RFP 2026_01 Residential Solid Waste Service.pdf

City of Mulberry 2078 Teron Trace Suite 100, Mulberry, Georgia 30019

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

For

Residential Solid Waste Collection and Recycling Services

RFP NUMBER

2026-01

For all questions about this RFP contact:

Jamieson Palmer, City Manager 770-341-9640

RELEASED ON:

September 22, 2026

DUE ON:

October 22, 2026, by 3:00 P.M. Eastern Time

TABLE OF CONTENTS

RFP Number 2026 - 01 Page 2

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 PURPOSE OF PROPOSAL

1.2 SCHEDULE

1.3 COMMUNICATIONS WITH STAFF

1.4 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

1.5 DEFINITIONS

1.6 SUB-CONTRACTING

1.7 EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

1.8 CONTRACT TERM

2.0 SCOPE OF WORK

2.1 TYPE OF GOOD/SERVICE AND OBJECTIVES:

2.2 SERVICE OVERVIEW

2.3 SERVICE SPECIFICATIONS

Vehicle Technology and Service Verification Every collection vehicle serving the City shall be equipped with an operational GPS system that records the vehicle's location, route history, and stops while the vehicle is in service. GPS records shall be retained for at least one hundred eighty (180) days, or longer if required by the Service Agreement.

Every collection vehicle serving the City shall be equipped with video cameras that record the driver area, the exterior area around the vehicle, and material entering the hopper while the vehicle is in service. Recordings shall be retained for at least ninety (90) days, or longer when an incident, complaint, claim, or City request requires preservation.

For every load collected under the contract, the Contractor shall record the originating route or vehicle, date and time, material type, weight or ticket number, and the approved transfer, processing, or disposal location where the load was delivered. Only facilities identified in the proposal and approved by the City may be used unless the City provides prior written approval for a change.

The Contractor shall provide a simple customer-facing mobile application or web map showing current or recent collection-vehicle location or route progress so City staff and residents can determine when service is in their area.

The public view may use reasonable delay, aggregation, or privacy controls and need not expose driver identity, customer information, or the Contractor's full fleet-management system.

The City is not required to have live administrative access to the Contractor's internal GPS or video platform. Upon request, the Contractor shall immediately produce relevant GPS history, route and stop records, video, weight tickets, and transfer, processing, or disposal records in a reasonably usable electronic format. The Contractor shall preserve requested records until the City releases the preservation request. These records are required for service verification and to reconstruct a vehicle's path and the destination of its contents when an incident or complaint arises.

2.4 APPROVED CONTAINERS

2.5 TRASH AND YARD WASTE REQUIREMENTS

2.6 EXTRAORDINARY WASTE MATERIALS

2.7 NEWLY DEVELOPED AND ANNEXED AREAS

2.8 COLLECTION SERVICE SCHEDULE: HOURS AND DAYS OF OPERATION

2.9 LANDFILL/DISPOSAL SITE(S)

2.10 CONTRACTOR’S PERSONNEL

2.11 ADDITIONAL SERVICES

2.12 PRICE PROPOSAL FORMAT

2.13 FRANCHISE FEE

3.0 INSURANCE

4.0 PERMITS, LICENSES AND TAXES

5.0 COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS

6.0 INDEMNITY

8.0 CONFLICT OF INTEREST

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9.0 EXCLUSIVE CONTRACT

10.0 PROPOSAL FORMAT

11.0 EVALUATION PROCEDURE

12.0 AWARD OF CONTRACT

13.0 SPECIAL CONDITIONS

EXHIBIT A CONTRACTOR INFORMATION FORM

EXHIBIT B CONTRACTOR AFFIDAVIT AND AGREEMENT

EXHIBIT C DEFINITIONS

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Purpose of Proposal

The City of Mulberry is seeking proposals from qualified firms to provide residential solid waste collection and disposal, recycling, scheduled bulky-waste collection, and optional on-call yard-waste services within the city. Service providers whose proposals meet the criteria established in the Request for Proposals, at the sole discretion of the City, may be considered for Contract award. The City may, by direct negotiation, finalize terms with the service provider who is selected for award based on proposals. The City reserves the right to reject any or all responses for any reason. Clarification of information may be requested by the City.

Submission of Service Provider Proposal No later than 3:00 P.M. on October 22, 2026. clearly marked RFP 2026-01, the proposal package must be sent within one sealed envelope, consisting of two separate envelopes (one envelope for the Technical Proposal and one envelope for the Cost Proposal). Within the Technical Proposal envelope, there shall be one signed original Technical proposal, three copies of it and one electronic copy in PDF format. Within the Cost Proposal envelope, there shall be one signed original Cost proposal, three copies of it and one electronic PDF copy.

Failure to submit your technical and cost proposals will cause your proposal to be deemed non-responsive.

