Meat Cheese Bid Specs FY24-01.rtf

Hampshire Sheriff’s Office HSD FY24-01

HAMPSHIRE SHERIFF’S OFFICE

BID SPECIFICATIONS

MEAT AND CHEESE PRODUCTS

HSD FY24-01

FOR

FISCAL YEAR 2024

July 1, 2023 – September 30, 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS…………………………………………………………………….2

GENERAL INFORMATION AND SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS……...……………………………………………………………………3

PURCHASE DESCRIPTION/SCOPE OF SERVICES……………………………………...4

RULE OF AWARD…………………………………………………………………………. 4

PRICES……………………………………………………………………………………….5

ORDERING AND INVOICING……………………………………………………………..5

DELIVERIES…………………………………………………………………………………6

INSURANCE…………………………………………………………………………………6

REQUIRED FORMS.…………………..…………………………………………………….7

CHECKLIST………………………………………………………………………………….8

HOW TO SUBMIT A QUOTE……………………………………………………………….9

GENERAL INFORMATION AND BID SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Sealed bids for furnishing the Meat and Cheese Products to the Hampshire Sheriff’s Office for a three (3) month period, beginning July 1, 2023 will be received by the Hampshire Sheriff’s Office until Wednesday, June 21, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. No bid will be accepted after this specified time.

Bidding procedures and award of contracts will be in accordance with Chapter 7, § 22 of the Massachusetts General Laws, plus all applicable Federal, State, and Local laws and regulations.

One copy of the bid proposal should be placed in a sealed envelope, marked: “Sealed Bid – Meat & Cheese HSD FY24-01, Bid Opening June 21, 2023, 10:00 a.m.” in the lower left corner, and sent to: Vanessa Fish, Purchasing Agent, Hampshire Sheriff’s Office, 205 Rocky Hill Road, PO Box 7000, Northampton, MA 01061-7000. Bids may also be submitted through COMMBUYS electronically. If you need assistance with COMMBUYS you may contact the OSD Help Desk at OSDHELPDESK@MASS.GOV" OSDHELPDESK@MASS.GOV or call between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm ET Monday – Friday at 1-888-627-8283 or 617-720-3197. Vendors unfamiliar with COMMBUYS can find user guides at https://www.mass.gov/lists/job-aids-for-vendors-using-commbuys" https://www.mass.gov/lists/job-aids-for-vendors-using-commbuys. It is recommended that you submit your bid on COMMBUYS before the deadline in case you have any problems and need to contact the Help Desk to answer any questions during this process.

The contract will be awarded within 14 days unless the time for award is extended by mutual consent of the parties.

If any changes are made to this invitation for bids, an addendum will be posted on COMMBUYS. It is the bidders’ responsibility to check for changes there.

Questions concerning this invitation for bids must be submitted through COMMBUYS in the Q&A section. Answers will be posted under the Q&A section.

After the bid opening, a bidder may not change any provision of the bid in a manner prejudicial to the interest of the Hampshire Sheriff's Office or fair competition. Minor informalities will be waived or the bidder will be allowed to correct them. If a mistake will be corrected to reflect the intended correct bid, the bidder will be notified in writing; the bidder may not withdraw the bid. A bidder may withdraw a bid if a mistake is clearly evident on the face of the bid document, but the intended correct bid is not similarly evident.

The Hampshire Sheriff's Office may cancel this invitation for bids, or reject in whole or in part any and all bids, if the Hampshire Sheriff's Office determines that cancellation or rejection serves the best interest of the Hampshire Sheriff's Office.

All bid prices submitted in response to this invitation for bids must remain for the length of the contract. Bids must be signed by an officer or person that is so authorized to perform this duty on behalf of the organization. Electronic signatures will be accepted through COMMBUYS but wet signatures will be required if awarded the Bid.

The awarded Bidder will be required to sign a Commonwealth Standard Contract Form, without modification, and return it to the Sheriff’s Purchasing Office within five working days of the receipt of the document. Failure to return it promptly may result in negating the award.

The Successful Bidder must comply with all applicable Federal, State and Local laws and regulations.

All bid submissions must include a Commonwealth of Massachusetts Substitute W-9, Bidders Reference Form, Non-Collusion Statement, Contractor Authorized Signature Verification, Insurance Certificate, and Bid Forms.

