Gases, welding and accessories, TC

The Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners Purchasing Department issued a Request for Quotation (RFQ) for the procurement of welding gases and accessories under a twelve-month term contract with four optional renewal periods, posted February 7, 2022, with responses due by February 28, 2022, at 4:00 p.m. Palm Beach County local time. The solicitation seeks firm, fixed unit pricing for the supply and delivery of various welding gases including oxygen, acetylene, nitrogen, argon, helium, and mixed gases in multiple cylinder sizes to Palm Beach County Fire Rescue stations and other county locations. Two separate lots are specified: Lot #1 covers welding gases for all departments except the Glades with 32 line items and estimated annual quantities ranging from 2 to 50 cylinders per item, and Lot #2 covers welding gases for the Glades only with 7 line items. Quoters must submit pricing for three distinct options: standard hourly repair rates with parts billed at cost, replacement costs for lost rental cylinders, and replacement costs for county-owned cylinders deemed uneconomical to repair, with the County paying a fixed rate of $0.10 per day per rented cylinder. Qualified vendors must be authorized for pick-up, filling, and distribution of welding gases; comply with OSHA, NOSH, and NFPA standards; maintain Commercial General Liability insurance of $500,000 per occurrence and Business Auto Liability of $500,000; provide Workers' Compensation coverage; submit personnel to criminal history records checks for critical facilities access; and register in the County's Vendor Self Service system prior to award.

Small, Minority, and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (S/M/WBE) participation is encouraged, with potential contract award preference available for certified small businesses within 10 percent of the lowest responsive bid. Additionally, local preference of up to 5 percent is available for quoters with permanent places of business in Palm Beach County or the Glades. The anticipated contract value for the initial term is $40,000, with pricing required to remain firm for the initial contract term and any renewal periods at no escalation. No incumbent vendors or specific technology integration requirements were identified in the solicitation. Responses are accepted via fax or email submission, and the contract award remains subject to mutual written agreement and appropriation of funds by the County.