UST - AFVR

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) is procuring Underground Storage Tank (UST) Aggressive Fluid and Vapor Recovery (AFVR) services for Richland County through an Invitation for Bid solicitation. The contract seeks services to perform free-phase product recovery using AFVR methodology, which involves applying vacuum to the subsurface to remove petroleum liquid vapors. Bidders must be South Carolina-certified Class I Site Rehabilitation Contractors with an approved Annual Contractor Quality Assurance Plan on file with DHEC. The solicitation includes line items for site reconnaissance, mobilization/demobilization, AFVR events of varying durations, effluent disposal, off-gas treatment, absorbent deployment, and absorbent disposal. Key procurement dates include a non-mandatory pre-bid conference on January 6, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. ET via Microsoft Teams, with written questions due by January 7, 2022, at 2:30 p.m. ET. Bids are due January 25, 2022, at 2:30 p.m. ET, with contract award anticipated February 1, 2022. The resulting contract will be for one year with two optional one-year renewals, commencing February 2, 2022, for a maximum three-year term.

The solicitation does not specifically mention set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises. Historical data from the previous contract period (December 2018 to December 2021) shows 314 total recovery events, including 33 eight-hour events, zero 24-hour events, 12 forty-eight-hour events, and 269 ninety-six-hour events. Award will be made to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder, though DHEC reserves the right to assign work to multiple contractors or the next lowest bidder if available work exceeds 384 hours per month. The contractor must maintain insurance with minimum coverage of $1,000,000 per occurrence for general liability and auto liability. Payment for invoices will be processed within 90 days of receipt, contingent upon complete report submission. Contractors must mobilize within two business days of receiving a Notice to Proceed and complete reports within specified timeframes, with late fees of $25 per day (capped at 20 percent of directed work costs) for overdue submissions. While specific budget ranges are not explicitly stated, the comprehensive bidding schedule suggests a substantial contract value based on the extensive service requirements and historical event volumes.