CHARLES COUNTY GOVERNMENT Department of Fiscal and Administrative Services Purchasing Division Telephone: 301-645-0656 February 7, 2014 ITB NO. 14-29 GROUNDS MAINTENANCE SERVICES ADDENDUM NUMBER THREE TO: All Offerors Please be advised of the following modification(s) & information related to Invitation to Bid 14-29. These modifications, comments, and attachments are hereby made a part of the solicitation documents to the same extent as if bound therein. The due dates for questions and bids remain unchanged from Addendum #2. I. Changes, Additions, and Modifications to the ITB A. Changes 1. Part I, Section 1.13 Bidder s Equipment List (page I-5) Add the bold, italicized text below as Part I, Section 1.13 Bidder s Equipment List. 1.4 BIDDER S EQUIPMENT LIST Bidders are required to complete and submit the Bidder s Equipment List, included herewith. Equipment shall be in good working order and sufficient in type and quantity to complete all work as Bid on the Bid Form. The equipment listed below, and any other equipment the Bidder intends to use in the performance of this contract shall be identified on the Bidder s Equipment List, identifying equipment type, make/model, quantity, Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) (if applicable), tag number (if applicable), and registration number (if applicable). Equipment shall include vehicles, trailers, lawnmowers, trimmers, and blowers. 2. Part I, Section 2.5 Inspection of Equipment (Page I-7) Add the bold, italicized text below as Part I, Section 2.5 Inspection of Equipment. 1
2.3 INSPECTION OF EQUIPMENT Equipment contained on the Bidder s Equipment List shall be subject to inspection by the County, represented by a Department of Public Works designated representative, prior to contract award. Documentation (vehicle title or leasing agreements) proving legal ownership or lease of all equipment to be used in the execution of work as a result of this solicitation shall be provided at the time of equipment inspection. Any vehicles requiring registration in the Bidder s name shall be validated at the time of inspection. Equipment deemed insufficiently qualified and/or equipped, or of insufficient type and/or quantity to accomplish the work as bid, shall be determined solely by the Department of Public Works, whose determination is not subject to appeal. All equipment must pass inspection. The Bidder shall have five (5) business days to replace or correct any equipment deficiencies. Failure to correct deficiencies within five (5) business days may result in the Bidder being eliminated from consideration for award of the Contract. 3. Part III, Section 1.2 General Requirements (Page III-2) Add the bold, italicized text to the paragraph below: All Contractor Representatives utilizing herbicides and/or fertilizers must possess a valid State Applicator s License. A copy of the State Applicator s License shall be provided to the County prior to contract award. B. Attachments 1. Attachment A Bidder s Equipment List 2. Attachment B Bid Item A Site Maps Handout (Bid Board) 3. Attachment C Pre-Bid Meeting Sign In Sheet 4. Attachment D Site Visit #1 Sign In Sheet 5. Attachment E Site Visit #2 Sign In Sheet 6. Attachment F Current Grounds Maintenance Contract Bid II. Pre-Bid Meeting Notes Introduction Good morning, and welcome to the pre-bid meeting for ITB 14-29, Charles County Grounds Maintenance Services. My name is Shanna Reese, and I am the Assistant Chief of Purchasing for Charles County Government. Also with us today is Mr. Steve Strobel, of the Department of Public Works, Utilities Division, and Mr. Tom Roland, Department of Public Works, Parks and Grounds Division. The intent of this work is the provision of labor, material, tools and equipment necessary to perform grounds maintenance services at 117 locations throughout Charles County. The meeting will be conducted in 2 parts. o I will first review selected portions of the Instructions to Bidders within the ITB. Items not reviewed should not be construed as being less important than those reviewed. No information will be presented that is not already contained within the ITB. I will then ask for any questions pertaining to the Instructions to Bidders. 2
o The meeting will then be turned over to Mr. Strobel and Mr. Roland who will discuss technical aspects of the project, and entertain any technical questions. At the end of the meeting, we shall proceed with Site Visit 1 pertaining to the Utilities sites. We will visit a sample of the sites from the Bid Form. Transportation will be provided. Bidders may independently visit other locations. The County shall not be available for any other site visits. If you have not already done so, please sign-in on the attendance roster. Procurement Discussion / Questions All solicitation documents may be found on the County Bid Board. Ensure all required forms and any other information required is complete and in your bid package. o Bidder s Experience Form on page I-19. o Bid Form Contains physical location of sites as well as estimated size, number of cuts (estimates are not guaranteed). Form must be completed in its entirety for Items you are bidding on. Bidders may bid on all items in Item A, all items in Item B, or all in Items A & B. You cannot bid on select sites within each item number. o Addendum Certifications on page I-18. Submit two (2) unbound original and two (2) copies of your bid. Questions concerning the procurement process should be directed to me via the contact information provided in the ITB. In accordance with the ITB, all