GRO35 Specifications Foodservice Supplies Final~1.docx

Specifications & Requirements

Foodservice Supplies GRO35 - Specifications & Requirements COMMBUYS Bid Solicitation: BD-16-1080-OSD01-OSD10-00000005697 The Foodservice Strategic Sourcing Services Team (SSST) is issuing a Request for Response (RFR) for Foodservice Supplies GRO35 for various types of foodservice supplies. The RFR identifies two (2) categories, Category I will request various types of conventional products as identified below and Category II identifies various types of biodegradable products as identified below. Bidders are encouraged to respond to either or both categories identified.

Category I - Conventional Products including various sizes of hot and cold cups, plates, trays, napkins, straws, utensils (tableware), pan liners, and other foodservice supplies such as gloves, lids, hairnets, etc. The napkins must meet the federal standards for post-consumer recycled content.

Category II - Biodegradable/Compostable Bio-based Products - including a full line of various sizes of hot and cold cups, plates, trays, napkins, and utensils (tableware). All of these products represent a high quality sustainable alternative to the conventional disposable foodservice products. Most products must have a listed third party certification, clear marking that they are compostable, biobased content, and not contain perfluorinated grease barrier compounds. Because of the October 1, 2014 MassDEP Commercial Food Waste Ban, http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/recycle/reduce/food-waste-ban.html which requires institutions that generate of one ton or more of organic materials per week to comply, these specifications reflect products that are 100% biodegradable and made from renewable resources (such as resins and fibers derived from plants) and are proven to compost in municipal and/or industrial composting programs.

Please note: Any detergents, cleaning products, dish soaps, etc. do not apply and cannot be sold and/or provided under any contract as a result of this RFR.

Delivery - Delivery must be made at no extra cost to the Commonwealth with all deliveries being FOB destination. All orders will be processed, confirmed and delivered based on established delivery schedules. The ordering location will establish a mutually agreed upon delivery schedule with the contractor(s). All orders must be delivered within 5 business days of receipt of a purchase order number (PO#), unless the ordering department agrees otherwise or a special order is involved. If an item is out of stock, the contractor must make every effort to supply the ordered item within the original delivery timeframe. If such arrangements cannot be made, the contractor must make every effort to have the item delivered as soon as possible. Contractors may be penalized in the performance measures for each time a stocked item is not delivered within the required deadlines unless an acceptable alternative is provided and mutually agreed upon by the contract user and the contractor. In this event, the alternate delivery time should be documented by the contractor in writing and submitted as part of the semi-annual report. Contractors must coordinate delivery time with the contract user, if requested. If the contractor uses an independent company to satisfy delivery requests, the contractor is responsible for ensuring that the delivery company coordinates with the contract user. Late deliveries or deliveries that cannot be made within the above guidelines may be canceled at no cost to the Commonwealth.

Delivery Requirements for the Department of Correction – The contractor(s) must meet all Department of Correction security requirements applicable to each facility. Requirements may include, but are not limited to: inspection and search of all delivery vehicles including driver; cab and all contents thereof; locking gas or fuel caps, all drivers must pass a CORI background check no split load deliveries where required; strict delivery time requirements and any other security requirements as deemed necessary by the department or institution. Contractors may be asked to deliver products outside the established delivery schedule to respond to emergency situation.

Department of Correction Rules and Regulations- It must be fully understood by the bidders/contractors that the Department of Correction (DOC) and each facility have security rules and regulations that must be strictly adhered to at all times. Included in these regulations are required security clearances. It should be understood that every driver, technician or any other contractor employee who will present themselves at a correctional facility or on the property must have pre-approved clearance from that facility. Background checks will be completed for individuals performing any work under this contract that requires their entrance into DOC facilities and at any time during the duration of this contract. Upon request by the DOC, the contractor will provide the Department of Correction with specific information to be used to complete background checks. Contractors’ equipment, tools and vehicles may be checked, searched and approved prior to entering, prior to leaving, and at any time while in the facility or on facility grounds.

Service Schedules (Dates and Times) -All visits to facilities must be scheduled. Contractors will work with each of their contracted facilities in order to negotiate a schedule for both dates and times for service. Contractors must ensure that individuals scheduled to enter the facility have already been pre-approved and cleared. Contractors must be fully aware of the approved date and time schedules and must adhere to them to avoid a prolonged waiting time. Any expense or fee resulting from prolonged waiting times will not be charged to the Department of Correction. The DOC will not process nor is responsible for any such expenses. In addition, there may be times when a contractor (at no fault of theirs) will not be let into the facility possible due to security issues. When this occurs, the contractor may have to wait or may have to re-schedule the service. The contactor shall make every attempt to re-schedule within the same day but only as accepted by the facility. In said case the DOC will not be responsible for processing any payment for any expense incurred by the contractor. Any change of schedule must be pre-approved, in writing, by the representing fiscal department of said facility.

Contractor Tools and Equipment - Any and all tools and equipment brought into the facility shall require prior approval. All tools and equipment will be inventoried upon entrance and exiting of the facility by the front entrance office. Only those tools and equipment necessary shall be allowed inside the institution.

Deliveries - Each facility has procedures to minimize or eliminate when possible the instances of split loads entering the institution. The contractor shall adhere to the institutional procedures.

