RFP 64-810 Cooling Tower Water Treatment FINAL.pdf

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

The University of North Carolina Asheville

Request for Proposal #: 64-810

Cooling Tower Water Treatment

Date of Issue: July 12, 2024

Proposal Opening Date: Thursday, August 15, 2024

At 3:00 PM ET

Direct all inquiries concerning this RFP to:

Lane Brown Purchasing Agent

Email: Lbrown@unca.edu

Phone: 828-232-2285

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STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

Request for Proposal #

64-810

For internal State agency processing, including tabulation of proposals, provide your company’s eVP (Electronic Vendor Portal) Number. Pursuant to G.S. 132-1.10(b) this identification number shall not be released to the public.

This page will be removed and shredded, or otherwise kept confidential, before the procurement file is made available for public inspection.

This page shall be filled out and returned with your proposal.

Failure to do so may subject your proposal to rejection.

Vendor Name

Vendor eVP#

Note: For a contract to be awarded to you, your company (you) must be a North Carolina registered vendor in good standing. You must enter the vendor number assigned through eVP (Electronic Vendor

Portal). If you do not have a vendor number, register at https://vendor.ncgov.com/vendor/login

ONLY electronic responses via eVP will be accepted for this solicitation https://vendor.ncgov.com/vendor/login

Proposal Number: 64-810 Vendor: __________________________________________

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AGENCY: THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA ASHEVILLE

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS NUMBER: 64-810

Refer all inquiries to Lane Brown, Purchasing Agent

Lbrown@unca.edu Phone: 828-232-2285 Fax: 828-251-6743

Deadline to submit responses to this RFP: August 15, 2024 at 3:00 p.m.

EXECUTION

In compliance with this Request for Proposals (RFP), and subject to all the conditions herein, the undersigned Vendor offers and agrees to furnish and deliver any or all items upon which prices are bid, at the prices set opposite each item within the time specified herein.

By executing this proposal, the undersigned Vendor understands that false certification is a Class I felony and certifies that:

this proposal is submitted competitively and without collusion (G.S. 143-54), none of its officers, directors, or owners of an unincorporated business entity has been convicted of any violations of Chapter 78A of the General Statutes, the Securities Act of 1933, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (G.S. 143-59.2), and it is not an ineligible Vendor as set forth in G.S. 143-59.1.

Furthermore, by executing this proposal, the undersigned certifies to the best of Vendor’s knowledge and belief, that:

it and its principals are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible or voluntarily excluded from covered transactions by any Federal or State department or agency.

As required by G.S. 143-48.5, the undersigned Vendor certifies that it, and each of its sub-Contractors for any Contract awarded as a result of this RFP, complies with the requirements of Article 2 of Chapter 64 of the NC General Statutes, including the requirement for each employer with more than 25 employees in North Carolina to verify the work authorization of its employees through the federal E-Verify system.

As required by Executive Order 24 (2017), the undersigned vendor certifies will comply with all Federal and State requirements concerning fair employment and that it does not and will not discriminate, harass, or retaliate against any employee in connection with performance of any Contract arising from this solicitation.

G.S. 133-32 and Executive Order 24 (2009) prohibit the offer to, or acceptance by, any State Employee associated with the preparing plans, specifications, estimates for public contracts; or awarding or administering public contracts; or inspecting or supervising delivery of the public contract of any gift from anyone with a contract with the State, or from any person seeking to do business with the State. By execution of this response to the RFP, the undersigned certifies, for Vendor’s entire organization and its employees or agents, that Vendor is not aware that any such gift has been offered, accepted, or promised by any employees of your organization.

By executing this proposal, Vendor certifies that it has read and agreed to the INSTRUCTION TO VENDORS and the NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS incorporated herein. These documents can be accessed from the ATTACHMENTS page within this document.

Failure to execute/sign proposal prior to submittal may render proposal invalid and it MAY BE REJECTED. Late proposals shall not be accepted.

COMPLETE/FORMAL NAME OF VENDOR:

STREET ADDRESS: P.O. BOX: ZIP:

CITY & STATE & ZIP: TELEPHONE NUMBER: TOLL FREE TEL. NO:

PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS ADDRESS IF DIFFERENT FROM ABOVE (SEE INSTRUCTIONS TO VENDORS ITEM #21):

PRINT NAME & TITLE OF PERSON SIGNING ON BEHALF OF VENDOR: FAX NUMBER:

VENDOR’S AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE*: DATE: EMAIL:

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VALIDITY PERIOD

Offer shall be valid for at least sixty 60 days from date of bid opening, unless otherwise stated here: ______ days, or if extended by mutual agreement of the parties in writing. Any withdrawal of this offer shall be made in writing, effective upon receipt by the agency issuing this RFP.

ACCEPTANCE OF PROPOSAL

If your proposal is accepted, all provisions of this RFP, along with the written results of any negotiations, shall constitute the written agreement between the parties (“Contract”). The NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS are incorporated herein and shall apply. Depending upon the Goods or Services being offered, other terms and conditions may apply, as mutually agreed.

FOR STATE USE ONLY: Offer accepted and Contract awarded this________ day of __________, 20____, as indicated on

The attached certification, by ____________________________________________________________________.

(Authorized Representative of The University of North Carolina Asheville)

Vendor Checklist

By signing the Execution Page of this RFP, you are acknowledging the following items have been reviewed, signed and attached with Vendor response.

