RFP 20-2227 North County Trail Boardwalk - Instructions to Bidders.docx

STATE OF MICHIGAN

Department of Natural Resources

RFP #200000002227

Fiberglass Reinforced Polymer Boardwalk

DNR North County Trail

Solicitation Manager Name: Patrick Avendt, DNR Buyer Telephone Number: (517) 284-5922

E-Mail Address: avendtp@michigan.gov

at 3:00 p.m. Local Time

*A proposal received at 3:00:01 p.m. EST is considered late.

The information in this document is subject to change. Checkwww.michigan.gov/sigmavss for the current information.

STATE OF MICHIGAN

RFP #200000002227

DNR North Country Trail

Fiberglass Reinforced Polymer Boardwalk

PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS

RFP Structure and List of RFP Documentation

1. CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THE STATE. The sole point of contact concerning this Request for Proposal (RFP) is:

Patrick Avendt, DNR Buyer Tx: (517) 388-6265 avendtp@michigan.gov

CONTACTING ANY OTHER STATE PERSONNEL, AGENT, CONSULTANT OR REPRESENTATIVE MAY RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION.

2. QUESTIONS. Questions concerning the RFP must be posted on www.michigan.gov/sigmavss. In the interest of transparency, only written questions will be accepted. Answers to questions will be posted on www.michigan.gov/sigmavss.

Bidders should submit their questions using the following format:

3. MODIFICATIONS TO RFP PRIOR TO PROPOSAL DEADLINE SUBMISSION DATE. The State may modify the RFP at any time prior to the deadline submission date. Changes will be posted on www.michigan.gov/sigmavss. This is the only method by which the RFP may be modified. The posted changes revise the original RFP.

4. PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING. – Not Applicable

5. SAMPLES. – Not Applicable

6. RESPONSE PREPARATION. Bidders must follow these Proposal Instructions and provide a complete response to solicitation.

7. DELIVERY OF PROPOSAL.

Electronic – The bidder must submit its proposal, all attachments, and any modifications or withdrawals electronically through www.michigan.gov/sigmavss . The price proposal should be saved separately from all other proposal documents. The bidder should provide the documents in a modifiable form (e.g., Microsoft Word or Excel), but has the option to also provide copies of any documents in a non-modifiable form (e.g., PDF). Bidder’s failure to submit a proposal as required may result in disqualification of such proposal. The proposal and attachments must be fully uploaded and submitted prior to the due date identified above. Do not wait until the last minute to submit the bid, as the SIGMA system requires the creation of an account and entry of certain information, in addition to uploading and submitting the materials. The SIGMA system will not allow a proposal to be submitted after the due date and time identified above.

8. MANDATORY MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS. To avoid disqualification, the bidder must provide documentation to support the following:

· Boardwalk meets specifications.

Only those proposals that meet the mandatory minimum requirements will be considered for evaluation.

9. EVALUATION PROCESS. If all mandatory requirements are met, the State will evaluate each proposal having met all solicitation requirements based on the following factors:

The State may utilize all proposals, including pricing information, without regard to a proposal’s technical score to determine fair market value, when comparing and negotiating prices. The State is not obligated to accept the lowest price proposal. The price proposal evaluation includes consideration of a qualified service-disabled veteran preference. Information related to qualified service-disabled veteran preference is located at http://michigan.gov/micontractconnect/0,4541,7-225-48677-123519--,00.html.

The State strongly encourages strict adherence to the Standard Contract Terms. The State reserves the right to deem a bid non-responsive for failure to honor the Standard Contract Terms. Nevertheless, the bidder may submit proposed changes (bidder must use track changes to identify specific proposed changes) to the Standard Contract Terms accompanied by a detailed explanation as to each change for State consideration; failure to do so will constitute the bidder’s acceptance of the Standard Contract Terms. General statements, such as that the bidder reserves the right to negotiate the terms and conditions, may also be considered non-responsive.

The State may, but is not required to, conduct an on-site visit to tour and inspect the bidder's facilities, require an oral presentation of the bidder's proposal, conduct interviews with bidders, or request additional price concessions at any point during the evaluation process.

10. NOTICE OF DEFICIENCY. If the State determines, after the deadline to submit proposals, that there is an area of the RFP that was deficient, unclear or conflicting, the State may issue a request (“Notice of Deficiency”) to bidders. Failure to respond to a Notice of Deficiency may be cause for disqualification.

