Attachment 1 -Sidewalk and Pedestrian Bridge Snow Removal FAQS.pdf

ATTACHMENT I

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Sidewalk and Pedestrian Bridge Snow Removal

Solicitation No. WS2317647948

Purpose of this document. The County is not holding a pre-proposal conference for this Solicitation. This document is provided in its place to summarize the procurement and to answer questions the County anticipates from prospective

Offerors. It is offered for convenience only. In the event of any conflict between this document and the Solicitation, the Statement of Work, or any amendment, the Solicitation documents control. Prospective Offerors remain responsible for reading the entire Solicitation and for monitoring SPEED and eMMA for amendments. Questions not answered here should be submitted through SPEED as described in Section 7 below.

Procurement at a Glance

Item Summary

Solicitation Type Request for Proposals (RFP) issued as a Continuous Open Solicitation.

Eligibility Open only to certified County Based (CBB), County-Based Minority Business Enterprise

(CBMBE), County-Based Small (CBSB), County-Based Small Minority Business Enterprise

(CBSMBE), and County-Located businesses. See Section 2.2.

What Is Being Procured Sidewalk and pedestrian bridge sidewalk snow and ice removal performed by hand-equipped crews (walk-behind snow blowers/powered brooms, hand tools, and a light-duty support vehicle) — no large trucks or plows.

Award Basis Qualifications-based, not price-based. The County may award one or more contracts to responsive and responsible Offerors that meet the qualification criteria in Section 5, at the

County-established crew rates.

Price County-established rates: $301.00 per hour (Crew Activation Rate) and $150.50 per hour

(Stand-By Rate). Offerors do not propose pricing but must sign Attachment A to accept the rates.

Contract Term Base period December 15, 2026 through March 15, 2027, with two (2) one-year option periods.

Operational Season Generally December 15 through March 15, unless modified in writing by the County.

Submission Method Electronically in SPEED only. No hard-copy, e-mail, or fax submissions accepted.

Evaluation Cycle Weekly. Submissions received by 4:00 PM local time Wednesday (the “Weekly Cutoff”) are evaluated that week.

Solicitation Open Through February 27, 2027, or until canceled earlier by the County, whichever occurs first.

Procurement Officer Nena Charity, Contractual Services Officer, Office of Procurement —

NLCharity@co.pg.md.us

Questions Submitted continuously through SPEED. Answers are posted in SPEED.

Bonding None required (no bid, performance, or payment bond).

1 Solicitation Type, Schedule, and Award

Q1. What type of solicitation is this, and what does “Continuous Open Solicitation” mean?

A: This is a Request for Proposal issued as a Continuous Open Solicitation. Rather than a single closing date, the

Solicitation stays open and accepts submissions on a rolling basis. Submissions are grouped into weekly evaluation cycles, and the County may make multiple awards over the life of the Solicitation.

Q2. There is no single bid-opening date — when will my submission actually be evaluated?

A: Each weekly cycle closes at 4:00 PM local time on Wednesday (the “Weekly Cutoff”). Submissions received at or before the Weekly Cutoff are evaluated in that week’s cycle; submissions received after it are held for the next cycle. When a County-observed holiday falls in the cycle, the Weekly Cutoff moves to the next business day.

Q3. How is award decided if there is no pricing competition?

A: Evaluation is qualifications-based, not price-based, as described in Section 5.8. The County has established uniform hourly crew rates set forth in Attachment A, so price is not an evaluation factor. The County reviews completeness of the required items in Section 5.2, satisfaction of the minimum crew, equipment, and experience requirements in the Statement of Work, the Offeror’s acceptance of the County-established rates, and responsibility.

Q4. What happens if my submittal is found non-responsive or not qualified?

A: The County will provide a written explanation, and the Offeror may correct the identified deficiencies and resubmit at any time while the Solicitation remains open. There is no limit on the number of resubmissions.

Q5. How long does this Solicitation remain open?

A: Through February 27, 2027, or until canceled earlier by the County, whichever occurs first. The County’s award of multiple contracts does not close the Solicitation.

2 Eligibility and Certification

Q6. Who is eligible to submit a proposal?

A: This Solicitation is open only to businesses certified as County Based (CBB), County-Based Minority Business

Enterprise (CBMBE), County-Based Small (CBSB), County-Based Small Minority Business Enterprise (CBSMBE), or County-Located, as set forth in Section 2.2. An Offeror must hold one of these certifications to be eligible for award.

Q7. How do I become certified?

A: Certification definitions and procedures are set forth in Subtitle 10A of the Prince George’s County Code and are available through the Supplier Development and Diversity Division at mypgc.diversitycompliance.com, referenced in

Section 2.4.

Q8. Do I need to submit a Supplier Utilization Plan (Attachment D)?

A: Only if you intend to use subcontractors. Supplier participation requirements are otherwise waived; Attachment

D is submitted only if subcontractors are utilized during the contract term, per Section 2.3.

3 Scope of Work

Q9. What work is being procured?

