Addendum #02 RFP 26-003 Answers to Questions.docx

RPF 26-002

Addendum #1 Questions and Answers

1. Are the boiler PM’s outsourced?

Yes, but the maintenance staff will be responsible for daily operating procedures, i.e. daily blowdown procedures for steam boilers, routine observation of proper operation of all boilers and basic daily maintenance.

2. Does maintenance have office space in all buildings?

No, but there is a central maintenance office and warehouse located adjacent to Southwestern Classical Academy. There are also small break rooms that staff can use for their breaks at each school building

3. Is there an inventory control system for tracking consumables?

No

4. Does the District provide hand sanitizer?

No, but if we have grants available to pay for the sanitizer, we will purchase it.

5. Does the district provide the consumables?

Yes.

6. Are the gym floors done by custodial or outsourced?

Outsourced.

7. Are the gym floors water or oil based?

N/A

8. Are custodians responsible for cleaning kitchen and cafeteria?

The kitchen staff is responsible for the initial cleaning up of food spills and debris to prevent infestation of rodents. The custodial staff will be responsible for the final cleaning and removal of any trash before the end of business of each day. Please see Appendix C for more information.

9. Are there washer and dryer hook ups at every building for mops and rags?

There are no washer and dryer hook ups at the school buildings, but there are a washer and dryer located at the maintenance office and warehouse.

10. Do we use Building Management Systems?

Yes

11. Does latch key stay until 6-7 pm?

Yes, depending on the tier level of the school, the afterschool programming will be done by 6 or 7.

12. Do we have community activities that use rentals and are they billable?

The district does open our buildings up for rentals. The contractor will be responsible for opening and closing the locations that are rented before and after the events and will also be asked to provide cleaning services after the event.

13. The RFP states that a box truck is required to move items around the District. Would the district accept an enclosed trailer in lieu of a box truck?

Yes

14. What about the penalties listed in the RFP relative to performance incentives?

The section this question references was left in the RFP by error, and it will be stricken from the RFP. This change will be posted to the FCS website as an addendum.

15. Will the award be made to a qualified single service provider or multiple vendors? What is the intent?

Our intent is to have one vendor to provide both services, but we will accept separate bids for each service.

16. Is there a preference for the resident bidder over the non-resident bidder?

Resident and non‑resident bidders are evaluated on the same criteria without preference. All bidders must meet the same qualification and compliance requirements.

17. Please share details –current staffing deployment per facility and shift-wise for each location. Please also mention separately count for maintenance staff.

We currently have 40 custodial staff and 6 maintenance staff. Deployment by building is unknown.

18. Are there any more technical asset requires maintenance beyond those mentioned in Appendix F?

There are many additional items that require basic service and preventative maintenance by the contracted maintenance staff , including RTU’s, VUV’s, VRF’s, VAV’s and CUH’s. Filter changes and other preventative maintenance needs shall be provided by the maintenance staff as well.

19. Is the stated contract value for 5 year’s term and comparable to the current bid?

Yes, please refer to RFP document Section 3 Contract Term.

20. Is there any need for a day porter for any facility/facilities besides the day hours and night hours cleaning?

Midshift staffing will be left to the discretion of the Contractor. District may intervene only if necessary.

21. How many CPO’s are currently working and for which school/s?

The district has two pools, but neither are in operation at this time

22. Is the current custodial staff attached to a labor union? If yes, please provide union/s contact details and the CBA applicable, if any.

No, N/A.

23. Are there any MBE/DBE/SBE/HUB-related goals?

At this time the district has no specific participation goal as it pertains to this RFP.

24. Is there a specific need for or prequalification of bidder basis references required? Please clarify the need for references.

The requirement for bidder references serves as a vital component of the prequalification process. Their primary purpose is to provide third parties verification of a contractor’s ability to successfully manage similar scopes of work. By reviewing references, we can mitigate risk and ensure the selected partner has a proven track record of excellence in professional facility management.

25. Is this RFP set aside for any category, such as MBE or MWBE?

No, it is open to all.

26. Please provide the cleanable square footage for each facility by its type e.g. carpeted, hard, tiled, wooden / terrazzo / VCT, etc.

The cleaning square footage of each building is listed in Appendix D. The floor surfaces are not listed, as we do not have that information. It is primarily VCT, minimal carpet and other various surfaces.

27. All supplies (cleaning and paper products) , equipment, and chemicals to be supplied by the bidder? Please confirm.

All consumables will be supplied by the District.

28. All costing will be basis 2080 hours per school year; correct?

Unknown.

29. Please confirm if internal window washing (above 10’ height) , external window washing, parking lots, and ground maintenance are part of this RFP’s SOW. If there is any, please clarify in detail.

