Okaloosa County BOCC — May 4, 2013 — Purchasing Manual-6 (post 3-19-13 meeting) — reading text

determine the true amount of the bid. Each item must be bid separately and no attempt is to be made to tie any item or items to any other item or items. Correction or Withdrawal of Bids. A bid submitted to the County as part of a competitive bid procedure may not be withdrawn unilaterally by the bidder. Mistakes discovered before bid opening may be modified or withdrawn by written notice received by the Purchasing Department. After bid opening, corrections in bids shall be permitted only to the extent that the bidder can show by clear and convincing evidence that a mistake of nonjudgmental character was made, the nature of the mistake, and the bid price actually intended. The Purchasing Director reserves the right to reject any bid containing a material mistake. After bid opening, no changes in bid prices or other provisions of bids prejudicial to the interests of the County or fair competition shall be permitted. Unit price, when applicable, will be the prevailing decision when an extension price is in error. 39 j. Upon acceptance and approval of the bid by the Board, the Purchasing Department shall prepare the necessary contract as required for all contracts involving services and materials. k. A contract is required on all projects involving services, labor, material and equipment when in excess of bid limitation, or on services less than the bid limitation if deemed to be in the best interest of the County. l. Any increase in transportation cost established by the ICC shall also be documented and additional cost paid by the County. m. Deviation from the $50,000.00 limit for emergencies is authorized for the replacement of materials, parts, repair and maintenance of existing equipment. However, the deviation shall be coordinated with the Chairman of the Board or, in his/her absence; coordination will be with the Vice-Chairman and shall be reported at the next Board meeting. 2. Local Bidder Preference: Okaloosa County grants a preference to in-county bidders only when bids are received from firms located in states, counties, municipalities or other political subdivisions which offer preference to bidders located in such political subdivisions. The amount of preference given to local bidders will be the same as that given by the state, county municipality or other political subdivision in which the out-of-county bidder is located. If the political subdivision in which a bidder is located offers a preference to its local firms, that bidder must plainly state the extent of such preference to include the amount and type preference offered. Any bidder failing to indicate such preference will be removed from the County list and any and all bids from that firm will be rejected. “Okaloosa County will grant no local preference when bids are let or acquisitions made involving the use of Federal Transit Administration Funds or any other grant funded program which prohibits against geographical preferences.” 3. Bid Bonds: All bidders are required to submit a bid bond (when deemed by the Purchasing Department to be in the best interest of the County) in the form of a cashier’s or certified check in the amount of 5% of their total bid. The bid bond shall be attached to the bid. Unsuccessful 40 bidders shall be entitled to full return of their bid bond. Upon determination by the Board, the successful bidder shall forfeit its bid bond or a portion thereof, upon failure to enter into a contract or failure to act on the purchase order issued after the bid award date. The release of any bid bond shall be determined by the County Administrator and/or the Purchasing Director. 4. Bids will not be considered from vendor(s) and/or on a product(s) from a manufacturer that is currently involved in financial reorganization or bankruptcy proceedings. 5. All bids involving the use of Federal Transit Administration Funding shall incorporate all pertinent requirements. 6. The Board has established a solicitation silence policy (No Contact Clause) which prohibits oral and written communication regarding all formal solicitations for goods and services (formal bids, Request for Proposals, Requests for Qualifications) issued by the Board through the Purchasing Department. All bidders/proposers must execute the “No Contact Clause” Form and agree to comply with its provisions. Such forms shall be included with the bidders/proposers submittal. The No Contact Clause commences upon receipt of the procurement proposal, by the County, and terminates upon Board approval to award a contract or reject all bids/responses. When the No Contact Clause is in effect, no oral or written communication is allowed regarding the solicitation between prospective bidders/proposers and members of the Board, the County Administrator or members of the Board-approved Review Committee. All questions or requests for information regarding the solicitation must be directed to the designated Purchasing Representative listed in the solicitation. Any information that may affect the Review Committee or staff recommendation, submitted after bids/responses are due, shall be directed to the Purchasing Director or designee. The Purchasing Director, or designee, shall determine whether such information should be considered by the Review Committee, staff or Board in the decision process. Any violation of the No Contact Clause shall be grounds to disqualify the bidder/proposer from consideration during the selection process. 