MILK CRATES

The South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) issued a Request for Quote (RFQ) for procuring 5,616 units of 6-gallon size bag-in-box milk crates for its Agriculture Division at Wateree River Dairy. The specific milk crates must be constructed of black polyethylene plastic, measuring 17.75" L x 10.15" W x 10"H externally, with no logo or printing, and intended for delivery to 8200 State Farm Road, Rembert, South Carolina. The solicitation was originally issued on September 23, 2020, with offers due by October 13, 2020, at 10:00 a.m., and award notification anticipated for October 22, 2020. This was designated as a one-time purchase requiring delivery within thirty days of purchase order receipt. The procurement would be awarded to the lowest responsible and responsive bidder, with pricing required on a per-unit basis and delivery costs included in the quoted price. Strict delivery penalties were outlined, ranging from 5 percent charges for 1-3 day delays up to potential vendor default for delays exceeding 15 days.

The solicitation allowed vendors to claim state resident vendor preference, South Carolina end-product preference, or United States end-product preference if meeting specified requirements. Vendors were required to register as South Carolina vendors and could contact Procurement Officer Myrtle DeWerdt at 803-896-8582 for additional information. However, the solicitation ultimately did not result in an award due to an administrative error discovered after the bid opening, with SCDC indicating a new solicitation would be published subsequently. While no specific budget range was disclosed, the procurement was for 5,616 milk crate units to be delivered to the SCDC Agriculture Division. Offers were to be submitted to the SC Department of Corrections Purchasing Branch at 4420 Broad River Road, Columbia, South Carolina 29210. No pre-bid conference or site visit was scheduled for this procurement opportunity.