City of Charleston
Procurement Division
2 George St. Suite 3600
Charleston, SC 29401
Ph: (843) 724-7312 Fax: (843) 724-7354
INVITATION FOR BID
Date:
January 7, 2026
Solicitation Number: 26-B001C
Closing Date/Time:
Location:
February 5, 2026 @ 11:30am
2 George St., Suite 3600, Charleston, SC 29401
Procurement:
2026 Lease Purchase Financing Services
The City of Charleston, South Carolina requests proposals from qualified and eligible Offerors interested in
providing financing services for the acquisition of commodities/equipment under a master lease agreement.
Subject to the terms, conditions, provisions, and the enclosed specifications, responses to this solicitation will be
received at this office until the stated date and time. After which, only the names of the respondents will be publicly
announced. Responses received after the scheduled due date and time will be rejected. Proposals must be
submitted in a sealed package marked on the outside with the Offeror’s name, address, and the solicitation
name and number.
This solicitation does not commit the City of Charleston to award a contract, to pay any costs incurred in the
preparation of proposals submitted, or to procure or contract for the services. The City reserves the right to accept
or reject or cancel in part, or in its entirety offers received as a result of this request if deemed to be in the best
interest of the City of Charleston to do so.
Questions regarding this solicitation must be submitted in writing to Gary Cooper no later than 11:00 a.m.
on January 16, 2026. Questions may either be faxed to 843-724-7354 or emailed to cooperg@charleston-sc.gov.
Direct all inquiries to:
___________________________
Gary Cooper
Director of Procurement
INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS
1. Submittal should include a letter of interest, one (1) original proposal clearly marked as original,
and four (4) complete copies of the Offeror’s proposal. Responses must be in a sealed
container/package. Responses received by fax or other electronic means (e-mail, CD, etc.) will be rejected.
For identification purposes, all containers/packages must contain the solicitation name and number.
Individual signing the response must be an Agent legally authorized to bind the company.
2. Show solicitation number on the outside of mailing package. The City of Charleston assumes no
responsibility for unmarked or improperly marked envelopes.
3. It is the Offeror’s sole responsibility to insure that solicitation responses, amendments thereto or withdrawal
requests are submitted by the scheduled due date and time.
4. Offeror must clearly mark as "Confidential" each part of their response, which they consider to be
proprietary information that could be exempt from disclosure under Section 30-40(C) Code of Laws of
South Carolina, 1976, Freedom of Information Act. The City reserves the right to determine whether this
information should be exempt from disclosure and legal action may not be brought against the City or its
agents for its determination in this regard.
5. RESPONSE FORM: All responses shall be printed in ink or typewritten. When required, additional pages
may be attached.
A "No Response" qualifies as a response, however it is the responsibility of the vendor to notify the
Procurement Office if you receive solicitations that do not apply. Failure to respond to three (3) solicitations
during the calendar year may result in removal from source/vendors list.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
1. Number of Submittals required is stated in the General Information section of this Solicitation. Proposals
must be mailed or hand-delivered. Responses received by fax or other electronic means (email, CD,
etc.) will be rejected. Proposals must be submitted in a sealed envelope and must be addressed to
the City of Charleston Procurement Division, 2 George Street, Suite 3600 Charleston, SC 29401.
Failure to do so may result in a premature opening of, or failure to open such Proposal. Each sealed
envelope containing a Proposal shall be marked on the outside with the Bidder’s complete Name, Address,
Solicitation Number, Description of Services Requested by Solicitation (i.e., Elevator Maintenance, Road
Construction), along with the Due Date and Time. If you do not choose to submit a proposal, please
complete and return the enclosed “No Proposal” response form.
A “No Proposal” qualifies as a response; however, it is the responsibility of the Vendor to notify the
Procurement Office if you receive solicitations that do not apply. Failure to respond to three (3) solicitations
during the calendar year may result in removal from Vendor’s List.
All pages that require a Signature shall be included with the bid. Failure to include these required
pages may result in the bid being deemed Non-Responsive.
2. Bidders must clearly mark as “Confidential” each part of their proposal which they consider to be
proprietary information that could be exempt from disclosure under the South Carolina Freedom of
Information Act, S.C. Code Ann. §§ 30-4-10 to – 165 (2007 & Supp. 2015). See paragraph 45 for more
details. The City reserves the right to determine whether this information should be exempt from disclosure
and no legal action may be brought against the state or its agents for its determination in this regard.