technical questions should be directed to Mr. Strobel and Mr. Roland, in writing only, via the contact information provided. No information obtained from any source other than the Solicitation documents found on the County Bid Board, or from myself or Mr. Roland or Mr. Strobel, may be considered to be accurate. Important Dates are identified in the Addendum #2 of the solicitation documents. Bids must state that they are valid for 120 days from the due date. There is an aspirational 25% MBE goal for this solicitation. We encourage you to meet that goal. This program is subject to the County s SLBE program. The base term of the Contract shall be for approximately nine (9) months beginning on the date of contract execution and shall end December 31, 2014, with an option for four (1) one-year extensions as the sole option of the County. Service dates shall vary according to need, but estimates follow: o School Sites April to November o Utilities Sites April to November Insurance requirements are located on page I-7 of the ITB. The protest policy may be found on page I-9. The County may reject any and all bids for any reason it deems necessary, and may waive any irregularities and/or informalities, and make award in any manner that is in the best interest of the County. Award will be to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder, provided it is in the County's best interest to do so. By submitting a bid in response to this solicitation, the bidder certifies that their firm is not debarred, suspended, or otherwise ineligible for participation in government procurement by the federal government, the State of Maryland, or any other state, county, or municipal government. The County will issue additional requirements in Addendum 3, including a Bidder s 3
Equipment List, Equipment Inspection, and requests for proof of licensure prior to contract award. Are there any questions pertaining to the procurement process? I will now turn the meeting over to the Mr. Strobel and Mr. Roland, who will discuss technical aspects of the project, and answer any technical questions. Procurement Questions Question 1 Question: Should questions be submitted to all contacts or to individual points of contact? Response: Bidders may submit questions to one or all points of contact at their discretion. Question 2 Question: If a firm bidding as a prime is a MBE, does the firm need to accomplish a twenty-five percent (25 %) MBE subcontractor goal? Response: No. Question 3 Question: Does a prime contractor need to obtain a twenty-five percent (25 %) MBE participation rate? Response: This is an aspirational goal, but the County highly encourages the use of MBEs and SLBEs at any opportunity possible. Technical Discussion Steve Strobel Utilities Sites Item B pertains to the water and wastewater sites. At these sites there may be exposed pipes, etc. If the Contractor hits one of these pipes, it needs to be reported to the County immediately. Restrooms are not available at most sites. Tom Roland School Sites Item A includes 16 Board of Education sites managed by the County during non-school hours. These are considered non-contact locations. Contact with youth is prohibited. Restrooms are not available for use on these sites. If the site is in use, it does not need to be immediately cut. The County will provide maps of schools sites during Site Visit #2 and included in the addendum. Fertilizer is required two times a year with three applications - one in spring and two in the fall. Litter must be picked up prior to mowing. The Contractor may use a substitute for Roundup if approved by the County prior to application. The County will coordinate dates with the Contractor that things are being applied. Conclusion Thank you for attending, and good luck. Copies of the attendance roster will be posted on the County Bid Board. An addendum will be posted containing all of the questions from this meeting, as well as any others received. Please ensure you sign the attendance roster before you leave, if you have not already done so. 4
III. Site Visit #1 Questions Site visits were conducted to sites Item # B025, B007, B030, B033, B014, and B053. Question 4 Question: At site B007, is it normal to have a lot of vehicles? Response: Yes Question 5 Question: At site B007, is everything inside the fence? Response: Yes and everything on the other side of the small fence requires trimming. There is no parking in that area. Question 6 Question: At site B007, how far back does the cut go? Response: To the edge of the woods and along the roadway. Question 7 Question: At site B030, how far does the cut go? Response: Outside along the perimeter of the fence. Question 8 Question: Are the square footages estimated? Response: Yes. Question 9 Question: At site B033, does the cut just go to the fence or outside the fence at the back of the property. Response: Just a couple cuts outside the fence and maintaining the perimeter, the spray field is maintained by the County. Question 10 Question: At site B033, how much is maintained outside the fence? Response: To the roadway. Question 11 Question: At site B033, does it go all the way back to the open field? Response: Yes. Question 12 Question: At site B014, how much is maintained outside the fence? Response: Each side of the fence area, but the spray field is cut by someone else. Question 13 Question: At site B053, is the ground usually really wet? Response: No. 5
