RFP 24-SWU15 Stormwater Native Vegetation Installation.PDF

CITY OF SUN PRAIRIE

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

RFP# 24-SWU15

Stormwater Native Vegetation Installation

Date Issued: Monday, August 5, 2024

SUBMIT RFP TO

purchase@cityofsunprairie.com

SUBMISSION DEADLINE

Friday, August 30, 2024, 2:00 PM

TABLE OF CONTENT

I. NOTICE TO PROPOSERS

A. Summary

B. Important Dates

C. How to Submit a Proposal

D. Contact Information

E. Inquiries, Clarification & Exceptions

F. Addenda

G. Bid Distribution Networks

H. Local Vendor Preference

I. Oral Presentations/Site Visits/Meetings

J. Acceptance/Rejection/Withdrawal of Proposals

K. Public Record Law Compliance

L. Public Records Notice

M. Tax Exempt

N. Cooperative Purchasing

O. Terms of Contract

P. Cancellation/Termination of Contract

Q. Evaluation Process and Scoring

R. Insurance and Indemnification Requirements

II. DESCRIPTION OF RFP

III. REQUIRED INFORMATION

I. NOTICE TO PROPOSERS

A. Summary The City of Sun Prairie Department of Public Works is soliciting proposals from qualified vendors for the installation of native vegetation on the basin side slopes of the “Pumpkin Patch” stormwater management facility. The facility is in southwest Sun Prairie, just west of Highway 151. Situated between South Mallard Drive and Schneider Road, this facility is an 8-acre wet detention basin/pond. Vendors submitting proposals are required to read this Request for Proposals “RFP” in its entirety and follow the instructions contained herein.

There is an alternate bid opportunity:

Alternate Bid #1: Provide a three-year maintenance plan for native plantings.

B. Important Dates Deliver proposals no later than the due time and date indicated below. The City will reject late proposals:

Issue Date: Monday, August 5, 2024 Questions Issue Date: Friday, August 16, 2024 Answers Posted Date: Friday, August 23, 2024 Due Date: Friday, August 30, 2024, 02:00 PM CST

C. How to Submit a Proposal Submit all required documentation in an email attachment. Each attachment should be clearly marked as to its contents. Cost (Form F) must be submitted as a separate attachment or email.

Signature Affidavit (Form A): One Copy Receipt of Forms (Form B): One Copy Vendor Profile and Qualifications (Form C): One Copy References (Form D): One Copy Insurance and Indemnification (Form E): One Copy Sustainability Questionnaire (Form G): One Copy Cost Proposal (Form F): One Copy in a separate email or attachment

All proposal costs are the expense of the proposer. The City will not consider illegible proposals. Elaborate proposals beyond that sufficient to present a complete and effective proposal, are not necessary or desired.

All proposals must be clearly labeled:

Proposer’s Name and Address

RFP #: 24-SWU15

Title: Stormwater Native Vegetation Installation Due: Friday, August 30, 2024, 02:00 PM CST

All email correspondence must include RFP # in the subject line.

Please submit proposals via email to purchase@cityofsunprairie.com.

Proposals must be delivered as instructed. Deliveries to other City departments and/or locations may result in disqualification.

D. Contact Information The City of Sun Prairie Public Works is the procuring agency:

Benjamin John, Director of Public Works Operations City of Sun Prairie Public Works 300 E Main Street Sun Prairie, WI. 53590 Phone: 608-825-0713 bjohn@cityofsunprairie.com

E. Inquiries, Clarification & Exceptions Proposers are to raise any questions they have about the RFP document without delay.

Direct all questions, in writing, to the department contact listed above in section D.

Proposers finding any significant ambiguity, error, conflict, discrepancy, omission, or other deficiency in this RFP document shall immediately notify the buyer and request clarification.

In the event that it is necessary to provide additional clarification or revision to the RFP, the City will post addenda – see Addenda below. Proposers are strongly encouraged to check for addenda regularly.

Proposals should be as responsive as possible to the provisions stated herein. A prospective vendor may take “exception” to bid terms, conditions, specifications and dates stated within the bid package. However, the City of Sun Prairie reserves the right to disqualify any and all bids submitted which include exceptions, if deemed not in the City’s best interests.

