IMPORTANT NOTICE

THIS IS AN ELECTRONIC PROCUREMENT (eBID)

SUBMISSIONS WILL ONLY BE ACCEPTED

ELECTRONICALLY VIA THE BONFIRE PORTAL

https://fairfaxcounty.bonfirehub.com

Fairfax County Government uses a procurement portal powered by Bonfire Interactive for accepting and evaluating bids. To register, visit https://fairfaxcounty.bonfirehub.com. Additional assistance is also available at support.bonfire@eunasolutions.com.

Submitting bids via the Bonfire portal is mandatory. Fairfax County will not accept bids submitted by paper, telephone, facsimile (“FAX”) transmission, or electronic mail (e-mail) in response to this IFB. Reference section titled “ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF BIDS” in the Special Provisions, for additional information.

Fairfax County strongly encourages bidders to submit bids well in advance of the bid submission deadline. A bid submission is not considered successful unless all necessary files have been uploaded and the ‘Submit & Finalize’ step has been completed. Bidders are responsible for the consequences of any failure to plan ahead in the submission of its Bid.

The County uses eVA - Virginia's online, electronic procurement system, to publicly announce notice of all contract awards in excess of $200,000. In order to announce county contract awards, registration with eVA is necessary. In anticipation of receiving an award, vendors should register by clicking the Register Now link on the eVA website homepage (www.eVA.virginia.gov).

https://fairfaxcounty.bonfirehub.com/ https://fairfaxcounty.bonfirehub.com/ mailto:support.bonfire@eunasolutions.com http://www.eva.virginia.gov)/

IFB 2000004476

SPECIAL PROVISIONS

1. PURPOSE AND INTENT:

1.1. The purpose of this Invitation for Bids is to establish a term contract for servicing Automatic

Gates to include inspection, installation, maintenance, repair, replacement, and modernization.

The automatic gates consist of sliding, swinging and folding motorized equipment to open and/or close by sensor, loop or badged access and are used for vehicular and pedestrian traffic for all departments and activities of the County of Fairfax for the requirements listed in this solicitation.

1.2. Bidders should have a flexible organization with the capacity to perform multiple assignments of differing complexity at one time for a variety of emergency and/or non-emergency calls.

1.3. Please note, many of our sites use Wallace Gates. Your technicians must be trained and proficient in working on Wallace Gate technology.

1.4. The Contractor shall perform the core automatic door/gate inspection, maintenance, repair, installation and modernization services with its own qualified personnel. Subcontracting of specialized incidental services may be permitted with prior written approval of the County.

1.5. All work performed under this contract shall support Fairfax County’s commitment to energy efficiency, sustainability, and zero waste. Contractors are responsible for providing reports and data to identify, validate, and document energy savings, sustainability measures, and zero-waste outcomes. To the extent practicable, the Contractor shall recycle materials generated during the course of the work, properly dispose of all waste in accordance with applicable regulations, and provide documentation of disposal methods upon request by the County. Charges for sustainability services are allowable (refer to Technical Specifications).

2. REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION:

2.1. Bidders must submit all documents marked “Required” in Bonfire through the Fairfax County

Bonfire portal for their bid to be deemed responsive. Bonfire will not allow bids to be submitted unless all required items have been uploaded as listed below:

Failure to provide these items may result in rejection of the bid:

• DPMM32 Coversheet

• Pricing Schedules/Bid Tables (All Bid Tables are required to be submitted in Bonfire and bidders are required to bid on all line items listed).

• Attachment A1-A5 and W9

• Documentation demonstrating no less than five (5) years of continuous, demonstrable experience in performing automatic gate maintenance, inspection, modernization, replacement, and repairs.

• Copy of State of Virginia Contractor’s License or provide the license number and class (Ref. Special Provisions paragraph 7) with Electrical (ELE) Specialty.

3. PERIOD OF CONTRACT:

3.1. The period of this contract shall be for five (5) years and shall commence upon Date of Award.

For administrative purposes, the County may align the contract expiration date with the end of a calendar month, which may result in a term slightly longer than five (5) years.

