MPA 125 Rock Salt for Road Use - open enrollment

The State of Rhode Island's Division of Purchases issued an open enrollment Master Price Agreement (MPA 125) solicitation for the purchase and distribution of rock salt for road use throughout Rhode Island, opening May 4, 2026, at 11:00 AM EDT with a closing date of January 1, 2027, at 4:00 PM EST. The procurement is conducted on behalf of the Executive and Judicial Branches, cities, towns, and eligible state entities, with the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) serving as the primary procuring agency. Rock salt must conform to strict specifications including a minimum 95.0 percent sodium chloride content, specific particle size gradation requirements, moisture content not exceeding 3.0 percent, and uniform anti-caking conditioner treatment at two pounds per ton. The solicitation covers 21 RIDOT maintenance locations across seven districts, 38 municipalities, Quonset Development Corporation, and University of Rhode Island, with estimated statewide annual usage of approximately 62,660 tons. Vendors must have a minimum of three years' experience distributing sodium chloride to large commercial or governmental entities, maintain operational certified scales, and provide 24/7 availability for both routine delivery (within seven calendar days) and emergency delivery (within six hours) at no additional cost. The procurement will proceed through a two-phase process: Phase 1 involves initial product submission for pre-qualification evaluation, and Phase 2 consists of an online reverse auction conducted by Electronic Auction Services (EASI) to determine final pricing. Evaluation criteria include vendor pricing, expertise, and availability, with the State reserving the right to make one or multiple awards and potentially award multiple districts to individual vendors.

The solicitation requires mandatory Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Women Business Enterprise (WBE) participation and utilization plans with each award issued from this Master Price Agreement. Vendors must maintain specified insurance coverage including general liability ($1,000,000 combined single limit per occurrence), workers compensation ($100,000 each accident), and automobile liability ($1,000,000 each occurrence combined single limit), and must certify they have not been suspended, debarred, or subject to contract termination within the previous five years. The State will assess a contract administrative fee of 0.33 percent of the total annual spend against awarded contracts, effective January 1, 2026, with the fee withheld at time of invoice payment, and awarded vendors must submit a transaction fee of one percent of the contract amount to EASI. All proposals must be submitted electronically through Ocean State Procures; proposals submitted by mail, email, fax, or hand delivery will not be accepted. The contract term is one year with four optional 12-month renewal periods, with price adjustments for renewals subject to negotiation based on market conditions and economic factors. While no guaranteed minimum purchase volume is provided, the estimated annual usage of 62,660 tons across all locations provides the basis for pricing quotes on a per-ton delivered basis, with individual location requirements ranging from 70 tons to 10,567 tons annually.