F. Addenda In the event that it is necessary to provide additional clarification or revision to the RFP, the City will post addenda to the same websites as the original distribution – see G below. It is the proposer’s responsibility to regularly monitor the websites for any such postings.

Proposers must acknowledge the receipt of any addenda on Form B. Failure to retrieve addenda and include their provisions may result in disqualification.

G. Bid Distribution Networks

The City of Sun Prairie posts all Request for Proposals, addenda, tabulations, awards and related announcements on two distribution networks – VendorNet and DemandStar. The aforementioned documents are available exclusively from these websites. It is the proposer’s responsibility to regularly monitor the bid distribution network for any such mailto:purchase@cityofsunprairie.com mailto:USERNAME@cityofsunprairie.com postings. Proposer’s failure to retrieve such addenda and incorporate their appropriate provisions in their response may result in disqualification. Both sites offer free registration to City proposers.

o VendorNet System: State of Wisconsin and local agencies bid network. Registration is free.

Home Page: http://vendornet.state.wi.us/vendornet o DemandStar by Onvia: National bid network – Free subscription is available to access proposals from the City of Sun Prairie and other Wisconsin agencies participating in the Wisconsin Association of Public Purchasers (WAPP). A fee is required if subscribing to multiple agencies that are not included in WAPP.

Home Page: www.demandstar.com To Register: www.onvia.com/WAPP

Bid Opportunities: http://www.cityofsunprairie.com/504/Bid-Opportunities

H. Local Vendor Preference The City of Sun Prairie has included a local vendor preference granting a scoring preference to local suppliers. The “local area” is defined as a physical address where the entity does business within the City of Sun Prairie. United States Post Office boxes or other private postal boxes are insufficient to satisfy the requirements of this section.

Exemptions and limitations may apply. Due to state law, buy local preference may not apply to public works projects. Due to federal restrictions, federally funded programs are also exempt.

Exemptions will also be made for emergencies, sole source purchases, cooperative purchasing agreements and cases in which a local vendor is not qualified as determined by City staff. If it is determined by City staff that a vendor has misrepresented its local status, it will be ineligible to receive preference.

I. Oral Presentations/Site Visits/Meetings

Proposers may be asked to attend meetings, make oral presentations, inspect City locations or make their facilities available for a site inspection as part of this RFP process. Such presentations, meetings or site visits will be at the proposer’s expense.

J. Acceptance/Rejection/Withdrawal of Proposals

The City reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals submitted, in whole or in part, and to waive any informalities or technicalities, which at the City’s discretion is determined to be in the best interests of the City. Further, the City makes no representations that a contract will be awarded to any proposer responding to this request.

The City expressly reserves the right to reject any and all proposals responding to this invitation without indicating any reasons for such rejection(s).

http://vendornet.state.wi.us/vendornet http://www.demandstar.com http://www.onvia.com/WAPP http://www.cityofsunprairie.com/504/Bid-Opportunities

K. Public Record Law Compliance It is the intention of City to maintain an open and public process in the solicitation, submission, review, and approval of contracts.

a. The parties acknowledge that City is a municipal corporation legally bound to comply with the Wisconsin Public Records Law and Open Meetings Law (see sections 19.32-19.39 and 19.81-19.98, Wis. Statutes) and that, unless otherwise clearly allowed by law to be an exception to the Public Record Law and confidential, all aspects of this agreement are subject to open disclosure and are a matter of public record. It is further agreed to that neither party will take any action to obstruct the operation of these laws. To comply with any request under said Public Record Law, the provider/contractor herein shall produce copies of all materials, gathered or produced or modified pursuant to this Contract to City, in their original (i.e., electronic or digital, etc.) format at actual cost of reproduction, without profit. According to Wisconsin caselaw, even if records are created or maintained by, or in the custody of, the provider as an independent contractor, they, along with the raw data used to create the record, are nevertheless public records that must be made available to the public within a reasonable time and without delay upon request by any person, and in the format in which they were created. Provider/contractor agrees to hold City, its agents, officials and employees harmless and to indemnify them and City for all costs, fees, including all reasonable attorney fees and expenses of all kinds, and any judgments, orders, injunctions, writs of mandamus, and damages or expense of whatever kind for which City or its agents, officials or employees may expend or be held liable due to the Provider/contractor’s failure to comply with the Wisconsin Public Records and Open Meetings laws, or with this Agreement.

b. Any Public Records Law request received directly by a contractor related to this Contract with City shall immediately be reported to the City Administrator.

