Notice of Intent to Award-DNR Polaris Snowmobiles

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issued a Notice of Intent to Award for the procurement of twenty Polaris snowmobiles under RFP 200000000837. The solicitation was posted on SIGMA VSS on January 23, 2020, with a bid due date of 3:00 p.m. on April 3, 2020, and the Notice of Intent to Award was posted on August 7, 2020, with a response deadline of August 13, 2020. The procurement specifically consisted of eleven Polaris Switchback Assault 600 snowmobiles at $11,332.93 each, six Polaris Switchback Pro 600 snowmobiles at $11,058.68 each, and three Polaris SKS 800 snowmobiles at $12,730.44 each. This was a one-time purchase with no renewal options. Two bidders submitted proposals by the published deadline, and the contract award was made on a pass/fail basis evaluation to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. Unsuccessful bidders were offered the opportunity to schedule a debriefing session with Solicitation Manager Patrick Avendt at avendtp@michigan.gov or 517-284-5922.

The procurement included a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business (SDVOB) preference program in accordance with Michigan statutes MCL 18.1241 and MCL 18.1261, which applied a 10 percent preference adjustment to qualifying bids. Leaders, Inc., located at 8500 W. Main Street, Kalamazoo, Michigan, was recommended for award as the lowest responsive and responsible bidder with a total award amount of $229,205.63, pending Administrative Board approval. The second bidder, AM Engineering Group DBA Alpha Motor Sports of Flint, Michigan, submitted a proposal for $278,109.52 but did not meet the SDVOB preference threshold and therefore did not qualify for the preference adjustment. No incumbent vendors or existing infrastructure integration requirements were identified in the procurement documents. The evaluation methodology demonstrated that while the SDVOB preference was calculated for all responsive bidders, Leaders, Inc. maintained the lowest bid position even after preference adjustments, resulting in their selection as the contract awardee.