Fleet Vehicle Standards

…unique financial services to Grow Alberta Date: June 23, 2023 REQUEST FOR QUOTE Issued by: Agriculture Financial Services Corporation REQUEST FOR QUOTE FOR: Fleet Vehicles Standards COMPETITIVE BID #: 0691 CONTRACTED SERVICE: Fleet Vehicle Standards CLOSING: July 11, 2023 @ 1:00PM (MST) AFSC BUYER: Maggie Inthavong TITLE: Buyer, Business Services ADDRESS: AFSC Purchasing Department 5718 56th Avenue Lacombe, Alberta T4L 1B1 E-MAIL: RFP@afsc.ca Competitive Bid #, Submission Deadline, and Proponent’s Return Address should appear on face of the envelope. TABLE OF CONTENTS: TERMS AND CONDITIONS - 1 - 1.1 INTRODUCTION - 1 - 1.2 MASTER SCHEDULE - 1 - 1.3 MASTER SCHEDULE TABLE - 1 - 1.4 DEFINITIONS - 2 - 1.5 MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS AND DESIRABLE PROVISIONS - 2 - 1.6 CONFIDENTIALITY AND SECURITY OF INFORMATION - 2 - 1.7 MATERIAL OWNERSHIP - 3 - 1.8 CONFLICT OF INTEREST - 3 - 1.9 VENDOR’S ETHICS POLICY - 3 - 1.10 COMMENCEMENT OF ORDER OR WORK - 3 - 1.11 INACCURACIES OR MISREPRESENTATIONS - 3 - 1.12 INQUIRIES - 4 - 1.13 LIABILITY FOR ERRORS - 4 - 1.14 NOTIFICATION OF CHANGES - 5 - 1.15 NEGOTIATIONS - 5 - 1.16 VENDOR’S EXPENSES - 5 - 1.17 FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AND PROTECTION OF PRIVACY - 5 - 1.18 RESERVATION OF RIGHTS - 6 - 1.19 COMPETITIVE BID ADMINISTRATION - 6 - 1.20 VENDOR DEBRIEFING - 6 - 2.0 SCOPE OF WORK - 7 - 2.1 BACKGROUND - 7 - 2.2 REQUIREMENTS FOR VEHICLE - 7 - 2.3 CONTEXT - 8 - 3.0 PROPOSAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES - 9 - 3.1 PROPOSAL FORMAT - 9 - 3.2 PROPOSAL SUBMISSIONS - 9 - 3.3 BLACKOUT PERIOD - 9 - 3.4 LEGAL AND CONTACT INFORMATION - 10 - 4.0. PRICING - 11 - 4.1 G. S. T. AND HARMONIZED SALES TAX CERTIFICATION CLAUSE - 11 - 5.0 EVALUATION - 12 - 6.0 APPENDICES - 13 - 6.1 APPENDIX A: QUESTION AND ANSWER TEMPLATE - 13 - 6.2 APPENDIX B: VEHICLE SPECIFICATION - 13 - TERMS AND CONDITIONS 1.1 Introduction Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) is an Alberta Provincial Crown Corporation under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (AF). AFSC’s core programs include business risk management programs and services to the agriculture industry as well as lending products and services to farmers’ agribusinesses, value added enterprises and commercial operations. More detailed information about AFSC is available on the website www.afsc.ca. The objective of this RFQ is for AFSC to solicit Proposals from those qualified in providing the specified goods described under section 2.0 of this RFQ. 1.2 Master Schedule The Master Schedule of Competitive Bid related events is set out in the table below and is governed by the following principles: a) In the event that any dates elsewhere in this Competitive Bid conflict with a date set out in this table, the date set out in this table shall prevail; b) All times listed are based on Mountain Standard Time (MST); c) AFSC reserves the right to adjust the dates of the schedule if required through an addendum process 1.3 Master Schedule Table # Event Scheduled Date/Time 1 AFSC to accept e-mail inquiries relevant to this Competitive Bid. Vendor(s) must use the Q & A template provided and submit through RFP@afsc.ca. July 5, 2023, 12:00PM (MST) 2 Receipt of Proposals. (On or before closing date & time) July 11, 2023, 1:00 (MST) 3 Evaluation of Competitive Bid written Proposals. AFSC in its discretion may extend this time. July 11 -14, 2023 4 AFSC to perform reference checks on shortlisted Vendors. AFSC in its discretion may change this date. n/a 5 Final Evaluation and notification of award. AFSC in its discretion may change this date. July 11-14, 2023 6 Target Delivery Date AFSC in its discretion may change this date. Prior to March 31, 2024 1.4 Definitions The following abbreviations and terminology are used throughout this Competitive Bid: Term Description Personnel Employees, contractors, subcontractors and agents of the Vendor. Vendor Any business that is registered in Canada and is authorized to operate in Alberta, proposing to submit a Proposal to the Competitive Bid. Competitive Bid Request for Quote Product or Services Scope of Work The services required by this RFQ as described in section 2.0 of this