Failure to include this information with bid response may render proposal invalid and it MAY BE REJECTED.

Initials Description

Pricing – Attachment A

Instructions to Vendor – Attachment B

North Carolina General Terms & Conditions – Attachment C

HUB Supplemental Vendor Information – Attachment D

Customer References – Attachment E

Location of Workers – Attachment F

Certification of Financial Condition – Attachment G

Invoices – Section 4.2

Vendor Experience – Section 4.5

Agency Insurance Requirements – Section 4.11

Any Published Addenda on the electronic Vendor Portal (eVP) for this RFP

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Contents

1.0 PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND

1.1 CONTRACT TERM

2.0 GENERAL INFORMATION

2.1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL DOCUMENT

2.2 NOTICE TO VENDORS REGARDING RFP TERMS AND CONDITIONS

2.3 RFP SCHEDULE

2.4 MANDATORY SITE VISIT

2.5 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS

2.6 PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL

2.7 PROPOSAL CONTENTS

2.8 ALTERNATE PROPOSALS

3.0 METHOD OF AWARD AND PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCESS

3.1 METHOD OF AWARD

3.2 CONFIDENTIALITY AND PROHIBITED COMMUNICATIONS DURING EVALUATION

3.3 PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCESS

3.4 EVALUATION CRITERIA

3.5 PERFORMANCE OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES

3.6 INTERPRETATION OF TERMS AND PHRASES

4.0 REQUIREMENTS

4.1 PRICING

4.2 INVOICES

4.3 FINANCIAL STABILITY

4.4 HUB PARTICIPATION

4.5 VENDOR EXPERIENCE

4.6 REFERENCES

4.7 BACKGROUND CHECKS

4.8 PERSONNEL QUALFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

4.9 VENDOR’S REPRESENTATIONS

4.10 AGENCY INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS MODIFICATION

5.0 SPECIFICATIONS AND SCOPE OF WORK

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5.1 SPECIFICATIONS

5.2 TECHNICAL APPROACH

6.0 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION

6.1 CONTRACT MANAGER AND CUSTOMER SERVICE

6.2 POST AWARD PROJECT REVIEW MEETINGS

6.3 CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

6.4 PERIODIC MONTHLY STATUS REPORTS

6.5 ACCEPTANCE OF WORK

6.6 FAITHFUL PERFORMANCE

6.7 TRANSITION ASSISTANCE

6.8 DISPUTE RESOLUTION

6.9 USE OF THIS CONTRACT BY UNC SYSTEM

6.10 CONTRACT CHANGES

7.0 ATTACHMENTS

ATTACHMENT A: PRICING

ATTACHMENT B: INSTRUCTIONS TO VENDORS

ATTACHMENT C: NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL TERMS & CONDITIONS

ATTACHMENT D: HUB SUPPLEMENTAL VENDOR INFORMATION

ATTACHMENT E: CUSTOMER REFERENCE FORM

ATTACHMENT F: LOCATION OF WORKERS UTILIZED BY VENDOR

ATTACHMENT G: CERTIFICATION OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

THE REMAINDER OF THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK

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1.0 PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND

UNC Asheville seeks proposals for establishing a contract for Basic Water Testing of campus buildings closed loop chilled & hot water piping systems, and Basic Service, Inspection and Water Testing for eight (8) open loop condenser water cooling tower systems on campus. Cooling towers to be covered under this contract agreement are located at:

1. Governor’s Residence Hall

2. Highsmith Student Center

3. Karpen Hall

4. Owen Hall

5. Ramsey Library

6. Robinson Hall

7. Sherrill Center

8. Zeis Science Building

Location details can be views on the campus map at https://maps.unca.edu/.

1.1 CONTRACT TERM

The Contract shall have an initial term of three (3) years, beginning on September 27, 2024.

At the end of the Contract’s initial term, UNC Asheville shall have the option, in its sole discretion, to renew the Contract on the same terms and conditions for up to two (2) additional one-year terms. UNC Asheville will give the Vendor written notice of its intent to exercise each option no later than ninety (90) days before the end of the Contract’s then-current term. In addition to any optional renewal terms, and with the Vendor’s concurrence, UNC Asheville reserves the right to extend the Contract after the last active term.

Proposals shall be submitted in accordance with the terms and conditions of this RFP and any addenda issued hereto.

2.0 GENERAL INFORMATION

2.1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL DOCUMENT

This RFP is comprised of the base RFP document, any attachments, and any addenda released before Contract award, which are incorporated herein by reference.

2.2 NOTICE TO VENDORS REGARDING RFP TERMS AND CONDITIONS

It shall be the Vendor’s responsibility to read the Instructions to Vendors, the North Carolina General Terms and Conditions, all relevant exhibits and attachments, and any other components made a part of this RFP and comply with all requirements and specifications herein. Vendors are also responsible for obtaining and complying with all Addenda and other changes that may be issued in connection with this RFP.

If Vendors have questions or issues regarding any component of this RFP, those must be submitted as questions in accordance with the instructions in the PROPOSAL QUESTIONS Section. If UNC Asheville determines that any changes will be made as a result of the questions asked, then such decisions will be communicated in the form of an RFP addendum. The State may also elect to leave open the possibility for later negotiation of specific provisions of the Contract that have been addressed during the question-and-answer period, prior to contract award.

