BID PACKET - MFC FOREST LEGACY AUGUST 2024 UPDATED.pdf

MISSISSIPPI FORESTRY COMMISSION

3139 Highway 468 West

Pearl, MS 39208

RFx Number: 3160006701 SMART RFx NUMBER: 1451-25-R-IFBD-00003

NOTICE REQUEST FOR BIDS (IFB)

The Mississippi Forestry Commission is requesting sealed bids at its office at 3139 Highway 468 West, Pearl, MS 39208 for the following:

Personal Service Contract:

Forest Legacy Grant Coordinator

Responses may be received electronically at http://portal.magic.ms.gov or via sealed envelopes at the Mississippi Forestry Commission, 3139 Highway 468 West, Purchasing Department, Pearl, MS 39208 until 10:00 a.m. Thursday, August 8, 2024.

For non-registered vendors needing assistance to register in MAGIC, contact the MAGIC Help Desk at (601) 359-1343.

Instruction on how to be set up in Magic is on Page 2 of the solicitation.

http://portal.magic.ms.gov/

August 2024

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO SIGN UP FOR MAGIC

To register in MAGIC as a vendor, here are the steps:

www.dfa.ms.gov Direct Links Vendor Services MAGIC Vendor Services State of Mississippi Supplier Registration – complete and submit online. If you need help with the product code just give me a call.

To register for Paymode (Direct Deposit/EFT), here are the steps:

www.dfa.ms.gov Direct Links Vendor Services Paymode – join now (requires an email and password) – complete and submit online. The vendor has to complete this because it pertains to their banking information and no one at Forestry is to assist the vendor.

http://www.dfa.ms.gov/ http://www.dfa.ms.gov/

GENERAL BID CONDITIONS:

ALL BIDS SUBMITTED SHALL BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH ALL CONDITIONS SET FORTH HEREIN. THE

BID PROCEDURES FOLLOWED BY THIS OFFICE WILL BE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THESE

CONDITIONS. THEREFORE, ALL BIDDERS ARE URGED TO READ AND UNDERSTAND THESE

CONDITIONS PRIOR TO SUBMITTING A BID.

1. PREPARATION OF BIDS

1.1 Bids and/or Quotes may be submitted through the State of Mississippi’s e-procurement system (MAGIC) or in person to the Mississippi Forestry Commission.

Paper bids are allowed. All prices and notations must be printed in ink or typewritten.

No erasures permitted. Errors may be crossed out and corrections printed in ink or typewritten adjacent and must be initialed, in ink, by the person signing bid.

1.2 To submit bids electronically, bidders must ensure they are registered in the MAGIC system and have received a login, password, and supplier number and that all technical requirements have been met.

1.3 If a bidder is unwilling or unable to participate through MAGIC, a Mississippi Forestry Commission representative can enter the Vendor’s bid(s) manually (i.e. Surrogate bidding).

1.4 Bidders participating in person by surrogate bidding must so indicate in their response to the initial Invitation for bids.

1.5 Failure to examine any drawings, specifications, and instruction will be at bidder’s risk.

1.6 Price each item separately. Unit prices shall be shown. Bid prices must be net.

1.7 It is understood that reference to available specifications shall be sufficient to make the terms of such specifications binding on the bidder.

1.8 Bidders must furnish all information requested in the bid specifications. Further, when required each bidder must summit for bid evaluation cuts, sketches, descriptive literature and technical specifications covering the product offered. Reference to literature submitted with a previous bid or on file with the Mississippi Forestry Commission will not satisfy this provision.

1.9 Samples of items, when requested, must be furnished free of expense, and if not destroyed in testing will, upon request, be returned at the bidder's expense. Request for the return of samples must be made within ten (10) days following opening bids. Each individual sample must be labeled with bidder's name, manufacturer's brand name and number, State of Mississippi commodity number, bid number and item reference.

1.10 Time of performance. The number of calendar days in which delivery will be made after receipt of order shall be indicated in the bid specifications.

2. SUBMISSION OF BIDS

2.1 When submitting a bid electronically, the authorized signature may be typed or be an electronic signature.

2.2 Bids and modifications or corrections received after the closing time specified will not be considered.

2.3 Bidders submitting paper responses should submit responses to the Mississippi Forestry Commission by the response deadline.

