Supply_and_Delivery_of_Bulk_Chemicals.pdf

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

2026-RFP-006

SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF BULK CHEMICALS

Valley Sanitary District

45500 Van Buren Street

Indio, CA 92201

RELEASE DATE: October 29, 2026

DEADLINE FOR QUESTIONS: November 5, 2026

RESPONSE DEADLINE: November 20, 2026, 4:00 pm

RESPONSES MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY TO:

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/valley-sanitary

Valley Sanitary District

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Supply and Delivery of Bulk Chemicals

I. INTRODUCTION

II. INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSERS

III. Evaluation Phases IV. Scope of Work V. Pricing Proposal

VI. Vendor Questionnaire

Attachments:

A - SOW Supply and Delivery of Bulk Chemicals

B - Sample_VSD_Professional_Services_Agreement FY26

Request For Proposal #2026-RFP-006 Title: Supply and Delivery of Bulk Chemicals

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. Summary

VSD has prepared this Request for Proposals (“RFP”) and is requesting proposals from qualified and interested firms (“Proposers”) for the supply and delivery of bulk chemicals. It is required that bulk chemicals be furnished and delivered as specified, F.O.B., all in accordance with specifications. (the

“Project”), RFP NO. 2026-RFP-006 Title: Supply and Delivery of Bulk Chemicals

The District is seeking services for the supply and delivery of 25% Sodium Bisulfite, 12.5% Sodium

Hypochlorite, and 37-42% Ferric Chloride. The quantities indicated in Exhibit A are estimates based on the best information available.

1.2. Background

The Valley Sanitary District (“VSD”) is in the Coachella Valley about 20 miles southwest of the Palm

Springs airport. VSD is a wastewater district, founded in 1925, operating under the Sanitary District Act of 1923. VSD has over 28,000 service connections in a 19.5 square mile service area serving a population of about 89,000 in the communities of Indio, Coachella, La Quinta, and unincorporated Riverside County.

VSD is governed by a five-member Board of Directors and led by a senior management team comprised of a General Manager, District Engineer, Chief Operations Officer, and Chief Administrative Officer.

1.3. Contact Information

Project Contact:

Ian Wilson

Wastewater Operations Manager

45500 Van Buren St

Indio, CA 92201

Email: iwilson@valley-sanitary.org

Phone: (760) 238-5400 Ext: 154

Procurement Contact:

Juan Rodriguez

Operations Admin

45500 Van Buren St

Indio, CA 92201

Email: jrodriguez@valley-sanitary.org

Phone: (760) 238-5400

Department:

Operations mailto:iwilson@valley-sanitary.org tel:(760)238-5400;ext=154 mailto:jrodriguez@valley-sanitary.org tel:(760)238-5400

1.4. Timeline

Release Project Date October 29, 2026

Question Submission Deadline November 5, 2026, 4:00pm

Question Response Deadline November 11, 2026, 4:00pm

Proposal Submission Deadline November 20, 2026, 4:00pm

VSD Board Consideration of Award December 8, 2026

2. INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSERS

2.1. SCOPE OF SERVICES; PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT

The scope of services (“Services”) sought under this RFP are set forth in more detail in Exhibit “A”, attached hereto and incorporated herein by this reference.

Notwithstanding the inclusion of such Services in the RFP, the final scope of Services negotiated between VSD and the successful Proposer shall be set forth in the Professional Services Agreement

(“Agreement”) executed by and between VSD and the successful Proposer. A copy of the Agreement is attached hereto as Exhibit “B” and incorporated herein by this reference.

2.2. VSD CONTACT

The principal contact for VSD will be Ian Wilson, Wastewater Operations Manager, (760) 238-5400 Ext:

154, iwilson@valley-sanitary.org or a designated representative, who will coordinate the assistance to be provided by VSD to the Proposer. No other members of VSD’s staff or VSD’s Board should be contacted about this procurement during the RFP process. Any and all inquiries and comments regarding this RFP must be communicated in writing, unless otherwise instructed by VSD. VSD may, in its sole discretion, disqualify any Proposer who engages in any prohibited communications.

2.3. REQUESTS FOR CLARIFICATION

All questions, requests for interpretations or clarifications, either administrative or technical must be requested in writing and directed to VSD via the District's eProcurement Portal Q&A feature. All written questions, if answered, will be answered in writing, conveyed to all interested firms, and posted on

VSD’s eProcurement Portal. Oral statements by any persons should be considered unverified information unless confirmed in writing. To ensure a response, questions must be received in writing by

4:00 pm local time on Thursday, November 5, 2026.