L. Public Records Notice

Proposers are hereby notified that all information submitted in response to this RFP may be made available for public inspection according to the Public Records Law of the State of Wisconsin or other applicable public record laws. Information qualifying as a “trade secret”

– defined in State of Wisconsin Statues – may be held confidential.

Proposers shall separately and clearly identify all information they deem to be “trade secrets”, as defined in the State of Wisconsin Statutes. Do not duplicate or co-mingle information deemed confidential and sealed, elsewhere in your response.

S. 19.36(5)

(5) TRADE SECRETS. An authority may withhold access to any record or portion of a record containing information qualifying as a trade secret as defined in s.

134.90(1)(c).

S. 134.90(1)(c)

(c) “Trade secret” means information, including a formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method, technique or process to which all of the following apply:

1. The information derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by, other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use.

2. The information is the subject of efforts to maintain its secrecy that are reasonable under the circumstances.

The City cannot ensure that information will not be subject to release if a request is made under applicable public records laws. The City cannot consider the following confidential: a bid in its entirety, price bid information, or the entire contents of any resulting contract. The City will not provide advance notice to proposers prior to release of any requested record.

To the extent permitted by such laws, it is the intention of the City to withhold the contents of proposals from public view – until such times as competitive or bargaining reasons no longer require non-disclosure, in the City’s opinion. At that time, all proposals will be available for review in accordance with such laws.

M. Tax Exempt

The City of Sun Prairie as a municipality is exempt from payment of federal excise taxes and State of Wisconsin taxes per Wisconsin statue 77.54(9a). Federal Tax ID #39-6006382. A completed Wisconsin Department of Revenue Form S-211 (R.2-00) can be found on the City website. Our tax-exempt number is ES 42322.

N. Cooperative Purchasing

Bidders may choose to extend prices offered on bids to other municipalities. Under Wisconsin Statutes, a municipality is defined as a county; city; village; town; school district;

board of school directors; sewer district; drainage district; vocational, technical and adult education district; or any other public or quasi-public corporation, officer, board or other body having the authority to award public contracts. This is known as “cooperative” or “piggyback” purchasing, a practice common amongst units of government. The City is not responsible for any contract resulting from a cooperative purchase using this RFP as a basis;

they are made solely between the bidders and third party unit of government.

O. Terms of Contract

1. Term of Contract – The term of the contract shall be for a four (4) year period to commence on: Monday, February 3, 2025, ending on Friday, February 2, 2029.

2. Option to Extend – The City of Sun Prairie reserves the right to extend the contract for one (1) additional year period, upon the same or more favorable terms and conditions, and under mutual agreement of both parties.

3. Contract Extension Pricing – Contract prices on an extended contract will be adjusted (escalated or deescalated) based upon the average annual change in the Consumer Index for “All Items” published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) (Table 1A. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): U.S. city average, by expenditure category and commodity and service group, Expenditure Category “All Items”). The CPI-U value is published by the BLS at its website: http://www.bls.gov/cpi/news.htm

The price for an option year shall be based upon the percent change in the CPI- U from the preceding year applied to the current contract year price to obtain the option year price.

The City of Sun Prairie reserves the right to discontinue the contract’s remaining option year and may elect to re-advertise the contract in whole or in part when changes in prices are not mutually acceptable between the contractor and the City.

Any and all changes to the contract terms and conditions shall be evidenced in writing by amending/modifying the contract.

4. Subcontracting Regulations – Successful vendor(s) will not be permitted to sublet, sell, transfer, assign or otherwise dispose of the contract or any portion therein, or its right, title or interest in, to any person, vendor or corporation.

