Metal Road Sign Blanks

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Purchases, issued a Request for Bid (RFB) on December 7, 2023, for metal road sign blanks on behalf of the Division of Maintenance and all twelve KYTC districts throughout Kentucky. The procurement encompasses 48 line items of aluminum sign blanks in various sizes and shapes, ranging from 6" x 18" rectangular signs to 72" x 30" formats, as well as specialized shapes including octagons, triangles, circles, interstate shields, and raw sign blank material in two gauge thicknesses, with quantities varying from 10 units for specialized sizes to 5,000 units for standard items. All sign blanks must conform to ASTM specifications and Kentucky Department of Highways 2019 Standard Specifications, with material thickness of 125 mils for signs exceeding three feet in any dimension and 80 mils for smaller signs. The master agreement has an initial contract period beginning upon award and expiring November 30, 2024, with four optional one-year renewal periods available. Pricing must be submitted as firm fixed unit prices with F.O.B. destination freight prepaid to the Central Sign Shop in Frankfort and eleven district locations distributed across the state. Electronic bids were due December 14, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time through the Kentucky Vendor Self Service portal, with a public bid reading conducted via telephone conference at 3:00 p.m. on the same date. Award was based on best value scoring methodology allocating 95 points to price and 5 points to delivery time, with bidders required to specify a definite delivery time in calendar days and subject to 1% daily penalties for late deliveries.

Kentucky resident bidders receive reciprocal preference in the evaluation process, and qualified bidders including Kentucky Industries for the Blind and certain nonprofit agencies serving individuals with severe disabilities receive preference equal to 15% of maximum points available. All bidders must be registered in the Kentucky eProcurement system prior to submission and must complete and submit a notarized Annual Affidavit for Bidders, Offerors and Contractors prior to contract award, attesting compliance with Kentucky campaign finance laws as mandated by Kentucky Revised Statutes. Price increases are prohibited during the first twelve months of the contract period and limited to one increase thereafter based on industry-wide changes with thirty days' written notice. Additionally, a 1% monthly penalty applies to invoices unpaid beyond thirty working days. No incumbent vendors or existing infrastructure integration requirements were identified in the solicitation documents. The specific award value or budget range for this procurement was not disclosed in the available documentation.