SLED Opportunity · SOUTH CAROLINA · RICHLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT TWO
AI Summary
Richland School District Two seeks bids for Group Term Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance services for active employees and retirees. The contract term is one year starting July 1, 2026, with options to renew. Bids are due April 13, 2026, and must meet specified coverage, reporting, and compliance requirements.
The purpose of this solicitation is to competitively obtain bids to acquire services which complies with the enclosed description and/or specifications and conditions for the following project: Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, 25-2649.
Addendum #1_ Questions and Answers
The solicitation may be amended at any time prior to opening. Addenda notifications will be emailed to all persons on record as following this IFB. Failure of any bidder to receive any such addenda or interpretation shall not relieve such bidder from any obligation under their bid as submitted. Offerors shall acknowledge receipt of any amendment to this solicitation by confirming receipt within the OpenGov Procurement system.
Richland School District Two, hereafter referred to as District, is accepting bids from qualified companies, hereafter referred to as Vendor, to provide Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, The District shall award this service to only one (1) LOT and to one (1) Vendor.
The term of this contract shall be one year, beginning in July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027. There shall be an option to automatically renew for four (4) additional one-year periods unless either party provides, in writing, ninety (90) days prior to the renewal date their intent not to renew. The total contract term shall not exceed beyond June 30, 2031.
No contract may be assigned, sublet, or transferred without the written consent of the school district.
Award(s) will be made to the lowest responsive and responsible Offeror who meets district standards. Award(s) will be posted on the District’s e-Procurement Portal, OpenGov and will be electronically distributed to all those following the project.
As used in these instructions, the terms listed below are defined as follows:
All applicable laws, regulations, ordinances, etc. shall be deemed to be part of these specifications, and the specifications shall be read and enforced as though they were included.
Bids shall be based on three (3) coverage levels LOTS.
LOT 1
| CLASS | DESCRIPTION OF CLASS | LIFE BENEFIT | A&D BENEFIT |
| I | All active, benefits eligible, permanent employees | $15,000 | $15,000 |
| II | Retirees | An amount equal to the benefit amount the person was insured for prior to retirement (which was 1 times base annual earnings) ** This only applies to retirees as of June 30, 2026 to be grandfathered in until the date in which they age out of the policy, no longer pay the premium, or decease. All retirees as of 7/1/26 will not be offered the option to continue group coverage in retirement. | - 0 - |
LOT 2
| CLASS | DESCRIPTION OF CLASS | LIFE BENEFIT | A&D BENEFIT |
| I | All active, benefits eligible, permanent employees | $25,000 | $25,000 |
| II | Retirees | An amount equal to the benefit amount the person was insured for prior to retirement (which was 1 times base annual earnings) ** This only applies to retirees as of June 30, 2026 to be grandfathered in until the date in which they age out of the policy, no longer pay the premium, or decease. All retirees as of 7/1/26 will not be offered the option to continue group coverage in retirement. | - 0 - |
LOT 3
| CLASS | DESCRIPTION OF CLASS | LIFE BENEFIT | A&D BENEFIT |
| I | All active, benefits eligible, permanent employees | $50,000 | $50,000 |
| II | Retirees | An amount equal to the benefit amount the person was insured for prior to retirement (which was 1 times base annual earnings) ** This only applies to retirees as of June 30, 2026 to be grandfathered in until the date in which they age out of the policy, no longer pay the premium, or decease. All retirees as of 7/1/26 will not be offered the option to continue group coverage in retirement. | - 0 - |
Every resulting contract is subject to all terms of the District Procurement Code including limitations as to duration, rights of the District to terminate and means of dispute resolution. No resulting contract is renewable except to the extent provided in the solicitation. No vendor terms take precedence over the solicitation and the District's Procurement Code.
If an alternate offer is submitted other than the specified make and model requested in the solicitation, please enter the manufacturer/brand and catalog number of item(s) proposed and prices quoted for each item in the offer.
Bids are awarded to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder with the ability to meet the district needs as set forth in this solicitation, unless deemed otherwise by written determination. Notice regarding any award, cancellation of award, or extension of award will be emailed to all Offerors.
