Arlington County Government Sealed Solicitation
Title: 22-DES-ITB-470 Refuse and Recycling Collection Services
Deadline: 12/13/2021 1:00 PM (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
Status: Awarded
Solicitation Number: 22-DES-ITB-470
Description:
The County and APS are seeking a qualified Contractor to
provide Refuse, Recyclables, and Construction wastes collections from the
County and APS facilities, to include all necessary refuse and recycling
containers and SSO containers
Pre-Bid Meeting Date: 11/17/2021 9:00 AM
Pre-Bid Meeting Details: Please sign up if you plan to attend the pre-bid meeting.
Documents:
| Documents as of 12/3/2021 |
|---|
| 22-DES-ITB-470 Refuse and Recycling Collection-Final.pdf |
| Revised Attachment D - APS Agreement.pdf |
| 22-DES-ITB-470 Bid Submittal Forms.pdf |
Addition 1
Posted: 11/18/2021
Type of Addition: 22-DES-ITB-470 PreBid Conference Notes and Signin
Overview: 22-DES-ITB-470 PreBid Conference Notes and Signin
Documents:
Addition 2
Posted: 12/3/2021
Type of Addition: Addendum No. 1
Overview: Addendum No. 1 answers vendors questions, changes the Bid Due date, and revises Attachment D and Insurance Requirements
Deadline: 12/13/2021 1:00 PM
Documents:
Addition 3
Posted: 12/13/2021
Type of Addition: In Review
Overview: Bid Tabulation for ITB No. 22-DES-ITB-470 attached
Documents:
Addition 4
Posted: 12/17/2021
Type of Addition: Award Information
Overview: 22-DES-ITB-470 Awarded to Zero Waste Solutions, Inc.
Documents:
Question 1
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Will the County provide an exception to Section IV.20, (page 25) which requires all contractor/subcontractor employees to either be vaccinated or follow a weekly COVID testing protocol? - Due to the nature of the services being provided, our employees will have extremely limited, if any contact, with any County resident or employee during the performance of their duties. In fact, in many cases, our employees will not even leave their trucks and will rarely enter a County building. We would agree that our employees will follow all County-issued mask mandates. Therefore, the risk of COVID transmission in connection with the services offered under this contract are extremely low.
Response: No exception to the County's COVID-19 policy. There is no enforcement necessary. This vaccination is recommended for public safety.
Question 2
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Section III, Scope of Services, Par. 7 (pages 12-13) reads: “ 7. LOCATIONS Exhibit B, Service Locations details the current container types, sizes, quantities, service locations, and collection frequencies. The County and APS reserves the right to modify container size, collection frequency, the number of containers, and to add or delete locations to be serviced by the Contractor at no additional cost to the County. The Contractor shall comply within 10 business days of said notification by the County.” - The next paragraph states that the contractor can seek additional pro-rates charges for additional “facilities that begin service.” Please clarify that, if the County requests larger or more containers, more frequent collections, or additional service locations, it will be required to pay an additional pro-rated fee for those additional services – they will not be “at no additional cost to the County” as suggested by the first paragraph.
Response: Yes, we would pay the contract amount for any additional services container types, size, etc.
Question 3
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Section III.12.d (page 17) : Will the Contractor be responsible for the costs of replacing and repairing Carts, or will it be able to invoice the County for new/replacement Carts as needed?
Response: The Contractor will be responsible for the costs of replacing and repairing carts.
Question 4
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Section IV.13 (pages 23-24) states, “Any damage, as determined by the Project Officer, to the real or personal property, whether owned by the County or others, resulting from the Work performed under this Contract shall be timely repaired or replaced to the County's satisfaction at the Contractor’s expense…” - Can the County clarify that this section does not apply to normal wear and tear (e.g., a breakdown of a county-owned compactor caused by regular use over time) or cumulative damage caused by multiple parties (e.g., potholes on county roads)?
Response: Normal wear and tear are not damages under this paragraph. Since the Contractor will be responsible for, and the owner of, all trucks, dumpsters, carts, and any other materials to perform the Work, there are few (if any) County or privately owned personal property that would be subject to routine wear and tear. No. Compactors, for example, would be replaced or repaired at the contractor’s expense
Question 5
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Can we remove the first paragraph of Section IV.15 re: waste removal: [“The Contractor must, at its expense and without using any County waste containers, immediately remove and legally dispose of off-site all packing materials, trash and debris (“Waste”). Otherwise, the County will contract a third party to dispose of the Waste and will deduct the expense from the final payment to the Contractor.”)] This appears to be a boilerplate term, but since the contract is already for waste removal services, it may be a bit confusing.
