Linen and laundry services

The South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department (SCVRD) has issued an Invitation for Bid (Solicitation Number 5400025960) for comprehensive linen and laundry services across four designated centers located in Florence, West Columbia (two locations), and Lyman, South Carolina. The procurement seeks a contractor to provide pick-up, cleaning, and delivery of contractor-owned linen and laundry items, including 21 specific line items such as pillow slips, bath towels, sheets, hand towels, wash cloths, aprons, mops, and grill rags. The contract term is proposed from October 19, 2023, through October 18, 2026, with potential automatic one-year renewals. Key contractor requirements include maintaining linen and laundry inventory, providing 24-hour service availability, supplying plastic hampers, maintaining a full-time territorial service representative, and sustaining less than one percent rejection rates for improperly cleaned items. The solicitation required bidders to submit questions by September 26, 2023, at 11:00 AM, with sealed bids due by October 4, 2023, at 2:00 PM. Award evaluation will be based on the lowest responsible and responsive bidder, determined by the sum of extended prices across all line items.

The solicitation is open to all entity types, including sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations, and government entities, with a requirement for vendors to register for a South Carolina Vendor Number. Vendors may claim resident vendor, South Carolina end-product, or U.S. end-product preferences if qualifying under applicable state procurement statutes. The SCVRD Vocational Rehabilitation program receives 78.7 percent of its funding ($61,734,434) through a U.S. Department of Education grant, with the remaining 21.3 percent ($16,708,303) funded by state appropriations. Notably, the Statement of Award document indicates that no award was made on the 23 solicited items, and the contracting officer, Jennifer Coleman, plans to re-solicit with revised specifications. Contractors must be prepared to provide weekly invoices detailing usage by item and location, include replacement costs for damaged or worn linen in unit prices, and potentially face a two percent invoice penalty for missed delivery timeframes. Awarded vendors will also be required to sign a Confidentiality Agreement and a Drug Free Affidavit for all employees servicing the accounts.