Any proposal received after the time and date specified for the opening of the proposals will not be considered but will be returned unopened. Proposals are legal and binding when submitted. Service providers are reminded that under Georgia Law. All opened documents fall under the open records act and are subject to inspection by the public. Accordingly, proprietary information cannot be withheld from public inspection.

Proposals must be addressed as follows: City of Mulberry RFP 2026-01 Attn: Jamieson Palmer, City Manager 2078 Teron Trace, Suite 100

RFP Number 2026 - 01 Page 4

Mulberry, Georgia 30019

The City, at its sole discretion, may short-list contractors that are deemed to best meet the City’s requirements, taking into consideration all criteria listed in the RFP. Negotiations may be conducted and may take place in person, via telephone or by teleconference with the most qualified firm as identified by the City or, if short-listing occurs, with all of the short-listed proposers. Proposers that participate in the negotiations may be given an opportunity to submit their best and final offers. Any formal presentation or interview will be at the Proposer’s expense and at the City’s designated location. The City of Mulberry requires pricing to remain firm for the duration of the contract. Failure to hold firm pricing for the duration of the contract will be sufficient cause for the City to declare a proposal non-responsive.

1.2 Schedule

This Request for Proposals is scheduled as follows:

September 22, 2026 Release of RFP

October 6, 2026 Deadline for written questions

October 9, 2026 Target date for responses and addenda

October 22, 2026, 3:00 P.M. Eastern Time Proposals due

November 5, 2026 Anticipated contract award

1.3 Communications with Staff

From the issue date of the solicitation document and until a Contractor is selected and the selection is made public, Vendors are not allowed to communicate for any reason with any City staff except through the City personnel named in this document or during the bidder's/offeror's conference, or as provided for existing contracts.

For violation of this provision, the City may reject any bid/proposal of the offending bidder/offeror or initiate suspension/debarment proceeding with respect to the offending vendor or bidder/offeror.

1.4 Questions & Answers

All questions concerning this RFP must be submitted via email or writing to the City’s City Manager:

RFP Number 2026 - 01 Page 5

Jamieson Palmer City of Mulberry, 2078 Teron Trace Suite 100

Jamie.Palmer@mulberryga.gov

No questions other than written will be accepted. Answers to written questions along with necessary corrections or additions thereto, will be sent to all responding vendors in an email notification.

The deadline for submitting written questions is October 6, 2026. The City anticipates issuing responses and any necessary addenda by October 9, 2026.

1.5 Definitions

Refer to Exhibit C for Definitions.

1.6 Sub-Contracting

No portion of the work shall be subcontracted without prior written consent of the City of Mulberry. In the event that the contractor desires to subcontract any of the elements of the work specified herein, the proposing contractor shall furnish the names, qualifications, experience, and previous working relationships with their proposed subcontractors.

The Contractor shall remain fully liable and responsible for all work performed by its subcontractors and for their compliance with every requirement of the contract.

1.7 Equal Employment Opportunity

The City of Mulberry is an equal opportunity employer. The City endeavors to do business with firms that share its commitment to equal opportunity and does not discriminate on the basis of any status protected by applicable law.

1.8 Contract Term

one (1) December 31The initial contract term is three (3) years, beginning January 1, 2027, and ending December 31, 2029. The City may exercise up to two (2) additional one-year renewal terms, for a maximum contract period of five (5) consecutive years. Each renewal is subject to O.C.G.A. 36-60-13 annual appropriation by the City Council and satisfactory Contractor performance.

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The contract will be subject to the terms and conditions included in the Service Agreement.

The City of Mulberry reserves the right to cancel with cause, due to nonperformance or violation of contract terms.

This Contract shall not be deemed to create a debt of the City for the payment of any sum beyond the fiscal year in which the budget appropriations have been made. If an annual budget appropriation is not made by City Council, the contract is deemed to be terminated between all parties without recourse related to non-appropriation.

2.0 SCOPE OF WORK

2.1 Type of Good/Service and Objectives:

The City of Mulberry is seeking to secure qualified firms to provide solid waste collection, disposal recycling, and yard waste services for the City of Mulberry’s residential customers.

2.2 Service Overview

The scope of work to be performed shall meet or exceed the following:

The City intends to place the residential sanitation service fee on the annual property tax bill, subject to completion of an agreement with the appropriate Gwinnett County office. Under that model, the City will provide the Contractor with the service-address register and will pay the Contractor based on the number of active Residential Units shown on the register. If the tax-bill arrangement is not available at service commencement, the Contractor shall provide direct customer billing and collection services. Proposers shall describe their capability and pricing for both billing models. The Contractor shall remain the primary customer-service contact and shall maintain a toll-free or local telephone line staffed by responsible personnel from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

All complaints shall be made directly to the Contractor. The Contractor shall give all complaints prompt and courteous attention. In the case of an alleged missed schedule collection, the Contractor shall investigate and if such allegations are verified, shall arrange for collection within twenty-four (24) hours of the time the complaint was received.