External window washing below 10’ will be required at least twice a year, but more often upon request. Above 10’ exterior windows will be required to be cleaned once a year. Interior windows up to 10’ will be required to be cleaned as necessary, but no less than twice a year. Parking lot and ground maintenance cleaning will need to be to be done once a week, and upon request.

30. Is there a recommended method /norm for year-on-year contract price increase, to adjust for inflation, say related to CPI as an example?

No.

31. Section 11—Communication. What is the district’s requirement regarding the expectation of cell phones of bidder’s employees? Only the Bidders non-working Managers/Supervisors? Day Porters?

The expectation is that a minimum of one Account Manager is available by phone 24/7, 365 days a year, including holidays. The cellular number shall be provided to the district’s designee and all Building Administrators.

32. Does the District have walkie-talkies for the Contractor to use for the Day Porters?

Yes, Day Porters will be provided with a walkie-talkie given to them by the Building Administrator.

33. Section 20—Material Storage and Office Space—Can the District confirm the Bidder will have storage for supplies and equipment at each District facility?

Yes, at minimum there is a small storage closet at each facility and there is a storage space available at the Maintenance Warehouse.

34. It states in the RFP that “The current custodial services provider for Flint Community Schools is CSM/Nawa. The estimated 2024-25 total contract is $2,600,000.00” Can the District confirm if the $2,600,000.00 includes the janitorial and general maintenance contracts combined?

Yes, it is included in the contract.

35. How many Day Porters required by the District at the middle school and high school(s)?

Currently we have 40 custodial staff and 6 maintenance staff in the District. The district allows the staffing needs to be determined by the contractor. The District will intervene only as necessary.

36. Can the District confirm each elementary school requires 1 Day Porter?

Yes.

37. Are there Mid-shift Custodians required by the District to help with lunch? If so, how many and at which schools/buildings?

Yes, but the staffing is to be determined by the contractor.

38. In Section 19, Equipment, Tools and Cleaning Supplies states that the Contractor will provide trash bags in addition to other consumables. In Appendix C (Specs) it states that liners will be provided by the School District. Please confirm who is responsible for providing the trash bag liners?

That was listed in error and will be corrected by an addendum. The District will provide all consumables.

39. In Section 19, Equipment, Tools and Cleaning Supplies states that the Contractor will provide toilet paper, roll towels, hand soaps, sanitary napkin bags, etc. in addition to other consumables. In Appendix C (Specs) under the Restrooms/Locker Room section it states “Restock toilet paper, paper towel, feminine products, soap, etc. (Product to be provided by district).” Please confirm who is responsible for providing the consumables?

Please see answer to question # 38.

40. Appendix C shows the Scope of Work. It looks like the Scope is an excel spreadsheet saved as a PDF and some rows look like they were not expanded and some of the tasks are cut off? Can the District confirm the Scope of Work has all tasks listed in each row? For example, see the Summer Months page.

The specifications in Appendix C shall be referred to as a guide for, rather than a limitation to, the Contractor to maintain the cleanliness of the schools. There are no missing rows/columns on the document.

41. Appendix G and Appendix D do not match all the schools/buildings? Can you please confirm which documents are represented in the RFP?

The Neithercut building has been closed. The Accelerated Learning Academy is housed at Southwestern Academy. Scott school is not used as an educational building. It is used as the District’s central kitchen. Contractor will only need to provide cleaning in the food service area and the common areas, ie. bathrooms and hallways.

42. What are the frequencies of the moves within the District as stated in the RFP?

The District’s needs for moving supplies, furniture, teaching materials and internal departmental mail delivery, etc., are frequent as part of the daily operations and can increase/decrease unpredictably throughout the year.

43. Do you have an approximate number of hours for the weekend events per month?

After-hours events are considered billable for work performed outside of the SOW. The rental agreements are not very common and could be a little as once every three months, but the rental events scheduling is subject change at any time.

44. Appendix D shows two columns of square footage. The Cleaning/Maintenance Sq Footage column and the “Sqr Ftg - Above Grnd” column. Can the District confirm the cleanable square footage for each building in the RFP? For example, Scott building shows 3,630 sq. ft. in column J and 47,550 sq. ft in column K. Which one is correct?

The column labeled “Cleaning/Maintenance Sq Footage” is the correct square footage that will need to be cleaned by the Contractor.

45. Does the contractor have to pay a monthly fee for the Operations Hero system & CAFM? And if so, how much is it monthly?

No, you do not have to pay this fee. The District pays this fee.

46. Who provides ice melt, the district or the bidder?

The District provides ice melt.

47. In section 11, entitled, “After School and Weekend Activities”, there’s a reference to the expectation of the staff for cleaning after events. What is the expectation for cleaning if the events do not end by the times (10 and 11pm) designated in the RFP?