2.4. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

Proposal responses must adhere to the requirements set forth in this section, both for content and sequence. Failure to adhere to these requirements or the inclusion of conditions, limitations or misrepresentations may be cause for rejection of the submittal. Utilize font size large enough to be easily legible, but not smaller than 10 point.

The proposal must be submitted via VSD's eProcurement Portal.

A. Cover Letter. Provide a cover letter and introduction, including the name and address of the organization and individual submitting the proposal, together with the name, address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address of the contact person who will be authorized to represent the organization, and an expression of the Proposer’s ability and desire to meet the requirements of this

RFP. The letter must be signed by an individual authorized to bind the firm contractually.

B. Proposer Statement of Qualifications. Describe the Proposer’s resources, experience, and capabilities as they relate to providing the Services. Submit in the order identified below:

1. Executive Summary. An executive summary should briefly describe the Proposer’s qualifications and ability to perform the Services.

2. Qualifications and Experience. The proposal should:

a. State the number of years the firm has conducted business.

b. Provide a description of the three most relevant contracts held within the last five years.

3. Evidence Of California Licensing. The proposal should include appropriate documentation showing the Proposer is properly licensed in the State of California to perform the Services requested in the scope of work.

4. References. The Proposer shall provide a minimum of four (4) client references, preferably city, county, or special district governments for whom the Proposer has previously performed services of similar type and scope within the last 5 years.

5. Subcontractors. The Proposer shall identify functions that are likely to be subcontracted and identify the subcontractor that is anticipated to perform each function, if known at this time.

C. Certification of Proposal. This section shall state: “The undersigned hereby submits its proposal and, by doing so, agrees to furnish services to VSD in accordance with the Request for Proposal (RFP), and to be bound by the terms and conditions of the RFP.”

D. Sealed Fee Proposal. Please provide a Unit Cost for identified items per the Pricing Proposal Section

2.5. PROPOSAL CONSIDERATIONS

A. No Deviations from the RFP. In submitting a proposal in response to this RFP, Proposer is certifying that it takes no exceptions to this RFP including, but not limited to, the Agreement attached hereto as

Exhibit “B”. If any exceptions are taken, such exceptions must be clearly noted in the proposal and may be reason for rejection of the proposal. As such, Proposer is directed to carefully review the proposed

Agreement and, in particular, the insurance and indemnification provisions therein.

B. Collusion. By submitting a Proposal, each Proposer represents and warrants that its Proposal is genuine and not a sham or collusive or made in the interest of or on behalf of any person not named therein; that the Proposer has not directly or indirectly induced or solicited any other person to submit a sham Proposal, or any other person to refrain from submitting a Proposal; and that the Proposer has not, in any manner, sought collusion to secure any improper advantage over any other person submitting a Proposal.

C. Conflicts of Interest. Proposers shall comply with all regulations and laws dealing with conflict of interest disclosure and reporting. Proposers shall not be engaged if a conflict of interest exists.

D. Withdrawal of Proposals. A Proposer may withdraw its proposal before the expiration of the time for submission of proposals by notifying and requesting VSD’s representative remove the Proposer’s submission.

E. Financial Health and Reputation. VSD reserves the right to consider the financial responsibility and general complexity of each Proposer, as well as its reputation within the industry to determine if the

Proposer has the apparent ability to meet and complete successfully the requirements of the work.

Upon request, the Proposer shall provide a financial statement, audited if necessary, in addition to any other information requested by VSD.

F. Confidentiality of Proposal. Proposals submitted in response to this RFP shall be held confidential by

VSD and shall not be subject to disclosure under the California Public Records Act (Cal. Government

Code section 6250 et seq.) until after either VSD and the successful Proposer have completed negotiations and entered into an Agreement or VSD has rejected all proposals. All correspondence with

VSD including responses to this RFP will become the exclusive property of VSD and will become public records under the California Public Records Act. VSD will have no liability to the Proposer or other party as a result of any public disclosure of any proposal or the Agreement. If a Proposer desires to exclude a portion of its proposal from disclosure under the California Public Records Act, the Proposer must mark it as such and state the specific provision in the California Public Records Act which provides the exemption as well as the factual basis for claiming the exemption. For example, if a Proposer submits trade secret information, the Proposer must plainly mark the information as “Trade Secret” and refer to the appropriate section of the California Public Records Act which provides the exemption as well as the factual basis for claiming the exemption. If a request is made for information marked “Confidential”, “Trade Secret” or “Proprietary” (“Proprietary Information”), VSD will provide Proposers who submitted the information with reasonable notice to seek protection from disclosure by a court of competent jurisdiction. Proposer shall have five (5) working days after receipt of such notice to give VSD written notice of Proposer's objection to VSD's release of Proprietary Information. Proposer shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless VSD, and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against all liability, loss, cost or expense (including attorney's fees) arising out of a legal action brought to compel the release of Proprietary Information. Proposals which indiscriminately identify all or most of the proposal as exempt from disclosure without justification may be deemed unresponsive and disqualified from further participation in this RFP.

