Division of Road Operations

1250 Old Meadow Branch Road Westminster, MD 21158

REQUEST FOR STATEMENT OF

QUALIFICATIONS

BID NAME: Snow Removal Services

BID NUMBER: 19-F-2-26/27

Snow Removal Services 19-F-2-26/27

SPECIFICATIONS

1.0 SCOPE OF WORK

The County Commissioners of Carroll County (“County”) are inviting qualified individuals and/or Contractors (“Contractor”) to submit qualifications to provide on call snow removal services (“Services”). The awarded Contractors will furnish Carroll County Division of Roads Operations with one (1) ton pick up or dump trucks, and/or five (5), ten (10), and fifteen (15) ton dump trucks all equipped with snowplow, salt spreader and two (2) sets of tire chains, including operator, for snow removal purposes. All trucks must be tagged and registered for intended use- no vehicles with Farm Tags will be permitted to engage in plowing operations. The County will set the hourly rates for each classification of vehicle outlined in Attachment A.

2.0 PROJECT MANAGER

The Project Manager supervising this project will be Ms. Cathy Virtz, Roads Manager, Division of Roads Operations. Ms. Virtz can be reached between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. at 410-386-6717.

3.0 QUESTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS

Bidders must submit their questions through the Public Purchase web site, using the instructions below.

Questions must be submitted five (5) days prior to bid opening. Questions submitted after this deadline will be rejected and not answered.

Bidders may submit questions to the agency on specific bids. Click on the title of a bid, on the right of the bid page click [View/Ask Questions] to open a new page that lists all previous questions and answers. Click “Ask a Question,” enter your question in the field provided and click “Save” to submit your question. Your question is immediately sent by email to the contact person for the bid. When your question is answered you will be notified by email and the answer may be posted on the bid.

Tip: By using the “Questions” feature your questions and the agency’s answers can be posted on Public Purchase making them available to all other vendors that are registered with the agency. If you would like to confidentially submit questions to the agency, contact the bid’s main contact. It will be up to the discretion of the Buyer to decide if questions/answers are confidential.

4.0 PROOF OF INSURANCE

The successful bidder must furnish certification of adequate liability insurance protection. This shall include insurance coverage for employees working on County property. Proof of insurance shall be submitted within seven (7) days of award of this bid. Insurance requirements can be found in the document General Instructions.

The contractor must maintain insurance coverage as required by the County while this agreement is in force, which shall include automatic renewal terms. The contractor shall provide satisfactory documentation of insurance to the County’s Risk Manager.

5.0 ADDENDUMS

Addendums to Bids may occur at any time prior to the due date. The responsibility lies with the bidder to visit the Public Purchase web site to obtain addendums once they have downloaded a bid (solicitation) even though bidders will receive an e-mail from Public Purchase notifying them of addendums, per the explanation below from Public Purchase:

Any change or addendum made to a bid will be listed at the bottom of the bid showing the information that was added or changed on the bid. Contractors who are invited to a bid or any Contractor who has previously responded to the bid will be notified by email when a change or addendum is made. Contractors can also see which bids have recently been changed or had addenda added from the lists of bids on their home tab. The date of the last change or addendum on the bid is posted on the right-side column of your bid list.

6.0 TERM OF AGREEMENT

The County’s requirement contract allows for Services on an as-needed basis. The Agreement(s) shall become effective immediately following the date of execution, with performance to commence immediately and shall remain effective for a period of one (1) year. The County reserves the right to renew the Agreement(s) for four

(4) additional terms of one (1) year, at the sole discretion of the County, pending fiscal availability and satisfactory Contractor performance. All pricing for services must hold firm for each one-year contract period.

Price adjustments will be considered if market conditions dictate.

7.0 SAFETY AND PROTECTION

The Contractor shall be solely and completely responsible for initiating, maintaining, and supervising all safety precautions and programs in connection with the work. The Contractor shall take all necessary precautions for the safety of and shall provide the necessary protection to prevent injury to, all employees on the work site, County employees, citizens, and other users of sites.

8.0 EQUIPMENT REQUIRED

The Contractor shall provide a minimum of one (1) vehicle per route assigned. Each Dump Truck shall have a minimum manufacturer’s loading capacity of nine (9) tons. Each vehicle will be equipped with its own snow plow frame, hydraulically cab operated plow and spreader, emergency articles (flares, jumper cables, etc.), two

(2) sets of tire chains and a supply of tools and parts capable of enabling the operator to perform immediate minor repairs to the vehicle or its accessories. All vehicles must be 4-wheel drive or have chains available for immediate use. (Note: Payment will be computed for only those hours that snow removal operations are actually occurring. Vehicle downtime will not be considered for payment purposes, nor will portal to portal leave.)

9.0 EQUIPMENT INSPECTION

The contractor must bring the equipment bid, fully equipped with plow and spreader to the Carroll County Maintenance Center for inspection by the Manager, Division of Roads Operations or their designee. This inspection must be completed prior to the date established (to be determined) by the Carroll County Roads Division.