Regular hours are 6AM to 11PM, any services provided outside of the regular hours, should be scheduled by flexing the regular schedule of staff. If flexible scheduling cannot be used, the services will be considered billable, but must first be approved by the District in writing before the time the services are provided.

48. In another paragraph in the same section (see below), there is a reference to a,” regular schedule”. Can the district define what, “regular schedule” really means?

“Hours of service for events that extend outside of the regular schedule must be invoiced by the Contractor separately from the monthly contract fee and will be mutually agreed upon prior to the event.”

Please see the answer above.

49. Is there a cost associated with the district’s badging requirement? If so, what is the cost?

Issuance of badges are of no charge to employees. There is only a $10 charge to replace lost, stolen or damaged badges, payable by the employee. This must be paid in cash with exact change to the District.

50. Does the district have consumption data that it can/will share with the bidders regarding toilet paper, paper towels, trash liners, hand soap, sanitary napkin bags, ice melt and facial tissue, urinal deodorizer and hand sanitizer?

The district will provide all these items.

51. In section 19, entitled, “ Equipment, Tools, Cleaning Supplies”, there’s a sentence, “Each secondary school should have a new ride on scrubber in addition to the new walk behind scrubbers.” Is new being mandated, or is it just a suggestion?

It is not mandated, but the District would like for the Contractor to have new or “like new” equipment and will be subject to inspection and approval by the District designee.

52. The section also clearly states that, “the contractor will supply all necessary vehicles, tools, equipment, and supplies for general maintenance.” Is the contractor also responsible for supplying the custodial supplies and equipment for the contract?

Supplies and consumables will be provided by the Distirct, all other tools and equipment will be provided by the Contractor.

53. Will the District provide snow shovels, snow blowers, salt spreaders, etc. for snow removal of the building sidewalks/walkways and entrances?

No, this will be the responsibility of the Contractor.

54. Can you confirm the Contractor provides the chemicals?

The district will provide all cleaning chemicals and paper products, aka consumables.

55. From that same sentence, can you be more specific about the supplies that we are to provide from a maintenance perspective? For example, light bulbs, filters, screws? This list could be exhaustive without some insight into what the district is currently using.

All parts and materials needed to preform basic maintenance procedures and repairs will be provided by the District.

56. In section 34, entitled, “Scope of Work”. The district references testing water backflow prevention devices having to be service throughout the district and the expense is on the contractor. Can the district share how many of these devices are currently present in the district? Can you provide the number in the district and at what schools/buildings are these devices located?

There is at least one at every building. The District owns the RPZ backflow testing equipment and will make it accessible to the Contractor.

57. In section 10, entitled “Staffing Requirements”, There’s a description of the maintenance worker the district desires and makes reference to “a minimum of one (1) qualified maintenance worker……”. Can the district list the qualifications it is looking for in a maintenance worker? We are trying to understand the level of maintenance worker the district is looking for. Operating engineer, or individuals certified/licensed in each trade discipline?

The District requires one State of Michigan Licensed Mechanical Contractor, one State of Michigan Licensed Plumber, one State of Michigan Licensed Electrician, one State of Michigan Licensed Builder and one certified Locksmith and at least two or more General Maintenance workers.

58. Are here special dispensers for hand sanitizers that need to be filled by the Contractor? If so, can the district provide the total number of hand sanitizers at each school?

The District supplies consumables and dispensers for hand sanitizer.

59. How many engineers/maintenance workers currently are on staff? Are they Union?

There are 30 custodians , 2 custodial supervisors, 1 account manager and 5 maintenance workers and they are non-union workers.

60. How many boilers exist throughout the district (26) total? Boiler maintenance roughly 40K per the RFP. Is there a preferred vendor & do they have to be union?

We have 33 boilers. The boiler maintenance will be outsourced.

61. With failures to the boilers and parts needed who will be responsible for the cost as that won’t be part of the maintenance agreement.

The repairs to the boilers will not be the responsibility of the Contractor, only basic maintenance will be required to performed by the Contractor.

62. Filter costs for the district roughly 34K per the RFP. Need total amount, dimensions and Merv Rating for each unit. Costs change yearly anywhere from 3-10% roughly.

The District will provide any filters needed.

63. Is there cooling in each building and who is responsible for the cost of when chillers, RTUs etc. fail and need vendor to repair issues. Theres nothing in the RFP regarding cooling maintenance or repairs.

Minor repairs will need to be performed by the Contractor. Parts and supplies will be provided by the District. Major repairs and any replacement needed will be outsourced by the District.

64. Is the current vendor providing janitorial and maintenance in the existing contract?

Yes, they are providing both services in the existing contract.

65. Deductions, 30F. Finger printing and background – does the contractor use their own vendor or does the finger printing and background process go through the District?

The district does not pay for any finger printing or background checks.

66. Can you extend the RFP timeline?

The RFP timeline can not be extended.

