Open and Operate a Warming Center

PPPUUURRRCCCHHHAAASSSIIINNNGGG DDDEEEPPPAAARRRTTTMMMEEENNNTTT
COUNTY OF STEUBEN
3 EAST PULTENEY SQUARE
BATH, NEW YORK 14810-1510
(607) 664-2484
LEGAL NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that the Health Services, Health & Education (HSH&E)
Committee of the Steuben County Legislature and the Commissioner of the Steuben
County Department of Social Services (DSS) will receive sealed competitive proposals
per specifications to Open and Operate a Warming Center; document #GC-26-019-P.
Requests for proposal forms, scope of services and general provisions are available at
the Steuben County Purchasing Department, 3 E. Pulteney Square, Bath, N.Y. 14810.
These documents are also available on the Steuben County website,
www.steubencountyny.gov.
Interested parties assume all responsibility to acquire information and forms.
To be considered, proposals must be submitted on Steuben County forms and delivered
in a sealed opaque envelope. Proposals will be received at the Purchasing Department
until 1:30 P.M. local time on September 15, 2026; at which time proposals will be
opened and acknowledged as received.
Steuben County retains the right to reject any or all proposals and to withdraw this
solicitation at any time.
Dated: July 15, 2026
___________________
Jean Peterson
Director of Purchasing
[1]

Request for Competitive Sealed Proposals:
Open and Operate Warming Center; document #GC-26-019-P
1. General Provisions:
It is the intent of this request for proposals to obtain a Warming Center, centrally
located to bus route access, grocery stores, and services to accommodate the
Code Blue Season, November 1, 2026, through April 30, 2027, per 18 NYCRR
Social Services Law 304.1. Multiple locations may be awarded.
2. Project Manager:
Lise Reynolds, Acting Commissioner, 3 East Pulteney Square, Bath, N.Y. 14810.
Telephone number: 607-664-2444.
3. Qualifications:
Steuben County will be free to make any inquiries deemed necessary to ascertain
the qualifications of the contractor and/or the accuracy of statements made by
the contractor as to its qualifications.
4. Contact Information and Requirements:
Along with its response, the submitter of the RFP shall include the following
information: name, address, telephone number and FAX number.
5. Proposal Cost; Budget Narrative and Justification:
The price shall be an in toto price, the aggregate of any and all costs billable to
Steuben County including but not limited to staffing, site/facilities, travel, freight,
labor, materials and equipment, for the proposed scope of services/ deliverables
to be provided.
6. Selection of a Contractor:
Selection shall only be made from proposals submitted by qualified, responsive
and responsible entities who sufficiently meet the terms, conditions and
specifications stated herein.
However, under all circumstances and all statements to the contrary not with-
standing, that Steuben County reserves as its right, the right to determine the
contractor in accordance with the best interest of Steuben County.
Determination is not made at the opening. All submitted proposals are subject
to final review and acceptance by the appropriate personnel or committee(s) of
the Steuben County Legislature before a determination is made.
Receipt of proposals by the County shall not be construed as authority to bind
the County.
[2]

7. References:
Any response to this request for proposal shall contain as a minimum at least
three (3) references with contact names and phone numbers where the
contractor has completed projects similar in nature in New York State.
8. Submission of Proposals:
Those submitting proposals do so entirely at their expense. There is no express
or implied obligation by Steuben County to reimburse any firm or individual for
any costs incurred in preparing or submitting proposals, preparing or submitting
additional information requested by the County, or for participating in any
selection interviews.
9. Contract Award:
Award of contract will be made following a review of the proposal by the
Commissioner of DSS and any additional County staff as deemed appropriate, and
approval will be made by a designated committee. Contractor will be indemnifying
and insuring for cloud-based breaches not caused by the fault of Steuben
County.
10. Method of Award:
The award may be made to the most responsible contractor whose proposal is
determined to be in the best interest of Steuben County and who is deemed the
best fit to serve the County's requirements based upon criteria stated under the
Scope of this RFP, the evaluation of references, corporate qualifications and, if
deemed necessary, an interview with the contractor and the designated
committee.
Price will not necessarily be the determining factor in the award of the contract.
All proposals will be evaluated to determine if they meet the required format and
are in compliance with all requirements of the Request for Proposals.
Incomplete or non-responsive proposals may be rejected at the discretion of
Steuben County.
11. Contract Term:
The contract to provide a Warming Center to accommodate the Code Blue
Season, November 1, 2026, through April 30, 2027, per 18 NYCRR Social
Services Law 304.1., if an award is made, will be effective on the date the
contract is signed by all required parties.
Steuben County contemplates that the contract term will be from November 1,
2026 through April 30, 2027.
Steuben County shall have the sole option to renew the contract for four (4)
additional terms of twelve (12) months each. In no event shall the term of the
[3]