Bid submissions should only contain required information on requested documents. Those documents are as follows:

PURCHASE DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE OF SERVICES

The Hampshire Sheriff’s Office is in need of a contract to furnish Meat and Cheese Products as needed to the Hampshire Sheriff’s Office / Jail and House of Correction. The contract will be in effect from July 1, 2023 through September 30, 2023.

A contract resulting from this bid is intended to be a price agreement and does not constitute any commitment to actual quantity.

All items must meet the specifications as outlined in the bid sheets. All items ordered must be packaged in excellent condition at the time of delivery. Substandard packaging will be subject to return for immediate credit. Habitual delivery of inferior product may cause for termination of the contract.

All product substitution must be pre-approved by designated personnel, (Chef Dennis Bishop), as long as substitute product is offered at lower or same cost as original item bid. It is important that Vanessa Fish, Purchasing Department, be advised in all instances where there is a product substitution. This will, in turn, prevent invoicing discrepancies.

RULE OF AWARD

The Hampshire Sheriff's Office will award contracts to the responsible and responsive bidders as follows: The target number of Contractors for Meat and Cheese Products is a minimum of three (3) but no more than five (5) who offer the best overall value, on the most items. The Hampshire Sheriff’s Office may award more or fewer contracts, if it is in the best interests of the Hampshire Sheriff’s Office to do so.

Awards will be made by the Purchasing Agent and Institutional Chef, to the most responsive and responsible bidders who offer the best price and quality of each item. Consideration will be given to accounts that bid on a regular basis to ensure consistency in product and in service. Quantities listed on a bid will be for information purposes only and are given as potential volumes to be purchased during the life of the contract. Actual volumes ordered will be final, pending receipt of the order from the Institutional Chef. Companies bidding totally new or unfamiliar products should submit samples prior to the award for evaluation. Due to time constraints, unfamiliarity with a new product may be a basis for rejecting it.

All responses and information submitted in response to this invitation for bids are subject to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, M.G.L., Chapter 66, Section 10, and to Chapter 4, Section 7, and Subsection 26. Any statements in submitted responses that are inconsistent with these statutes shall be disregarded.

Once the awarding process is complete, the chosen Vendor(s) will receive a packet by email that will consist of an outline of items with pricing that they will furnish for the contract period. The packet will also contain a Commonwealth of Massachusetts Standard Contract form that will need to be executed and returned to: Hampshire Sheriff’s Office, ATTN: Vanessa Fish, Purchasing Agent, PO Box 7000, Northampton, MA 01061-7000.

The pricing of the awarded items will hold for the active contract period of July 1, 2023 to contract expiration of September 30, 2023.

PRICES

Bidders must supply a fixed delivered price for each item on the Bid Sheet AND a product number. PLEASE MAKE SURE TO SUBMIT THE CORRECT BID SHEET TO AVOID REJECTION. Bidder’s items must meet item specifications and pack size requirements. Bidder’s prices will be understood to be fixed, delivered prices for the entire three (3) months of the contract. Brand, pack, item number and price MUST BE TYPED. All items must be in accordance to the specifications. Companies must specify the brand and packaging of their product, if different from the exact bid specifications. Brands other than those specified will be considered, but must be clearly marked by BRAND NAME. PLEASE SPECIFY BID PRICE PER POUND AND CASE. Low bid items may be rejected if brand name of product does not appear along-side of the price. PLEASE INCLUDE PRODUCT/ITEM NUMBER THAT CORRESPONDS WITH ANY ONLINE BUYING GUIDES. The name of your company must appear on the front page of each section of the food bid. RETURN ONLY THE ORIGINAL BID SHEETS. Purchases made by the Hampshire Sheriff’s Office are exempt from State and Federal sales and excise taxes. Bid prices must exclude any such taxes. Tax exemption certificates will be furnished upon request.

