The respondent shall be responsible for obtaining and maintaining throughout the contract period any licenses required pursuant to the laws of Leon County, the City of Tallahassee, or the State of Florida.

If the contractor is operating under a fictitious name as defined in Section 865.09, Florida Statutes, proof of current registration with the Florida Secretary of State shall be submitted with the proposal. A business formed by an attorney actively licensed to practice law in this state, by a person actively licensed by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation or the Department of Health for the purpose of practicing his or her licensed profession, or by any corporation, partnership, or other commercial entity that is actively organized or registered with the Department of State shall submit a copy of the current licensing from the appropriate agency and/or proof of current active status with the Division of Corporations of the State of Florida or such other state as applicable.

Failure to provide the above required documentation may result in the proposal being determined as non-responsive.

A person or affiliate who has been placed on the convicted vendor list following a conviction for a public entity crime may not submit a bid on a contract to provide any goods or services to a public entity, may not submit a bid on a contract with a public entity for the construction or repair of a public building or public work, may not submit bids on leases of real property to a public entity, may not be awarded or perform work as a contractor, subcontractor, or consultant under a contract with any public entity, and may not transact business with any public entity in excess of the threshold amount provided in Section 287.017, Florida Statute for CATEGORY TWO for a period of 36 months from the date of being placed on the convicted vendor list. By submission of a proposal in response to this solicitation, the proposer certifies compliance with the above requirements as stated in Section 287.133, Florida Statutes.

The prospective primary participant must certify to the best of its knowledge and belief, that it and its principals are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from covered transactions by any Federal department or agency and meet all other such responsibility matters as contained on the attached certification form.

The Contractor agrees that unauthorized aliens shall not be employed nor utilized in the performance of the requirements of this solicitation or any work authorized thereunder. The County shall consider the employment or utilization of unauthorized aliens a violation of Section 274A(e) of the Immigration and Naturalization Act (8 U.S.C. 1324a). Such violation shall be cause for unilateral termination of this Agreement by the County. As part of the response to this solicitation, please complete and submit the attached form “AFFIDAVIT CERTIFICATION IMMIGRATION LAWS.”

By providing goods and/or services to the County, the Contractor is obligated to comply with the provisions of Section 448.095, Florida Statutes, “Employment Eligibility.” Compliance with Section 448.095, Florida Statutes., includes, but is not limited to, utilization of the E-Verify System to verify the work authorization status of all newly hired employees, and requiring all subcontractors to provide an affidavit attesting that the subcontractor does not employ, contract with, or subcontract with, an unauthorized alien. The Contractor affirms and represents that it is registered with the E-Verify system and is using same and will continue to use same as required by Section 448.095, Florida Statutes.

1. Preference in requests for proposals. In purchasing of, or letting of contracts for procurement of, personal property, materials, contractual services, and construction of improvements to real property or existing structures for which a request for proposals is developed with evaluation criteria, a local preference of the total score may be assigned for a local preference, as follows:
   1. Individuals or firms which have a home office located within Leon, Gadsden, Wakulla, or Jefferson County, and which meet all of the criteria for a local business as set forth below, shall be given a preference in the amount of five percent.
   2. Individuals or firms which do not have a home office located within Leon, Gadsden, Wakulla, or Jefferson County, and which meet all of the criteria for a local business as set forth below, shall be given a preference in the amount of three percent.
   3. For the purposes of this section, "home office" shall mean a business's principal office or headquarters constituting the center for administration and policymaking.
2. Local business definition. For purposes of this section, "local business" shall mean a business which:
   1. Has had a fixed office or distribution point located in and having a street address within Leon, Gadsden, Wakulla, or Jefferson County for at least six (6) months immediately prior to the issuance of the request for competitive bids or request for proposals by the County; and
   2. Holds any business license required by Leon County, and, if applicable, the City of Tallahassee; and
   3. Is the principal offeror who is a single offeror; a business which is the prime contractor and not a subcontractor; or a partner or joint venturer submitting an offer in conjunction with other businesses.
3. Certification. Any vendor claiming to be a local business as defined herein, shall so certify in writing to the Purchasing Division. The certification shall provide all necessary information to meet the requirements set forth above. The Local Vendor Certification Form is enclosed. The purchasing agent shall not be required to verify the accuracy of any such certifications, and shall have the sole discretion to determine if a vendor meets the definition of a "local business."

All vendors in accordance with Florida Statute 287.087 must certify the following actions:

1. Publish a statement notifying employees that the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensing, possession, or use of a controlled substance is prohibited in the workplace and specifying the actions that will be taken against employees for violations of such prohibition.
2. Inform employees about the dangers of drug abuse in the workplace, the business’s policy of maintaining a drug-free workplace, any available drug counseling, rehabilitation, and employee assistance programs, and the penalties that may be imposed upon employees for drug abuse violations.
3. Give each employee engaged in providing the commodities or contractual services that are under response/bid a copy of the statement specified in subsection (1).
4. In the statement specified in subsection (1), notify the employees that, as a condition of working on the commodities or contractual services that are under response/bid, the employee will abide by the terms of the statement and will notify the employer of any conviction of, or plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, any violation of Chapter 893 (Florida Statutes) or of any controlled substance law of the United States or any state, for a violation occurring in the workplace no later than five (5) days after such conviction.
5. Impose a sanction on, or require the satisfactory participation in a drug abuse assistance or rehabilitation program if such is available in the employee’s community, or any employee who is so convicted.
6. Make a good faith effort to continue to maintain a drug-free workplace through implementation of this section.

Vendor must confirm compliance with this requirement in the Required Submittals section of your response.

The contractors and all subcontractors shall agree to a commitment to the principles and practices of equal opportunity in employment and to comply with the letter and spirit of federal, state, and local laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, national region, sex, age, handicap, marital status, and political affiliation or belief.

For federally funded projects, in addition to the above, the contractor shall agree to comply with Executive Order 11246, as amended, and to comply with specific affirmative action obligations contained therein.

In addition to completing the Equal Opportunity Statement, the Respondent shall include a copy of any affirmative action or equal opportunity policies in effect at the time of submission.

A company is ineligible to, and may not, bid on, submit a proposal for, or enter into or renew a contract with Leon County for goods or services of any amount if, at the time of bidding on, submitting a proposal for, or entering into or renewing such contract, the company is on the Scrutinized Companies that Boycott Israel List, created pursuant to Section 215.4725, Florida Statutes, or is engaged in a boycott of Israel.

A company is ineligible to, and may not, bid on, submit a proposal for, or enter into or renew a contract with Leon County for goods or services of $1 million or more if, at the time of bidding on, submitting a proposal for, or entering into or renewing such contract, the company is on the Scrutinized Companies with Activities in Sudan List, the Scrutinized Companies with Activities in the Iran Petroleum Energy Sector List, created pursuant to Section 215.4725, Florida Statutes, or with companies engaged in business operations in Cuba or Syria.