The Contractor shall maintain forms or a log indicating the time a complaint or request is received, the nature of the complaint or request, and the disposition of same. Such records shall be available for the City's inspection at all times during normal working hours.

The City will provide an initial service-address list and annual updates. The Contractor shall promptly report new, inactive, or corrected service locations. Under City billing, the Contractor will invoice the City monthly using the active-unit count approved by the City.

Under direct billing, the Contractor will bill each active Residential Unit and may not suspend

RFP Number 2026 - 01 Page 7 base service solely because a property is rented or temporarily unoccupied unless authorized by the City.

The Contractor will designate a service representative to the City of Mulberry.

The successful contractor shall have sole and exclusive right to provide residential solid waste collection and recycling services for and on behalf of the City. This RFP/Contract shall not constitute a franchise or exclusive right to collect solid waste from commercial, institutional and industrial units within the City.

The Contractor shall deliver all required garbage and recycling carts to Residential Units no later than December 31, 2026. All carts will remain the property of the Contractor during and after the contract term.

Quarterly reports shall be provided to the city with a listing of the tonnage of all residential waste and recycling collected pursuant to the city’s sanitation ordinance.

2.3 Service Specifications

Contractors shall provide bids on solid waste collection, recycling, and yard waste as follows:

Contractor shall notify all customers about the "scheduled day of service" and provide each customer that receives a Roll Out Cart and Recycling Cart with a notice card and a Contractor-provided and City-approved brochure describing the operations of the service and the requirements for each Roll Out Cart user including items that may not be included for pickup, roughly 13,100. The Contractor shall provide once-per-week automated curbside collection of residential household garbage from all Residential Units in the City. Each Residential Unit shall receive one (1) ninety-five (95) gallon garbage cart. Additional carts may be offered at the unit price stated in the proposal. Material placed outside an approved garbage cart is not part of the required base service. The Contractor shall provide scheduled collection of up to two (2) eligible bulky-waste items per Residential Unit per week when requested in advance. The Contractor may bill the resident directly for additional bulky items at the rates stated in the proposal. Proposers may also submit a separately priced alternative for all bulky-waste service to be scheduled and billed directly to participating residents.

The Contractor shall provide once-per-week curbside collection of recyclable materials on the same day as household garbage. Recyclables shall be placed unsorted in a Contractor-provided sixty-four (64) or sixty-five (65) gallon recycling cart. The Contractor shall identify contamination with an explanatory tag or notice and shall handle recyclable materials in accordance with its approved processing program. The proposal shall identify accepted materials, processing location, contamination procedures, and any conditions under which a material would be temporarily suspended. Any suspension requires the City's prior written approval and resident notice.

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Approved Containers shall be placed in a location that is readily accessible to the Contractor and its equipment, not to exceed five (5) feet from the curb or edge of the traveled portion of road or street. The City will aid the Contractor in resolving problems of Cart location for servicing.

The Contractor shall be responsible for sorting, handling, processing, storage, and marketing of the Recyclable Materials. The Contractor shall ensure that the Recyclable Materials collected are recycled for reuse and shall prevent the material from being deposited in any landfill. Should the market for a recyclable material covered by the terms of this Contract/Bid collapse and render the product worthless (i.e. - local recycling processors will not accept the material without charge), the collection of such recyclable material shall be suspended until the markets improve unless the City is willing to reimburse Contractor for marketing the materials at a negative value.

The Contractor shall maintain records on the weight of Recyclable Materials collected by type. The Contractor also shall maintain records on the set out rate (percentage of eligible households which put out a container on each collection day) and shall furnish an accurate estimate of the participation rate (percentage of eligible households which set out a container at least once per month). These records shall be furnished to the City on a monthly basis.

Monthly and year-to-date information shall be included in each report.

The Contractor shall maintain records on the weight of MSW collected. These records shall be furnished to the City on a monthly basis. Monthly and year-to-date information shall be included in each report.

Backdoor service shall be provided, at no additional charge, to residents approved by the City when no member of the household is physically capable of placing carts at the curb. Proposers shall state any assumptions used to price this service and may identify a reasonable proposed cap or per-location price for City consideration.

The Contractor shall provide an adequate number of vehicles for regular collection services.

All vehicles and other equipment shall be kept in good repair appearance and in a sanitary condition. Each vehicle shall have clearly visible on each side the identity and telephone number of the Contractor. All Municipal Solid Waste hauled by the Contractor shall be so contained, tied, covered or enclosed such that leaking, spilling or blowing are prevented.

The services described herein do not include the collection and disposal of any increased volume of waste resulting from a flood, hurricane or similar or different acts of God over which the Contractor has no control. In the event of such a flood, hurricane or other acts of God, Contractor and the City shall negotiate the payment to be made to Contractor for additional services, if the Contractor and City agree that the increased volume is to be handled by the Contractor. Further, if the City and Contractor reach such agreement, the City shall grant the Contractor variances in routes and schedules as deemed necessary by the Contractor.

