Portage County Hired Trucks and Road Building Equipment

Portage County, Wisconsin, is soliciting bids to establish a call list and contracts for owner/operators of quad-axle trucks and road building equipment for county road projects and roadway maintenance. The procurement seeks equipment including hired trucks with rear tow bar capability for chip seal machines, as well as road building equipment such as graders, dozers, pavers, milling machines, diggers, and rollers. Bidders must submit unit prices per hour with operator for each available item and specify lead time for services. The bid submission deadline is 2:00 PM on December 29, 2017, with original and one copy of documents to be delivered to the Portage County Purchasing Department in Stevens Point. Evaluation criteria include lowest net unit price per item from responsive, responsible bidders meeting all specifications, with the potential for multiple awards. Bidders must include all transportation, fuel, equipment, and operator costs in their pricing. Questions regarding the Request for Bid (RFB) must be submitted in writing by December 20, 2017, to Calvin Winters, Procurement Director, via email or phone.

Prospective bidders must meet specific qualifications, including three years of experience operating trucks or road building equipment and providing three professional references from comparable-sized entities. Insurance requirements are substantial, mandating commercial liability insurance with a minimum of one million dollars coverage, motor vehicle insurance with a minimum one million dollars combined single limit coverage, and workers' compensation insurance compliant with Wisconsin law. All insurance policies must be issued by Wisconsin-licensed companies with a minimum AM Best rating of A1 and must include the County as an additional insured. The contract term runs from January 1, 2018, through December 31, 2018, with firm pricing required for the entire period and no price increases permitted. Portage County is exempt from federal excise and Wisconsin sales taxes. While no specific set-aside designations are mentioned, the comprehensive insurance and experience requirements may naturally limit participation to established businesses with significant operational capabilities. The procurement does not specify a total contract value, but bidders will be pricing their services on an hourly basis for various equipment types.