3.2. The obligation of the County to pay compensation due the Contractor under the contract or any other payment obligations under any contract awarded pursuant to this Invitation for Bid is subject to appropriations by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to satisfy payment of such obligations. The County’s obligations to make payments during subsequent fiscal years are dependent upon the same action. If such an appropriation is not made for any fiscal year, the contract shall terminate effective at the end of the fiscal year for which funds were appropriated and the County will not be obligated to make any payments under the contract beyond the amount appropriated for payment obligations under the contract. The County will provide the Contractor with written notice of non-appropriation of funds within thirty (30) calendar days after action is completed by the Board of Supervisors. However, the County’s failure to provide such notice will not extend the contract into a fiscal year in which sufficient funds have not been appropriated.

4. PRICES AND PRICE ADJUSTMENT:

4.1. Complete Bid Required. A bid must include a price for every line item in the Bid Price Schedule.

Partial bids will not be accepted. Failure to provide a price for any required line item shall result in rejection of the bid as non-responsive.

4.2. All prices shall be F.O.B. Destination and shall include all charges that may be imposed in fulfilling the terms of this contract.

4.3. If labor rates are requested, the rates specified by the bidder shall include all direct and indirect overhead costs including but not limited to transportation, general and administrative cost, etc.

Labor rates will be paid on the basis of time at the site.

4.4. Any Bidder that enters $0 or N/A in a pricing blank or leaves it blank shall be considered nonresponsive.

4.5. The Contractor may be required to provide materials, equipment rental, and subcontractors to fulfill the requirements of the contract. If the Contractor provides materials, equipment rental or subcontractors the Contractor will invoice all materials, equipment rental, and/or subcontractors based on the actual cost with a mark-up equal to the percentages provided on the pricing schedule. No additional costs of any kind will be allowed.

The Contractor shall make every attempt to obtain the lowest prices for materials, rental equipment, and subcontractor’s. The contractor shall not accept work, which will require the use of a subcontractor or rental equipment without obtaining the approval of the requesting agency.

4.6. The percentage mark-up’s shall remain firm for the duration of the contract.

4.7. The Contractor agrees that for unit price contracts, prices shall remain firm for 365 days.

Contractor shall give no less than 60 days advance notice of any price increase to the purchasing office. The contractor shall fill all orders received prior to the effective date of the price adjustment at the old contract prices. The contractor is further advised that decreases which affect the cost of materials are required to be communicated immediately to the purchasing office.

4.8. If the price is increased after 365 days, the unit price may be increased only upon approval of a written request to the Purchasing Agent. Upon receipt of the Contractor's request, the County shall make a determination to approve or adjust the requested price increase based upon its investigations and the information provided by the Contractor.

4.9. The request for a change in the unit price shall include as a minimum, (1) the cause for the adjustment; (2) proposed effective date; and, (3) the amount of the change requested with documentation to support the requested adjustment (i.e., appropriate Bureau of Labor Statistics index, change in manufacturer's price, etc.)

4.10. Should a price increase be granted the increase shall remain firm for 365 days.

4.11. Price decreases shall be made in accordance with paragraph 40 of the General Conditions and Instructions to Bidders.

5. ESTIMATED QUANTITIES/PROJECTED REQUIREMENTS:

5.1. The quantities specified in this solicitation are estimates only and are given for the information of bidders and for the purpose of bid evaluation. They do not indicate the actual quantity that will be ordered since the actual volume will depend upon requirements that develop during the contract period.

5.2. Authorized individuals will place orders for specific quantities of items covered in the resultant contract, as requirements arise. Please refer to the Special Provisions paragraph entitled, METHOD OF ORDERING.

6. TIME OF PERFORMANCE:

6.1. Fairfax County requires that all work, when desired, be scheduled and started no later than 30 calendar days from date of notification by County personnel, unless otherwise agreed upon at time of notification.

6.2. The County and the Contractor will mutually agree upon a schedule to perform each job/work ordered after carefully reviewing the work location and amount of work involved, etc.

6.3. The Contractor shall advise the County’s representative a minimum of five (5) working days in advance of the date work is to commence. Any work scheduled for the weekends will be arranged 48 hours in advance.

6.4. Estimates, when requested, are to be returned within three (3) working days, unless a different time of return is mutually agreed to by the requesting agency. Estimates shall be furnished by the Contractor at no charge and are to be considered an overhead cost to be included in the bid amounts.

A. Estimates are to be detailed, outlining contract unit costs, including time and materials and estimated cost of equipment rental, and/or subcontractors. This detail will enable agency personnel to validate the estimated total amount against the current contract prices and to ascertain budgetary requirements. In addition, estimates must include contract number at the top of estimate.

