Bid

BARTOW COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM

Purchasing Department 65 Gilreath Road N.W

P.O. Box 200007 Cartersville, Georgia 30120-9001

770-606-5800 Extension 2024

INVITATION FOR BID

Invitation Number: IFB 10-2022-033

Description: System Wide Copy Paper

Bid Opening: June 08th 2022, 2:00 PM

INVITATION FOR BID

IFB 10-2022-033 System Wide Copy Paper

Sealed bids for furnishing the commodities or services described in the following will be received by the Bartow County School System in the Purchasing Department, 65 Gilreath Road N.W., P.O. Box 200007, Cartersville, Georgia 30120-9001 until June 08, 2:00 PM and at that time publicly opened in the main Board Room.

Contractors, for the duration of the bid period shall guarantee bid submitted. The bid period shall be one year from the beginning date and may be renewed for additional contract periods.

For specification information before sealed bids are opened, direct any questions or concerns to Mr. Albert Zielke, Purchasing Specialist 770.606.5800 Extension 2024, albert.zielke@bartow.k12.ga.us

Contractors are required to use the enclosed form and instructed to read carefully all items, conditions and specifications in this letter and the attached pages before completing their bid.

The Bartow County School System reserves the right to waive technicalities, to accept or reject any and all proposals and to waive any irregularity in proposals received, to award the entire proposal to one vendor or to multiple vendors or to make awards by group or location, whichever is in the best interest of the Bartow County School System; hereafter referred to as “Owner”, except where noted for clarity.

Sincerely, Albert Zielke Purchasing Specialist mailto:albert.zielke@bartow.k12.ga.us

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Bids shall be enclosed in a sealed envelope, addressed to the office in the Invitation for Bid, with the name and address of the bidder, the date and hour of the opening, and the invitation number on the face of the envelope. Only one sealed bid may be submitted in each envelope. If you are submitting more than one bid, a separate envelope must be used for each bid.

2. All bids must be either typewritten or filled in with pen and must be signed in ink by an officer or employee having authority to bind the company or firm. The signatory of the bid must initial corrections or changes on any document. Bidders will not be allowed to modify their bids after designated opening date and time.

3. Bidders should provide all the information required on all forms including the Specification and Bid Form and should sign the Contract Terms and Conditions.

4. The offer conveyed by this bid shall remain open for a period of forty-five days from the date of opening.

5. Bidders should specify on the Bid Form Sheet the delivery time they are able to meet with respect to the supply of these commodities. Delivery times in excess of 5 days are not favored and may not be accepted.

6. Bid responses containing a minimum order/ship quantity or dollar value, unless otherwise called for in the Invitation for Bid, may be treated as non-responsive and may not be considered for award.

7. In the event there is a discrepancy between the unit price and extended price, the unit price shall govern.

8. Any reference to quantities or dollar amounts are shown as an estimate only, and shall not serve to obligate the School System to purchase any minimum amount; nor shall any such reference serve to establish any maximum amount the vendor is required to furnish.

9. Bidders must specify the manufacturer and/or brand name on each of the items bid. If an item has a specified manufacturer and/or brand name and the words “or equal” do not follow, substitutions will not be accepted.

10. This Invitation to Bid consists of 13 pages, including title page. Bidder must complete and return pages 1-13. Failure to return these pages in correct numerical order may result in your Bid being declared invalid.

11. The School System reserves the right to amend this Invitation for Bid (IFB) prior to the due date.

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

It is the sole responsibility of contractor(s) to ensure that bids reach the Purchasing Department on or before the closing date and time. The Bartow County School System shall in no way be responsible for delays caused by any occurrence. Offers by telephone, facsimile or email will not be accepted.

The Bartow County School System will not be responsible for late deliveries or delayed mail. The bid opening time shall be strictly observed. Under no circumstances shall bids delivered after the specified time be considered.

The initial period this contract shall be from July 01, 2022 – June 30, 2023. Additionally, the successful vendor shall provide the Bartow County School System with the option to negotiate an extension of the contract for four (4) additional fiscal periods (July 1 – June 30) through 2027. Negotiation, if necessary, must occur no later than 30 days before the expiration of the contract.

Failure to restrict contacts/discussion regarding this IFB to the named Purchasing Specialist and designated system contacts will be deemed a serious breach of process and may, at the Owner’s sole discretion, result in disqualifying the violating party’s firm from further consideration in this IFB opportunity. Additionally any unauthorized contact with members of the School Board or System employees by a contractor or a contractor’s representative concerning this proposal may result in the disqualification of the contractor.