41 7. Protection of Resident Workers – The Board actively supports the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) which includes provisions addressing employment eligibility, employment verification, and nondiscrimination. Under the INA, employers may hire only persons who may legally work in the United States (i.e., citizens and nationals of the U.S.) and aliens authorized to work in the U.S. The employer must verify the identity and employment eligibility of anyone to be hired, which includes completing the Employment Eligibility Verification. The Contractor shall establish appropriate procedures and controls so no services or products under the Contract Documents will be performed or manufactured by any worker who is not legally eligible to perform such services or employment. Okaloosa County reserves the right to request documentation showing compliance with the requirement. 42 N. REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES NOTE: Professional services for construction work estimated to cost more than $1,000,000 and professional services for “studies” estimated to cost over $50,000 must be obtained through Request for Qualifications and cannot be tasked to consultant’s already under contract. When grant funding is involved, retainer contracts may not be allowed and a project-specific procurement may be required unless authorized in writing by the entity providing the grant. PURPOSE A request for proposal may be used when the County is incapable of specifically defining the scope of work for which the commodities or contractual services. DEFINITION The term Professional Service is defined as assistance obtained in support of County operations from an independent contractor including, but not limited to, the following professional fields: Appraisal Services - Real and Personal Property Appraisers. 2. Professional Architecture, Engineering, Landscape Architecture, or Registered Surveying and Mapping Services (as per 287.055 F.S.). NOTE: For the Okaloosa County Airports, requirements of 49 CRF Part 18.36 of the Federal Aviation Administration's Rules and Regulations must be met. 3. Audit and Accounting Services - Auditors and Accountants. 4. Consultants - Planning, Management, or Scientific Advisors. 5. Financial Services - Rating/Underwriting, Financial Advisor, and Investment Services. 6. Construction Managers. 43 7. Advertising Agencies. The process for retaining Legal Services, such as county attorney, bond counsel, conflict counsel and any other attorney, shall be as directed by the Board. Professional Services obtained by or paid for by the County for the benefit of indigent clients shall be considered grants and not professional services. The Purchasing Director, or designee, may approve less than $25,000.00 and the County Administrator, or designee, in excess of $25,000.00 and equal to or less than $50,000.00. Any services exceeding $50,000.00 shall require Board approval. Grant requirements (if any) must be reviewed and will override purchasing manual if required. BOARD AUTHORIZATION PROCEDURE STEP 1: The requesting department shall prepare an initial Executive Summary which: A. Explains the requested service, the scope of work and the anticipated length of the contract. B. Justifies the need for the requested service. C. Seeks Board approval to issue "Requests for Proposals" and to establish a selection committee to review the proposals, prioritize the contending firms and negotiate an agreement with the selected firm. At its discretion, the Board may appoint themselves as the selection committee to review the proposals and prioritize the contending firms. 44 STEP 2: Development and issuance of the "Request for Proposal" (RFP) document shall be coordinated between the requesting department and the Purchasing Department. The RFP shall include: A. A proposed scope of services sufficiently detailed so as to ensure that all firms have the same understanding of the request. In the event that the scope of services cannot be sufficiently specified, then the RFP shall include, at the very least, a description of the problem or issue to be addressed and the desired solution. B. A request for all firms to submit documentation of respective qualifications and expertise as related to the services referenced in the proposal. C. Specific instructions on how, when and where the proposals shall be submitted. The submittal date will be at least 21 days after the notice of request has been published. D. A requirement that the proposal be submitted as a sealed package. STEP 3: Review of all proposals received shall proceed as follows: A. The selection committee (established in Step 1C) shall review all written documents submitted. All selection committee meetings shall be properly noticed, open to the public and minutes of the meeting shall be recorded. B. The committee's ranking of prospective firms shall be based on the firm's capabilities, ability, adequacy of personnel, past record, recent experience, current workload and location of the firm or individual. (See attached Instruction Sheet). Each ranking sheet shall be signed by the respective committee member. C. The committee may request oral presentations from the vendors. D. The committee shall prepare a recommended priority list and the Purchasing Department shall notify all prospective firms of the committee’s recommendation by U.S. Mail. E. Unless a formal written protest is filed, the recommended priority list established by the 45 committee shall be presented to the Board for approval prior to the commencement of negotiations. STEP 4: The Board shall consider the recommendation of the selection committee and may schedule presentations from vendors on the recommended priority list. Based upon the review and presentations, if any, the Board shall rank the top three (3)