Gases, welding/medical/accessories, purchase of

Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners Purchasing Department issued Request for Quotation #650398/JM on September 16, 2016, seeking proposals for the purchase of welding and medical gases and accessories on a 12-month term contract basis with options for four additional 12-month renewal periods. The procurement encompasses the supply, pick-up, refill, and delivery of oxygen, acetylene, nitrogen, argon, and helium in various cylinder sizes to approximately 44 Palm Beach County Fire Rescue stations and other county departments. Five separate lots are available for bid: Lot #1 (medical gases for most departments), Lot #2 (welding gases for most departments), Lot #3 (welding gases for Palm Tran), Lot #4 (medical gases for Glades), and Lot #5 (welding gases for Glades). Bidders must be certified facilities authorized to pick up, fill, and distribute oxygen and welding gases and must provide a minimum of three professional references for similar services completed within the past three years. Deliverables include weekly or biweekly service, hydrostatic testing, valve repairs, and loading/unloading of cylinders at delivery locations throughout Palm Beach County. Quotations must be submitted by September 23, 2016, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time via fax or email, with pricing to include unit prices per cylinder refill, replacement prices for new cylinders, repair hourly rates for standard, overtime, and holiday work, and rental prices for regulators where applicable. The County will award contracts lot-by-lot to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder, with bidders required to respond to all items within a lot to be considered responsive. Required insurance coverage includes Commercial General Liability ($500,000), Business Auto Liability ($500,000), and Workers' Compensation in accordance with Florida Statute Chapter 440.

Lot #3 (Palm Tran) is subject to Federal Transit Administration requirements, including Buy America certifications, lobbying restrictions, disadvantaged business enterprise compliance, and drug and alcohol testing program certifications. Local preference ordinances apply to Lots #1, #2, #4, and #5, providing a 5% preference to bidders with a permanent place of business in Palm Beach County or the Glades, contingent upon submission of a valid Business Tax Receipt and completed Certification of Business Location form. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the procurement documentation. The anticipated annual expenditure is $71,000 over the initial 12-month contract term, though Palm Beach County reserves the right to increase or decrease quantities based on actual operational requirements. All contractual awards are subject to mutual written agreement and appropriation of funds by the County.