RFQ_0683 MA for Trash Bags.docx

STATE OF MAINE

DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE AND FINANCIAL SERVICES

BUREAU OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

DIVISION OF PROCUREMENT SERVICES

RFQ #18P 18062600000000000683

Trash Bags, Clear, LLDPE, Various Sizes

Quotations/Responses Due: Thursday, July 12, 2018 not later than 4:00 p.m. local time

Note: All questions and responses must be provided via the State of Maine’s e-Procurement system: AdvantageME / Vendor Self Service (VSS).

General Instructions on Bidder Questions It is the responsibility of each Bidder to examine the entire RFQ and to seek clarification by submitting questions through the Q & A List tab on the Solicitation page. Any answers to questions will appear there as well. It is the vendor's responsibility to log in to view all questions and answers posted. Additional information obtained any other way will not be valid.

In the event that you must contact us for any other reasons than the Q & A previously mentioned, only the Buyer listed on the Solicitation page may be contacted from the time this RFQ is issued until award notification is made. No other person/State employee is empowered to make binding statements regarding this RFQ. Violation of this provision may lead to disqualification from the bidding process, at the State’s discretion.

Summary For this competitive Request for Quotations (RFQ) process, the State of Maine Division of Procurement Services (“Division”) is acting on behalf of All State of Maine Agencies (“Requesting Department”). The Division and the Requesting Department seek quotations (also referred to as “bids” or “responses” herein) to provide the goods/services listed above. This document provides instructions and descriptions of requirements for this competitive process.

RFQ REQUIREMENTS

1. Description of Requirements

The following is a description of the goods and/or services sought by the State of Maine under this RFQ.

· Please see Appendix B

2. Bid Contents Requirements

In addition to the cost, delivery, and other information required in VSS, all bids should contain the following information as attachments, in the Appendices listed below:

· Appendix A: Bid Cover Page and Debarment Form

· Appendix D: Maine Business and Economic Impact Consideration Form

· Appendix E: Municipality Political Subdivision and School District Participation Certification

· Cost Response Sheet, Excel Format (see attached)

· Product Data/Information Sheets

· Samples (send to address provided in Appendix B)

3. Master Agreement Term

In addition to any mutually agreed upon delivery dates for purchases of goods, the contract (or contracts) resulting from this RFQ will have a term, or “Period of Performance”, during which the contract is considered to be in effect. The anticipated contract term is defined in the table below. Please note that the dates below are estimated and may be adjusted as necessary in order to comply with all procedural requirements associated with this RFQ and the contracting process. The actual contract start date will be established by the completed and approved contract.

Contract Renewal: Following the initial 2-year term of the contract, the Division may opt to renew the contract for two renewal periods of one 2-year and one 1-year renewal, subject to continued availability of funding and satisfactory delivery/performance.

The term of the anticipated contract, resulting from this RFQ, is defined as follows:

4. Submitting a Quotation

a. Quotations Due: Quotations must be received no later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST), on the date listed in VSS. Quotations received after the 4:00 p.m. deadline will not be accepted.

b. Submission Instructions: Bidders must submit their bids in the State of Maine’s electronic procurement system: Advantage “Vendor Self Service” (VSS). More information on this system can be found at the following internet link: http://www.maine.gov/purchases/venbid/rfq.shtml.

c. Multiple Quotations: Unless specifically prohibited in Section 1 of this RFQ, Bidders are permitted to submit multiple quotations for this RFQ, offering alternative items or pricing for the State of Maine to consider in its best value determination.

d. Withdrawal of a Quotation: Bidders are permitted to withdraw their own quotations up until the due date and time for receipt of quotations. To do so, a Bidder must enter the VSS system (as referenced above), identify and open their submitted quotation located in the Solicitation Responses tab, and click the “Withdraw” button found at the bottom of the screen. Quotations cannot be withdrawn after the due date and time for receipt of quotations.

e. Attachments: Any attachments provided with the Advantage VSS bid submission must be in MS Word, MS Excel, or Adobe (.pdf) format, unless otherwise specified in Section 1 of this RFQ. Vendors are encouraged to submit supporting documentation that aid the requesting department in understanding how the bid conforms to the requirements. The VSS attachment file size limit is 2Mb. Please contact the buyer for this RFQ if you must submit attachment files larger than this.

f. Vendor specifications: Unless otherwise stated in this RFQ document, limited specification information will be required upon submission of a bid in response to this RFQ. However, a Bidder’s response should include an affirmative statement that their bid complies with all requirements of this RFQ, unless the Bidder specifically addresses how its bid differs from the specifications, and why the differences should be deemed acceptable by the State.

