Unclaimed and Indigent Cremation Services

Bernalillo County is soliciting proposals for Unclaimed and Indigent Cremation Services through RFP #20-26-DC, seeking a licensed funeral home to handle retrieval, storage, cremation, and burial of deceased individuals who are indigent or unclaimed within the county. The procurement targets services for an average of 260 bodies per year, as defined by New Mexico statutes (NMSA 1978, Sections 24-12-1 to 24-13-3 and 24-31-1). Proposals will be received electronically through the Bonfire eProcurement system until 4:00 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time on October 10, 2025, with a non-mandatory pre-proposal Microsoft Teams meeting scheduled for October 1, 2025. The evaluation criteria include experience and qualifications (30 points), proposed approach to tasks (35 points), cost response (15 points), references (10 points), and transition plan (10 points). The proposed contract term is four years with a potential four-year renewal, not to exceed eight years total.

The county will provide preference points for state resident businesses, veteran-owned businesses, local businesses, small businesses, and pay equity businesses. Bidders must complete several mandatory forms, including a Campaign Contribution Disclosure Form and an Unfair Business Practices Disclosure Form, demonstrating transparency and ethical business practices. The county will reimburse up to $1,000 for burial services per religious requirement, and vendors must be prepared to handle various service components including body removal, death certificate processing, body and remains storage, cremation, burial, grave opening and closing, and shipping of cremated remains. While no incumbent vendor is specifically mentioned, the county requires vendors to have the necessary licenses and capabilities to handle indigent and unclaimed body services efficiently and compassionately.