Reverse Auction Services

The Commonwealth of Kentucky's Finance and Administration Cabinet, Office of Procurement Services, is soliciting proposals for Reverse Auction Services to support all state agencies and eligible political subdivisions throughout the state. The selected vendor will serve as an independent third-party agent conducting multi-step sealed bidding (reverse auction) events, managing technical evaluation phases and hosting secure online auction platforms where vendors can submit anonymous blind bids. Key deliverables include maintaining a secure website for online auctions requiring no mandatory software purchases by participants, delivering all bid results and associated files to Commonwealth buyers within specified timeframes, and providing detailed cost proposals identifying the commission percentage charged to participants. The vendor must possess commercial general liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate, with the Commonwealth and its agents listed as additional insureds. Evaluation will be based on technical proposals (1,500 points), cost proposals with a maximum of 750 points allocated to commission rates, oral presentations and demonstrations (up to 500 points), and value-added services (350 points), with technical proposals scored on executive summary (100 points), experience (650 points), and written responses to requirements (400 points), totaling 2,750 possible evaluation points. Written vendor questions were due by September 6, 2024, with Commonwealth responses provided by September 11, 2024, and proposals are due by September 30, 2024, at 3:30 PM ET. The initial contract term is one year from the effective date of award, with three optional two-year renewal periods available upon mutual agreement.

No set-aside designations or disadvantaged enterprise restrictions are specified in the solicitation documents. The contract prohibits price adjustments during the first twelve months, with any subsequent increases requiring written justification based on industry-wide price changes submitted at least thirty days prior to implementation. The Commonwealth of Kentucky is tax-exempt and requests that vendors exclude federal excise tax and Kentucky sales and use tax from all proposed costs. Vendors must comply with all applicable Kentucky statutes regarding taxes, wages, occupational safety, unemployment compensation, and workers' compensation. No incumbent vendor or current contractor information is provided in the available documentation. No specific budget range or award value is disclosed in the RFP materials, with costs to be evaluated based on the vendor's proposed commission structure and any additional fees clearly identified and explained as to which parties will incur charges and for what duration.