EVENT_4333_-_SPECIFICATIONS.pdf

Surface Water & Sewers – Operations Bid Specification

Ground Thawing Services Rebid Specification

PW- Surface Water & Sewers September 23, 2026

Section 1: General

Sec. 1.01 INTRODUCTION:

This specification describes the requirements to provide all materials, labor, equipment and incidentals necessary for Ground Thawing Services for the Surface Water and Sewers division of the Public Works Department.

Sec. 1.02 SCOPE OF WORK:

• Awarded vendor will be required to set up thawing equipment and begin the thaw within 48 hours of request.

• One to three units may be needed per job, with up to four jobs at the same time.

• Successful bidder will be required to provide a Certificate of Insurance before the bid award is finalized.

• Bidders must include all applicable sales taxes and fees in their bid pricing.

• Pricing is requested for: 3’x5’ Set up fee; Daily operating costs; Weekly operating costs. Awarded bidder is responsible for ensuring unit(s) have propane while in use and that units are operating properly. Bidders will have the opportunity to explain any additional costs associated with the Ground Thawing Services but listing additional fees is not a guarantee the City will agree to fees described.

Sec. 1.03 MATERIALS:

Except as otherwise directed, all materials shall be new, and both workmanship and materials shall be of good quality. The contractor shall be solely responsible for the work covered by this specification. The contractor may be required to furnish a complete statement of origin, composition, or manufacturer of any or all materials, or to submit samples of any or all materials.

Sec. 1.04 INSPECTIONS:

All workmanship and materials are subject to the inspection and approval of the Engineer.

No materials or workmanship shall be covered before inspection. If covered before inspection, the materials or workmanship shall be uncovered by the contractor at the Engineer's request and at the contractor's expense. Orders to uncover workmanship or materials may be issued even though an opportunity to inspect the same was previously given. In such a case, if the workmanship or materials, upon uncovering, are found unacceptable in accordance with these specifications, the contractor shall bear all expenses for uncovering and any necessary corrections, repairs, or replacements. If the workmanship or materials, when uncovered, comply with the terms of this specification, then the expense for uncovering and re-covering shall be borne by the City.

If, in the opinion of the Engineer, it is not expedient to correct inadequate workmanship or materials not in compliance with these specifications, the City shall have the right to deduct the difference in value between the workmanship or materials supplied and that called for under the specifications. The value shall be determined in accordance with competent cost estimates. Any deductions shall not be construed as a waiver, release, or compromise of any other losses, costs, damages, or causes of action of the City arising out of such non-complying workmanship or materials.

Sec. 1.05 WORK ACCEPTANCE:

The Engineer shall make all decisions related to the execution and interpretation of the plans and specifications. Failure on the part of the Engineer to discover and condemn or reject inadequate or inferior workmanship or materials shall not be construed as an acceptance of any such workmanship or materials, or any part of the same.

Workmanship or materials not conforming to the requirements of these specifications shall be considered defective and will be rejected. The contractor shall remove and, upon written order from the City Engineer, renew or repair all such defective work.

Should the contractor fail or refuse to redo any defective work within ten (10) days, or to make any necessary repairs in an acceptable manner and in accordance with the requirements of these specifications within the time indicated in writing, the City Engineer shall have the authority to cause the unacceptable work to be removed and renewed and or repaired at the contractor's expense.

Any expense incurred by the City in making these removals, renewals, or repairs that the contractor has failed or refused to make shall be paid out of any monies due or that become due to the contractor. The continued failure or refusal on the part of the contractor to make any necessary repairs promptly, thoroughly, and in an acceptable manner shall be sufficient cause for the City, at its option, to purchase materials, tools, and equipment, and employ labor or contract with any other individual, firm, or corporation to perform and complete the work. All costs and expenses incurred thereby shall be charged against the contractor, and the amount thereof shall be deducted from any monies due or that become due to the contractor. Any work performed, as described in this paragraph, shall not relieve the contractor in any way from its responsibility for the work performed.

Sec. 1.06 BID SUBMITTAL:

Submitted bids must include a bid form with unit price costs for all line items:

1. 3' x 5' Thaw set-up price for an estimated quantity of 3 units each

2. Daily Operating Costs

3. Weekly Operating Costs, a seven (7) day period (Monday to Sunday, or Thursday to

Wednesday for example)

Sec. 1.07 BID AWARD:

The award to perform the work outlined in this specification will be based on the overall lowest net cost that meets the requirements of the specifications.

The successful Contractor will be awarded an initial one (1) year contract. This contract may be renewed upon the City's request at the expiration of the initial term. The City reserves the right to extend this contract for two (2) additional 12-month periods if agreeable to both parties. The maximum contract amount allowed under this solicitation is $175,000. If the maximum contract amount is reached, we will have to cancel the contract early and issue a new bid.

Sec. 1.08 PRICE ESCALATION:

Prices shall be firm for the initial contract period. After the initial contract period, an escalation may be allowed for any extensions based on demonstrable industry-wide, regional, and/or operational increases in the contractor’s costs. For documentary evidence to be considered, it must be submitted to the City of Minneapolis Procurement Office sixty (60) days before the end of the current contract year. The exact amount of escalation, if any, will be governed by the validity of the documentary evidence submitted. No price increase will be effective until approved by the City of Minneapolis Procurement Office. With the exception of extraordinary circumstances, the amount of any increase shall not exceed five (5) percent.

