REPTILE and AVIAN FOOD, PURCHASE OF, TERM CONTRACT

The Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners, Purchasing Department, issued a Request for Quotation (RFQ #150855/CC) for a term contract to purchase reptile and avian food products to supply three county nature centers: Daggerwing Nature Center in Boca Raton, Green Cay Nature Center in Boynton Beach, and Okeeheelee Nature Center in West Palm Beach. The procurement seeks quotations for frozen feeder animals and live feeder insects, including feeder mice in six age categories (pinkies, fuzzies, small, medium, large, and x-breeders), feeder rats, feeder chicks, crickets, mealworms, and superworms, with annual estimated quantities ranging from 120 medium rats to 4,900 fuzzy mice. All vendors must be USDA Certified Breeders and must be responsive to all items without exception; any no-bid response renders the entire offer non-responsive. Pricing must consist of firm fixed unit prices quoted to two decimal points with no escalation clauses, and prices must remain firm for ninety days from opening to allow for evaluation and award. All deliveries must be F.O.B. destination within forty-eight hours of receiving a delivery order, with vendors assuming all transportation costs and risk in transit. The RFQ submission deadline was extended to March 21, 2017, at 4:00 p.m., with faxed or emailed responses acceptable, and the contract shall be issued for a term of twelve months or until the estimated amount is expended, with an option to renew for four additional twelve-month periods subject to mutual written agreement and fund appropriation.

The county will apply a 5 percent local preference to quoters with a permanent place of business in Palm Beach County or the Glades, provided they are within ten percent of the lowest responsive bid, and may award an additional five percent preference to vendors with an approved drug-free workplace certification in the event of tie bids. Vendors must comply with all applicable federal, state, county, and local laws, including the Palm Beach County Criminal History Records Check Ordinance and non-discrimination requirements, and must submit vendor qualification information and a non-discrimination policy form with their responses. Payment is rendered only upon the county's acceptance and satisfaction with delivered items. No incumbent vendor information, existing infrastructure requirements, or specific budget values are identified in the solicitation documents. Vendors must acknowledge receipt of all amendments (Amendment #1 dated March 10, 2017, and Amendment #2 dated March 14, 2017) and submit revised response pages with their proposals; failure to include revised pages will result in rejection of the submitted response.