2.4 Approved Containers

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Garbage and allowable solid waste shall be stored in approved Contractor-provided carts as described in Exhibit C. The Contractor is not required to collect bags or other material placed outside the garbage cart. Yard waste is not part of the automatic weekly base service and shall be handled only through the optional on-call service described in Section 2.5.

2.5 Trash and Yard Waste Requirements

Yard-waste collection shall be offered as an elective, on-call service scheduled directly by the resident and billed separately by the Contractor. The proposal shall state the per-pickup or subscription rate, collection frequency, material-preparation limits, and maximum quantity. At a minimum, leaves and small trimmings must be bagged, and limbs must be cut to lengths of four (4) feet or less and bundled. Construction debris, contractor-generated debris, and material generated by a professional tree service are excluded.

Trash collection will be located as provided for in Section 2.3, so that the Contractor will have adequate access to trash.

The Contractor will notify the City Manager, or his designee should it encounter problems with compliance to any of the provisions.

The Contractor will notify the City Manager, or his designee should it encounter problems with compliance with the aforesaid sections.

The method of trash collection will be uniform across the City.

2.6 Extraordinary Waste Materials

Hazardous wastes, body wastes, abandoned vehicles, vehicle parts, construction and demolition waste, tires, batteries, paints, oils, chemicals of any kind, rocks, sand, gravel, dirt, logs, carpet, medical waste, Large equipment and their parts, F r e o n containing devices, devices containing gasoline and/or propane, and dead animals will not be collected by the Contractor under the terms of this RFP/Contract.

2.7 Newly Developed and Annexed Areas

The Contractor will, within thirty (30) days or less of notification by the City, provide solid waste collection services of the same frequency and quality required by the Contractor to newly developed and annexed areas. As new homes are constructed and occupied in the City, the Contractor shall, after proper notification by the City, provide solid waste services as required by the Contract on the next scheduled day of collection following notification. The Contractor shall be responsible for notifying the City of all locations being serviced which do not appear on the billing register.

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2.8 Collection Service Schedule: Hours and Days of Operation

The services to be provided by the Contractor shall be for once per week curbside collection of residential household garbage (MSW) from all Residential Units located in the City.

Additionally, Contractor shall provide once a week curbside collection of Recyclable Materials.

Residential route collection shall not begin prior to 7:00 a.m. each day or continue after 7:00 p.m. Exceptions to collection hours shall be affected only upon the mutual agreement of the City and Contractor, or when Contractor reasonably determines an exception is necessary in order to complete collection on an existing collection route due to unusual circumstances. The Contractor may elect to observe the following holidays:

New Year’s Day

MLK Day

Independence Day

Labor Day

President’s Day

Memorial Day

Juneteenth Day

Columbus Day

Thanksgiving Day

Christmas Day

The Contractor may decide to observe a holiday by suspending and delaying the pickup day.

The Contractor shall be responsible for publicizing (and the expense of publishing) any changes in collection schedules due to holiday observance. Proper publicizing will include the placement of advertisements or public service announcements serving the affected area and notice to the City Manager or his designee.

Contractor shall submit a map designating the collection routes with days of pick up to the City Manager or his designee for approval which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld. Any changes to the route shall also be submitted to the City Manager or his designee for approval which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld.

2.9 Landfill/Disposal Site(s)

The proposal shall identify each transfer, recycling, processing, and disposal facility the Contractor intends to use, the applicable tipping or processing rate, and evidence that the Contractor has the right to use each facility throughout the contract term. Only facilities approved by the City may be used. The Contractor shall maintain load-level disposal records and weight tickets and shall include monthly summaries of tonnage and destination with its report to the City.

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2.10 Contractor’s Personnel

The Contractor shall assign a qualified person to be in charge of its performance of this Contract. The City shall be provided the name, work phone number, cell phone number and email address of the person in charge at all times.

The Contractor's collection employees shall wear a uniform and shirt bearing the Contractor's name and the name of the individual employee.

Each employee shall, at all times, carry a valid driver’s license for the type of vehicle he is driving.

The Contractor shall provide operating and safety training for all personnel.

No person shall be denied employment by the Contractor for reasons of age, race, sex, creed, or religion or national origin.

2.11 Additional Services

In addition to the services set forth in the above sections, Contractor shall provide the following additional services:

At no additional charge, the Contractor shall provide routine garbage and recycling dumpster service for up to three (3) City facilities activated during the contract term. The allowance shall include up to one (1) eight-cubic-yard container for garbage and one (1) appropriately sized recycling container at each activated facility, with collection up to two (2) times per week. The City anticipates that its permanent City Hall may not be operational for two to three years and will provide advance notice before activating service.