3. ACCEPTANCE OF BIDS

3.1 The Mississippi Forestry Commission reserves the right to reject any and all bids, to waive any informality in bids and unless otherwise specified by the bidders, to accept any items on the bid. The Mississippi Forestry Commission reserves the right to modify or cancel in whole or in part any Invitation for Bids.

If a bidder fails to state the time within which a bid must be accepted, it is understood and agreed that the Mississippi Forestry Commission shall have 60 days to accept.

4. ERROR IN BID

4.1 In case of error in the extension of prices in the bid, the unit price will govern NO bid shall be altered or amended after the specified time for opening bids.

5. AWARD

5.1 Contracts and purchases will be made or entered into with the lowest responsible bidder meeting specifications, except as otherwise specified in the bid specifications.

Where more than one item is specified in the specifications, the Mississippi Forestry Commission reserves the right to determine the low bidder either on the basis of the individual item(s) or on the basis of all items included in its Invitation for Bids, or as expressly provided in the Mississippi Forestry Commission Invitation for Bids.

6. INSPECTION

6.1 Final inspection and acceptance or rejection may be made at delivery destination, but all materials and workmanship shall be subject to inspection and test at all times and places, and when practicable. During manufacture, the right is reserved to reject articles which contain defective material and workmanship.

Rejected material shall be removed by and at the expense of the contractor promptly after notification or rejection. Final inspection and acceptance or rejection of the materials or supplies shall be made as promptly as practicable, but failure to inspect and accept or reject materials or supplies shall not impose liability on the Mississippi

Forestry Commission or any subdivision thereof for such materials or supplies as are not in accordance with the specification. In the event necessity requires the use of materials or supplies not conforming to the specification, payment therefore may be made at a proper reduction in price.

7. TAXES

7.1 The State is exempt from federal excise taxes and state and local sales or use taxes and bidders must quote prices which do not include such taxes. Exemption certificates will be furnished upon request.

8. BIDDERS

8.1 Bidding by state employees is prohibited. It is unlawful for any state official or employee to bid on, or sell, or offer for sale, any merchandise equipment or material, or similar commodity to the State of Mississippi during the tenure of his or her office or employment, or for the period prescribed by law thereafter, or to have any interest in the selling of the same to the State.

9. BID INFORMATION

9.1 Bid information and documents may be examined pursuant to the Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983, MS Code 25-61-1 et seq.

10. DEFINITIONS

10.1 The use of the word agency in any Bid Invitation solicitation or specification shall be intended to mean state agencies only.

11. PRECEDENCE

11.1 Bids shall be made and the contract shall be entered into in accordance with the General Conditions as hereinafter amended and modified. Should a conflict exist between the General Conditions and the Instructions and Special Conditions, the Instructions and Special Conditions shall take precedence.

12. WAIVER

12.1 The Mississippi Forestry Commission reserves the right to waive any General Condition, Special Condition, or minor specification deviation when considered to be in the best interest of the State.

13. CANCELLATION

13.1 Any contract or item award may be canceled with or without cause by the Mississippi Forestry Commission with the giving of 30 days written notice of intent to cancel. Cause for the Mississippi Forestry Commission to cancel may include, but is not limited to, delivery on time and/or no notice of delay in delivery time. Should the contract be canceled by the Mississippi Forestry Commission for failure to perform, the contractor will be disqualified from bidding for a period of twenty-four (24) months. The contractor may cancel a contract for cause with a thirty (30) day written notice of intent to cancel. In the event of cancelation of contract for any cause, whether failure to perform or cancelation by contractor, the Mississippi Forestry Commission will proceed to the next lowest vendor.

14. NONRESPONSIVE BIDS

14.1 Nonresponsive bids will not be considered. A non-responsive bid is considered to be a bid that does not comply with the minimum provisions of the specification. Any bidder found to repeatedly offer alternate products that are not compliant with specifications in an attempt to obtain a contract on the basis of pricing only will be disqualified from bidding for a period of 24 months.

15. SPECIFICATION CLARIFICATION

15.1 It shall be incumbent upon all bidders to understand the provisions of the specifications and to obtain clarification prior to the time and date set for the bid opening. Such clarification will be answered only in response to a written request.

