T0448 Bid Amendment #2 Resp to Q&A 7.22.2024.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

July 22, 2024

To: All Interested Bidders

Re: Bid Solicitation # 24DPP01016 T0448 Uniforms, Apparel, Footwear and Accessories – New Jersey State Police

Bid Amendment #2

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

This Bid Amendment includes:

· Answers to questions from the Electronic Question and Answer Period that concluded on July 9, 2024;

· The addition of Exhibit A to Bid Amendment #2;

· Revisions to the Bid Solicitation (from Part 1 and Part 2 of the Bid Amendment); and

Please note that for all additions, deletions, clarifications and modifications to the Bid Solicitation, please refer to the Revised Bid Solicitation titled, “T0448 Revised Bid Solicitation 7.22.24”

· Revised State-Supplied Price Sheet titled “T0448 State Supplied Price Sheet Revised 7.22.2024”.

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 #24DPP01016 T0448 Uniforms, Apparel, Footwear and Accessories – New Jersey State Police

Part 1 - Answers to Questions

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

Section Reference Question (Bolded) and Answer

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

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.

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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, as stated in Bid Solicitation Section 3.11, Bidder proposed terms or conditions that conflict with those contained in the State of New Jersey Standard Terms and Conditions may render a Quote non-responsive.

Bid Solicitation Section 3.21 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.”

Bid Solicitation Section 3.17 Question: Is a Bidder required to provide the completed and signed Affidavit of Apparel Production form with the Quote?

Answer: Yes, Bidders are required to provide, with its Quote, the completed and signed Affidavit of Apparel Production form as indicated in Bid Solicitation Section 3.17. Bid Solicitation Section 3.17 states: “This Bid Solicitation requests Quotes for Apparel. N.J.S.A. 34:6-158 et seq. states purchases by the State are to be produced in production facilities within the United States and that such production facilities meet certain minimum requirements. The Bidder should submit the Affidavit of Apparel Production, in its entirety, at the time that the Bidder submits the Quote.”

Bid Solicitation Section 3.8

Question: For the SBE preference, what happens if I submit a Quote, but my firm's SBE status is listed as Expired or Revoked with the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services, Small Business Registration and MWBE Certification Services Unit on the date the Quote is received and opened? Will my Quote be considered for the SBE preference?

Answer: If your firm's 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. As stated in Bid Solicitation Section 3.8 Small Business Set-Aside Contract: “The Bidder must be registered as a qualified small business with the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services, Small Business Registration and M/WBE Certification Services Unit, by the date the Quote is received and opened.”

Bid Solicitation Section 3.8

Question: For the SBE preference, how can I check if my business is registered and approved as an SBE with the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services? Can I apply online?

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

Answer: Price adjustments may be considered following Contract award. Price increases may be requested pursuant to New Jersey State Standard Terms & Condition Section 6.1, which states, "in an exceptional situation the State may consider a price adjustment. Requests for price adjustments must include justification and documentation."

Bid Solicitation Section 1.2 Question: Could you share the last Bid Tabulation, itemized per item/Price Line?

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

Answer: Yes. Please see the usage history/spend report by Price Line for the current T0448 Contract, which is titled “Exhibit A to Bid Amendment #2” and published under the subject Bid Solicitation’s Attachments tab in NJSTART.

Bid Solicitation Section 1.2 Question: Can we have access to the current contract?

Answer: A copy of the current Contract may be found in NJSTART by following the instructions provided in Bid Solicitation Section 1.2.

Bid Solicitation Section 1.2 states:

“This is a reprocurement of the products under Uniforms - Class “A”, “B” and Security Officer, Shoes Class “A” - NJSP. This is a consolidation of Bid Solicitation number 14-X-23208 (Uniforms - Class “A”, “B” and Security Officer, and Shoes Class “A” - NJSP) and Bid Solicitation number 15-X-23592 (Uniforms - Class “A” Cruiser and Blouse – NJSP - Rebid) and also contains new items added by the NJSP*. Bidders interested in reviewing the current Contract specifications and pricing information may do so by following the instruction below. Bidders should not rely upon or use data or information from the contract when preparing a response to this Bid Solicitation as this Bid Solicitation addresses the State’s current requirements.

· Go to: www.njstart.gov

· Select “Active Blankets”

· In the search bar, select “Blankets” from the drop down menu

· Enter the T0448 and click “”

· The current Contract list will appear under “Results”

*For new items added by the NJSP, there will not be any existing Contracts within NJSTART to reference.

