Your Response

Closed
Due

Response submission period has closed. Please contact us if you think this is a mistake.

Need help? +1 225-678-6107

Town of Washington Louisiana Manufacture and Installation of Cremation Niches

Published
ADDENDUM #1
The due date for proposals has been extended until May 13, 2022, at 3:00 p.m.  Email notice to registered proposers has been sent out.  

There is no fee to register or to submit a proposal.  By registering through this portal, https://lamats.eauctionservices.com, you will have access to the RFP specifications and will receive automatic email notification of any addendums or changes to the solicitation.
1.  Review carefully all electronic instructions and Attachments
2.  Prepare your proposal in accordance with the proposal format provided
3.  Complete all tasks in the Tasks bar 
4.  Submit your proposal and any required documentation by uploading it through this portal no later than Friday, May 6 May 13, 2022, at 3:00 pm. 
5.  The winning proposer will be required to pay a $500 Electronic Administrative fee upon the completion of a written contract prior to commencement of work.  
1. BACKGROUND
The Town of Washington, Louisiana is responsible for the administration and upkeep of the Cedar Hill Cemetery located at 702 Cedar Hill Drive in Washington, LA.  The town seeks proposals from qualified management companies to install and to manage cremation niches at the cemetery.
2. SCOPE OF WORK

The Town of Washington is seeking proposals from qualified companies for site design work, purchase, installation, and management of cremation niches at Cedar Hill Cemetery, located at 702 Cedar Hill Drive, Washington, LA. The detailed scope of work for this project can be found in Attachment A.

This RFP contains instructions governing the requirements for a proposal and includes the material to be included with the proposal, and how the proposal is to be submitted to the Town of Washington for consideration. This RFP also addresses the requirements that proposers must meet to be eligible for consideration, as well as addressing proposers' responsibilities.

Proposers assume responsibility for comprehending the entire RFP. If clarification is desired, it is the responsibility of the proposer to submit questions, in writing, to the Town of Washington designees listed below.  It is the proposer's responsibility to ensure that all procedures and requirements of the RFP are accurately followed and appropriately addressed. The proposer should carefully read the entire RFP before submitting a proposal.
3. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS
Submission of Proposals is by electronic submission only on this portal.  Unless the deadline is extended, proposals are due on Friday, May 6, 2022, at 3:00 pm local time.  Proposals will be unsealed electronically by the LACPC Commission Administrator, certified, and transmitted to the Town of Washington.      
4. OFFER ACCEPTANCE PERIOD
Submitted proposals shall constitute an irrevocable offer for ninety (90) calendar days from the proposal opening date, even if the Town of Washington seeks negotiations, clarifications, best and final offers or makes one or more counteroffers.

5. REJECTION OF PROPOSALS
The Town of Washington in its sole discretion, expressly reserves the right to reject any or all proposals or portions thereof, to reissue a Request for Proposal, and to waive informalities, minor irregularities, discrepancies, and any other matter or shortcoming.  Where the town is unable to reach agreement with the 1st ranked proposer, the town reserves the right to conclude negotiations and to commence negotiations with the 2nd ranked or 3rd ranked proposer as the case may be.  

6. PROPOSAL PRICE
The prices submitted in the proposal shall include everything necessary to execute and complete the project including, but not limited to, an hourly rate for design services, a cost for proposed niche units, management, supervision, labor, and service. The Town of Washington will evaluate the total price for the basic requirements with any options(s) exercised at the time of award. Evaluation of options will not obligate the Town of Washington to exercise the option(s).

7. TERM OF AGREEMENT                                                                                    The initial term of the Agreement, if awarded, is expected to be one (1) year.  The term of this Agreement may, if mutually agreed upon in writing, be extended by (1) one-year increments for a total of five (5) additional years in accordance with a written contract for services.  During extension periods, all terms and conditions of any agreement shall remain in effect.

8. AWARD OF AGREEMENT
The Town of Washington will make the award to a responsible Proposer whose proposal is the most advantageous to the Town with respect to design drawings, price, conformance to the specifications, quality, and other factors as evaluated by the town. The Town of Washington is not required or constrained to award an agreement to a proposer proposing the lowest price.

The Town of Washington may award an agreement based on initial offers received, without discussion; therefore, each initial offer should contain the proposer's best terms from a cost and technical standpoint.

9. PROPOSAL CONFIDENTIALITY
Each Proposer agrees that the contents of each proposal submitted in response to this RFP is confidential, proprietary, and constitutes trade secret information as to all technical and financial data, and waives any right of access to such proposals, except as provided for by law. No information will be given regarding any proposals or evaluation progress until after an award is made except as provided by law.
10. QUESTIONS
All inquiries concerning this request shall be submitted in writing and received by the Town of Washington in a timely manner at least 5 days prior to the proposal submission deadline.  Questions should be in writing and directed to:  

Halli Polotzola, Town Clerk
405 North Washington St. Washington, LA 70589
hpolotzola@townofwashingtonla.net
Proposers should consider Town Clerk Halli Polotzola as the first and prime point of contact on all matters related to the procedures associated with this RFP. If additional information is needed, Mayor Dwight Landreneau will work with the Proposer and with the various offices of the Town of Washington to gather that information.
Technical assistance, if required, should be directed to:
Paul Holmes, Electronic Administrator, 700 North Tenth Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70802, LACPC@lamats.net.
11. INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING PROPOSALS
To aid in the evaluation process, all responses should substantially comply with the items and sequence as presented below. Proposals should be specific and complete in every detail, and prepared in a simple and straightforward manner.