Response: Per Addendum No. 1, the first paragraph is removed.
Question 6
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Section IV.26 (page 26) reads, “The Contractor will be responsible for completing a criminal background check for all employees or subcontractors whom the Contractor assigns to work on this Contract. Any findings may result in the immediate removal of the individual from the contract.” Is the County asking for the contractor to use employees with only “clean” background checks (e.g., no criminal history at all, even if unrelated to the services being performed)? Are there specific convictions other than the types described on Attachment A which would preclude a contractor employee from providing services under the contract?
Response: The County and APS is requiring the Contractor to perform a criminal background check and adhere to Attachment A and provide all findings to the County and APS.
Question 7
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Section IV.38 – Force majeure - Does the County intend for this paragraph to cover failures to perform the services if the failure is caused by a pandemic or government/court order (e.g., a government-mandated shutdown)? If so, can we specifically include those events in this paragraph?
Response: No.
Question 8
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Some of the terms of Attachment D, which is the proposed Arlington Public Schools Agreement, conflict with the terms of the proposed Agreement to which it is an attachment (e.g., the term of the contract, the process for requesting price increases). - Is it the County’s intention that different contract terms will apply to services provided to the County’s public schools vs. other County sites? If not, which contract terms will apply? - Attachment D, the proposed Arlington Public Schools Agreement, also states that it has several of its own attachments (Attachments A – G), but those attachments are not included in the bid documents. Is the County going to provide those attachments?
Response: Each Party, the County and Arlington Public Schools will award its own Contract to the same Bidder in accordance with paragraph 20. Method of Award from Information for Bidders (page 7). This will result in the County and APS Contracts having distinctive Terms and Conditions. Attachment D will serve as the Arlington Public Schools Agreement. Bidders are expected to review the entire solicitation carefully to ensure they fully understand the contents therein. All Attachments are in the solicitation.
Question 9
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Page 25 of the solicitation regarding insurance requirements - please remove section e. Miscellaneous E&O/Professional Liability. Since this is not a contract to provide professional services, this should not apply.
Response: Per Addendum No. 1, this has been removed. Reference Revised Insurance Requirements Checklist.
Question 10
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Page 35 of the solicitation under insurance requirements, paragraph f. please remove "and professional liability". The services under this solicitation are not professional services.
Response: Per Addendum No. 1, this has been removed. Reference Revised Insurance Requirements Checklist.
Question 11
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Page 35 of the solicitation under insurance requirements, paragraph g. please remove "a material change or reduction in or" from the first paragraph.
Response: This clause will remain as-is
Question 12
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Page 36 of the solicitation under insurance requirements, the second paragraph under section i., please remove "and may require a lower deductible".
Response: This clause will remain as-is
Question 13
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Can the start date be changed to 4/1/2022 or 7/1/2022?
Response: No, the anticipated start will be 1/1/2022
Question 14
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Will you consider allowing contractor to utilize their standard color schemes for containers and carts vs specific colors mentioned?
Response: Please refer to Section III. Scope of Services, item e for the color scheme and/or approval
Question 15
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Is item 20 on page 25, Covid-19 Vaccination Policy for Contractors going to be enforced at the start of this contract?
Response: There is no enforcement necessary. This vaccination clause is recommended for public safety.
Question 16
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Will you allow for compactor rental charges if/when new compactors are needed?
Response: No.
Question 17
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Is the required power washing done as needed or all cans washed annually?
Response: All dumpsters must be power washed at least annually. Additionally, carts and dumpsters must be cleaned as needed.
Question 18
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Can you explain the conversion factors used if vehicle weights need to be estimated, specifically the weights you are using for recycling and MSW respectively?
Response: The conversion factors are based on internal estimates and calculations.
Question 19
Posted: 11/29/2021
Question: What is the contract value with Waste Management?
Response: For County and APS: $444,574.42 for Refuse and Recycling.
Question 20
Posted: 11/29/2021
Question: Is the scope of work similar to current contact been performed by Waste Management?
Response: The scope of work is similar, but not identical.
Question 21
Posted: 11/29/2021
Question: Are offerors submitting a bid required to have a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System Permit (MS4)?
Response: No, the Contractor does not have to have their own, but must comply with County’s which cover APS.
Question 22
Posted: 11/29/2021
Question: Can county provide a 30 day phase-in allowing new contractor time to purchase containers and have it delivered in a timely manner? Current market conditions nor vendors can delivery within 14 days.