Competitive Bid. 1.5 Mandatory Requirements and Desirable Provisions Proposal that do not comply with the Request for Quote’s requirements will be rejected. “Must”, “shall”, “mandatory” and “will” mean a requirement that must be met in order for the Proposal to receive consideration. For mandatory requirements, the vendor must provide sufficient information in the proposal to substantiate compliance to the request for Quotes Mandatory requirements. “Should” and “desirable” mean a provision having a significant degree of importance to the objectives of the Competitive Bid. For desirable/optional provisions, the vendor’s Proposal should provide details of how the desirable/optional provisions are addressed. 1.6 Confidentiality and Security of Information The Vendor and the Vendor’s personnel shall: a) Keep strictly confidential all information concerning AFSC or third parties, or any of the business or activities of AFSC or third parties acquired as result of participation in the Competitive Bid; b) Only use, copy or disclose such information as necessary for the purpose of submitting a Quote or upon written authorization of AFSC. The Vendor shall maintain security standards, including control of access to data and other information, consistent with the highest standards of business practice in the Vendor’s industry. 1.7 Material Ownership Ownership in all Materials including copyright, patent, trade secret, industrial design or trade mark that are made, prepared, developed, generated, produced or acquired under or in relation to the Contract by the vendor, the vendor’s employees, subcontractors or agents belongs to the Purchaser as they are made, prepared, developed, generated, produced or acquired. The Materials shall be delivered to the purchaser upon completion or termination of the contract. The Vendor (a) Irrevocably waives in whole all moral rights, and (b) Shall ensure that its employees, subcontractors and agents irrevocably waive in whole all moral rights. to the materials made, prepaid, developed, generated produced, or acquired under the contract and declares that these waivers shall operate in favour of the Purchaser and the Purchasers assignees and licenses. 1.8 Conflict of Interest Vendor(s) must fully disclose, in writing to AFSC on or before the closing date of the Competitive Bid, the circumstances of any possible conflict of interest or what could be perceived as a possible conflict of interest if the Vendor were to become a contracting party pursuant to the Competitive Bid. AFSC will review any submissions by Vendor(s) under this provision and may reject any Quotes where, in the sole opinion of AFSC, the Vendor could be in a conflict of interest or could be perceived to be in a possible conflict of interest position if the Vendor were to become a contracting party pursuant to the Competitive Bid. 1.9 Vendor’s Ethics Policy The Vendor should have an ethics policy that guides their organization in all its business activities, and should provide a copy of this ethical policy as an attachment to their Proposal. This policy will not from part of the evaluation. 1.10 Commencement of Order or Work Order will be fulfilled or no work will commence in relation to this Competitive Bid until a fully executed Purchase Order or Contract is in place. Failure to comply will result in non-payment of any activities performed or good received prior to commencement. 1.11 Inaccuracies or Misrepresentations If, in the course of the Competitive Bidding process, AFSC determines that the Vendor has made a material misstatement or misrepresentation or that materially inaccurate information has been provided to AFSC, the Vendor will be disqualified from the Competitive Bidding process. 