Solicitation General Information.pdf

Rev 09/28/2023

University System of New Hampshire

Request for Solicitation

Request for Solicitation. This is not an order.

This is a Request for Solicitation. Documents, attachments and addenda are posted separately as issued. Firms are encouraged to check UShopNH frequently for any changes prior to the due date and time.

For technical issues, contact JAGGAER Supplier Support at 1-800-233-1121 and select option 2.

The University System of New Hampshire (USNH) reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and to waive any formalities in the solicitation process.

Communication regarding this solicitation between firms and USNH personnel and/or evaluation committee members is prohibited, unless previously authorized by the Owner’s Agent or designee. Failure to comply may result in disqualification.

READING IS REQUIRED

Failure to review all the documents, attachments, addendums, instructions, questions and prerequisites does not relieve a respondent from meeting all the requirements of a solicitation event. Failure to comply with requirements may result in disqualification.

Campus Information

USNH is comprised of four distinct institutions, Keene State College, Plymouth State University and the University of New

Hampshire. It is the expectation, that the pricing provided in any proposal and the resulting agreement is available to all institutions of the University System of New Hampshire.

Please visit the following links for detailed information relative to all University System of New Hampshire institutions:

University System of New Hampshire

Keene State College

Plymouth State University

University of New Hampshire

New Hampshire College and University Council

USNH is a member of the New Hampshire College and University Council (NHCUC) http://www.nhcuc.org As part of the

NHCUC strategic mission to advance public and private higher education in the state through collaborative efforts between member colleges and universities, USNH desires that the pricing of any agreement resulting from this solicitation be accessible to all member institutions of the NHCUC.

Public Records: Applicability of the New Hampshire Right to Know Law, RSA 91-A

• Subject to the provisions of the New Hampshire Right to Know Law, RSA 91-A, prior to the issuance of an award the evaluation committee shall treat all proposals received as confidential. After the issuance of an award all proposals shall be public records. If no award is issued and the solicitation is cancelled without intention of reissuance, all proposals shall be public at the time of cancellation. If no award is issued and USNH intends to reissue the solicitation, all proposals shall be confidential until the award is issued, or the subsequent solicitation is cancelled without intention of reissuance.

• Also subject to the provisions of the New Hampshire Right to Know Law, RSA 91-A, the working papers and any other records of the discussions or deliberations of the evaluation committee or any of its members shall be treated as confidential and entitled to either or both of the specific exemptions from public access provided for in RSA 91-A:5, VIII and IX.

• If the Firm considers any portion of a submission confidential, they shall provide a separate copy of the full and complete document, fully redacting those portions by blacking them out and shall note on the applicable page or pages of the document that the redacted portion or portions are “confidential.” Use of any other term or method, such as stating that a document or portion thereof is “proprietary”, “not for public use”, or “for client’s use only”, is not acceptable. In addition, the Firm shall provide a letter which specifically states why and under what legal authority each redaction has been made. Submissions which do not conform to these instructions may be rejected as not conforming to the requirements of the bid or proposal. USNH will generally assume that a bid or proposal submitted without an additional https://www.usnh.edu/ https://www.keene.edu/ https://www.plymouth.edu/ https://www.unh.edu/ http://www.nhcuc.org/ redacted copy contains no information which the bidder deems confidential. Applying labels to documents such as

“confidential” may not keep them from becoming public records as described in the preceding paragraphs or otherwise affect the application and operation of the New Hampshire Right to Know Law, RSA 91-A.

• USNH shall have no obligation to maintain the confidentiality of any portion of a bid, proposal or related material, which is not marked in accordance with the foregoing provisions. It is specifically understood and agreed that the Firm waives any claim of confidentiality as to any portion of a response to this RFB or RFP that is not marked as indicated above.

Sustainability Statement

USNH strives to conduct business in a sustainable manner that balances economic priorities with environmental health and social impact and prefers do business with companies that share our commitment to sustainability and will partner with us to further sustainability objectives. USNH endeavors to minimize the adverse life cycle effects of the products and services it utilizes, preferring to purchase items with recognized certifications and/or attributes, e.g. Energy Star™, FSC, Safer Choice and Fair Trade. Please include as part of your proposal, pertinent information in reference to any sustainable practices and products. These programs or policies can be, but are not limited to, reducing, reusing and recycling resources, disposal of organic and other solid waste, conservation efforts regarding transportation, energy and water, disposal of hazardous waste, and/or giving back to the community.

General Instructions

• In order to participate in the Sourcing Event, suppliers must create an account and login credentials. Successful bidders will be invited to provide full company and tax profile information in order to complete the registration process, using the login credentials previously established.

• Questions and answers will be submitted on the Q&A Board under Tools. It is the firm’s responsibility to ensure that the entire solicitation package and links are reviewed prior to submittal of a response.

• Oral information provided by the evaluation committee or any other USNH personnel will not alter or change this solicitation. Changes to the solicitation will be documented by addendum.

• Revisions, Amendments, and Cancellation: The owner may extend the deadline date for submissions if, in the owner’s opinion, any revisions or amendments to this solicitation make this necessary. The owner may also cancel this solicitation, in whole or in part, or reject all submissions when this action is deemed to be in the best interest of the owner.

