RM26-8 Sandbags

The State of Utah Division of Purchasing issued Request for Proposal RM26-8 on April 9, 2026, with proposals due by April 30, 2026, to establish a five-year statewide cooperative contract for the procurement of sandbags used for flood control. This solicitation is open to all eligible users within the State of Utah, including state government departments, institutions, agencies, political subdivisions such as colleges, school districts, counties and cities, and applicable nonprofit organizations. The primary deliverable is wholesale bulk empty polypropylene sandbags meeting specific technical specifications: 14 inches wide by 26 inches long with a 50-pound capacity, constructed from coated polypropylene fabric with a minimum denier of 700, hemmed top with attached tie string of at least 24 inches in length, and a minimum UVI rating of 1600 hours, with white as the preferred color. Vendors must demonstrate the ability to fulfill standard orders within 10 business days and emergency orders within 48 hours of purchase order receipt on an FOB destination freight prepaid basis. The evaluation methodology provides for multiple awards based on vendors meeting both a technical score threshold and total score threshold, with technical evaluation worth 800 points divided equally between vendor qualifications and emergency response capability (400 points) and approach to meeting Utah public entity needs (400 points); vendors must achieve a minimum technical score of 480 points to advance to cost evaluation, which is worth 200 points with scoring based on lowest proposed price. Pricing is evaluated across tiered quantity brackets ranging from 1-25 bags through 500,000+ bags, with separate unit prices required for standard 10-business-day delivery and emergency 48-hour delivery categories. Vendors must guarantee pricing for one year from contract award and guarantee any discount percentages for the life of the contract, with pricing adjustments thereafter requiring 30 days' advance notice, market analysis documentation, and Division approval without exceeding original profit margins.

This procurement carries no specific set-aside designations or restrictions limiting responding organizations based on disadvantaged enterprise status, though all vendors must certify compliance with anti-boycott provisions, forced labor restrictions, and relevant security requirements such as FedRAMP or GovRAMP if applicable. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the available solicitation documents. Vendors are required to submit responses through the U3P electronic system with separately submitted cost and technical components, maintain workers' compensation and commercial general liability insurance with minimum limits of one million dollars per occurrence and three million dollars aggregate, comply with the Status Verification System (E-Verify) for employees in Utah, and submit quarterly utilization reports. The State of Utah does not guarantee any minimum purchase amount under the awarded contract; however, historical purchasing data indicates approximately $700,000 in sandbag purchases over the five-year period prior to this contract, suggesting a potential budget range, though actual utilization may vary. The contract carries an administrative fee of 0.0%, eliminating quarterly fee obligations typical of other cooperative contracts, and vendors must execute a contract within 90 days of award or face potential rejection.