contract, including renewals, exceed 60 months. Requests for service will not be
placed against the contract prior to the contract effective date or the beginning
date of the contract term, whichever is later.
12. Cancellation of Contract:
Steuben County reserves, as its right, the right to cancel the contract(s) resulting
from an award of this solicitation at any time during the contract period, without
penalty to Steuben County and without stated reason, by delivering a written ten
(10) day notice of intent to the contractor(s) or its representative(s). Said
notification mailed to the contractor or its representative via the US Postal
Service; First Class Mail shall be considered sufficient and delivered.
13. Assignability:
The contractor shall not assign, transfer, convey, sub-contract, sublet or other-
wise dispose of all or portions of the contract; and/or work to be performed as a
result of the contract; or its right, title or interest therein, or its power to execute
such contract, or its responsibility therein to any other person, company or
corporation, without the prior written consent of the Commissioner of Finance
and the Administration Committee.
14. Insurance:
a) This document includes attached to the Steuben County form as Appendix
B, an information sheet entitled: STEUBEN COUNTY STANDARD
INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS. These requirements establish the minimum
insurance(s) which the contractor(s) shall have in effect prior to entering
into a contract to do business with Steuben County. Said insurance(s) are
required to remain in effect throughout the term of the contract(s).
In the event that the contractor's insurance lapses during the term of the
contract, the County reserves, as its right, the right to cancel the
contractor's contract(s) and to purchase the contracted
product(s)/service(s) on the open market; with any increase in cost(s) to
Steuben County being charged to the contractor. Credit shall not be
issued to the contractor where open market cost(s) to the County are less
than the cost(s) contracted with the contractor.
b) Steuben County shall be named as an additional insured in the
contractor's policy for all intents and purposes of contract(s) issued as a
result of an award. The document number and title shall be referenced in
the description/additional comments section of the certificate of insurance
form.
PLEASE NOTE: Additional insured and certificate holder must only read:
Steuben County, 3 E. Pulteney Square, Bath, N.Y. 14810.
[4]

c) Each contractor shall submit an original of its Certificate of Insurance
(which indicates the contractor's compliance with the above sections a)
and b) to Steuben County Purchasing Department, 3 E. Pulteney Square,
Bath, New York 14810.
d) The Certificate of Insurance must be approved by the County Risk
Manager prior to the contractor's acting on and/or performing any of the
obligations it incurred as a result of the award and/or contract.
e) All persons who are self-employed must carry Worker's Compensation
coverage as directed by the Steuben County Risk Manager. Contractor
shall submit an original Certificate of NYS Worker's Compensation
Insurance Coverage form CE-200, which indicates the contractor's
compliance, to be approved by the County Risk Manager prior to the
contractor's acting on and/or performing any of the obligations it incurred
as a result of the award and/or contract.
f) Worker's Compensation Insurance Exemption: Contractors claiming to be
exempt from the requirement to carry/provide Workers' Compensation
Insurance shall submit a fully executed CE-200 form; the form to be
complete, notarized, and stamped as received by the New York State
Workers' Compensation Board.
15. Non-Collusive Bidding Clause and Certificate:
a) Clause -
"By submission of this bid, each contractor and each person signing on
behalf of any contractor 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 knowledge and belief:
1) The prices in this bid have been arrived at independently without
collusion, consultation, communication or agreement, for the purpose
of restricting competition, as to any matter relating to such prices
with any other contractor or with any competitor;
2) Unless otherwise required by law, the prices which have been quoted
in this bid have not been knowingly disclosed by the contractor and
will not knowingly be disclosed by the contractor prior to opening,
directly or indirectly, to any other bidder or to any competitor; and
3) No attempt has been made or will be made by the contractor to
induce any other person, partnership or corporation to submit or not
to submit a bid for the purpose of restricting competition."
b. The contractor shall submit a signed and dated Non-Collusive Bidding
Certificate with its bid. Said certificate is mandated by Chapter 956 of the
Laws of New York State, pursuant to Section 103-D of the General
[5]

