Bottled Soft Drinks

Agency:	Knox County
State:	Tennessee
Type of Government:	State & Local
NAICS Category:	312112 - Bottled Water Manufacturing
Posted Date:	Jan 15, 2026
Due Date:	Feb 17, 2026
Solicitation No:	3714
Original Source:	Please Login to View Page
Contact information:	Please Login to View Page
Bid Documents:	Please Login to View Page

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The Procurement Division of Knox County, Tennessee will receive sealed bids for the provision of Bottled Soft Drinks as

specified herein. Bids must be received by 2:00 P.M. local time on February 17, 2026. Late bids will neither be considered nor

returned.

Deliver Bids To:

Bid Number 3714

Knox County Procurement Division

1000 North Central Street, Suite 100

Knoxville, Tennessee 37917

The Bid Envelope must show the Company Name, Bid Number, Bid Name & Bid Opening Date.

SECTION I GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1.1 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Knox County wants requests for additional information routed to Susan Colella,

Senior Buyer, at 865.215.5769 or emailed to susan.colella@knoxcounty.org. If you have not heard from the Buyer

in a reasonable amount of time, please call for further assistance. Information about the Knox County Procurement

Division and current solicitations may be obtained on the internet at www.knoxcounty.org/procurement.

1.2 ACCEPTANCE: Vendors shall hold their price firm and subject to acceptance by Knox County for a period of ninety (90)

business days from the date of the bid opening, unless otherwise indicated in their bid.

1.3 ALTERNATIVE BIDS: Knox County will not accept alternate bids (those not equal to specifications) unless authorized

by the Invitation for Bid (IFB).

1.4 AUDIT HOTLINE: Knox County has established an Audit Hotline to report potential fraud and waste. To report

potential fraud, waste or abuse, you can file a report online by accessing http://www.knoxcounty.org/audit/hotline.php.

Vendors are hereby cautioned that this Audit Hotline does not replace the Award Protest Procedures

found in Section VI, Item M of the Knox County Procurement Regulations.

1.5 AWARD: Award will be made to the most responsive, responsible bidder meeting specifications which presents

the product or service that is in the best interest of Knox County. Knox County reserves the right to award this bid

on an all-or-none basis, line-item basis or schedule basis. Knox County reserves the right to make a multiple

award. Knox County also reserves the right to not award this bid. The evaluation criteria are listed herein.

1.6 BID DELIVERY: Knox County requires respondents, when hand delivering submittals, to time and date stamp the

envelope before depositing it in the bid box. Knox County will not be responsible for any lost or misdirected mail

sent by common carrier, nor will Knox County be responsible for submittals delivered to addresses or Suites other

than the delivery address and Suite specified at the top of this solicitation. The time clock in the Procurement

Division shall serve as the official record of time.

Solicitations must be in a sealed envelope/box prior to entering the Procurement Division office.

Procurement Division personnel are not allowed to see the submittal nor assist in placing documents in

an envelope/box. Additionally, the Procurement Division is not responsible for providing materials (e.g.

envelopes, boxes, tape) for submittals.

1.7 BIDS REQUESTED ON BRANDS OR EQUAL: Unit price bids are requested on products that are equal or

exceed the quality and performance of the brands and model numbers listed. References to brand names, trade

names, model numbers or other descriptions peculiar to specific brand products are made to establish a required

level of quality and functional capabilities and are not intended to exclude other products of that level. Comparable

products of other manufacturers will be considered if proof of comparability is contained in their bid. Or Equal does

not mean the manufacturing process, but rather that the item will perform in the manner needed by the County. It

shall be the responsibility of the bidders, including bidders whose product is referenced to furnish with their bid

such specifications, catalog prices, brochures or other data that will provide an adequate basis for determining

the quality and functional capabilities of the product offered. Failure to provide this data may be considered valid

justification for rejection of their bid.

1.8 BUSINESS OUTREACH PROGRAM: Knox County has established a Disadvantaged Business Program which has

the responsibility of increasing opportunity for small, minority and women owned businesses. This is being accomplished

through community education programs, policy edification, active recruitment of interested businesses and process

re-engineering.

Knox County is committed to ensuring full and equitable participation for all disadvantaged businesses. Knox

County welcomes submittals from those disadvantaged businesses that have an interest in providing goods and/or

services listed herein. In addition, Knox County strongly encourages the inclusion of disadvantaged businesses

by non-disadvantaged Contractors who may wish to partner or subcontract portions of this agreement in order to

accomplish the successful delivery of goods and/or services. If you are a disadvantaged business and would like

additional information about our Disadvantaged Business Program, please contact:

Diane Woods, CPPB, Business Outreach Administrator

Knox County Procurement

Telephone: 865.215.5760

Fax: 865.215.5778

Email: diane.woods@knoxcounty.org

1.9 CONFLICT OF INTEREST: Vendors must have read and complied with the “Non-Conflict of Interest" statement provided

in the vendor registration process prior to the opening of this solicitation.

