Nursery Shuttle Bins

The Commonwealth of Kentucky Division of Forestry issued a Request for Bid (RFB 758 2200000475) on February 17, 2022, for the procurement of 60 nursery shuttle bins to be used at the Morgan County Nursery in West Liberty, Kentucky. The specified equipment is the Shuttle Bin 330 or approved equivalent, with external dimensions of approximately 48" width by 40" length by 33" height, featuring a collapsible and stackable design, ventilation slots, four-way forklift entry capability, a load capacity of approximately 1500 pounds or greater, and two drop-down doors. Bidders may propose alternate brands or specifications if they provide descriptive literature demonstrating equivalency to the specified model, and bins may be any color. Delivery to the Morgan County Nursery must be included in the bid price, with desired delivery prior to May 30, 2022. The bid closing date was March 3, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. ET, with written vendor questions due by February 24, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. ET. Award methodology utilized a Best Value approach with evaluation criteria consisting of ninety points for price and ten points for delivery, with bidders meeting the desired delivery date receiving no delivery points and only those delivering sooner receiving proportional delivery points.

Kentucky resident bidders are eligible for reciprocal preference consideration, and qualified bidders including Kentucky Correctional Industries, Kentucky Industries for the Blind, and qualified nonprofit agencies for individuals with severe disabilities are eligible for preference equal to fifteen or twenty percent of maximum points. All bidders must submit an Annual Affidavit certifying compliance with Kentucky campaign finance laws, tax obligations, sales tax registration, and procurement regulations, and must be registered in the Vendor Self Service System prior to submission. Quotations must be submitted as F.O.B. Destination Freight Prepaid and Allowed, with prices excluding Federal Excise Tax and Kentucky Sales or Use Tax, and all proposed pricing must remain valid for a minimum of sixty calendar days after the bid due date. The contract is structured as an indefinite Award Contract for use by the Division of Forestry on an as-needed basis with no specified initial contract period or renewal options, though the Commonwealth reserves the right to cancel with thirty days' written notice. No specific budget range or award value was disclosed in the solicitation documentation. Bidders were required to submit responses electronically through the Kentucky eProcurement system.