T0777 BA1 2.28.25.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

February 28, 2025

To: All Interested Bidders

Re: Bid Solicitation # 25DPP01134 T0777 - Snow Plowing and Spreading Services - NJDOT

Quote Submission Due Date: Friday, April 4, 2025 (2:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

Bid Amendment #1

The following constitutes Bid Amendment #1 to the above referenced Bid Solicitation:

· This Bid Amendment includes answers to questions.

· An optional Pre-Quote Conference was held via Teams Meeting on February 6, 2025 in accordance with Bid Solicitation Section 2.5, Optional Pre-Quote Conference. There were eight (8) firms in attendance:

· Mathis Construction

· Jersey Construction, Inc.

· Mark Veniero Trucking

· Seashore Asphalt Corp.

· IEW Construction Group, Inc.

· J&K Toro Trucking

· Gomez Brothers Trucking

· Encalada Trucking

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 #25DPP01134 T0777 - Snow Plowing and Spreading Services – NJDOT

Answers to Questions

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

Section Reference Question (Bolded) and Answer

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

A: 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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A: 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.

Business Registration Q: Is a public works certificate required?

Q: Does our business registration certificate need to be updated or renewed?

A: A public works certificate is not required for this Contract.

Pursuant to Bid Solicitation Section 3.13.13, Business Registration,: “In accordance with N.J.S.A. 52:32-44(b), a Bidder and its named Subcontractors must have a valid Business Registration Certificate (“BRC”) issued by the Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services prior to the award of a Contract.” It is the responsibility of the Bidder to ensure that its Business Registration is active and valid.

Experience of Bidder Q. Are Bidders required to fill out and submit a completed Attachment 3, Experience of Bidder Form?

A: Yes. Pursuant to Bid Solicitation Section 3.15, any Bidder that does not include a completed Experience of Bidder Form with their Quote will be deemed non-responsive and ineligible for award.

State-Supplied Price Sheet Instructions Q: Are Bidders required to bid on all three (3) State-Supplied Price Sheets?

A: No. Pursuant to Bid Solicitation Section 3.17, Bidders can bid on one (1), all three (3), or any combination of Price Sheets. Bidders should only provide bids for Price Lines they are willing and able to provide.

State-Supplied Price Sheet Instructions Q: Can I bid a Superintendent rate that is above 50% of the submitted Hourly rate for that Price Line?

A: No. For both the Snow Plowing And Hauling Services (Price Lines 1-317) and Spreading Services (Price Lines 327-392) Price Sheets, the Superintendent rate shall not exceed 50% of the hourly rate for that line, up to $150. If the Superintendent Rate is above 50% of the submitted hourly rate, or above $150, that line will be deemed non-responsive. Please reference Bid Solicitation Sections 3.17.1 and 3.17.3.

State-Supplied Price Sheet Instructions Q: Could you tell us what section and how many trucks are needed for plowing

A: Pursuant to Bid Solicitation Section 1.2, Background, this is a reprocurement of the entire current T0777 Contract. For plowing services, all Routes are listed on the Snow Plowing and Hauling Services State-Supplied Price Sheet. The number of trucks needed for each route is listed in the Price Line description for each route.

Snow Plowing and Hauling Services (Price Lines 1 – 317) Price Sheet Instructions Q: Are Bidders required to provide both a 1st and 2nd Preference price for all lines bid on the Snow Plowing and Hauling Services State-Supplied Price Sheet (Price Lines 1-317)?

A: No. Pursuant to Bid Solicitation Section 3.17.1, for Price Lines 1-317 Bidders should only provide 1st OR 2nd Preference pricing for each line being bid. If both Preferences are bid on, the State will only evaluate the 1st Preference bid, and if awarded, the Contractor will be required to provide their own plows for that line.

State-Supplied Price Sheet Instructions Q: If 4 trucks are required, does the bidder have to supply all 4 or can bidder bid as many as they can provide? Basically stating can I provide 1 of the 4?

A: Pursuant to Bid Solicitation Section 3.17, State-Supplied Price Sheet Instructions, if bidding the 1st preference on a Plowing Line (Price Lines 1-317), the Bidder is certifying that it is able to provide the full amount of trucks for that line.

“…When the Bidder submits a rate for a specific Price Line, it is certifying that it shall provide the required quantity of trucks and equipment required for that specific Price Line, and that it shall provide all equipment associated with the Preference that it has selected by utilizing the above referenced directions. If awarded, the Bidder shall be contractually obligated to provide the services, trucks, and equipment as indicated on its State-Supplied Price Sheet.”

Other Equipment (Price Lines 318 – 326) Price Sheet Instructions Q: On other equipment is a loader price paid all the bid price or is there standby time like spreading?

Q: Are all loader hours paid at the bid price not standby rate?

A: For Price Lines 318 – 326, Contractors shall be awarded an hourly rate for the listed pieces of equipment. There is no standby time for these equipment. Awarded Contractors will be contacted by NJDOT when the need for this equipment arises. Pursuant to Bid Solicitation section 4.16.1, Loaders and Graders,:

”The use of the above equipment will be on an as-needed basis, at the discretion of the NJDOT. Should the need arise, the equipment will be used for the loading of deicing/spreading materials into salt spreading trucks or for the removal of excess snow from roadways or intersections.”

Scope of Work Q: Can you have a truck that is a salt and plow truck or would you like the salt trucks to be salt trucks and plow trucks to be plow trucks

A: No, a salt and plow truck cannot be used. Salt trucks shall only be used for spreading services, and plow trucks shall only be used for plowing services.