16. PRE-QUALIFICATION PROCESS

16.1 The purpose of the IFB is to advertise the competitive procurement for solicitation of formal bids from potential bidders. The Mississippi Forestry Commission will be responsible for defining product categories, adding bidders, and publishing all bid related documents to the procurement portal. Once the responses have been received and the Opening Date has been reached, the Mississippi Forestry Commission will review the submissions to qualify bidders and determine a vendor to award contract to.

16.2 The Invitation for Bids shall be advertised in accordance with Section 3.106.05.4 of the Mississippi Procurement Manual. The Mississippi Forestry Commission shall advertise for 14 consecutive days in accordance with Section 31-7-13(c) (i) (1)of the Miss. Code Ann. Responses to the IFB will be due on the 8th working day after the last day of advertisement.

16.3 Responses to the IFB will be reviewed by the Mississippi Forestry Commission for responsiveness to specifications. Price quotes received will be evaluated in conjunction with other market research to determine the starting price for the Auction.

16.4 The Mississippi Forestry Commission will accept bidder responses in MAGIC who have qualified meeting RFx specifications. Bidders not meeting specifications will not be accepted.

16.5 It is requested that bids be submitted on the basis of statewide distribution.

Contractors must maintain adequate distribution capabilities and adequate stock of all items to insure prompt delivery.

17. STATEWIDE BIDDING

17.1 It is requested that bids be submitted on the basis of statewide distribution.

Contractors must maintain adequate distribution capabilities and adequate stock of all items to insure prompt delivery.

18. FIRM BID AMOUNT

18.1 Prices accepted from bidder submissions shall be firm for the term of the contract except that the State shall receive the benefit of any price decrease in excess of five (5) percent. The contractor must provide written price reduction information within ten

(10) days of its effective date.

19. CONTRACT EXTENSION

19.1 Automatic contract renewals or extensions are not allowed. Contracts must be extended or renewed with the proper documents signed or approved by the Mississippi Forestry Commission.

19.2 The Mississippi Forestry Commission reserves the right to extend the term of a contract, when necessary, to continue a source of supply whenever new or replacement contracts are not completed prior to the expiration date. Such extensions are dependent upon the agreement of the Contractor and shall not exceed three (3) months.

20. SUSPENSION AND DEBARMENT

20.1 By submitting a bid, the bidder is certifying that neither the bidder nor any potential subcontractors are debarred or suspended or are otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in federal assistance programs.

21. ASSIGNMENT

21.1 The Contractor shall not assign or subcontract in whole or in part, its right or obligations under this agreement without prior written consent of the Mississippi Forestry Commission.

22. INDEMINIFICATION

22.1 Contractor shall indemnify, defend, save and hold harmless, protect, and exonerate the State of Mississippi, its Commissioners, Board Members, officers, employees, agents, and representatives from and against all claims, demands, liabilities, suits, actions, damages, losses, and costs of every kind and nature whatsoever, including, without limitation, court costs, investigative fees and expenses, and attorneys’ fees, arising out of or caused by Contractor’s and/or its partners, principals, agents, employees, and/or subcontractors in the performance of or failure to perform this Agreement. In the State’s sole discretion, Contractor may be allowed to control the defense of any such claim, suit, etc. In the event Contractor defends said claim, suit, etc., Contractor shall use legal counsel acceptable to the State; Contractor shall be solely liable for all reasonable costs and/or expenses associated with such defense and the State shall be entitled to participate in said defense. Contractor shall not settle any claim, suit, etc., without the State’s concurrence, which the State shall not unreasonably withhold.

23. FORCE MAJEURE

23.1 If the Mississippi Forestry Commission is closed for any reason, including but not limited to: acts of God, strikes, lockouts, riots, acts of war, epidemics, governmental regulations superimposed after the fact, fire, earthquakes, floods, or other natural disasters (the “Force Majeure Events”), which closure prevents the opening of bids at the advertised date and time, all bids received shall be publicly opened and read aloud on the next business day that the agency shall be open and at the previously advertised time. The new date and time of the bid opening, as determined in accordance with this paragraph, shall not be advertised, and all bidders, upon submission of a bid proposal, shall be deemed to have knowledge of and shall have agreed to the provisions of this paragraph. Bids shall be received by the agency until the new date and time of the bid opening as set forth herein. The Mississippi Forestry Commission shall not be held responsible for the receipt of any bids for which the delivery was attempted and failed due to the closure of the Mississippi Forestry Commission as a result of a Force Majeure Event. Each bidder shall be required to ensure the delivery and receipt of its bid by the Mississippi Forestry Commission prior to the new date and time of the live auction or bid opening.