Cover Letter

The proposal Cover letter should be attached to the front of the proposal and shall include the following information/statements:

1. That your company agrees to all the terms and conditions of the RFP.

2. That your company agrees to execute a contract, if awarded.

3. Describe the company, organization, officers or partners, number of employees, and operating policies that would affect this Agreement.

4. State the number of years your organization has been continuously engaged in business. (Proposers are required to have been in business for a minimum of five years from the date of this RFP, providing the services offered in the proposer's proposal, to be eligible for participation in this RFP.)

5. Include the contact person for the solicitation process and the person's phone, fax, and email information.

Submission Requirements

To provide objective criteria that can be used in determining various firms' abilities, the Town requests that you address the following items in the order presented, taking no more than fifteen (15) pages to do so. Do not forget to download, complete and submit Attachment B, Certification, with your proposal.  

Business Information - 5 points

1. Provide a brief history of the firm. Including size; areas of expertise and number of years your organization been in business under its present business name.

2. List any other names your firm has operated under.

3. If your firm is a corporation, provide the following information: date of corporation; State of incorporation; president's name; vice president's name; secretary's name; and Treasurer's name.

4. If the firm is a partnership, provide the following information: date of organization; type of partnership; and name{s) of general partner{s).

5. If the firm is individually owned, provide the following information: date of organization; and name of owner.

Personnel Information - 10 points

6. List the name{s), position(s) and responsibilities of the individual(s) who will be assigned to the City's project. Provide resumes for each.

7. Describe the experience of the assigned individual(s) as it relates to successfully meeting the objectives of the project. Demonstrated experience is highly desirable and will weigh significantly in selection.

Project Information/Technical Proposal - 50 points

8. State your firm's understanding of the project.

9. List additional services, if any, your firm would provide in addition to those listed above.

10. Provide draft site plans and product information you propose to use on this project.

11. Show proof of manufacturing location for niche units you propose to use.

12. List your proposed compensation structure for the products and services described above and include the hourly cost for design services.

13. Provide a timeline for accomplishment of the tasks.

14. Identify the support, information, and other needs that your firm will require to successfully complete this project.

References and Past Projects - 15 points

15. List three business references for your firm with names, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail address. Include a short one-paragraph summary of the types of service your firm has provided such persons.

16. Provide a list of three or more projects with brief descriptions which demonstrate the firm's ability to complete projects of this sort. Accompanying photos and site plans are acceptable and do not count toward the 15-page limit.

17. Has your organization ever failed to complete any contract awarded to it?

18. Within the past five (5) years, has any officer or principal of your organization ever served as an officer or principal of another organization when it failed to complete a contract?

19. Are there any judgments, claims, arbitration proceedings, or lawsuits pending or outstanding against your organization or its officers?

20. Has your organization filed any lawsuits or requested arbitration regarding any contracts within the last five (5) years?

21. Has any owner made a claim against you, which has resulted in arbitration or litigation with the past five (5) years?

22. Has your organization or any of its officers or owners ever been convicted of a crime, or are they presently the target of any criminal or administrative investigation?

23. Has your organization or any of its officers or owners ever been disqualified, suspended, or debarred from a contract with any Federal, State, or local government entity?

If the answer to any questions 15 through 21 is yes, please provide details as an attachment.
Price/Costs Estimates -- 20 points  
24.  Please identify (itemize) all direct costs to the Town and where the funds will be applied.
25.  Please identify (itemize) all indirect costs the Town may incur over year one to year five of operations.
26.  Please describe all ownership interests in the completed project after year five of any agreement.  
12. PROCUREMENT PROCESS

The Town of Washington reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, or portions thereof. The selection of a successful Proposer, if any, will be made based upon which proposal the Town determines would best meet its requirements and needs.

13. PROPOSER LIST AND QUALIFICATION EVALUATION

After the established date for receipt of proposals, a listing of submitting Proposers will be available for public inspection. Qualifications and proposals submitted by interested Proposers will be reviewed and evaluated based on the evaluation factors set forth in the RFP.

14. PROPOSER INVESTIGATION

The Town of Washington will make such investigations as it considers necessary to obtain full information on the Proposers selected for discussions, and each Proposer shall cooperate fully in such investigations.

15. SELECTION AND EVALUATION PROCESS AND CRITERIA

Proposals received that conform to the proposal instructions will be evaluated by a selection committee, which will decide on a number of those proposals, conduct reference checks, and invite the firms with the prevailing proposals to be interviewed. Following the interviews, the management team, based on the comments and scoring of the selection committee, will select the firm judged to be best suited to accomplish the project scope and recommend that the Town negotiate a contract with that firm. The Town reserves the right to select one proposal, to make no selection from the respondents, or to solicit additional proposals.

Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria:

1. Proposer's experience with other projects similar in scope.

2. Firm's demonstrated ability to successfully provide related assistance to a municipality or other similar entity.

3. Proposer's professional credentials and affiliations indicating their capabilities to provide services of this nature, size, and scope.

4. Fees and Compensation.

5. Relevant experience and credentials of the proposer's personnel assigned to this project.

6. Quality of the submitted proposals in terms of content, relevance, organization, and presentation.

7. Conformance of the proposals to the submission requirements.

8. Response of the references.

9. Ability of the firm to meet the timeline set for the planning process.

10. Proposer's evidence of financial stability.
11. Cost

16. GENERAL CONTRACTUAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This Agreement will be subject to approval by the Town Council, and, if such approval is not granted this Agreement, shall be void and neither party shall have any further obligations or liabilities hereunder.  The Town will not reimburse or otherwise compensate any person or firm for the costs and expenses incurred by such person or firm.