Other than through the process of negotiation under 01 NCAC 05B.0503, the State rejects and will not be required to evaluate or consider any additional or modified terms and conditions submitted with Vendor’s proposal or otherwise. This applies to any language appearing in or attached to the document as part of the Vendor’s proposal that purports to vary any terms and conditions or Vendors’ instructions herein or to render the proposal non-binding or subject to further negotiation. Vendor’s proposal shall constitute a firm offer that shall be held open for the period required herein (“Validity Period” above).

https://maps.unca.edu/

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UNC Asheville may exercise its discretion to consider Vendor proposed modifications. By execution and delivery of this RFP Response, the Vendor agrees that any additional or modified terms and conditions, whether submitted purposely or inadvertently, shall have no force or effect, and will be disregarded unless expressly agreed upon through negotiation and incorporated by way of a Best and Final Offer (BAFO). Noncompliance with, or any attempt to alter or delete, this paragraph shall constitute sufficient grounds to reject Vendor’s proposal as nonresponsive.

2.3 RFP SCHEDULE

The table below shows the intended schedule for this RFP. UNC Asheville will make every effort to adhere to this schedule.

Event Responsibility Date and Time Issue RFP State Friday, July 12, 2024 Hold Mandatory Pre-Proposal Site Visit State Thursday, July 25, 2024 at 10:00 am EST Submit Written Questions Vendor Friday, August 2, 2024 by 3:00 pm EST Provide Response to Questions State Wednesday, August 7, 2024 by 5:00 pm EST Submit Proposals Vendor Thursday, August 15, 2024 by 3:00 pm EST

2.4 MANDATORY SITE VISIT

Date: July 25, 2024 Time: 10:00 AM Eastern Time Location: Sam Millar Facilities Complex

220 Campus Drive Room SS208 Asheville, NC 28804

Contact #: 828-232-2285

Instructions: It shall be MANDATORY that a representative from each Vendor be present for a pre-proposal site visit.

Attendees must arrive promptly All attendees must sign in upon arrival and clearly indicate each prospective Vendor represented on the sign in sheet. LATE ARRIVALS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO SIGN IN OR PARTICIPATE IN THE SITE VISIT, NOR SHALL THEIR PROPOSAL BE CONSIDERED. Once the sign-in process is complete, all other persons wishing to attend may do so to the extent that space and circumstances allow.

FAILURE TO ATTEND THE MANDATORY SITE VISIT SHALL RESULT IN VENDOR’S PROPOSAL BEING DEEMED NON-RESPONSIVE

AND NOT CONSIDERED FOR AWARD.

The purpose of this visit is for all prospective Vendors to apprise themselves of the conditions and requirements which will affect the performance of the work called for by this RFP. Vendors must stay for the duration of the site visit. No allowances will be made for unreported conditions that a prudent Vendor would recognize as affecting the work called for or implied by this RFP.

Vendors are cautioned that any information released to attendees during the site visit, other than that involving the physical aspects of the facility referenced above, and which conflicts with, supersedes, or adds to requirements in this RFP, must be confirmed by written addendum before it can be considered to be a part of this RFP.

Parking Policy:

All Contractors' vehicles parked on UNC Asheville campus must be registered with UNC Asheville’s Campus Police Department.

Contractors should be aware that vehicles parked on the UNC Asheville campus must comply with the current Traffic & Parking Regulations as established and enforced by Campus Police and are subject to ticketing and fines. The Contractor shall obtain and refer to the UNC Asheville Traffic and Parking Regulations (available from Campus Police Department) for further parking information.

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2.5 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS

Upon review of the RFP documents, Vendors may have questions to clarify or interpret the RFP in order to submit the best proposal possible. To accommodate the Proposal Questions process, Vendors shall submit any such questions by the “Submit Written Questions” date and time provided in the RFP SCHEDULE Section above, unless modified by Addendum.

Written questions shall be emailed to Lbrown@unca.edu by the date and time specified above. Vendors should enter “RFP # 64- 810 Questions” as the subject for the email. Question submittals should include a reference to the applicable RFP section and be submitted in the format shown below:

Reference Vendor Question

RFP Section, Page Number Vendor question …?

Questions received prior to the submission deadline date, UNC Asheville’s response, and any additional terms deemed necessary by UNC Asheville will be posted in the form of an addendum to the electronic Vendor Portal (eVP), https://evp.nc.gov, and shall become an Addendum to this RFP. No information, instruction or advice provided orally or informally by any State personnel, whether made in response to a question or otherwise in connection with this RFP, shall be considered authoritative or binding.

Vendors shall rely only on written material contained in the RFP and an addendum to this RFP.

2.6 PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is an absolute requirement. Late bids, regardless of cause, will not be opened or considered, and will be automatically disqualified from further consideration. Vendor shall bear the sole risk of late submission due to unintended or unanticipated delay. It is the Vendor’s sole responsibility to ensure its proposal has been received as described in this RFP by the specified time and date of opening. The time and date of receipt will be marked on each proposal when received. Any proposal or portion thereof received after the proposal deadline will be rejected.

[eVP]

If confidential and proprietary information is included in the proposal, also submit one (1) signed, REDACTED copy of the proposal.