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3. Proposals must be made in the official name of the individual, firm, company, partnership, corporation, joint
venture or other legal entity under which the business is conducted (showing official business address) and
must be signed in ink by a person duly authorized to legally bind the legal entity submitting the proposal.
4. Bids should be typewritten or computer-generated; however, if this is not possible, the hand writing must
be legible. A Bid shall include, but is not limited to, addresses of all legal entities which will participate in
the proposed services. The type of organization of the Bidder, whether individual, firm, partnership,
corporation, joint venture or other legal entity, shall be stated. Any affiliations, parent-subsidiary
relationships, and corporate identities including the names of the principals of such legal entity must be fully
disclosed and clearly explained.
5. If an error is made before submitting the proposal, the error should be crossed out, corrections entered and
initialed by the person signing the proposal. Erasures or use of typewriter correction fluid may be cause for
rejection. No proposal shall be altered or amended after specified time for opening.
6. Proposals may be withdrawn by written request received from the Bidder prior to the time set for opening of
Proposals, but not thereafter.
7. Proposals should be prepared simply and economically. All data, materials, and documentation shall be
available in a clear, concise form and reproducible upon request “at cost” for the City’s internal use. The
City reserves the right to reproduce proposals for internal use in the evaluation process.
8. All Proposals shall provide a straight forward, concise description of Bidder’s ability to satisfy the
requirements of the Solicitation.
9. All Addendum and Award Notices will be posted on our website: https://www.charleston-
sc.gov/Bids.aspx?CatID=17, Procurement Bids.
10. The terms and conditions in this Solicitation shall prevail unless otherwise modified by the City of
Charleston in an Addendum to this Solicitation. The City of Charleston reserves the right to reject, in whole
or in part, any proposal which does not comply with such terms and conditions. The City of Charleston
reserves the right to retain all proposals submitted and to use any ideas in a proposal regardless of whether
that proposal is selected. Submission of a proposal indicates acceptance by the Bidder of the conditions
contained in this Solicitation, unless clearly and specifically noted in the proposal submitted and confirmed
in any resulting contract between the City of Charleston and the Bidder selected.
11. No substitutions shall be considered after the contract award except by Amendment.
12. The City seeks qualified vendors to be responsible for completion of the work described herein and the City
reserves the option to award portions of the project to multiple Bidder if such is to the advantage of the City.
Therefore, any one proposal submitted by more than one company shall be deemed to be a proposal for a
joint venture between or among the companies so submitting proposals unless the proposal clearly and
unequivocally describes that only one firm proposes to act as principal and the other firm(s) contractual
position is clearly defined. The companies submitting as a joint venture shall be held jointly and severally
responsible for the entire project and shall not be permitted to limit their liability to the City.
13. All proposals should be complete and carefully worded and shall convey all of the information requested by
the City. If errors or exceptions are found in a proposal, or if the proposal fails to conform to the
requirements of the Solicitation, the City shall be the sole judge as to whether that variance is significant
enough to reject the proposal.
14. The City reserves the right to request satisfactory evidence of their ability to furnish services in accordance
with the terms and conditions listed herein. The City further reserves the right to make the final
determination as to the Bidder’s ability to provide said services.
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15. The Bidder is solely responsible for all costs and expenses associated with the preparation of the proposal
and of any supplementary presentation (including any oral presentation) requested by the City.
16. GRATUITIES AND KICKBACKS
A) Gratuities. It shall be unethical for any person to offer, give or agree to give any employee or former
employee, or for any employee or former employee to solicit, demand, accept, or agree to accept
from another person a gratuity or an offer of employment in connection with any decision, approval,
disapproval, recommendation, preparation or any part of a program requirement or a purchase
request, influencing the content of any specification or procurement standard, rendering of advice,
investigation, auditing, or in any other advisory capacity in any proceeding or application, request
for ruling, determination, claim or controversy, or other particular matter pertaining to any program
requirement or a contract or subcontract, or to any solicitation or proposal therefore.
B) Kickbacks. It shall be unethical for any payment, gratuity, or offer of employment to be made by or
on behalf of a subcontractor under a contract to the prime contractor, or to hire any subcontractor or
any person associated therewith, as an inducement for the award of a subcontract or order.
17. BIDDER REPRESENTATIONS
Each Bidder by submitting a Proposal represents that:
A) The Bidder has read and understands this Solicitation (including all Specifications and Attachments)
and that its Proposal is made in accordance therewith.