Municipal Law. Reference the "NON-COLLUSIVE BIDDING CERTIFICATE"
form included in this bid document.
16. Hold Harmless Clause and Form:
a) Clause -
"The contractor agrees that it shall at all times save harmless the County
of Steuben from all claims, damages or judgements or for the defense or
payment thereof, based on any claim, action or cause of action
whatsoever, including any action for libel, slander, or personal injury, or
any affiliated claims, by reason of any act or failure to properly act on the
part of the contractor and in particular as may arise from the performance
under this contract. In the event of an injury by the subcontractor or its
employees, they shall cause notice to be served upon the County within
twenty-four (24) hours of any such injury."
b) The contractor shall submit a signed and dated Hold Harmless Clause
form with its bid. Reference the "HOLD HARMLESS CLAUSE" form included
in this bid document.
17. Iranian Energy Sector Divestment Certification:
Contractor hereby represents that said contractor is in compliance with New York
State General Municipal Law Section 103-g entitled "Iranian Energy Sector
Divestment".
By submission of this proposal, each contractor and each person signing on
behalf of any contractor certifies and in the case of a joint proposal, each party
thereto certifies as to its own organization, under penalty of perjury, that to the
best of its knowledge and belief, that each contractor is not on the list created
pursuant to NYS Finance Law Section 165-a(3)(b).
The contractor shall submit a signed, notarized and dated Iranian Energy Sector
Divestment Certification with its proposal.
Said certificate is mandated by Section 103-g of the General Municipal Law.
Reference the Iranian Energy Sector Divestment Certificate form included in this
document.
18. Prevention of Sexual Harassment:
Contractor hereby represents that said contractor is in compliance with New York
State Labor Law Section 201-g entitled "Prevention of Sexual Harassment".
Contractor offering to provide services pursuant to this contract, as a consultant,
joint venture consultant, subcontractor, attests that its performance of the
services outlined in this contract has a written policy addressing sexual
harassment prevention in the workplace and provides training, which meets the
[6]

New York State Department of Labor's model policy and training standards, to all
employees on an annual basis.
Furthermore, by submission of this Expression of Interest procurement
document, each contractor and each person signing on behalf of any contractor
certifies, and in the case of a joint submission each party thereto certifies its own
organization, under penalty of perjury, that the submitter has and has
implemented a written policy addressing sexual harassment prevention training
to all of its employees. Such policy shall at minimum meet the requirements of
Section Two Hundred One - g of the New York State Labor Law (NYS Labor Law
201-g).
19. Addendum/Addenda:
a) If an addendum has been issued prior to the County's receipt of proposals
Steuben County shall attempt to notify potential contractors known to
have received the proposal documents and whose contact information is
on file with the County.
Steuben County does not ensure the potential contractor receipt of
addendum. It shall be the responsibility of each contractor, prior to
submitting its proposal, to contact the Director of Purchasing, 607-
664-2484 to determine if an addendum has been issued.
b) Addenda shall be available for review and/or copy at the Steuben County
Purchasing Department, Room #217, Steuben County Office Building, 3 E.
Pulteney Square, Bath, N.Y. It will also be available on the county web
site.
c) It is a requirement that the contractor signs, dates and includes the
addendum with its submission.
20. Submission of Proposals:
a) The contractor shall submit three (3) sets of its RFP, including all required
documents (e.g. signed clauses, statements, forms, bonds, insurance,
manufacturer's specifications, etc.)
1) One (1) set shall be stamped (or otherwise indicated) as being the
"ORIGINAL."
2) Other sets shall be stamped (or otherwise indicated) as being the
"DUPLICATE" or "COPY."
3) Information presented in the "ORIGINAL" set of the RFP
submission shall prevail.
[7]

