Expansion nuts, 3/4" brass fittings, purchase & delvery of

The Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners, Purchasing Department, issued Invitation for Bid (IFB) #19-011/CC on November 2, 2018, seeking the purchase and delivery of 80,000 units of expansion nuts and 3/4" brass fittings for water meters and pipe infrastructure. The expansion nuts must be lead-free yoke expansion connections with an installed fiber gasket and two rubber yoke gaskets per unit, and must be sourced exclusively from three approved manufacturers: Ford EC23-NL, Mueller H-14234N, or AY McDonald 714-2EHG. All fittings must comply with American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards and Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department Minimum Engineering and Construction Standards effective January 2017 or current version. The deliverables must be split between two locations—40,000 units to the North Region Operation Center Warehouse in West Palm Beach and 40,000 units to the South Region Operation Center Warehouse in Delray Beach—with delivery required within 14 calendar days of purchase order receipt. The bid submission deadline is November 29, 2018, at 4:00 p.m., and the County will award the contract on an all-or-none basis to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder. Bidders must acknowledge that they meet the Qualification of Bidders requirement and submit references, with the successful bidder responsible for all transportation charges, liability, and risk in transit on a destination F.O.B. basis.

A minimum Small Business Enterprise (SBE) participation goal of 15% applies to this solicitation. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the solicitation documents. The successful bidder must provide a factory/manufacturer warranty covering defects in materials and workmanship, effective from the delivery and acceptance date. Palm Beach County is exempt from federal and state taxes, and the contract includes a provision allowing the County to purchase additional quantities of the same items at the bid prices for up to 12 months following the award date. The solicitation does not specify an estimated award value or budget range; pricing will be determined through the competitive bidding process. Palm Beach County reserves the right to reject any or all bids and will not consider bids submitted after the published deadline or those containing material unbalance in pricing.