QA_ROUND ONE.pdf

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS – Round One

Date: February 3, 2026

STATE OF MARYLAND

DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL SERVICES

OFFICE OF STATE PROCUREMENT

SOLICITATION: BPM049082

Q1. Appendix 1 is referenced in the bid, but some of the referenced info does not appear in the given Appendix 1. Is that the wrong file, or is there missing information?

A1. See IFB modification attached in Amendment 4. The correct appendix has been uploaded as Appendix A.

Q2. Page 7 of the bid (section 2.1.3) states “the Department intends to make multiple awards as a result of this IFB. The Contract Monitor for each agency shall determine which Contractor (one

(1) per location) will provide the most economical and efficient service. Page 8 section 2.2 states “To ensure the availability of services to meet the increased demand, the State intends to award multiple Contractors per county”. Can you please clarify if more than one contractor can be awarded a particular county? This would be like the current contract/BPO.

A2. The State intends to award multiple Contractors in each county. The purpose of awarding multiple Contractors per county is to ensure there are adequate vendors to meet service needs. Individual Agencies will select one Contractor among the awarded Contractors for their counties that best meet their needs, economically and efficiently. Although the State reserves the right to allow multiple Contractors with the approval of the Procurement Officer.

Q3. Regarding Section 3.3.1-B, if the Contractor does not have the ability to manually print and mail invoices with weight tickets, but can provide electronic access for verification purposes, would the Agency find this alternative acceptable?

A3. Receipts are required to provide the pertinent information required in Section 3.3.1.B. The Contract Monitor will determine the acceptable means of invoice submissions.

Q4. The current agreement is set to expire at the end of February 2026. Does the Agency intend to start the new contract on March 1, 2026, or July 1, 2026 (as referenced on the Key Information Summary Sheet)?

A4. The intended start date for this solicitation is July 1, 2026.

Q5. If an agency currently rides the State contract and the current vendor is not awarded the contract, is the agency required to use the new vendor, or can they elect to procure services separately?

A5. Individual Agencies will choose among the awarded Contractors for their counties that best meet their needs, economically and efficiently. The Contract Monitor for each agency shall determine which Contractor (1) per location.

Q6. Page 7 of Contract, Section 10, Indemnification. We suggest to limit our indemnity to the extent of our fault. That way we are only liable if we do something wrong and then only to the extent, we do something wrong. Here we would want it to say, “negligent performance”.

A6. No changes to the State of Maryland’s standard Contract Terms and Agreement will be allowed.

Q7. Page 11, Section 28, Limitation of Liability. We request that this is limited to our fault as well.

Again, if we do something wrong, we will pay but if there is damage and we didn’t do anything wrong we shouldn’t be responsible.

A7. No changes to the State of Maryland’s standard Contract Terms and Agreement will be allowed.

Q8. 2.3.F.3 on page 11 is states "Individual Agencies will determine the type, size, location, and pickup frequency they require and convey this information to the Contractor."

Is there a list of current agencies by region and their current services?

A8. See Appendix A addressed through this Amendment.

Q9. 2.3.M.1 on Page 13 it states "The bid price shall be the grand total of seven (7) years' cost as calculated in the Excel Bid Form (Attachment M) for each county. Charges will be based on noncompacted containers or containers not larger than the average weight normally accepted by industry standards. Such as at kitchen locations, unless otherwise indicated in Appendix 2, except that the Bid for compactors and roll-off containers will only include rental and pull/haul fees.

Attachment M is "List of Current or Prior State Contracts."

Where in the Excel Bid Sheet provided, Attachment B, is there a way to calculate the total Bid Price based on the 7 years?"

A9. The Modified Bid Price Sheet has been uploaded to eMMA. Bidder shall download Attachment B-BPM049082_Bid Sheet_7yrs.

Q10. 2.3.M.5 states "One hundred twenty (120) days prior to the end of each year of the Contract, the Contractor may request, in writing, a cost adjustment to be in effect for the subsequent years of the Contract. Any proposed increase in price shall not exceed the rate of inflation as determined by the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers (CPI-U): U.S. city average, by detailed expenditure category. Water, sewer, and trash collection services published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics at the time of the request." County landfills are run by the State of Maryland. If a landfill increases cost per ton, we'd formally ask that increased tonnage costs be included as a cause for the requested price adjustment.

A10. The following shall be added to IFB Section 2.3.M.5 through this Amendment. “The increase will be based on the most recent 12-month statistics available on the BLS website at the time of the request but shall not exceed 3% for each 12-month period.”

Q11. What happens if an Agency requests a 6-yd dumpster but consistently overfills it with 8-yd worth of refuse? We request that a flat rate overage fee be added to the bid sheet.

A11. Refer to IFB Section 2.2.2.C. (Downsize, upsize, or change the type of container at the Contract prices with no additional fees. If the Contract does not include a unit price for the required size, the Contractor agrees to enter into good-faith negotiations with the DGS Procurement Officer to establish reasonable unit prices.)

