Florida Department of Health Invitation to Bid DOH12-054 Courier Services Hillsborough County Health Department Questions and Answers Q1) Page 5 of your posted solicitation reflects a timeline for climate control system upgrade, instead of courier services. I would like to confirm whether the dates and mandatory site visit refer to the climate control project or courier services. A1) Courier Services Q2) Would it be possible to get the past bid amount for courier service? A2) The annual quote amount was $91,390.00. The services were provided by the mandatory use of a State Term Contract through the Department of Management Services. Q3) I received notification of a solicitation via the vbs site. While the first page shows DOH120-54 when you open the bid it has information for and references bids DOH12-054 and DOH12-049. Please advise which solicitation is for courier services that the DOH is currently soliciting for. A3) DOH 12-054 Courier Services. Q4) Is this a current running project? If so we would like to review the previous bid award. A4) The annual quote amount was $91,390.00. The services were provided by the mandatory use of a State Term Contract through the Department of Management Services. Q5) Is there a clarification on the size of vehicle needed? Will a pick up with a topper work or does it need to be a cargo van? A5) Yes, needs to be an air conditioned cargo van. Q6) I am emailing you because I received your bid for courier services and while we do some courier services for our clients we are a facilities management company handling onsite mail, copy, records, reception, hospitality, conference room management and electronic storage of records. I wanted to check in to see if currently outsource any of these services and if I might be able to meet with you to chat about it and send you some information? A6) No Q7) We intend to participate in the upcoming bid and I wanted to get a copy of the prior bid package tabulation with any addendums and the current vendor so we - 1 -
can better understand the scope. Might you be able to tell me where I can get this information? A7) There is no prior bid package tabulation. The services were provided by the mandatory use of a State Term Contract through the Department of Management Services. The current vendor is Velocity Southeast. Q8) I understand a few years ago this route was for the entire state of Florida. I would like to enter my company in the bidding, however, I would need to confirm this would be for local routes. Kindly advise which areas (counties) would be included to the dedicated daily route Monday through Friday for the Hillsborough County Health Department. A8) Hillsborough County Q9) I want to confirm that the pre-bid meeting is still on Wednesday of this week at Hillsborough County Health Department. I received notice of an addendum but when I downloaded it, it was blank. A9) Yes Q10) Would you be able to re-send me the link to the bid package. I have gone back on the website and have tried to pull it up but it continues to say that the bid is not found. A10) Not at this point in time. Q11) Regarding subcontractors Ace is a full service courier service managed by company employees, however, our drivers are contracted with us and not employed. Is it necessary to include them in the subcontractor packet as company employees will be managing the operation? A11) No Q12) Will you be requiring a performance bond for this bid? A12) No Q13) Would if be possible to obtain the current spend for this service. A13) Our current annual spend is approximately $94,000. Q14) Can you provide an estimate of time that the courier is at each location? A14) Estimated 15 minutes, without the need to load WIC milk products. Q15) Should a particular facility require additional time can that be notated with the amount of time spent and at which location? A15) Yes - 2 -
Q16) Which facilities require multiple stops within a building? A16) All facilities Q17) How often does the current courier start his route before 8:00 AM, and how early can he begin should that be an option? A17) Everyday, 7:45 AM Q18) Can you verify with the current vendor if they have two couriers in the morning that run a portion of routes and meet up at a location to pass the work to an afternoon courier. A18) No this is not acceptable. Q19) Could you state what type of vehicles each of these couriers utilize and if they are filled to capacity? I know that in our meeting it was mentioned that one vehicle and one courier performs the route. From experience with this courier route and past knowledge, the above description may be currently utilized. A19) One air conditioned cargo van vehicle, depends on our needs for any given day if the vehicle is filled to capacity. Q20) Can you confirm that mail totes, bags, coolers and ice (all transportation accessories) are provided by DOH? A20) Items to be delivered are packaged and ready for pick up and/or drop off delivery by the department. Q21) Understanding that cash may be contained within some of the mail bags, can we get an average estimate on a per day basis? To ensure that both the supplier and vendor are covered for all liability it s important that we have a gage of the potential amount to ensure proper insurance protection. A21) The average estimate contained in locked bags on a per day basis is $3,055.00. Q22) Confirm that the supplier is only responsible to pick-up the locked bag that may contain cash/checks and deliver as a full locked bag we are not responsible for the contents? A22) As long as the bag is delivered in locked condition and no tampering is evident. Q23) Will a bond be required? - 3 -
