General Services, Instructional Supplies IFB 173-24045, Invitation For Bid, Bid...

Agency:	Cumberland County Schools
State:	North Carolina
Type of Government:	State & Local
NAICS Category:	236220 - Commercial and Institutional Building Construction 611430 - Professional and Management Development Training
Posted Date:	Apr 4, 2024
Due Date:	Apr 23, 2024
Solicitation No:	IFB 173-24045
Bid Source:	Please Login to View Page
Contact information:	Please Login to View Page
Bid Documents:	Please Login to View Page

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INVITATION FOR BIDS

DUE DATE FOR BID: 02:00 pm (ET) April 23, 2024

Refer all inquiries in writing to:

Item: Instructional Supplies

Melanie Dixon, Supervisor General Services

Bid Number: 173-24045

Email: melanied@ccs.k12.nc.us

Source of Funds: Budgeted Money

Name of School/Department:

Cumberland County Schools General Services

Instructional Supplies Warehouse

Notice to Bidders

Sealed bids, subject to the conditions made a part hereof, will be received on the day of opening and then

opened, for furnishing and delivering the commodity as described herein. Refer to page 2 for proper mailing

instructions.

Bids are subject to rejection unless submitted on this form.

Execution:

In compliance with this Invitation for Bids, and subject to all the conditions herein, the undersigned offers and

agrees to furnish and deliver any or all items upon which prices are bid, at the prices set opposite each item

within the time specified herein. By executing this bid, I certify that this bid is submitted competitively and

without collusion (GS. 143-54).

BIDDER:

Federal Tax ID or Social Security No:

Street Address:

PO Box:

City, State, Zip:

Telephone No:

Fax No:

Type or Print Name & Title of Person Signing:

Date:

Authorized Signature:

E-Mail:

Offer valid for 45 days from date of bid opening unless otherwise stated here: _______ days (See Instructions

to Bidders, Item 5). Prompt Payment Discount: See Instructions to Bidders, Item 6.

Timeline for IFB:

Bid Release

Last day for written questions

Due Date and Time

Notice of Award (tentative)

April 4, 2024

April 12, 2024

2:00 pm (ET) April 23, 2024

June 15, 2024

Questions: Questions should be directed to Melanie Dixon by email only at the following:

melanied@ccs.k12.nc.us

Mailing Instructions: Submit two (2) fully executed bid documents in a sealed envelope, marked with the

CCS bid number on the outside of the envelope, by either of the methods below. If a bidder is submitting more

than one bid, each bid shall be submitted in separate sealed envelopes and marked accordingly. For delivery

purposes, separate sealed bids from a single bidder may be included in the same outer package.

DO NOT SUBMIT AN ELECTRONIC OR FAXED COPY OF YOUR BID. THIS SHALL BE CAUSE FOR

REJECTION OF YOUR BID. It is the responsibility of the bidder to have the bid in this office by the specified

time and date of opening.

Delivered By US Postal Service,

FedEx, UPS or other courier service Hand Delivered

Purchasing Bid #173-24045

Cumberland County Schools

Finance Building

810 Gillespie Street

2491 Gillespie Street

Fayetteville NC 28306

Fayetteville, NC 28306

(910) 678-2507

(910) 678-2384

IMPORTANT: The Bid Number from page 1 must be shown on the

outside of the envelope.

Bid Opening: Sealed bids are due by the date and time stated on page 1 at which time the bids shall be opened

and the names of the bidders read aloud. A bid tabulation will be provided to all bidders after the bids have

been evaluated.

Purchase the Following Items:

Instructional supplies.

See attached Item Detail & Bid Sheet for specifications and estimated quantities for fiscal year July 1, 2024 –

June 30, 2025. An electronic copy of the Item Detail in Microsoft Excel format is available by e-mailing a

request to mikeanderson@ccs.k12.nc.us and referencing the bid number above. An electronic copy will be

emailed to the bidder for the bidder’s convenience only. Your bid may not be submitted electronically and must

be submitted on paper with your sealed bid or it will be rejected.

Listed in the Item Detail & Bid Sheet are the totals that were purchased by CCS in the prior fiscal year. These

figures are not a guarantee of purchases during the period of July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025. The figures could be

more or less. Please take that into consideration when you are submitting a bid.

Due to budgetary limitations, CCS reserves the right to reduce or increase quantities. Therefore, bidders must

include freight in the “each” pricing for each line item, as well as identify minimum order quantities if

applicable for any line item. However, preference will be given to items offered without a minimum order

quantity.

Bids for each item should be priced per the requested Unit of Measure (UOM) as shown on the Item Detail &

Bid Sheet. Failure to do so may be cause for rejection. If sold by a different UOM, bidder should include this

as a deviation on a separate sheet as required in Deviations below. Preference may be given to offers that

comply with CCS’ requested UOM.

