BID 10/11-19 Level II Soft Body Armor Vests

City of Romulus

INVITATION TO BID

BID 10/11-19 Level II Soft Body Armor Vests

Bid Opening May 11, 2011

INVITATION TO BID

(1)The City of Romulus, Michigan is seeking bids from qualified vendors for the above item/items.

(2)Qualified individuals and firms wishing to submit bids must use the forms provided by the City. Bid forms and specifications may be obtained by visiting the City’s web site, wwwRomulusgov.com to access the MITN system.

(3)Bids must be submitted in sealed envelopes and returned to the City Clerk's Office no later than 2:00 P.M., Wednesday, May 11, 2011. At approximately 2:15, local time all timely received bids are to be publicly opened and read.

BID ENVELOPES MUST BE ADDRESSED:

CITY OF ROMULUS CLERK’S OFFICE

BID 10/11-19 - Level II Soft Body Armor Vests

11111 Wayne Road,

Romulus, Michigan 48174

(4)The City reserves the right to reject all bids and proposals and to waive technicalities.

(5)For additional information contact Lynn A, Conway, City of Romulus, Purchasing Agent, by calling (734) 955-4568 or by emailing

Please Publish:April 21, 2011

The Journal Newspapers

INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS

BID DEADLINE: In order for a bid to receive consideration, it must be received prior to the specified time of opening as indicated in the invitation to bid form. No bid will be accepted after the time specified for bid opening. The City reserves the right to postpone the bid opening for its own convenience. Any and all bids submitted must be on the Authorized Version of the bid documents furnished by the City of Romulus; failure to do so will be considered as an alternate offer and may be cause for rejection. Bids are considered received when time and date stamped and in the possession of the City Clerk’s office. It is the bidder’s responsibility to ensure that bids are received on time and in the proper office. The City Clerk’s time stamp will determine the official receipt time. Late bids received by the City of Romulus will be returned unopened to the Respondent. Bids sent by facsimile or other electronic means will be considered nonresponsive and will not be considered for award.

RESPONSIVE BIDS

THE BIDDER SHALL COMPLETELY FILL IN ALL BLANKS IN THE BID PACKAGE IN INK OR BY TYPEWRITER. Any corrections made to pricing submitted in bid documents should be initialed and dated. BIDDER CHANGES OR ALTERATIONS TO BID DOCUMENTS INCLUDING SPECIFICATIONS MAY RESULT IN A BID BEING CONSIDERED NON-RESPONSIVE. The City of Romulus will accept no changes made to the Authorized Version of the bid documents by any bidder except in those areas provided for a bidder’s response, including the “Exceptions and Pricing” sections of the bid documents. All pages and the information requested herein shall be furnished in compliance with instructions. The manner and format of submission is essential to permit prompt evaluation of all bids on a fair and uniform basis. Unless otherwise specified, the City of Romulus reserves the right to accept any item in the bids. Bidders may submit bids on any item or group of items, provided however, that the unit prices are shown as required. Accordingly, the City of Romulus reserves the right to declare as non-responsive, and reject any incomplete bid if material information requested is not furnished, or where indirect or incomplete answers or information is provided.

CHANGE OF SPECIFICATION/OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS:If any changes or alterations are made by a bidder to the documents which are undetected by the City and the bidder is awarded a contract, the original terms, conditions, and specifications in the Authorized Version of the bid document on file will be applicable during the term of the contract.

Bidders may request clarifications or additional information to the specifications provided if requests are presented to Lynn Conway, Purchasing Agent no later than five business days prior to the scheduled opening date of the bids. If in the opinion of the City, and for sufficient reason, clarification to specifications are necessary and a change in specifications is found desirable, the City will post any and all addendum on the MITN system and postpone the bid opening date, if necessary. It is the sole responsibility of the bidder to obtain any Addendum or posted changes to the Authorized Version of the Bid documents. All such changes or addenda shall become part of the contract and all bidders shall be bound by such changes or addenda.

Any bidder who submits a bid and later claims it had no knowledge of any changes, modifications, or additions made by the City of Romulus to the Authorized Version of the bid document, shall be bound by the Authorized Version of the bid, including any changes, modifications or additions to the Authorized Version. If a bid is awarded to a bidder who claims that it had no knowledge of changes, modification or additions made by the City of Romulus to the Authorized Version made by the City of the bid, and the bidder fails to accept the bid award, the City of Romulus shall recover from such bidder costs and expenses to re-bid the item.

SPECIFICATIONS

Unless otherwise stated by bidder, the bids will be considered a being in strict accordance with the City of Romulus’ applicable standard specifications, and any special specifications outlined in the bid document. Reference to a particular trade name, manufacturer’s catalogue, or model number are made for descriptive purposes to guide the bidder in interpreting the requirements of the City of Romulus, and should not be construed as excluding bids on other types or materials, equipment and supplies unless otherwise stated. However, the bidder, if awarded the contract, will be required to furnish the particular item referred to in the specifications or description unless departure or substitution is clearly noted and described in the bid. The City of Romulus reserves the right to determine if equipment/product or service being bid is equal to the specified equipment/product or service requested.