1.10 COPIES: Knox County requires that bids be submitted as one (1) marked original and one (1) exact copy. No copies are

needed with an electronic bid response.

1.11 DECLARATIVE STATEMENTS: Any statement or words (e.g.: must, shall, will) are declarative statements and

the vendor must comply with the condition. Failure to comply with any such condition will result in the bid being considered

non-responsive and disqualified.

1.12 DELIVERY: Knox County requires that vendors deliver all products “free on board” destination.

1.13 DESCRIPTIVE LITERATURE: Vendors, if bidding other than specified, must clearly identify the manufacturer and

the specifications, to which they are submitting. Vendors must also provide descriptive literature with their bid.

1.14 ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION OF BIDS: Knox County’s Procurement Division will accept, and strongly encourages,

electronically transmitted bids through the County’s Online Procurement System. Facsimile and email submissions are

strictly prohibited.

1.15 HOW TO DO BUSINESS: Knox County utilizes a web-based Procurement software system, “KnoxBuys.” The system

provides our clients (vendors, county departments and the citizens of Knox County) with a more enhanced and

end-user friendly means of accessing our services. The system allows for online vendor registration and maintenance,

electronic receipt of purchase orders, online retrieval and submittal of quotes, bids and proposals for our vendor-

clients and online requisitioning and receiving for our county departments. In order for the County to maximize its

investment and minimize the cost associated with office operations we need your help. When doing business with

Knox County we are urging you to please go to our website at www.knoxcounty.org/procurement, register as a

vendor in our online Procurement system, “KnoxBuys,” if you have not done so and whenever possible to conduct

your business with the County through this site. If you have any questions, please contact the Procurement

Division Representative listed in Section 1.1 of this document.

1.16 INCURRED COSTS: Knox County will not be responsible for any costs incurred by the bidder in the preparation of their

bid.

1.17 MULTIPLE BIDS: Knox County will consider multiple bids that meet specifications.

1.18 NEW MATERIAL: Unless specified otherwise in the bid package, Contractor(s) must provide new supplies. New,

as used in this clause, means previously unused materials. Material includes but is not limited to raw material,

parts, items, components and end products. Bidder submission of anything other than new materials may be

cause for the rejection of the bid.

1.19 NON-COLLUSION: Bidders, by submitting a signed bid, certify that the accompanying bid is not the result of, or affected

by, any unlawful act of collusion with any other person or company engaged in the same line of business or

commerce, or any other fraudulent act punishable under Tennessee or United States law.

1.20 PAYMENT METHOD: Knox County utilizes two (2) methods of placing order for products and/or services. The

first is the use of Purchase Orders. These Purchase Orders will be issued from the Knox County Procurement

Division via the method selected by the vendor during registration. The Purchase Order will detail the quantity,

specific item(s) and the contracted price for each item.

The second method is the use of the Knox County Credit Card (Visa). Orders placed with the card will list the

same information as the Purchase Order. Vendors will be given card information and approval to process the

transaction by the requesting department. Vendors must indicate in their bid response if the vendor will accept

Knox County’s Credit Card (VISA) as a form of payment. Bidders are prohibited from charging Knox County any

type of merchant fee from their financial institution to accept this type of payment.

1.21 POSSESSION OF WEAPONS: All vendors and their employees and their agents are prohibited from possessing

any weapons on Knox County property without prior written consent from the County. In the case of a vendor

whose Contract requires possession of firearms or other weapons to successfully complete their Contract, vendor

must provide personnel who are bonded to bear said weaponry.

1.22 PROCESSING TIME FOR PAYMENT: Vendors are advised that a minimum of thirty (30) days is required to process

invoices for payment.

1.23 PROOF OF FINANCIAL AND BUSINESS CAPABILITY: Vendors must, upon request, furnish satisfactory evidence

of their ability to furnish products or services in accordance with the terms and conditions of these specifications.

Knox County will make the final determination as to the vendor’s ability.

1.24 RECYCLING: Knox County, in its continuing efforts to lessen the amount of landfill waste and to further recycling

efforts, request that bids being submitted on paper shall:

• Be submitted on recycled paper.

• Not include pages of unnecessary advertising.

1.25 RESTRICTIVE OR AMBIGUOUS SPECIFICATIONS: It is the responsibility of the prospective bidder to review

the entire Invitation for Bid packet and to notify the Procurement Division if the specifications are formulated in a

manner that would unnecessarily restrict competition. Any such protest or questions regarding the specifications

or bidding procedures must be received in the Procurement Division by 4:30 P.M. Local Time on February 3,

2026. These requirements also apply to specifications that are ambiguous.

1.26 SIGNING OF BIDS: In order to be considered, all bids must be signed. Please sign the original in blue

ink. By signing the bid document, the vendor acknowledges and accepts the terms and conditions stated in the

bid document. When submitting electronically, the submission of the bid constitutes the acceptance of all terms

and conditions and will legally bind the vendor to the County’s request for goods/services and the vendor’s

subsequent response.

