Rental of Refrigerated Trailers for OCME

The Connecticut Department of Administrative Services (DAS) is conducting a solicitation for the rental of refrigerated trailers to support ongoing services at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME). The procurement seeks one diesel-powered 48-foot refrigerated semi-trailer and two electric 48-foot refrigerated semi-trailers, with specific requirements for delivery, setup, and maintenance. Contractors must provide on-site equipment maintenance every six months and be capable of responding to service calls within two hours. The solicitation follows a two-phase procurement process: Phase 1 requires submission of all documents without pricing through CTsource by April 4, 2023 at 2:00 PM ET, and Phase 2 involves a reverse auction for qualified respondents on April 13, 2023 at 10:00 AM ET. Evaluation criteria include pricing, conformity to specifications, past performance, financial responsibility, and delivery terms. The vendor Q&A period runs from March 23 to March 29, 2023, with final responses due on April 10, 2023. The contract will be awarded to the lowest responsible qualified respondent through an online reverse auction managed by EASiBuy, LLC.

The solicitation does not specify any explicit set-aside designations or restrictions on respondent types, indicating the procurement is open to all qualified vendors. No incumbent vendors are mentioned in the documentation. The contract includes provisions for Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles administrative review for commercial motor vehicles and requires compliance with state contracting regulations, including nondiscrimination policies, consulting agreement disclosures, and campaign contribution certifications. While no specific contract value or budget range is provided, the solicitation allows DAS to seek additional discounts or contract separately for large quantity purchases that could result in cost savings. Payment terms are set at Net 45 days with Free On Board Destination delivery, and the State of Connecticut is exempt from federal and state excise, transportation, and sales taxes. The solicitation suggests flexibility in awarding the contract by individual item, group of items, or the entire solicitation, depending on the most advantageous proposal to the state.