Such information may include trade secrets defined by N.C. Gen. Stat. § 66-152 and other information exempted from the Public Records Act pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. §132- 1.2. Vendor may designate information, Products, Services or appropriate portions of its response as confidential, consistent with and to the extent permitted under the statutes and rules set forth above. By so redacting any page, or portion of a page, the Vendor warrants that it has formed a good faith opinion, having received such necessary or proper review by counsel and other knowledgeable advisors, that the portions determined to be confidential and proprietary and redacted as such, meet the requirements of the Rules and Statutes set forth above. However, under no circumstances shall price information be designated as confidential.

If the Vendor does not provide a redacted version of the proposal with its proposal submission, the Department may release an unredacted version if a record request is received.

Failure to submit a proposal in strict accordance with these instructions shall constitute sufficient cause to reject a Vendor’s proposal(s). Vendors are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to upload proposals.

Critical updated information may be included in Addenda to this RFP. It is important that all Vendors responding to this RFP periodically check the State’s eVP website for any Addenda that may be issued prior to the bid opening date. All Vendors shall be deemed to have read and understood all information in this RFP and all Addenda thereto.

2.7 PROPOSAL CONTENTS

Vendors shall populate all attachments of this RFP that require the Vendor to provide information and include an authorized signature where requested. Failure to provide all required items, or Vendor’s submission of incomplete items, may result in UNC Asheville rejecting Vendor’s proposal, in UNC Asheville’s sole discretion.

https://evp.nc.gov/

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Vendor RFP responses shall include the following items and attachments, which shall be arranged in the following order:

a) Cover Letter, which must contain the following: (i) a statement that confirms that the proposer has read the RFP in its entirety, including all links, and all Addenda released in conjunction with the RFP, (ii) a statement that the Vendor agrees to perform in accordance with the scope of work, requirements, and specifications contained herein; and (iii) Vendor’s agreement to comply with all instructions, terms and conditions, and attachments.

b) Title Page: Include the company name, address, phone number and authorized representative along with the Proposal Number.

c) Completed and signed version of all EXECUTION PAGES, along with the body of the RFP.

d) Signed receipt pages of any addenda released in conjunction with this RFP, if required to be returned.

e) Vendor’s Proposal addressing all Specifications of this RFP. [Indicate relative section references as a guide to responding to sections requiring additional responses outside of the solicitation document. If not required, delete.]

f) Completed version of ATTACHMENT A: PRICING

g) Completed version of ATTACHMENT D: HUB SUPPLEMENTAL VENDOR INFORMATION

h) Completed version of ATTACHMENT E: CUSTOMER REFERENCE FORM

i) Completed version of ATTACHMENT F: LOCATION OF WORKERS UTILIZED BY VENDOR

j) Completed and signed version of ATTACHMENT G: CERTIFICATION OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

2.8 ALTERNATE PROPOSALS

Unless provided otherwise in this RFP, Vendor may submit alternate proposals for comparable Goods, various methods or levels of Service(s), or that propose different options. Alternate proposals must specifically identify the RFP requirements and advantage(s) addressed by the alternate proposal. Any alternate proposal, in addition to the marking described above, must be clearly marked with the legend: “Alternate Proposal #___ [for ‘name of Vendor’]”. Each proposal must be for a specific set of Goods and Services and must include specific pricing. If a Vendor chooses to respond with various offerings, each must be offered with a separate price and be contained in a separate proposal document. Each proposal must be complete and independent of other proposals offered.

3.0 METHOD OF AWARD AND PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCESS

3.1 METHOD OF AWARD

North Carolina G.S. 143-52 provides a general list of criteria the State shall use to award contracts, as supplemented by the additional criteria herein. The Goods or Services being procured shall dictate the application and order of criteria; however, all award decisions shall be in UNC Asheville’s best interest. All qualified proposals will be evaluated, and awards will be made to the Vendor(s) meeting the specific RFP Specifications and achieving the highest and best final evaluation, based on the criteria described below.

While the intent of this RFP is to award a Contract(s) to a single vendor, UNC Asheville reserves the right to make separate awards to different Vendors for one or more line items, to not award one or more line items or to cancel this RFP in its entirety without awarding a Contract, if it is considered to be most advantageous to UNC Asheville to do so.

UNC Asheville reserves the right to waive any minor informality or technicality in proposals received.

3.2 CONFIDENTIALITY AND PROHIBITED COMMUNICATIONS DURING EVALUATION

While this RFP is under evaluation, the responding Vendor, including any subcontractors and suppliers, is prohibited from engaging in conversations intended to influence the outcome of the evaluation. See the Paragraph 29 of the Instructions to Vendors entitled

COMMUNICTIONS BY VENDORS.

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Each Vendor submitting a proposal to this RFP, including its employees, agents, subcontractors, suppliers, subsidiaries and affiliates, is prohibited from having any communications with any person inside or outside the using agency; issuing agency; other government agency office or body (including the purchaser named above, any department secretary, agency head, members of the General Assembly and Governor’s office); or private entity, if the communication refers to the content of Vendor’s proposal or qualifications, the content of another Vendor’s proposal, another Vendor’s qualifications or ability to perform a resulting contract, and/or the transmittal of any other communication of information that could be reasonably considered to have the effect of directly or indirectly influencing the evaluation of proposals, the award of a contract, or both.