10.0 CREW REQUIRED

For purposes of this Contract, a crew shall consist of a fully equipped snow removal vehicle as previously stated, and an operator with the appropriate Commercial Drivers License and endorsements if required by law.

This composition shall be maintained in all but the most unavoidable of circumstances. Any changes in the crew’s makeup must have the Manager, Division of Roads Operations, approval prior to commencement of work.

11.0 MOBILIZATION

Included as a pay item, this work shall consist of the movement of personnel and equipment to the designated starting point. This item will not be measured, but will be paid on a lump sum basis, with fifty percent (50%) of the lump sum payable after initial approved inspection, and the remaining fifty percent (50%) to be paid at the end of the season pending satisfactory performance. See attachment A for mobilization fee schedule. Equipment inspection is required prior to the payment of the first invoice. Payment will be contingent on the successful completion of the equipment inspection.

NOTE: PAYMENT FOR THIS ITEM WILL BE MADE BY THE COUNTY REGARDLESS OF THE

NUMBER OF STORMS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT OCCUR.

12.0 CONTRACTOR RESPONSE

Upon notification to the contractor, by the Manager, Division of Roads Operations or their designee; the Contractor’s crew shall be required to report to the assigned route’s loading point at the designated start time or within two (2) hours for emergency/unplanned events and immediately begin operations.

13.0 PROTECTION OF PROPERTY

The Contractor shall perform necessary tasks in such a manner that does not damage property. In the event damage occurs to property by reason of any services performed under this Contract, the Contractor shall replace or repair the same at no cost to the County. If damage caused by the Contractor has to be repaired or replaced by the County, the cost of such work shall be deducted from the monies due the Contractor.

14.0 ROUTE ASSIGNMENT

Prior to the commencement of any work, the Division of Roads Operations will issue Route Assignments. The Contractor will be responsible to provide the assigned driver to accompany a representative of the Carroll County Division of Roads Operations over the route at a time to be determined if necessary. A radio will be provided by the County for communication purposes.

15.0 STAND BY TIME

The Manager, Division of Roads Operations, or their designated representative may place a contractor’s unit on stand by time. Stand by Time is defined as any period of time, one hour or greater, that a unit is not actively plowing snow or spreading material, but is still under the control of the Division of Roads Operations. Stand by Time will be paid at the contract hourly rate.

16.0 INVOICES/PAYMENT

Invoices shall contain the name of the agency, and the name of the person who requested the work. Invoices can be e-mailed to cvirtz@carrollcountymd.gov, mailed or delivered to Carroll County Roads Operations, 1250 Old Meadow Branch Road, Westminster, Maryland 21158. Invoices are to be detailed and itemized.

Payment terms are “Net 30 Days” after receipt of a properly prepared invoice, and inspection of and acceptance of the services provided.

Contractor shall be paid a minimum of four (4) hours per snow event for each vehicle required provided they arrive at the designated start time.

17.0 SUBMITTALS

SOQs will be accepted electronically only through Public Purchase, the Carroll County Office of Procurement’s electronic bidding software and website. Public Purchase is available via the Carroll County Government, Office of Procurement – Current Bidding Opportunities webpage. It is the Contractors’ responsibility to fully register with Public Purchase at least 5 (five) days prior to the bid closing date. Failure to register will not constitute justification for inability to submit a SOQ or require the County to accept a SOQ in any other manner other than electronically through Public Purchase. Instructions on how to register with Public Purchase are available upon request.

SOQs must be submitted no later than October 9, 2026 @10:30:00 a.m. EST. All Contractors shall submit their SOQs according to the specifications set forth in this Request for Statement of Qualifications. The County reserves the right to reject any or all proposals. The County also reserves the right to issue supplementary information during the SOQ preparation period. All SOQs become the property of the County and will be kept confidential until after an award of the successful SOQ and subsequent Proposal is made. Thereafter, they may become available for public use. All SOQs and subsequent Proposals are considered to establish Contractor offers, not to be withdrawn for ninety (90) days after the date set for SOQ and subsequent Proposal acceptance.

Once submitted, Contractors shall not change SOQs and subsequent Proposals without prior written consent.

Any correction or re-submission done by the Contractor or authorized representative shall not extend the submittal period.

UPLOAD THE FOLLOWING ON PUBLIC PURCHASE AS ONE (1) PDF DOCUMENT. SOQs MUST

BE MARKED CLEARLY.

1. Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) – The SOQ shall not include any pricing, or the SOQ will be rejected.

18.0 LATE PROPOSALS

The Office of Procurement will not accept and will return any SOQ received after the time and date set for receipt of SOQs or any request for withdrawal or request for modification received after the time and date set for submission of SOQs. It is the Contractors responsibility to fully register with public purchase at least 5 (five) days prior to the solicitation closing date. Failure to register will not constitute justification for inability to submit a SOQ or require the County to accept a SOQ in any other manner other than electronically through Public Purchase.

19.0 NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD AND OFFICIAL AWARD

All the Notices of Intent to Award and the Official Award notices will be posted on Carroll County’s Website.

It is the Contractor’s responsibility to frequently visit the Office of Procurement website to obtain up to date information.

