De-Icing Road Salt

The California Department of General Services, Procurement Division (DGS-PD) is issuing an Invitation for Bid (IFB No. 0000037951) to establish a statewide multi-year contract for de-icing road salt delivery across California. The primary procuring agency is the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), with the contract mandatory for all State of California departments and available for use by other state departments and local governmental agencies. The procurement seeks qualified firms to supply treated bulk salt, untreated bulk salt, treated tote salt, untreated tote salt, and emergency delivery services to eleven operational Caltrans districts and designated maintenance stations and sand sheds throughout the state. Bidders must demonstrate the capability to fulfill all statewide requirements on an all-or-none basis, meaning a single contractor will be selected to serve the entire state with estimated three-year quantities ranging from 50 to 600 tons per delivery location depending on regional demand. The contract term is three years with two optional one-year extensions available, potentially extending the agreement to five years. Key evaluation criteria include responsive and responsible bidding with lowest cost consideration, firm fixed pricing with no price adjustments during the original contract term, F.O.B. destination delivery with freight prepaid, minimum order requirements of 22 tons for bulk salt or 22.05 tons for tote salt, emergency delivery within twelve hours with 50 percent completion within twenty-four hours, and monthly reporting including contract usage and socioeconomic participation reports. Bidders must submit written questions by four working days prior to the bid due date; a bidders' conference is scheduled for May 20, 2026, at 2:00 PM PT via Microsoft Teams, with the bid submission deadline of June 1, 2026, at 2:00 PM PT.

The procurement includes multiple socioeconomic set-aside designations and incentive programs: Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) incentives, 5 percent small business preferences, small business nonprofit veteran services agency preferences, 5 percent non-small business subcontractor preferences for firms achieving 25 percent certified small business participation, and Target Area Contract Preference Act (TACPA) preferences. Bidders are required to maintain customer service operations with office and personnel resources available weekdays from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM PT and accept orders via email, facsimile, and mail. The historical contract value based on current expenditures is $14,989,633.94 over five years; however, actual purchases may vary from the representative quantities provided in the pricing workbook. All products offered must be new and in current production, and contractors must immediately notify the state of any manufacturer price declines for the ordering agency's benefit. The Caltrans District Map (Attachment 4) delineates the twelve operational districts across California, clarifying the geographic service areas and delivery requirements for the successful contractor. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are explicitly identified in the solicitation documents provided.