Off the Lot Vehicles

Charles County Government in Maryland is soliciting sealed bids from qualified contractors through Invitation to Bid (ITB) 24-012 to provide new vehicles on an as-needed basis. The procurement covers a comprehensive range of light, medium, and heavy-duty vehicles including sedans, crossovers, sport utility vehicles, vans, pickup trucks, and specialty vehicles that may be sourced from dealer inventory, bailment pools, or factory-ordered through manufacturers such as Buick, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Nissan, Ram, Toyota, and specialty manufacturers including Lenco, Mavron, and Sirchie. Qualified bidders must be authorized dealers in good standing with their respective manufacturers and physically located within 50 miles of the Department of Public Works Facilities Vehicle Maintenance building in La Plata, Maryland. The solicitation released on August 25, 2023, with a question submission deadline of September 14, 2023, a non-mandatory pre-bid meeting on September 7, 2023, at 10:00 a.m., and a bid response deadline of September 28, 2023, at 3:00 p.m., with electronic bid opening at 3:05 p.m. Bidders must submit pricing as dollar adjustments (plus, minus, or zero) applied to dealer invoice pricing through the County's OpenGov e-Procurement Portal, with bids remaining valid for a minimum of 120 days from the due date. The contract base period extends from execution through December 31, 2024, with one optional one-year renewal at the County's sole discretion, automatically renewing unless either party provides 45 calendar days' notice of non-renewal prior to the contract anniversary date. Required qualifications include a Maryland "Dealer - License to Sell New Vehicles" license, five years of relevant commercial fleet sales experience with three client references documented on experience forms, proof of Maryland trader's license within ten working days of intent to award, comprehensive warranty information from manufacturers including identified authorized dealers within a specified radius of La Plata, and proposed delivery time periods that do not exceed the County's established delivery schedules.

The solicitation includes an aspirational 25 percent Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) utilization goal; bidders must submit MBE Utilization Affidavits certifying their MBE status through State of Maryland certification, federal 8-A registration, or Charles County local government certification, and disclosing whether minority business enterprises will provide services or supplies to the contract. Bidders must also submit Small Local Business Enterprise (SLBE) certification forms for registered Charles County SLBEs and provide notarized Non-Collusion Affidavits affirming under penalty of perjury that no collusion, bribery, or unfair advantage-seeking has occurred in preparing the bid response. Additional compliance requirements include insurance certificates meeting specified limits, intended subcontractor information identifying percentage of participation and minority firm classification, and complete bid packages acknowledging receipt of all addenda through the e-Procurement Portal. All bidders must certify that their firm is not debarred or suspended from government procurement, all payments to Charles County are current, the firm is in good standing with the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation, and must be licensed or obtain licensure to do business in Maryland prior to contract award. The County intends to award to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder and may make awards to single or multiple firms; however, no specific budget allocation or award value is disclosed in the solicitation documents, and the County reserves the right to reject any or all bids, cancel the solicitation, and conduct facility inspections of responsive bidders.