Response: Full service under the contract must begin on January 1, 2022. There will not be a phase-in period.
Question 23
Posted: 11/29/2021
Question: Please confirm the total performance period of this contract? Is this one year with 6 additional renewal years?
Response: One (1) initial year with 6 optional renewal years
Question 24
Posted: 11/29/2021
Question: This is a low risk contract. Can the county remove "Miscellaneous E&O/Professional Liability" insurance requirement for this contract?
Response: Per Addendum No. 1, this has been removed. Reference Revised Insurance Requirements Checklist.
Posted: 11/18/2021
Type of Addition: 22-DES-ITB-470 PreBid Conference Notes and Signin
Overview: 22-DES-ITB-470 PreBid Conference Notes and Signin
Documents:
Posted: 12/3/2021
Type of Addition: Addendum No. 1
Overview: Addendum No. 1 answers vendors questions, changes the Bid Due date, and revises Attachment D and Insurance Requirements
Deadline: 12/13/2021 1:00 PM
Documents:
Posted: 12/13/2021
Type of Addition: In Review
Overview: Bid Tabulation for ITB No. 22-DES-ITB-470 attached
Documents:
Posted: 12/17/2021
Type of Addition: Award Information
Overview: 22-DES-ITB-470 Awarded to Zero Waste Solutions, Inc.
Documents:
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Will the County provide an exception to Section IV.20, (page 25) which requires all contractor/subcontractor employees to either be vaccinated or follow a weekly COVID testing protocol? - Due to the nature of the services being provided, our employees will have extremely limited, if any contact, with any County resident or employee during the performance of their duties. In fact, in many cases, our employees will not even leave their trucks and will rarely enter a County building. We would agree that our employees will follow all County-issued mask mandates. Therefore, the risk of COVID transmission in connection with the services offered under this contract are extremely low.
Response: No exception to the County's COVID-19 policy. There is no enforcement necessary. This vaccination is recommended for public safety.
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Section III, Scope of Services, Par. 7 (pages 12-13) reads: “ 7. LOCATIONS Exhibit B, Service Locations details the current container types, sizes, quantities, service locations, and collection frequencies. The County and APS reserves the right to modify container size, collection frequency, the number of containers, and to add or delete locations to be serviced by the Contractor at no additional cost to the County. The Contractor shall comply within 10 business days of said notification by the County.” - The next paragraph states that the contractor can seek additional pro-rates charges for additional “facilities that begin service.” Please clarify that, if the County requests larger or more containers, more frequent collections, or additional service locations, it will be required to pay an additional pro-rated fee for those additional services – they will not be “at no additional cost to the County” as suggested by the first paragraph.
Response: Yes, we would pay the contract amount for any additional services container types, size, etc.
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Section III.12.d (page 17) : Will the Contractor be responsible for the costs of replacing and repairing Carts, or will it be able to invoice the County for new/replacement Carts as needed?
Response: The Contractor will be responsible for the costs of replacing and repairing carts.
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Section IV.13 (pages 23-24) states, “Any damage, as determined by the Project Officer, to the real or personal property, whether owned by the County or others, resulting from the Work performed under this Contract shall be timely repaired or replaced to the County's satisfaction at the Contractor’s expense…” - Can the County clarify that this section does not apply to normal wear and tear (e.g., a breakdown of a county-owned compactor caused by regular use over time) or cumulative damage caused by multiple parties (e.g., potholes on county roads)?
Response: Normal wear and tear are not damages under this paragraph. Since the Contractor will be responsible for, and the owner of, all trucks, dumpsters, carts, and any other materials to perform the Work, there are few (if any) County or privately owned personal property that would be subject to routine wear and tear. No. Compactors, for example, would be replaced or repaired at the contractor’s expense
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Can we remove the first paragraph of Section IV.15 re: waste removal: [“The Contractor must, at its expense and without using any County waste containers, immediately remove and legally dispose of off-site all packing materials, trash and debris (“Waste”). Otherwise, the County will contract a third party to dispose of the Waste and will deduct the expense from the final payment to the Contractor.”)] This appears to be a boilerplate term, but since the contract is already for waste removal services, it may be a bit confusing.
Response: Per Addendum No. 1, the first paragraph is removed.