2.6. EVALUATION CRITERIA

The proposal evaluation criteria include:

• Understanding of project and project approach

• Scope of work and schedule

• Relevant qualifications/experience

• Overall quality of proposal

• Cost evaluation

During the evaluation process, VSD reserves the right, where it may serve VSD's best interest, to request additional information or clarifications from Proposers, or to allow corrections of errors or omissions.

Proposers may be invited to make an oral presentation.

The contract, if awarded, shall be to the most qualified Proposer, which submits the proposal that, in the sole judgment of VSD, is in the best interest of VSD.

Upon selection of a Proposer, VSD will endeavor to negotiate a mutually agreeable agreement with the selected Proposer. In the event that VSD is unable to reach agreement, VSD will proceed, at its sole discretion, to negotiate with the next Proposer selected by VSD. VSD reserves the right to contract for services in the manner that most benefits VSD including awarding more than one (1) contract if desired.

After negotiating a proposed Agreement that is fair and reasonable, VSD staff will make the final recommendation to VSD Board concerning the proposed Agreement. VSD Board has the final authority to approve or reject the Agreement.

2.7. SITE EXAMINATION

Proposers must examine the site and become acquainted with all conditions affecting the work. In submitting a Proposal, Proposers warrant that they have made such site examination as they deem necessary to determine the condition of the site, its accessibility to materials, workmen and equipment, and to determine the proposer’s ability to protect existing surface and subsurface improvements.

Proposers shall also familiarize themselves with all federal, state and local laws, ordinances, rules, regulations, and codes affecting the performance of the work; make such investigations, as it may deem necessary for performance of the Services at its proposal price within the terms of the Agreement; and correlate its observations, investigations, and determinations with the requirements of the Agreement.

2.8. SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS

The proposal must be received no later than 4:00 pm local time, on or before Friday, November 20, 2026 via VSD's eProcurement Portal.

VSD will not be responsible for proposals that are delinquent, incorrectly submitted, or physically submitted to VSD. Proposals submitted after the stipulated deadline will not be accepted by VSD's eProcurement Portal. Please note that mailed, hand-delivered, faxed, or emailed proposals will not be accepted.

2.9. PROTESTS

A. Protest Contents. Protests based on the content of the RFP shall be submitted to VSD no later than ten (10) calendar days prior to the scheduled proposal submittal deadline. If necessary, the proposal submittal deadline may be extended pending a resolution of the protest. Proposer may protest a contract award if the Proposer believes that the award was inconsistent with VSD policy or this RFP is not in compliance with law. A protest must be filed in writing with VSD (email is not acceptable) within five (5) business days after receipt of notification of the intended contract award. Any protest submitted after 5 p.m. of the fifth business day after notification of the intended contract award will be rejected by

VSD as invalid and the Proposer’s failure to timely file a protest will waive the Proposer’s right to protest the contract award. The Proposer’s protest must include supporting documentation, legal authorities in support of the grounds for the protest and the name, address and telephone number of the person representing the Proposer for purposes of the protest. Any matters not set forth in the protest shall be deemed waived.

B. VSD Review. VSD will review and evaluate the basis of the protest provided the protest is filed in strict conformity with the foregoing. VSD shall provide the Proposer submitting the protest with a written statement concurring with or denying the protest. Action by VSD relative to the protest will be final and not subject to appeal or reconsideration. The procedure and time limits set forth in this section are mandatory and are the Proposer’s sole and exclusive remedy in the event of protest. Failure to comply with these procedures will constitute a waiver of any right to further pursue the protest, including filing a Government Code claim or legal proceedings.

2.10. ADDENDA

VSD reserves the right to revise the RFP prior to the time set to receive proposals. Revisions, if any, shall be made by written addenda via VSD's eProcurement Portal. All addenda issued by VSD shall be included in the proposal and made part of the RFP. Each Proposer shall leave with VSD its name, and e-mail address for the purpose of receiving Addenda. Notices of addenda will be sent to all subscribed bidders following this project, and posted via VSD's eProcurement Portal. Proposers are responsible for ensuring that they have received any and all addenda. Each Proposer should monitor the project via the eProcurement Portal to verify that it has received all addenda issued, if any, prior to the bid opening.

