District 9 railroad rail

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Purchases, issued Request for Bid (RFB) 2200000216 on October 15, 2021, to procure used railroad rail for District 9, with delivery to the Lewis County Maintenance facility in Vanceburg, Kentucky. This one-time contract solicitation seeks a total of 13,800 linear feet of used railroad rail comprising approximately 395 pieces across three line items: Line Item 1 requires 2,000 linear feet (100 pieces) of 136, 135, 132, or 140 pounds per linear yard rail in 20-foot lengths; Line Item 2 requires 5,400 linear feet (135 pieces) of 136 pounds or greater per linear yard in 40-foot lengths; and Line Item 3 requires 6,400 linear feet (160 pieces) of 136 pounds or greater per linear yard in 40-foot lengths. All rails must be steel, straight, and structurally sound with legible original manufacturer classifications and holes cut near the ends for lifting mechanisms. The procurement employs a two-phase bidding process in which vendors must first submit unpriced technical offers for Phase 1, with only vendors possessing acceptable technical offers invited to participate in Phase 2, an online reverse auction bidding event scheduled for November 5-8, 2021. The original bid closing date of November 9, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time was modified via Addendum #1 to November 2, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Evaluation criteria allocate 95 points to price, with the lowest-priced conforming bid receiving maximum points, and 5 points to delivery time, with the best delivery timeframe receiving maximum points. Delivery must be prepaid and made on an F.O.B. Destination basis with a minimum of 24 hours' notice to the engineer, and vendors must specify exact delivery timeframes on the bid sheet; vague delivery terms such as "as required" or "as soon as possible" render bids non-responsive. Vendors face penalties of one percent per day for each day delivery exceeds the contracted due date, except for delays caused by factors outside vendor control, and all materials must conform to KYTC 2012 Standard Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction. All bids must be submitted electronically through the Kentucky eProcurement system at https://emars311.ky.gov, and vendors must be registered in the Vendor Self Service System prior to submission.

The Commonwealth of Kentucky applies reciprocal preference to resident bidders in accordance with KRS 45A.490-494, with qualified bidders receiving preference equal to fifteen percent of maximum points. All vendors, regardless of resident status, must execute the Annual Affidavit for Bidders, Offerors and Contractors, affirming compliance with Kentucky campaign finance laws under KRS 45A.110 and KRS 45A.115, confirming current registration with the Kentucky Department of Revenue for sales and use tax collection and remittance, demonstrating non-delinquent status on all state taxes and fees, and certifying abstinence from business boycotts of jurisdictions with which Kentucky maintains open trade relations as defined in KRS 45A.607. Required documentation includes a completed bid sheet with contact information and delivery time, a certificate of authority for foreign entities, required affidavits for resident bidder or qualified bidder status claims, and a certificate of insurance. No incumbent vendor or current contractor is identified in the solicitation documents, and no existing infrastructure or technology integration requirements are specified. The solicitation documents do not provide an explicit budget range or award value; however, vendors must provide pricing for all three line items to be considered for award, and the final contract value will be determined through the competitive bidding process with the lowest-priced conforming bid receiving award. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet reserves the right to reject any or all bids, waive informalities and technicalities, negotiate directly with bidders, or accept the bid deemed most advantageous to the agency regardless of whether it represents the lowest dollar proposal. Suppliers awarded a contract are obligated to pay a transaction fee to eBridge equal to three percent (3%) of the final awarded price, which must be included in the supplier's bid pricing. The tentative award date is November 12, 2021.