24. Funding

24.1 Funding for this project is limited to the amount of the Forest Legacy Grant 2022 - 22-DG11083128-003. The amount will be the maximum that the Commission will be allowed to pay out on the contract. Should the amount of bid be more than the amount of funding the Contractor and the MS Forestry Commission will have to adjust the amount of work requested with the available funds.

MFC SPECIFICATIONS:

Forest Legacy Program

SCOPE OF SERVICES

The Contractor will perform the following services upon request of the Agency in fulfillment of the purposes of this contract.

The Contractor will coordinate all communications with the Agency through Richard McInnis, Assistant State Forester

A. Duties include the development and distribution of Forest Legacy Program (FLP) promotion and communication materials as needed.

B. Update electronic copies of Assessment of Need (AON) for posting on web as needed.

C. Organize, promote and facilitate meetings and/or communications with land trusts, conservancies and other interested parties to inform interested parties about the FLP.

D. Enlist partnerships and identify cost share funds and to solicit applications.

E. Update the distribution list of land trusts, agencies, partners and others interested in the

FLP to use for solicitation of applications and periodic program updates.

F. Aid applicants and their representatives with application completion.

G. Coordinate the review and selection of nomination(s) with the State Forest Stewardship

Coordinating Committee and submission of the nomination to the USDA Forest Service.

H. Facilitate the submission of a nominated tract(s) to the USFS for consideration.

I. Attend regional and national FLP meeting to represent Mississippi. Attend National Land

Trust Alliance meeting to represent Mississippi and attend trainings relevant to Mississippi’s program.

J. Work with MFC staff to submit annual and semi-annual performance and update all information in the Forest Legacy Information System (FLIS) as required by USFS.

K. Serve as point of contact in coordination with MFC FLP Coordinator throughout award period.

L. Supervise any subcontractors in coordination with FLP Coordinator. Make sure all subcontractors are approved by the Mississippi Forestry Commission and contracts are approved by the Public Procurement Review Board (PPRB) and signed by the Mississippi Forestry Commission prior to subcontractor starting work.

M. Update record-keeping plan for MS for MFC approval. Maintain records of FLP administrative and acquisition grants.

N. Aid MFC staff in developing annual administrative and acquisition grant narratives, budgets, and grant applications, as needed.

O. Participate in USDA FS Region 8 Review of FLP Proposals, at invitation of USDA.

P. Facilitate due diligence of funded FLP acquisitions and provide appraisal review services and development of baseline documentation reports where needed.

Q. Assist in preparing for Program Reviews and Quality Assurance Inspections of Forest Legacy Projects as needed.

R. Monitor FLP conservation easements, record monitoring reports and submit to USDA FS.

2. Participate in USDA FS Region 8 Review of FLP Proposals, at invitation of USDA

3. References: The bidder must provide the Mississippi Forestry Commission a copy of references showing past experience with working as a Forest Legacy Federal Grant Coordinator and working within Federal Grants guidelines.

4. Bid Winner: The Mississippi Forestry Commission will determine the bid winner with the lowest responsible bidder meeting specifications. The qualifications and references of the bidder will be a major factor in determining the lowest responsible bid.

Bid Form

Company Name: _________________________________

Address: _________________________________

Contact Person: _________________________________

Phone Number: _________________________________

Email address: _________________________________

On Company Letterhead please provide the following information and attach to this form and returned to the purchasing department of the MS Forestry Commission:

Any and all fee broken down per category (ex. Travel, personnel and all other fees, hourly or total)

RFx Number: 3160006701 Smart Number: 1451-25-R-IFBD-00003

1.1 Bids and/or Quotes may be submitted through the State of Mississippi’s e-procurement system (MAGIC) or in person to the Mississippi Forestry Commission. Paper bids are allowed. All prices and notations must be printed in ink or typewritt...