EXTENDED
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
FOR
FULLY FUNDED HEALTH, DENTAL, LIFE,
ACCIDENTAL DEATH AND DISMEMBERMENT BENEFITS
EXTENDED
INVITATION TO BID
Sealed proposals addressed Rene J. Jaime, Purchasing/Risk Manager, City of San Juan, 709 S. Nebraska Avenue, San Juan, Texas 78589-2649 are to be received no later than Friday, September 22, 2017, by 10:00 a.m., for Fully Funded Health, Dental, Life, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Benefits, at which time they will be taken to the City Hall Conference Room, and read aloud.
EXTENDED
FULLY FUNDED HEALTH, DENTAL, LIFE,
ACCIDENTAL DEATH AND DISMEMBERMENT BENEFITS
INVITATION TO BID # 17-54-08-09
PURCHASING/PROCUREMENT DEPARTMENT
CITY OF SAN JUAN
709 S. NEBRASKA AVENUE
SAN JUAN, TEXAS 78589-2749
Specifications can be obtained by calling the Purchasing Department 956.223.2200, by picking them up at the San Juan City Hall, 709 S. Nebraska Avenue, San Juan, Texas between the hours of 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday thru Friday, or by downloading them from the City’s web-site, www.cityofsanjuantexas.com.
Be advised that if a company downloads the bidding documents from the web page and is contemplating on bidding on the services, the respondent must register with the Purchasing Department so that any changes/additions via Addendum can be forwarded to the company. Register with the Purchasing Department by phone, fax, or e-mail. Please include the company’s name, address, phone and fax number, as well as the contact person.
The City of San Juan reserves the right to refuse and reject any or all proposals and to waive any or all formalities or technicalities or to accept the proposal to be the best and most advantageous to the City, and hold the proposals for a period of 60 days without taking action. Proposals submitted past the aforementioned date and time will not be accepted. Caution to those submitting proposals; those not in the proper form may be rejected.
CITY OF SAN JUAN
FULLY FUNDED HEALTH, DENTAL, LIFE,
ACCIDENTAL DEATH AND DISMEMBERMENT BENEFITS
INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS
Please read the specifications/requirements thoroughly and ensure that the Fully Funded Health, Dental, Life, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Benefits offered comply with all specifications/requirements. Any variation from the specifications/requirements must be clearly indicated on a letter attached to the proposal. If no exceptions are noted, and you are the successful bidder, it will be required that the Fully Funded Health, Dental, Life, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Benefits provided as specified in the proposal.
INTENT
The Fully Funded Health, Dental, Life, Accidental Death, and Dismemberment Benefits to be furnished under this proposal shall be in accordance with these specifications/requirements. There is no intention to disqualify any bidder who can meet these specifications.
SUBMITTAL OF PROPOSALS
Proposals will be submitted no later than 10:00 a.m., on Friday, September 22, 2017 for:
FULLY FUNDED HEALTH, DENTAL, LIFE,
ACCIDENTAL DEATH AND DISMEMBERMENT BENEFITS
Bidder shall be required to submit one (1) identified as the original and five (5) copies of proposals complete with all supporting documents. Proposals submitted by faxed and/or electronically will not be accepted. Submittal of a proposal in response to this solicitation for proposals constitutes an offer by the bidder and if accepted by the City constitutes a contract. Proposals which do not comply with these specifications/requirements may be rejected at the discretion of the City. All proposals are to be filed with the City of San Juan, no later than 10:00 a.m., on Friday, September 22, 2017. No late proposals will be accepted; they will be returned to bidder unopened (if properly identified).
PREPARATION OF PROPOSAL
Bidder must provide complete firm name and address of respondent, and be manually signed. Failure to do so will disqualify the bid. Person signing proposal must show title or authority to bind the company in a contract. Company’s name and authorized signature must appear on each page that requires this information. The legal status of the bidder whether corporation, partnership, or individual, shall also be stated in the proposal. A corporation shall execute the proposal by its duly authorized officers in accordance with its corporate by-laws and shall also list the state in which it is incorporated. A partnership bidder shall give full names and addresses of all partners. All partners shall execute the proposal. Partnership and individual bidder shall state in the proposal the names and addresses of all persons with a vested interest therein. The place of residence of each bidder, or the office address in the case of a firm or company, with county, state, and telephone number, shall be given after the signature.