Any Vendor not in compliance with this provision shall be disqualified from evaluation and award. A Vendor’s proposal may be disqualified if its subcontractor and/or supplier engage in any of the foregoing communications during the time that the procurement is active (i.e., the issuance date of the procurement until the date of contract award or cancellation of the procurement). Only those discussions, communications or transmittals of information authorized or initiated by the issuing agency for this RFP or inquiries directed to the purchaser named in this RFP regarding requirements of the RFP (prior to proposal submission) or the status of the award (after submission) are excepted from this provision.

3.3 PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCESS

Only responsive submissions will be evaluated.

UNC Asheville will conduct a One-Step evaluation of Proposals:

Proposals will be received according to the method stated in the Proposal Submittal Section above.

All proposals must be received by the issuing agency not later than the date and time specified in the RFP SCHEDULE Section above, unless modified by Addendum. Vendors are cautioned that this is a request for offers, not an offer or request to contract, and UNC Asheville reserves the unqualified right to reject any and all offers at any time if such rejection is deemed to be in the best interest of UNC Asheville.

At the date and time provided in the RFP SCHEDULE Section above, unless modified by Addendum, the proposal from each responding Vendor will be accessed via the eVP and all offers (except those that have been previously withdrawn, or voided bids) will be noted. Since negotiations after receipt of bids is authorized pursuant to G.S. 143-49 and 01 NCAC 05B.0503, only the names of offerors and the Goods and Services offered shall be noted at the time of opening. Interested parties are cautioned that proposals and their components are subject to further evaluation for completeness and correctness and therefore may not be an exact indicator of a Vendor’s final position.

At their option, the evaluators may request oral presentations or discussions with any or all Vendors for clarification or to amplify the materials presented in any part of the proposal. Vendors are cautioned, however, that the evaluators are not required to request presentations or other clarification—and often do not. Therefore, all proposals should be complete and reflect the most favorable terms available from the Vendor.

3.4 EVALUATION CRITERIA

In addition to the general criteria in G.S. 143-52 which may or may not be relevant to this RFP, all qualified proposals will be evaluated, and award made based on considering the following criteria, to result in an award most advantageous to UNC Asheville:

Qualifications and Experience: (30 Maximum Points)

References: (10 Maximum Points)

Technical: (20 Maximum Points) – See Section 5.2 for Technical Approach

Price: (40 Maximum Points)

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Example: The State will determine low cost by normalizing the scores as follows:

The proposal with the lowest cost will receive a score of XX. All other competing proposals will be assigned a portion of the maximum score using the formula:

3.5 PERFORMANCE OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES

Vendor shall complete ATTACHMENT F: LOCATION OF WORKERS UTILIZED BY VENDOR. In addition to any other evaluation criteria identified in this RFP, UNC Asheville may also consider, for purposes of evaluating proposed or actual contract performance outside of the United States, how that performance may affect the following factors to ensure that any award will be in the best interest of UNC Asheville:

a) Total cost to UNC Asheville

b) Level of quality provided by the Vendor

c) Process and performance capability across multiple jurisdictions

d) Protection of UNC Asheville’s information and intellectual property

e) Availability of pertinent skills

f) Ability to understand UNC Asheville’s business requirements and internal operational culture

g) Particular risk factors such as the security of UNC Asheville’s information technology

h) Relations with citizens and employees

i) Contract enforcement jurisdictional issues

3.6 INTERPRETATION OF TERMS AND PHRASES

This RFP serves two functions: (1) to advise potential Vendors of the parameters of the solution being sought by UNC Asheville;

and (2) to provide (together with other specified documents) the terms of the Contract resulting from this procurement. The use of phrases such as “shall,” “must,” and “requirements” are intended to create enforceable contract conditions. In determining whether proposals should be evaluated or rejected, UNC Asheville will take into consideration the degree to which Vendors have proposed or failed to propose solutions that will satisfy UNC Asheville’s needs as described in the RFP. Except as specifically stated in the RFP, no one requirement shall automatically disqualify a Vendor from consideration. However, failure to comply with any single requirement may result in UNC Asheville exercising its discretion to reject a proposal in its entirety.

4.0 REQUIREMENTS

This Section lists the requirements related to this RFP. By submitting a proposal, the Vendor agrees to meet all stated requirements in this Section as well as any other specifications, requirements, and terms and conditions stated in this RFP. If a Vendor is unclear about a requirement or specification or believes a change to a requirement would allow for UNC Asheville to receive a better proposal, the Vendor is urged to submit these items in the form of a question during the question and answer period in accordance with the Proposal Questions Section above.

4.1 PRICING

Proposal price shall constitute the total cost to UNC Asheville for complete performance in accordance with the requirements and specifications herein, including all applicable charges for handling, transportation, administrative and other similar fees. Complete ATTACHMENT A: PRICING FORM and include in Vendor’s proposal. The pricing provided in ATTACHMENT A, or resulting from any negotiations, is incorporated herein and shall become part of any resulting Contract.

XX x the cost of the lowest cost proposal the cost of the cost proposal being evaluated

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4.2 INVOICES

Invoices: Unless otherwise specified in a Purchase Order or contract Modification Agreement, invoices shall be submitted by the Contractor quarterly to the following address:

The University of North Carolina at Asheville ATTN: Accounts Payable Department One University Heights Asheville NC 28804-3299

All invoices shall show the contract number, and a single invoice shall be submitted separately for each group of cooling towers/equipment/testing. See pricing pages 11, 12 & 13 for details. Quarterly billing cycle (invoices due to UNCA) to commence 90 days from start of contract (April 1st, 2015, or earliest date possible after evaluation of bid responses) and continue through the course of this contract.