Scope of Work Q: Can a truck/equipment with registered farm plates be used for any portion of this work?

A: No. The Contractor shall ensure that all trucks and equipment used for snowplowing and spreading services are registered with commercial plates for use on New Jersey roadways.

Contractor Readiness and Call-Out Q: What can be done to increase the two hour reporting time notice to contractors? It would be a huge benefit to everyone involved if the contractors received notice of their report time a minimum of 6 to 8 hours prior. The pool of local snow plow contractors has diminished considerably. Some companies come from over 50 miles away and 2 hours is not sufficient notice.

A: The two-hour reporting time cannot be increased. Upon receipt of a Call-Out, the Contractor shall ensure that it is fully prepared to begin operations within the two-hour timeframe.

Contractor Superintendent Requirements Q: Can a plow truck operator simultaneously be a Supervisor for the snow section within which he is assigned to?

A: No. A plow truck operator cannot simultaneously be a supervisor for the snow section assigned.

Snow Plowing Truck Requirements Q: Class A Vehicle Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) of 45,000 pounds or over - is this the weight that the vehicle is registered for or does it pertain to the manufacturer's listed weight on the vehicles door spec/label?

A: The GVW of 45,000 pounds or over is the weight that the vehicle is registered for, and the legal weight permitted for use on NJ roadways.

Calibrated Spreading Services Q: Is the Superintendent position/rate for Spreading services new?

A: Yes. This requirement was not present in the last procurement of T0777. Please review Bid Solicitation Section 4.17.2, Contractor Superintendent Requirements, for more information.

Contractor Superintendent Requirements Q: Is the supervisor for Salting operations per bid or per route?

Q: If you bid one yard with 6 trucks, do you only need one supervisor correct?

A: Pursuant to Bid Solicitation section 4.17.2, Contractor Superintendent Requirements, the Contractor shall provide a Superintendent for each spreading section awarded. For any Price Line being bid on, the Bidder must provide an all-inclusive hourly rate for the Superintendent of that Price Line. Please reference Bid Solicitation section 3.17.3 for more information.

The hypothetical example is correct. If bidding on a Spreading Price Line that requires six (6) trucks, the Bidder will provide an all-inclusive hourly rate for the Spreading Superintendent. If awarded this line, the Contractor shall be required to provide the Superintendent for that route at the awarded rate.

Contractor Superintendent Requirements Q: Is a spreading service supervisor required to bid for spreading and will the price be considered in determining the winning bid?

A: Yes. Please reference Bid Solicitation Section 3.17.3, Spreading Services (Price Lines 327 – 392) Price Sheet Instructions, which states in pertinent part:

“…For Price Lines 327 – 392, Bidders shall provide an All-Inclusive Hourly Rate in the Superintendent Column for each Price Line being bid. Failure to provide unit pricing for the Superintendent shall result in the Quote being deemed non-responsive for the respective Price Line.”

For information regarding Pricing Evaluation for Spreading Services, please reference Bid Solicitation Section 8.9.2.2, Spreading Services, which states in pertinent part:

“Spreading Services – Pricing Evaluation Methodology

Bidders will be ranked based upon the Total Hourly Rate for the respective Price Line. The Total Hourly Rate will be calculated for each Price Line as follows:

(Total # of trucks x per truck hourly rate) + Superintendent hourly rate = Total Hourly Rate.

Please note that if a Spreading Price Line includes multiple different types of truck, the Total # of trucks will be used to calculate the Total Hourly Rate.”

Contract Term and Extension Option Q: Is there an option for rate increase for bidder during any of the contract terms or renewal periods?

A: Pursuant to Section 6.1 of the State Standard Terms and Conditions (SSTC) [Attachment 1], Price Fluctuation During Contract:

“Unless otherwise agreed to in writing by the State, all prices quotes shall be firm through issuance of contract or purchase order and shall not be subject to increase during the period of the contract.

In an exceptional situation the State may consider a price adjustment. Requests for price adjustments must include justification and documentation.”

Evaluation Criteria Q: How will bids for this Bid Solicitation be evaluated?

A: Please reference Bid Solicitation Section 8.9, Evaluation Criteria (subsections included), for more information on how bids will be evaluated.

A: Pursuant to the express language in the Bid Solicitation, the Division will award a Contract to the responsible Bidder(s) whose Quote, conforming to this Bid Solicitation, is most advantageous to the State, price and other factors considered. Please also reference Bid Solicitation Section 8.14, Poor Performance, which states:

“A Bidder with a history of performance problems may be bypassed for consideration of an award issue as a result of this Bid Solicitation. The following materials may be reviewed to determine bidder performance:

A. Contract cancellations for cause pursuant to State of New Jersey Standard Terms and Conditions Section 5.7(B);

B. Information contained in Contractor performance records;

C. Information obtained from audits or investigations conducted by a local, state or federal agency of the Bidder’s work experience;

D. Current licensure, registration, and/or certification status and relevant history thereof; or E. Bidder’s status or rating with established business/financial reporting services, as applicable.

Bidders should note that this list is not exhaustive.”

A: Please see the Answer to Question 23.

A: Please see the Answer to Question 23.

A: We are unable to provide updates on other Contract/active Procurements. If this is an inquiry for an active Contract, please reach out to the Purchaser listed on NJSTART. If this is an inquiry for an active procurement, please check NJSTART for any updates.

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