5. General Instructions

a. The Bidder must submit a cost quotation response that covers the goods and term of the contract, including any optional renewal.

b. The cost quotation shall include the costs necessary for the Bidder to fully comply with the contract terms and conditions and RFQ requirements.

c. Failure to provide the requested information may result in the exclusion of the quotation from consideration, at the discretion of the Division.

d. No costs related to the preparation of the quotation for this RFQ or to the negotiation of the contract with the Department may be included in the quotation.

e. The State is exempt from the payment of Federal, State and local Taxes on articles not for resale. Please provide quotations that do not include these taxes. Upon application, an exemption certificate can be furnished by the State at the point of contract finalization.

6. Quotation Evaluation and Selection

Evaluation of the submitted quotations shall be accomplished as detailed below:

a. State of Maine RFQ documents are evaluated on a Best Value basis. The term “Best Value” may take into consideration the qualities of the goods or services to be supplied, their conformity with the specifications listed in the RFQ, the purposes for which they are required, the date of delivery, and the best interest of the State. Once the goods or services have been determined to conform to the specifications then the Division will make its award decision based on the lowest price among the Bidders. Delivery days can be a factor in awarding.

b. The State reserves the right to not make an award to the lowest price bidder when that bidder has had documented poor performance and/or a contract terminated or not renewed within the last five years.

c. At the discretion of the Division, if a Bidder’s submission is deemed to not conform to the specifications listed in the RFQ, or otherwise not conform to the requirements of the RFQ, then that Bidder’s submission may not be considered for contract award.

d. In the event that no Bidder submission conforms to the specifications of this RFQ, then the Division may choose not to make any award. Alternatively, the Division may make an award to the Best Value Bidder whose specifications most closely meet the specifications of this RFQ. For example, if there are five specification requirements, and two responses are received with one Bidder meeting four requirements, and one bidder meeting three requirements, then the Division, at its discretion, may make a contract award to the Bidder meeting four requirements.

e. If the specifications provided with this RFQ are of a technical nature, then the Division’s RFQ Coordinator, at his or her discretion, may seek to use an evaluation team comprised of subject matter experts, end-users from the Requesting Department, or other State Department representatives. In such a case, the evaluation team will judge the merits of the quotations received in accordance with the best value criteria defined in the RFQ.

f. Maine Business and Economic Impact Consideration Using Appendix D (Maine Business and Economic Impact Consideration Form), the Bidder (Bidder identified on the “Bid Cover Page” - Appendix A) is required to describe the Bidder’s investment in the State of Maine as reported on the most recently completed IRS form W-2. Consideration of this information in making contract award decisions is required in accordance with Executive Order 2017-003, which states “Evaluators of competitive bids for goods and services shall give consideration to the investment in the State by business enterprises as a best-value criterion.” The State reserves the right to verify this information at any time during the evaluation process or after.

The Maine Business and Economic Impact Consideration will allow up to a 10% reduction in a Bidder’s submitted price for comparison purposes when determining award. The exact percentage will be determined using the information provided by Bidders on their submitted Maine Business and Economic Impact Consideration Form (Appendix D) compared to the percentage breakdowns below:

The percentages from both Maine Business Analysis and Maine Economic Impact will be combined for a Bidder’s total percentage reduction in price. For example, if a Bidder has a “Average Percentage of Maine Business Impact - 1 to 74%” in Maine Business Analysis and a “Sum of Maine Economic Analysis - $1,000,001 to $10,000,000” in Maine Economic Impact, their total percentage reduction for price comparison would be 6% (2% + 4%).