Invoices must match the PO description and totals for each PO issued. Quarterly invoicing shall be submitted for each group of cooling towers as follows:

(a) Academic Buildings

(b) Residence Halls

(c) Highsmith Student Center

(d) Sherrill Center

• Annual testing of closed loop piping systems shall be invoiced separately on a single invoice.

• These requirements are in addition to and independent from any other requirements regarding invoices referenced herein.

INVOICES MAY NOT BE PAID UNTIL AN INSPECTION HAS OCCURRED AND THE GOODS OR SERVICES ACCEPTED.

4.3 FINANCIAL STABILITY

Contractor shall have sufficient financial and personnel resources to successfully provide the scope of services described herein.

Please indicate your experience in providing materials and services for water treatment programs. State how long your firm has been engaged in the water treatment business. Enclose a copy of your firm’s latest annual report or equivalent. If your firm is a division of a larger organization, please submit financial data from your division.

As a condition of contract award, the Vendor must certify that it has the financial capacity to perform and to continue to perform its obligations under the Contract; that Vendor has no constructive or actual knowledge of an actual or potential legal proceeding being brought against Vendor that could materially adversely affect performance of this Contract; and that entering into this Contract is not prohibited by any contract, or order by any court of competent jurisdiction.

Each Vendor shall certify it is financially stable by completing ATTACHMENT G: CERTIFICATION OF FINANCIAL CONDITION. UNC Asheville is requiring this certification to minimize potential issues from contracting with a Vendor that is financially unstable. From the date of the Certification to the expiration of the Contract, the Vendor shall notify UNC Asheville within thirty (30) days of any occurrence or condition that materially alters the truth of any statement made in this Certification. The Contract Manager may require annual recertification of the Vendor’s financial stability.

4.4 HUB PARTICIPATION

Pursuant to North Carolina General Statute G.S. 143-48, it is State policy to encourage and promote the use of small, minority, physically handicapped, and women contractors in purchasing Goods and Services. As such, this RFP will serve to identify those Vendors that are minority owned or have a strategic plan to support the State’s Historically Underutilized Business program by meeting or exceeding the goal of 10% utilization of diverse firms as 1st or 2nd tier subcontractors. Vendor shall complete

ATTACHMENT D: HUB SUPPLEMENTAL VENDOR INFORMATION.

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4.5 VENDOR EXPERIENCE

In its Proposal, Vendor shall demonstrate experience with public and/or private sector clients with similar or greater size and complexity to UNC Asheville. Vendor shall provide information as to the qualifications and experience of all executive, managerial, legal, and professional personnel to be assigned to this project, including resumes citing experience with similar projects and the responsibilities to be assigned to each person.

The Contractor shall have demonstrated experience in performing inspections, test, maintenance and repair of similar scope and magnitude as described herein; demonstrated experience in performing similar services on equipment of the type, age, and condition as described herein; a demonstrated understanding of and experience with current Private Industry, State and Federal guidelines and standards as set forth by the CDC, Cooling Tower Institute, ASME, Trade organizations, and consulting engineering firms pertaining to industrial and comfort cooling water treatment applications; demonstrated understanding of and experience with all applicable code-related certification and reporting requirements for all work described herein; demonstrated understanding of and experience with the installation and maintenance of chemical distribution devices, conductivity metering devices, and chemical HAZMAT requirements. Mechanical safety hazards, and chemical testing procedures on the systems to be inspected, tested, maintained, and repaired.

Contractor shall be experienced with industrial and comfort cooling water treatment systems and procedures (minimum of 5-years’ experience), properly trained and qualified to perform required inspection, testing, maintenance, repair and installation services on the type of cooling towers and associated piping systems included in this solicitation. Contractor must have a thorough knowledge of the standard practices, materials, codes, and processes of industrial and comfort cooling water treatment system equipment and the ability to efficiently use the tools, equipment and materials of the water treatment industry. Contractor must be able to supervise one or more assistants as required. Contractor shall be uniformed with a visible ID while on campus.

4.6 REFERENCES.

A list of five (5) references (including contact persons and telephone numbers) for which similar work has been performed shall be included and the list shall include all similar contracts performed by the offeror in the past three years. The evaluators will randomly select at least two of these references, but the evaluators reserve the right to contact all the references listed if information from the two references contacted warrant further inquiry. The evaluators may check all public sources to determine whether offeror has listed all contracts for similar work within the designated period. If the evaluators determine that references for other public contracts for similar contracts were not listed, the evaluators may contact the public entities to make inquiry into offeror’s performance of those contracts and the information obtained may be considered in evaluating offeror’s proposal.

Reference list should include a minimum of three (3) present customers which have water treatment applications similar to UNC Asheville. Please include the customer’s name, address, phone number and contact name on ATTACHMENT E: Customer Reference Form.

4.7 BACKGROUND CHECKS

Any personnel or agent of Vendor performing Services under any Contract arising from this RFP may be required to undergo a background check at the expense of the Vendor, if so requested by UNC Asheville.

