IFB 161123 Culpeper Sodium Chloride Bulk Road Salt

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is soliciting bids on sodium chloride bulk road salt for winter deicing operations delivered to various locations within the Culpeper District, with bids due September 8, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. EDT under IFB 161123. The bid due date has been extended twice — originally August 31, then to September 8 under Addendum 2 — and questions are due August 25, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. EDT.

Sodium chloride must conform to AASHTO M143, Type I, Grade I standards with deicer qualities equal to or better than 95 percent sodium chloride at temperatures between minus 4 to minus 8 degrees Celsius. Deliveries must comply with strict constituent limits: phosphorus at 50.0 ppm maximum, chromium at 5.0 ppm, arsenic at 5.0 ppm, and lead at 5.0 ppm, with moisture content not exceeding 2.0 percent. Material testing must follow VDOT Test Method Section protocols for ice melting, ice penetration, and ice undercutting. Non-conforming materials are subject to price reductions: two percent reduction per one percent moisture above 2.0 percent, two percent reduction per one percent sodium chloride content below 95.0 percent, and adjustments for gradation deviations.

The contract period runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027, with four optional one-year renewal terms. Contractors must stock at least 75% of awarded tonnage in Virginia or nearby by November 1 annually, maintain stockpile levels at no less than 50% between November 1 and February 1, and deliver materials within 10 business days of order with liquidated damages of 3% per ton for late delivery. Delivery is Monday through Friday between 7:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., requiring 24-hour advance notification. All deliveries must include weigh tickets from Virginia Department of Agriculture and Commerce-certified scales. Bid pricing is firm, fixed-price per short ton, including all freight costs held constant throughout the contract period. Bidders must provide at least three references, register in eVA, submit State Corporation Commission identification, subcontractor approval requests, and stockpile listing sheets. A virtual public bid opening occurs September 8, 2026 at 2:30 p.m. EDT. Bidders must acknowledge Addendum 2 with their electronic submission or face non-responsiveness.