ALTERNATE BIDS

Bidders are cautioned that any alternate bid, unless requested by Purchasing, or any changes, insertions, or omissions to the terms and conditions, specifications, or any other requirement of this bid, may be considered non-responsive, and at the opinion of the Purchasing Agent, may result in rejection of the bid.

PRICING

Pricing shall be stated in units of quantity specified in the Bid Document. In case of a discrepancy in computing the amount of the bid, the unit price bid will govern.

QUANTITIES

All quantities stated, unless indicated otherwise are estimates and the City of Romulus reserves the right to increase or decrease the quantity at the unit price bid as best fits its needs.

WITHDRAWAL: Bids may be withdrawn in person by a bidder, or authorized representative, provided their identity is made known and a receipt is signed for the bid, but only if the withdrawal is made prior to the stated bid deadline. No bid can be withdrawn for 90 days from its opening date except the successful company whose prices shall remain firm for the entire contract period. Bidders may reduce this period if he states so in his bid; however, the bidder runs the risk of being declared non-responsive to the specifications. In case of error by the bidder in making up a bid, the City of Romulus’ Purchasing Agent may, by discretion, reject such a bid upon presentation of a letter by the bidder which sets forth the error, the cause thereof, and sufficient evidence to substantiate the claim.

FAILURE TO COMPLY: For failure to deliver or perform in accordance with the accepted bid, the City may consider the bidder in default and take steps to protect the City's interests. The City may, without impairing its other rights and benefits, purchase all or part of the contract goods or services on the open market and charge any additional costs to the company or his surety.

Delivery: F.O.B. City of Romulus, Michigan, designated location, freight prepaid.

ERRORS OR OMISSIONS: Bidders are not, under any circumstances,permitted to take advantage of any errors or omissions in specifications. Full instructions will be given should they be called to the City’s Purchasing Agent’s attention not less than five business days before the bids are due

REQUESTS FOR PRE-BID CONFERENCES: Requests for pre-bid conferences must be submitted in writing to the City’s Purchasing Agent. Requests must be received not less than ten (10) calendar days prior to the scheduled bid opening. In the event the Purchasing Agent approves a request, notice of said pre-bid conference will be posted on the MITN system. Any changes in specifications resulting from a pre-bid conference will be issued as an addendum and shall be posted on the MITN system.

CONTRACT EXTENSIONS: All contract terms are subject to extension and/or renewal, upon mutual written agreement of the parties.

BID PRICE: All bids shall specify terms and show delivery dates. Unless otherwise provided in the specifications by the bidder, all prices quoted shall be firm for a 12-month period, commencing with the date of the award of the bid. Pricing must include all materials, labor, incidentals and expenses including but not limited to delivery costs, training, all required insurance/s, bonds, site cleanup and all other incidentals required for the completion and performance of the work under the contract as outlined in the bid documents.

AWARD: THE CITY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REJECT ANY OR ALLBIDS.THE CITY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO WAIVE TECHNICALITIES! A contract will ultimately be awarded to the lowest qualified and responsible and responsive bidder, as determined in the sole discretion of the City of Romulus or otherwise in a manner deemed by the City to be in the best interests of the City of Romulus. The City may exercise its right to weight bids based on factors deemed, in the City’s sole discretion, to be in the City’s best interests. Submission of a bid, whether determined to be the lowest actual bid or not, shall not in any way constitute a contract between the bidder and the City. No contractual relationship shall exist between a bidder and the City unless and until a written contract is approved by the bidder and the City after formal approval by the Romulus City Council.

THE LOWEST QUALIFIED AND RESPONSIBLE BIDDER IS ONE WHO, IN THE SOLE DISCRETION OF THE CITY:

• Submits no restrictions or qualifications beyond those permitted in the bid request
• Has the skill, quality and ability to conscientiously, faithfully and promptly fulfill the contract to its letter and spirit
• Has integrity, judgment, reputation and experience
• Has sound financial resources as well as the ability to furnish any and all bonding and insurance documents required
• Is able to comply with all terms and conditions set forth in the bid requests
• Can show the intent and ability to cooperate efficiently and effectively with all Government departments involved in the contractual purchase or service
• Has the knowledge of applicable existing laws and ordinances of the City of Romulus necessary to provide smooth and efficient relations
• Has unquestionable ability to provide maintenance and service on the contractual items purchased

EQUIPMENT: Bidder shall bear the risk of loss or damage and must carry property damage and liability insurance covering material and carriage until delivery to the City and/or acceptance by the City. All equipment shall be new and based upon the general requirements of the equipment as listed in the specification section of the bid documents unless as otherwise specified in the bid documents. The cost of inspections or tests and handling of goods to meet specifications will be borne by the Bidder unless as in the case of City of Romulus inspection fees listed in the specifications as fees waived.

