IFB 161125 HRDist Sodium Chloride Bulk (Road Salt)

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is soliciting bids for sodium chloride bulk (road salt) delivery to Hampton Roads District locations and statewide VDOT facilities for winter deicing operations under IFB 161125, with bids due September 8, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. EDT and virtual public bid opening at 3:30 p.m. EDT the same day. Addendum 1 extended the original August 31 deadline to September 8. This solicitation is open to all qualified bidders with no stated small business set-asides.

All sodium chloride products must meet AASHTO M143 specifications and achieve deicer quality equal to or better than 95 percent sodium chloride. Material must conform to strict constituent limits, including phosphorus (50.0 ppm), chromium (5.0 ppm), arsenic (5.0 ppm), lead (5.0 ppm), and mercury (0.2 ppm). Products require pre-approval by VDOT Materials Division prior to award; samples and supporting documentation must be submitted to VDOT Materials at 6200 Elko Track Road, Sandston, Virginia 23150, by the bid closing date. Delivered salt must arrive in free-flowing, usable condition; material deviating from specifications is subject to price penalties ranging from 2 percent reduction per 1 percent deviation in moisture content, gradation, or sodium chloride purity, or rejection and replacement at the bidder's expense.

The contract runs from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027, with four optional consecutive one-year renewal periods. Contractors must maintain stockpile levels of at least 75 percent of awarded tonnage by November 1 and no less than 50 percent between November 1 and February 1. Chemical deliveries must commence immediately upon contract receipt and be completed no later than 10 business days after order, with deliveries restricted to 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Liquidated damages of 3 percent per ton apply for deliveries exceeding the 10 business-day requirement unless otherwise justified. Bid pricing must be quoted as a firm unit price per short ton, including all freight and delivery costs for the entire contract period. Price adjustments during renewal periods are limited to the percentage change in the Basic Inorganic Chemicals category of the Producer Price Index. VDOT awards to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder on a line basis. Contractors must carry workers' compensation insurance ($100,000 employer's liability), commercial general liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence/$2,000,000 aggregate), and automobile liability ($1,000,000 combined single limit).