11. CLARIFICATION REQUEST. If the State determines, after the deadline to submit proposals, that a bidder’s proposal is not clear, the State reserves the right to issue a request (“Clarification Request”) to a bidder to clarify its proposal. Failure to respond to a Clarification Request may be cause for disqualification.

12. RESERVATIONS. The State reserves the right to:

a. Discontinue the RFP process at any time for any or no reason. The issuance of an RFP, your preparation and submission of a proposal, and the State’s subsequent receipt and evaluation of your proposal does not commit the State to award a contract to you or anyone, even if all the requirements in the RFP are met.

b. Consider late proposals: (i) if no other proposals are received; (ii) if there are no complete proposals received; (iii) if the State received complete proposals, but they did not pass the Evaluation Process; or, (iv) if the award process fails to result in an award.

c. Consider an otherwise disqualified proposal, if no other proposals are received.

d. Disqualify a proposal based on the information provided or the failure to complete the vendor registration questions on the SIGMA registration, or if it is determined that a bidder purposely or willfully submitted false information in response to the RFP.

e. Consider bidders’ prior performance with the State in making its award decision.

f. Consider overall economic impact to the State when evaluating proposal pricing and in the final award recommendation. This includes, but is not limited to: considering principal place of performance, number of Michigan citizens employed or potentially employed, dollars paid to Michigan residents, Michigan capital investments, job creation, tax revenue implications, economically disadvantaged businesses, etc.

g. Consider total cost of ownership factors (e.g., transaction costs, training costs, etc.) in the final award recommendation.

h. Refuse to award a contract to any bidder that has failed to pay State of Michigan taxes or has any outstanding debt with the State of Michigan.

i. Enter into negotiations with one or more bidders on price, terms, technical requirements, or other deliverables.

j. Award multiple, optional use contracts, or award by Contract Activity.

k. Evaluate the proposal outside the scope identified in Section 9, Evaluation Process, in the event that the State receives only one RFP response.

13. AWARD RECOMMENDATION. The award of a State contract will be made to the responsive and responsible bidder who offers the best value to the State of Michigan. Best value will be determined by the bidder meeting the minimum point threshold and offering the best combination of the factors stated in Technical Evaluation Criteria, identified in Section 9, Evaluation Process, and price, as demonstrated by its proposal. The State will post the award (“Notice of Recommendation”) on www.michigan.gov/sigmavss .

14. STATE ADMINISTRATIVE BOARD. The State Administrative Board must approve all contracts in excess of $500,000. The decision of the State Administrative Board is final; however, approval does not constitute a contract. The award process is not complete until the awarded Contractor receives a properly executed contract.

15. DEBRIEF MEETINGS AND PROTEST. A Notice of Recommendation for Award will provide bidders with instructions on how to request a debrief meeting.

If you wish to initiate a protest of the award, you must submit your written protest electronically at gyorkosl@michigan.gov no later than 5:00 p.m. three (3) calendar days after posting the Notice of Recommendation for Award on www.michigan.gov/sigmavss, or by 5:00 p.m. the next business day if that date falls on a state holiday or weekend. The State reserves the right to adjust this timing and will publish any change on the SIGMA system.

Additional information about the protest process is available at www.michigan.gov/micontractconnect under the “Programs and Policies” link.

16. GENERAL PROPOSAL CONDITIONS. The State will not be liable for any costs incurred by bidders in preparation of its proposal, delivery of a proposal, and any follow-up discussions with the State. The bidder agrees that its proposal will be considered an offer to do business with the State in accordance with the provisions of its proposal, including the Standard Contract Terms, and that the proposal will be irrevocable and binding for a period of 180 calendar days from date of submission. If a contract is awarded to the bidder, the State may, at its option, incorporate all or any part of the proposal into a contract. This RFP is not an offer to enter into a contract. This RFP may not provide a complete understanding of the State’s environment, or contain all matters upon which an agreement must be reached.

17. FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT. All portions of the bidder’s proposal and the resulting Contract are subject to disclosure as required under Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act, 1976 PA 442.

18. RIGHTS TO INFORMATION CONTAINED IN PROPOSALS. All proposals will be considered the property of the State.

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