The Bartow County School System reserves the right to accept or reject any and all bids, to waive any irregularity in bids received, to award the entire bid to one contractor or to make awards by group or by line item whichever is in the best interest of the Bartow County School System. Additionally, the Bartow County School System may unilaterally terminate this contract in whole or in part, for the school system’s convenience, availability of unobligated funds, or because of failure of the contractor to fulfill the contract obligations in any respect.

STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. Bids shall be mailed in ample time to assure delivery prior to the opening date and time. Addressed to: Bartow County School System, Attn: Mr. Albert Zielke – Purchasing Specialist, Bartow County School System, 65 Gilreath Road, N.W., P. O. Box 200007, Cartersville, Georgia 30120-9001

2. Bids must be on the form provided within this bid package and each cost breakdown requested must be placed on the appropriate line on the bid form, sealed within an envelope marked as shown on the instruction page. Any bid received after the designated time of opening will be considered a “NO

BID.”

3. The successful contractor shall be a certified, licensed and insured as stated and in compliance with existing state laws.

4. Unit cost shall include material, labor, profit, incidentals and overhead including shipping and handling.

5. Project shall be completed in compliance with industry standards and approved by the Bartow County School System and its designee.

6. The net price on each item shall represent any deletion, addition, discount or option for that item.

7. The Bartow County School System may unilaterally terminate this contract in whole or in part, for the school system’s convenience, availability of unobligated funds, or because of failure of the contractor to fulfill the contract obligations in any respect.

8. Payment shall be made only when the job is completed to the satisfaction of the Bartow County School System and its designee. The Bartow County School System operates with a purchase order system. Each request by the school system must have a purchase order assigned. The successful contractor must include the appropriate purchase order number on the invoice(s) associated with that service provided.

9. Contractor shall transfer and deliver to the School System all of the goods and/or services described herein for the consideration set forth herein.

10. Risk of loss shall remain with Contractor until acceptance by the School System.

11. Title to the goods shall remain with Contractor until acceptance by the School System.

12. Contractor warrants that the goods are merchantable and as described.

13. The School System shall have the right to inspect the goods at the time and place of delivery.

14. No claim or right arising out of a breach of this agreement can be discharged in whole or in part by a waiver or renunciation of the claim or right unless the waiver or renunciation is supported by consideration and is in writing signed by the aggrieved party.

15. No right or interest in the contract shall be assigned by Contractor without the written permission of the School System, and no delegation of any obligation owed or of the performance of any obligation by Contractor shall be made without the written permission of the School System. Any attempted assignment or delegation shall be wholly void and totally ineffective for all purposes unless made in conformity with this paragraph.

16. The laws of the United States Federal Government, the State of Georgia, and the policies of the Bartow County Board of Education shall govern this agreement in all respects.

17. All goods and/or services supplied pursuant to each purchase order shall, unless otherwise stated, conform exactly to all of the descriptions and attachments contained in the IFB upon which each order is based; and the terms, conditions, and specifications of the IFB are incorporated herein by reference and made a part hereof.

18. Any materials or supplies delivered under this bid and found not in accordance with specifications will be rejected at no cost to the Bartow County School System. Goods rejected shall be returned, freight collect to the contractor.

19. Whenever the name of a manufacturer or trade names appears, the terms will be used merely for the purpose of description and indication of the quality of items desired. Items of other manufactures of approval equal or better specifications will be considered. Bartow County School System reserves the right to determine if the products offered are the type and quality desired. Samples of items may be requested at no cost to Bartow County School System. When testing an item Bartow County School System is not responsible for the condition of item tested or replacement of such item after testing procedures. All items, received and tested, that remain in good condition must be picked up within thirty (30) days of the award of bid. If items remain after the thirty (30) days they shall become the property of the Bartow County School System. Where “no substitute” is indicated, bids will not be accepted on another item.

20. Delivery shall be made to the address listed on the Purchase Order and within the time specified.

Signature Title Date

CONTRACTOR DECLARATION

The contractor understands, agrees and warrants:

That the contractor has carefully read and fully understands the full scope of the specifications listed on this document.

That the contractor has the capability to successfully undertake and complete the responsibilities and obligations in said specifications.

That the contractor has liability insurance and a declaration of insurance form is included in the bid package.

That this bid may be withdrawn by requesting such withdrawal in writing at any time prior to July 22, 2:00 PM but may not be withdrawn after such date and time.

That the Bartow County School System reserves the right to reject any or all bids and to accept that bid which will, in its opinion, best serve the public interest. The Bartow County School System reserves the right to waive any technicalities and formalities in the bid.