Applicable Policies - The Department of Correction policies are routinely reviewed and are subject to change. It is the contractor’s responsibility to monitor the policies. The policies can be accessed on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Website: www.mass.gov (select find a State Agency choose the Department of Correction, reference the section Research and Statistics and select DOC Policies. Visiting Policy CMR 483 Professional Boundaries Policy DOC 225 “Will Call” orders are orders that are to be picked up by the contract user within 24 hours of request and the contractor(s) will provide for “will call” orders if immediate delivery is necessary and the contract user is willing to pick up the order. The contractor(s) may be asked to provide emergency delivery and may change a compensation rate for such deliveries.

Returns – Contract users may not accept the delivery of any product that is expired or visibly damaged. Product will be inspected upon receipt of delivery. If a product fails inspection by the receiving facility, the product will be rejected and the contractor(s) must replace it immediately at no additional expense to the facility.

Contract Pricing/Percent Markup Structure -The pricing and percent markup listed on the “Bidder Price Sheet” will be firm for the initial contract period and any renewals, unless mutually agreed upon by the contractor and the Commonwealth. All pricing will be the lowest price offered to any organization within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Customer Service: - Contractor(s) will provide customer service to all users of the contract. That service must include the following components: All contractor personnel answering the customer service line must be well versed on all requirements of the Statewide Contract and must be able to easily answer user’s questions about pricing, product and service. If a contractor receives a complaint about quality, a sample of the item must be collected immediately, inspected and analyzed for quality within a reasonable time, at no additional cost to the Commonwealth. The OSD Procurement Manager must be contacted immediately by the Account Manager and informed of the status of the complaint, if the complaint is not resolved to the user’s full satisfaction within agreed upon time period.

Quality Assurance: - The contractor(s) must monitor on a continuous basis, the quality of the products offered under this contract. The contractor(s) must have a self-inspection system that monitors, identifies and corrects any deficiencies that may occur in the quality of the products furnished to the Commonwealth. The OSD Strategic Sourcing Services Lead (SSSL) must be notified of any corrective actions as they are taken.

Brand name or equal - Unless otherwise specified in this Solicitation, any reference to a particular trademark, trade name, patent, design, type, specification, producer or supplier is not intended to restrict this Solicitation to any manufacturer or proprietor or to constitute an endorsement of any commodity or service, and the department may consider clearly identified offers of substantially equivalent commodities and services submitted in response to such reference.

Sample products for evaluation - For evaluation purposes only user departments may request from contractor(s) samples of available contract products or any other products available through the contractor’s product list.

Emergency response plans/preparedness - In a declared state of emergency where the safety and well-being of Commonwealth citizens are at risk, contractors may be asked to supply the Commonwealth with the commodities and/or services under the Statewide Contract on a priority basis. The Bidder’s Response should include the following:

· Indicate whether there is a written Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) that describes how the company will continue to do business in case of an emergency.

· A list of emergency contact information including name, position/title, phone, email and cell phone.

· A list of the Bidder’s building location (s) that would be available to serve the Commonwealth during an emergency.

· A description of the areas of Massachusetts that the Bidder could supply in the event of an emergency (e.g., Entire State, Specific City or Region).

This information will not be considered in the evaluation of the Response.Environmental Specifications Bidders must agree to comply with the following Environmental requirements of this Request for Response (RFR) and the additional Environmentally Preferable Products (EPP) and Practices Requirements located under the “Specification” tab on Comm-PASS www.comm-pass.com web site.

Executive Order 515, establishing an Environmental Purchasing Policy - 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. Questions concerning the EO or the appropriate specifications may be directed to OSD’s EPP Procurement Program, www.mass.gov/epp. The Executive Order can be seen at http://www.mass.gov/courts/docs/lawlib/eo500-599/eo515.pdf Environmental Plan

· Beginning the first year of the Statewide Contract and throughout the life of the Statewide Contract, awarded Bidders must agree to work with OSD and the SSST to examine the feasibility of implementing an environmental plan. The objective of this requirement is to actively encourage suppliers to incorporate sustainable practices throughout their business operations and further market such practices to Contract users. Such a plan may include, but not be limited to, the following:

· Implementing initiatives at the corporate level in line with Executive Orders 515 (Environmental Purchasing Policy) and Executive Order 484 (Energy efficiency), such as lighting retrofits, purchase of energy from renewable sources, use of bio-heat fuel, and other environmentally preferable products or technologies.

· Encouraging environmental initiatives at a corporate and/or manufacturing level for the purpose of reducing the impact of manufacturing on the environment; such as clearly identifying recycled content of packaging on the packaging, providing product life cycle assessments, working toward the elimination of ozone depleting chemical usage in the manufacturing or refining process (where applicable), and conducting internal environmental auditing related to pollution control.

· Adopting standards and/or obtain certifications, where applicable, for product development and manufacturing processes such as but not limited to LEED, ISO 14001, Cradle to Cradle (C2C) Protocol, Green Seal, Environmental Choice and others.

· Using alternative fuel vehicles for delivery or transportation purposes and/or vehicles equipped with diesel emission control devices and operating such vehicles with guidance on anti-idling initiatives.

· Working with the SSST to develop and distribute information and/or materials to Commonwealth customers on the Awarded Bidder’s environmental practices and initiatives throughout the term of the Contract.

· Developing a plan to implement the recycling of materials used or produced in normal business operations. The SSST may award points to Bidders who provide evidence that measures and initiatives such as these are already in place within their operations, and/or for written proposals submitted with their Response detailing a commitment to action contingent upon receipt of a Contract award. (See the Additional Environmentally Preferable Products/ Practices form on COMMBUYS).

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