P. Cancellation/Termination of Contract

The City of Sun Prairie may terminate the contract at any time at its sole discretion by delivering 30 days written notice to the contractor. Upon termination, the City’s liability will be limited to the pro rata cost of the services performed as of the date of termination plus expenses incurred with the prior written approval of the City. In the event that the contractor terminates the contract, for any reason whatsoever, it will refund to the City within 30 days of said termination, all payments made hereunder by the City to the contractor for work not completed or not accepted by the City. Such termination will require written notice to that effect to be delivered by the contractor to the City not less than 30 days prior to said termination.

Q. Evaluation Process and Scoring

Evaluation Team

The RFP will be reviewed by the Evaluation Team. Evaluation team consists of at least three members and at most five members. At least one member from each of the following departments: Department that initiated the RFP, reporting committee and Finance Department. All proposals will be scored individually. The staff member from the Finance Department will oversee the evaluation process to ensure fairness within the process. This process may take a few hours or a few days, depending on the number and length of proposals and the availability of those on the evaluation panel.

http://www.bls.gov/cpi/news.htm

Evaluation team will examine each proposal to determine if all minimum requirements have been met to warrant further evaluation. Proposals meeting the minimum requirements will be evaluated in accordance with the point rating system. To qualify as a competent proposer written proposals must achieve an overall minimum of 80 % for the categories marked with an asterisk (*).

Minimum Requirements

1. Equipment and manpower recommended for the installation and maintenance of native vegetation on the side slopes of a stormwater pond.

2. Ability to utilize hydroseeding methods.

3. Alternate bid: Provide a three-year maintenance plan for native plantings.

Evaluation Criteria and Process

Evaluations of the proposals will be based on a weighted point system as follows:

Criteria Description Point Weight 1 Qualifications of Firm* 25 2 Relevant Experience of Firm* 25 3 Costs 25 4 Sustainability 10

5 DBE/WBE/DVB 10

6 Local Preference 5

TOTAL 100

Definition of Major Criteria Categories:

Qualification of Firm: The evaluation is based on qualifications and competence in relation to the scope of the project, the overall approach and strategy described in the proposal and company’s capacity to perform the work within the specified timeframe, the professional qualifications of key personnel related to the work described in the scope of the project.

Relevant Experience of Firm: Evaluation is based on the history of the company, the experiences as it related to the requirements within the RFP, evidence of past performance, quality and relevance of past work, reference and related items.

Sustainability: The City’s vision is to create and expand sustainability practices while always recognizing the interdependence of environmental quality, economic resiliency and growth, and social equity. Evaluation is based on the effect business has on the environment, society and economy.

DBE/WBE/DVB:

DBE (Disadvantaged-Owned Business Enterprise):

At least 51 percent owned by one or more socially and economically disadvantaged individuals; and

Controlled (managed and operated daily) by one or more socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.

WBE (Woman-Owned Business Enterprise):

Organized as a for-profit business, performing a commercially useful function;

At least 51 percent owned by one or more women; and Controlled (managed and operated daily) by one or more women There are no size restrictions for WBE certification

DVB (Disabled Veteran Business)

At least 51% owned, controlled, and actively managed by an identified service-disabled veteran and serve a useful business function.

The service-disabled veteran owner has demonstrated that they: 1) Have a certificate of release or discharge from active duty (Form DD214); 2) Reside in Wisconsin: and 3) Have a disability rating of at least 0% with the Department of Veteran’s Affairs or an Armed Services Branch.

Local Preference: To qualify as “local,” a business must meet at least two of three criteria:

The portion of its employees working at facilities in the City of Sun Prairie (at least 50%);

The portion of ownership vested with City of Sun Prairie residents (at least 50%);

and

The portion of sourcing within the City of Sun Prairie area (at least 15%).

Evaluation of Criteria

Criteria 1 and 2: Qualifications of Firm and Relevant Experience of Firm:

Evaluation team will use the evaluation scoring guide below to evaluate these two criteria. Each criteria will have a maximum number of points assigned to it. Based upon how well the proposal addressed each criteria, the evaluation team assigns a percentage of 0% up to maximum percentage of 100% to each criteria and then multiplies the maximum points by the appropriate scoring percentage to compute the final score.