ORDERING AND INVOICING

WITHIN 48 HOURS OF NOTIFICATION OF AWARDED ITEMS, VENDORS WILL UPDATE THEIR BUYING GUIDES TO REFLECT AWARDED ITEMS AND PRICING. FAILURE TO DO SO MAY RESULT IN TERMINATION OF THE CONTRACT. All orders are placed directly between the Institutional Chef and awarded bidder(s). The awarded company must be capable of fulfilling orders when placed by the Institutional Chef. Receipt of backorders is at the discretion of the Hampshire Sheriff’s Office. If awarded company is unable to provide delivery of product ordered, the Institutional Chef MUST be notified 24 hours prior to expected delivery. NO SUBSTITUTIONS OF ORIGINAL BID ITEMS WILL BE ACCEPTED WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE. The substitute product will be of equal or better quality, in the same pack size, and offered at an equal or lower price as the unavailable item. Invoices will be mailed directly to the Hampshire Sheriff’s Office from the awarded bidder. **PLEASE NOTE** ANY VENDOR WHO ALSO SUPPLIES ITEMS FROM THE GROCERY BID, MUST SEPARATE MEAT AND CHEESE ITEMS FROM GROCERY ITEMS ON THEIR INVOICES OR BILL THESE ITEMS ON A SEPARATE INVOICE. **The Hampshire Sheriff’s Office will not pay fuel charges or delivery fees applied to invoices**

ANY CREDITS MUST BE ISSUED WITHIN FIVE (5) BUSINESS DAYS OF NOTIFICATION THAT A CREDIT IS DUE. Notification made on drivers delivery slip of a shortage or damaged item will be considered the vendors’ notification that a credit is due. All other notifications will be made by the Purchasing or Finance Office by phone or email.

DELIVERIES

No minimum delivery requirements will be accepted. Items delivered that are not in accordance with original specifications or awarded items will be subject to return at no cost to the Hampshire Sheriff’s Office. DELIVERIES MUST BE AVAILABLE FIVE (5) DAYS PER WEEK, MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY AND RECEIVED BETWEEN 5 A.M. AND 11 A.M. ONLY. PLEASE NOTE WE ARE UNABLE TO ACCEPT DELIVERIES FROM TRUCKS LARGER THAN A WB-62 DUE TO CHANGES IN OUR LOADING AREA.

UNLESS SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS ARE MADE WITH THE HEAD CHEF OR PURCHASING AGENT, ORDERS ARE ANTICIPATED TO BE DELIVERED WITHIN 48 HOURS OF RECEIPT OF THE ORDER.

All meat, fish, poultry, and frozen food items are to be delivered in refrigerated or freezer trucks, subject to inspection at point of delivery. Any potentially hazardous foods delivered above the proper temperature, will be sent back. Any food product damaged in shipping will be returned to the awarded company at no expense to the Hampshire Sheriff’s Office.

INSURANCE

The Successful Bidder, in addition to any insurance required by State or Local law, shall maintain in force during the term of any Contract issued as a result of the invitation for bids, the following insurance coverage issued by an insurance company licensed to do business in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts:

The Successful Bidder shall, without expense to the Hampshire Sheriff's Office, maintain during the term of agreement bodily injury liability and property damage liability insurance. Bodily injury liability insurance, including accidental death, with limits of not less than $1,000,000 for each occurrence and $3,000,000 aggregate and property damage liability insurance with a limit of not less than $1,000,000 aggregate. If automotive equipment is used in the operation, automotive bodily injury and property damage combined insurance of not less than $500,000 for each occurrence. An Insurance Certificate giving evidence of said insurance must accompany the Bid. Evidence of such insurance must name the Hampshire Sheriff's Office as named insured, as well as the Successful Bidder.

The Successful Bidder shall comply with all applicable local, Federal and State laws regarding liability resulting from injury or death of employees in performing the work under this contract, and shall carry workmen’s compensation insurance as required by law to cover all employees of the Successful Bidder on the premises of the Hampshire Sheriff's Office. An Insurance Certificate giving evidence of said insurance must accompany the Bid.

Required Forms Responses that are submitted without completed required forms may be disqualified as unresponsive.

Bid Form for Meat and Cheese is a required form, signed and dated.

Verification of Tax Reporting Information (W9) is a required form, unless the vendor has previously executed one for the Commonwealth. This form must be executed without modification.

Business Reference Form is a required form unless the bidder has previously done business with the Hampshire Sheriff’s Office. We are requesting that the vendor provide three (3) references that your company is/or has done business within the manner that is referenced in this IFB.