The Contractor shall coordinate one (1) annual metal or electronics recycling event.

Container quantity, size, location, and accepted materials will be established annually by mutual agreement based on the event plan.

At no additional charge, the Contractor shall provide roll-off or front-load containers and collection for one (1) City-sponsored special event per contract year.

The City and Contractor will agree on reasonable container quantities, sizes, placement, and collection schedule before the event. Additional events or service beyond the agreed allowance may be billed at the proposal's unit prices.

The Contractor shall support the service transition through resident education, cart-delivery materials, website-ready content, and at least one public meeting if requested by the City. The City will coordinate and approve public communications

RFP Number 2026 - 01 Page 12 for its website and social-media accounts. Direct mail will be used only when the City and Contractor determine it is necessary.

2.12 Price Proposal Format

Proposals shall use the pricing categories below so the City can compare offers on a consistent basis. Base residential rates shall include all labor, vehicles, carts, collection, disposal, recycling processing, customer service, reporting, technology, and other costs except separately stated optional services. The Contractor may request one annual rate adjustment beginning January 1, 2028. Any adjustment must be supported by the most recently published annual change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, U.S. City Average, All Items, not seasonally adjusted, or another index proposed by the Contractor and accepted in the Service Agreement. No adjustment is automatic; each adjustment is subject to City review, contract limits, and written approval.

Each proposal shall state: (1) the monthly per-Residential-Unit base rate under City billing;

(2) the monthly per-Residential-Unit base rate under Contractor direct billing; (3) additional-cart rates; (4) optional on-call yard-waste rates; (5) bulky-waste rates for service beyond the base allowance and any proposed all-elective alternative; (6) additional City facility and event rates; (7) backdoor-service assumptions or unit rates; (8) any other optional service rates; and (9) the proposed franchise-fee structure. Proposers may include clearly labeled alternatives but must provide all requested base pricing.

2.13 Franchise Fee

The Contractor shall propose a franchise or administrative fee applicable only to residential services provided under this contract. The proposal may state the fee as a percentage of collected residential service revenue, a flat amount per active Residential Unit, or a per-ton amount for City residential material. The proposal shall clearly state the calculation method, exclusions, reporting basis, and payment schedule. The final fee structure will be negotiated and stated in the Service Agreement. Fees shall be remitted quarterly with supporting records, and the City may inspect the records used to calculate each payment.

3.0 INSURANCE

The selected Contractor shall maintain in full force and effect the following minimum insurance during the term of the contract:

Coverage Limits of Liability

Workers’ Compensation Statutory

Employer’s Liability $500,000.00

Bodily Injury Liability $1,000,000.00 each occurrence

Except Automobile $2,000,000.00 aggregate

Property Damage Liability $1,000,000.00 each occurrence

Except automobile $1,000,000.00 aggregate

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Automobile Bodily Injury $1,000,000.00 each person

Liability $2,000,000.00 each occurrence

Automobile Property

Damage Liability $1,000,000.00 each occurrence

Excess Umbrella Liability $5,000,000.00 each occurrence

The selected firm, prior to commencing work, shall provide at their own expense the following insurance to the City of Mulberry evidenced by certificates of insurance. Each insurance certificate, where applicable, must be endorsed with the following affirmative statement: "Coverage afforded will not be cancelled, materially changed or renewal refused until at least thirty (30) days prior written notice, return receipt requested, has been given to Owner and to each other additional insured to whom a certificate of insurance has been issued." Furthermore, the City shall also be included as an additional insured on the comprehensive general liability and automobile liability policies.

Certificate Holder should read:

City of Mulberry 2078 Teron Trace, Suite 100

4.0 PERMITS, LICENSES AND TAXES

The Contractor shall obtain at its own expense all permits and licenses required by law or ordinance and maintain same in full force and effect for the duration of the contract.

The Contractor shall promptly pay all taxes required by local, state and federal laws.

5.0 COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS

The Contractor shall conduct operations in compliance with all applicable laws, provided, however, that the terms of the Contract shall govern the obligations of the Contractor where conflicting ordinances exists.

6.0 INDEMNITY AND HOLD HARMLESS

The successful bidder shall indemnify and hold harmless the City, its officers and employees from and against any and all claims, demands, actions, suits and proceedings by others resulting from the negligence of willful misconduct in the performance of the agreement, including but not limited to any liability for damages by reason or arising out of any failure of the successful bidder to secure proper licenses, bonds, insurance coverage or the like, and against any loss, cost, expense, and damages resulting there from, including reasonable attorney’s fees.

8.0 CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The firm will certify, along with any sub consultants that, to the best of its knowledge, no circumstances exist which shall cause a conflict of interest in performing services for

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City of Mulberry and that no Contractor other than the bona fide employees working solely for the Consultant or sub consultant has been employed or retained to solicit or secure the contract.

