EGG BOXES

The South Carolina Department of Corrections issued a solicitation for egg boxes through Richland County, seeking approximately 51,000 corrugated cardboard egg boxes annually for their Agriculture Division at McDougall Farm in Ridgeville. The specific procurement requires 30-dozen egg packing boxes with precise technical specifications, including center seam glue construction, 90 black print, an Edge Crush Test of 40 lbs, water-resistant adhesive, and C-flute corrugation. Boxes must be single wall regular slotted containers with fold lock design, kraft colored, measuring 24 1/4 inches in length by 12 5/8 inches in width by 13 1/2 inches in depth. Each box must be printed with "30 DOZEN EGGS - KEEP REFRIGERATED" on the long sides. The bid opening was scheduled for July 15, 2021, with award notification posted on July 23, 2021. The contract term is one year with four optional one-year renewal periods, and delivery is required within 30 days of purchase order receipt on an F.O.B. Destination basis. Bidders were required to submit two sample boxes for testing, and late delivery penalties would be assessed incrementally for delays ranging from 1-15 days.

The solicitation allowed for South Carolina or United States end-product preferences and resident vendor preferences for qualifying bidders. Vendors were required to register as a South Carolina vendor and submit manufacturer's latest literature with complete product specifications. The procurement was evaluated on a lowest-responsible-and-responsive-bidder basis, with pricing submitted as a unit price per box. Ultimately, Packaging Corp of America in Honea Path, South Carolina, was awarded the contract on August 6, 2021. The initial contract amount was $61,710.00, with a unit price of $1.21 per box and a total potential contract amount of $308,550.00 across the full potential contract period (August 6, 2021 through August 5, 2026). Notably, only one response was received, which allowed for waiver of the notice of intended award and the standard ten-day delay of award. The procurement was conducted under South Carolina Procurement Code 11-35-1520(10), with Myrtle deWerdt serving as the buyer and Ruthie H. Bishop as the Director of Procurement.