RFR-DFW-2022-036 Quail Contract.docx

REQUEST FOR RESPONSE

4 LARGE STOCKING TRUCKS

RFR #DFW-2016-019

COMMBUYS Open Market Bid#: BD-15-1046-DFW-FWE11-??????

REQUEST FOR RESPONSE

3,500 live adult bobwhite quails

RFR #DFW-2022-036

COMMBUYS Open Market Bid#: BD-22-1046-DFW-FW102-71090

Steve Foster-508-389-7821

1. Purpose of Procurement:

The Department of Fish & Game, Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (DFG-DFW) is seeking bids on 3,500 live adult bobwhite quails.

Applicable Procurement Law

Executive Branch Goods and Services

2. Acquisition Method:

3. Whether Single or Multiple Contractors are Required for Contract:

Check One (“X”):

a. Estimated Number of Awards In the best interests of the Commonwealth, multiple vendors are required for this contract. More specifically, DFW intends to contract with multiple vendors to ensure that DFW is in a position to maintain an adequate supply of Quails should a vendor experience a total or significant loss of their contracted supply of birds due to occurrences such as disease. DFW has established a minimum goal of 4 vendors to be awarded a contract under this Request for Response. DFW may award more or fewer contracts, if DFW deems it is in the best interests of the Commonwealth to ensure an adequate supply of Quails.

b. Adding Contractors after initial Contract Award If, over the life of the contract, the Purchasing Department determines that additional Contractors may be added, these may be drawn from qualified vendors which responded to this Solicitation but were not awarded Contracts. If necessary to meet the requirements of the Commonwealth, the Solicitation may be reopened to obtain additional Bids.

c.

4. Entities Eligible to Use the Resulting Contract

5. Expected Duration of Contract (Initial Duration and any Options to Renew):

Initial Duration

12 months

Total Maximum Contract Duration

4 years same terms and conditions as the initial contract

OPTION TO RENEW: Yes. The term of the contract shall be twelve (12) months. The parties may, by mutual agreement prior to the expiration of the initial term, extend the contract for a period of up to three (3) additional 12 months periods at the same terms and conditions as the initial contract, including price, except for approved price change requests. Bid prices shall be firm for the initial contract period. Where DFW determines to exercise a renewal option, DFW shall at least forty-five (45) days prior to the expiration of the initial contract period, notify the contractor in writhing that the Commonwealth is exercising its option to extend the contract. The contractor may request a price increase for the extension period. Price increase requests shall be submitted in writing within ten (10) days of the notice to extend. Price increase requests for the extension period shall include documentation supporting the reasons for the requested increase written on the contractor's letterhead. DFW reserves the right to request additional information.

· DFW shall only authorize a price increase for an extension where the vendor has provided sufficient documentation to satisfy DFW that such an increase is warranted.

Anticipated Expenditures, Funding or Compensation:

Estimated Value of Procurement: $20,000

6. Contract Performance and Business Specifications:

Commodities being procured: procure 3,500 live adult bobwhite quails (estimated total requirement). - Please see Appendix A-Required Specifications under attachments tab in COMMBUYS.

7. Small Business Purchasing Program:

This is a Small Procurement targeted to verified small businesses participating in the Commonwealth's Small Business Purchasing Program (SBPP). The Department intends to award a contract to one or more SBPP-participating businesses verified through COMMBUYS who submits a quote that meets or exceeds the best value requirements. Subcontracting in SBPP procurements is limited to no more than 20% of the total value of the contract, unless it is with another verified SBPP participant. If it is determined that there is inadequate SBPP capacity, or no SBPP-participating vendors provide a responsive quote, the Department may award the solicitation to vendors who submitted responses and are not participating in the SBPP. To determine eligibility and to participate in the SBPP, please review the eligibility criteria and general program information at www.mass.gov/sbpp.

8. Environmentally Preferable Products Products and services purchased by state agencies must be in compliance with Executive Order 515, issued October 27, 2009. Under this Executive Order, Executive Departments are required to reduce their impact on the environment and enhance public health by procuring environmentally preferable products and services (EPPs) whenever such products and services perform to satisfactory standards and represent best value, consistent with 801 CMR 21.00. In line with this directive, all Contracts, whether departmental or statewide, must comply with the specifications and guidelines established by OSD and the EPP Program. EPPs are considered to be products and services that help to conserve natural resources, reduce waste, protect public health and the environment, and promote the use of clean technologies, recycled materials, and less toxic products.