This type of policy must be Group Term Life and AD&D Insurance. It must duplicate all the pertinent features of the present contract; contain a “Take-Over” provision for all presently enrolled employees and retirees.
Waiver of premium is NOT included in the contract; there is no waiver of premium claims.
Conversion must be available for group term life when active employees or retirees after 7/1/26 resign.
Retiree coverage currently ends at age 75. Conversion must be available for group term life when retiree coverage ends.
Group Term Life and AD&D insurance premiums must be based on a unisex composite rate per $1,000 per month, which is 100% paid by The District for class I. The premiums for class II are 100% paid by the retiree.
The District will pay premiums monthly and provide a total number of insured lives and volume of coverage to the company. The insurance company shall accept the monthly remittance as payment in full with no further reconciliation required. The District will submit monthly premiums based on the flat coverage rate amounts for active employees and not apply the age reduction to reporting to ease the burden of administration. Upon completion of a claim by the District, the coverage amount will be reported appropriately based on any age reductions applicable.
The District will not be required to collect enrollment forms.
The District will collect beneficiary forms. For employees and retirees that do not complete an updated form, the carrier agrees to accept the previous carriers’ beneficiary form that is on file. Electronic signatures must be accepted.
The vendor and all representatives of the vendor must have an acceptable background check to enter school property. At a minimum, the Offeror shall obtain a complete South Carolina statewide criminal background investigation and a National Sex Offender Registry check for all individuals and employees performing work or services for Offeror or any other entities such as subofferors, sub-sub-offerors, and consultants who will perform work or a service on this project. Any individual that is registered as a sex offender will not be permitted on school property. All costs associated with these criminal background checks are the responsibility of the offeror. The District reserves the right to request a copy of SLED checks on any representatives of the Vendor who will be on District property. The District reserves the right to deny access to any employee, offeror or person caused to be present on District property by the vendor/offeror. Removal of employees on this basis shall not disrupt the project schedule or cost.
Bids, amendments, or a withdrawal request received after the time advertised for the solicitation opening/closing will be void regardless of when they were submitted.
Upon award of a contract under this solicitation, the person, partnership, association, or corporation to whom the award is made must comply with the laws of South Carolina which require such person or entity to be authorized and/or licensed to do business in the State of South Carolina. Notwithstanding the fact that applicable statutes may exempt or exclude the successful Offeror from requirements that the Offeror is authorized and/or licensed to do business in this state, by submission of this signed offer, the Offeror agrees to subject itself to the jurisdiction and process of the courts of South Carolina as to all matters, and disputes arising or to arise under the contract and the performance thereof, including any questions as to the liability for taxes, licenses, or fees levied by the State. The contract shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the State of South Carolina. The School District may seek attorney’s fees and Offeror agrees to pay such fees as awarded by the Court or other body. No attorney’s fees may be sought by, nor will be paid to, the Offeror.
Bids may be withdrawn through the District's e-Procurement Portal. The responding firm may “unsubmit” their proposal in OpenGov Procurement. After withdrawing a previously submitted bid, the responding firm may submit another bid at any time up to the deadline for submitting bids, prior to the bid opening. In order to withdraw Your Offer after the minimum period specified following the bid opening, you must notify the Procurement Director in writing.
Exhibit A: Active Employee Census (as of February 28, 2026), Exhibit B: Retiree Census (as of February 28, 2026) and Exhibit C: Financial Experience Report (July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025), are attached for reference.
The plan shall have the following minimum requirements:
1. The current number of covered lives for active and the lives/volume of coverage for retirees is as follows:
Class I: 3,723
Class II: 95 and 5,889,000
2. The premiums are 100% paid by Richland School District Two for Class I. The premiums are 100% paid by the retiree for Class II.
3. Age reduction rules apply:
Class I: On the plan anniversary following the date the employee reaches age 65, but not age 70, the amount of life insurance will be 65% of the amount the employee had prior to age 65 or 65% of the amount of life insurance shown above if he/she becomes insured on or after age 65 but before age 70.
