FY2024-RFR-DFW-2023-025-Pheasants Contract-v-4 Final-No sdp.docx

REQUEST FOR RESPONSE

4 LARGE STOCKING TRUCKS

RFR #DFW-2016-019

COMMBUYS Open Market Bid#: BD-15-1046-DFW-FWE11-??????

Steve Foster-508-389-7821

REQUEST FOR RESPONSE

40,000 live adult pheasants and up to 8,000 live 8-week-old pheasants

RFR#: DFW-2023-025

COMMBUYS Open Market Bid#: Bid BD-23-1046-DFW-FWE11-85222

1. Purpose of Procurement:

The Department of Fish & Game, Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) is seeking bids on 40,000 live adult pheasants and up to 8,000 live 8-week old pheasants.

Applicable Procurement Law

Executive Branch Goods and Services

2. Acquisition Method:

3. Whether Single or Multiple Contractors are Required for Contract:

Check One (“X”):

a. Estimated Number of Awards In the best interests of the Commonwealth, multiple vendors are required for this contract. More specifically, DFW intends to contract with multiple vendors to ensure that DFW is in a position to maintain an adequate supply of pheasants should a vendor experience a total or significant loss of their contracted supply of birds due to occurrences such as disease. DFW has established a minimum goal of 4 vendors to be awarded a contract under this Request for Response. DFW may award more or fewer contracts, if DFW deems it is in the best interests of the Commonwealth to ensure an adequate supply of pheasants.

b. Adding Contractors after initial Contract Award If, over the life of the contract, the Purchasing Department determines that additional Contractors may be added, these may be drawn from qualified vendors which responded to this Solicitation but were not awarded Contracts. If necessary to meet the requirements of the Commonwealth, the Solicitation may be reopened to obtain additional Bids.

4. Entities Eligible to Use the Resulting Contract

5. Expected Duration of Contract (Initial Duration and any Options to Renew):

Initial Duration

12 months

Total Maximum Contract Duration

3 years same terms and conditions as the initial contract

OPTION TO RENEW: Yes. The term of the contract shall be twelve (12) months. The parties may, by mutual agreement prior to the expiration of the initial term, extend the contract for a period of up to two additional 12-month periods at the same terms and conditions as the initial contract, including price, except for approved price change requests.

Bid prices shall be firm for the initial contract period. Where DFW determines to exercise a renewal option, DFW shall at least forty-five (45) days prior to the expiration of the initial contract period, notify the contractor in writing that the Commonwealth is exercising its option to extend the contract. The contractor may request a price increase for the extension period. Price increase requests shall be submitted in writing within ten (10) days of the notice to extend. Price increase requests for the extension period shall include documentation supporting the reasons for the requested increase written on the contractor's letterhead. DFW reserves the right to request additional information.

· DFW shall only authorize a price increase for an extension where the vendor has provided sufficient documentation to satisfy DFW that such an increase is warranted.

6. Anticipated Expenditures, Funding or Compensation:

Estimated Value of Procurement: $750,000

7. Contract Performance and Business Specifications:

Commodities being procured: 40,000 adult Birds and 8,000 8-week birds (estimated total requirement). - Please see Appendix A-Required Specifications under attachments tab in COMMBUYS.

8. Environmentally Preferable Products Products and services purchased by state agencies must be in compliance with Executive Order 515, issued October 27, 2009. Under this Executive Order, Executive Departments are required to reduce their impact on the environment and enhance public health by procuring environmentally preferable products and services (EPPs) whenever such products and services perform to satisfactory standards and represent best value, consistent with 801 CMR 21.00. In line with this directive, all Contracts, whether departmental or statewide, must comply with the specifications and guidelines established by OSD and the EPP Program. EPPs are considered to be products and services that help to conserve natural resources, reduce waste, protect public health and the environment, and promote the use of clean technologies, recycled materials, and less toxic products.

9. Evaluation Criteria Contractors must submit responses that meet all the submission requirements of the RFR. Only responsive proposals that meet the submission requirements will be evaluated, scored, and ranked by the evaluation team according to the evaluation criteria. Additional information may be requested for evaluation purposes.

Evaluation Criteria based on cost, quality of birds, quality of vendor service, Massachusetts Agricultural Preference, and geographic proximity to the Commonwealth. References related to quality of birds and quality of service are required from vendors with which the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife has not had previous experience as it relates to this RFR. References must be representative of the quantity, quality, and type of birds and services of which the bidder is stating they can supply.

The DFG-DFW reserves the right to award by item, group of items, or total bid. DFG-DFW further reserves the right to reject any or all bids, and to make awards as deemed by the Department to be in the best interest of the Commonwealth.