7. Negotiations

a. No Best and Final Offers: The State of Maine will not seek a best and final offer (BAFO) from any Bidder in this procurement process. All Bidders are expected to provide their Best Value pricing with the submission of their quotation.

b. The Division reserves the right to negotiate with the successful Bidder to finalize a contract at the same rate or cost of goods and services as presented in the selected quotation. Such negotiations may not significantly vary the content, nature or requirements of the quotation or the RFQ to an extent that may affect the price of goods or services requested. The Division reserves the right to terminate contract negotiations with a selected Bidder who submits a proposed contract significantly different from the quotation submitted in response to the RFQ.

c. In the event that an acceptable contract cannot be negotiated with the highest ranked Bidder, the Division may withdraw its award and negotiate with the next-highest ranked Bidder, and so on, until an acceptable contract has been finalized. Alternatively, the Division may cancel the RFQ, at its sole discretion.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR RFQ AND CONTRACT

PART I GENERAL INFORMATION ON RFQs

A. Purpose and Background

The State of Maine (“State”) Department of Administrative and Financial Services (“Department”), Bureau of Business Management (“Bureau”), Division of Procurement Services (“Division”) acts as the purchasing agent on behalf of all Executive Departments and other agencies within State Government. For this competitive Request for Quotations (RFQ) process, the Division is acting on behalf of the Requesting Department listed on the cover page. The Division and the Requesting Department seek quotations (also referred to as “bids” or “responses” herein) to provide the goods/services as defined above in Section 1 of this document. This document provides instructions for submitting quotations, the procedure and criteria by which the Bidder(s) will be selected, and the contractual terms which will govern the relationship between the State and the awarded Bidder(s). Following Bidder selection and upon reaching a mutual agreement, the State and the selected Bidder will enter into a contract – taking the form of a State of Maine Master Agreement or Buyer Purchase Order (all generally referred to as “contract” herein), as applicable.

B. General Provisions

http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/1/title1sec401.html

C. Eligibility to Submit Bids

Public agencies, private for-profit companies, and non-profit companies and institutions are invited to submit bids in response to State of Maine Requests for Quotations.

D. Delivery Terms

For the purchase of goods, the Division and selected Bidder will decide upon a delivery date in accordance with the State’s requirements and the terms offered in the Bidder’s quotation. Unless stated otherwise in Section 1 of this RFQ, all deliveries are expected with shipping terms of “Free on Board (FOB) – Destination”. The State intends for this to mean that all goods shall be priced in the bid response to include shipping charges, if any, to the State’s desired location. The “FOB – Destination” shipping term is also intended to mean that the State shall not bear any responsibility for the goods in question until the State takes possession of them at the destination point of delivery.

E. Alternate Bids and Approved Equals

When, in bid forms and specifications, an article or material is identified by using a trade name and catalog number of a manufacturer or vendor, the term “or approved equal,” if not inserted with the identification, is implied. Any Bidder that seeks to propose an alternate item from what is specified in this RFQ should refer to State of Maine Statute 5 MRSA §1825-B, for “Bids, awards and contracts”, found here: http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/5/title5sec1825-B.html

F. Appeal of Contract Awards

Any person aggrieved by the award decision that results from this RFQ may appeal the decision to the Director of the Bureau of General Services in the manner prescribed in 5 MRSA § 1825-E and 18-554 Code of Maine Rules, Chapter 120 (found here: http://www.maine.gov/purchases/policies/120.shtml). The appeal must be in writing and filed with the Director of the Bureau of General Services, 9 State House Station, Augusta, Maine, 04333-0009 within 15 calendar days of receipt of notification of contract award.

If this RFQ results in the creation of a pre-qualified or pre-approved list of vendors, then the appeal procedures mentioned above are available upon the original determination of that vendor list, but not during subsequent competitive procedures involving only the pre-qualified or pre-approved list participants.

PART II CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION AND CONDITIONS

A. Contract Document

The successful Bidder will be required to execute a contract in the form of a State of Maine Buyer Purchase Order, Contract Agreement to Purchase Services or State of Maine Master Agreement.