Evaluation Scoring Guide

Percentage

Quality of Response

Description Strengths Relative to Requirement

Weaknesses Confidence In Proposed Approach

90-100 Excellent The proposal addresses the requirements completely, exhibits outstanding knowledge, creativity, innovation or other factors to justify this rating.

Meets requirements -numerous strengths in key areas.

None Very High

80-89 Good The proposal addresses the requirements completely and addresses some elements of the requirements in an outstanding manner

Meets requirements -some strengths in key areas

Minor - not in key areas

High

70-79 Moderate The proposal addresses most elements of the requirements.

Meets most requirements -minimal strengths provided in their response.

Moderate -does not outweigh strengths

Moderate

60-69 Marginal The proposal meets some of the RFP requirements.

Meets some of the requirements with some clear strengths.

Exist in key areas -outweighs strengths

Low

0-59 Unacceptable The proposal meets a few to none of the RFP requirements.

Meets a few to none of the requirements with few or no clear strengths.

Significant and numerous

No Confidence

For example:

Criteria (1) Point weight (2) Percentage (3) Final Score (2x3)

Qualifications of Firm 25 80% 20 Relevant Experience of Firm 25 90% 22.5

Criteria 3: Cost

The Finance Department complete the evaluation of the cost points. The proposal with the lowest cost received the maximum points allowed. All other proposals receive a percentage of the points available based on their cost relationship to the lowest cost proposal.

Price of Lowest Cost Proposal X Maximum points available=Awarded Cost Points Price of Proposal Being Rated

For Example:

The cost for the lowest proposal is $100,000. The next lowest proposal has a cost of $125,000. If the total points available for the cost criteria = 25 points, the next lowest proposal would be assigned 20 points ($100,000/$125,000) x 25pts)

Criteria 4: Sustainability:

The proposal should demonstrate alignment with the City’s sustainability objectives, as outlined in the Task Force on Sustainability Report (specifically, Strategic Recommendations starting on page 11). Examples include business efforts to reduce resource consumption (electricity, fuel, water, materials, food, etc.) and associated emissions, relevant commitments to sustainability initiatives or goals, and progress towards or completion of industry-standard certifications (examples include GRI, LEED, ISO14001, SASB); relative to the type of product/service being provided. The evaluation team will use the scoring guide below to assess responses, understanding that sustainability is a broad undertaking with many potential strategies and outcomes.

Proposers are required to complete the Form G: Sustainability Questionnaire and submit it with the proposal.

Sustainability Scoring Guide

Criteria Measurement Score Guidance

1. Reduction in product/service emissions, resource consumption

Absent (0), moderate (1-2), good (3-4), excellent (5-6)

0-6 Demonstrated, measurable reduction in electricity, fuel, water, materials, and food consumption related to the product/service.

2. Commitments to sustainability initiatives or goals

Absent (0), good (1), excellent (2)

0-2 Business initiatives (internal and external) and goals that support the community and environment.

3. Sustainability-related certifications

Absent (0), in progress or 1 certification (1), 2+ certifications (2)

0-2 Certifications recognize pursuit of operational best practices and demonstrate alignment on shared values.

Overall Sustainability Score

Absent-Excellent 0-10 Refer to provided guidelines https://www.cityofsunprairie.com/DocumentCenter/View/11354/Sun-Prairie-Sustainability-Report---Final-?bidId=

Criteria 5: DBE/WBE/DVB:

DBE/WBE/DVB certified Business receive full 10 points. Non-certified business receive zero point.

Criteria 6: Local Preference:

Local business receive full 5 points. Non-local business receive zero point.

R. Insurance and Indemnification Requirements

Insurance coverage shall be in place prior to commencing work and shall remain in force until the entire project is completed or the length of time that is specified in the contract.

See Form E for requirements.

II. DESCRIPTION OF RFP

See ATTACHMENT 1 Vegetation Restoration and Management Plan for the complete scope of services and maintenance plan schedule.

III. REQUIRED INFORMATION

Vendor's Proposal Forms A-G (Form F to be submitted separately) Completed W-9 Form