RFQ - DOT Clothing, Embroidery and Screen Printing.pdf.crdownload

State of Maine RFQ# 17A 260501*0282 Rev. 3/30/2026

STATE OF MAINE

DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE AND FINANCIAL SERVICES

OFFICE OF STATE PROCUREMENT SERVICES

RFQ # 17A 260501*0282

Clothing/Embroidery/Screen Printing

Quotations/Responses Due: June 3, 2026, 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). Questions can be submitted up to 48 hours prior to closure date and time. Not all questions will be answered.

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 in the CGI Vendor Self Service (VSS). 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 Office of State Procurement Services (“OSPS”) is acting on behalf of the Department of Transportation (“Requesting Department”). OSPS 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.

https://www.maine.gov/dafs/bbm/procurementservices/vendors/vendor-self-service-system https://www.maine.gov/dafs/bbm/procurementservices/vendors/vendor-self-service-system

4. 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 OSPS.

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.

5. Quotation Evaluation and Selection

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

a. State of Maine RFQs are evaluated on a Best Value basis. “Best Value” means that bids are assessed for compliance with all specifications, required purposes, delivery timelines, and the overall interests of the State. Once OSPS determines that a bid meets all specifications and requirements, the RFQ award will be made to the lowest-priced qualified Bidder.

b. By submitting a quote, bidders affirm compliance with both specifications and requirements. The State may request proof of compliance at any time, which must be provided within forty-eight (48) hours. Failure to do so may result in the rejection of a bid.

c. 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.

d. At the discretion of OSPS, 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.

e. In the event that no Bidder submission conforms to the specifications of this RFQ, then OSPS may choose not to make any award. Alternatively, OSPS 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 OSPS, at its discretion, may make a contract award to the Bidder meeting four requirements.

f. If the specifications provided with this RFQ are of a technical nature, then OSPS’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.

6. 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. OSPS 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. OSPS 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, OSPS may withdraw its award and negotiate with the next highest ranked Bidder, and so on, until an acceptable contract has been finalized.

Alternatively, OSPS may cancel the RFQ, at its sole discretion.

https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mainelegislature.org%2Flegis%2Fstatutes%2F5%2Ftitle5sec1825-B.html&data=05%7C02%7CWJE.Allen%40maine.gov%7C1390e78d4c524861dbbd08de8e59b141%7C413fa8ab207d4b629bcdea1a8f2f864e%7C0%7C0%7C639104713422342809%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=pUbJI%2FrYOR8S9cAFRcQ8jGG5CZuIo5wYmftv5KBsH8I%3D&reserved=0 https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mainelegislature.org%2Flegis%2Fstatutes%2F1%2Ftitle1sec401.html&data=05%7C02%7CWJE.Allen%40maine.gov%7C1390e78d4c524861dbbd08de8e59b141%7C413fa8ab207d4b629bcdea1a8f2f864e%7C0%7C0%7C639104713422369389%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=oPZ4VFQCfEyMMNCUeEAQdTU4KwQw2T00PBmqtXGmunk%3D&reserved=0 https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mainelegislature.org%2Flegis%2Fstatutes%2F1%2Ftitle1sec401.html&data=05%7C02%7CWJE.Allen%40maine.gov%7C1390e78d4c524861dbbd08de8e59b141%7C413fa8ab207d4b629bcdea1a8f2f864e%7C0%7C0%7C639104713422369389%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=oPZ4VFQCfEyMMNCUeEAQdTU4KwQw2T00PBmqtXGmunk%3D&reserved=0

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: Chapter 120). 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 Terms and Conditions used with the aforementioned contract types may be found on the Office of State Procurement Services’ website at the following links:

BPO and MA Terms and Conditions Service Contract Terms and Conditions IT Service Contract Terms and Conditions

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 Office of State Procurement Services’ website at the following link:

https://www.maine.gov/dafs/bbm/procurementservices/forms http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/5/title5sec1825-B.html https://www.maine.gov/dafs/bbm/procurementservices/policies-procedures/chapter-120 https://www.maine.gov/dafs/bbm/procurementservices/policies-procedures/chapter-120 https://www.maine.gov/dafs/bbm/procurementservices/forms https://www.maine.gov/dafs/bbm/procurementservices/forms

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 §8-509 (1): 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.”

Responsible Bidder Form

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:

a. 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.

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

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

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

iii. 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

iv. 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.

c. 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

STATE OF MAINE

DETAILED SPECIFICATIONS

Miscellaneous Clothing & Promotional Items

Equivalent Bid Items: 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. A specification sheet comparing the items bid to the items requested for equivalent bid items MUST be attached to the submitted bid in the VSS, if the specification sheet is not included the bid will be rejected. The final decision of equivalency will be determined by the requesting Department.

Samples: Samples may be requested during bid evaluation for equivalent bid items. If samples are requested the bidder must provide the samples within fourteen (14) calendar days at no cost and they may not be returned.