A23) No Q24) Does the current invoice show a base rate per week for the courier service routes and additional charges for any On Demand stops required for that week? A24) No Q25) Is there also a separate line item on the invoice which shows FSC? A25) Yes Q26) Should we use $94,000 as an annual cost last year or was the actual cost higher than what the contract may have shown? A26) Yes, no the actual cost was not higher. Q27) If the above details are separated on the invoice, do you still want an annual rate per year that includes both OD and FSC, or should we provide our base cost which can be provided on a weekly, monthly or annual term and then understanding that the FSC can vary, as well as the extra On Call stops. A27) Yes Q28) Does the extra stops ride on the current route or is an additional vehicle required? A28) No additional vehicle to our knowledge is required. Q29) How often does the current courier need to modify the above vehicles from those stated above? For example on those days which there are large quantities of formula. A29) None to our knowledge. Q30) Can you estimate how many cases of formula are sent on a daily or weekly basis? A30) Approximately 25-30 cases. Q31) Confirm On Demand stops are called in the day prior to service required? A31) Yes - 4 -
Q32) FSC provided has a cap. Can the cap be raised above the indicated amount, because this contract represents a 3 year term, and fuel can fluctuate significantly over few years more realistic number to protect both parties? A32) No Q33) What is the expectation if a stop is added to the route or removed? A33) That the vendor will be able to accommodate the department when these circumstances arise. The department will work with the awarded vendor to determine the need for a change order to the purchase order to accommodate any necessary changes to the base route. Q34) Confirm that we utilize the DOH s hard copy manifest to record POD information and our couriers receive a copy each day at the end of their route? A34) Yes Q35) Can we include additional information about our company, when submitting our bid response? A35) Not necessary. Q36) Who will supply the ice packs and coolers? A36) Items will be in the department s ice packs and coolers for delivery by the vendor as necessary. Q37) Will we have to provide pallet jacks? A37) No Q38) What is the volume and type of product the be delivered? A38) Volume varies depending on the department s daily needs. Example of the type of items to be delivered is: WIC baby formula, mail totes, locked bags, pharmaceuticals, coolers, specimens and blood. Q39) How many drivers are currently working on this project? A39) One Q40) How many and what type of vehicles are currently being used on this project? - 5 -
A40) One air conditioned cargo van vehicle. Q41) How flexible are the route times? A41) Not flexible. Q42) Can the route be ran concurrently, one complete route with one driver and one vehicle as long as it is completed between the 8AM-5PM time frame? A42) Yes Q43) How is the gas surcharge determined, end of month gas price, daily gas price? A43) See Attachment I Specifications, number 11 on page 17. Q44) How is the gas surcharge billed, as an add-on to the monthly invoice? A44) Yes Q45) It is our understanding that there will be bank deposits included in the interoffice transfers. Where is the bank and will this be a daily or weekly pick-up? From what locations will the deposits originate? A45) There are no bank deposits. Q46) Are there other courier opportunities within the Hillsborough Country Health Dept.? A46) No Q47) In regards to the number of couriers handling the deliveries, do you prefer 2 or are you satisfied with the delivery times using one courier? A47) We prefer two couriers. Q48) The Hillsborough Health Department currently has a fuel surcharge which is capped at $3.90 a gallon. The price of fuel is something that no one can accurately determine months ahead of time, since International events, weather or other catastrophic events can cause a drastic increase in the price of fuel. We feel that it is in everyone s best interest to have the capability to provide some relief to the courier if the price of fuel exceeds $4.00 a gallon. Would the Hillsborough Health Department consider extending the fuel surcharge beyond the $3.90 cap? As an example for every $.08 that fuel would increase, the surcharge would increase by.25%, which is the same proportion that is utilized on the existing rate chart. A48) No - 6 -
Q49) You have indicated that Hillsborough Health Department spent approximately $94,000 last year on courier services. If stops were added last year or this year, that price might make it higher now. Has there been an increase in the weekly charge due to changes or added services? A49) Yes - 7 -