67. What is the current vacancy rate of current staff? Over last 12 months?

Unknown.

68. Please provide current wage rate per position with title and quantity currently .

We currently have 40 custodial staff earning the pay rate of $14-$17 per hour and 6 maintenance staff earning the pay rate of $18-$31 per hour.

69. What is the current staffing? Section 34 shows 4 HVAC, boilers staffed by one technician; are there other mechanical technicians in the cold wintry months?

The District only requires one HVAC Licensed Technician for the whole district. We do ask that the Contractor performs building temperature checks 7 days a week during the wintery months. This does not require HVAC Technicians to perform these additional checks.

70. Are there any additional services for maintenance being outsourced? Or completed by District Staff? Please provide Scope of work for Maintenance.

The Contractor will be responsible for general maintenance repairs to all equipment, including but not limited to lighting, electrical supply and distribution panels, HVAC equipment and components, pumps, motor starters, relays, plumbing, fixtures, valves, doors, windows, hardware, locksets, hinges, etc.. All repair and replacement of equipment requiring additional licensing that is not secured by the Contractor’s employees and/or the cost of the repairs/replacement exceeds $3,000, the District will outsource the repair/replacement.

71. Can you please verify procurement process for parts and materials?

The Contractors will be responsible for providing quotes for parts needed to repair/replace District owned equipment. A list of approved vendors will be provided to the Contractor. Quotes must be submitted in writing to the Director of Operations or his/her designee. No purchase shall be made without a Purchase Order Number and/or written authorization by the Director of Operations or by his/her designee. Once a quote is received by the Director of Operations the District will forward the approved Purchase Order to the Contractor.

72. Can we use our CMMS verses the district’s current system? Can you supply Make, Model and year of Operation Hero?

We prefer to use our CMMS, it allows all teaching staff to enter work orders. We are currently using the most up to date version of Hero HQ, by Operations Hero.

73. Who supplies vehicles currently?

The District provides some vehicles, we would like to retire the aging fleet at the end of the fiscal year.

74. What is the intention of needing a “box truck”? The RFP referenced “moving things- please specify what is intended for this truck. Is CDL needed for the box truck, or if needed for other needs associated with this contract?

The box truck that we are using currently, is a rental. The district wishes to discontinue the need to rent a box truck starting in the new fiscal year. The truck we rent does not require a CDL. The in-district moves are usually just furniture, misc. items and supplies.

75. When was the last Facility Assessment done?

Unknown

76. What level was FCA performed?

Unknown

77. What company performed the facility condition assessment?

Unknown

78. Can the district provide a detailed listing showing FCA critical repairs?

N/A

79. Can the district provide a copy of the most recent FCA?

N/A

80. Current cost is described as $2.6M. Can you confirm if this price includes all the custodial supplies/consumables? Also, does it also include the Boiler and Filter changes? If not, is the district understanding that these costs will be added into the overall price of the new contract but removed from the district’s additional bills?

The district will provide all consumables. This price only includes custodial and maintenance services. The new RFP includes an error in the section that describes the need for the contractor to perform professional boiler PM services and CSD-1 inspections. The District will continue to Contract those services separate from this RFP. This section will be amended in the next Addendum. The district is now adding filter changes to the SOW but the filters will be provided by the District.

81. Does the district currently have any involvement in the background checks for custodial and maintenance staff? If so, what role does it play?

The district does require the FBI fingerprinting and background checks on all staff that will assigned to work in the district, to be provided to our H.R. Dept. The cost for these background checks will not be covered by the District.

82. Are you seeking pre-employment drug testing, reasonable suspicion testing, or both? Are there any specific requirements regarding which substances should be included or excluded?

No.

83. The contract is 2 years with an option for 3 years; how many years can the vendors amortize the investment for equipment?

The contract is for 2 years with an option to renew it for an additional 3 years. The option to renew will be based on the contractor’s performance.

84. Does the District provide a dedicated quality assurance / work order system for custodial services?

No

85. The district shall be responsible for providing all parts, supplies, and materials necessary for the ongoing maintenance of District facilities.

How much did the district pay for parts, supplies and materials last fiscal year?

Unknown

86. Questions are due April 27th, when will the district provide responses?

April 28th.

87. Can the district provide a breakdown of the $2.6M budget between custodial and maintenance services?

Cost for Custodial $1,992,322.56 Cost for Maintenance $582,677.44

88. How much did the district pay 3rd party vendors last year for any custodial or maintenance services outside the contracted scope of services?

Unknown

89. Please detail the number of trades professionals that are on the POM staff.

Example, electrician, HVAC, plumber Currently we have one HVAC tech, one Electrician and one Plumber.

90. Please detail how many associates on the POM staff are licensed or certified in their trade The three trade disciplines list above are the only licensed staff onsite today.