On the plan anniversary following the date the employee reaches 70 or more, the amount of life insurance will be 40% of the life insurance the employee had prior to the first reduction or 40% of the amount of life insurance shown above if he/she becomes insured on or after age 70.
Class II: On the plan anniversary following the date the employee reaches age 65, but not age 70, the amount of life insurance will be 65% of the amount the retiree has in effect just prior to the date of retirement.
On the plan anniversary following the date the retiree reaches age 70 or more, the amount of life insurance will be 40% of the amount the retiree has in effect just prior to the date of retirement. If the employee has reached age 75 or more, the amount of life insurance will terminate.
5. Carrier accepts claim documentation via fax or mail and they do not require a claimant’s statement or claimant signature prior to adjudicating the claim.
6. Current plan’s accidental and death benefit includes several enhancements and added services, such as but not limited to: Repatriation, Seatbelt and/or Air Bag benefit, Education Benefit, Child Care Benefit, Coma Benefit and Felonious Benefit.
Richland School District Two intends to award a contract resulting from this Solicitation (Invitation for Bid) to the lowest responsive and responsible offeror whose offer is determined to be the most advantageous to the District unless determined otherwise by written justification of District staff. The District shall be the sole judge of whether or not an offer meets the requirements of this solicitation. Award shall be made to only one Offeror.
Tie Bids. If two or more bidders are tied in price while otherwise meeting all of the required conditions, awards are determined as follows:
(a) If there is a South Carolina firm tied with an out-of-state firm, the award must be made automatically to the South Carolina firm.
(b) Tie bids involving South Carolina produced or manufactured products, when known, and items produced or manufactured out of the State must be resolved in favor of the South Carolina commodity.
(c) Tie bids involving South Carolina firms must be resolved in favor of the South Carolina firm located in the District.
(d) Tie bids involving South Carolina firms in the District must be resolved by the flip of a coin in the office of the chief financial officer or his designee witnessed by all interested parties.
(e) In all other situations where bids are tied, the award will be made by the District to the tied bidder offering the quickest delivery time, or if the bidders have offered the same delivery time, the tie shall be resolved by the flip of a coin in the office of the chief financial officer or his designee witnessed by all interested parties.
(1) a Record of Negotiations, if any, executed by you and the Procurement Officer;
(2) the solicitation, as amended;
(3) documentation of clarifications [11-35-1520(8)] or discussions [11-35-1530(6)] of an offer, if applicable;
(4) your offer; and
(5) any statement reflecting the State's final acceptance (a/k/a "award"),
(6) purchase orders.
These documents shall be read to be consistent and complimentary. Any conflict among these documents shall be resolved by giving priority to these documents in the order listed above. (b) The terms and conditions of documents (1) through (5) above shall apply notwithstanding any additional or different terms and conditions in any other document, including without limitation, (i) a purchase order or other instrument submitted by the District, (ii) any invoice or other document submitted by Contractor, or (iii) any privacy policy, terms of use, or end user agreement. Except as otherwise allowed herein, the terms and conditions of all such documents shall be void and of no effect. Any document signed or otherwise agreed to by persons other than the Superintendent of Chief Business Official shall be void and of no effect.
The school district reserves the right to call for representative samples. Sample(s), when required, must be submitted in accordance with the conditions and instructions cited in the body of the solicitation notice.
The Vendor shall have a designated full-time implementation team to service this account. The Vendor’s entire implementation team members shall have participated, as team members, in the implementation of a life insurance program for at least one other client with at least 3,000 members. The Vendor’s implementation team shall include a full-time, designated project manager ready to begin work immediately following the Contract Effective Date. The team shall also include an account manager dedicated to this Contract, who will be the main contact with the District for all day-to-day matters relating to the implementation and ongoing operations. The Vendor shall also assign a backup to the account manager. All implementation team members shall be available as needed during the implementation as well as thirty (30) days after the go-live date.
The Vendor shall provide and maintain qualified personnel and staffing to provide all contractual deliverables and services.