b) The RFP shall be submitted in a sealed opaque envelope marked on the
outside with: the contractor's name and address and the designation:
"Sealed Proposal: Open and Operate Warming Center".
The envelope shall be addressed to
Jean A. Peterson, Director of Purchasing
Steuben County Office Building
3 E. Pulteney Square, Bath NY 14810
To be deemed as received, all proposals must be received at the
Purchasing Department on or before Tuesday, September 15, 2026, 1:30
pm.
c) Facsimile, email or other electronically transmitted proposals are not
acceptable and shall be deemed to have been rejected.
d) Security procedures are in effect at the Steuben County Office Building.
Interested parties, especially respondents who intend to hand deliver bids
and/or conduct business with the Steuben County Purchasing Department,
should allow sufficient time for any delay which may arise as a result of
security procedures. Steuben County is not responsible for any delays
caused by any mail, parcel or postal carrier. To be considered "delivered
on time," a submission must be received at the Purchasing Department on
or before Tuesday, September 15, 2026, 1:30 pm local time.
e) All proposals will become property of the County once the advertised date
and time of the proposal opening has arrived. The County will have the
right to disclose all or any part of a proposal to public inspection based on
its determination of what disclosure will serve the public interest.
Prospective offerors are further advised that, except for trade secrets and
certain personnel information (both of which the County has reserved the
right to disclose), all parts of proposals must be disclosed to those
members of the general public making inquiry under the New York State
Freedom of Information Law (NYS Public Officers Law, Article 6).
Should an offeror wish to request exemption from public access to
information contained in its proposal, the offeror must at the time of
submission of its offer, specifically, identify in their submission the
information and explain in detail why public access to the information
would be harmful to the offeror.
f) You must submit a separate RFP response for each different solution you
are proposing.
[8]

21. Late Proposals:
Contractor shall bear sole responsibility for the delivery of their proposal in a
timely manner. Reliance upon the U.S. Postal Service or other carriers is at the
contractor's risk. Late proposals shall not be considered and shall be returned
unopened.
22. Right of County to Seek Clarification, Accept or Reject Proposal(s), etc:
a) Steuben County reserves the right to require clarification from contractors
for the purpose of assuring a full understanding of the contractor's
responsiveness to the solicitation requirements.
b) Steuben County reserves the right to accept or reject any and all
proposals (or separable portions thereof), the right to waive irregularities
and technicalities, and the right to request resubmission.
23. Civil Rights:
The County of Steuben, in accordance with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964 and New York State Labor Law; Article 8 - Public Work,
Section 220e hereby notifies all contractors that it will affirmatively ensure that
any contract awarded as a result of this proposal solicitation will be awarded
without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex or national origin.
24. Information to be Included in the Proposal:
a) Title page: show the RFP subject, name of contractor's firm, local address,
telephone number, name of contact person and the date.
b) Letter of transmittal: limit to one or two pages with the following:
-Briefly state the contractor's understanding of the work to be done.
-Give the names of the persons who will be authorized to make
representations for contractor, their titles, addresses and telephone
numbers.
-Give the firm's federal taxpayer's identification number.
c) Contractor profile: State whether the firm is local, regional or national.
Give the location of the office from which the work is to be done and the
number of partners, managers, supervisors, seniors and other professional
staff employed at that office.
d) Summary of contractor's qualifications in addition to minimum
qualifications: identify partners, managers and supervisors who will work
on the project.
[9]

25. Modification or Withdrawal of Proposals:
a) A proposal may be modified or withdrawn by an appropriate document
duly executed in the manner that a bid must be executed and delivered to
the place where proposals are to be submitted at any time prior to the
scheduled time for opening of proposals.
b) No proposal may be modified, withdrawn or canceled for a period of one
hundred twenty (120) days after the date of the proposal opening and all
proposals shall be subject to acceptance by the County during this period.
26. Responsibilities for Work:
The contractor assumes full responsibility for the acts and omissions of all his
employees and all sub-contractors, their agents and employees and all other
persons performing work under the contract.
27. Consideration of Proposal; Acceptance of Proposal (Award):
a) The award of contract will be made by written notice of award signed by a
duly authorized representative of the County and no other act of the
County shall constitute the acceptance of a bid.
b) The acceptance of the proposal shall bind the successful contractor to
execute a contract.
28. Execution of Contract/Certificate of Insurance:
The contractor to whom the award is made shall assist and cooperate with the
County as necessary in preparing the standard County agreement for execution.
29. Commencement of Work:
Notwithstanding any delay in the preparation and execution of the agreement,
the successful contractor shall be prepared, upon receipt of the notice of award,
to commence work within a time period mutually acceptable to contractor and
the County.
30. Supportive Specifications:
The contractor shall be responsible for obtaining all permits required to fulfill this
contract and shall comply with all laws, ordinances, rules and regulations of the
jurisdictions in which the work is performed.
31. Sales Tax Exemption:
The County is exempt from payment of sales and compensating use taxes of the
State of New York and of cities and counties within the State of New York.
32. Protection from Claim Against "Or Equal":
In the event of any claim by an unsuccessful contractor concerning or relating to
the issue of "equal or better" or "or equal" the successful contractor agrees to
[10]