Failure to acknowledge receipt of all addenda via VSD's eProcurement Portal may result in bid rejection.

2.11. GENERAL CONDITIONS

A. Amendments to Proposals. Unless specifically requested by VSD, no amendment, addendum or modification will be accepted after a proposal has been submitted to VSD. If a change to a proposal that has been submitted is desired, the submitted proposal must be withdrawn and the replacement proposal submitted via VSD's eProcurement Portal prior to the deadline stated herein for receiving proposals.

B. Non-Responsive Proposals. A proposal may be considered non-responsive if conditional, incomplete, or if it contains alterations of form, additions not called for, or other irregularities that may constitute a material change to the proposal.

C. Costs for Preparing. VSD will not compensate any Proposer for the cost of preparing any proposal, and all materials submitted with a proposal shall become the property of VSD. VSD will retain all proposals submitted and may use any idea in a proposal regardless of whether that proposal is selected.

D. Cancellation. VSD reserves the right to cancel this request for proposals at any time prior to contract award without obligation in any manner for proposal preparation, interview, fee negotiation or other associated marketing costs.

E. Price Validity. Prices provided by Proposers are valid for 90 days from the proposal due date. VSD intends to award the contract within this time but may request an extension from the Proposers to hold pricing, until negotiations are complete and the contract is awarded.

F. No Commitment to Award. Issuance of request for proposals and receipt of proposals does not commit VSD to award a contract. VSD expressly reserves the right to postpone the proposal for its own convenience, to accept or reject any or all proposals received, to negotiate with more than one Proposer concurrently, or to cancel all or part of this request for proposals.

G. Right to Negotiate and/or Reject Proposals. VSD reserves the right to negotiate any price or provision, task order or service, accept any part or all of any proposals, waive any irregularities, and to reject any and all, or parts of any and all proposals, whenever, in the sole opinion of VSD, such action shall serve its best interests and those of the tax-paying public. The Agreement, if any is awarded, will go to the

Proposer whose proposal best meets VSD’s requirements.

3. Evaluation Phases

During the evaluation process, VSD reserves the right, where it may serve VSD's best interest, to request additional information or clarifications from Proposers, or to allow corrections of errors or omissions.

Proposers may be invited to make an oral presentation.

The contract, if awarded, shall be to the most qualified Proposer, which submits the proposal that, in the sole judgment of VSD, is in the best interest of VSD.

Upon selection of a Proposer, VSD will endeavor to negotiate a mutually agreeable agreement with the selected Proposer. In the event that VSD is unable to reach agreement, VSD will proceed, at its sole discretion, to negotiate with the next Proposer selected by VSD. VSD reserves the right to contract for services in the manner that most benefits VSD including awarding more than one (1) contract if desired.

After negotiating a proposed Agreement that is fair and reasonable, VSD staff will make the final recommendation to VSD Board concerning the proposed Agreement. VSD Board has the final authority to approve or reject the Agreement.

No. Evaluation Criteria Scoring Method Weight (Points)

1. Understanding of Project and Project

Approach

Points Based 30

(30% of Total)

2. Scope of Work and Schedule Points Based 25

(25% of Total)

3. Relevant Qualifications/Experience Points Based 25

(25% of Total)

4. Overall Quality of Proposal Points Based 10

(10% of Total)

5. Cost Evaluation Points Based 10

(10% of Total)

4. Scope of Work

4.1. Scope of Work Supply and Delivery of Bulk Chemicals

1. SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

1.1. GENERAL

Valley Sanitary District (VSD) is seeking competitive bids for the supply and delivery of bulk chemicals. It is required that bulk chemicals be furnished and delivered as specified, F.O.B., all in accordance with specifications.

The District requires that critical Contractors be able to continue supplying products in case of unexpected disaster or urgent emergency event. All bidders must supply supporting documentation and/or a summary of plans addressing their ability to do so.

In the event a Contractor cannot provide the product in the quantities required by the District, it is the

Contractor's sole responsibility to secure and deliver the additional quantities required by the District. If sufficient quantities of material are not provided by the Contractor, the District may purchase the material from any Contractor on the open market.

If a Contractor anticipates a workforce interruption, production shutdown or has an unanticipated emergency that could interrupt the delivery of the product, the Contractor must contact District staff immediately by phone or email.

1.2. QUANTITIES

The quantities indicated (Exhibit A) on the bid forms are estimates based on the best information available, however, VSD reserves the right to purchase more or less than the estimated quantities, or to discontinue the use of any chemical prior to the end of the specified bid period, with no additional liability to purchase chemicals from Contractors. The District reserves the right to weigh all chemicals received on the scale located at VSD to verify quantities shipped.

