VHF radio collars for yearling & adult female black bears

The State of Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is requesting quotations for VHF radio collars for yearling and adult female black bears, with quotes due September 15, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. local time. Maine resident and in-state manufacturing vendors receive preference in the event of tied bids.

Collars must be constructed from brown-on-brown belting material with yearling collars not exceeding 1 inch in width and adult collars not exceeding 1.5 inches in width. Yearling female collars shall weigh no more than 200 grams; adult female collars shall not exceed 500 grams. Collars must operate continuously at an active pulse rate of 70 beats per minute and include a mortality sensor activating at 40 beats per minute with a one-hour delay. Equipment must operate within the 159–161 MHz frequency range and be guaranteed to provide a minimum of 32 months of operational life. Delivery was required by December 20, 2011.

Awards will be made to the lowest responsible bidder offering best value to the State, with evaluation criteria including quality, conformity to specifications, purpose of use, and delivery date. Unit prices must be submitted separately for each item and must include all transportation charges, trade discounts, and delivery costs to the destination. The State reserves the right to award on an individual item basis or as a group and may increase or decrease quantities by up to 10%. Cash discounts of 20 days or more are considered in determining the low bidder; discounts under 20 days are not considered. The State is exempt from Federal and Maine State Sales and Use Taxes and should not be quoted those taxes.

All vendor questions must be submitted through the official Question and Answer portal within the procurement system; questions and answers obtained through alternative channels will not be considered valid.