Additionally, please refer to the usage history/spend report by Price Line for the current T0448 Contract, which is titled “Exhibit A to Bid Amendment #2” and published under the subject Bid Solicitation’s Attachments tab in NJSTART as stated in the answer provided to number 10 above.

Bid Solicitation Section 3.36

Scope of Work, Bid Solicitation Section 4

General, Bid Solicitation Section 4.1 Question: In reference to Bid Solicitation #24DPP01016, for any Price Line item which reads “equivalent”, will DPP accept more than one option for that Price Line item?

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

Answer: Yes, multiple items may be bid on the Price Lines that are marked “Equivalent brand/model# accepted per Bid Solicitation Section 4.1”, as long as those items bid conform to the specifications for that particular garment/item as detailed in Bid Solicitation Section 4.1. Please refer to Bid Solicitation Section 4.1 for the detailed specifications for each garment/item.

Question: If so, can we include this on a separate sheet and load it up as an attachment?

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

Answer: Yes, Bidders are permitted to copy the State-Suppled Price Sheet and complete it for each brand/model number for the Price Lines that are marked “Equivalent brand/model# accepted per Bid Solicitation Section 4.1”. Bid Solicitation Section 3.36 states, in pertinent part:

“State-Supplied Price Sheet Instructions – General:

A Bidder may bid multiple product brands/model #s for a given category/price line. A Bidder should copy the State-Supplied Price Sheet and complete it for each brand/model # bid. As an alternative, a Bidder may add tabs at the bottom of the State-Supplied Price Sheet for each additional brand/model# offered within the Category/Price Line (by copying the text and information from the original Price Sheet). The Bidder must follow all instructions and provide all required information contained within Bid Solicitation Section 3.36 for each additional brand/model# offered.”

The Affidavit of Apparel Production form is required with this Bid Solicitation. Please refer to the Question and Answer in number 6 above and Bid Solicitation Section 3.17.

Bid Solicitation Section 1.1

Price Evaluation, Bid Solicitation Section 8.9.2

Contract Award, Bid Solicitation Section 8.16 Question: In reference to Bid Solicitation #24DPP01016, please confirm multiple Vendors will be awarded the same line item for all Vendors who bid on this line item.

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

Answer: For the two (2) Groups listed in the Bid Solicitation and on the State-Supplied Price Sheet, Groups 16 and 16A, the State intends to make one (1) Contract Award per Group. (emphasis added)

For the Individual Price Lines listed in the Bid Solicitation and on the State-Supplied Price Sheet, Price Lines 1 through 35 and 42 through 96, the State intends to make a Contract award to all responsive Bidders. (emphasis added)

Bid Solicitation Section 1.1 states, in pertinent part:

“The State intends to make awards as follows:

For Groups 16 and 16A:

For Groups 16 and 16A, the State intends to make one (1) Contract award per Group. Please refer to Bid Solicitation Section 8.9.2 and 8.16.

Bidders must bid on all price lines contained within the Group. If a Bidder does not bid on all price lines within the Group, its Quote will be considered non-responsive for that Group.

A Bidder is not required to bid on both Groups on the State-Supplied Price Sheet in order to be considered responsive.

Price line items are grouped for Quote evaluation purposes only. Upon Contract award, Using Agencies will be able to order any price lines within the Groups individually.

For Individual Price Lines – Price Lines 1 through 35 and 42 through 96:

The Bid Solicitation contains Individual Price Lines, identified as Price Lines 1 through 35 and 42 through 96 on the State-Supplied Price Sheet. A Bidder may bid on one, some or all Individual Price Lines. A Bidder is not required to bid on all Individual Price Lines on the State-Supplied Price Sheet in order to be considered responsive.

For each individual price line, the State intends to make a Contract award to all responsive Bidders. Please refer to Bid Solicitation Section 8.9.2 and 8.16.”

Bid Solicitation 8.9.2 states, in pertinent part:

“The State intends to make awards as follows:

For Groups 16 and 16A:

For Groups 16 and 16A, the State intends to make one (1) Contract award per Group, based on the sum of all price lines contained within the Group to determine the group price.

For example, Group 16 consists of Price Lines 36 through 38. The group price for this group would be calculated as follows:

Price Line 36 – High Visibility Reversible Raincoat - $100 Price Line 37 – Rain Cap - $40 Price Line 38 – Rain Bag - $10

Group Price (Sum of Price Lines 36 through 38): $150

These figures were used as an example only and are not representative of what a Bidder may actually bid for these price lines.

