Formal  bids  and  proposals  are  advertised  on  the  Town’s website, and are available for download by going to the “Procurement” page on the Town’s website at http://www.southwestranches.org/procurement.  In addition, advertisements for formal solicitations may also be  found  in  the  classi­fied section of the South Florida Sun Sentinel newspaper.

Procedures regarding verbal and written quotes are as follows: Purchases $1,000 – $2,500: Two (2) verbal quotes. A claim voucher by department head and written approval by town administrator. Purchases $2,500 – $25,000: Three (3) written quotes required. Purchases equal to or greater than $25,000 require a formal competitive solici­tation and approval by the Town Council prior to vendor award.

Splitting  orders  to  avoid  Town  policy  requirements  is strictly prohibited.

These are a few commonly used terms: Bid: An offer submitted by a prospective vendor in response to an Invitation for  Bid.  The  Town awards contracts  to  the  most  responsive and responsible bidder. Proposal: An offer submitted by a prospective vendor in response to a Request for Proposal. Price is  normally  only one factor in the award for a proposal. In addition to price, the Town may consider quality of  service  provided,  past  vendor experience , qualifications of vendor personnel and other applicable  criteria.  Proposals  are  normally  evaluated by an Evaluation Committee, and the criterion to be used are defined in the bid documents. The proposal is awarded to the vendor that provides the proposal that is most advantageous to the Town. Bidder: One who submits a response to an Invitation for Bid. Proposer, Proponent or Offeror: One who  submits a proposal in response to a Request for Proposal.

The Town Credit Card Program is designed to improve efficiency in processing small dollar purchases from any vendor that accepts a credit card. As a vendor, you have the following responsibilities related  to  the  acceptance  of  a  Town Credit Card: Do  not  charge  Florida  sales tax –   the Town is a tax­ exempt entity. Provide a receipt for the purchase at the time of purchase. All items purchased  must be in  stock – no back orders are allowed. All items purchased by telephone or over the Internet must be delivered at one time, and  within the 30-day  card billing cycle which ends  on  the  9th  of  each  month. Do not accept the order if you can’t meet this criteria. Shipping charges must be included in the quoted price.

Yes, besides the differing bid thresholds, bidders on construction projects may be required to provide additional information with their bids. Some of the requirements may include the following: Bid Bond: An insurance agreement along with a monetary commitment wherein a Surety company accepts liability and guarantees the bidder won’t withdraw the bid ; will furnish performance and payment bonds  as  required, and if awarded, will accept the contract as bid. Performance and Payment Bonds: These bonds are executed after the contract is awarded. The Performance Bond protects the Town against any loss due to a vendor’s or contractor’s inability to complete the contract as agreed. A Payment Bond is utilized to ensure the payment of sub-contractors and suppliers in the event that the vendor or contractor is unable to pay them. Contractor License: Vendors and contractors must show proof that they  have been licensed  by the State of Florida or by Broward County Florida to perform required construction services. License requirements are usually identified in the Invitation to Bid document.

No, while a bid is being solicited, and until an award recommendation is made,  bidders  are  requested to only contact the Procurement Division representative handling the solicitation, who will seek clarification from the department. In some instances, questions   must   be   submitted   electronically   through the  Bids&Tenders™  electronic procurement system by the deadline provided in the individual solicitation. Clarifications will be issued in writing by the Procurement Division by use of a formal bid addendum. In addition, there may be an opportunity to receive a clarification during a pre-bid conference, which is a meeting held with prospective bidders prior to the receipt of bids to clarify bid information, answer bidder questions and ensure all bidders have a common understanding of the requirements of the bid. Some pre-bid conferences may be mandatory, and under those circumstances, bids will only be accepted from those vendors who attended the pre-bid conference. Finally, lobbying of any Town employee or elected official is strictly prohibited by Town code, during the solicitation of any bid or proposal. Please note that the Town may provide vendors with the option to attend certain conferences virtually through online meeting software.

Each bid and proposal will include a specified date, time, and place for submittal. Bids must be ELECTRONICALLY returned to the Procurement Division through the   Bids&Tenders™ system prior to the date and time specified. Bids or proposals received late will not be accepted by the software or considered by the Town. It is highly recommended that bidders or proposers allow an adequate amount of time in advance of the opening date and time to submit their response, as the Town will not be responsible for any technical issues associated with a last-minute response submittal. The Town will normally hold a bid opening ceremony for Invitations for Bids, and Requests for Proposals.  A bid opening is a formal ceremony in which sealed bids are publicly opened, usually in the presence of one or more witnesses at the time and place specified in the Bids/Proposals.  The pricing may be read aloud, and  a formal  bid  tabulation will be created shortly thereafter. The bid tabulation will then be electronically posted for public inspection on the Procurement page of the Town’s website.

If you will be performing work on Town property, you must provide proof of insurance. Vendors must have an approved copy of their current certificate of insurance on file with the Procurement Division prior to starting work. The insurance certificate must comply with the Town’s insurance requirements and shall name the Town of Southwest Ranches as an “additional insured”. A purchase order or agreement will not be issued if the insurance certificate does not meet established criteria. The required insurance certificate must be issued by an insurance company that is properly licensed, duly authorized business in the State of Florida and meets minimum qualifications based on the most current edition of A.M. Best’s Insurance Guide.

All bidders and proposers will be required to submit a current federal Form W-9, and will be required to certify that they are in compliance with the requirements of State of Florida Statutes 287.135 and 215.473, which  certifies  that the vendor is not on a Scrutinized Companies and Boycott Israel List, not on the Scrutinized Companies  with  Activities in Sudan List, and not the Scrutinized Companies with Activities in the Iran Petroleum Energy Sector List, nor has the vendor been engaged in business operations in Syria. Vendors responding to formal solicitations will be able to check that they comply with these statutes as part of their electronic responses, however, vendors may be required to provide a separate certification on a form provided by the Town. Each successful vendor will also be obligated to comply with   the   provisions   of   Florida   Statutes 448 . 0 9 5 “Employment Eligibility,”, which includes but is not limited to the required utilization of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify System to verify the work authorization status of all newly hired employees, which will also apply to any sub-contractors. See the VENDOR APPLICATION button on the Procurement page for more information.