1.27 TAXES: Knox County purchases are not subject to taxation. Tax exemption certificates will be provided upon request.

1.28 TITLE VI OF THE 1964 CIVIL RIGHTS ACT: “Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs”—“No person in

the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied

the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial

assistance.” 42 U.S.C. Section 2000 et seq. It is the policy of Knox County Government that all its services and

activities be administered in conformance with the requirements of Title VI.

1.29 UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES: During periods of closure due to unforeseen circumstances in Knox County

or closures at the direction of the Knox County Mayor, the Procurement Division will enact the following procedures

in regard to solicitations and closures:

• If the Mayor closes the administrative offices prior to the time set for solicitation opening of any business day,

all solicitations due that same day will be moved to the next operational business day.

• Other unforeseen circumstances shall be at the sole discretion of the Procurement Director.

• Knox County shall not be liable for any commercial carrier’s decision regarding deliveries during any

unforeseen circumstances.

1.30 USE OF BID FORMS: Vendors must complete the bid forms contained in the bid package. Failure to complete the bid

forms may result in bid rejection.

1.31 VENDOR DEFAULT: Knox County reserves the right, in case of vendor default, to procure the articles or services

from other sources and hold the defaulting vendor responsible for any excess costs occasioned thereby. Should

vendor default be due to a failure to perform or because of a request for a price increase, Knox County reserves

the right to remove the vendor from the County's bidder’s list for twenty-four (24) months.

1.32 VENDOR REGISTRATION: Prior to the opening of this bid, ALL BIDDERS must be registered with the Procurement

Division. A vendor application may be submitted online at www.knoxcounty.org/procurement. Select the Online

Vendor Registration link and complete the forms. Vendors must be registered with the Procurement Division

prior to submitting their bid. Knox County shall not be responsible for technical difficulties experienced by

vendors trying to register less than twenty-four (24) hours prior to the bid opening time.

1.33 WAIVING OF INFORMALITIES: Knox County reserves the right to waive minor informalities or technicalities

when it is in the best interest of Knox County.

SECTION II OBLIGATIONS, RIGHTS AND REMEDIES

These terms and conditions shall be part of the Contract. Knox County reserves the right to negotiate other

terms and conditions it deems appropriate and necessary under the circumstances to protect the public’s trust.

2.1 ALTERATIONS OR AMENDMENTS: No alterations, amendments, changes, modifications or additions to this Contract

shall be binding on Knox County without the prior written approval of the County.

2.2 APPROPRIATION: In the event no funds are appropriated by Knox County for the goods or services in any fiscal

year, or insufficient funds exist to purchase the goods or services, then the Contract shall expire upon the expenditure

of previously appropriated funds or the end of the current fiscal year, whichever occurs first, with no further

obligations owed to or by either party.

2.3 ASSIGNMENT: Contractor shall not assign or subcontract this agreement, its obligations or rights hereunder to

any party, company, partnership, incorporation or person without the prior written specific consent of Knox

County.

2.4 BOOKS AND RECORDS: Contractor shall maintain all books, documents, accounting records and other

evidence pertaining to the goods and services provided under this Contract and make such materials available

at its offices at all reasonable times during the Contract period and for five (5) years from the date of the final

payment under this agreement for inspection by County or by any other governmental entity or agency

participating in the funding of this agreement, or any authorized agents thereof; copies of said records to be

furnished if requested. Such records shall not include those books, documents and accounting records that

represent the Contractor's costs of manufacturing, acquiring or delivering the products and services governed by

this agreement.

2.5 CHILD LABOR: Contractor agrees that no products or services will be provided or performed under this Contract

that have been manufactured or assembled by child labor.

2.6 COMPLIANCE WITH ALL LAWS: Contractor is assumed to be familiar with and agrees to observe and comply

with all Federal, State and local laws, statutes, ordinances and regulations in any manner affecting the provision

of goods and/or services, and all instructions and prohibitive orders issued regarding this work and shall obtain

all necessary permits.

2.7 DEFAULT: If Contractor fails to perform or comply with any provision of this Contract or the terms or conditions

of any documents referenced and made a part hereof, Knox County may terminate this Contract, in whole or in

part, and may consider such failure or noncompliance a breach of Contract. Knox County expressly retains all its

rights and remedies provided by law in case of such breach and no action by Knox County shall constitute a

waiver of any such rights or remedies. In the event of termination for default, Knox County reserves the right to

purchase its requirements elsewhere, with or without competitive bidding.