4.8 PERSONNEL QUALFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

Vendor warrants that qualified personnel shall provide Services under this Contract in a professional manner. “Professional manner” means that the personnel performing the Services will possess the skill and competence consistent with the prevailing business standards in the industry. Vendor will serve as the prime contractor under this Contract and shall be responsible for the performance and payment of all subcontractor(s) that may be approved by UNC Asheville. Names of any third-party Vendors or subcontractors of Vendor may appear for purposes of convenience in Contract documents; and shall not limit Vendor’s obligations hereunder. Vendor will retain executive representation for functional and technical expertise as needed in order to incorporate any work by third party subcontractor(s).

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Should the Vendor’s proposal result in an award, the Vendor shall be required to agree that it will not substitute key personnel assigned to the performance of the Contract without prior written approval by the Contract Lead. Vendor shall further agree that it will notify the Contract Lead of any desired substitution, including the name(s) and references of Vendor’s recommended substitute personnel. UNC Asheville will approve or disapprove the requested substitution in a timely manner. UNC Asheville may, in its sole discretion, terminate the Services of any person providing Services under this Contract. Upon such termination, UNC Asheville may request acceptable substitute personnel or terminate the contract Services provided by such personnel.

The contractor shall appoint two members of his/her company to represent the company in dealings with the University. Both contractor representatives shall be full time employees of the vendor. The representatives shall be familiar with all aspects of water treatment. Only these individuals will represent the vendor regarding services for this contract unless otherwise specifically authorized by the UNC Asheville HVAC Department. List the name, years in the water treatment industry, and years with the vendor for each of the two (2) appointed representatives.

Include current certifications and experience as part of bid package.

4.9 VENDOR’S REPRESENTATIONS

If Vendor’s Proposal results in an award, Vendor agrees that it will not enter any agreement with a third party that may abridge any rights of UNC Asheville under the Contract. If any Services, deliverables, functions, or responsibilities not specifically described in this solicitation are required for Vendor’s proper performance, provision and delivery of the Service and deliverables under a resulting Contract, or are an inherent part of or necessary sub-task included within such Service, they will be deemed to be implied by and included within the scope of the Contract to the same extent and in the same manner as if specifically described in the Contract. Unless otherwise expressly provided herein, Vendor will furnish all of its own necessary management, supervision, labor, facilities, furniture, computer and telecommunications equipment, software, supplies and materials necessary for the Vendor to provide and deliver the Services and/or other Deliverables.

4.10 AGENCY INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS MODIFICATION

Default Insurance Coverage from the General Terms and Conditions applicable to this Solicitation:

☐ Small Purchases

☒ Contract value in excess of the Small Purchase threshold, but up to $1,000,000.00

☐ Contract value in excess of $1,000,000.00

5.0 SPECIFICATIONS AND SCOPE OF WORK

The services being solicited under this RFP are preventative maintenance and safety functions as they apply to primary cooling and heating piping & cooling tower water conditioning treatment.

5.1 SPECIFICATIONS

Water Treatment Services:

Contractor shall provide all labor, tools, equipment, chemicals, and all incidentals required for the complete and satisfactory performance of the specified water treatment services. UNC Asheville reserves the right to reject services from any personnel deemed by UNC Asheville to be unqualified, disorderly, or otherwise unable to perform assigned work. The Contractor shall provide and keep up to date a list of all personnel performing work under this contract with written evidence of the personnel's qualifications. Water treatment services are defined as follows:

A. Annual corrosion coupon rack inspection & testing on all (8) cooling towers

B. Semi-annual Legionella testing on all (8) cooling towers

C. Monthly site visit with chemical treatment & report, conductivity meters & blow-down inspection

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D. On-going water-conditioning and control of bacteriological colonies & growth rates

E. Annual chilled & hot water closed loop systems testing with report

Monthly inspections, testing & recording:

A copy of the monthly inspection report shall be submitted to the owner each month. Testing and water treatment maintenance services will be performed in accordance with all applicable standards as recommended by the Cooling Tower Institute, CDC, and ASME. Testing and maintenance procedures are defined on the following page:

A. Services provided will be for the purpose of water treatment, closed loop sample testing, monitoring for corrosion rates as established by the coupon weighting method & corrosion inhibition treatment using the PPM phosphate suspension method. Scale prevention, water conservation, and methods of corrosion control bacteriological/organic growth detection & control associated with cooling tower condenser water open loop piping systems.

B. Monthly monitoring and levels to maintain will include pH (7.5-9), conductivity (800-1000 ohms), calcium hardness (< 500 ppm), M alkalinity (300-600 ppm), dissolved iron (< .5 ppm), free chlorine/bromine (.3-1 ppm residual), phosphate suspension (10-15 ppm), and coupon weighting. Monthly written report of test results for campus cooling towers will be submitted to owner for records based on visual and chemical analysis performed by the vendor. Written report will also include recommendations for preventative/corrective actions the owner should take beyond the scope of the contract as problems are identified.

C. Coupon Racks- Base line determined at 30 days and then establish annual testing with report of corrosion rates. Submit report to the owner.

D. Monthly cooling tower maintenance will include cleaning/replenishing/ replacing any chemicals and their associated injection pumps for tower basins. Cleaning scale/sludge film from tower splash guards and interior of lower tower basin surface (as needed) and checking/cleaning tower basin sweeper unit pump inlet strainer basket (monthly) is required. All other cooling tower mechanical maintenance will be performed by university personnel.

