RFP 23-26 Carpet Tile Installation

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) issued Request for Proposals (RFP) 23-26 for commercial-grade carpet tile installation services at its Boston headquarters located at 10 Park Plaza in Suffolk County. The project scope encompasses the installation of carpet tiles covering 27,000 square feet on the fifth floor, including all associated labor for furniture and equipment movement, removal and disposal of existing defective carpet and pad, surface preparation, installation of new pad and carpet tiles per specifications, replacement of furnishings, and final area cleaning. The specified carpet tile product is Mannington Infinity Modular in the Carthage Legacy style (24" x 24" units), constructed from Universal Type 6,6 BCF nylon with NSF/ANSI-140 Gold and CRI Green Label Plus certifications. Bidders must submit firm fixed pricing inclusive of prevailing wages, tooling, equipment, transportation costs, and all ancillary charges through the COMMBUYS portal by March 18, 2026, at 2:00 p.m., with a virtual public bid opening scheduled for 2:30 p.m. the same day. Key scheduled events include a pre-bid conference on March 3, 2026, at 11:00 a.m., a mandatory site visit on March 5, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., a deadline for proposer questions on March 9, 2026, at 2:00 p.m., with official answers published by March 12, 2026. Award will be made to the lowest priced responsive and responsible bidder based on evaluation of integrity, compliance with public policy, past performance, financial resources, and technical capability, with an estimated contract execution date and service start date of April 1, 2026.

The MBTA procurement is governed by Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 30, Section 39M, and all contractors must comply with prevailing wage requirements under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 149, Section 26. A bid deposit of five percent of the total bid amount is required in the form of a bid bond or certified check, and upon contract award, the successful contractor must provide a labor and material payment bond and a performance bond, each equal to 50 percent of the contract price. Contractors must obtain MBTA-required insurance coverage with minimum limits including $1,000,000 per occurrence for Commercial General Liability Insurance, $1,000,000 combined single limit for Automobile Liability Insurance, and $5,000,000 per occurrence for Umbrella Liability Insurance, with the MBTA named as additionally insured on all applicable policies. Five bidders submitted proposals for the project, with bids ranging from a low of $118,288.00 submitted by Atkinson Carpet Installation Co., Inc., to a high of $405,191.00 submitted by DAV Construction, LLC. The RFP documents do not identify specific set-asides for disadvantaged enterprises, minority-owned businesses, or women-owned businesses, nor do they reference incumbent contractors or existing vendors, though the MBTA reserves the right to award to one or multiple bidders and may reject any and all bids at its discretion.