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Section IV.26 (page 26) reads, “The Contractor will be responsible for completing a criminal background check for all employees or subcontractors whom the Contractor assigns to work on this Contract. Any findings may result in the immediate removal of the individual from the contract.” Is the County asking for the contractor to use employees with only “clean” background checks (e.g., no criminal history at all, even if unrelated to the services being performed)? Are there specific convictions other than the types described on Attachment A which would preclude a contractor employee from providing services under the contract?
Response: The County and APS is requiring the Contractor to perform a criminal background check and adhere to Attachment A and provide all findings to the County and APS.
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Section IV.38 – Force majeure - Does the County intend for this paragraph to cover failures to perform the services if the failure is caused by a pandemic or government/court order (e.g., a government-mandated shutdown)? If so, can we specifically include those events in this paragraph?
Response: No.
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Some of the terms of Attachment D, which is the proposed Arlington Public Schools Agreement, conflict with the terms of the proposed Agreement to which it is an attachment (e.g., the term of the contract, the process for requesting price increases). - Is it the County’s intention that different contract terms will apply to services provided to the County’s public schools vs. other County sites? If not, which contract terms will apply? - Attachment D, the proposed Arlington Public Schools Agreement, also states that it has several of its own attachments (Attachments A – G), but those attachments are not included in the bid documents. Is the County going to provide those attachments?
Response: Each Party, the County and Arlington Public Schools will award its own Contract to the same Bidder in accordance with paragraph 20. Method of Award from Information for Bidders (page 7). This will result in the County and APS Contracts having distinctive Terms and Conditions. Attachment D will serve as the Arlington Public Schools Agreement. Bidders are expected to review the entire solicitation carefully to ensure they fully understand the contents therein. All Attachments are in the solicitation.
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Page 25 of the solicitation regarding insurance requirements - please remove section e. Miscellaneous E&O/Professional Liability. Since this is not a contract to provide professional services, this should not apply.
Response: Per Addendum No. 1, this has been removed. Reference Revised Insurance Requirements Checklist.
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Page 35 of the solicitation under insurance requirements, paragraph f. please remove "and professional liability". The services under this solicitation are not professional services.
Response: Per Addendum No. 1, this has been removed. Reference Revised Insurance Requirements Checklist.
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Page 35 of the solicitation under insurance requirements, paragraph g. please remove "a material change or reduction in or" from the first paragraph.
Response: This clause will remain as-is
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Page 36 of the solicitation under insurance requirements, the second paragraph under section i., please remove "and may require a lower deductible".
Response: This clause will remain as-is
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Can the start date be changed to 4/1/2022 or 7/1/2022?
Response: No, the anticipated start will be 1/1/2022
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Will you consider allowing contractor to utilize their standard color schemes for containers and carts vs specific colors mentioned?
Response: Please refer to Section III. Scope of Services, item e for the color scheme and/or approval
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Is item 20 on page 25, Covid-19 Vaccination Policy for Contractors going to be enforced at the start of this contract?
Response: There is no enforcement necessary. This vaccination clause is recommended for public safety.
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Will you allow for compactor rental charges if/when new compactors are needed?
Response: No.
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Is the required power washing done as needed or all cans washed annually?
Response: All dumpsters must be power washed at least annually. Additionally, carts and dumpsters must be cleaned as needed.
Posted: 11/23/2021
Question: Can you explain the conversion factors used if vehicle weights need to be estimated, specifically the weights you are using for recycling and MSW respectively?
Response: The conversion factors are based on internal estimates and calculations.
Posted: 11/29/2021
Question: What is the contract value with Waste Management?
Response: For County and APS: $444,574.42 for Refuse and Recycling.
Posted: 11/29/2021
Question: Is the scope of work similar to current contact been performed by Waste Management?
Response: The scope of work is similar, but not identical.
Posted: 11/29/2021
Question: Are offerors submitting a bid required to have a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System Permit (MS4)?
Response: No, the Contractor does not have to have their own, but must comply with County’s which cover APS.
Posted: 11/29/2021
Question: Can county provide a 30 day phase-in allowing new contractor time to purchase containers and have it delivered in a timely manner? Current market conditions nor vendors can delivery within 14 days.
Response: Full service under the contract must begin on January 1, 2022. There will not be a phase-in period.
Posted: 11/29/2021
Question: Please confirm the total performance period of this contract? Is this one year with 6 additional renewal years?
Response: One (1) initial year with 6 optional renewal years
Posted: 11/29/2021
Question: This is a low risk contract. Can the county remove "Miscellaneous E&O/Professional Liability" insurance requirement for this contract?
Response: Per Addendum No. 1, this has been removed. Reference Revised Insurance Requirements Checklist.