T0118 Bid Amendment 2 - Responses to Questions BB CM KT rev 1.9.24 2.docx

PHILIP D. MURPHY

Governor State of New Jersey

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

DIVISION OF PURCHASE AND PROPERTY

PROCUREMENT BUREAU

33 WEST STATE STREET

P. O. BOX 230

TRENTON, NEW JERSEY 08625-0230

ELIZABETH MAHER MUOIO

State Treasurer

TAHESHA L. WAY

Lt. Governor

AMY F. DAVIS, ESQ.

Acting Director https://www.njstart.gov

January 9, 2024

To: All Interested Bidders

Re: Bid Solicitation # 23DPP00903 T0118 Sporting Goods - Statewide

Quote Submission Due Date: January 25, 2024 (2:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

Bid Amendment #2

The following constitutes Bid Amendment #2 to the above referenced Bid Solicitation:

· This Bid Amendment includes answers to questions.

It is the sole responsibility of the Bidder to be knowledgeable of all of the additions, deletions, clarifications, and modifications to the Bid Solicitation and/or the New Jersey Standard Terms and Conditions relative to this Bid Solicitation as set forth in all Bid Amendments.

All other instructions, terms, and conditions of the Bid Solicitation shall remain the same.

Bid Solicitation #23DPP00903 T0118 Sporting Goods - Statewide

Answers to Questions

Where applicable, each question references the appropriate Bid Solicitation section.

Section Reference Question (Bolded) and Answer

Answer: It is recommended that users utilize Microsoft Edge to view PDFs. Certain PDF forms cannot be opened in the Chrome or Firefox built in PDF viewers that are enabled by default. If using Chrome or Firefox it is recommended that the file is downloaded instead by clicking the download button in the upper right-hand corner of the browser after an error message is received. An alternative option is to disable the built in PDF viewers in Chrome or Firefox.

Answer: Yes. Prior to the Quote Opening Deadline, a Bidder should review the documents comprising the submitted Quote to ensure that all of the required documents have been completed and attached. Oftentimes a Quote is deemed non-responsive because a Bidder fails to attach a required form or attaches a blank form. To review a submitted a Quote, a Bidder should log into NJSTART and review each document attached to the Quote submission. Instructions on how to review a submitted Quote can be found in the Quick Reference Guide entitled How to Review a Submitted Quote, which is available on the NJSTART Vendor Support Page under Vendor Reference Guides.

Answer: Please be advised that all Quotes shall be submitted electronically through NJSTART.

Answer: As stated in Bid Solicitation Section 2.2: “Exceptions to the State of NJ Standard Terms and Conditions (SSTC): “Questions regarding the State of New Jersey Standard Terms and Conditions and exceptions to mandatory requirements MUST be posed during the Electronic Question and Answer period and shall contain the Bidder’s suggested changes and the reason(s) for the suggested change(s).”

Moreover, Bid Solicitation Section 3.11 states, in pertinent part: “A Bidder may submit additional terms as part of its Quote. Additional terms are Bidder-proposed terms or conditions that do not conflict with the scope of work required in this Bid Solicitation, the terms and conditions of this Bid Solicitation, or the State of New Jersey Standard Terms and Conditions. Bidder proposed terms or conditions that conflict with those contained in the State of New Jersey Standard Terms and Conditions will render a Quote non-responsive. It is incumbent upon the Bidder to identify and remove its conflicting proposed terms and conditions prior to Quote submission.”

Bid Solicitation Section 3.11 further states: “If Bidder intends to propose terms and conditions that conflict with the State of New Jersey Standard Terms and Conditions, those Bidder proposed terms and conditions shall only be considered if submitted and agreed to pursuant to the electronic question and answer procedure. Bidders shall not submit exceptions or modifications as part of the Quote or on the “Terms and Conditions” Tab through NJSTART.”

Question: Is a Bidder required to provide the signed Specification Conformance Certification with the Quote?

Answer: Yes; Bidders are required to provide, with its Quote, the signed Specification Conformance Certification as indicated in Bid Solicitation Section 3.21.

Bid Solicitation Section 3.21 states: “The Bidder shall submit with its Quote the Specification Conformance Form. By submitting this form, the Bidders certifies that all items offered in response to this Bid Solicitation conform to the requirements set forth in the Bid Solicitation.”

Answer: If your firms SBE status is listed as ‘Expired’ or ‘Revoked’ by the DORES Small Business Registration and MWBE Certification Services Unit at the date the Quote is received and opened, the Quote submitted by your firm will not be evaluated as coming from a responsive qualifying SBE.

Answer: By clicking on the below link, you will be directed to the New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services, Small Business Registration Certification Services Unit. To verify the current SBE status of your firms account or for instructions to apply online for SBE certification, please visit: https://www.nj.gov/treasury/revenue/business-cert-program.shtml

As stated in Bid Solicitation Section 8.16 (Contract Award): “The State intends to make Contract awards to each responsive qualifying small business registered and approved with the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services, Small Business Registration and M/WBE Certification Services Unit at the time of Quote opening in accordance with Section 8.9.2 of this Bid Solicitation.”

Disclosure of Investigations and Other Actions Involving the Vendor Form Question: When answering ‘No’ to the questions in Section #2 of the Disclosure of Investigations Form (Page #5), do I leave them blank or type ‘No’ at the end of each question?

Note: This question has been paraphrased in the interest of readability and clarity

Answer: All questions listed on the Disclosure of Investigations and Other Actions Involving Bidder Form must be answered. When you click on the box next to the question an arrow will appear. Please click on the arrow creating a drop down box with the options to choose either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. Then, hover over and left click the answer choice that best responds to the question. Your selected prewritten value will be shown. You may also print out the form, provide handwritten answers next to each question, and submit a scanned version of the form.

Answer: The ‘Promise Date’ field must be left blank.

For further reference, please review the ‘Quick Reference Guide: Creating a Quote’ at https://www.state.nj.us/treasury/purchase/njstart/pdf/SubmitaQuote.pdf and/or review the ‘Submit a Quote’ step-by-step video guide at https://youtu.be/Tw4N9AuWaAo

Note: This question has been paraphrased in the interest of readability and clarity

Answer: Yes, electronic signatures are acceptable when submitting a quote.

State-Supplied Price Sheet Instructions

Section 4.1 General Question: Your description for Badminton Equipment is vague and has many different items as well as the other items on the list. Can you send better descriptions, item numbers and pictures of each item on your bid?

Note: This question has been paraphrased in the interest of readability and clarity

Answer: The State will not provide pictures, specific item numbers or updated descriptions of each item/category from the Bid Solicitation.

The descriptions for the categories within the Bid Solicitation are generic and are meant to cover the entire product line of a given category.

For example, for Category/Price Line 1, Badminton and Related Equipment and Accessories, a Bidder may offer a price list/catalog that includes complete sets, racquets, nets, shuttlecocks, net posts, equipment bags, and all other products that relate to badminton equipment and accessories.

Bidders may offer any brand that meets the requirements of the categories identified in Bid Solicitation Section 4.1. Bidders should offer a price list/catalog that has an exhaustive list of products offering sporting goods items for each category bid.

For sporting goods equipment descriptions and example of brands for each category, please refer to Bid Solicitation Section 4.1.

For complete instructions on how to complete the State-Supplied Price Sheet, please refer to Bid Solicitation Section 3.36.

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