E. Monthly cooling tower maintenance will include calibration check and sensor head cleaning of all conductivity meter devices used for water blow-down. Trip point shall be maintained @ 800-1000 ohms. Costs to repair/replace defective devices will be approved by owner first.

F. Monthly random sampling and testing for bacteria/fungi growth.

G. The use of a corrosion inhibitor and dual biocide treatment method for maximum efficacy shall be employed.

Treatment method shall be by automatically metering and injecting directly into the water loop. Storage of barrel chemicals/storage devices on campus is permitted at each cooling tower pumping mechanical room.

Barrel chemicals/storage devices can be shipped directly to the HVAC department at Sam Millar Complex as needed for further delivery in the field to the respective buildings. Floating chemical delivery devices may also be deployed in each tower basin, but only in addition to the automatic system of delivery as needed.

H. Semi-annual sampling, testing and report submitted to owner for Legionella bacteria colonies on all (8) cooling towers. Remediate as required when positive test indications are present.

I. Annual (September) closed loop testing on approximately 40 piping systems (both chill water & hot water).

Owner will provide vendor with 16-oz bottled samples from each system. Test and chart/report to owner four tests for each sample- pH, Alkalinity, total dissolved solids, and nitrite level (corrosion inhibitor). Vendor to provide one (1) free of charge courtesy re-test per year after introduction of corrosion inhibitor and system remediation by owner is performed, as a result of initial test results being out of accepted industry standards.

J. The Contractor must provide a written estimate of the cost of repair services to UNC Asheville and receive prior written authorization to proceed. Equipment Repair services performed by the Contractor without such prior written authorization will not be processed for payment. Equipment repairs performed by the Contractor as a

Ver: 11/2023 15 result of an emergency repair call will not require prior written estimates and written authorization. Scope of repairs that may be performed by the vendor include, but are not limited to, conductivity meters, sensors, coupon racks, blow down solenoids, and associated valves & piping.

K. Owner has the right to stop service at any time if it’s determined the vendor has been negligent in its responsibilities to faithfully execute the terms and specifications of this contract. See NC General Terms & Conditions, #6.

Other requirements Record Keeping: Monthly records for all cooling towers will be maintained and one copy will be provided to the owner to be kept on site. Contractor may use log sheets or spreadsheets determined to be suitable to compile all necessary information covered in Section I Scope of Work in this RFP. The vendor will keep historical data for a period of 12 months at their location, unless there are statutory requirements the owner is unaware of. After 12 months historical data may be discarded at the vendor’s location/discretion.

Scheduling of Tests/Maintenance: Contractor will schedule all tests and/or maintenance, which may cause disruption of cooling tower operations resulting in loss of cooling to a building on campus during normal school hours, a minimum of 48 hours in advance with the owner. If required test/maintenance would result in cooling tower being taken off-line for more than four (4) hours, then said test/maintenance will not be postponed and re-scheduled for a regular school break when classes are not in session. Tests/maintenance which is not expected to cause disruption of campus activities may be performed during normal work hours of Monday-Friday 730am- 430pm. The Contractor shall coordinate all tests with the Physical Plant HVAC department.

Check-in and out Procedure: During the University's normal working hours, the Contractor personnel shall check in with the designated Facilities HVAC department representative immediately upon arrival to the University.

Contractor will be escorted by HVAC personnel to any restricted access cooling tower locations. Check out during University's normal working hours shall include sign out and return of any keys if issued. Outside of University's normal working hours, Contractor personnel shall report to the Public Safety Department for check in and out.

Additionally, Contractor personnel may be asked to check in and out with building contact person.

5.2 TECHNICAL APPROACH

Vendor’s proposal shall include, in narrative, outline, and/or graph form the Vendor's approach to accomplishing the tasks outlined in the Scope of Work section of this RFP. A description of each task and deliverable and the schedule for accomplishing each shall be included.

6.0 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION

All Contract Administration requirements are conditioned on an award resulting from this solicitation. This information is provided for the Vendor’s planning purposes.

6.1 CONTRACT MANAGER AND CUSTOMER SERVICE

The Vendor shall be required to designate and make available to UNC Asheville a contract manager. The contract manager shall be UNC Asheville’s point of contact for Contract related issues and issues concerning performance, progress review, scheduling, and service.

Contract Manager Point of Contact

Name:

Office Phone #:

Mobile Phone #:

Email:

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The Vendor shall be required to designate and make available to UNC Asheville for customer service. The customer service point of contact shall be UNC Asheville’s point of contact for customer service-related issues (define roles and responsibilities).

Customer Service Point of Contact

Name:

Office Phone #:

Mobile Phone #:

Email:

6.2 POST AWARD PROJECT REVIEW MEETINGS

The Vendor, at the request of UNC Asheville, shall be required to meet periodically with UNC Asheville for Project Review meetings.

The purpose of these meetings will be to review project progress reports, discuss Vendor and State performance, address outstanding issues, review problem resolution, provide direction, evaluate continuous improvement and cost saving ideas, and discuss any other pertinent topics.

6.3 CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

UNC Asheville encourages the Vendor to identify opportunities to reduce the total cost UNC Asheville. A continuous improvement effort consists of various ways to enhance business efficiencies as performance progresses.

6.4 PERIODIC MONTHLY STATUS REPORTS

The Vendor shall be required to provide inspection reports to the designated Contract Lead on a monthly basis, as outlined in Section 5.1 of this RFP. These reports shall be well organized and easy to read.