ALTERNATIONS/AMENDMENTS TO PROPOSAL
Proposals cannot be altered or amended after due date. Alterations made before the due date must be initialed by respondent guaranteeing authenticity.
SUBSTITUTIONS
No substitutions or cancellations permitted without written approval from the City of San Juan.
VARIATIONS
Any additions, deletions, or variations from the following specifications/requirements must be noted.
EXCEPTIONS
The respondent shall attach to the bid a list of any exceptions to the specifications/requirements.
TIME ALLOWED FOR ACTION TAKEN
The City may hold bids 90 days after proposal opening without taking action. Bidders shall be required to hold their proposals firm for the same period of time.
RIGHT TO REJECT/AWARD
The City of San Juan reserves the right to refuse and reject any or all proposals, and to waive any or all formalities or technicalities, and to make sure awards of contract as may be deemed to be the best and most advantageous to the City of San Juan.
INTERPRETATIONS
Any questions concerning the specifications/requirements with regards to this solicitation for proposals shall be directed to the designated individuals as outlined in the proposal. Such interpretations, which may affect the eventual outcome of this request for proposals, shall be furnished in writing to all prospective bidders via Addendum. No interpretation shall be considered binding unless provided in writing by the City of San Juan in accordance with paragraph entitled “Addenda”.
STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS
It shall be the responsibility of the successful bidder to comply with all applicable State and Federal laws, Executive Orders, Municipal Ordinances, and the Rules and Regulations of all authorities having jurisdiction over the work to be performed hereunder and such shall apply to the contract throughout, and that they will be deemed to be included in the contract as though written out in full in the contract documents (to include issues related to health, environmental, and safety to name a few).
BIDDER’S EMPLOYEES
Neither the bidder nor his/her employees engaged in fulfilling the terms and conditions of this service contract shall be considered employees of the City. The method and manner of performance of such undertakings shall be under the exclusive control of the company on contract. The City shall have the right of inspection of said undertakings at any time.
CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION
Any information deemed to be confidential by the bidder should be clearly noted on the pages where confidential information is contained; however, the City cannot guarantee that it will not be compelled to disclose all or part of any public record under the Texas Public Information Act, since information deemed to be confidential by the bidder may not be considered confidential under Texas Law, or pursuant to a court order.
PAST PERFORMANCE
Bidders are advised that past performance as it relates to the insurance contracts previously held with the City shall be a factor in the award of this contract. The City’s position on this matter shall be final.
JURISDICTION
Contract(s) executed as part of this solicitation shall be subject to and governed under the laws of the State of Texas. Any and all obligations and payments are due and performable and payable in Hidalgo County, Texas.
VENUE
The parties agree that venue for purposes of any and all lawsuits, cause of action, arbitration, and/or any other dispute(s) shall be in Hidalgo County, Texas.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Bidders are advised that they must be in compliance with the below mentioned law:
CHAPTER 176 OF THE TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE
Effective January 1, 2006, Chapter 176 of the Texas Local Government Code requires that any vendor or person considering doing business with a local government entity disclose in the Questionnaire Form CIQ, the vendor or person’s affiliation or business relationship that might cause a conflict of interest with a local government entity. By law, this questionnaire must be filed with the records administrator of the City of San Juan no later than the 7th business day after the date the person becomes aware of facts that require the statement to be filed. See Section 176.006, Local Government Code. A person commits an offense if the person violates Section 176.006, Local Government Code. An offense under this section is a Class C misdemeanor. For more information or to obtain Questionnaire CIQ, go to the Texas Ethics Commission web page at www.ethics.state.tx.us/forms/CIQ.pdf. If you have any question about compliance, please consult your own legal counsel. Compliance is the individual responsibility of each person or agent of a person who is subject to the filing requirements.
BUDGET APPROVAL
For purposes of this service, award will be contingent on approval of budget.
