S000000270 Acorns and Seeds~1.pdf

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STATE OF ARKANSAS

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSFORMATION AND SHARED SERVICES

OFFICE OF STATE PROCUREMENT

501 Woodlane St., Ste. 220 Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-1023

INVITATION FOR BID

SOLICITATION DOCUMENT

SOLICITATION INFORMATION

Solicitation Number: S000000270 Solicitation Issued: August 29, 2023

Description: Acorns and Seeds

Department: Arkansas Department of Agriculture

SUBMISSION DEADLINE AND DELIVERY OF RESPONSE DOCUMENTS

Bid Opening Date: September 6, 2023 Bid Opening Time: 2:00 p.m., Central Time

Bid responses for this Invitation for Bid must be submitted through ARBuy, the State’s eProcurement system.

It can be accessed at https://arbuy.arkansas.gov. Bids received after the submission deadline may be rejected as untimely. See section 1.2 for information regarding Live Bid Openings.

TSS OFFICE OF STATE PROCUREMENT CONTACT INFORMATION

TSS OSP Buyer: Julia Shackelford Buyer’s Direct Phone Number: 501-371-6079

Email Address: Julia.shackelford@arkansas.gov TSS OSP’s Main Number: 501-324-9316

TSS OSP

Website:

https://www.transform.ar.gov/procurement/ https://arbuy.arkansas.gov/ mailto:Julia.shackelford@arkansas.gov https://www.transform.ar.gov/procurement/

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SECTION 1 – REQUIREMENTS

• Do not provide responses to items in this section unless specifically and expressly required.

1.1 INTRODUCTION

This Invitation for Bid (IFB) is issued by the TSS Office of State Procurement (TSS OSP) on behalf of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture (ADOA) to obtain pricing and a contract to purchase Acorns and Seeds for Baucum Nursery located in North Little Rock, AR.

Direct all questions, comments, or concerns you may have regarding this solicitation to the TSS Office of State Procurement, not the Arkansas Department of Agriculture (ADOA).

1.2 LIVE BID OPENING

Use the information below to view the bid opening in Microsoft Teams:

Join on your computer, mobile app or room device Click here to join the meeting Meeting ID: 261 688 839 781 Passcode: 289aeL Download Teams | Join on the web Or call in (audio only) +1 501-244-3310,,542519540# United States, Little Rock Phone Conference ID: 542 519 540#

1.3 CLARIFICATION OF SOLICITATION

A. Submit any questions requesting clarification of information contained in this Solicitation via the solicitation posting in ARBuy by 11:00 a.m. Central Time on or before August 31, 2023.

1. For each question submitted, Prospective Contractor should reference the specific solicitation item number to which the question refers.

2. Prospective Contractors’ written questions will be consolidated and answered by the State as deemed appropriate. The State’s consolidated written response is anticipated to be posted to the solicitation posting in ARBuy by the close of business on September 1, 2023. If Prospective Contractor questions are unclear or non-substantive in nature, the State may request clarification of a question(s) or decline to answer.

B. The Prospective Contractor should notify the TSS OSP buyer of any term, condition, etc., that precludes the Prospective Contractor from submitting a compliant, Responsive Bid. Prospective Contractors should note that it is the responsibility of the Prospective Contractor to seek resolution of all such issues, including those relating to the terms and conditions of the contract, prior to the submission of a bid.

C. Prospective Contractors may contact the TSS OSP buyer with non-substantive questions at any time prior to the bid opening.

D. An oral statement by TSS OSP will not be part of any contract resulting from this solicitation and may not reasonably be relied on by any Prospective Contractor as an aid to interpretation unless it is reduced to writing and expressly adopted by TSS OSP.

1.4 DEFINITION OF TERMS

A. Unless otherwise defined herein, all terms defined in Arkansas Procurement Law have the same meaning herein.

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B. “Business Days” means Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central Time, excluding State Holidays. A list of Arkansas State Holidays can be found at the following link: Arkansas Secretary of State

C. The terms “Invitation For Bid”, “IFB” and “Solicitation” are used synonymously in this document.

D. “Prospective Contractor” means a responsible bidder who submits a Responsive Bid in response to this solicitation.

E. “Requirement” means something required.

F. “Responsive Bid” means a bid submitted in response to this solicitation that conforms in all material respects to this IFB.

G. “Requirement” means a specification that a Contractor’s commodity must and/or service shall meet or exceed in the performance of its contractual duties under any contract awarded as a result of this IFB. These specifications will be distinguished by using the terms “shall” or “must” in the requirement.

H. “Shall” and “Must” mean the imperative and are used to identify Requirements.

I. “Specification” means any technical or purchase description or other description of the physical or functional characteristics, or of the nature, of a commodity or service. “Specification” may include a description of any requirement for inspecting, testing, or preparing a commodity or service for delivery.

