Gases, welding/medical/accessories, purchase of(RE-QUOTE)

Palm Beach County, Florida issued a Request for Quotation (RFQ) on October 12, 2016, for the purchase and delivery of medical and welding gases through a term contract, with submissions due by October 18, 2016, at 4:00 p.m. Palm Beach County time. The procurement encompasses the supply of oxygen, acetylene, nitrogen, argon, helium, and carbon dioxide in various cylinder sizes, along with associated accessories, valves, o-rings, and hydrostatic testing services. The solicitation is divided into five lots: Lot #1 for medical gases serving all county departments except Palm Tran and the Glades; Lot #2 for welding gases for all departments except Palm Tran and the Glades; Lot #3 for welding gases for Palm Tran only; Lot #4 for medical gases for the Glades only; and Lot #5 for welding gases for the Glades only. Delivery locations include 49 Palm Beach County Fire Rescue stations and various other county departments throughout the county. Successful vendors must provide firm, fixed pricing for cylinder refills, replacement prices for lost and county-owned rental cylinders, and hourly repair rates, while the county will pay a fixed daily rental rate of $0.10 per cylinder per day for non-county-owned cylinders. Bidders must be certified as authorized facilities for pickup, filling, and distribution of oxygen and welding gases, provide a minimum of three professional references, and maintain commercial general liability insurance of $500,000 per occurrence, business auto liability of $500,000 combined single limit, and workers' compensation insurance in accordance with Florida Statute Chapter 440.

Lot #3, funded by federal transit assistance through the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration, is subject to extensive federal requirements including disadvantaged business enterprise participation, buy America provisions, civil rights compliance, and drug and alcohol testing program certification, and the Local Preference, Glades Local Preference, and Small Business Enterprise ordinances do not apply to this lot. All other lots are subject to Palm Beach County's Local Preference, Glades Local Preference, and Small Business Enterprise ordinances. Quotations must remain firm for ninety days from the opening date, and the term contract will be issued for twelve months or until the estimated amount is expended, whichever occurs first, with an option to renew for four additional twelve-month periods at the county's sole discretion, subject to mutual written agreement and appropriation of funds. The anticipated contract value is $71,000 over the initial twelve-month term. Vendors must provide proof of insurability to the county's insurance management system prior to contract execution and before each renewal period.