10. Instructions for Submission of Responses:

All responses shall be posted electronically in COMMBUYS. Responses must be sent via the “Create Quote” functionality contained in COMMBUYS. For instructions concerning how to submit a Quote, please see Appendix B. Vendors should contact the Commbuys help desk at 617-720-3197 for assistance with any technical difficulties responding to and/or submitting forms for this Request for Responses.

Any submission which fails to meet the submission requirements of the RFR will be found non-responsive without further evaluation unless the evaluation team, at its discretion, determines that the non-compliance is insubstantial and can be corrected. In these cases, the evaluation team may allow the vendor to make minor corrections to the submission.

11. Estimated Procurement Calendar

Bidders are required to monitor COMMBUYS for changes to the procurement calendar for this Bid.

a. Online Questions (Bid Q&A) Written Questions must be entered by pressing the “Bid Q&A” tab for the Bid in COMMBUYS no later than the “Online Questions Due” date and time indicated in the Estimated Procurement Calendar (above). The issuing department reserves the right not to respond to questions submitted after this date. It is the Bidder’s responsibility to verify receipt of questions.

It is the responsibility of the prospective Bidder and awarded Contractor to maintain an active registration in COMMBUYS and to keep current the email address of the Bidder’s contact person and prospective contract manager, if awarded a contract, and to monitor that email inbox for communications from the Purchasing Department, including requests for clarification. The Purchasing Department and the Commonwealth assume no responsibility if a prospective Bidder’s/awarded Contractor’s designated email address is not current, or if technical problems, including those with the prospective Bidder’s/awarded Contractor’s computer, network or internet service provider (ISP) cause email communications sent to/from the prospective Bidder/Awarded contractor and the Purchasing Department to be lost or rejected by any means including email or spam filtering.

Written Responses to Questions will be released on or about the “Responses to Questions Posted Online” date indicated in the Estimated Procurement Calendar (above).

(Written questions and responses will be posted on the Bid Q&A Tab for this Bid in COMMBUYS.)

b. Bid Amendment Deadline The Purchasing Department reserves the right to make amendments to the Bid after initial publication. It is each Bidder’s responsibility to check COMMBUYS for any amendments, addenda or modifications to this Bid, and any Bid Q&A records related to this Bid. The Purchasing Department and the Commonwealth accept no responsibility and will provide no accommodation to Bidders who submit a Quote based on an out-of-date Bid or on information received from a source other than COMMBUYS.

c. Quotes (Bid Responses) Deadline (Bid Opening Date/Time) See the Quotes (Bid Responses) Deadline (Bid Opening) Date and Time indicated in the Estimated Procurement Calendar (above).

d. Estimated Contract Start Date:

This is the approximate start date. The actual start date will be the Contract Effective Date which is the date the Contract is executed by the parties.

12. Required Forms Responses to this RFR must contain the following documents. (Checked with “X’ Mark)

(Mandatory for bid evaluation) Electronic Submission via Commbuys

(Mandatory for bid evaluation) Electronic Submission via Commbuys

The above attachments are available as attachments as part of the Bid record on COMMBUYS (WWW.COMMBUYS.COM).

Website link below for the COMMBUYS Job Aids for Vendors page provides job aids to support usability of COMMBUYS for the Vendor Community.

Job Aids for Vendors Using COMMBUYS | Mass.gov RFR Attachments

· Appendix A: Required Specifications https://www.mass.gov/doc/rfr-required-specifications-of-commodities-and-services

· Appendix B: Electronic Quote Submission Instructions (

· https://www.mass.gov/doc/instructions-for-vendors-responding-to-bids

· Job Aid-Creating a Quote in COMMBUYS: How to Respond to Bid Solicitations

· Appendix D: RFR – Other Specifications

· FY2024-RFR-DFW-2023-025-Pheasants Contract-final

· RFR - Required Specifications for Commodities and Services

· Mandatory Bid Proposal Form-Adult Pheasant

· Mandatory Bid Proposal Form- 8 weeks old Pheasant

Effective June 15, 2021, for all:

1) CTR forms, including the Standard Contract Form, W-9s, Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) forms, ISAs, and other CTR-issued documents and forms, or

2) documents related to state finance and within the statutory area of authority or control of CTR (i.e., contracts, payrolls, and related supporting documentation), CTR will accept signatures executed by an authorized signatory in any of the following ways:

1. Traditional “wet signature” (ink on paper).

2. Electronic signature that is either: a. Hand drawn using a mouse or finger if working from a touch screen device; or Page 2 b. An uploaded picture of the signatory’s hand drawn signature.

3. Electronic signatures affixed using a digital tool such as Adobe Sign or DocuSign. If using an electronic signature, the signature must be visible, include the signatory’s name and title, and must be accompanied by a signature date. Please be advised that typed text of a name not generated by a digital tool such as Adobe Sign or DocuSign, even in computer-generated cursive script, or an electronic symbol, are not acceptable forms of electronic signature.

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