Question 14 Question: At site B053, does the work require fence line maintenance or just mowing up to it? Response: Mow up to the fence. Question 15 Question: How is acreage estimated? Is it just turf or the whole facility grounds? Response: It is based upon the whole facility grounds. IV. Site Visit #2 Questions Site visits were conducted to sites Item # A001, A002, A003, A008, A009, A010, A013, and A014. Question 16 Question: Can you spray when schools are open? Response: No. The County tries to coordinate these dates with the Contractor around school closures. Question 17 Question: At site A001, is Roundup or equivalent usually applied around the fence lines? Response: Herbicide cannot be used under bleaches (because they are occasionally moved around). Question 18 Question: At site A001, is there cutting outside of the fence and curb trimming? Response: The Contractor will cut to the curb, but no curb trimming is required. Question 19 Question: At site A001, infields are not required? Response: No. Question 20 Question: At site A001 is there a double gate for access? Response: Yes. Question 21 Question: Are large mowers prohibited? Response: No, there are no restrictions on equipment type or size, but equipment is expected to produce quality cuts. Question 22 Question: At site A002, how often does the County seed fields? Response: As needed. Question 23 Question: Does the Contractor have to check in with the school? Response: No, but designated parking may be required at some school sites. 6
Question 24 Question: At site A008, does everything inside the fence need to be mowed? Response: Yes, inside the four foot fence and to the tennis courts along a ditch. Question 25 Question: At site A008, are the trailers designated on the map gone? Response: Yes. Concrete pads remain. Question 26 Question: Are the sites always open? Response: No. Question 27 Question: At site A008, is there any area outside the fence being maintained? Response: No, just along the edge of the fence. Question 28 Question: At site A009/A010, just the ballfield are maintained and not the playground? Response: Yes. Question 29 Question: At site A009/A010, are the other Contractors good at keeping up fields not covered by this contract? Response: Yes. Question 30 Question: At site A009/A010, there is a hill to cut above the ballfields? Does this contain cement stairs? Response: Yes this hill needs to be cut, but there are no cement stairs. Question 31 Question: Is there a monthly schedule in the solicitation package? Response: Cuts are to be made weekly as identified in Part III of the solicitation. Question 32 Question: How many cuts were made last year? Response: 27. Question 33 Question: Have there been issues with mowing height? Response: No. V. Written Questions Received through 02/05/2014 Question 34 Question: Is there a site (property) list available for the RFP for the 117 locations? Response: As per the solicitation documents, the locations of sites was included on the Bid Form and only provided to registered attendees at the pre-bid meeting. 7
Question 35 Question: Would you by any means extend the registration. Response: The County will not be extending registration another time for this ITB. Question 36 Question: How do I access the public records in which indicate the previous years bids? Response: Previous bids were received for grounds maintenance work in July 2008. The rates bid under the previous contract are for different requirements, which have been revised, thus there is no correlation between the new requirements and previous bid rates. See Attachment F for bid information. A CPI adjustment of 2.3 percent was allowed under this contract in 2013. Question 37 Question: Is the tour on feb 5 mandatory? Response: No. Question 38 Question: I was also wondering when you planned to share the school maps. Response: See Attachment B of this addendum. 8
ATTACHMENT A 9
BIDDER S EQUIPMENT LIST ITB Number: 14-29 Project Name: CHARLES COUNTY GROUNDS MAINTENANCE SERVICES Having carefully examined the bid documents, the undersigned herein agrees to furnish all services as outlined in the bid documents for the Special Provisions as stated, utilizing the following equipment:. Equipment Type Make/Model Quantity VIN # (if applicable) Tag # Registration # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 *Attach additional sheets as necessary. Equipment contained on this list is subject to inspection by the County, represented by the Department of Public Works, prior to contract award. Documentation (vehicle title or leasing agreements) proving legal ownership or lease of all equipment to be used in the execution of work as a result of this solicitation shall be provided at the time of equipment inspection. Registration in the Bidder s name shall be validated at the time of inspection. (Printed Name) (Signature) 10
ATTACHMENT B 11
BID ITEM A SITE MAPS HANDOUT This handout is available for download from the Charles County Bid Board via the County s web site by the following steps: 1. Go to http://www.charlescountymd.gov. 2. Under the Business Opportunities section, click on Procurement Opportunities. 3. On the Purchasing Page locate the Department Links to the left of the page and click on the Bid Board option. 4. Click on Invitations To Bid option and locate the project from the list. 5. Click on the document ADDENDUM 3 ITB 1429 - ATTACHMENT B.pdf to download. 12
ATTACHMENT C 13
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ATTACHMENT D 17
ITB# 14-29 ADDENDUM 3 18
ITB# 14-29 ADDENDUM 3 19
ATTACHMENT E 20
ITB# 14-29 ADDENDUM 3 21
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ATTACHMENT F 23
CURRENT GROUNDS MAINTENANCE CONTRACT BID 24