Mower for Parks

The City of Madison, Wisconsin, through its Finance Department's Purchasing Services office, issued Request for Quotation (RFQ) 5149-0-2022-AH on September 12, 2022, seeking to procure five John Deere 1550 TerrainCut mowers for the Parks Department. The specific procurement includes three 4-wheel drive units and two 2-wheel drive units, with each mower requiring specific configurations such as a Comfort Adjust Suspension Seat with Armrests, a rear weight bracket with four suitcase weights, single spool auxiliary hydraulics, and a 60-inch side discharge mower deck. The solicitation mandates that no equipment substitutions are permitted, and quotations must be submitted via email to bids@cityofmadison.com by September 28, 2022, at 2:00 PM CST. Technical inquiries should be directed to Douglas Keene from the Parks Department, while procurement questions are to be addressed to Andy Hargianto in Purchasing Services. The City will evaluate bids based on multiple factors including cost, quality, warranty, delivery capability, past performance, and service reputation, with pricing required to include all shipping charges and FOB delivery to Madison.

The RFQ includes a local vendor preference purchasing policy that provides scoring advantages to registered local suppliers as of the bid due date. Bidders are required to complete and return Form A (Price Proposal) and Form B (Bidder Information), indicating their local vendor registration status. While no specific disadvantaged enterprise requirements were explicitly outlined, the procurement process emphasizes competitive bidding and comprehensive evaluation. Based on the summary document, Mid-State Equipment was awarded the contract with a total bid of $122,125.99, which was significantly lower than the competing bid from Tiles in Style at $193,680.00. Mid-State Equipment's bid included $76,067.49 for the 4-wheel drive units (at $25,355.83 per unit) and $46,058.50 for the 2-wheel drive units (at $23,029.25 per unit). The award decision considered not only price but also the contractor's shorter proposed delivery timeline of approximately six months, compared to the competitor's eight to ten-month timeframe.