Janitorial Services: Hart Co. I-65 Rest Areas

The Commonwealth of Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Purchases, issued a Request for Bid (RFB 605-2300000788) on June 14, 2023, for janitorial and custodial maintenance services at two Interstate 65 Rest Area facilities (northbound and southbound) located in Hart County, Kentucky. The procurement seeks a qualified contractor to provide comprehensive daily custodial maintenance, grounds upkeep, and facility management services for facilities experiencing approximately 3,500 vehicles daily. Services include cleaning of restrooms, lobbies, storage areas, vending areas, and parking lots; grounds maintenance and litter collection; snow and ice removal; minor mechanical and structural repairs; and supplemental temporary staffing as needed. The contractor must maintain a minimum staffing level of 20 employees across three shifts (8 on first shift, 8 on second shift, and 4 on third shift) with a Project Supervisor available 24 hours daily. The initial contract period runs from August 1, 2023, through July 31, 2024, with four optional one-year renewal periods available. The bid submission deadline was June 29, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time, with electronic submissions required through the Kentucky Vendor Self Service portal. Award determination will use a best-value ranking approach allocating 95 of 100 points to price and 5 points to months in business, with a minimum 24-month business requirement. Performance will be evaluated using the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's Rest Area Maintenance Inspection Report (TC 71-126), which establishes a minimum acceptable score of 175 points out of 258 possible points across eight assessment categories, with liquidated damages assessed at 10 percent of the daily contracted rate for non-compliance.

Kentucky resident bidders are eligible for reciprocal preference consideration, and qualified bidders including Kentucky Correctional Industries, Kentucky Industries for the Blind, certain nonprofit organizations, and businesses employing individuals with disabilities at 75 percent of man-hours may receive preference equal to 15-20 percent of maximum points. All bidders must submit a notarized Annual Affidavit certifying compliance with Kentucky campaign finance laws (KRS 45A.110 and 45A.115), complete a Disability Form if applicable, and provide background checks for all employees with disqualification for criminal history involving sexual misconduct, assault, theft, or felonies. Contractors must maintain workers' compensation insurance and general liability insurance with $1,000,000 per occurrence limits, provide uniforms at no cost to employees, and comply with all Commonwealth of Kentucky procurement regulations and General Conditions and Instructions for Solicitations and Contracts (FAP 110-10-00). No incumbent vendor information or specific budget range was disclosed in the solicitation documents; however, pricing is structured as a daily rate for janitorial services (365 days annually) plus a supplemental hourly rate for temporary staffing, with the tentative award date of August 1, 2023. Submission requirements include responses via the Kentucky Vendor Self Service portal with supporting documentation limited to ten documents and a maximum file size of 65,000 KB per attachment, with unsuccessful responses receiving email confirmation status through the system.