Contractor Authorized Signatory Listing Form is a required form. If the bidder is a corporation or partnership or other business entity, complete the form as indicated. If the bidder is an individual, they may have their signature notarized or they may attach a copy of their driver’s license or other valid identification that contains an example of the bidder’s signature and other identification information that can be used to verify the bidder’s signature on the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions, Standard Contract Form and other documents.

Non-Collusion Statement is a required form.

Tax Compliance Certification is a required form.

Insurance Certification is required.

CHECKLIST

Your response MUST include the following:

Certificate of Insurance _____

Bid forms, without modification – MUST BE CORRECT BID SHEET _____

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Substitute W-9, without modification _____

Contractor Authorized Signature Verification, without modification _____

Non-Collusion Statement, without modification _____

Tax Compliance Certification, without modification _____

HOW TO SUBMIT A QUOTE

All bidders may begin creating and compiling Quote materials as soon as the Bid with all attachments is in the Sent document status. Bidders are instructed not to submit Quotes before the Bid Amendment Deadline has been reached.

Quote Submission Method – submission can be by mail or via COMMBUYS. If submitting via mail, send one copy of the bid proposal in a sealed envelope, marked: “Sealed Bid – Meat & Cheese HSD FY24-01, Bid Opening June 21, 2023, 10:00 a.m.” in the lower left corner. Mail to: Vanessa Fish, Purchasing Agent, Hampshire Sheriff’s Office, 205 Rocky Hill Road, PO Box 7000, Northampton, MA 01061-7000. Bids may also be submitted through COMMBUYS electronically. If you need assistance with COMMBUYS you may contact the OSD Help Desk at OSDHELPDESK@MASS.GOV or call between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm ET Monday – Friday at 1-888-627-8283 or 617-720-3197. Vendors unfamiliar with COMMBUYS can find user guides at https://www.mass.gov/lists/job-aids-for-vendors-using-commbuys. It is recommended that you submit your bid on COMMBUYS before the deadline in case you have any problems and need to contact the Help Desk to answer any questions during this process.

Bidders may submit Quotes online using tools available only to Sellers registered in COMMBUYS. COMMBUYS provides Seller registration functionality at no charge. To register, go to www.COMMBUYS.com and click on the “Register” link on the front page.

COMMBUYS Support – technical assistance is available during the procurement process. Every effort is made to respond to inquiries within one business day.

Bidders are advised that COMMBUYS will be unavailable during regularly scheduled maintenance hours of which all users will be notified.

Bid Opening Date/Time All Bids must be submitted prior to the specified date, month, year and time displayed on the Bid Opening Date/Time. Times are Eastern Standard/Daylight Savings (US), as applicable. All Bidders are advised to allow adequate time for submission. The Hampshire Sheriff’s Office is not responsible for delays encountered by Bidders or their agents.

Quote Contents Bidders must comply with the requirements below:

Electronic Signatures

Quotes submitted via COMMBUYS must be signed electronically by the Bidder or the Bidder’s Agent by accepting the terms and conditions of the bid on the “Terms & Conditions” tab or the Bid in COMMBUYS. By selecting “Save & Continue” on the “Terms & Conditions” tab after accepting the terms and condition of the bid, the submitter attests that s/he is an agent of the Bidder with authority to sign on the Bidder’s behalf, and that s/he has read and assented to each document’s terms.

Ink Signatures Original ink signatures are required only after contracts have been awarded. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires Contractors to submit original ink-signature versions of the following forms:

Successful Bidders who agreed to the terms and conditions of these forms electronically via COMMBUYS online Quote submission tool must still submit the above forms with ink signatures within seven (7) calendar days of award notification or their contract may not be executed by the Hampshire Sheriff's Office. Bidders who have previous contract(s) with the Commonwealth and have up-to-date ink-signature versions of the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions and Request for Taxpayer Identification and Verification (Mass. Substitute W9 Form) on file with the Office of the State Comptroller may submit copies of the signed forms. However, a new Standard Contract Form and Contractor Authorized Signatory Listing with original ink signatures must be submitted for each new Contract with the Commonwealth. Ink signatures must be completed and submitted in their original formats, NOT scanned and submitted as PDF or other file types.

Withdrawing a Quote Prior to Bid Opening Date/Time quotes may be withdrawn using the “Withdraw Quote” button under the Summary tab of a submitted Quote.

No Quote can be withdrawn after the Bid Opening Date/Time.