Bidders must bid on all price lines contained within the Group. If a Bidder does not bid on all price lines within the Group, its Quote will be considered non-responsive for that Group.

Price line items are grouped for Quote evaluation purposes only. Upon Contract award, Using Agencies will be able to order any price lines within the Groups individually.

For Individual Price Lines – Price Lines 1 through 35 and 42 through 96:

The Bid Solicitation contains Individual Price Lines, identified as Price Lines 1 through 35 and 42 through 96 on the State-Supplied Price Sheet. For each individual price line, the State intends to make a Contract award to all responsive Bidders.

A Bidder may bid on one, some or all Individual Price Lines.

A Bidder is not required to bid on all Individual Price Lines on the State-Supplied Price Sheet in order to be considered responsive.

The State intends to award this Contract in two (2) phases. The State will award Using Agency Approved Brands/Products, as detailed on the State Supplied Price Sheet, provided these items are approved by the New Jersey Department of Labor, as part of its Affidavit of Apparel Product Review.

The State will then make additional awards to the Equivalent Brands/Products bid after those Equivalent Brands/Products are reviewed and approved by the New Jersey Department of Labor and approved by the New Jersey State Police through its independent review of the samples received.

Prior to Contract award, all brands and model numbers will be evaluated and reviewed by the New Jersey Department of Labor for approval. For the Equivalent Brands/Products bid, once the New Jersey Department of Labor approves the Equivalent Brands/Products bid, a sample shall be requested and sent to the New Jersey State Police for evaluation and testing which will not take more than two (2) months. The New Jersey State Police will then score said sample garment as a “Pass” or “Fail” in order to determine if the Equivalent Brand/Product bid meets the Bid Solicitation requirements and NJSP requirements in order to receive a Contract award.

Bid Solicitation Section 8.16 states, in pertinent part:

The State intends to make Contract awards in accordance with Section 8.9 of this Bid Solicitation.

Bid Solicitation Section 4.11 Question: Can you please advise what pricing advantages or other advantages will be provided to SBE firms in comparison to offers from companies that are not certified SBE?

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

Answer: Upon Contract award, the Using Agency will solicit mini-bid responses from all Contractors awarded the brand(s) required by the State Police. All Contractors that are registered as an SBE at the time of the Quote opening will receive a 15% pricing consideration above the lowest non-SBE Contractor’s mini-bid received. By way of example, should a non-SBE registered Contractor bid $40.00 on an item and an SBE registered Contractor bids on the same item at $45.00, the SBE Contractor’s bid will be considered at $38.25 ($45.00 x 15% = $6.75; $45.00 - $6.75 = $38.25).

Bid Solicitation Section 4.11 states, in pertinent part:

“All Contractors registered as a Small Business Enterprise (SBE) with the New Jersey Department of the Treasury Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services must be included in the Using Agency’s mini-bid request, as applicable. Please note that any mini-bid obtained from a SBE will receive a 15% pricing consideration above the lowest non-SBE mini-bid received.”

Bid Solicitation Sections 3.17 and 3.36 Question: There is a cost difference to manufacture in the United States of America as opposed to outside of the United States of America. Can I bid two separate lines, a United States of America brand and an outside of the United States of America cost?

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

Answer: Yes, for the equivalent brand price lines only. For price lines with an approved brand and model number, Bidders must bid that brand and model number only.

For Price Lines marked “Equivalent brand/model# accepted per Bid Solicitation Section 4.1”, more than one quote may be submitted as long as the item bid conforms to the specifications as detailed in Bid Solicitation Section 4.1.

Price Lines marked “No equivalent brand/model accepted”, alternative items will not be accepted.

For all Price Lines, Bidder’s must indicate “Yes” or “No” on the State-Supplied Price Sheet if the item is Made in the USA or not.

Bid Solicitation Section 3.36, Step 2 states, in pertinent part:

Step 2 – The Bidder shall indicate if the item bid is Made in the USA by checking off the appropriate ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ field on the State-Supplied Price Sheet. If the brand and model bid is Made in the USA, the Bidder shall insert an ‘X’ in the ‘Yes’ field on the State-Supplied Price Sheet. If the brand and model bid is Made Outside of the USA, the Bidder shall insert an ‘X’ in the ‘No’ field on the State-Supplied Price Sheet.

Bid Solicitation Section 3.36, Step 2 further states, in pertinent part:

For all brands and models bid, the Bidder must provide the Affidavit of Apparel Production Form consistent with Bid Solicitation Section 3.17.

Question: Is there a method to increase prices upon an annual renewal basis?

Answer: Please refer to the answer provided in Question number 9 above.

