Blythewood pedestian railing system*

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) issued an Invitation for Bid (IFB) for the Blythewood Pedestrian Railing System project located in Richland County. The solicitation requires the furnishing and installation of approximately 552 linear feet of Ameristar Aegis II Xtreme Ornamental Pedestrian Railing System or an equivalent ornamental pedestrian railing system at the Blythewood Road Bridge over Interstate 77 at Exit 27. Specific technical requirements include a Classic 2 rail style in black color, with 1-inch square 14-gauge tubing pickets spaced 4.5 to 5.0 inches apart, 1.75-inch by 3.5-inch 14-gauge rails, and 4-inch square 11-gauge posts, all featuring stainless steel fasteners and PermaCoat powder coat system. The project is structured with three line items: ornamental pedestrian railing system installation, traffic control services, and fence installation labor. Evaluation criteria focus on selecting the lowest responsible and responsive bidder, with a pre-bid conference held on January 23, 2020, and sealed bids due online by February 3, 2020, at 2:30 p.m. The estimated contract period was from February 21, 2020, to February 20, 2021, with all installation work to be completed by June 15, 2020.

The solicitation was an exempt procurement under South Carolina Code Section 11-35-710(1), with no specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises mentioned. Contractors were required to register with the state procurement system and maintain liability insurance with minimum coverage of $1,000,000 per occurrence for commercial general liability and $1,000,000 per accident for auto liability. Contractors were responsible for work zone traffic control compliant with MUTCD standards, employee safety and training per OSHA requirements, and coordination with the SCDOT Engineer. However, the project ultimately did not proceed, as evidenced by a subsequent "No Award" notice indicating the solicitation was cancelled and would not be re-solicited. No specific award value or budget range was explicitly stated in the available documentation. The procurement officer for this solicitation was Latricia Trapp, contactable at 803-737-8380 or TrappLA@scdot.org, though the contract was not awarded as initially planned.