9.0 EXCLUSIVE CONTRACT

The successful Contractor shall have the sole and exclusive right to provide residential solid waste collection and recycling services for and on behalf of the City. This Agreement shall not constitute a franchise or exclusive right to collect solid waste from commercial, institutional and industrial units within the City.

10.0 PROPOSAL FORMAT

Proposals shall include the following information:

1. Contractor Information Form (Exhibit A): List the name of the firm, name of contact person, firm address, telephone number, fax number, email.

2. Table of Contents: Include a clear identification of the material included in the proposal by page number.

3. Letter of Transmittal: Make a positive commitment to perform the required work in a professional and workmanlike manner. Also give the name(s) of the person(s) who will be authorized to represent the firm, their title, telephone number and email.

4. Statement of Qualifications:

a. Name, address, and telephone number of the firm’s owners, and full information about the corporate structure of the submitting firm.

b. Location of the firm’s primary place of business for legal purposes and any subsidiary offices, years of business, types of services offered and number of people employed on a regular basis.

c. Names and qualifications of personnel to be assigned to the project.

d. Description of similar project experience and the names, addresses, and telephone number of owners for all projects described (references will be checked).

e. Curriculum vitae of principal associates and key personnel proposed to have primary responsibility for the project.

f. List at least three (3) references in which your Contractor has provided the services requested within the past two (2) years.

5. Approach: Describe the firm's understanding of the scope and its operating plan, including transition, routing, customer service, communications, missed-

RFP Number 2026 - 01 Page 15 service response, billing under both models, recycling processing, bulky-waste and yard-waste scheduling, disposal facilities, continuity of operations, and the proposed resident-facing vehicle map or application. Describe the GPS and camera systems installed on City-serving vehicles, record-retention periods, and the process for immediately producing requested GPS history, video, disposal records, and weight tickets.

6. Proposed Contract Fees: Submit all prices requested in Section 2.12 in a clear schedule. Clearly distinguish required base pricing from optional alternatives and identify all assumptions.

7. Other:

a. Copies of all certifications & licenses

b. Insurance Forms

c. Contractor Affidavit and Agreement (E-Verify Affidavit) (Exhibit B)

d. Include any other information or additional services provided that will benefit and assist the City in evaluating the capabilities of the Contractor.

A clear, concise proposal in the specified proposal format is requested with all the necessary information included.

Address proposals to:

City of Mulberry RFP 2026-01 Attn: Jamieson Palmer, City Manager 2078 Teron Trace, Suite 100 Mulberry, GA 30019

Please clearly indicate the RFP Number and name on the outside of the envelope.

11.0 EVALUATION PROCEDURE

The City of Mulberry, at its sole discretion, following an objective evaluation, will award this contract to the most responsible, responsive Contractor. The proposals will be evaluated on a “Best Overall Value” basis. The following factors will be used to evaluate the proposals:

1. Cost Proposal - 30 points

a. The proposed rates and fees will be evaluated for competitiveness, completeness, clarity, and overall value to the City and its residents. The City will consider the total anticipated cost of the services, including base residential service, optional services, rate adjustments, franchise or administrative fees, and any stated assumptions or exclusions. Cost must be submitted in a separate sealed envelope.

2. Responsiveness to RFP - 10 points

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a. The proposal will be evaluated for compliance with the requirements of this RFP, completeness of the submission, clarity of the proposed approach, acceptance of the required service standards, and the proposer's ability to address each requested pricing and operational item.

3. Municipal Experience - 15 points

a. The City will evaluate the proposer's experience providing residential solid waste, recycling, bulky-waste, and related services to municipalities of comparable size and service complexity. Consideration will be given to the experience of the firm and the personnel assigned to the contract.

4. Operational Capacity - 15 points

a. The proposal will be evaluated on the personnel, vehicles, equipment, facilities, disposal and processing arrangements, route-management capabilities, transition plan, contingency resources, and overall ability to begin and continuously perform the required services.

5. Customer Service and Technology - 10 points

a. The City will evaluate the proposer's customer-service model, complaint and missed-collection procedures, resident communications, account management, GPS and video capabilities, service-verification records, reporting systems, and proposed resident-facing vehicle-tracking application or web map.

6. Financial Stability - 10 points

a. The proposer will be evaluated on its demonstrated financial capacity to support contract startup, equipment, staffing, insurance, bonding, ongoing operations, and unforeseen service demands throughout the contract term.

7. Local and Regional Presence - 5 points

a. The City will consider the proposer's local or regional offices, personnel, fleet, maintenance facilities, disposal and recycling infrastructure, management availability, and ability to respond promptly to operational or customer-service issues within the City.

8. References and Past Performance - 5 points

a. The City will consider references, contract-performance history, service reliability, regulatory compliance, customer satisfaction, dispute history, and the proposer's record of successfully performing comparable municipal contracts.