The Standard Terms and Conditions used with the aforementioned contract types may be found on the Division of Procurement Services’ website at the following link:

http://www.maine.gov/purchases/info/forms/BPO_General_Terms.doc

In the event that the State of Maine’s Standard Terms and Conditions or RFQ provisions do not otherwise cover contractual scenarios that are specific to the goods or services being purchased under this RFQ, then the State is willing to consider a Bidder’s standard terms and conditions. Consideration or use of a Bidder’s standard terms and conditions shall only occur under the general agreement that in the event of a conflict, the State of Maine’s Standard Terms and Conditions and RFQ provisions shall take precedence.

Other forms and contract documents commonly used by the State can be found on the Division of Procurement Services’ website at the following link: http://www.maine.gov/purchases/info/forms.shtml

B. Independent Capacity

In providing services and performing under the contract, the successful Bidder shall act independently and not as an agent of the State of Maine.

C. Payments and Other Provisions

The State anticipates paying the selected Bidder for goods and services received, on the basis of net 30 payment terms, upon the receipt of an accurate and acceptable invoice. An invoice will be considered accurate and acceptable if it contains a reference to the State of Maine contract number, contains correct pricing information relative to the contract, and provides any required supporting documents, as applicable, and any other specific and agreed-upon requirements listed within the contract that results from this RFQ.

The State of Maine reserves the right to pay for goods purchased through this solicitation by any of several available means, which include but may not be limited to check, EFT, and/or procurement card. Bidders are advised that state statute precludes sellers from imposing a surcharge on credit or debit card purchases (text follows):

“9-A MRSA §8-303 (2): A seller in a sales transaction may not impose a surcharge on a cardholder who elects to use a credit card or debit card in lieu of payment by cash, check or similar means.”

Appendix A

STATE OF MAINE

DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE AND FINANCIAL SERVICES

DIVISION OF PROCUREMENT SERVICES

BID COVER PAGE and DEBARMENT FORM

Bidder’s Organization Name:

Chief Executive - Name/Title:

Headquarters Street Address:

Headquarters City/State/Zip:

(provide information requested below if different from above)

Lead Point of Contact for Bid - Name/Title:

Street Address:

City/State/Zip:

By signing below Bidder affirms:

· Their bid complies with all requirements of this RFQ;

· This bid and the pricing structure contained herein will remain firm for a period of 180 days from the date and time of the bid opening;

· That no personnel currently employed by the Department or any other State agency participated, either directly or indirectly, in any activities relating to the preparation of the Bidder’s proposal;

· That no attempt has been made or will be made by the Bidder to induce any other person or firm to submit or not to submit a proposal; and

· The undersigned is authorized to enter into contractual obligations on behalf of the above-named organization.

Name:

Title:

Authorized Signature:

Date:

State of Maine RFQ #18P 18062600000000000683 Rev. 3/19/2018 Debarment, Performance, and Non-Collusion Certification

By signing this document, I certify to the best of my knowledge and belief that the aforementioned organization, its principals, and any subcontractors named in this proposal:

1. Are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, and declared ineligible or voluntarily excluded from bidding or working on contracts issued by any governmental agency.

1. Have not within three years of submitting the proposal for this contract been convicted of or had a civil judgment rendered against them for:

0. fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a federal, state or local government transaction or contract.

0. violating Federal or State antitrust statutes or committing embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statements, or receiving stolen property;

0. are not presently indicted for or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a governmental entity (Federal, State or Local) with commission of any of the offenses enumerated in paragraph (b) of this certification; and

0. have not within a three (3) year period preceding this proposal had one or more federal, state or local government transactions terminated for cause or default.

1. Have not entered into a prior understanding, agreement, or connection with any corporation, firm, or person submitting a response for the same materials, supplies, equipment, or services and this proposal is in all respects fair and without collusion or fraud. The above mentioned entities understand and agree that collusive bidding is a violation of state and federal law and can result in fines, prison sentences, and civil damage awards.

· Failure to provide this certification may result in the disqualification of the Bidder’s proposal, at the discretion of the Department.