B) The Bidder has reviewed the Solicitation and has become familiar with the local conditions under
which the Scope of Work is to be performed. The failure or omission of a Bidder to acquaint himself
with existing conditions shall in no way relieve him of any obligation with respect to this proposal or
any resulting contract.
C) The Proposal is based on the terms, materials, services and obligations required by this Solicitation,
without exception.
D) The Bidder is qualified to provide the services and equipment required under this Solicitation and, if
awarded the contract, shall do so in a professional, timely manner using successful Bidder's best
skills and attention.
E) The Bidder is guaranteeing that all goods and services will meet the requirements of the Solicitation
during the contract period.
18. COMPETITIVE PROCUREMENT
It is the intent and purpose of the City of Charleston that this Solicitation permits competition. It shall be
each Bidder’s responsibility to advise the City if any language, provision, or other requirement, or any
combination thereof, inadvertently restricts or limits the satisfaction of the specifications stated in this
Solicitation to a single source. Such notification must be submitted in writing, and must be received by the
City of Charleston Procurement Division no later than the last date for written questions. Any such
notification shall be reviewed by the City’s Procurement Director.
19. ADDENDA/CHANGES
Any additions, deletions, modifications, or changes made to this Solicitation shall be processed through the
City’s Procurement Director. Any deviation from this procedure may result in the disqualification of the
proposal or the cancellation of any contract resulting from this Solicitation. Requests for interpretation of
this Solicitation and any other questions concerning the Solicitation shall be made in writing, and addressed
to the City’s Procurement Director, 2 George Street, Suite 3600, Charleston, South Carolina 29401.
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Questions may be transmitted by fax, but it shall be the responsibility of the sender to confirm receipt by the
City. These requests must be submitted by the deadline for written questions. Responses to said requests
shall be made at the discretion of the City’s Procurement Director. When issued, such interpretations and
answers to such questions shall be in the form of an addendum to the Solicitation which shall be posted on
the City’s website, https://www.charleston-sc.gov/Bids.aspx?CatID=17, Procurement Bids. All such
addenda shall become part of the Solicitation and each Bidder shall be bound by such addenda whether or
not received by the Bidder. The City of Charleston shall not be legally bound by any amendment or
interpretation that is not in writing.
20. EVALUATION PROCESS
During the evaluation process the City of Charleston reserves the right, where it may serve the City of
Charleston’s best interest, to request additional information or clarification from Bidders, or to allow
corrections of errors or omissions.
21. AWARD OF CONTRACT
A) Award of contract shall be made to the most responsive and responsible Bidder(s) whose Proposal,
conforming to the Solicitation, is most advantageous to the City of Charleston, price and other
factors considered.
B) The City of Charleston may, when in the best interest of the City, reject any or all Proposals or
waive technicalities or informalities in any Proposals received.
C) The City of Charleston shall be the sole judge of the suitability of the items or services to be
provided pursuant to this Solicitation.
D) The City may choose to award to more than one vendor if it is in the best interest of the City.
E) Final approval may rest with members of the City Council for the City of Charleston.
F) All things considered equal, a tie proposal will be resolved by the flip of a coin.
22. CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION
Questions or problems arising after award of this contract shall be directed to the Director of Procurement
by calling (843) 724-7312. Copies of all correspondence concerning this contract shall be sent to the
Contracts’ Coordinator, 2 George Street, Suite 3600 Charleston, SC 29401.
23. NOTICE OF AWARD OF CONTRACT
The successful Bidder shall be notified of acceptance of its Proposal by a written Notice of Award of
Contract. Successful Bidder(s) shall not undertake any work, and City shall not be responsible for payment
for any work whatsoever undertaken by the successful Bidder(s) prior to issuance of the Notice to Proceed.
24. NOTICE TO PROCEED
A Notice to Proceed shall be issued after the Contractor(s) has executed the contract and has submitted
acceptable Insurance Certificate(s) and Endorsement(s) and Performance and Payment Bonds to the City
as well as other submittals specified herein as required to be delivered before the Notice to Proceed is
issued. The Contractor(s) shall not commence work until it has received a written Notice to Proceed from
the City’s Director of Procurement.
25. OTHER CONTRACTS
The City of Charleston may undertake or award other contracts for portions of the work or additional work,
and the Contractor(s) shall fully cooperate with such other contractors and City of Charleston employees
and carefully fit its own work to such work as may be directed by the City. The Contractor(s) shall not
commit or permit any act which shall interfere with the performance of work by any other contractor or by
City of Charleston employees.
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This page summarizes the opportunity, including an overview and a preview of the attached documents.