Valve Boxes

The City of Madison Water Utility in Wisconsin issued a Request for Quotation (RFQ) numbered 5221-0-2023-BG for procuring valve boxes and related components. The procurement specifically requires tar-coated cast iron valve boxes in a three-piece screw-type configuration, with precise quantities including 150 valve box bases, 150 valve box bottoms, multiple extension sizes (50 twelve-inch, 50 eighteen-inch, and 25 twenty-four-inch), 250 standard valve box lids, 10 heavy-duty long-skirt lids, 150 Rite-Hite adaptors, and 150 top castings. Acceptable manufacturers are limited to Bingham and Taylor and Rite Hite, with specific model requirements detailed in the specifications. The solicitation was released on March 14, 2023, with quotations due on March 28, 2023, at 2:00 PM CST. Bidder questions were due by March 20, 2023, with answers provided by March 22, 2023. The City will evaluate bids based on factors including cost, quality, warranty, delivery capability, and past performance, with the intent to award to the most advantageous responsive and responsible bidder.

Delivery must be made to Madison Water Utility at 110 S. Paterson Street in Madison, Wisconsin, with at least 24-hour notice required prior to delivery. The City offers local vendor preference scoring for suppliers registered with the local purchasing program as of the bid due date. Bidders are encouraged to register with the State of Wisconsin VendorNet System or DemandStar by Onvia for future bid notifications. In the actual bid process, three vendors submitted proposals: Core & Main, ETNA, and Ferguson, with Core & Main ultimately winning the contract at $74,372.80. This was significantly lower than ETNA's bid of $84,793.25 and Ferguson's bid of $88,892.75. Core & Main offered a 1% discount with net 30 payment terms, and the award will be based on the total of all quantified items, with zero-quantity items included for potential future purchase orders. No specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises were explicitly mentioned in the documentation.