B. Estimates will cover only quoted work; unforeseen or unknown repairs will be mutually agreed upon by the Contractor and the County. Contractor must get approval by the County for additional work not covered in estimate and submit a new estimate to the County reflecting this change in the same manner referenced in paragraph above.

C. Estimates shall be valid for acceptance by the County for 30 days.

7. STATE REGISTRATION OF CONTRACTOR:

7.1. If a contract is for one hundred and twenty thousand dollars ($120,000) or more, or if the total value of all construction, removal, repair or improvements undertaken by the bidder within any twelve month period is seven hundred-fifty thousand dollars ($750,000) or more, the bidder is required under Title 54.1, Chapter 11, Code of Virginia (1950), as amended, to show evidence of being licensed as a "Class A Contractor." (Non-Virginia licenses are not acceptable). If a contract is seventy-five hundred ($7,500) dollars or more but less than one hundred and twenty thousand dollars ($120,000), the bidder is required to show evidence of being licensed as a "Class B Contractor". If a contract is one thousand dollars ($1,000) or more but less than seventy-five hundred dollars ($7,500), the bidder is required to show evidence of being licensed as a "Class C Contractor”.

7.2. The Code of Virginia does not allow an unlicensed contractor to submit a bid where the resultant contract will require a license. The bidder shall provide a copy of the license with their bid.

8. QUOTATION LIMITATION:

8.1. Bidders shall offer only ONE ITEM AND PRICE for each line-item bid. No alternatives will be accepted, unless requested by the County.

9. INTERPRETATION OF BID:

9.1. Any questions pertaining to this solicitation shall be directed to:

Katie Dawson, Contract Specialist I Department of Procurement & Material Management 12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 427 Fairfax, Virginia 22035-0013 Telephone Number: (703) 246-4516 E-mail: Kathryn.dawson@fairfaxcounty.gov

10. ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF BIDS:

10.1. Bids must be received electronically through Fairfax County’s online Procurement Portal at:

https://fairfaxcounty.bonfirehub.com, on or before the Submittal Deadline. Bids will only be accepted through the portal. Fairfax County will not accept bids submitted by paper, telephone, facsimile (“FAX”) transmission, or electronic mail (i.e., e-mail) in response to this IFB. Bid submissions and registration are free of charge.

10.2. Documents may be uploaded at any time during the open period. The official time used for receipt of bids/modifications is the time stamp within the Bonfire portal. No other clocks, calendars or timepieces are recognized. For technical questions related to a submission contact Bonfire at support.procurement@eunasolutions.com.

(Note: it takes an average of 16 minutes to an hour for a response). Therefore, bidders shall take the necessary steps to submit their bids in advance.

10.3. If, at the time of the scheduled bid closing Fairfax County Government is closed due to inclement weather or another unforeseeable event, the bid closing will still proceed electronically through the Bonfire system.

10.4. Technical Information: Uploading large documents may take time, depending on the size of the file(s) and your Internet connection speed. You will receive an email confirmation receipt with a unique confirmation number once you finalize your submission. Minimum system requirements for the Bonfire portal - Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox. JavaScript must be enabled. Browser cookies must be enabled.

10.5. Each bidder must use the Bid Table functionality provided in the Bonfire portal to submit pricing for their bid. For each line item in the Bid Table, bidders must submit all requested information for that line item (this could include unit pricing, percentage discounts and/or labor rates).

10.6. By executing the Cover Sheet (DPMM32), the bidder acknowledges they have read this solicitation, understand it, and agree to be bound by its terms and conditions.

11. ADDENDA:

11.1. Bidders are reminded that changes to the bid, in the form of addenda, are often issued between the issue date and within five (5) days before the due date. All addenda shall be signed and submitted before the due date/time or must accompany the bid.

11.2. Notice of addenda will be posted on eVA and the Bonfire portal. It is the bidder’s responsibility to monitor the web page for the most current addenda at https://fairfaxcounty.bonfirehub.com/.

11.3. The last day to submit questions to be addressed in the addendum will be addressed in Bonfire under “Questions Due Date”. All questions pertaining to this solicitation shall be submitted to Kathryn.dawson@fairfaxcounty.gov.