The Vendor shall ensure that all staff; including the Vendor’s employees, independent Vendors, consultants, and subVendors performing services has the experience and qualifications to perform the applicable services.
The Vendor shall designate an account manager and a back-up with overall responsibility for the service. The account manager shall serve as the single point of contact for the District and have overall responsibility for the Vendor’s functions under the Contract. The account manager shall have the authority to resolve problems on behalf of the Vendor with the District.
The Vendor shall notify in writing to the District at least fifteen (15) Business Days in advance of changes in account manager assigned to our group.
Unless otherwise indicated in this solicitation, it is understood and agreed that any item offered or shipped under the terms of this offer shall be new and in first class condition, that all be new and suitable for storage or shipment, and that prices include standard commercial packaging.
In case of default of the Offeror, the school district reserves the right to purchase any or all items in default in the open market, charging the Offeror with any excessive cost. Should such charge be assessed, no subsequent bids of the defaulting Offeror will be considered until the assessed charge has been satisfied.
By submitting Your Offer, you are offering to enter into a contract with Richland School District Two. Without further action by either party, a binding contract shall result upon final award of this solicitation. Any award issued will be issued to, and the contract will be formed with, the entity identified as the Offeror. Joint Bids are not allowed – an offer may be submitted by only one legal entity. A Purchase Order shall be issued by the District and shall give Offeror the right to proceed with this contract offer.
The school district reserves the right to reject any offer that contains prices for individual items or services that are inconsistent or unrealistic when compared to other prices in the same or other offers if such action would be in the best interest of the school district. Ambiguous offers which are uncertain as to terms, delivery, quantity, or compliance with specifications may be rejected or otherwise disregarded. The right is reserved to reject any offer in which the delivery time indicated is considered sufficient to delay the operation for which the project or service is intended.
The school district reserves the right to waive any instruction, condition, or minor specification when considered to be in the best interest of the school district.
All services, materials, supplies, or equipment offered must be guaranteed to meet the requirements of the specification indicated, given, or referred to. In order to define requirements for quality and function of manufactured products, the specifications are based upon products of manufacturers as listed. Unless otherwise indicated, alternate or substitute items for offer are acceptable, but must be of equal quality and/or aesthetic value to what is specified.
COMMUNICATIONS/MATERIALS
The Vendor shall, in consultation with the District, develop Member information and communication materials. All material must have approval by the District prior to distribution. Vendor shall ensure that all Member materials and other communications meet any state or federal regulatory compliance (e.g., Civil Rights Compliance), if applicable. The Vendor shall develop all materials in conformance with the style, formatting and other related standards developed by the District.
Materials could include, but are not limited to, Member handbooks, welcome packet, Certificates of Coverage, administrative forms, letters, emails, manuals, brochures, flyers, webinars, text messages, website copy, website images, mobile app and app content, social media content, PowerPoints, training materials, marketing materials specific to the Program and videos.
Marketing/segmenting: Vendor may offer or suggest marketing and communications based on segmentation of population (e.g., demographics, geography, etc.). Vendor may provide data to address paths and barriers to engagement.
Personalization of materials and digital communications may be an option upon request.
The Vendor shall submit reports to the District electronically, in the format specified by the District. The District reserves the right to modify reporting requirements as deemed necessary to monitor the service. The District will provide the Vendor with at least ninety (90) days’ notice prior to implementation of a report modification or a new report. The Vendor shall comply with the District modifications to the reporting requirements by the end of the ninety (90) day period from the notice.
As required by the Contract, the Vendor shall submit Management Reports to the District. The reports shall be used by the District to assess the Plan costs and paid claims. All reports shall be submitted in Microsoft Excel format, unless otherwise specified by the District, and shall be sent to the District via secure email.
Unless otherwise directed by the District, the Vendor shall submit reports as follows:
1) Semi-Annual Reports shall be submitted by January 20th and July 20th;
2) Annual reports shall be submitted within sixty (60) days after the end of the calendar year.
Note: Any report due on a Holiday or weekend will then be due on the following Business Day.
