Sodium hydroxide 25%, purchase and delivery

Palm Beach County, Florida issued Invitation for Bid (IFB) #18-098/MB on July 17, 2018, for the purchase and delivery of Sodium Hydroxide 25% (Caustic Soda) to support the County's Water Utilities Department at WTP #9 located in Boca Raton. The procurement encompasses two delivery categories: Tanker Load (TL) deliveries with a minimum of 4,000 gallons and an estimated annual quantity of 385,000 gallons, and Less Than Tanker Load (LTL) deliveries with a minimum of 500 gallons and an estimated annual quantity of 42,000 gallons. The product must comply with ANSI/NSF Standard 60 and AWWA Standard 8501-8 certification requirements, with specifications requiring 24.5% to 25.5% sodium hydroxide composition by weight and a specific gravity of 1.263 to 1.285 at 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Bids were due on August 9, 2018, at 4:00 p.m., with the successful bidder awarded a twelve-month term contract with options to renew for four additional twelve-month periods, contingent upon mutual written agreement and appropriation of funds. Delivery must occur within seventy-two hours of receiving a delivery order with F.O.B. designated at destination. Bidders must submit unit pricing that remains firm for ninety days from submission and throughout all contract terms, provide three professional references with relevant experience from the past three years, demonstrate required insurance coverage including Commercial General Liability of $500,000, Business Auto Liability of $500,000, and Workers' Compensation per Florida Statute Chapter 440, provide a current Palm Beach County Business Tax Receipt, and submit Safety Data Sheets for the product.

The solicitation includes a 15% Small Business Enterprise (SBE) participation goal, with the County authorized to award contracts to responsive SBE bidders even if their bids exceed the lowest non-responsive bid by up to ten percent for contracts under one million dollars. A local preference of five percent is available to bidders with permanent places of business in Palm Beach County established prior to solicitation issuance. No incumbent vendors or current contractors were specified in the solicitation documents. The County reserves the right to reject any bids that are materially unbalanced or financially disadvantageous, to increase or decrease quantities as needed during the contract term, and to add or delete delivery locations. No specific award value or budget range was disclosed in the procurement documents, though the estimated annual quantities (385,000 gallons of TL and 42,000 gallons of LTL) provide potential contractors with volume indicators for pricing proposals.