Sec. 1.09 QUANTITIES:

The quantities specified in this Contract are estimated only. They may not indicate the exact amount to be ordered, as the volume will depend on requirements that develop during the Contract period.

Quantities shown shall not be construed to represent any amount which the City shall be obligated to purchase under the Contract or relieve the Contractor of its obligation to fill all orders placed by the City.

Sec. 1.10 DELAYS AND DELIVERY FAILURES The Contractor must keep the City advised at all times of status of parties’ agreement. If delay is foreseen, the Contractor shall give immediate written notice to the City Project Manager. Should the Contractor fail to deliver the proper item(s)/service(s) at the time and place(s) contracted for, or within a reasonable period of time thereafter as agreed to in writing by the City Project Manager, or should the Contractor fail to make a timely replacement of rejected items/services when so required, the City may purchase items/services of comparable quality and quantity in the open market to replace the undelivered or rejected items/services. The Contractor shall reimburse the City for all costs in excess of the Agreement price when purchases are made in the open market;

or, in the event that there is a balance the City owes to the Contractor from prior transactions, an amount equal to the additional expense incurred by the City as a result of the Contractor's nonperformance shall be deducted from the balance as payment.

Section 2: Supplemental Bid Information

NON-EXCLUSIVE

Any contract(s) resulting from this Request for Bid will not be an exclusive contract and the City reserves the right to hire other contractors, to perform similar work, and seek bids from other vendors.

RIGHTS OF THE CITY

The City reserves the right to reject all or any part of any bid, waive informalities, and award the contract to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder(s) to best serve the interest of the City. Informality shall mean a minor defect or variation of a bid from the exact requirements of the Request for Bid which does not affect the price, quality, quantity, or delivery schedule for the goods, services or construction being procured.

WORKMANSHIP

Subcontracting of any work covered by this contract is NOT permitted.

All work under this Contract shall be performed in a skillful and workmanlike manner. The Contractor and its employees shall always be professional and courteous. The City reserves the right to require immediate removal of any Contractor employee from City service it deems unfit for service for any reason, not contrary to law. This right is non-negotiable and the Contractor agrees to this condition by accepting this Agreement. Only first-class work shall be performed, and all materials furnished in carrying out this Contract shall be of character and quality required by the specifications. Where no standard is specified for such work or materials, they shall be the best of their respective kinds. Any unsatisfactory work done, or materials furnished at whatever time they may be discovered shall be immediately removed and satisfactorily replaced by the Contractor when notified to do so by the Project Manager.

If any person employed by the Contractor shall appear to the City Project Manager to be incompetent or to act in a disorderly or improper manner, such person shall be removed immediately at the request of the City Project Manager and shall not again be re-employed (on subject project) except by written consent of the City Project Manager. All Contractor employees working at City job sites shall be in a Company uniform that clearly identifies the name of the Company and name of employee. The uniforms shall be clean and neat in appearance. Contractor employees are required to wear a Company supplied photo identification badge. Badges must be clearly visible when worn.

The City reserves the right to require immediate removal of any employee from City service it deems unfit for service for any reason

LICENSES, CERTIFICATIONS, AND REGISTRATIONS

The Contractor shall meet the license, certification, registration, and any other requirements of the Federal, State, and local regulations with jurisdiction in such matters as necessary to perform the contractual services requested in this solicitation. Copies of such licenses, certifications, registrations, and any other requirements shall be made available upon request by the City throughout the period of the agreement.

INVOICE AND PAYMENT

All work requested under this Contract shall be placed on a City issued Purchase Order and/or a Work Order number. The City will not pre-pay for goods or services.

Contractor shall make all reasonable efforts to submit invoices and documentation in an electronic format, such as PDF or other format compatible with City software capabilities, in lieu of paper invoices and documentation, when so requested by City.

Upon delivery and acceptance of the goods or service, the Contractor shall submit an itemized invoice detailing the appropriate charges, including but not limited to: Dates of deliveries, PO or Work Order number, Site location(s) and the item descriptions, quantities and unit pricing. All fees, taxes, charges, surcharges, and revenue payments are to be itemized.

Invoices shall be submitted to:

City of Minneapolis 505 Fourth Ave S, Room 310 Minneapolis, MN 55415 Email: submitinvoices@minneapolismn.gov

Upon receipt of invoice and final inspection and acceptance of the goods or service, the City will render payment within thirty (30) days unless any items thereon are questioned, in which event payment will be withheld pending verification of the amount claimed and the validity of the claim. The Contractor shall provide complete cooperation during any such investigation.

QUESTIONS OR CLARIFICATIONS

All questions or request for clarifications must be submitted in writing only to the Buyer by the “Questions Due” date and time listed on the “Call for Bids” document. PLEASE

ASK FOR HELP IF ANY INFORMATION IS UNCLEAR IN THE SPECIFICATIONS

OR BID FORM BEFORE SUBMITTING A BID. The only time we can address questions and update or revise the specifications or bid form (if necessary) is before the date and time the bid closes. Send all questions to Buyer at: mallory.cina@minneapolismn.gov mailto:mallory.cina@minneapolismn.gov