Laboratory assessment services, one-time -project

Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners Purchasing Department issued a Request for Quotation (RFQ) for laboratory assessment services on a one-time project basis. The Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department Laboratory seeks a Florida Department of Health (FDOH) Bureau of Laboratories-approved assessor to conduct bi-annual TNI (The NELAC Institute) laboratory audits in accordance with 2003 NELAC standards at their facility located at 13026 Jog Road, Building K, Delray Beach, Florida. The laboratory processes approximately 16,000 samples and over 150,000 analyses annually across five water treatment plants and five wastewater treatment facilities, and the assessment must evaluate the laboratory's compliance with applicable laws and regulations for certification purposes, including assessment of additional analytes recently applied for in the microbiology section. Deliverables include submission of onsite assessment reports within thirty calendar days of the final assessment day and recommendations to the FDOH within twenty calendar days of receiving the laboratory's Plan of Correction. The successful vendor must be FDOH Bureau of Laboratories-approved and provide NELAC audit checklists, audit reports, and corrective action documents from similar scope assessments. Pricing shall be firm and fixed on an all-or-none basis with all necessary labor, materials, travel, reports, and incidental expenses included, and no pricing modifications or escalation clauses are permitted. Responses were due February 23, 2021, at 4:00 p.m. Palm Beach County local time via fax or email, with the onsite assessment anticipated between April and May 2021 and completion required before July 1, 2021.

The procurement includes Small/Minority/Women Business Enterprise (S/M/WBE) provisions allowing certified small businesses within ten percent of the lowest bid to receive award consideration, and Local Preference provisions offering a five percent discount to quoters with permanent business locations in Palm Beach County or the Glades. The County awards to the lowest responsive, responsible vendor subject to these provisions. Vendor registration in the Purchasing Department's Vendor Self Service (VSS) system and registration of all subcontractors is mandatory. Successful vendors must provide evidence of Commercial General Liability Insurance with a $500,000 minimum, Business Auto Liability Insurance with a $500,000 minimum, and Workers' Compensation and Employer's Liability Insurance in accordance with Florida Statute Chapter 440. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the procurement documents, and no specific budget range or award value is stated in the RFQ materials provided.