Brand Names: Items referenced and specified herein are based upon a particular manufacturer, but are used for

the purpose of identification and to establish a general quality level. Such references are not intended to be

restrictive, and functionally equivalent products of other manufacturers will be considered. However, bidders

are cautioned that any deviation from specifications must be pointed out in their bid. Functional equivalency

shall be determined by Cumberland County Schools (CCS). CCS shall not be obligated to accept deviations if

deemed not to be in the best interest of CCS.

Transportation Charges: FOB – Destination. Freight charges must be included in price. Delivery shall be

made to the Cumberland County Schools warehouse at the following address:

Cumberland County Schools

Operations Center

810 Gillespie St.

Fayetteville, NC 28306

(910) 678-2507

Bid Evaluation: Bids are requested on the items and/or equipment as hereinafter specified. Bidders are

cautioned that any/all information furnished or not furnished on this bid may be used as or in determination of

this contract.

Award Criteria: As provided by statute, award will be based on the lowest and best

bid(s) (most advantageous to CCS) as determined by consideration of:

1. Prices offered.

7. Functional Equivalency to

2. Quality of products offered.

specifications stated herein.

3. General reputation and performance

8. Samples, if requested.

capabilities of the bidders.

9. Conformity of Product Specifications.

4. Conformity with terms and conditions of 10. Product’s Presentation and Finish

this Invitation for Bids.

11. References

5. Delivery/installation schedule offered.

6. Durability and Suitability of items for

intended use.

CCS reserves the right to waive any minor informality or technicality in bids received.

Basis for Rejection: Cumberland County Schools reserves the right to reject any and all offers, in whole or in

part, by deeming the offer unsatisfactory as to quality or quantity, delivery, price or service offered: non-

compliance with the requirements or intent of this solicitation; lack of competitiveness; error(s) in specifications

or indications that revision would be advantageous to Cumberland County Schools; cancellation or other

changes in the intended project, or other determination that the proposed requirement is no longer needed;

limitation or lack of available funds; circumstances that prevent determination of the best offer; or any other

determination that rejection would be in the best interest of Cumberland County Schools.

Samples: Samples are not required prior to bid opening date; however, if required later, bidder agrees to furnish

samples of items offered at no expense to CCS within fourteen (14) consecutive calendar days after request is

made by CCS. Bids which do not comply with these requirements will be subject to rejection.

Delivery: Items called for herein will be furnished, delivered, off-loaded and left ready for use in accordance

with the requirements stated herein. The successful bidder(s) shall provide individual deliveries to CCS

Operations Center, 810 Gillespie St., Fayetteville, NC 28306 within the estimated delivery time per its offer on

the attached Bid Sheet. CCS reserves the right to consider the delivery time offered as a factor in the award of

contract.

A complete packing list must accompany each shipment, duly marked with the applicable CCS purchase order

number. In cases where parties, other than the Bidder, ship materials against the order, the shipper must be

instructed to show the CCS purchase order number on all packages and shipping manifest to ensure proper

identification and payment of invoices.

Invoicing and Payment: CCS’s payment terms are net 30 days after receipt of a correct invoice or acceptance

of goods, whichever is later. CCS is not exempt from North Carolina sales tax. Sales tax should be added and

shown as a separate item on invoices. Invoices may be emailed to CCS Accounts Payable at:

invoices@ccs.k12.nc.us

Award of Contract: CCS reserves the right to make awards on the basis of individual items or groups of items,

if such shall be considered by CCS to be most advantageous or to constitute its best interest. After the bids have

been evaluated and awards have been made, each vendor who submitted a bid will be notified of the awards.

The awards may not be made for several weeks dependent upon the complexity of the acquisition and the length

of time to complete the evaluation process.

Budgetary Limitations: Should it become necessary, based upon budgetary limitations, CCS reserves the right

to reduce or increase quantities. Therefore, bidders must include freight in the “each” pricing for each line item

as well as identifying a per unit installation cost for each line item if applicable.

Deviations: Deviations from specifications and requirements need to be documented on a separate sheet and

attached to your bid. All items offered are in strict compliance with these specifications and requirements, and

successful bidder will be held responsible therefore. Bidder is advised that the response (or lack thereof) on this

question does not take precedence over specific responses or non-responses provided elsewhere in this bid.

Timeline for Complete Order: Cumberland County Schools reserves the right to order portions of the total items

in phases, not to exceed 12 months from the date the bid is awarded. It is the intent of this Invitation for Bids to

establish a contract with one or more vendors for instructional supplies per stated bid specifications. The contract

shall be for a period of one (1) year from the date of the award. Bid prices shall be held firm for the duration of

the contract. No minimum or maximum quantities are guaranteed. CCS reserves the right to increase or decrease

the quantities as needed. CCS will be responsible only for items received. If the applicable NC Statewide Term

Contract price for any item is lower than what the successful bid is, CCS is released from its obligation from the

successful bidder.