In addition to these considerations, the evaluators may request additional information, oral presentations or discussions with any or all of the responding Contractors to clarify elements of their proposal or to amplify the materials presented in any part of the proposal. However, Contractors are cautioned that the evaluators are not required to request clarification; therefore, all proposals should be complete and reflect the most favorable terms available from the Contractor.

The City of Mulberry reserves the right to make independent investigations as to the qualifications of the Contractor. Such investigations may include contacting existing customers. Contractors should keep in mind that this is a Request for Proposals and not a request to contract. The City reserves the right to accept or reject any and all proposals, and to waive any irregularities as may be permitted by law when it is deemed that such

RFP Number 2026 - 01 Page 17 action will be in the best interest of the City.

It is also within the right of the City to reject proposals that do not contain all elements and information requested in this document. The City reserves the right to cancel this RFP at any time. The City will not be liable for any cost/losses incurred by the Offerors throughout this process.

12.0 AWARD OF CONTRACT

The City of Mulberry, at its sole discretion, following an objective evaluation, will award this contract to the most responsible, responsive Contractor whose proposal is the most advantageous to the City of Mulberry. Price will be a major consideration but will not be the sole determining factor in our selection. The award of this contract will be based and granted on best value. Best value will allow the City of Mulberry to consider factors beyond pricing such as whether the responsible Contractor is able to meet and/or exceed the required specifications and will permit and reflect prudent stewardship of public funds and trust. Award of the contract to one Contractor does not mean that the other proposals lacked merit. Award of the contract signifies that after all factors have been considered, the selected proposal was deemed most advantageous to the City of Mulberry.

The successful bidder shall furnish the City of Mulberry with a Performance Bond in the amount equal to the contract value for the duration of the contract.

13.0 SPECIAL CONDITIONS

1. This RFP does not commit the City to procure or award a contract for work.

2. This RFP does not commit the City to defray any costs incurred in responding to the RFP. The cost for developing the proposal is the sole responsibility of the Offeror.

The City will not provide reimbursement for such costs.

3. All information submitted in response to this RFP shall become the property of the City, and as such, may be subject to public review as public record.

4. A submitted proposal may be withdrawn prior to the due date by a written request to the City Manager. A request to withdraw a proposal must be signed by an authorized individual.

5. The City reserves the right to cancel, alter or amend this RFP.

6. The City reserves the right to request clarifications from any or all members of submitting Bidders, however, the City shall not be required to request missing information from the submittal which may cause them to be considered non-responsive.

7. The City shall provide the release of all public information concerning the project, including selection announcements and contract awards. Those desiring to release information to the public must receive prior written approval through the City.

RFP Number 2026 - 01 Page 18

8. Members of the proposing firms, their agents, lobbyists, attorneys and others shall not contact members of the City Council, any employee of the City, other than the contact person or any member of the Selection Committee with regard to this project or process.

Any such contact shall be grounds for automatic disqualification of the consultant team submittal.

9. Termination: The contract will be subject to the terms and conditions included in the Service Agreement. The City of Mulberry reserves the right to cancel with or without cause, due to nonperformance or violation of contract terms.

EXHIBIT A CONTRACTOR INFORMATION FORM

See following page.

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EXHIBIT B CONTRACTOR AFFIDAVIT AND AGREEMENT

(E-VERIFY AFFIDAVIT)

Contractor Affidavit under O.C.G.A. § 13-10-91(b)(1)

By executing this affidavit, the undersigned contractor verifies its compliance with O.C.G.A. § 13-10- 91, stating affirmatively that the individual, firm or corporation which is engaged in the physical performance of services on behalf of the City of Dunwoody has registered with, is authorized to use and uses the federal work authorization program commonly known as E-Verify, or any subsequent replacement program, in accordance with the applicable provisions and deadlines established in

O.C.G.A. § 13-10-91. Furthermore, the undersigned contractor will continue to use the federal work authorization program throughout the contract period and the undersigned contractor will contract for the physical performance of services in satisfaction of such contract only with subcontractors who present an affidavit to the contractor with the information required by O.C.G.A. § 13-10-91(b). Contractor hereby attests that its federal work authorization user identification number and date of authorization are as follows:

Federal Work Authorization User Identification Number

Date of Authorization

Name of Contractor

CITY OF MULBERRY

Name of Public Employer

I hereby declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.

Executed on , , 2026 in (city), (state).

Signature of Authorized Officer or Agent

Printed Name and Title of Authorized Officer or Agent SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN

BEFORE ME

ON THIS THE DAY OF , 2026 .

NOTARY PUBLIC

My Commission Expires:

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EXHIBIT C DEFINITIONS

1. APPROVED CONTAINERS - An approved container for garbage collection is a Contractor-provided ninety-five (95) gallon roll-out cart with two wheels, a properly designed axle and fittings, heavy-duty plastic construction, a fitted lid, and attachments compatible with automated collection equipment. Garbage placed outside the cart is not required to be collected under the base service.