2.8 GOVERNING LAW; VENUE: This agreement shall be exclusively construed, governed and controlled by the

Laws of the State of Tennessee without regard to principles of law, including conflicts of law, of any other

jurisdiction, territory, country and/or province. Any dispute arising out of or relating to this agreement shall

exclusively be brought in the Chancery Court or the Circuit Court of Knox County, Tennessee. Each party consents

to personal jurisdiction thereto and waives any defenses based on personal jurisdiction, venue and inconvenient

forum.

2.9 INCORPORATION: All specifications, drawings, technical information, Invitation for Bid, Bid, Award and similar

items referred to or attached or which are the basis for this Contract are deemed incorporated by reference as if

set out fully herein.

2.10 INDEMNIFICATION—HOLD HARMLESS: Contractor shall indemnify, defend, save and hold harmless Knox

County, its officers, agents and employees from all suits, claims, actions or damages of any nature brought

because of, arising out of, or due to breach of the agreement by Contractor, its subcontractors, suppliers, agents

or employees or due to any negligent act or occurrence or any omission or commission of Contractor, its

subcontractors, suppliers, agents or employees.

2.11 INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR: Contractor shall acknowledge that it and its employees serve as independent

contractors and that Knox County shall not be responsible for any payment, insurance or incurred liability.

2.12 INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE: Warranty periods shall not commence until Knox County inspects and

formally accepts the goods and/or services. The terms, conditions and timing of acceptance shall be determined

by Knox County. Knox County reserves the right to reject any or all items or services not in conformance with

applicable specifications, and Contractor assumes the costs associated with such nonconformance. Acceptance

of goods or services does not constitute a waiver of latent or hidden defects or defects not readily detectable by

a reasonable person under the circumstances.

2.13 IRAN DIVESTMENT ACT: By submission of this bid, each bidder and each person signing on behalf of any bidder

certifies, and in the case of a joint bid each party thereto certifies as to its own organization, under penalty of

perjury, that to the best of its knowledge and belief that each bidder is not on the list created pursuant to Tennessee

Code Annotated § 12-12-106.

2.14 LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY: In no event shall Knox County be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential,

special or exemplary damages or lost profits, even if Knox County has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

2.15 NO BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL: Pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated Title 12, Chapter 4, Part 1, by submission of a

response to this solicitation, each proposer and each person signing on behalf of any proposer certifies, and in

the case of a joint response each party thereto certifies as to its own organization, under penalty of perjury, that

to the best of its knowledge and belief that each proposer is not currently engaged in, and will not for the duration

of the contract engage in, a boycott of Israel.

2.16 NON-DISCRIMINATION AND NON-CONFLICT STATEMENT: Contractor agrees that no person on the grounds

of handicap, age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin or any individual trait or characteristic found to be an

illegal consideration shall be excluded from participation in, or be denied benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to

discrimination in the performance of this agreement or in the employment practices of Vendor. Contractor shall

upon request show proof of such non-discrimination and shall post in conspicuous places available to all

employees and applicants notices of non-discrimination. Contractor covenants that it complies with the Fair Wage

and Hour Laws, the National Labor Relations Act and other federal and state employment laws as applicable.

Contractor covenants that it does not engage in any illegal employment practices. Contractor covenants that it

has no public or private interest and shall not acquire directly or indirectly any interest, which would conflict in any

manner with the provision of its goods or performance of its services. Contractor warrants that no part of the total

contract amount provided herein shall be paid directly or indirectly to any officer or employee of Knox County as

wages, compensation or gifts in exchange for acting as officer, agent, employee, subcontractor or consultant to

Contractor in connection with any goods provided or work contemplated or performed relative to the agreement.

2.17 ORDER OF PRECEDENCE: In the event of inconsistent or conflicting provision of this Contract and referenced

documents, the following descending order of precedence shall prevail: (1) Item Description, (2) Invitation for Bid,

(3) Bid, (4) Award, (5) Special Terms and Conditions, (6) General Terms and Conditions, (7) Specifications, (8)

Drawings.

2.18 REMEDIES: Knox County shall have all rights and remedies afforded under the U.C.C. and Tennessee law in

Contract and in tort, including but not limited to rejection of goods, rescission and right of set-off, refund, incidental,

consequential and compensatory damages and reasonable attorney’s fees.

2.19 RIGHT TO INSPECT: Knox County reserves the right to make periodic inspections of the manner and means the

service is performed or the goods are supplied and warehoused.

This page summarizes the opportunity, including an overview and a preview of the attached documents.

Name of Solicitation	Number	Deadline Due Date	Buyer	Attachments
Bottled Soft Drinks	3714	02-17-26	Susan Colella (865) 215-5769	Click Here for the Solicitation

Bottled Soft Drinks

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