20.0 AWARD

The award may be made to the highest evaluated, most responsive and responsible Contractor(s) that meets or exceeds the terms and conditions, specifications and technical requirements of this solicitation. Award may be subject to approval from the Board of Carroll County Commissioners. This will be a multiple award solicitation.

The County intends to award Service Agreements to one or more qualified Contractors that meet and exceed the requirements and criteria detailed in this RFSOQ.

The award of this contract, and subsequent renewal options, may be contingent on the submittal of the contractor and the approval by the Manager, Division of Roads Operations, of the following information; 24-hour emergency service phone numbers and the corresponding names.

21.0 STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATION CONTENT REQUIREMENTS

The SOQ must address the specific qualifications and experience of the Contractor’s personnel and resources that will engage in this Project. At a minimum, the information listed below must be provided. SOQ submittals are only for qualifications purposes at this time. No financial information should be disclosed. Failure to provide fully and clearly all the information listed below may result in the rejection of the SOQ as non-responsive. Contractors responding should be very precise in detailing their experience with projects of this type and scope. The SOQ shall include the following information and will be limited to ten (10) single sided 8.5” x 11” size sheets (minimum font size is 11-point, cover letter will not count toward page limit):

A. Contractor’s Experience and Qualifications:

1. Size of current and/or recently completed project(s) in terms of size (estimated milage), response time, Contractor’s level of involvement or responsibility.

2. The Contractor’s experience and expertise with projects of similar size, scope, and quality within the past 5 years.

3. The Contractor’s prior performance and demonstrated capabilities on similar projects with this or other local agencies of publicly funded projects.

B. Contractor’s Capability to Perform:

1. Provide a brief description of your company’s history.

2. Demonstrate the capability to provide the resources, response time, and staffing necessary to meet project requirements.

3. Demonstrate the capability for staff to provide effective communication methods with County project manager

4. Summarize how you will incorporate this project into the current and projected workload of your company within the anticipated timeline of this project.

C. Equipment List:

1. Provide a detailed list of all equipment available.

2. Include year, make, model and GVW for each vehicle. For each vehicle, include whether it is equipped with a salt box insert or a standard dump bed.

23.0 EVALUATION CRITERIA

Evaluations will be made in accordance with the following criteria. The evaluation criteria listed below are not listed in order of importance. Total scoring will be adjusted according to the weighing factors assigned to the evaluation criteria:

1. Contractor’s Experience and Qualifications

2. Contractor’s Capability to Perform

3. Equipment List

A

Evaluation Criteria

B Evaluation

(1 to 5 points)

C

Weight (%)

D

Score

Contractor’s Experience and Qualifications

5 – Superior 4 – Excellent 3 – Good 2 – Average 1 – Below Average

Contractor’s Capability to Perform

5 – Superior 4 – Excellent 3 – Good 2 – Average

Equipment List

5 – Superior 4 – Excellent 3 – Good 2 – Average

Total Score

Scoring Key:

1- Below Average: The response is missing or does not meet or address any of the requirements.

2- Average: The response meets some of the requirements or addresses some of the elements.

3- Good: The response addresses most elements of the requirements.

4- Excellent: The response addresses the requirements completely and addresses some elements of the requirements in a good to very good manner.

5- Superior: The response addresses the requirements completely, exhibits outstanding knowledge, creativity, innovation or other factors to justify this rating

24.0 SELECTION METHOD

This is a one-step award process. The County will not be responsible for the Contractor’s errors and misjudgment nor failure to obtain any information on local conditions or general laws or regulations pertaining thereto. The failure or omission of any Contractor to examine any form, instrument, or document shall in no way relieve any Contractor from any obligation in respect to their Proposal submission.

An evaluation committee will be formed to review and score each SOQ. The elevation committee will individually review the proposals based on the evaluation criteria listed in the RFSOQs. The committee will then meet to discuss the proposals and reach consensus on the highest ranked Contractors. SOQs will be scored by the evaluation committee first then submitted to the Office of Procurement for review.

Once the scoring is reviewed and approved the highest ranked Contractors may be offered contract awards. The contract awards for this Project may be made contingent upon the Board of Commissioners of Carroll County approval. Members of the selection committee are deliberately not identified, and they should not be contacted about this project under any circumstances.

ATTACHMENT A

MOBILIZATION/RETAINER/PERFORMANCE FEE SCHEDULE

1-ton dump truck $1,500 (2 payments @ $750)

5-ton dump truck $2,000 (2 payments @ $1,000)

10 & 15-ton dump truck $2,500 (2 payments @ $1,250)

EQUIPMENT 2026/2027 WINTER HOURLY OPERATING RATE

1-ton dump truck with Contractor supplied plow and salt spreader $145.00

5-ton dump truck with Contractor supplied plow and salt spreader $175.00

10-ton dump truck with Contractor supplied plow and salt spreader $185.00

15-ton dump truck with Contractor supplied plow and salt spreader $190.00

MINIUMUM GUARANTEED YEARLY PAYMENT (IN ADDITION TO MOBILIZATION)

1-ton Dump Truck $2,000

5,10, and 15-ton Dump Truck $3,000

End of RFSOQ