Reports shall include:
Claims Listing and Summary Report (submitted semi-annually)
Enrollment of lives by premium tier
Volume of premiums collected
Volume of incurred and paid claims with dollars paid
Loss Ratio
Turnaround time from receipt to payment of death and AD&D claims
Summary of issued conversion policies
Summary of approved accelerated benefit claims
Summary of AD&D supplemental benefit paid on claims
Summary of cause of death on life insurance claims
A year-to-date cumulative total for each item above which in the December report will be an annual summary
Annual Financial Statement for Basic Term Life/Basic AD&D
Richland School District Two has the right to audit the books and records of the vendors that pertain to this purchase order, both independent of, and pursuant to, the District Procurement Code. Such books and records shall be maintained for three (3) years from the date of final payment under the purchase order.
The District may conduct, or have conducted, performance audits of the vendor. The District may conduct, or have conducted, audits of specific requirements of this bid as determined necessary by the District.
Pertaining to all audits, vendor shall make available to the District access to its computer files containing the history of purchase order performance and all other documents related to the audit. Additionally, any software used by the vendor shall be made available for auditing purposes at no cost to the District.
A Bid Bond is a requirement of the bid submittals. The Bid security shall be 5% of the total bid price provided.
Delivery must be FOB destination freight prepaid unless otherwise specified herein. Delivery cost will be included in unit prices.
The successful Offeror will comply with all Federal and State requirements concerning fair employment and employment of the disabled, and concerning the treatment of all employees, without regard or discrimination by reason of race, color, religion, sex, national origin or disability.
All taxes, other than South Carolina sales tax, on any item that the school district may be required to pay must be shown separately and not included in the offer prices.
If you do not ask questions or clarify any assumptions, the District will assume that you agree with and understand the requirements in the solicitation. If, after examination of the various terms and conditions and requirements of this document, the Bidder believes there are any terms and conditions or requirements which remain unclear or which restrict competition, the Bidder must request, in writing, that District clarify the terms(s) and condition(s) and requirement(s) specified by the Respondent. The Bidder must provide the Section(s), Subsection(s), Paragraph(s), and page number(s) that identify the conditions or requirements questioned, in writing, via the OpenGov Procurement Question/Answer Tab on the District's e-Procurement portal, on or before, Thursday, March 26, 2026 by 12:00 pm.
The District may ask any or all respondents to elaborate or clarify specific points or portions of their response. Clarification may take the form of written responses to questions or meetings to discuss the solicitation and/or the participant’s response.
No questions may be directed to or contacts made with members of the Richland Two School District School Board, Superintendent, or any District staff not identified in this solicitation as points of contacts during the period of time that this solicitation is made public until the final selection is made, except as otherwise provided for herein. Violation of this prohibition will be subject to disqualification of the Bidder from further consideration.
The Vendor must demonstrate and provide the following:
The District reserves the right to consider historic information and fact, whether gained from the Offeror's bid, question and answer conferences, references, or any other source, in the review of a bid. Bidder acknowledges: (1) that the District will contact various persons who are familiar with the bidder's prior work and related matters, whether such persons are voluntarily disclosed to the District in this bid or not; (2) that truthful and complete information is necessary for the District to make an adequate review of bid; and (3) that bidder will not take any action against any person who responds truthfully and in good faith to a bonafide inquiry by the District for purposes of reviewing the bids received by the District under this solicitation.
Prices offered must be based upon payment in the thirty (30) days after delivery and acceptance. Discount for payment in less than thirty (30) days will not be considered in making award. Payment in connection with any discount offered will be computed from the time of acceptance.
Any pricing provided by Offeror shall include all costs for performing the work associated with that price. Offeror’s price shall be fixed for the duration of this contract, including option terms, except as otherwise provided in this solicitation. This clause does not prohibit Offeror from offering lower pricing after award.
Neither the District nor the Contractor shall be liable for any excess costs if failure to perform the contract arises out of causes beyond the control and without the fault or negligence of either party. Such causes may include, but not restricted to acts of God or of the public enemy, acts of government in either its sovereign or contractual capacity, fires, floods epidemics, quarantine, restrictions, strikes, freight embargos, and unusually severe weather conditions; but in every case, the failure to perform is caused beyond the control of both the District and the Contractor, and without the fault or negligence of either of them.