Q12. Can the Agency supply a current list of users under this contract, along with estimated annual tons by County for trash and recycling, respectively? If available, can it be broken down by waste type and further broken down by commercial, open top, and compactor?

A12. Statewide contracts, exact numbers are not available. See Attachment A for the Estimated Usage Report.

Q13. Regarding FM Supplemental Section 4, DHS Hiring Agreement, will the Agency please provide a copy of Attachment U for download?

A13. Attachments V DHS Hiring Agreement and U Contract Affidavit will be provided by the

Procurement Officer upon Notice of Recommendation for Contract Award.

Q14. Is there an issue with multiple authorized representatives signing separate files? For example, the living wage attachment would be better signed by our HR director, as that department is responsible for tracking wages. Is that an issue, or do all attachments need to be signed by the same representative?

A14. The requirement is by the authorized representative(s); it is acceptable to have different authorized representatives.

Q15. Attachment F – under Authorized Bid/Proposal Signatory, it is asking for a senior office to sign, stating that the contact above is an authorized representative, or is it just asking for the authorized representative's signature like the rest of the attachments?

A15. The requirement is by the authorized representative(s); it is acceptable to have different authorized representatives.

Q16. Is it acceptable to use references from the existing statewide contract we currently hold as examples of our ability to perform the contract, or do they need to be references from other contracts only?

A16. It is preferred that references submitted with the bids be outside prior State of Maryland contracts; however, previous State of Maryland references shall be accepted.

Q17. Regarding Section 2.3-G #3, Contractor Responsibilities, does this mean that the service location needs to reach out to the Contract Monitor or designee to request extra pickups which are then relayed to the Contractor or is the Contractor ultimately responsible for requesting approval for extra pickups?

A17. The responsibility of requesting extra pickups will be communicated to the Contractor by the Contract Monitor or designee.

Q18. Regarding Section 2.3-G #5, if there are items placed outside the container, is the

Contractor responsible for picking that up? If so, will the Contractor be allowed to charge an additional pickup fee since the pricing sheet only includes the cost of what can be contained in the respective container sizes?

A18. The Agency shall be responsible for all items not placed in their respective containers. The Contract Monitor or Designee may decide to use the Contractor for the additional pickup, and communication shall be between the Contract Monitor/Designee and the Contractor.

Q19. How many active agencies per county currently use the existing contract?

A19. Statewide contracts, exact numbers are not available. See Attachment A for the Estimated Usage

Report.

Q20. What are the current site addresses receiving service?

A20. Statewide contracts, exact numbers are not available. See Attachment A for the Estimated Usage

Report.

Q21. What are the current services at each site?

A21. Statewide contracts, exact numbers are not available. See Attachment A for the Estimated Usage

Report.

Q22. What is the name of each agency at each site?

A22. Statewide contracts, exact numbers are not available. See Attachment A for the Estimated Usage

Report.

Q23. What is the current pricing at each site?

A23. See the following link for the requested information.

https://dgs.maryland.gov/Pages/Procurement/BidsAwards.aspx.

Q24. Who is the current hauler at each site?

A24. See the following link for the requested information.

https://dgs.maryland.gov/Pages/Procurement/BidsAwards.aspx.

Q25. How many roll-off service compactors would need to be installed?

A25. The Contract Monitor, or Designee, per location, shall provide the awarded vendor with specific location requirements.

Q26. How many roll-off service compactor boxes?

A26. The Contract Monitor, or Designee, per location, shall provide the awarded vendor with specific location requirements.

Q27. How many front-load service compactors would need to be installed?

A27. The Contract Monitor, or Designee, per location, shall provide the awarded vendor with specific location requirements.

https://dgs.maryland.gov/Pages/Procurement/BidsAwards.aspx https://dgs.maryland.gov/Pages/Procurement/BidsAwards.aspx

Q28. Do any Counties own any of the dumpster equipment? If so, which?

A28. Statewide contracts, exact numbers are not available. See Attachment A for the Estimated Usage

Report.

Q29. What is your expected recycling material list?

A29. See IFB Section H.

Q30. Are you open to a different recycling material list?

A30. No. See IFB Section H.

Q31. Which sites have time restrictions for when to service?

A31. The Contract Monitor, or Designee, per location, shall provide the awarded vendor with specific time restrictions.

Q32. Which front-load containers have wheels?

A32. The Contract Monitor, or Designee, per location, shall provide the awarded vendor with specific information.

Q33. Do any sites require escorting or badging? If so, which?

A33. The Contract Monitor, or Designee, per location, shall provide the awarded vendor with specific location requirements.

Q34. Can you clarify what counts as a missed service? If blocked or contaminated, is that still missed?

A34. The Agency shall be responsible for any obstructions and will not be considered a missed service.

Q35. The IFB requires Contractors to deodorize and spray for pests from May–October at no extra cost. Can the State quantify the expected frequency for deodorizing and pest treatment to allow accurate costing?