Late Bids: Regardless of cause, a late bid will not be accepted and will automatically be disqualified from

consideration. It shall be the Vendor’s sole risk to ensure delivery at the designated office by the designated

time. Late bids will not be opened and may be returned to the Vendor at the expense of the Vendor or destroyed

if requested.

Confidentiality of Bids: In submitting its bid, the bidder agrees not to discuss or otherwise reveal the contents

of its bid to any source outside of Cumberland County Schools until after the award of the contract. All bidders

are advised that they are not to have any communications with CCS during the evaluation of the bids (after the

public opening of the bids and before the award of the contract) unless CCS contacts the bidder for the purpose

of seeking clarification. A bidder shall not: transmit to the issuing and or using agency any information

commenting on the ability or qualifications of any other bidder to provide the advertised equipment, defects,

errors and/or omissions in any other bidder’s bid and/or prices at any time during and/or award of the contract

that is subject of this IFB. Bidders not in compliance with this provision may be disqualified, at the option of

CCS, from the contract award.

Warranty: The bidder warrants to CCS that all items furnished under these specifications will be new, of good

material and workmanship, and agrees to replace promptly any part or parts which by reason of defective

material or workmanship shall fail under normal use, free of negligence or accident.

Electronic Procurement: Purchases shall be conducted through the NC eProcurement (eP) service. If not

already registered, the awarded bidder must register with eP within two (2) business days of notification of

award in order to receive an electronic purchase order resulting from award of this contract. The successful

bidder(s) shall pay to NC eProcurement a transaction fee of 1.75% (.0175) on the total dollar amount of goods,

supplies, materials or equipment (excluding sales taxes) of each purchase order issued through the eP service.

This applies to all purchase orders, regardless of the quantity or dollar amount of the purchase order.

For registration or questions, NC eProcurement may be contacted at 888-211-7440 (option 2 for vendors).

INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS

Read, Review and Comply: It shall be the bidder’s responsibility to read this entire document, review

all enclosures and attachments, and comply with all requirements specified herein.

Notice to Bidders: DO NOT ATTACH ANY ADDITIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS. By

execution and delivery of this document, the bidder agrees that any additional terms and conditions,

whether submitted purposely or inadvertently, shall have no force or effect.

Execution: Failure to sign under EXECUTION section will render bid invalid.

Order of Precedence: In cases of conflict between specific provisions in this bid, the order of

precedence shall be (1) special terms and conditions specific to this bid, (2) specifications, (3)

Cumberland County Schools’ General Contract Terms and Conditions and (4) Instructions to Bidders.

Time for Consideration: Unless otherwise indicated on the first page of this document, bidder’s offer

shall be valid for 45 days from the date of bid opening. Preference may be given to bids allowing not

less than 45 days for consideration and acceptance.

Prompt Payment Discounts: Bidders are urged to compute all discounts into the price offered. If a

prompt payment discount is offered, it will not be considered in the award of the contract except as a

factor to aid in resolving cases of identical prices.

Specifications: Any deviation from specifications indicated herein must be clearly pointed out;

otherwise, it will be considered that items offered are in strict compliance with these specifications, and

bidder will be held responsible therefore. Deviations shall be explained in detail. The bidder shall not

construe this paragraph as inviting deviation or implying that any deviation will be acceptable.

Information and Descriptive Literature: Bidder is to furnish all information requested and in the

spaces provided in this document. Further, if required elsewhere in this bid, each bidder must submit

with their bid, sketches, descriptive literature and/or complete specifications covering the products

offered. Bids which do not comply with these requirements will be subject to rejection.

Clarifications/Interpretations: Any and all questions regarding this document must be addressed to

the purchaser named on the cover sheet of this document.

10. Acceptance and Rejection: CCS reserves the right to reject any and all bids, to waive any informality

in bids and, unless otherwise specified by the bidder, to accept any item in the bid. If either a unit price

or extended price is obviously in error or the other is obviously correct, the incorrect price will be

disregarded.

11. References: CCS reserves the right to require a list of users of the exact item offered. CCS may

contact these users to determine acceptability of the bid. Such information may be considered in the

evaluation of the bid.

12. Award of Contract: As directed by statute, qualified bids will be evaluated and acceptance may be

made of the lowest and best bid most advantageous to CCS as determined upon consideration of such

factors as: prices offered; the quality of the articles offered; the general reputation and performance

capabilities of the bidders; the substantial conformity with the specifications and other conditions set

forth in the bid; the suitability of the articles for the intended use; the related services needed; the date or

dates of delivery and performance; and such other factors deemed by CCS to be pertinent or peculiar to

the purchase in question. CCS reserves the right to accept any item or group of items on a multi-item

bid.

General Services, Instructional Supplies IFB 173-24045, Invitation For Bid, Bid Closes April 23, 2024

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