A Mandatory Pre-Proposal Meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 24, 2024 at 10:00 am. The Location is as follows: Leon County Purchasing Office 1800-3 N. Blair Stone Rd. Tallahassee, FL 32308 -OR- https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_YjhiZGQxMzQtYmU1Yy00ZGI5LWI5M2QtZWJlZTA1ZWU1MDdi%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22854ed59b-aa79-47ab-bff4-86a4211bbe97%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22a63713f5-e829-4a9a-bed6-65bdf428f0f9%22%7d Meeting ID: 225 507 425 436 Passcode: ZgkZzv -OR- Microsoft Teams - Dial in by phone: +1 929-352-3425 Phone conference ID: 466 168 239#.

The Pre-Proposal Meeting will be a public meeting that the public is invited to attend either physically in person or an audio conference at the County's discretion.  All questions of Respondents to be discussed at the Pre-Proposal meeting must be submitted in writing by the deadline identified in the Schedule of Events as the Deadline for Pre-Proposal Meeting Questions. The Respondents will be instructed to submit all questions after the meeting to the Leon County e-Procurement website.

The purpose of the Pre-Proposal Meeting is to provide a forum to answer questions concerning the RFP, instructions for submitting proposals, and other relevant issues. In the event that any discussions or questions at the Pre-Proposal Meeting require, in the Leon County's opinion, official additions, deletions, or clarifications of the RFP, Leon County will issue a written summary of questions and answers or an addendum to this RFP as the Leon County determines is appropriate. No oral representations or discussions, which take place at the Pre-Proposal Meeting, will be binding on Leon County. The Respondents will be instructed to direct all questions after the meeting to Leon County e-Procurement website.

While the Question and Answer period is open, respondents shall select the Question and Answer tab of the solicitation to submit their questions.  PLEASE DO NOT Email inquiries.

Each respondent shall examine the solicitation documents carefully, including the forms and agreement; and, no later than the last day for questions listed in schedule of events, shall make a written request to the County for interpretations or corrections of any ambiguity, inconsistency or error discovered in the solicitation, including the agreement. The County will prepare a written response to each written question, comment, and recommendation that is delivered to the County prior to the deadline listed in the schedule of events. The County's written responses will be posted to this solicitation. The County will not be responsible for oral clarifications. No negotiations, decisions or actions shall be initiated or executed by the proposer as a result of any discussions with any County employee prior to the opening of proposals. Only those communications which are in writing from the County may be considered as a duly authorized expression on the behalf of the Board. Also, only communications from firms which are in writing and signed will be recognized by the Board as duly authorized expressions on behalf of respondent. Each respondent shall be deemed to have waived all questions, comments, and recommendations that are not submitted to the County in compliance with this section.

Addenda to this solicitation will be posted to the solicitation on the e-Procurement Portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/leoncounty. For those projects with separate plans, blueprints, or other materials that cannot be accessed through the internet, the Purchasing Division will make a good faith effort to ensure that all registered vendors (those vendors who have been registered as receiving a proposal package) receive the documents. It is the responsibility of the vendor prior to submission of any proposal to check the above website or contact the Leon County Purchasing Division at (850) 606-1600 to verify any addenda issued. The receipt of all addenda must be acknowledged on the response sheet.

Proposals shall be electronically submitted (uploaded) to the solicitation on the County e-Procurement portal (https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/leoncounty) no later than the Opening Date (Wednesday, August 21, 2024 at 2:00 pm), as identified in the Timeline, to be considered.

Proposals will be opened publicly at the time and place stated in the Timeline. When the specified time has arrived no proposals received thereafter will be considered. At the time fixed for the opening of proposals, the tabulation sheet will be made public and will be posted on the Purchasing Division website at: https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/leoncounty.

Sealed bids, proposals, or replies received by the County pursuant to a competitive solicitation are exempt from public records disclosure until such time as the County posts an intended decision or until 30 days after opening of the documents, whichever is earlier. If the County rejects all Proposals submitted in response to this RFP, the rejected Proposals remain exempt from public records disclosure until the County posts an intended decision or until the County withdraws the reissued Proposal. Proposals received by the County pursuant to this RFP will not remain exempt for longer than twelve (12) months after the County rejects such Bids.

It is the respondent's responsibility to assure that the proposal is submitted at the proper time and location. Electronic submissions will not be allowed through the County's e-Procurement portal once the deadline has passed.

The County is not liable for any costs incurred by respondents prior to the issuance of an executed contract.

Any material submitted to the County that Respondent contends constitutes or contains trade secrets or is otherwise exempt from production under Florida public records laws (including Chapter 119, Florida Statutes) (“Trade Secret Materials”) must be redacted, conspicuously labeled “EXEMPT FROM PUBLIC RECORD PRODUCTION — TRADE SECRET” and the applicable statutory provision for the exemption must be stated. The Respondent is required to also provide an unredacted copy of the redacted information as part of the Proposal. If a third party submits a request to the County for records designated as Trade Secret Materials by a Respondent, the County shall refrain from disclosing the Trade Secret Materials, unless otherwise ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction or authorized in writing by Respondent. By submitting a Proposal, Respondent agrees to indemnify and defend the County and its employees and agents from any and all claims, causes of action, losses, fines, penalties, damages, judgments and liabilities of any kind, including attorneys’ fees, litigation expenses, and court costs, relating to the nondisclosure of any Trade Secret Materials in response to a records request by a third party. 

The County reserves the right to reject any and/or all proposals, in whole or in part, when such rejection is in the best interest of the County. Further, the County reserves the right to withdraw this solicitation at any time prior to final award of contract.

Award shall be made to the responsive, responsible vendor whose proposal is determined in writing to be the most advantageous to Leon County, taking into consideration the evaluation factors set forth in the Request for Proposals. In accordance with Section 287.05701(3), Florida Statutes, in determining whether a bidder is responsible, the County will not request documentation of or consider a bidder’s social, political, or ideological interests, nor give preference to a bidder based on such interests. No other factors or criteria shall be used in the evaluation criteria that are not included in the Request for Proposal. The County reserves the right to waive any minor irregularity in proposals and to make an award in whole or in part when either or both conditions are in the best interest of Leon County.

Notice of the Intended Decision will be posted on the County website at: https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/leoncounty for a period of seventy-two (72) consecutive hours, which does not include weekends or County observed holidays. Failure to file a protest within the time prescribed in Leon County Policy No. 96-1, Purchasing Policy, or failure to post the bond or other security required by law within the time allowed for filing a bond shall constitute a waiver of proceedings. Notice of intent of bid protest shall be made in writing to the Purchasing Director, 1800-3 N. Blair Stone Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32308. The bidder shall be responsible for inquiring as to any and all award recommendation/postings.

Any award recommendation may be protested on the grounds of irregularities in the specifications, procedure, or the evaluation of the proposal. Such notice of an intent to protest shall be made in writing to the Purchasing Director within 72 hours after receipt of the intended recommendation of award and the protestor shall file a formal written bid challenge within 10 days after the date in which the notice of intent of bid protest has been submitted. The notice of protest shall contain at minimum: the name of the Protestor; the Protestor’s address and phone number; the name of the Protestor’s representative to whom notices may be sent; the name and bid number of the solicitation; and a brief factual summary of the basis of the protest. Failure to file a notice of an intent to protest or failure to file a formal written bid protest shall constitute a waiver of all rights granted under this section.