relate to clear labeling of the environmental/sustainability attributes (e.g. environmental certifications, total and post-consumer recycled content, etc.) of products in the proposed product catalogs, demonstrating the ability to run usage reports that include information about each product’s environmental/sustainability attributes, packaging and recycling of spent products.

5.0 PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS AND SCOPE OF WORK

GENERAL

Proposals Must be submitted electronically at:

SPECIFICATIONS

Feature Specification

Overall width

Less than 36” Must pass through a 36" doorway. The overall design should be planned as such to minimize any disassembly and re-assembly steps when moving the machine through the doorway. If necessary, minor components such as the Station 1 guarding, etc. can be removed during delivery and setup.

Conveyor Type Bosch Rexroth TS2Plus

Pallet width 9” or closest standard size

Input Power 120VAC 1PH

Control Voltage 24 Vdc with access points along conveyor body

Process stations 4

Structure Extruded aluminum (80/20)

Control Platform (PLC) Allen-Bradley 5069 Motion Capable CompactLogix (See Table 2 for WCU provided hardware) https://www.sosnc.gov/

Ver: 11/2025 16

Control Cabinet Must not be filled past 60% so to allow space for future additional components

Station 1

• Cartesian gantry (3 Axis).

• Must utilize integrated motion capability from within the 5069 controller to facilitate coordinated motion amongst all 3 axis plus a half axis feedback device.

• Provide an encoder installed to track the section of conveyor that passes through this station.

• The encoder feedback must be assessable as a half axis from within the 5069 controller motion axis group. This signal can be brought in through the servo drive auxiliary feedback port that has this capability such as a Kinetix 5300 or other model with equivalent capability.

• The X and Y axis should be capable of exceeding the conveyor velocity.

• Provide one vacuum gripper to support a 5 oz load (such as FESTO ESG-20 or similar)

• Please provide fully functioning stop gate and prestop gate. Each gate should have a proximity sensor detecting the presence of the pallet.

Station 2 Empty station for future Student-designed / pneumatic lift station.

Please provide a fully functioning stop gate and prestop gate. Each gate should have a proximity sensor detecting the presence of the pallet.

Station 3 Empty station for future Student-design. Please provide fully functioning stop gate and prestop gate. Each gate should have a proximity sensor detecting the presence of the pallet.

Station 4

Empty station for future Student-design. Please provide fully functioning stop gate and prestop gate. Each gate should have a proximity sensor detecting the presence of the pallet. Please provide a120V 15 amp outlet (for future robot)

Pneumatic Manifold Accommodate stop gates and provide 10 extra 5 way 3 position blocked center valves.

Communication Ethernet/IP with ports along conveyor frame

Operator Panel PanelView Plus 7 mounted on swing arm (See Table 2 for WCU provided hardware)

Safety

• x1 Dual-channel E-stop pushbutton on operator panel

• x1 E-stop pushbutton at each station

• Industry-standard lockout/tagout capability for electric power and compressed air

Quality No sharp edges

Must meet WCU approval for aesthetics

Programming The conveyor should be initiated by a Start and Stop button on the HMI terminal. Otherwise, no other programming is required.

Design Review Before components are ordered, WCU must review the CAD design and approve

Ver: 11/2025 17

Acceptance Testing Before Delivery

• The conveyor operation should be demonstrated.

• Emergency stop buttons should be demonstrated.

• LOTO should be demonstrated.

• All I/O should be tested.

• Outputs should be manually forced from the PLC to confirm functionality of each stop gate.

• Any wired inputs should confirmed at the PLC.

• Each servo axis should be manually jogged from the PLC

Table 2 - WCU Provided Hardware

Catalog Number Description Qty

5069-L310ERM Controller, CompactLogix 5380, 1 MB User Memory, 8 I/Os, 4 axis, 24 EtherNet/IP Devices

5069-RTB64-

SCREW

5069 Compact I/O Power terminal RTB kit for both 4 and 6 pin Screw type 1

5069-IB16 5069 Compact I/O 16 Channel 24V DC Sink Input Module 1

5069-OB16 5069 Compact I/O 16 Channel 24V DC Source Output Module 1

5069-IY4 5069 Compact I/O 4 Channel Universal Voltage/Current/RTD/TC Analog Input Module

5069-OF4 5069 Compact I/O 4 Channel Voltage/Current Analog Output Module 1

5069-RTB18-

SCREW

5069 Compact I/O 18 pins Screw type terminal block kit in a pack of 1 pcs 4

2711P- T10C21D8S

PanelView Plus 7 10" Touch HMI Terminal 1

Spare parts

At least 10 vacuum gripper cups for station 1 end of arm tooling.

At least 100 drop-in style T nuts compatible with the Bosch conveyor T slots.

Timeline

The fixture should be delivered and commissioned by December 14, 2026.

5.3 TASKS/DELIVERABLES

Timeline

The fixture should be delivered and commissioned by December 14, 2026.

Ver: 11/2025 18

5.4 TECHNICAL APPROACH

Vendor’s proposal shall include, in narrative, outline, and/or graph form the Vendor's approach to providing the deliverables outlined in the Scope of Work section of this RFP. A description of each task and deliverable and the schedule for accomplishing each shall be included.

5.5 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 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 National Electrical Manufacturers’ Association for electrically operated assemblies; or the American Gas Association for gas operated assemblies, where such approvals of listings have been established for the type of device offered and furnished. Further, all items furnished shall meet all requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), and state and federal requirements relating to clean air and water pollution.

6.0 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION

All Contract Administration requirements are conditioned on an award resulting from this solicitation. This information is provided for the Vendor’s planning purposes

6.1 CONTRACT MANAGER AND CUSTOMER SERVICE

The Vendor shall be required to designate and make available to the State a contract manager. The contract manager shall be the State’s point of contact for Contract related issues and issues concerning performance, progress review, scheduling, and service.

Contract Manager Point of Contact

Name:

Office Phone #:

Mobile Phone #:

Email:

The Vendor shall be required to designate and make available to the State for customer service. The customer service point of contact shall be the State’s point of contact for customer service-related issues (define roles and responsibilities).

Customer Service Point of Contact

Name:

Office Phone #:

Mobile Phone #:

Email:

Ver: 11/2025 19

6.2 INVOICES

INVOICES MAY NOT BE PAID UNTIL AN INSPECTION HAS OCCURRED AND THE GOODS ACCEPTED.

6.3 CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

The State encourages the Vendor to identify opportunities to reduce…