An approved container for recyclable materials is a Contractor-provided sixty-four (64) or sixty-five (65) gallon heavy-duty plastic roll-out cart. All carts remain the Contractor's property and shall be removed, transferred, or otherwise handled at the conclusion of the Agreement as directed by the City and the final Service Agreement.

2. BAGS - Plastic sacks designed to store and enclose Refuse with sufficient wall strength to maintain physical integrity when lifted by top. Total weight of a bag with contents shall not exceed forty (40) pounds.

3. BULKY WASTE - Large items of solid waste such as furniture, white goods, mattresses, and other oversize wastes whose large size precludes or complicates their handling by normal solid waste collection, processing, or disposal methods. Bulky Waste shall not contain refrigerators, air conditioning units, or freezers unless they are certified that all Freon has been removed. Gas grills will be collected as Bulky Waste if the propane tank has been removed. Lawn mowers will be collected so long as all gasoline has been removed.

4. COLLECTION - The act of removing solid waste (or materials that have been separated for the purpose of recycling) to a transfer station, processing facility, or disposal facility.

5. COMMERCIAL SOLID WASTE - All types of solid waste generated by stores, offices, restaurants, warehouses, and other non-manufacturing activities, excluding residential and industrial waste.

6. CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION WASTE - Solid waste resulting solely from construction, remodeling, repair, or demolition operations on buildings, or other structures, but does not include inert debris, land-clearing debris, yard debris, or used asphalt, asphalt mixed with dirt, sand, gravel, rock, concrete, or similar nonhazardous material.

7. GARBAGE - All putrescible waste, including animal offal and carcasses of less than ten

(10) pounds in weight except those slaughtered for human consumption; every accumulation of waste (animal, vegetable and/or other matter) that results from the preparation, processing, consumption, dealing in, handling, packing, canning, storage, transportation, decay or decomposition of meats, fish, fowl, birds, fruits, grains or other animal or vegetable matter, including, but by no way of limitation, used tin cans and

RFP Number 2026 - 01 Page 21 other food containers; and all putrescible or decomposable waste animal or vegetable matter which is likely to attract flies or rodent, but excluding sewage and human waste.

8. HAZARDOUS WASTE - Any chemical, compound, mixture, substance or article which is designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency or appropriate agency of the State to be "hazardous" as that term is defined by or pursuant to Federal or State law or regulations.

9. LANDFILL - A disposal facility or part of a disposal facility where waste is placed in or on land and that is not a land treatment facility, a surface impoundment, an injection well, a hazardous waste long-term storage facility or a surface storage facility.

10. MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE - Solid waste resulting from the operation of residential, commercial, industrial, governmental, or institutional establishments that would normally be collected, processed, and disposed of through a public or private solid waste management service. Municipal solid waste does not include hazardous waste, sludge, or solid waste from mining or agricultural operations.

11. PERSON - Any individual, corporation, Contractor, association, partnership, unit of government, state agency, federal agency, or other legal entity.

12. RECYCLABLES - Newspapers and inserts, HDPE and PET plastic containers, aluminum, bimetal, and ferrous beverage and food cans, and clear, green, and brown glass, all of which have been separated from the waste at the point of collection.

Additional materials may be added to the definition of Recyclables upon mutual agreement of the parties.

13. REFUSE - This term shall refer to Garbage and Rubbish generated at a Residential Unit unless the context otherwise requires.

14. RESIDENTIAL UNIT - A dwelling within the Service Area as hereinafter defined, occupied by a person or group of persons. A Residential Unit shall be deemed occupied when water services, either public or private, are being supplied thereto. Each unit of an apartment or condominium dwelling consisting of four (4) or less living units, whether single or multi-level construction, shall be treated as a Residential Unit. On any one collection day, the Contractor will collect from each Residential Unit (and City-approved small business) all garbage in approved containers.

15. RUBBISH/TRASH - All waste materials not included in the definition of Bulky Waste, Construction Debris, Garbage, Hazardous Waste, Yard Waste or Stable matter.

16. SANITARY LANDFILL - A facility for disposal of solid waste on land in a sanitary manner in accordance with the laws and regulations concerning sanitary landfills adopted by the State of Georgia.

17. SERVICE AREA - All Residential Units in the City.

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18. SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL SITE - A location at which solid waste is disposed of by incineration, sanitary landfill, or other approved method.

19. TRANSFER STATION - A site at which solid waste is concentrated for transport to a processing facility or disposal site. A transfer station may be fixed or mobile.

20. WHITE GOODS - Inoperative and discarded refrigerators, ranges, water heaters, freezers, and other similar domestic and commercial large appliances. Refrigerators, air conditioning units, and freezers must be certified as Freon free to be eligible for collection under this Agreement.

21. YARD DEBRIS - Solid waste consisting solely of vegetative matter resulting from landscaping maintenance.