J. “State” means the State of Arkansas. When the term “State” is used herein to reference any obligation of the State under a contract that results from this solicitation, that obligation is limited to the State Department using such a contract.

1.5 CONTRACTORS REQUIREMENTS

A. The Contractor shall supply Baucum Nursery with the species of acorns and seeds in the estimated number of pounds as specified in the ARBuy portal or as otherwise requested by Baucum Nursery.

1. ADOA reserves the right to adjust quantities for each species and to adjust the species type ordered. Adjustments will be made in accordance with the demand and/or availability of funds.

B. The Contractor shall deliver acorns and seeds to the following FOB Destination:

Arkansas Department of Agriculture Baucum Nursery Attention: James Shelton 1402 Highway 391 North North Little Rock, AR 72117

C. The Contractor shall notify James Shelton at 501-907-2485 before acorns and seeds are delivered to

Baucum Nursery.

1. ADOA will not accept unscheduled deliveries.

1.6 SPECIAL DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS

A. Excluding White Oak Acorns, the Contractor shall deliver and unload acorns and seeds within seven

(7) calendar days of harvest.

https://www.sos.arkansas.gov/news/calendar/ https://www.sos.arkansas.gov/news/calendar/

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B. Excluding White Oak Acorns, the Contractor shall refrigerate all acorns and seeds immediately upon harvest. Acorns and seeds must be keep refrigerated at approximately thirty-six degrees Fahrenheit at all times prior to delivery to Baucum Nursery.

C. Contractor shall refrigerate and/or deliver White Oak Acorns immediately upon harvest. White Oak Acorns must be refrigerated at approximately thirty-six degrees Fahrenheit.

D. Contractor shall notify Baucum Nursery within three (3) hours prior to a delivery being made and shall not deliver acorns prior to sending notification to Baucum Nursery.

E. Contractor shall be responsible for the storage of any unscheduled deliveries of acorns or seeds.

F. Unless otherwise requested, the Contractor shall only deliver acorns or seeds during the hours of 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Central Time.

G. Loss or damage that occurs during shipping, prior to the order being delivered to the agency, is the

Contractor’s responsibility. All orders must be packaged in a manner that prevents damage during shipping.

H. Once the acorns and/or seeds are delivered, weighed, and accepted by Baucum Nursery, the

Contractor(s) shall sign an invoice for the number of pounds of accepted acorns and/or seeds.

1.7 CONDITION OF SPECIES REQUIREMENTS

A. Failure to provide acorns and seeds meeting the Condition of Species Requirements as specified herein will result in rejection of the acorn delivery and the Contractor shall supply a new shipment of acorns and seeds to ADOA that meet the Condition of Species Requirements. ADOA reserves the right to cancel a contract failing to adhere to the Requirements of this IFB.

B. Acorns and seeds must be pure, fresh, and clean upon delivery to Baucum Nursery.

1. Unclean acorns and seeds with debris will not be accepted.

C. Excluding Overcup Oak Acorns, Pecan Native Acorns, Water Hickory Acorns, and Persimmon seeds, the Contractor shall float all acorn species and remove all floaters prior to delivery to Baucum Nursery.

1. Lots containing floaters will not be accepted.

D. Acorns and seeds must be sufficiently moist with a moisture content adequate to pass a cut test.

ADOA will perform cut tests on Overcup Oak Acorns, Pecan Native Acorns, Water Hickory Acorns, and Persimmon seed to determine viability of the embryo.

1. Dry acorns will not be accepted.

E. Acorns and seeds must pass a cut test.

F. Acorns and seeds must not contain sprouts.

G. Excluding Overcup Oak Acorns, acorns must not have caps.

1.8 PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS

A. Failure to comply with the Packaging Requirements as specified herein will result in rejection of the delivery and may result in contract termination. ADOA reserves the right to cancel a contract failing to adhere to the Requirements of this IFB.

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B. Acorns and seeds must be packaged in burlap or poly sacks. Each sack must not weigh more than fifty (50) pounds.

C. Sacks must be tagged to indicate contents of sack and must include the following information on the tag:

1. Species of acorns or seeds.

2. Weight of acorns or seeds.

3. County and State of harvest.

D. Contractor shall not mix species of acorns or seeds together during packaging.

E. Acorns must be sized into small, medium, and large as a part of the delivered product.

F. All sized acorns must be packaged according to the instructions contained in this IFB and must be packaged with the same size seed per bag and properly labeled as small, medium, or large.

1.9 PAYMENT AND INVOICING REQUIREMENTS

A. Excluding Overcup Oak Acorns, Pecan Native Acorns, Water Hickory Acorns, and Persimmon seeds, payment on all other acorns will be based on the number of pounds of fresh, pure, clean, moist, cap-free, non-sprouted acorns that sink in water.