12. BID OPENING:

12.1. All bids received in response to an Invitation for Bid (IFB) will be opened at the date and time specified, read publicly, and made available for inspection as provided in paragraph 63, General Conditions and Instructions to Bidders. In order to join bidders must REGISTER HERE.

mailto:Kathryn.dawson@fairfaxcounty.gov https://fairfaxcounty.bonfirehub.com/ mailto:support.procurement@eunasolutions.com https://fairfaxcounty.bonfirehub.com/ mailto:Kathryn.dawson@fairfaxcounty.gov https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/c3e5cccf-bfa0-4155-8489-7df4252bdd91@a26156cb-5d6f-4172-9d7d-934eb0a7b275?source=copyLinkLegacyShareEventDialog

A copy of the record/bid tabulation shall be made available in the DPMM website at http://fairfaxcounty.gov/procurement/bid-tab/.

13. BID EVALUATION/CONTRACT AWARD:

13.1. Items listed in this solicitation will be awarded to the lowest responsive responsible bidder meeting specifications. The County reserves the right to award the contract in the aggregate, by line item, by section, or by Manufacturer and to make a Primary and Secondary award, based on what the County determines to be in its best interest.

14. BID ACCEPTANCE PERIOD:

14.1. Any bid in response to this solicitation shall be valid for (90) days. At the end of the days the bid may be withdrawn at the written request of the bidder. If the bid is not withdrawn at that time it remains in effect until an award is made or the solicitation is cancelled.

15. CONTRACT INSURANCE PROVISIONS

15.1. The Contractor is responsible for its work and every part thereof, and for all materials, tools, equipment, appliances, and property of any and all description used in connection therewith. The Contractor assumes all risk of direct and indirect damage or injury to the property or persons used or employed on or in connection with the work contracted for, and of all damage or injury to any person or property wherever located, resulting from any action, omission, commission or operation under the contract.

15.2. The Contractor must during the continuance of all work under the contract provide the following:

a. Statutory Workers' Compensation and Employer's Liability insurance in limits of not less than

$1,000,000 to protect the Contractor from any liability or damages for any injuries (including death and disability) to any and all of its employees, including any and all liability or damage which may arise by virtue of any statute or law in force within the Commonwealth of Virginia.

b. Commercial General Liability insurance in the amount of $1,000,000 per occurrence, $2,000,000 in aggregate, to protect the Contractor, its subcontractors, and the interest of the County, its officers and employees against any and all injuries to third parties, including bodily injury and personal injury, wherever located, resulting from any action or operation under the contract or in connection with the contracted work.

c. Owned, non-owned, and hired Automobile Liability insurance, in the amount of $1,000,000 per occurrence/aggregate, including property damage, covering all owned, non-owned, borrowed, leased, or rented vehicles operated by the Contractor. In addition, all mobile equipment used by the Contractor in connection with the contracted work, will be insured under either a standard Automobile Liability policy, or a Commercial General Liability policy.

15.3. Liability Insurance "Claims Made" basis:

1) If the liability insurance purchased by the Contractor has been issued on a "claims made" basis, the Contractor must comply with the following additional conditions. The limit of liability and the extensions to be included as described previously in these provisions, remain the same.

2) The Contractor must either:

i. Agree to provide certificates of insurance evidencing the above coverage for a period of two years after final payment for the contract. This certificate shall evidence a "retroactive date" no later than the beginning of the contractor's or sub-contractor's work under this contract, or http://fairfaxcounty.gov/procurement/bid-tab/

ii. Purchase the extended reporting period endorsement for the policy or policies in force during the term of this contract and evidence the purchase of this extended reporting period endorsement by means of a certificate of insurance or a copy of the endorsement itself.

15.4. Liability insurance may be arranged by a combination of primary and excess or umbrella policies.

15.5. Any deductibles and/or self-insured retentions greater than $50,000 must be disclosed to and approved by the County’s Risk manager prior to the commencement of services. Use of large deductibles and/or self-insured retentions will require proof of financial ability as determined by the County.

15.6. After a period of five-years from Agreement Date, the County may reasonably require higher limits of insurance or additional insurance coverage against other hazards for which insurance is reasonably obtainable and which, at the time, are commonly insured against in the case of similar properties conducting similar activities within the geographic area of the Property, whether or not such additional insurance requirements are otherwise described or contemplated herein.

15.7. The Contractor agrees to provide insurance issued by companies admitted within the Commonwealth of Virginia, with the Best's Key Rating of at least A: VII.

