Plumbing supplies

The South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) issued a Request for Quote (RFQ) for plumbing supplies, specifically solicitation number 5400021103, targeting procurement of various plumbing equipment and accessories for its facilities in Richland County. The solicitation sought bids for twenty line items including Nexus Series Controllers, flush valves, transformers, sensors, cables, manifolds, vacuum breaker parts, escutcheons, tubing, and connectors, with quantities ranging from 1 to 150 units across different components. The RFQ was originally released on March 24, 2021, with initial bids due by April 6, 2021, at 10:00 AM, and an original award notification scheduled for April 13, 2021. Delivery requirements stipulated completion within 30 days of purchase order receipt at the SCDC facilities in Columbia, South Carolina, with provisions for partial shipments. Vendors were required to provide unit and extended prices for each line item, with pricing to remain fixed for the contract duration, and faced potential penalties of 5 percent for each three-to-four-day delivery delay up to fifteen days.

However, the procurement was ultimately cancelled without award due to ambiguous specifications in the solicitation documents, with the Department of Corrections announcing plans to publish a new solicitation addressing these deficiencies. The solicitation allowed for preferences under South Carolina Code Section 11-35-1524, including SC end-product preference, US end-product preference, and Resident Vendor Preference, which vendors could claim by line item. Vendors were required to obtain a South Carolina vendor number, maintain current vendor registration, and comply with standard procurement certifications including independent price determination, debarment status, drug-free workplace compliance, and ethics certifications. While no specific award value or budget range was disclosed, the solicitation indicated that payment would be made via electronic funds transfer following invoice submission and acceptance. The procurement was managed by Buyer Brittany Driggers and Director of Procurement Ruthie H. Bishop, CPPB, who ultimately extended the award posting dates from April 20, 2021, to April 23, 2021, to allow for additional review.