To the best of my knowledge all information provided in the enclosed proposal, both programmatic and financial, is complete and accurate at the time of submission.

Name:

Title:

Authorized Signature:

Date:

Appendix B

DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE AND FINANCIAL SERVICES

DIVISION OF PROCUREMENT SERVICES

DETAILED SPECIFICATIONS

RFQ #18P 18062600000000000683

Trash Bags, Clear, LLDPE, Various Sizes

Equivalent items may be bid; however, all equivalent item bids MUST include documentation to prove equivalency. The final decision on equivalency will be determined by the requesting Department.

COMMODITY: Clear Plastic Trash Bags, various sizes. Must contain at least 10% recycled content, be clear in color, constructed with Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) material, and will work in an industrial environment.

· Bags which have a capacity of 30 gallons or more MUST be puncture proof and be able to contain without leaking items discarded in a correctional or psychiatric facility, a cafeteria environment, an industrial garage or fabrication center and be used for roadside cleanup where large, sharp edged items could be put in them.

· Bags which have a capacity of less than 30 gallons must work in an office environment and provide leak protection from items discarded in offices and break rooms.

PRODUCT INFORMATION:

Bids are to include product information addressing all topics listed below

· Tear Resistance: The amount of load (grams) it takes to tear single layer of specimen. The tearing resistance of the bag shall not be less than 32g/ sheet as measured by Federal Standard # 406 - Method 1121.

· Tensile Strength: Amount of load (grams) it takes to break single layer of specimen. The tensile strength of the bag shall not be less than a minimum of 1200 grams, as measured by Federal Standard # 406 - Method 1013.

· Seam Strength: Amount of load (grams) it takes to break single layer specimen which has a seam (hot seal). The seam strength of the bag shall be not less than 60% of the tensile strength of the plastic film which is a minimum of 720 grams. Determination shall be by Federal Standard #406 - Method 1013 - Method A.

· Sizes: Bag sizes shall be the inside measurements and for square bags shall be given by face width, by gusset and by length. Tolerance of 2% on width, depth and length.

· Workmanship: The bags shall be uniformly made, free from pinholes, tears, cuts, creases, wrinkles or other imperfections which might impair their usefulness.

Applicable Documents: The following standards, amendments or applicable parts of these issue(s) shall form a part of this specification:

Any bids received without documentation that the product meets or exceeds the above specifications may be rejected.

SAMPLES: Bidders MUST provide (2) two sample bags for each size of Mfg./Product being bid. (two bags per line item on spreadsheet).

SAMPLES MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED with the following: Bidder’s Name Manufacturer’s Name Bag Size Mil Size Bidder’s Part Number.

If placing multiple bids, vendor MUST submit two samples of each type on each bid, and label them as such.

Bids without samples for ALL sizes bid WILL be rejected.

All samples to be submitted before bid closing to:

Deborah Jacques, Procurement Analyst II State of Maine, Division of Procurement Services Burton M. Cross Bldg. (9 SHS) 111 Sewall St., 4th floor, Augusta, Maine 04333

SAMPLE TESTING: Samples will be tested by actual users to determine if they are strong enough for their everyday use. Any untested Samples can be picked up after the evaluation and award of Master Agreement(s) process has been completed.

Any bids received without samples for ALL sizes bid WILL be rejected.

BID ATTACHMENTS: Required bid documents must be attached to your bid. If required documents are not attached, your bid may be rejected. All attachments must be smaller than 2MB in size.

BID AWARD: Although it is our preference to award one Master Agreement, this bid may result in one award or multiple awards, whichever is deemed to be in the best interest of the State.

QUANTITIES: It is not known how many of each trash bag will be ordered each year. It is understood and agreed that the awarded contract shall cover the actual quantities ordered by State of Maine Agencies, regardless of the size of the order, for the duration of the contract.

PRICE: Prices bid are to be net including transportation charges fully pre-paid by the contractor, FOB Destination, with NO minimum order. Prices are to remain firm for the duration of the contract.