NON-DISCRIMINATION CLAUSE: By signing and submitting this bid for consideration of an award by the City of Romulus, the bidder and any subcontractor covenants not to discriminate against an employee or applicant for employment with respect to hire, tenure, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment or a matter directly or indirectly related to employment, because of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, marital status or a disability that is unrelated to the individual's ability to perform the duties of a particular job or position. Breach of this covenant may be regarded as a material breach of the contract. When required by the funding body (indicated in bid specifications) bidders shall not only observe the provisions of the Davis-Bacon Act, but the letter and spirit of the just compensation standards for all wage earners. (City of Romulus Resolution #92-315)

The City of Romulus is exempt from all Sales Tax - Tax ID 38-6006334. Do not include such taxes n the proposal figure. The City will furnish the successful bidder(s) with tax exemption certificates when requested.

INDEMNIFICATION: To the fullest extent permitted by law, the successful bidder agrees to defend, pay on behalf of, indemnify, and hold harmless the City of Romulus, its consultants, agents, elected officials, appointed commissioners, volunteers and employees from and against any and all claims for losses demands, suits, or loss, including all costs connected therewith, for any damages which may be asserted, claimed or recovered against or from the City of Romulus, its consultants, agents, elected officials, appointed commissioners, volunteers and employees or others working on behalf of the City of Romulus, resulting by reason of liability or claim of liability that may occur during the performance of this contract.

CITY OF ROMULUS

BID 10/11-19, Level II Soft Body Armor Vests - **SPECIFICATIONS

SPECIFICATIONSFor Purchase of Level IISoftBody Armor Vests, NIJ 0101.06Compliant

The City of Romulus, Police Department is seeking bids for the acquisition of forty-five (45) Level II, concealable, soft Body Armor vests.

The following specifications are based on Point Blank, Hi Lite Armor Series model BII. These specifications are not intended to be exclusionary but rather establish the minimum construction and safety standards by which all products bid must conform. Where the apparent low bidder has proposed an alternate product, that bidder shall demonstrate product equivalency to the satisfaction of the department. Evidence of equivalency shall be presented for each requirement of this specification, and the burden of such equivalency in entirely on the vendor. Any bidder may be required, at any time during the procurement process, to provide documentation proving compliance with any or all the terms of this specification.

1. SCOPE

This product specification details the style and quality of concealable soft body armor vests intended for use by male or female members of this agency. The vests shall be worn comfortably while being concealed under a shirt. All vests shall provide protection against labeled projectile penetration while reducing resultant blunt trauma and vest distortion to acceptable levels. The successful vendor shall be required to supply the individual vests with applicable options and colors as ordered for male or female personnel.

Bidders must include full product description, a complete bid sample, male and female, drawings and/or photographs and technical specifications. The concealable body armor shall be NIJ 0101.06 compliant for Threat Level II.

Only body armor models, which have been tested by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) National Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC), and found to comply with NIJ Standard 0101.06Ballistic Resistance of Body Armor for Type II armor, shall be submitted under this specification. No exceptions.

2. SILENCE OF SPECIFICATIONS

Commercially accepted practices shall apply to any detail not covered in this specification and to any omission of this specification. Any omission or question of interpretation of the specification which affects the ballistic performance or integrity of the soft body armor being offered shall be addressed in writing and submitted with the bid.

3. PROTEST

Any protest based on the selection and performance criteria of this specification will be disregarded.

4. APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS

The following list of standards and specifications in effect on the date of this solicitation shall form a part of this specification.

DESCRIPTION / COMPLIES / DESCRIBE VARIANCES
YES / NO
National Institute of Justice, Standard NIJ-STD-0101.06, Ballistic Resistance of Body Armor
MIL-STD-662F, V50 Ballistic Test for Armor
ASTM D 6193, Standard Practices for Stitches and Seams.
ANSI/ISO/ ASQ Q9001-2000 Certification

Requirements of this specification shall take precedence over the above referenced standards and specifications.

5. PURCHASE REQUIREMENTS

DESCRIPTION / COMPLIES / DESCRIBE VARIANCES
YES / NO
The successful bidder must be a recognized wholesaler/retailer, which maintains a convenient location for measurement fitting and service during regular business hours Monday through Friday

Any manufacturers, which bid direct, must include a service proposal as to how measuring, re-works, and customer service will be maintained without local distribution. Direct bids from manufacturers, which do not contain a detailed service proposal, will be rejected.

6. SPECIFIC QUANTITY

The City has the right to determine quantity, if not otherwise specified in the procurement document. Of the total quantity purchased, both male and female products will be represented. The department retains the right to adjust the total quantities, while maintaining the accepted bid price, without notification to vendor. The term of the contract, including extensions, and/or escalation clauses, shall be stated in the bid document.

7. DESIGN REQUIREMENTS

The Intended use of the soft body armor detailed herein is intended to be standard issue armor. It is intended for routine daily wear as an undergarment.

The soft body armor shall be designed to provide:

DESCRIPTION / COMPLIES / DESCRIBE VARIANCES
YES / NO
Light and thin NIJ certified armor in Level II
A high degree of concealment and comfort.
Minimum restriction of motion or mobility.
Optional carriers to allow for laundering and color changes.
Provide resistance against the labeled projectiles in accordance with the NIJ Standard 0101.06.

8. GENERAL DESIGN