A35. No, the State cannot quantify the frequency of deodorizing or pest treatment, as this is on an as-needed basis.

Q36. The IFB requires additional “on-call” pickups within 24 hours. Will the State consider implementing a cap on how frequently agencies may request out of cycle pickups? (We have encountered situations in the past where customers have used similar language to try to cease all scheduled services and instead request unscheduled, on-call only services.)

A36. No, there is no cap being required at this time. All issues shall be communicated to the Contract Monitor or Designee. Refer to IFB Section 3.4.3 Problem Escalation Procedure.

Q37. Regarding restrictions on Medical/Hazardous Waste, if prohibited waste is found after collection (e.g., at the disposal facility), who bears the cost of remediation, fines, or rejected loads?

A37. Refer to IFB Section 2.3. Contractor Responsibilities and Tasks A.1.4

Q38. The IFB states that participating agencies can hold portions of invoices “in abeyance” for charges deemed unreasonable. Can the State provide examples of disallowed charges to minimize disputes?

A38. Refer to IFB Section 3.4.3 Problem Escalation Procedure.

Q39. The sample contract includes MBE liquidated damages, but the dollar amounts are placeholders. When will the State publish the actual liquidated damages rates? Or will the rates be negotiated after the contract is awarded?

A39. Liquidated damages will be determined upon notifying the awarded Bidder(s).

Q40. If containers are damaged at the service location at no fault of the Contractor, will the location be responsible for reimbursing the cost of repair/replacement in this situation?

A40. Refer to IFB Section 3.4.3 Problem Escalation Procedure.

Q41. Regarding Section 2.3-F Container Availability, can the Contractor determine the container size and placement of the container for safety and accessibility reasons?

A41. Refer to IFB Section 3.4.3 Problem Escalation Procedure.

Q42. Regarding Section 2.3-J #3, to clarify, is the Agency asking the Contractor to charge the gate rate plus any municipal surcharges, excluding taxes, at the disposal or recycling facility for any roll-off or compactor loads?

A42. Yes, the Contractor shall invoice for the actual landfill charges, including tipping fee and any municipal surcharges.

Q43. Regarding Section 2.3-K Reporting, can the Agency provide a copy of the report?

a. If not, will the agency accept a full list of customers utilizing the contract?

A43. The Agency does not supply a report template. The report shall be prepared by the awarded

Contractor(s) and shall supply the required information in this Section to the Agency.

Q44. Regarding Section 2.3-M #1 Bid Price, the paragraph states the pricing should be calculated for 7 years’ costs, however, Attachment B Bid Sheet calculates 5 years.

Please advise which cost structure (5 years or 7 years) is correct?

A44. The Modified Bid Price Sheet has been uploaded to eMMA. Bidder shall download Attachment B-BPM049082_Bid Sheet_7yrs.

Q45. Regarding Section 3.3.1-B Invoice Submission Schedule, if the Contractor does not have the ability to utilize a system for inputting container identification information on an invoice, but can provide the size and type of container on the invoice for billing purposes, Would the Agency find this alternative acceptable?

A45. Contract Monitor or Designee shall be able to identify for billing and tracking purposes.

Q46. Regarding FM Supplemental, Section 3 Substitution of Personnel, if the currently assigned driver unexpectedly goes out on leave, calls in sick, is on vacation, or is unable to complete the pickup due to unforeseen circumstances, and a backup driver is assigned to complete the route, does this constitute a violation of the agreement? Would the Agency accept notification as soon as possible in this instance in lieu of violating the agreement?

A46. Yes, notification upon call-in for sick leave, vacation, or unforeseen circumstances shall be acceptable, provided it is communicated to the Contract Monitor or Designee.

Q47. 2.3.B.1 and 2.3.B.2 on page 9 it states that "The agencies and their associated equipment need and estimated pickup frequencies are listed in Appendix 1." Appendix 1. Is Abbreviations and Definitions and does not state any specific equipment needs or estimated pickup frequencies.

Where in the provided documents can we find specific current service locations for each region as well as what their current service equipment needs and frequencies are? We understand that this subject to change. Companies who do not currently hold the contract can not be expected to provide the most accurate cost-effective bid without this information and without it being available to all bidders the current hauler has an unfair advantage as they have the full understanding of the scope and costs associated with performing service.

A47. See IFB modification attached in Amendment 4. The correct appendix has been uploaded as

Q48. 2.3.C.1 on Page 9 it states "There are several locations, such as mass transit shops, county health departments, and county social services departments, which cannot be detailed" What is keeping these from being detailed? An estimation or approximation of current and possible locations will provide us the bidder with the best estimation of costs and result in us being able to provide a more informed likely lower cost bid.

A48. See IFB modification attached in Amendment 4. The correct appendix has been uploaded as

END OF QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS – ROUND ONE

All remainder questions will be published in eMMA, creating another round.