Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF)

The Commonwealth of Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet issued Request for Bid (RFB) 758 1900000706 on May 13, 2019, to procure Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) for use by all state agencies and political subdivisions throughout Kentucky, with delivery to Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) maintenance facilities across twelve districts statewide. The solicitation encompasses four line items: 1,000 cases of DEF in 2.5-gallon containers (two per case) with an eight-container minimum order; 175 drums of 55-gallon DEF; 3,500 gallons of DEF in 275-330 gallon polyethylene totes; and bulk DEF delivery via closed system at vendor discretion. DEF must meet ISO-22241-1 specifications and American Petroleum Institute certification standards, containing a minimum of 67.5% de-ionized water and 32.5% high purity synthetic urea, with a minimum two-year shelf life when stored between 12 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Written vendor questions were due May 17, 2019, with the Commonwealth's responses issued by May 20, 2019, and bids were due May 29, 2019, at 1:30 PM EST in sealed hard copy format submitted to the Office of Procurement Services at the Capitol Annex in Frankfort. All bidders were required to bid all four line items or face rejection as non-responsive, with pricing submitted as F.O.B. Destination Freight Prepaid and Allowed, exclusive of federal excise and Kentucky sales taxes, and pricing remaining valid for a minimum of 60 days following the bid due date. Evaluation utilized a best value methodology allocating 90 points to price and 10 points for delivery performance (5 points per group), with the lowest bidder receiving maximum points and subsequent bids scored proportionally.

The procurement included preferences for Kentucky resident bidders and qualified bidder set-asides, with 20 percent and 15 percent preference points applied to Kentucky Correctional Industries and nonprofit agencies serving individuals with disabilities, respectively. All bidders were required to submit affidavits, tax registration forms, and certificates of authority if applicable, with failure to include required documentation resulting in bid rejection as non-responsive. The resulting contract would commence from the award date and expire May 31, 2020, with four optional one-year renewal periods subject to written approval by all parties and potential renegotiation of terms. Price increases were prohibited during the initial 12-month period; thereafter, increases could be requested with justification based on industry-wide price changes. No incumbent vendors or budget ranges were specified in the solicitation documents, and the contract was available to all eligible bidders meeting the technical and administrative requirements outlined in the RFB.