Amendment 2 - Questions & Answers - Ice Cream Products.pdf
PDF 144 KB Posted
- Attached to
- STATEWIDE: Ice Cream
- Solicitation number
- BPM047699
- Issued by
- Maryland
About this file
This is Amendment Two to an Invitation for Bids issued by the State of Maryland Department of General Services, Office of Procurement and Logistics, for a statewide ice cream products contract (eMMA Number: BPM047699/001IT821498). The amendment, dated March 13, 2026, provides clarifications to the bid documents through a questions and answers format. The solicitation seeks a source of supply and delivery of ice cream products to state using agencies throughout Maryland. The anticipated contract start date is July 1, 2026. The amendment clarifies that bidders are responsible for providing pricing in the units of measure specified on the Price Bid Form, and that all bidders must independently meet minimum qualification requirements, including a three-year distribution experience requirement. Contractors are permitted to utilize subcontractors and logistics partners to perform delivery and distribution functions and to meet the Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) goal of 1%.
The State indicated it cannot provide historical purchasing data, estimated annual purchasing volumes, typical payment timeframes, or estimates of freezer unit requests, as using agencies' needs differ and ordering schedules vary. Bidders may source USDA Grade A compliant ice cream products from established manufacturers or distributors rather than manufacturing products themselves. Regarding the farm percentage requirement, contractors are responsible for confirming their products meet all product specifications and affirming compliance with participation requirements throughout the contract term. Suitable locking freezers must be provided at no additional cost upon request of using agencies. The amendment requires acknowledgment from all bidders and becomes part of the bid package per COMAR 21.05.02.08 regulations.
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Text version
AMENDMENT TWO
TO THE INVITATION FOR BIDS
DATE: March 13, 2026 eMMA NUMBER: BPM047699/001IT821498
OFFICE OF STATE PROCUREMENT
SOLICITATION TITLE: Statewide: Ice Cream Products
This Amendment is issued to clarify, add to, delete from, correct and/or change the BID documents to the extent indicated and is hereby made a part of the said BID documents on which the contract will be based. This Amendment becomes part of the BID package. COMAR
21.05.02.08 requires all Amendments issued to be acknowledged.
Issued by:
State of Maryland
Department of General Services
Office of Procurement and Logistics
301 W. Preston Street - Suite M-4
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
Tierra Ali-Said
Tierra Ali-Said, DGS OSP Procurement Officer
Acknowledgment Date
Company Name
Amendment Two – Statewide: Ice Cream Products
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Office of State Procurement
Maryland Department of General Services
Ice Cream Products
Q1. Please advise on how to proceed with pricing items that are available in different pack sizes than what is listed on the Price Bid Form.
A1. It is the Bidders’ responsibility to provide the State with the best price a company can offer using the units of measure listed on the Price Bid Form. For evaluation purposes, the units of measures are uniformed.
Q2. If a bidder does not independently meet the three-year distribution experience requirement, may the bidder satisfy this requirement through a subcontractor or logistics partner that possesses the required distribution experience?
A2. All Bidders must meet the Minimum Qualifications in order to be considered for an
Award.
Q3. Does the State require the prime contractor to directly perform distribution services, or may the prime contractor utilize a subcontractor or logistics partner to perform delivery and distribution functions?
A3. Contractors are permitted to utilize subcontractors to meet the MBE Goal of 1%. The
State cannot instruct Contractors on how to distribute the services performed in order to meet their subcontracting goals.
Q4. Section 2.1.1 indicates that successful vendors shall provide suitable locking freezers at no additional cost upon request of using agencies. Could the State provide an estimate of the number of freezer units that may typically be requested during the contract period?
A4. The State cannot provide this information, as all using agencies’ need differ.
Q5. Could the State provide historical purchasing data or estimated annual purchasing volume from the previous statewide ice cream contract to help bidders estimate capacity and pricing?
A5. The State cannot provide this information. In addition, please refer to Section 2.1.8 –
Contractor Requirements: Scope of Work of the Invitation-for-Bid.
Q6. May bidders’ source compliant USDA Grade A ice cream products from established manufacturers or distributors, or are bidders expected to manufacture the products themselves?
A6. Contractors who are awarded a Contract as a result of this Solicitation may utilize their resources, including, but not limited to, manufacturers and/or distributors to ensure they can supply and deliver Ice Cream products to all Using Agencies.
Amendment Two – Statewide: Ice Cream Products
Q7. Are bidders permitted to utilize subcontractors or distribution partners to support delivery in regions outside of their primary operating location?
A7. Contractors are permitted to utilize subcontractors to meet the MBE Goal of 1%.
Q8. Could the State confirm the typical payment timeframe after invoice submission for this contract?
A8. Refer to Appendix 5 – Terms and Conditions, Number 21.
Q9. Could the State clarify the anticipated contract start date following award so vendors may prepare supply and delivery logistics accordingly?
A9. The anticipated start date of this Contract is July 1, 2026.
Q10. How will the farm percentage work? For example, the Italian ice would not have any components from a Maryland Farm. How would that work? Additionally, cream is a large component of our ice cream. However, all the cream distributed in Maryland comes from the
Tri-State area, including Maryland. How will the cream be verified that roughly 33% of milk comes from Maryland.
A10. It is the responsibility of the awarded Contractor(s) to confirm their products meet all product specifications upon order. It is also the responsibility of the awarded Contractor to affirm participation requirements throughout the term of the Contract.
Q11. Can you provide information about that approximate date of the first order?
A11. The State cannot provide this information as all using agencies have their own ordering schedules.
Q12. Can you provide a rough estimate of the amount of 2.5-gallon ice cream each facility buys per year per facility?
A12. The State cannot provide this information.
End of Amendment Two
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