1.12 Inquiries All inquiries related to this Competitive Bid must be addressed to the AFSC Buyer on or before the date specified in the Master Schedule and as per the following: a) Inquiries must be sent by e-mail to the AFSC Buyer, utilizing the Q&A template provided. b) No telephone inquiries will be accepted; c) No additional information or clarifications will be provided to inquiries received after the applicable deadline. d) In order to be considered, all inquiries must provide the following Vendor information: • Name of Primary Contact; • Address; • Telephone number; • E-mail address; • Competitive Bid Reference “0691”. e) All inquiries received will be reviewed by AFSC. f) All inquiries will be compiled and answered in the form of written Proposal(s) issued by AFSC via Alberta Purchasing Connection (APC) to all prospective Vendor(s); g) Vendor(s) are advised that all inquiries answered by AFSC will be provided verbatim in writing to all prospective Vendor(s). h) Inquiries that may contain proprietary or confidential information of a Vendor may be answered exclusively to the submitting Vendor (AFSC will direct the correspondence regarding this inquiry only to the Vendor’s Primary Contact) provided the Proposal does not: • Require a modification to this Competitive Bid; or • Potentially provide an undue advantage in the competitive process. i) If either of the above situations (h) arises, AFSC reserves the right to: • Request the Vendor reword and resubmit the inquiry; or • Decline to provide a Proposal. j) AFSC reserves the right to not disclose information in conjunction with this Competitive Bid on any inquiry that requires releasing information that AFSC, in its sole discretion, regard as confidential to AFSC; k) AFSC reserves the right in any event to decline to provide a Proposal for any reason in its sole discretion; l) It is the Vendor’s responsibility to notify AFSC, in writing and in advance, of any change in the Vendor(s) Primary Contact Information; m) AFSC assumes no responsibility or liability arising from information obtained in a manner other than as described in this Competitive Bid. 1.13 Liability for Errors While every effort is taken to ensure an accurate representation of information in this Competitive Bid. AFSC shall not be liable or accountable for any error or omission in any part of this Competitive Bid. 1.14 Notification of Changes Any changes to this Competitive Bid as well as the Proposal(s) to inquiries will be posted as an addendum on the Alberta Purchasing Connection (APC). Vendors should routinely check APC for amendments and adhere to any amendment requirements. 1.15 Negotiations AFSC may require selected Vendor(s) to participate in negotiations and to submit revisions to pricing and technical information If negotiations do not result in modification of the agreement(s) that is acceptable to the Purchaser, the Proposal may be rejected. 1.16 Vendor’s Expenses Vendors are solely responsible for their own expenses in preparing the Proposal, as well as any subsequent proposals. 1.17 Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy The Vendor acknowledges that: (a) The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act of Alberta (FOIP) applies to all information and records relating to, or obtained, generated, created, collected or provided under, the subsequent Competitive Bid or the Contract and which are in the custody or control of AFSC. FOIP allows any person a right of access to records in AFSC’s custody or control, subject to limited and specific exceptions as set out in FOIP; (b) FOIP imposes an obligation on AFSC, and through the subsequent Competitive Bid and Contract on the Vendor(s), to protect the privacy of individuals to whom information relates. The Vendor(s) will protect the confidentiality and privacy of any individual’s Personal Information accessible to the Vendor(s) or collected by the Vendor(s) pursuant to the subsequent Competitive Bid or the Contract; (c) The Vendor(s), if it considers portions of its Proposal to be confidential, will identify those parts of its Proposal to AFSC considered to be confidential and what harm could reasonably be expected from disclosure. AFSC does not warrant that this identification will preclude disclosure under FOIP; (d) Materials produced by the Vendor(s), in connection with or pursuant to the subsequent Competitive Bid or the Contract, which are the property AFSC pursuant to the subsequent Competitive Bid or the Contract, could be considered records under the control of a public body and could therefore also be subject to the FOIP before delivery to AFSC. As such, the Vendor must conduct itself to a standard consistent with FOIP in relation to such Materials; and (e) For the records and information obtained or possessed by the Vendor(s) in connection with or pursuant to the subsequent Competitive Bid or the Contract, and which are in the custody or control of AFSC, the Vendor(s) must conduct itself to a standard consistent with FOIP when providing the services or carrying out the duties or other obligations of the Vendor under the subsequent Competitive Bid or the Contract. The purpose for collecting Personal Information for the Competitive Bid is to enable AFSC to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information, to evaluate the Proposal, and for other related program purposes of AFSC. Authority for this collection is the Government Organization Act, as amended from time to time. The Vendor(s) may contact the Buyer identified in the Competitive Bid regarding any questions about collection of information pursuant to the Competitive Bid. 1.18 Reservation of Rights AFSC reserves the right in its sole discretion to: a) Accept or reject any or all Proposals; b) Disqualify a Vendor in the event that, in AFSC’s opinion, the Proposal does not contain sufficient information to permit a thorough evaluation ; c) Verify the validity of the information supplied and to reject any Proposal where the contents appear to be incorrect or inaccurate in AFSC’s estimation; d) Seek Proposal clarification at any time with Vendor(s) to assist in making evaluations; e) Accept Proposals in whole or in part; f) Accept a Proposal with only minor non-compliance; g) Retain one copy and destroy and dispose of all other copies of any and all Proposals received by AFSC; h) Cancel this Competitive Bid process at any stage, without award or compensation to Vendors, their officers, directors, employees or agents, without assigning any reasons. 1.19 Competitive Bid Administration The Proposal must indicate that the Vendor accepts the Procedures set down in this Competitive Bid. In accordance with this Competitive Bid, the Vendor, if it considers portions of its Proposal to be confidential, shall identify those parts of its Proposal to AFSC considered to be confidential and what harm could reasonably be expected from disclosure. AFSC does not warrant that this identification will preclude disclosure under FOIP. 1.20 Vendor Debriefing The Corporate Purchasing Section will, at the request of an unsuccessful vendor who responded to this request for Quote, conduct a debriefing after Contract award for the purpose of informing the Vendor on the reasons their Proposal was not selected. 2.0 STATEMENT OF WORK 2.1 Background AFSC is seeking to standardize its fleet vehicles based on the requirements outlined in the attached Appendix B for 1500 (1/2 ton) and 2500 (3/4 ton) vehicles. AFSC expects vendors submitting a proposal to state clearly the vehicle make and model that meets the requirements outlined in this RFQ. Vendors are required to complete the Vendor's Comments (if requirement is met (Yes/No)) section in Appendix B as part of their submission for this RFQ. 2.2 Requirements for Vehicle Requirements - 1500 (1/2 TON) Requirements Details Box Length 77” Minimum Payload 680 KGS (1500LBS) Minimum GVWR - General Vehicle Weight Rating 3220 KGS (7100LBS) Minimum Horse Power 250 Minimum Requirements - 2500 (3/4 TON) Requirements Details Box Length 82 ” Minimum Payload 4250 LBS Minimum GVWR - General Vehicle Weight Rating 8500 LBS Minimum Horse Power 350 Minimum Furthermore, all vehicles are required to have the below features/items outlined in appendix B: • Gasoline engines • Equipped with automatic transmissions • 2 sets of keys with fobs • All weather winter rated tires • Full size spare tire • Anti-theft system • Command Start • Exterior Color – preferred white (optional), other colors may be acceptable if specifications are met. Vendor is required to provide detailed specification and warranty sheets for each unit in their proposal. 2.3 Context The Vendor is expected to complete the table(s) in Appendix B and include additional information that may not be included in the tables(s). Vendor may bid on one or all the requirements in this RFQ. Response(s) shall be evaluated based on those items that can be supplied that meets our requirements and our latest delivery date of March 31, 2024. Successful Vendor MUST provide NVIS information prior to delivery for registration purposes. 