Bid for 1 year contract for a variety of Car Seats

The State of Maine Division of Purchases is requesting bids for a one-year car seat supply contract beginning February 1, 2009, with bids due January 13, 2009. Awards will be made to the lowest responsible bidder offering best value, with tie-bid preference for in-state vendors or those offering commodities produced or manufactured in Maine.

The scope comprises five car seat types: convertible seats (rear-facing to 35 pounds, forward-facing to 40 pounds with 5-point harness); 3-in-1 seats (harness to 65 pounds converting to high-back and backless boosters for children to 100 pounds); combination seats (internal harness to 65 pounds with adjustable headrests); high-back boosters (convertible to backless for children to 100 pounds); and infant-only seats (birth to 20 pounds and 29 inches, available in single and five-unit cartons). The State distributes over 2,000 seats annually to approximately 88 distribution sites throughout Maine on quarterly or monthly basis. Vendors must include all shipping and handling costs in quoted prices with no separate billing. Orders under $5,000 route directly to vendors; orders exceeding $5,000 require Division of Purchases approval. Vendors must accept the State of Maine Procurement Card as payment without surcharges.

Bidders must submit separate unit prices for each item on prescribed forms or electronically; awards may be made item-by-item or as a group. The State reserves the right to increase or decrease quantities by up to 10% and to reject any or all bids. Vendors must notify the State within two business days of any backorders with projected availability dates. The contract includes a 30-day cancellation clause at the Director's discretion and extension provisions with contractor consent. The State requests that successful bidders extend contract pricing to Maine political subdivisions and school districts. Pricing must remain firm throughout the contract period and exclude Federal and Maine sales and use taxes. Cash discounts of 20 days or more are factored into low-bid determination.