Offeror shall submit all required information as provided for in this solicitation. Offeror shall submit all other information and documents requested in this section and other sections of this IFB to include any appropriate attachments addressed.
By submitting an Offer, Offeror certifies that, if awarded a contract, Contractor will comply with all applicable provisions of The Drug-Free Workplace Act, Title 44, Chapter 107 of the South Carolina Code of Laws, as amended.
The successful Offeror shall indemnify and save harmless Richland School District Two and all its agents and employees, from all suits or claims of any character brought by reason of infringing on any patent, trademark, or copyright.
Any term or condition is void to the extent it requires the District to indemnify, defend, or pay attorney’s fees to anyone for any reason.
Contract Period begins: N/A.
To be eligible for award of a contract, a prospective offeror must be responsible. In evaluating an offeror’s responsibility, the District’s standards of responsibility and information from any other source may be considered. An Offeror must, upon request of the District, furnish satisfactory evidence of its ability to meet all contractual requirements. Unreasonable failure to supply information promptly in connection with a responsibility inquiry may be grounds for determining that the Offeror is not eligible to receive an award.
If the Offeror intends to subcontract with another business for any portion of the work and that portion exceeds 10% of the price, your offer must identify that subcontractor and the portion of work which they are to perform. Identify potential subcontractors by providing the business name, address, phone, taxpayer identification number, and point of contact. In determining your responsibility, the District may evaluate your proposed subcontractors.
Any resulting contract from this solicitation will begin on the date specified in the Statement of Award or Intent to Award. The contract period shall be for NO VALUE years with an option to renew for NO VALUEadditional one-year periods, upon satisfactory agreement between Richland Two and Offeror.
Any contract entered into by the District resulting from this solicitation shall be subject to cancellation without damages or further obligation when funds are not appropriated or otherwise made available to support continuation of performance in a subsequent fiscal period or appropriated period.
Offerors must, upon request of the school district, furnish satisfactory evidence of their ability to furnish products or services in accordance with the terms and conditions of these specifications. Officials of Richland School District Two may make such investigations as deemed necessary to determine the ability of the Offeror to perform such work. The school district reserves the right to make the final determination as to the Offeror’s ability to provide the products or services requested herein and to reject any Offeror if evidence fails to indicate that the Offeror is qualified to carry out the requirements of the solicitation document.
Richland School District Two will accept sealed bids via the District's e-Procurement Portal. A copy of the bid package is available on the District’s e-Procurement Portal, OpenGov Procurement. All bids will be received no later than 11:00 am on Monday, April 13, 2026. Bids will be publicly opened at this time. Late bids will not be accepted.
Unless otherwise provided in this Solicitation, the District shall pay the Offeror, after the submission of proper invoices or vouchers, the prices stipulated in this contract for supplies delivered and accepted or services rendered and accepted, less any deductions provided in this contract. Unless otherwise specified herein, including the purchase order, payment shall not be made on partial deliveries accepted by the District. Unless otherwise provided herein, including the purchase order, payment will be made by check mailed to the payment address provided. The District shall not be liable for the payment of interest on any debt or claim arising out of or related to this contract for any reason.
No pre-bid conference is scheduled. Bidders are encouraged to explore the project location to familiarize themselves with the needs of the area and the constraints of the project space.
Payment for goods and services received by the District shall be processed in accordance with the District Policy. A purchase order will be issued and must be referenced on all invoices presented for payment. Payment shall be Net 30. The District Accounts Payable staff processes checks on the 10th and 25th of each month. All invoices must be received at least one week prior to check processing date.
OFFEROR SHALL NOT PERFORM ANY WORK PRIOR TO THE RECEIPT OF A PURCHASE ORDER FROM THE DISTRICT. The District shall order any supplies or services to be furnished under this contract by issuing a purchase order. Purchase orders may be used to elect any options available under this contract, e.g., quantity, item, delivery date, payment method, but are subject to all terms and conditions of this contract. No other particular form is required.
