Janitorial Services: Boone/Kenton Co I-71 & I-75 Truck Haven

The Commonwealth of Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Purchases, issued a Request for Bid (RFB) for janitorial and grounds maintenance services at two Interstate Rest Area/Truck Haven facilities: one located on southbound Interstate 71 at mile point 76 in Boone County and one on southbound Interstate 75 at mile point 168 in Kenton County, both in District Six. The procurement calls for comprehensive custodial maintenance of two buildings measuring 56 feet 8 inches by 30 feet, including breezeway areas, men's and women's restrooms, storage areas, and vending areas, as well as grounds and parking lot maintenance on a daily basis across 365 days per year. The contractor must provide a minimum staffing level of six employees per 24-hour period (two per shift across three shifts: 7 a.m.-3 p.m., 3 p.m.-11 p.m., and 11 p.m.-7 a.m.), plus one project supervisor available 24 hours per day, and may be required to provide supplemental temporary staffing measured in man-hours to meet increased demand during holidays and peak travel periods. The anticipated contract start date was August 1, 2023, with an initial term through July 31, 2024, and four optional one-year renewal periods. The bid solicitation closed on June 22, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time with a tentative award date of August 1, 2023, and bids were accepted electronically only through the Kentucky Vendor Self Service (VSS) portal at https://vss.ky.gov. Awards were to be determined using a best value approach with evaluation criteria allocating 95 points to price (lowest-priced bidder receives maximum points) and 5 points to months in business (minimum 24 months required). All contractors must provide criminal background checks for all employees verified against the National Sex Offender Registry, maintain a $1,000,000 general liability insurance policy per occurrence, provide Kentucky workers' compensation insurance, supply all labor, equipment, materials, chemicals, and supplies necessary to maintain the facilities, and submit to regular inspections evaluated against the Rest Area Inspection Form (TC 71-126) with liquidated damages of 5 to 10 percent of the daily contract rate assessed for violations.

Kentucky resident bidders receive reciprocal preference under KRS 45A.490-494, and qualified bidders including Kentucky Industries for the Blind, nonprofits serving individuals with disabilities, and Kentucky Correctional Industries receive preference as defined in 200 KAR 5:410, with qualified bidders required to maintain a 75 percent man-hour requirement for employees with qualifying disabilities and subject to a $500 penalty assessment for any month falling below this threshold. Vendors claiming qualified bidder status must submit appropriate disability certification documentation using the Disability Certification Form provided by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. All bidders, offerors, and contractors must complete and submit the Annual Affidavit for Bidders, Offerors and Contractors issued under Kentucky Revised Statutes (KRS) 45A.110 and 45A.115, which must be notarized and is effective for one year from the date of execution. No incumbent vendor or current contractor was identified in the solicitation documents. The specific dollar value or budget range for this contract was not disclosed in the available documentation, though the evaluation structure indicates pricing as the primary cost driver with 95 of 100 available points allocated to bid price.