3.0 PROPOSAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES 3.1 Proposal Format To facilitate ease of evaluation by the Evaluation Team, and to ensure each Proposal receives full consideration, Proposals should be organized in the following format using the section titles and sequence listed below: a) Proposal to Scope of Work (2.0); b) Legal and Contact Information; c) Pricing Additional information may be included at the Vendor’s discretion, but this must not detract from the ability of AFSC to easily reference information for evaluation purposes. 3.2 Proposal Submissions Vendors must submit an email soft copy of their Proposal via email to (RFP@afsc.ca) prior to the closing date July 11, 2023, 1:00 PM MST of this Request for Quote. The file must be less than 10MB in order for AFSC to receive the Vendor’s submission. If the file is larger than 10MB, it must be divided into a sufficient number of files such that each file is less than 10MB. In responding to this Competitive Bid, your attention is drawn to the following: • Proposals received after this Competitive Bid’s closing date and time will be rejected. • Proposals received not in the order outlined above in Section 3.1 may not be evaluated further. • Ambiguous, repetitive, unclear or unreadable Proposals may be cause for rejection. • Proposals may be delivered by hand, courier, email or mail. 3.3 Blackout Period With respect to the Competitive Bid, AFSC prohibits communications initiated by a Vendor to any AFSC employee, other than the Purchasing Department, for the period of time from the submission date of the Competitive Bid up to and including the date of contract award resulting from this Competitive Bid. Any communication between a Vendor and AFSC during the Blackout Period will be initiated by AFSC, in writing, for the purpose of obtaining information or clarification necessary in order to ensure a proper and accurate evaluation of the Proposal. Any communication initiated by a Vendor during the Blackout Period may be grounds for disqualifying the offending Vendor from further consideration for the acquisition and/or any future AFSC solicitations. AFSC will notify all Vendors upon award of a purchase order or contract from this requisition. Accordingly, Vendors are asked to refrain from requesting status updates during the proposal evaluation process. Vendors who are currently engaged in an active contract with AFSC may continue to communicate directly with the AFSC Representative or Contract Monitor as it relates to activities covered under the active contract. 3.4 Legal and Contact Information The Proposal must contain: a) The full legal name of the Vendor. b) The location of the Vendor’s head office and service centers. c) A Vendor contact for all questions and clarifications arising from the Proposal. The Proposal must include: Individuals Name: Vendor Address: Position Title: Telephone: Fax: Email: d) Vendor contact authorized to participate in Contract finalizations. The Proposal must include: Individuals Name: Vendor Address: Position Title: Telephone: Fax: Email: 4.0. PRICING AFSC is requesting that the Vendor complete the table below (edit table as needed). Vendor is required to provide detailed specification and warranty sheets for each unit in their proposal. All pricing should be in Canadian dollars and should be valid for a minimum of six (6) months from date of proposal. Vehicle (Make, Model, Color etc.) Qty Available Unit Price Shipping Cost to Lacombe Grand Total Estimated Time of Arrival 4.1 G. S. T. and Harmonized Sales Tax Certification Clause This is to certify that the services ordered or purchased are for the use of, and are being purchased by AFSC with Crown funds, and are therefore not subject to the goods and services and harmonized sales tax.  5.0 EVALUATION AFSC will evaluate Responses based on the following categories: a) Pricing b) Specifications c) Estimated Time of Arrival d) Availability of stock   6.0 APPENDICES The following Appendices are included with this Competitive Bid: 6.1 Appendix A: Question and Answer Template 6.2 Appendix B: Vehicle Specifications