Panel Sign Install and Maintenance

The Commonwealth of Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Purchases, solicited competitive bids for panel sign installation and maintenance services across three regional districts through Request for Bid 605_2200000721. The procurement covers 48 line items encompassing new sign installation, structural support fabrication and installation, sign removal, and comprehensive maintenance services including treated wood posts, galvanized steel beams of various types, aluminum panel and sheeting signs, overhead sign structures, concrete footings, traffic control, and miscellaneous repair services, with quantities ranging from 2 to 500 units depending on the service type. All work must comply with current editions of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), Kentucky Department of Highways Standard Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction, and Federal Highway Administration standards, with materials including Type I or Type II steel posts, Type "A" or Type "C" breakaway beam systems, Class "A" concrete, Type XI sheeting, and hardware meeting ASTM B-776 and ASTM A-307 standards. The bid closing date was June 14, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time, with Phase 1 requiring submission of unpriced technical offers and Phase 2 consisting of an online reverse auction conducted through eBridge Business Solutions on June 22, 2022, at 11:00 AM ET. Bidders were evaluated using a best value method with pricing as the sole criterion, with the lowest-price bidder receiving maximum points and subsequent bidders scored proportionally, and all bids were required to be submitted electronically through the Kentucky eProcurement system. The initial contract period runs from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023, with four optional one-year renewal periods available subject to written approval and potential renegotiation of terms, and bidders were permitted to bid multiple regions but could receive awards for a maximum of two regions.

Reciprocal preference applies to Kentucky resident bidders as defined by KRS 45A.494, with qualified bidders including Kentucky Correctional Industries receiving a 20 percent preference and other qualified nonprofit entities receiving a 15 percent preference. All bidders were required to submit an Annual Affidavit certifying compliance with Kentucky Revised Statutes regarding campaign finance laws, disclosure requirements, sales and use tax registration, state tax obligations, boycott prohibitions, and restrictions on certain business practices under KRS 11A.236, with non-bid contracts requiring additional certifications regarding campaign contributions to gubernatorial candidates and elected officials with jurisdiction over the contract award. The contract required $1,000,000 per occurrence contractor's general liability insurance and Kentucky workers' compensation insurance, and all shop drawings were required to be submitted in PDF format for Division of Traffic Operations approval prior to installation with contractors required to complete work orders within 30, 60, or 90 days depending on complexity and submit before-and-after photos with invoices. The Commonwealth reserved the right to reject any or all bids, waive informalities and technicalities, negotiate directly with bidders, or accept the bid deemed most advantageous to its interests regardless of price, and the contract included provisions for one price increase permitted after 12 months based on industry-wide changes and one additional increase during renewal periods, with a three-year records retention requirement and a 1.5 percent transaction fee payable to eBridge upon award. No specific bid value or budget range was disclosed in the solicitation documents.