A mandatory pre-bid conference will be held on NO VALUE, commencing promptly at NO VALUE, and will be held at:
NO VALUE
This pre-bid conference is denoted as “mandatory”, prospective bidders must be present in order to submit a bid response.
The purpose of the pre-bid conference is to allow an open forum for discussion and questioning with staff regarding the IFB with all prospective bidders having an equal opportunity to hear and participate. Oral questions will receive oral responses, neither of which will be official, nor become part of the IFB. Only written responses to written questions will be considered official, and will be included as part of the IFB.
A non-mandatory pre-bid conference will be held on NO VALUE, commencing promptly at NO VALUE, and will be held at:
NO VALUE
The purpose of the pre-bid conference is to allow an open forum for discussion and questioning with staff regarding the IFB with all prospective bidders having an equal opportunity to hear and participate. Oral questions will receive oral responses, neither of which will be official, nor become part of the IFB. Only written responses to written questions will be considered official, and will be included as part of the IFB.
Attendance is "Highly Recommended". All prospective bidders are strongly encouraged to attend, as this will be the only pre-bid conference for this solicitation.
The Contractor shall be responsible for safeguarding against loss, theft, or damage of all District property, materials, equipment, and accessories that might be exposed to the contractor’s personnel. Guns, knives, or other dangerous weapons shall not be allowed on campus. Smoking, alcohol and drugs are prohibited on the campus.
All prices and notifications shall be submitted through the District’s e-Procurement Portal. No offer shall be altered or amended after the specified time for opening.
Unless otherwise indicated in the solicitation, prices must be firm, if accepted by the school district, within sixty (60) days after the solicitation opening.
Unit prices will govern over extended prices unless otherwise stated.
THE AWARD WILL BE BASED ON THE LOWEST RESPONSIVE AND RESPONSIBLE BIDDER.
This solicitation is an Invitation for Bid (IFB). In the event the School District elects to negotiate a contract with the successful Offeror, any contract shall contain, at a minimum, the terms and conditions (or substantially the same terms and conditions) as hereinafter stated. The School District reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to reject all submissions, reissue a subsequent IFB, terminate, restructure or amend this procurement process at any time. The final selection and contract negotiation rests solely with the School District.
By submitting, the applicant certifies, to the best of its knowledge and belief that the applicant and/or any of its principals, sub grantees, or subcontractors are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, or declared ineligible for the award of contracts by any state or federal agency; have not, within a three-year period preceding this application, been convicted of or had a civil judgment rendered against them for: commission of fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a public (federal, state, or local) contract or subcontract; violation of federal or state antitrust statutes relating to the submission of offers; or commission of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification, or destruction of records, making false statements, tax evasion, or receiving stolen property; and are not presently indicted for, or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a governmental entity with, commission of any of the offenses enumerated above. Applicant has not, within a three –year period preceding this application, had one or more contracts terminated for default by any public (federal, state, or local) entity.
Subject to the conditions below, the District, providing a (30) thirty-day advance written notice is given to the vendor, may terminate the contract for any reason.
Offerors are to visibly mark as “CONFIDENTIAL” each part of their offer that they consider to be proprietary information.
A. A prospective bidder, offeror, contractor, or subcontractor who is aggrieved in connection with a solicitation shall protest to the Chief Business Official within fifteen days of the date of issuance of the Invitation For Bids or Requests for Proposals or other solicitation documents, whichever is applicable, or any amendment to it, if the amendment is at issue.
B. Any actual bidder, offeror, contractor, or subcontractor who is aggrieved in connection with the intended award or award of a contract shall notify the Chief Business Official in writing of its intent to protest within seven business days of the date that award or notification of intent to award, whichever is earlier, is posted. The actual protest must be filed within fifteen calendar days of the award or intended award.
The protest must be submitted in writing to the Chief Business Official, Nancy Williams, 124 Risdon Way, DO @ R2i2-3rd Fl., Columbia, SC 29223 or emailed to procurement@richland2.org. The protest must be in accordance to section 4210 of Richland School District Two Procurement's Code.