9. Evaluation Criteria Contractors must submit responses that meet all the submission requirements of the RFR. Only responsive proposals that meet the submission requirements will be evaluated, scored and ranked by the evaluation team according to the evaluation criteria. Additional information may be requested for evaluation purposes.

Evaluation Criteria based on cost, quality of birds, quality of vendor service, Massachusetts Agricultural Preference, and proximity; each category carrying equal weight.

The DFG-DFW reserves the right to award by item, group of items, or total bid. DFG-DFW further reserves the right to reject any or all bids, and to make awards as deemed by the Department to be in the best interest of the Commonwealth

10. Instructions for Submission of Responses:

All responses shall be posted electronically in COMMBUYS. Responses must be sent via the “Create Quote” functionality contained in COMMBUYS. For instructions concerning how to submit a Quote, please see Appendix B. Vendors should contact the Commbuys help desk at 617-720-3197 for assistance with any technical difficulties responding to and/or submitting forms for this Request for Responses.

Any submission which fails to meet the submission requirements of the RFR will be found non-responsive without further evaluation unless the evaluation team, at its discretion, determines that the non-compliance is insubstantial and can be corrected. In these cases, the evaluation team may allow the vendor to make minor corrections to the submission.

11. Estimated Procurement Calendar

Bid Amendment Deadline / Online Quote Submission Begins. Bid documents will not be amended after this date.

February 15, 2022

3:00pm

Bidders are required to monitor COMMBUYS for changes to the procurement calendar for this Bid.

a. Online Questions (Bid Q&A) Written Questions must be entered by pressing the “Bid Q&A” tab for the Bid in COMMBUYS no later than the “Online Questions Due” date and time indicated in the Estimated Procurement Calendar (above). The issuing department reserves the right not to respond to questions submitted after this date. It is the Bidder’s responsibility to verify receipt of questions.

It is the responsibility of the prospective Bidder and awarded Contractor to maintain an active registration in COMMBUYS and to keep current the email address of the Bidder’s contact person and prospective contract manager, if awarded a contract, and to monitor that email inbox for communications from the Purchasing Department, including requests for clarification. The Purchasing Department and the Commonwealth assume no responsibility if a prospective Bidder’s/awarded Contractor’s designated email address is not current, or if technical problems, including those with the prospective Bidder’s/awarded Contractor’s computer, network or internet service provider (ISP) cause email communications sent to/from the prospective Bidder/Awarded contractor and the Purchasing Department to be lost or rejected by any means including email or spam filtering.

Written Responses to Questions will be released on or about the “Responses to Questions Posted Online” date indicated in the Estimated Procurement Calendar (above).

(Written questions and responses will be posted on the Bid Q&A Tab for this Bid in COMMBUYS.)

b. Bid Amendment Deadline The Purchasing Department reserves the right to make amendments to the Bid after initial publication. It is each Bidder’s responsibility to check COMMBUYS for any amendments, addenda or modifications to this Bid, and any Bid Q&A records related to this Bid. The Purchasing Department and the Commonwealth accept no responsibility and will provide no accommodation to Bidders who submit a Quote based on an out-of-date Bid or on information received from a source other than COMMBUYS.

c. Quotes (Bid Responses) Deadline (Bid Opening Date/Time) See the Quotes (Bid Responses) Deadline (Bid Opening) Date and Time indicated in the Estimated Procurement Calendar (above).

d. Estimated Contract Start Date:

This is the approximate start date. The actual start date will be the Contract Effective Date which is the date the Contract is executed by the parties.

12. Required Forms Responses to this RFR must contain the following documents (checked with ‘X’ Mark).

(mandatory for bid evaluation) Electronic Submission via commbuys

(mandatory for bid evaluation) Electronic Submission via commbuys

The above attachments are available as attachments as part of the Bid record on COMMBUYS (WWW.COMMBUYS.COM).

Website link below for the COMMBUYS Job Aids for Vendors page provides job aids to support usability of COMMBUYS for the Vendor Community.

http://www.mass.gov/anf/budget-taxes-and-procurement/procurement-info-and-res/conduct-a-procurement/commbuys/job-aids-for-vendors.html

RFR Attachments Appendix A: Required Specifications Appendix B: Electronic Quote Submission Instructions (Job aid) Appendix D: RFR – Other Specifications RFR-DFW-2016-0019 Page 1 of 6

RFR#: DFW-2022-036 Page 1 of 6