Bid Solicitation Section 3.36

Scope of Work, Bid Solicitation Section 4

General, Bid Solicitation Section 4.1

Question: Can we quote on the item specified and a second cost on an upgraded option if we provide a sample?

Answer: No, the New Jersey State Police will not accept alternative items to those garments/items marked as “No equivalent brand/model accepted” as stated in Bid Solicitation Section 4.1 and on the State-Supplied Price Sheet.

However, multiple items may be bid on the Price Lines that are marked “Equivalent brand/model# accepted per Bid Solicitation Section 4.1” as long as those items bid conform to the specifications for that particular garment/item as detailed in Bid Solicitation Section 4.1. Please refer to Bid Solicitation, Section 4.1 for the detailed specifications for each garment/item.

If a Bidder intends to bid on more than one brand/model# for the Price Lines marked “Equivalent brand/model# accepted per Bid Solicitation Section 4.1”, the Bidder should copy the State-Suppled Price Sheet and complete it for each brand/model number. Bid Solicitation Section 3.36 states, in pertinent part:

“State-Supplied Price Sheet Instructions – General:

A Bidder may bid multiple product brands/model #s for a given category/price line. A Bidder should copy the State-Supplied Price Sheet and complete it for each brand/model # bid. As an alternative, a Bidder may add tabs at the bottom of the State-Supplied Price Sheet for each additional brand/model# offered within the Category/Price Line (by copying the text and information from the original Price Sheet). The Bidder must follow all instructions and provide all required information contained within Bid Solicitation Section 3.36 for each additional brand/model# offered.”

Bid Solicitation Section 1.1

Price Evaluation, Bid Solicitation Section 8.9.2

Question: Do we need to quote on every item in Price Lines 1 through 35?

Answer: No, a Bidder is not required to provide a bid on every price line for Price Lines 1 through 35 as they are marked as “Individual Price Lines”. The same applies to individual Price Lines 42 through 96 as well.

Please refer to Bid Solicitation Sections 1.1 and 8.9.2 as quoted in the answer provided to number 13 above.

Bidders must bid on all price lines contained within Group 16 and 16A. Bidders do not have to bid on both groups. Please refer to Bid Solicitation Sections 1.1 and 8.9.2.

Answer: Yes. In instances where multiple ranges of sizes exist, specifically Price Lines 30 through 35, 70 and 71, the State-Supplied Price Sheet has been revised to allow for individual Unit Prices for each size within the range. For example, if the size range for a give Price Line is from size Small to size 2XL, spaces have been provided on the State-Supplied Price Sheet for the Bidder to insert individual pricing for each size, size Small, size Medium, size Large, size Extra Large and size 2XL. Bidders may bid the same price for each size or differing prices for each size. However, Bidders must provide a Unit Price for each size listed.

The State-Supplied Price Sheet has been revised to include multiple sizes and pricing for Price Lines 30 through 35 and Price Lines 70 and 71.

Please refer to the revised State-Supplied Price Sheet titled “T0448 State Supplied Price Sheet Revised 7.22.2024”.

Section 3.36 of the Bid Solicitation has also been updated.

Please see the revised Bid Solicitation titled “T0448 Revised Bid Solicitation 7.22.2024”.

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

Answer: Please refer to the answer provided to question number 9 above.

Bid Solicitation # 24DPP01016 T0448 Uniforms, Apparel, Footwear and Accessories – New Jersey State Police

Part 2 - Revisions to the Bid Solicitation and State-Supplied Price Sheet

Section Reference Revision

For Price Lines 30 through 35 and Price Lines 70 and 71, a Bidder must bid on all sizing inserted on the Revised State-Supplied Price Sheet in order to be considered responsive for these Price Lines. These Price Lines included sizing as outlined in Section 4.1 of this Bid Solicitation as specific to each garment/item. Pricing will not be utilized for the evaluation process; however, such pricing will be reviewed as to the Bidder’s ability to provide said garment/item. Please refer to the Revised State-Supplied Price Sheet.

An example is shown below of how Price Line 30 must be filled out on the Revised State-Supplied Price Sheet. Bidders must follow this format for Price Lines 30 through 35 and Price Lines 70 and 71.

The above dollar values are used as an example only and do not depict any current Industry values or any expectation of what the State would pay for these items.

Important: Bidders must utilize the Revised State-Supplied Price Sheet titled “T0448 State Supplied Price Sheet Revised 7.22.2024” when submitting a Quote.

Price Lines 30 through 35; and Price Lines 70 through 71.

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