Contractor must provide the manufacturer’s standard written warranty upon delivery of product. Contractor warrants that manufacturer will honor the standard written warranty provided.
Each Offeror shall fully acquaint himself with conditions relating to the scope and restrictions attending the execution of the work under the conditions of this solicitation. It is expected that this will sometimes require on-site observation. The failure or omission of an Offeror to acquaint himself with existing conditions shall in no way relieve the Offeror of any obligation with respect to this solicitation or to the contract.
Please provide the following information for each person(s) authorized to submit a response on behalf of your organization:
Name
Title
Phone Number
Email Address
Provide a copy of your W9.
Provide address to which payment shall be sent.
If address is the “Same” as the Official Address - “Enter “SAME”.
Indicate if you are a South Carolina Certified Small and Minority Business.
Are you claiming this preference in accordance to the clause below.
Per section 1524 of the procurement code, certain resident preference can be claimed. A summary of the preferences is available at www.procurement.sc.gov/preferences. All the preferences must be claimed and are applied by line item, regardless of whether award is made by item or lot. Vendors are cautioned to carefully review the statute before claiming any preferences. The requirements to qualify have changed. If you request a preference, you are certifying that your offer qualifies for the preference you've claimed. Improperly requesting a preference can have serious consequences.
State which preference you are claiming and provide the supporting documentation.
EVERY RESULTING CONTRACT IS SUBJECT TO ALL TERMS OF THE DISTRICT PROCUREMENT CODE INCLUDING LIMITATIONS AS TO DURATION, RIGHTS OF THE DISTRICT TO TERMINATE AND MEANS OF DISPUTE RESOLUTION. NO RESULTING CONTRACT IS RENEWABLE EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT PROVIDED IN THE SOLICITATION. NO VENDOR TERMS TAKE PRECEDENCE OVER THE SOLICITATION AND DISTRICT PROCUREMENT CODE.
The Offeror must certify that the price quoted for the services to be provided is valid for a period of sixty (60) days from the date of the Offer.
By submitting a response to this solicitation, the Offeror certifies that this bid is made without prior understanding, agreement, or connection with any corporation, firm, or person submitting a bid for the same services, materials, supplies, or equipment, and is in all respect fair and without collusion and fraud. The Offeror agrees to abide by all conditions of this bid and certify that they are authorized to sign this bid for the bidder.
If accepted and awarded, this Offer shall serve as the Official Contract between the Offeror and Richland School District Two. A Purchase Order issued by Richland Two shall constitute the initial start of this Offer/Contract.
State your potential conflict of interest.
Please upload your bid bond.
Please indicate if your Company has ever been disbarred or suspended from conducting business in South Carolina by any federal, state, or local agency or SC school district.
The Offeror must make a statement as to any litigation to which the Offeror has been a party in during the last three (3) years. If there has been no limigation, please type "N/A".
Vendor shall have at least five (5) years of experience. Please provide a minimum of three (3) references to include the following for each reference: (must be submitted as a file upload)
Company Name
Contact Person
Address
Telephone Number
Email
Scope of work performed
Vendor must have a minimum rating of B++. Please upload evidence of your rating.
Please provide an additional information/comments pertaining to this solicitation. If no additional information or comments are needed, please type "N/A".
What type of pre-bid conference will be held for this project?
Is a Bid Bond a requirement of this solicitation?
Please select one of the following for the term of the contract resulting from this solicitation.
Please provide the initial term of the contract resulting from this solicitation.
Use the following format: one (1)
What is the extension term for the contract resulting from this solicitation?
Use the following format: four (4)
Does this project have a set time frame or will it have an initial term? If so, please share the contract period begin date for this project. If not, please type "N/A".
Example - project should be completed in 180 days, please provide the beginning date of this project.
SLED stands for State, Local, and Education. These are solicitations issued by state governments, counties, cities, school districts, utilities, and higher education institutions — as opposed to federal agencies.
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