• Submission packages shall include all required information and documents or will be considered non- conforming and subject to disqualification.

• Submission packages should be prepared simply and economically, providing a straightforward, concise description of the respondent’s ability to fulfill the requirements of this solicitation.

• Submission documents should be uploaded as a single document in pdf format unless otherwise indicated.

• Responses shall be transmitted electronically through UShopNH. The Event will close automatically at the due date and time. Each respondent is solely responsible for the timely submission of its response. Late submittals will not be accepted. Responses submitted by any other method will not be accepted.

• Responses are not final upon completion of the fields and uploading documents. In order to finalize the response, it is critical for the respondent to Review and Submit the proposal or it will not be available in UShopNH for owner consideration.

• Each submission will be reviewed to determine its completeness prior to actual evaluation. Failure to provide or adequately address all categories of information requested, may result in rejection of the Firm’s response.

• The owner reserves the right to accept or reject any or all submissions received as a result of this solicitation, to waive minor irregularities, or to negotiate with any respondent, in any manner necessary, to serve the best interests of the owner.

• USNH reserves the right to request clarification of any aspect of materials received or to request further information as might be required to adequately evaluate credentials and qualifications.

• Any costs incurred by the respondent in preparing and submitting a response to this solicitation will be the sole responsibility of the respondent and will not be reimbursed by the owner.

• USNH considers all terms and conditions, and insurance requirements, to be accepted unconditionally by a Firm unless written exceptions are made to specific clauses of this solicitation when submitting a response. Such exceptions may, however, be used as a basis for rejection of a response.

Informational Meetings

The solicitation process may include informational meetings (see event timeline). When a mandatory informational meeting is required, proposals from Firms that did not attend will not be considered. Additional meetings will not be scheduled to accommodate firms that failed to attend the scheduled mandatory meeting.

Attendees will be required to provide a business card to verify their presence.

Respondent Inquiries

Questions and inquiries concerning this solicitation shall be submitted through the UShopNH Event Q&A Board. Oral questions or responses will not be recognized as confirmed information.

Addenda

All addenda will be posted in UShopNH under Buyer Attachments. It is the responsibility of the firm to check UShopNH prior to the due date to verify receipt of all information and required documentation.

Bid Opening

Bid responses will be opened by USNH Procurement Services at the time and date indicated. Preliminary results will be posted to the USNH Procurement Services web site, generally within three (3) days of the bid opening.

Any bid may be withdrawn prior to the time established for the opening of bids by withdrawing through UShopNH. The Owner will not accept any written requests to withdraw.

All bids shall remain in full force and effect for a bid acceptance period of not less than thirty (30) calendar days following the date for opening of bids. Any bid withdrawn during the bid acceptance period shall result in forfeiture of the respective Bidder’s bid security.

Respondents List or Summary of Solicitation Results

Respondents list or bid summary are available on the USNH Procurement Services web page: Bid Results. Results are generally made available within three (3) business days after the due date. Time frame may vary depending on the complexity and number of responses. Participants in the solicitation will also be able to track the status of the solicitation in UShopNH.

USNH Terms and Conditions

Terms and conditions are available on the USNH Procurement Services web page: USNH Terms and Conditions. Supplier understands that payments under any resulting Agreement may be subject to the withholding requirements of Section 3402(t) of the

Internal Revenue Code.

Insurance Requirements

USNH insurance requirements are available on the USNH Procurement Services web page under Other Forms: USNH Insurance

Requirements Within ten (10) business days after the Owner delivers a Notice of Acceptance, Agreement or Purchase Order, or prior to beginning work on campus, whichever is sooner, the successful Firm shall deliver to the Owner the Certificate of Insurance as specified in the USNH Insurance Requirements. Insurance requirements for construction related events can be found under

USNH Insurance Requirements for Construction Contracts.

Inclement Weather Policy

It is at individual campus discretion to declare curtailed operations when the most severe weather conditions are expected or experienced. Any events, including site walks and bid openings, scheduled for a day and time when curtailed operations are declared will be postponed until the next business day, at the same time as originally scheduled, or as otherwise indicated by

Amendment. Contractors working in occupied buildings on any USNH campus will be required to observe curtailed operations when declared. Projects which are separated from campus operations by fencing and where the contractors’, and sub-contractors’ work force are within the fencing (i.e., the contractor “owns” the job site) will be exempt from this requirement. This policy will be in effect for campus events and those scheduled to occur at the University System of New Hampshire (5 Chenell Drive, Suite 301, Concord, NH 03301-8503).

Curtailed operations status information is available as follows:

KSC www.keene.edu

PSU Alert/Storm line (603) 535-3535

UNH Storm Hotline (603) 862-0000

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http://www.unh.edu/purchasing/bid-results.html http://www.unh.edu/purchasing/forms.html http://www.unh.edu/purchasing/forms.html http://www.unh.edu/purchasing/forms.html http://unh.edu/purchasing/forms.html http://unh.edu/purchasing/forms.html http://www.keene.edu/