Bulk Water Softener Salt - request for quote.

The Colorado Department of Corrections issued a request for quote (RFQ) for the procurement of bulk water softener salt to be delivered to the Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility in Crowley, Colorado. The solicitation, designated CAAA 2015000402, seeks approximately 560 tons of coarse grain water softening salt to be delivered via pneumatic delivery system in 25-ton loads. Bidders must submit quoted pricing per ton, with the option to propose an optional fuel surcharge per trip, and all pricing must include freight costs with FOB-destination delivery to the facility. The purchase order will be effective through June 30, 2015, and deliveries must occur Monday through Friday between 8:00 AM and 10:00 PM, with vendors required to contact the facility 24 hours in advance of each delivery. The quote submission deadline is October 14, 2014, at 10:00 AM MST via fax to 719-269-4064, directed to Kristina Ireland, Purchasing Agent. Evaluation criteria include cost, projected delivery dates, quality and security considerations, lifecycle costs, bidder qualifications and experience, past performance, and proposed operator training. Bidders must be registered on the Colorado Vendor Self Service website to respond.

The Colorado Department of Corrections reserves the right to award the contract to a single bidder or divide the award among multiple bidders based on what is most advantageous to the State. The solicitation indicates that the Department may consider awarding to certified Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB) based in Colorado as an evaluation factor, providing a potential competitive advantage to qualifying firms. Payment terms are assumed to be Net-30 days after receipt of goods and invoice unless otherwise specified in the proposal, with the Department encouraging bidders to offer discounts for early payment for consideration. No incumbent vendors, current contractors, or budget range was specified in the available solicitation documents. The RFQ represents a straightforward commodity procurement with an estimated annual requirement of approximately 560 tons of water softener salt, though the exact contract value was not disclosed in the posted materials.