RFP for Liquid Route Pilot Project

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) issued a Request for Proposal (RFP 23-049) on October 10, 2022, seeking multiple vendors to supply liquid deicing products and storage tank rental services for a pilot project evaluating alternative deicing materials at two facility locations: Mount Pleasant Garage (1212 Corporate Drive, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858) and Grand Ledge Garage (731 N. Canal Road, Lansing, MI 48917). The procurement encompasses the provision of liquid chloride deicer with agricultural byproducts (ABP) and liquid chloride brine, along with rental storage tanks capable of 120,000 gallons of approved tank storage with delivery capability of up to 400,000 gallons of liquid deicer each winter season. Contractors must meet strict delivery requirements, with orders fulfilled within three calendar days from October through April and within 15 calendar days from May through September, maintain a minimum order of 9,000 gallons, and provide separate pricing schedules for each product type and location for the three-year contract period (December 6, 2022 through December 5, 2025). Required qualifications include maintaining commercial general liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence/$2,000,000 general aggregate, automobile liability insurance of $1,000,000 per accident, and workers' compensation insurance; all liquid deicer products must meet specific hazardous constituent concentration limits, pH between 6 and 9, freeze point of -20°F or below, and include independent third-party laboratory testing certification. The proposal deadline was October 25, 2022, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern, with bidder questions accepted until October 17, 2022, and answers posted by October 19, 2022. Pricing must remain firm for 365 days from the effective date, quoted F.O.B. destination with transportation charges prepaid, and contractors must achieve 100% compliance with timely delivery requirements or face penalties of $100 per occurrence for the first five violations and $500 per occurrence thereafter in a calendar year.

The RFP documents do not specify set-aside designations or restrictions limiting participation to disadvantaged enterprises or other specific organizational classifications. The solicitation indicates that MDOT has existing pilot program experience with alternative deicing materials, as both Mount Pleasant Garage and Grand Ledge Garage had conducted pilot programs since late 2021, with historical usage data showing Mt. Pleasant having consumed 147,000 gallons of Deice Master Plus since November 2021 and Grand Ledge having applied 45,000 gallons of Deice Master Plus and 6,400 gallons of BOOST since February 2022, establishing baseline infrastructure and operational precedent for the new contracts. The State reserves the right to make multiple awards and may reject any proposal. Vendors must disclose the specific agricultural byproduct base material used and percentage composition in their proposed products to ensure transparency and consistency across the pilot program. No specific budget range or award value is identified in the available documentation, though the procurement parameters suggest significant annual volumes given the 400,000-gallon seasonal delivery capacity requirement and three-year contract term through the 2024/2025 winter maintenance season.