That by submission of this bid the contractor acknowledges that the Bartow County School System has the right to make any inquiry or investigation it deems appropriate to substantiate or supplement information supplied by the contractor.

If a partnership, a general partner must sign.

If a corporation, the authorized corporate officer(s) must sign and the corporate seal must be affixed to this bid.

CONTRACTOR:

Name Title

Name Title

AFFIX CORPORATE SEAL (If Applicable)

CERTIFICATE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION

In connection with the performance of work under this contract, the contractor agrees as follows:

The contractor agrees not to discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, creed, color, sex, national origin, ancestry or disability. The contractor shall take affirmative action to insure that employees are treated without regard to their race, creed, color, sex, national origin, ancestry or disability.

Such action shall include, but not be limited to the following: employment, upgrading, demotion, transfer, recruiting or recruitment, advertising, lay-off or termination, rates of pay or other compensation and selection for training, including apprenticeship.

In the event of the contractor non-compliance with this non-discrimination clause, the contract may be canceled or terminated by the Bartow County School System. The contractor may be declared, by the Bartow County

School System, ineligible for further contracts with the Bartow County School System until satisfactory proof of intent to comply shall be made by the contractor.

The contractor agrees to include this non-discrimination clause in any sub-contracts connected with the performance of this agreement.

CONTRACTOR

SIGNATURE

TITLE

NON-COLLUSION AFFIDAVIT

The following affidavit is to accompany the bid:

STATE OF

COUNTY OF

Owner, Partner or Officer of Firm

Company Name, Address, City and State

Being of lawful age, being first duly sworn, on oath says that he/she is the agent authorized by the bidder to submit the attached bid. Affidavit further states as bidder, that they have not been a party to any collusion among bidders in restraint of competition by agreement to bid at a fixed price or to refrain from bidding; or with any office of the Bartow County School System or any of their employees as to quantity, quality or price in the prospective contract; or any discussion between bidders and any official of the Bartow County School System or any of their employees concerning exchange of money or other things of value for special consideration in submitting a sealed bid for:

FIRM NAME __________________________________________

SIGNATURE __________________________________________

TITLE __________________________________________

Subscribed and sworn to before me this_____ day of 20____.

NOTARY PUBLIC

VENDOR APPLICATION

(Pre-qualification information)

Complete Vendor Name:

Federal Tax ID No.: Social Security No.:

(If Company) (If individual)

Business License Number:

Regular Mailing Address: Remit to Address:

Phone: Fax:

Email Address:

Previous Vendor Name(s) and Address:

Have you ever done business with Bartow County under any of the above names?

Circle One Yes No If Yes, which one(s)?

Primary Business:

Your company is organized as:

Individual Partnership Corporation Other (Specify)

Names and signatures of persons authorized to sign bids and contracts:

Name Title Signature

Circle One Have you ever been bonded? Yes No If yes, name and address of Bonding Company.

Circle One Have you ever had a bond revoked? Yes No If yes, briefly explain the reason why:

Circle One Is any litigation pending against you or your company? Yes No If yes, briefly state the reason why: ____________________________________________

Circle One Is your inventory stocked in the State of Georgia? Yes No If not, where is it stocked?___________________________________________________

Give three current or recent customers/clients for whom similar goods or services have been provided.

Client 1:

Address:

Contact: Phone:

Client 2:

Address:

Contact: Phone:

Client 3:

Address:

Contact: Phone:

Include a completed W-9 form and other required information with this application.

I, the undersigned, hereby certify that the above information is a complete and true statement of the facts.

Signature of person authorized to sign this application Title Date

SPECIFICATIONS

*Approximately 3,500 cases of 8.5 X 11 inch white copy paper of no less than 92 brightness.

“This quantity is based on current allowable image rate on system copiers and does not include incidental printer copy paper usage. This amount may vary.”

*All orders are to be inside delivery placed up to two (2) specified locations within each building.

*Bids shall remain firm for a one-year lock-in rate, through June 30, 2023.

*Attention field shall be correctly labeled on all cases or on a single case referencing clearly the total number of cases per order.

*Minimum and maximum order amount should be listed on bid form.

Bid Form

1. Price per case $____________________

2. Maximum length of cost locked in: ______________

3. Minimum quantity per order: ____________________

4. Maximum quantity per order: _________________

5. Minimum delivery time: ____________

6. Maximum delivery time: _____________________

Submitted by: __________________________________

Firm Name: ______________________________________________________________

Signature: ______________________________________________________

Title: ___________________________________________________

Date: ________________________________