15.8. European markets including those based in London, and the domestic surplus lines markets that operate on a non-admitted basis are exempt from this requirement provided that the Contractor's broker can provide financial data to establish that a market is equal to or exceeds the financial strengths associated with the A.M. Best's rating of A: VII or better.

15.9. The Contractor will provide an original, signed Certificate of Insurance citing the contract number and such endorsements as prescribed herein and The County of Fairfax, its officers, employees and agents shall be named as an “additional insured” for all liability policies and it shall be stated on the Insurance Certificate that this coverage “is primary to all other coverage the County may possess.”

15.10. The Contractor will secure and maintain all insurance certificates of its subcontractors, which shall be made available to the County on demand.

15.11. Contractor waives and must require (by endorsement or otherwise) all its insurers to waive subrogation rights against the County and other additional insureds for losses paid under the insurance policies required by this Contract or other insurance applicable to the Contractor or its subcontractors. The waiver must apply to all deductibles and/or self-insured retentions applicable to the required or any other insurance maintained by the Contractor or its subcontractors. Where permitted by law, Contractor must require similar written express waivers of subrogation and insurance clauses from each of its subcontractors.

15.12. The Contractor will provide on demand certified copies of all insurance policies related to the contract within ten business days of demand by the County. These certified copies will be sent to the County from the Contractor's insurance agent or representative.

15.13. No change, cancellation, or non-renewal shall be made in any insurance coverage without a 30-day written notice to the County. The Contractor shall furnish a new certificate prior to any change or cancellation date. The failure of the Contractor to deliver a new and valid certificate may result in suspension of all payments until the new certificate is furnished.

15.14. Compliance by the Contractor and all subcontractors with the foregoing requirements as to carrying insurance shall not relieve the Contractor and all subcontractors of their liabilities provisions of the contract.

15.15. Nothing contained in the specifications shall be construed as creating any contractual relationship between any subcontractor and the County. The Contractor is as fully responsible to the County for the acts and omissions of the subcontractors and of persons employed by the Contractor as it is for acts and omissions of person directly employed by Contractor.

15.16. Precaution shall be exercised at all times for the protection of persons (including employees) and property.

15.17. The Contractor and all subcontractors are to comply with applicable federal, state, and local occupational safety and health requirements, including, but not limited to, the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Public Law 91-596, as it may apply to this contract.

16. METHOD OF ORDERING:

16.1. The County may use two (2) different methods of placing orders from the final contract: Purchase Orders (PO’s) and approved County procurement cards.

16.2. A Purchase Order (PO) may be issued to the Contractor on behalf of the County agency ordering the items/services covered under this contract. The purchase order indicates that sufficient funds have been obligated as required by Title 15.2-1238 of the Code of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

16.3. Procurement Card orders and payments may also be made by the use of a Fairfax County or Fairfax County Public Schools “Procurement” Card. The Procurement card is currently a MasterCard. Contractors are encouraged to accept this method of receiving orders.

16.4. Regardless of the method of ordering used, solely the contract and any modification determine performance time and dates.

16.5. Performance under this contract is not to begin until receipt of the purchase order, Procurement Card order, or other notification to proceed by the County Purchasing Agent and/or County agency to proceed. Purchase requisitions shall not be used for placing orders.

17. CORRESPONDENCE:

17.1. All communications between the parties relating to material contractual issues shall be through the Contract Specialist and must be in writing to be deemed binding.

18. ADDITIONS/DELETIONS:

18.1. The County reserves the right to add similar items/services or delete items/services specified in the resultant contract as requirements change during the period of the contract. Fairfax County and the Contractor will mutually agree to prices for items/services to be added to the contract.

Contract amendments will be issued for all additions or deletions.

19. CANCELLATION OF ORDERS:

19.1. Time is of the essence in furnishing the items ordered. The County reserves the right to cancel the order and/or to refuse delivery if the items ordered are not furnished within the period of time specified in this contract.

20. EMERGENCY PURCHASES:

20.1. Should the Contractor be unable to furnish the required item within the period of time specified in the contract the County reserves the right to make emergency purchases from other sources.

21. ORDER OF PRECEDENCE:

21.1. In the event of conflict, the Acceptance Agreement and the Special Provisions of this solicitation shall take precedence over the General Conditions and Instructions to Bidders or any other contract document.

22. SUBCONTRACTING:

22.1. If one or more subcontractors are required, the Contractor is encouraged to utilize small, minority-owned, and women-owned business enterprises. For assistance in finding subcontractors, contact the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity https://www.dbsd.virginia.gov; local chambers of commerce and other business organizations.