Master Agreement: The results of this bid process will be the creation of a Master Agreement Contract (MA) that will allow all State of Maine Departments and Agencies to purchase the listed items as needed. The State reserves the right to add other similar items or commodities to the MA if it’s in the State’s best interest but does not obligate the State to purchase similar noncontracted items or commodities from the selected bidder.

Prices: Bid Price must be 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.

Price and Rate Guarantee Period: All quoted prices and rates must be guaranteed for and must remain firm for minimally one year of the initial contract period. Any approved price or rate adjustments must be held firm for minimally one year or the remainder of the contract period. Price adjustment requests must be made by the vendor at least sixty (60) days prior to the effective date.

Requests for price adjustments must include sufficient documentation from the manufacture supporting the request. The price adjustment will not go into effect until the contract amendment has been fully approved by the State of Maine.

Estimated Usage: Actual purchases will be based on need; there is no guarantee of specific quantities.

Delivery Locations: The resulting MA will be open to Department of Transportation and all other State Departments; the vendor must deliver to any State of Maine facility. The exact delivery addresses will be provided to the vendor when an order is submitted.

Delivery Timeframe: These items are needed immediately, delivery date After Receipt of Order (ARO) may be factored into the bid award decision.

Code of Conduct Affidavit: A notarized Code of Conduct Affidavit (Appendix F) must be attached to the bid for all clothing items. Bids received without the notarized required Code of Conduct Affidavits for all items will not be evaluated. See evaluation instructions below for additional information, If article of clothing is manufactured in multiple facilities a separate COC must be filled out for each manufacturing facility location.

NOTE: The complete physical location, address of plant(s) where clothing/textile is assembled is required. Code of Conduct Affidavits containing other information will be considered nonconforming and will be rejected.

Award: The State anticipates making one award. The State reserves the right to make multiple or no award. The award will be made to the bidder with the lowest total bid, which best meets the posted specifications.

Delivery and Inspection: The requested items will be inspected after delivery. If shipment is deemed unacceptable the delivery will be refused and will be returned at the risk and expense of the selling vendor.

Code of Conduct Anti-Sweatshop Fee: Within 30 days from the end of March, June, September and December, the vendor is required to pay a fee in the amount of 1% of the total dollar value of goods purchased through this contract during that quarter. The payment must be accompanied by a report showing the dollar value of goods purchased, broken down by Department, the total dollar value of purchases by all Departments, and the calculation of 1% of the total dollar value as the fee for the quarter. Checks must be made payable to the Treasurer, State of Maine and must be delivered, along with the quarterly report, to:

Alyshia.Wentworth Stamp

Alyshia.Wentworth Stamp

Appendix D

STATE OF MAINE

MUNICIPALITY POLITICAL SUBDIVISION and SCHOOL DISTRICT PARTICIPATION

CERTIFICATION

Miscellaneous Clothing & Promotional Items

The Office of State 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.

Orders from Municipality, Political Subdivisions and School Districts (Appendix D): If the bidder elects to permit Municipality, Political Subdivisions and School Districts to utilize the resulting Master Agreement Contract, The State of Maine will not be responsible for any order placed by these groups. All orders will originate from these groups, and they will be liable for all payments.

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: __________________________________________________________________

Printed Name: ______________________________________________________________

Date: ___________________________

2. The entity listed below and its suppliers at the point of assembly will comply with all applicable wage, health, labor, environmental and safety laws, legal guarantees of freedom of association, building and fire codes, and laws relating to discrimination in hiring, promotion, or compensation on the basis of race, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or affiliation with any political, nongovernmental, or civic group except when federal law precludes the State from attaching the procurement conditions provided in 5 M.R.S.A., C. 155, sub-c 1-B. AND

3. The entity listed below and its suppliers at the point of assembly will comply with all human and labor rights treaty obligations that are shared by the United States and the country in which the goods are assembled. These may include obligations with regard to forced labor, indentured labor, slave labor, child labor, involuntary prison labor, physical and sexual abuse, and freedom of association.

Quotation Number: RFQ 17A 260501*0282

Part numbers covered by this document:

The person signing this affidavit certifies that he/she has fully informed himself/herself regarding the accuracy of the statements contained herein, and under penalty of perjury, affirms the truth thereof, such penalties being applicable to the bidder/contractor as well as to the person signing in its behalf:

Company Name:

Street Address:

City, State, Zip Code:

Telephone: Fax:

Authorized Signature:

Printed Name & Title:

PHYSICAL LOCATION OF PLANT(S) WHERE CLOTHING/ TEXTILE IS ASSEMBLED

Provide the following information for each location; add additional fields as needed in the table below.

Manufacturer Name:

Plant Name:

Street Address:

City, State, Zip Code:

Country:

NOTARY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

State of

County of

The foregoing document was acknowledged before me this day of 20 by (name of person acknowledged) to be his/her free act and deed.

Notary Public Signature

Printed Name

My commission expires

Notary Stamp

AFFADAVIT MUST BE COMPLETED AND ATTACHED TO YOUR BID RESPONSE AT

THE TIME OF BEING SUBMITTED

RFQ - Clothing, Embroidery and Screen Printing