Brass Goods

The City of Madison, Wisconsin Finance Department Purchasing Services, through the Water Utility, issued a Request for Quotation (RFQ 4815) for the procurement of brass goods on May 1, 2019. The solicitation seeks various brass plumbing components, including curb stops, corporation stops, service bend fittings, and couplings from qualified manufacturers like Mueller and Ford. Specific procurement requirements include 20 line items of brass fittings in sizes ranging from 3/8 to 2 inches, with total quantities of approximately 457 units across different connection types such as compression, flare, and fast connect configurations. The evaluation criteria for award consideration include cost, quality, compatibility, warranty, delivery capability, and past performance, with the most advantageous bid to the City being selected. Key deadlines included May 6, 2019, for question submissions, May 10, 2019, for answer provision, and May 15, 2019, at 1:00 PM CST for quotation submissions. Delivery specifications mandate shipping to Madison Water Utility at 110 S. Paterson Street, with 24-hour advance notice and requirements for pallet-based crate or bundle packaging.

The procurement offered a local vendor preference for registered local suppliers, which ultimately influenced the contract award. ETNA First Supply LLC was selected as the winning vendor, with a total bid of $17,939.20, outcompeting two other bidders (Core & Main and an unnamed competitor) whose bids were $18,120.40 and $23,140.56 respectively. The unit prices for individual items varied significantly, ranging from approximately $15.48 to $335.90 depending on product type and size. No specific disadvantaged enterprise set-asides were explicitly mentioned in the documentation. The solicitation allowed for substitute materials, requiring vendors to submit manufacturer information and product literature for City evaluation and equivalency determination. Payment was contingent upon complete shipment receipt, and bidders were required to specify delivery timeframes and confirm whether their pricing would remain firm for one year or propose an alternative pricing period.