23. USE OF CONTRACT BY OTHER PUBLIC BODIES:

23.1. Bidders are advised that the resultant contract(s) may be extended, with the authorization of the Bidder, to other public bodies, or public agencies or institutions of the United States to permit their use of the contract at the same prices and/or discounts and terms and conditions of the resulting contract. If any other public body decides to use the final contract, the Contractor(s) must deal directly with that public body concerning the placement of orders, issuance of the purchase orders, contractual disputes, invoicing and payment. The County of Fairfax acts only as the "Contracting Agent" for these public bodies. Failure to extend a contract to any public body will have no effect on consideration of your bid.

23.2. It is the Contractors responsibility to notify the public body(s) of the availability of the contract(s).

23.3. Other public bodies desiring to use this contract must make their own legal determination as to whether the use of this contract is consistent with their laws, regulations, and other policies.

23.4. Each public body has the option of executing a separate contract with the Contractor(s). Public bodies may add terms and conditions required by statute, ordinances, and regulations, to the extent that they do not conflict with the contract’s terms and conditions. If, when preparing such a contract, the general terms and conditions of a public body are unacceptable to the Contractor, the Contractor may withdraw its extension of the award to that public body.

23.5. Fairfax County shall not be held liable for any costs or damages incurred by another public body as a result of any award extended to that public body by the Contractor.

24. NEWS RELEASES BY VENDORS:

24.1. As a matter of policy, the County does not endorse the products or services of a Contractor. A Contractor will not make news releases concerning any resultant contract from this solicitation without the prior written approval of the County. All proposed news releases will be routed to the Purchasing Agent for review and approval.

25. AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT REQUIREMENTS:

25.1. Fairfax County is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in all County programs, services, and activities and will provide reasonable accommodations upon request. Bidders requesting special accommodations should call the Department ADA representative (703) 324-3201 or TTY 1711.

Please allow seven (7) working days in advance of the event to make the necessary arrangements.

25.2. Fairfax County Government is fully committed to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which guarantees non-discrimination and equal access for persons with disabilities in employment, public accommodations, transportation, and all County programs, activities and services. Fairfax County Government Contractors, subcontractors, vendors, and/or suppliers are subject to this ADA policy. All individuals having any County contractual agreement must make the same commitment. Your acceptance of this contract acknowledges your commitment and compliance with ADA.

26. STATE CORPORATION COMMISSION IDENTIFICATION NUMBER:

26.1. Pursuant to Code of Virginia, §2.2-4311.2 subsection B, a bidder or offeror organized or authorized to transact business in the Commonwealth pursuant to Title 13.1 or Title 50 is required to include in its bid or proposal the identification number issued to it by the State Corporation Commission (SCC). Any bidder or offeror that is not required to be authorized to transact business in the Commonwealth as a foreign business entity under Title 13.1 or Title 50 or as otherwise required by law is required to include in its bid or proposal a statement describing why the bidder or offeror is not required to be so authorized. Any bidder or offeror that fails to provide the required information may not receive an award.

27. PROHIBITION ON THE USE OF CERTAIN PRODUCTS, SERVICES, APPLICATIONS, AND

WEBSITES:

27.1. Fairfax County may not use, whether directly or through work with or on behalf of another public body, any hardware, software, or services that have been prohibited by the Commonwealth of Virginia and/or the U.S. Federal Government, including the Department of Homeland Security for use on federal systems.

28. SOVEREIGN IMMUNITY:

28.1. The County does not waive its sovereign immunity or any other applicable requirement under Virginia law for bringing claims against the County.

29. ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES:

29.1. Contractors agree that contracts and other associated documents may be executed using electronic signatures and delivered by electronic means. When electronic signatures are used, Contractors agree that the signatures are the same as handwritten signatures for the purposes of validity, enforceability, and admissibility.

30. FORCED AND INDENTURED CHILD LABOR PROHIBITION:

30.1. Contractors are prohibited from the use of “forced or indentured child labor” in the performance of the contract. Forced or indentured child labor means all work or service (i) exacted from any person younger than 18 years of age under the menace of any penalty for the nonperformance of such work or service and for which such person does not offer himself voluntarily or (ii) performed by any person younger than 18 years of age pursuant to a contract the enforcement of which can be accomplished by process or penalties.