A: Sidewalk and pedestrian bridge sidewalk snow and ice removal performed by hand-equipped crews: walk-behind snow blowers and/or powered brooms, snow shovels and pushers, a portable spreader, and a light-duty support vehicle.

This is manual and small-equipment work; no large trucks or plows are used.

Q10. What triggers activation of a crew?

A: The County activates Contractor crews only when snow accumulation exceeds two (2) inches, as determined by projected measurements or as otherwise directed by the Office of Highway Maintenance (OHM) based on field assessments or National Weather Service forecasts, per SOW §3.2.1.

Q11. What is the minimum crew formation required?

A: A Crew is a minimum of four (4) crew members plus one (1) supervisor (five (5) personnel total), equipped with four (4) walk-behind snow blowers and/or powered brooms, four (4) snow shovels and/or pushers, one (1) portable or walk-behind spreader, and one (1) light-duty support vehicle (van, pickup truck, or SUV), per SOW §3.4.1.

Q12. Is a bilingual supervisor required?

A: Yes. SOW §3.2.2.1 requires supervisors capable of communicating effectively with non-English-speaking crew members to relay instructions, safety updates, and operational changes. This requirement is included within the standard Crew Rate and is not billed separately.

Q13. Is de-icing material included in the crew rate?

A: No. The Crew Activation Rate does not include deicing materials. The Contractor furnishes all required deicing materials, and the County reimburses the actual documented cost plus a ten percent (10%) handling fee upon submission of itemized supplier invoices and receipts, per SOW §3.4.1.

4 Pricing and Payment

Q14. Do I need to submit my own hourly rate?

A: No. The County has established uniform hourly crew rates for this Solicitation: $301.00 per hour (Crew Activation

Rate) and $150.50 per hour (Stand-By Rate, fifty percent (50%) of the Activation Rate). There is nothing to price or propose. Each Offeror instead signs Attachment A (Pricing Schedule) and executes the Pricing and Contract Terms

Acknowledgment in Section 7 of Attachment B to confirm acceptance of these rates.

Q15. What does the Crew Activation Rate cover?

A: It covers all personnel, equipment, fuel, maintenance, communication, and other incidentals necessary to perform the required crew formation, except for deicing materials, which are reimbursed separately.

Q16. How is Stand-By time paid?

A: Contractors placed on authorized stand-by status by OHM may bill the Stand-By Rate for up to twelve (12) hours per event, unless otherwise extended in writing. No compensation is provided for informal or self-initiated stand-by.

Q17. Can the rates change during the contract term?

A: Rates will not be adjusted during the base period except as expressly authorized by written contract amendment.

Rates for each option period may be adjusted as set forth in SOW §3.8 and Section 1.25.

5 Equipment

Q18. What equipment must I provide?

A: At minimum, per crew: four (4) walk-behind snow blowers and/or powered brooms (gas or electric), four (4) snow shovels and/or pushers, one (1) portable or walk-behind spreader, one (1) light-duty support vehicle (van, pickup truck, or SUV), and required PPE for each crew member, per SOW §3.4.1.

Q19. Do I need to submit VINs, license plates, or vehicle registration details with my proposal?

A: No. Attachment C (Equipment Inventory Form) asks for equipment type, make/model/year, quantity, and owned/leased status only — no VINs or registration numbers are required at proposal stage.

Q20. Will my equipment be inspected?

A: Yes. All equipment is subject to pre-season inspection and approval by the Office of Highway Maintenance prior to contract issuance, per SOW §3.4.3.1. Attachment C asks you to identify where your equipment will be available for that inspection, if needed.

6 Insurance

Q21. What insurance is required?

A: At minimum: Workers’ Compensation at statutory limits, Commercial General Liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence, Professional Liability of $1,000,000, and Automobile Liability of $1,000,000 Combined Single Limit.

Q22. Do I need a Certificate of Insurance (COI) at the time of submission?

A: A compliant COI is preferred at submission. If you do not yet have one, you may submit a letter from your insurance agent or broker confirming the required coverages will be bound and a compliant COI delivered prior to contract execution. No Offeror will be awarded a contract until a fully compliant COI is on file with the County.

7 Submittal Process, Forms, and Questions

Q23. What forms do I need to submit?

A: Attachment A (Pricing Schedule, signed), Attachment B (Bidder Information and Certifications Form), Attachment C (Equipment Inventory Form), Attachment H (Professional References), a Certificate of Insurance or agent letter, and the standard County offeror affidavits. Attachment D (Supplier Utilization Plan) is submitted only if subcontractors are used. See Section 5.2 for the complete list.

Q24. Where do I submit questions about this Solicitation?

A: All questions must be submitted through SPEED. The County answers questions on a rolling basis and posts responses in SPEED as solicitation addenda.

Q25. Who is the Procurement Officer for this Solicitation?

A: Nena Charity, Contractual Services Officer, Office of Procurement. Email: NLCharity@co.pg.md.us.