1.3. CERTIFICATIONS

Certificate of Analysis (COA) and Safety Data Sheets (SDS) are to be submitted with the proposal and must be current at all times.

If the product has been repackaged, the repackager shall certify in writing that the purity of the product remains equal to that when shipped. This repackager certification shall be signed by the principal of the repackaging firm and shall be on the repackager letterhead.

If the Contractor is going to change the source of the supply (manufacturer) or sub-contractor, a thirty

(30)-day written notification is required to be submitted and subject to final approval by the District.

The Contractor will provide weighmaster certificates for all loads. Weighmaster certificates must be obtained from a certified weighmaster. Any costs for certified weigh certificates are the responsibility of the Contractor and must be included in the bid price.

1.4. HAZARDOUS MATERIALS REQUIREMENTS

Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring compliance with all Federal, State, and local environmental health and safety laws and regulations concerning the transport, delivery, transfer, and cleanup of hazardous materials while performing under this contract.

Contractor shall provide a copy of “Contractor’s Spill Response Plan” within 15 days after receipt of

Notice of Award, including the name and phone number of the contact person. Failure to provide this plan may cause the award to be terminated for default.

2. DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS

2.1. PLACEMENT OF ORDERS

Deliveries must be made within (3) business days after receipt of order. Conditions may arise which require emergency deliveries including holidays, weekends, and night hours within twenty-four (24) hours after notification. The Operations Supervisor, or designated representative, must approve any exception to this requirement prior to delivery.

2.2. SPILLAGE

The Contractor its sub-contractors shall be responsible for any spills resulting from the failure of the delivery equipment or from failure of attendant delivery personnel in the proper performance of their duties. Proper performance shall require attendant delivery personnel’s constant inspection and observation of unloading operations and knowledgeable response to problems or emergencies that would most commonly be expected to occur. VSD reserves the right to refuse any and all deliveries made with equipment which is poorly maintained.

The Contractor shall observe the entire filling operation and shall immediately report any spills caused during the filling operations to the on-duty wastewater treatment plant operator. The Contractor will be responsible at no charge to VSD for immediate clean-up, containment, disposal, and the restoration of the affected area back to its original condition prior to the incident. These activities will be conducted in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.

If the spill is not cleaned up, VSD will hire a certified hazardous material handling company to clean up the spill and properly dispose of material. The cost of such a service and any fines or penalties which may be imposed by regulating agencies will be charged to the Contractor and deducted from monies due.

2.3. CONDITION OF CARGO CONTAINERS AND EQUIPMENT

The tanks or trailers shall be clean and free of residue from previous loads which might contaminate the product. It is the Contractor’s responsibility to verify the cleanliness of the transporting equipment before loading. All appurtenant valves, pumps, and discharge hoses used for the delivery shall be clean and free from contaminating material. The Contractor shall furnish a VSD approved, leak-free connection device between the pump and VSD’s intake receptacle. VSD requires the Contractor to provide all off-load connectors. The off-load connectors are 2” camlocks. The Contractor must provide and use wheel chocks during unloading of product.

2.4. DELIVERY OF PRODUCT

All deliveries shall include weight ticket, Certificate of Analysis (COA), and Safety Data Sheets (SDS). With the exception of emergency deliveries, all deliveries shall be made weekdays (Monday – Friday) between the hours of 7:00am to 2:00pm.

All Contractors personnel including delivery drivers shall have their own Personal Protective Equipment

(PPE) and shall use the equipment during operations/activities with the product.

EXHIBIT “A”

ESTIMATED CHEMICAL USAGES

Chemical Concentration Tank/Tote

Capacity

(gal) Delivery Frequency

Sodium Bisulfite 25% Tank A 6,100 4,000 gals every 30-days

Tank B 6,100

Sodium

Hypochlorite

12.50% Tank A 8,050 5,000 gals every 10-days

Tank B 8,050

Ferric Chloride 37-42% Tote 250 1 tote every 30-days

5. Pricing Proposal

Line Item Description Quantity Unit of

Measure Unit Cost Total

1 25% Sodium Bisulfite 1 Gallon or lb

2 12.5% Sodium Hypochlorite 1 Gallon or lb

3 37-42% Ferric Chloride 1 Gallon or lb

TOTAL

6. Vendor Questionnaire

6.1. Have you read and agreed to all Terms and Conditions?*

☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

6.2. Submit Proposal Document Here*

PDF attachment

*Response required