T1778S Bid Amendment 2 QA 6.22.23~2.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

Acting State Treasurer

SHEILA Y. OLIVER

Lt. Governor

AMY F. DAVIS, ESQ

Acting Director https://www.njstart.gov

June 22, 2023

To: All Interested Bidders

Bid Amendment #2

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

· Answers to electronic questions submitted during the electronic Question and Answer period;

· Please be advised that the standard response to Question #4 regarding hard copy Quote submissions, and Question #6 regarding expired or revoked small business status have been revised, and;

· Please note there have been revisions to the Bid Solicitation, specifically Sections 3.13.9, 3.28, 3.28.4, 4.6 and 8.16. Please see the attachment entitled, “T1778S Supplemental Bid Solicitation- Revised 6.22.23.”

· Please note that the State of New Jersey Standard Terms and Conditions have been revised as of June 21, 2023. Please see the attachment entitled, “State of New Jersey Standard Terms and Conditions 6.21.2023.”

· Please note that the Bid Solicitation Checklist has been updated to remove the Two-Year Chapter 51/Executive Order 117 Vendor Certification and Disclosure of Political Contributions requirement. Please see the attachment entitled, “T1778S Bid Solicitation Checklist- Revised 6.22.23.”

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

Bid Solicitation 23DPP00889 T1778S - Communications/ Telecommunications Cable, Wire, and Associated Products- Supplemental

Answers to Questions

Section Reference Question (Bolded) and Answer

A: 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.

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.

A: As stated in Bid Solicitation Section, 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).

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

In light of the dangers posed by the COVID-19 virus outbreak and the declaration by the World Health Organization of a global pandemic and Governor Murphy Executive Orders (https://www.state.nj.us/infobank/eo/056murphy/approved/eo_archive.html), which declared both a Public Health Emergency and State of Emergency, please be advised that all Quotes shall be submitted electronically through NJSTART.

A: 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 and M/WBE Certification Services Unit. Here you can login to your account or apply for certification: https://www.nj.gov/njbusiness/contracting/sbsa/

A: If your firm’s small business 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 Quotes submitted by your firm will not be evaluated as coming from a responsive qualifying small business. As stated in Bid Solicitation Section 8.16: "This procurement includes a partial set-aside category for Small Businesses. If no responsive Quotes offering reasonable pricing from a Bidder registered and approved as a Small Business at the time of the Quote opening, the State may award a Contract for any Category to any responsive Bidder." Accordingly, if no responsive Quotes offering reasonable pricing are received from qualifying small businesses, the State will evaluate Quotes received from firms whose small business 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.

A: Per Bid Solicitation Section 1.1, 3.8 and 8.16, this Bid Solicitation is designated as a partial small business set-aside. The State intends to award at least one (1) Small Business Set-Aside contract, if possible, for Categories 1 through 6.

Bid Solicitation Section 3.8 states, in part: “Pursuant to the provisions of N.J.S.A. 52:32-17 et seq. and N.J.A.C. 17:13 et seq. this is a partial Set-Aside Contract for Category I, II, or III for Small Businesses.

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… If no responsive Quotes offering reasonable pricing from a Bidder registered and approved as a Small Business at the time of the Quote opening, the State may award a Contract for any Category to any responsive Bidder in accordance with Section 8.16.”

Per Bid Solicitation Section 9, Glossary, a Small Business Set-Aside Contract is defined as, “(1) a Contract for goods, equipment, construction or services which is designated as a Contract with respect to which bids are invited and accepted only from small businesses, or (2) a portion of a Contract when that portion has been so designated.” N.J.S.A. 52:32-19.”

A: The State will only accept Quotes for products and services that meet the Scope of Work. Please refer to Bid Solicitation Section 4, which details all of the product categories and specifications for each. The Category titles are copied below for reference:

Category 1 – Cable, Wire, and Optical Fiber;

Category 2 – Custom Length Cables;

Category 3 – Associated Cable and Wire Hardware;

Category 4 – Test Equipment;

Category 5 – Installation Tools;

Category 6 – Training; and Category 7 – Data Center Management Solutions and Installation.

A: Please be advised that Bid Solicitation Section 3.28 and 4.6 have been revised to reflect updated State-Supplied Price Sheet instructions and details regarding the Extended Warranty.

In accordance with Bid Solicitation Section 4.6, Warranty Requirements, the Contractor shall provide a Manufacturer’s standard warranty (one (1) year minimum) for products and services for Categories 1 through 5 and 7 and is to be included in the Product Percent (%) Discount off of OEM Price Catalog. The brand(s) bid should be eligible for manufacturer’s extended warranty.

Moreover, per Bid Solicitation Section 3.28, “The Bidder should provide an Extended Warranty Percent (%) discount off of OEM Price Catalog. If the Brand a Bidder is bidding on does not offer an extended warranty, the Bidder should indicate “N/A” in that particular cell.”

Bid Solicitation Section 3.28.4 states, in part: “If the Bidder is not submitting a price for an item on a price line, the Bidder should indicate ’No Bid’ on the State-Supplied Price Sheet accompanying this Bid Solicitation. If the Bidder will supply an item on a price line free of charge, the Bidder must indicate ‘No Charge’ on the State-Supplied Price Sheet accompanying this Bid Solicitation. The use of any other identifier may result in the Bidder’s Quote being deemed non-responsive.”

The State further clarifies that “0%” or “0.0%” will be acceptable Price Sheet insertions where the Bidder intends to offer no discount from the OEM Price Catalog, or no Large Purchase Order Discount.

Please see attachment “T1778S Supplemental Bid Solicitation- Revised 6.22.23.”

A: No, this Bid Solicitation does not have a subcontracting set-aside requirement. Per the cover page of the Bid Solicitation, this Bid Solicitation is a partial contract Small Business Set-Aside for Goods and Services, Categories I, II and III.

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