B. All acorns and seeds must be weighed at Baucum Nursery.

C. Overcup Oak Acorns, Pecan Native Acorns, Water Hickory Acorns, and Persimmon seeds, payment will be based on:

1. The number of pounds of sound acorns or seeds collected. Sound acorns or seeds are defined as acorns or seeds that have passed a cut test, are fresh, pure, and moist, and non-sprouted. To calculate pounds of sound acorns or seeds:

a. Baucum Nursery will multiply the total pounds of acorns or seeds delivered by the percentage of sound acorns or seeds. Baucum Nursery will determine the percentage of sound acorns or seeds by cutting representative samples of Overcup Oak Acorns, Pecan Native Acorns, Water Hickory Acorns, and Persimmon seeds, upon delivery.

2. Overcup Oak Acorns, Pecan Native Acorns, Water Hickory Acorns, and Persimmon seeds, containing less than 70% sound acorns or seeds will be rejected by Baucum Nursery.

3. Payment for Overcup Oak Acorns, Pecan Native Acorns, Water Hickory Acorns, and Persimmon seeds containing a minimum of 70% sound acorns or seeds will be based on multiplying the total pounds by the percentage of sound acorns or seeds.

1.10 ACCEPTANCE STANDARDS

A. Inspection and acceptance and/or rejection product(s) will be made within thirty (30) days of receipt.

B. The State has the option to return any product(s) within the thirty (30) day timeframe for any reason.

C. Bid must include a “total satisfaction” return policy for all product(s) and must not impose any liability on the State for such returns.

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SECTION 2 – GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION

• Do not provide responses to items in this section unless specifically and expressly required.

2.1 TYPE OF CONTRACT

A. As a result of this IFB, TSS OSP intends to award a one-year term contract to multiple Contractors, but only one (1) Contractor per line item.

B. The anticipated starting date for any resulting contract will be from date of award, except that the actual contract start date may be adjusted unilaterally by the State for up to three (3) calendar months. By submitting a signed bid in response to the IFB, the Prospective Contractor represents and warrants that it will honor its bid as being held open as irrevocable for this period.

2.2 CONTRACTOR SELECTION

A. Award will be made to the lowest-bidding, responsible Prospective Contractor per line item.

2.3 RESPONSE DOCUMENTS

A. All bid responses and pricing must be submitted through ARBuy, the State’s eProcurement system.

The system can be accessed at https://arbuy.arkansas.gov.

1. Pricing must be proposed in U.S. dollars and cents.

B. Bid Response Packet

1. The following are bid submission requirements and must be submitted as part of a Prospective

Contractor’s bid response.

a. Signed Bid Signature Page. Signature may be ink or digital. (See Bid Response Packet.)

b. Completed Bid Response Packet, which must be in the English language.

c. Copy of Prospective Contractor’s Equal Opportunity Policy.

d. Completed Pricing Response submitted in the ARBuy portal. Pricing must be proposed in U.S. dollars and cents.

e. Proposed Subcontractors Form. The utilization of any proposed subcontractor is subject to approval by the Department.

2. The following items, which must be submitted prior to a contract award to the Prospective

Contractor, may also be included with the Prospective Contractor’s bid response:

a. EO 98-04 Contract & Grant Disclosure Form.

b. Boycott and Illegal Immigrant Certification Form.

3. DO NOT include any other documents or ancillary information, such as a cover letter or promotional/marketing information.

2.4 ACCEPTANCE OF REQUIREMENTS

A. Prospective Contractor understands and agrees its submission of a bid to represent that its bid meets all Requirements of this IFB.

2.5 ADDITIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

A. This IFB incorporates all of the Solicitation Terms and Conditions located on the TSS OSP website here.

B. Any special terms and conditions included in this solicitation shall override the Solicitation Terms and Conditions.

https://arbuy.arkansas.gov/ https://www.transform.ar.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/MASTER-Solicitation-Terms-and-Conditions-11-29-21.pdf

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C. Prospective Contractor agrees and shall adhere to all terms in the Standard Commodities Contract Template (found here) if selected as the successful Contractor.

D. A Prospective Contractor’s bid may be rejected if a Prospective Contractor takes exception to any terms or conditions in the documents listed in 2.5.A and 2.5.C.

2.6 PRICING

A. Prospective Contractor shall include all pricing in the ARBuy portal only. If any cost is not identified by the successful Contractor but is subsequently incurred in order to achieve successful operation, the Contractor shall bear this additional cost.

B. Prospective Contractors are encouraged to bid on any or all species. However, if a Prospective Contractor is bidding on a specific species, the Prospective Contractor shall provide pricing for the total quantity of species in which they are submitting a bid.

C. Prospective Contractor shall not bid on partial species amount. (Example: Cherry Bark Oak quantity is 4,000 pounds. Should Prospective Contractor bid on less than 4,000 pounds of Cherry Bark Oak acorns, Prospective Contractor’s bid response will be rejected. The entire quantity must be bid;

partial quantities are not allowed.)

D. To allow time to review bids, prices must be valid for sixty (60) days following the bid opening.

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