DELIVERY: Vendor will be required to ship/deliver throughout the entire State of Maine to ALL locations, FOB destination. Deliveries MUST be received within ten (10) business days from receipt of order. The vendor will be responsible for the delivery of materials in first class condition at the point of delivery, and in accordance with good commercial practice. Orders delivered in less than first class condition will be rejected or will have to be picked up by the contractor.

NOTE: No minimum requirements will be allowed for deliveries. Vendor cannot require minimums for orders. Some State Agencies do not have the usage or storage space to place large orders.

ORDERING PROCEDURE: All agencies will place individual orders directly with the awarded vendor. Delivery Orders (DO) will be issued for all orders over $5000. Orders in the amount of $5000 or less may be ordered using a DO or by using a State Procurement Card (Credit Card).

PROCUREMENT CARD: State policy requires vendors to accept the State of Maine Procurement Card as a form of payment, with very rare exceptions. The pricing offered to the State of Maine shall be the final cost to the State of Maine regardless of payment method. No surcharge or other compensation will be allowed. The State of Maine reserves the right to reject your bid if you are unwilling to accept this condition.

QUARTERLY REPORT: The Division of Procurement Services will require the awarded vendor to submit a quarterly report of sales within 30 days of the end of each calendar quarter. The report should contain the Date, Agency Name, Location (City or Town), Quantities and Dollar amounts of the bags purchased. It is requested that this report be emailed in Excel format.

VENDOR CONTACT: The winning bidder(s) MUST provide a single contact person to receive orders and handle order issues and questions. Contact information must include telephone and email addresses.

DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE AND FINANCIAL SERVICES

DIVISION OF PROCUREMENT SERVICES

COST RESPONSE

RFQ #18P 18062600000000000683

Trash Bags, Clear, LLDPE, Various Sizes

All responses to this RFQ will require a cost quotation response, in a format selected by the State of Maine. That format is described below.

Fill out required sections in this word document.

In Vendor Self Service (VSS) enter in price of $0.00, delivery days, attach excel spreadsheet, completed word documents and product data/information sheets.

Submit your response.

Appendix D

DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE AND FINANCIAL SERVICES

DIVISION OF PROCUREMENT SERVICES

MAINE BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC IMPACT CONSIDERATION FORM

RFQ #18P 18062600000000000683

Maine Business and Economic Impact Consideration, as defined in this RFQ document, will ONLY be applied to bids that included the information requested below.

Instructions:

Maine Business Analysis

1. Fill in the total number of full time employees (FTE) your company employs companywide and how many of the FTE are Maine residents.

2. Fill in the total dollar value for companywide payroll and the total amount of payroll paid to Maine Residents.

Maine Economic Impact

1. Fill in the amount stated on your company’s most recent W-2 for:

· Income taxes paid in Maine

· Property taxes paid in Maine

2. Fill in the amount of wages paid to Maine residents.

3. Fill in the estimated dollar value your company paid to Maine Subcontractors in the last fiscal year.

Bidder's Organization Name:

MAINE BUSINESS ANALYSIS

Number of FTE Employees:

Payroll:

MAINE ECONOMIC IMPACT

Income Taxes Paid (State):

Property Taxes Paid (Local):

Wages to Maine Residents:

Payments to Maine Subcontractors Estimated:

Appendix E

DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE AND FINANCIAL SERVICES

DIVISION OF PROCUREMENT SERVICES

MUNICIPALITY POLITICAL SUBDIVISION and SCHOOL DISTRICT PARTICIPATION CERTIFICATION

RFQ #18P 18062600000000000683

Trash Bags, Clear, LLDPE, Various Sizes

The Division of Procurement Services is committed to providing purchasing opportunities for municipalities, political subdivisions and school districts in Maine by allowing them access, through our vendors, to our contract pricing. A bidder's willingness to extend contract pricing to these entities will be taken into consideration in making awards.

Will you accept orders from political subdivisions and school districts in Maine at the prices quoted?

_____ Yes

_____ Yes, with conditions as follows:

______ No

Name of Company:

Address:

Signature: ___________________________________________________________________________________

Date: ____________________________________________________________________________________