CONTRACT AWARD
This service will be awarded after the authorization is given to the company that meets specifications/requirements and is the most advantageous for the City. If the top ranked company does not comply with above specifications/requirements, the City reserves the right to terminate negotiations with that company and begin negotiating with other qualified company’s in order of rank, and so on, until an acceptable scope and agreement are reached. In the event that a contract award is made, but the contract is not executed, the City does not guarantee that the contract will be re-awarded. The contract will be for a period of one (1) year with the option to roll-over the contract for an additional two (2) years, at one (1) year intervals.
TERMINATION OF CONTRACT
The City of San Juan reserves the right to terminate the contract if, in the opinion of the City of San Juan, the successful company’s performance is not acceptable, no funds are available, or the City wishes, without cause, to discontinue the contract. Termination will be in written form allowing a thirty (30) day notice. The bidder shall be afforded the same right to terminate the contract in the same manner.
ADDENDA AND MODIFICATIONS
Bidders shall carefully examine the specifications/requirements, and instructions to bidders. Should the respondent find discrepancies in, or omissions from bid forms, specifications/requirements, or other documents, or should he/she be in doubt as to their meaning, he/she should at once notify the Purchasing Department (956.223.2200) and obtain clarification by addendum prior to submitting any bid. Explanations, interpretations, and supplemental instructions shall be in the form of written Addenda which shall become a part of the contract documents. Said Addenda shall be mailed by certified mail (return receipt requested), e-mailed, hand delivered and/or faxed, to all prospective bidders. All Addenda issued in respect to this service shall be considered official changes to the original proposal documents. Verbal statements in response to inquiries and/or requests for explanations shall not be authoritative or binding. It shall be the bidder’s responsibility to ensure that they have received all Addenda in respect to this service. Furthermore, bidders are advised that they must recognize, comply with, and attach a signed copy of each Addendum which shall be made part of the bid submitted. Bidders signature on Addenda shall be interpreted as the bidder’s “recognition and compliance to” official changes as outlined by the City of San Juan and as such are made part of the original solicitation documents. Failure of any respondent to receive any such addendum or interpretation shall not relieve such bidder from its terms and requirements. Addendums are available online at www.cityofsanjuantexas.com.
REQUEST FOR INVITATION TO BID PREPARATION COSTS
Issuance of this proposal does not commit the City of San Juan, in any way, to pay any costs incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal. All costs related to the preparation and submission of this bid shall be borne by the respondent.
DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS ENTERPRISE (DBE) REQUIREMENTS
The City of San Juan hereby notifies all bidders that in regard to any contract entered into pursuant to this bid, Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) will be afforded equal opportunities to submit bids and will not be discriminated against on the ground of race, color, sex, disability, or national origin in consideration of an award. A DBE is defined as a small business concern which is at least fifty-one per cent (51%) owned and controlled by one or more socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, or in the case of any publicly owned business, at least fifty-one per cent (51%) of the stock of which is owned by one or more socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. Socially and economically disadvantaged include Women, Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Asian-Pacific Americans, and Asian-Indian Americans.
ANTI-LOBBYING PROVISION
During the period between proposal submission date and the contract award, bidders, including their agents and representatives, shall not directly discuss or promote their proposal with any member of the San Juan City Commission or City Staff except in the course of City-sponsored inquiries, briefing, interviews, or presentations. Violation of this provision may result in the rejection of the respondent’s bid.
CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION
Bidders are advised that all confidential records must be submitted in a separate sealed envelope and marked accordingly.
CITY OF SAN JUAN
FULLY FUNDED HEALTH, DENTAL, LIFE,
ACCIDENTAL DEATH AND DISMEMBERMENT BENEFITS
GENERAL INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS
Due care and diligence has been used in the preparation of this information and it is believed to be substantially correct. However, the responsibility for determining the full extent of the exposure and verification of all information presented herein shall rest solely upon the proposer.
The City of San Juan and its representatives will not be responsible for any errors or omissions in these specifications nor for the failure on the part of the proposer to determine the full extent of the exposures.