Housing Authority of the City of Longview

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
for
LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

RFP Issued on:
Submittals Due:

August 20, 2008

3:00 p.m., August 28, 2008

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

LHA-Woodland, Castle Rock & Kalama Properties
Landscape Maintenance

The Longview Housing Authority (LHA) is seeking Submittals from qualified Contractors to assist in Landscape Maintenance for 5 LHA-Properties in Woodland, Castle Rock and Kalama, WA.

OBTAINING THE RFP: To obtain a copy of the RFP package, please contact Sheri Whittington, at (360) 225-7781, by fax at (360) 225-5641, by e-mail at sheriw@longviewha.org, or by mail at the address below.

QUESTIONS: Any questions or requests for further information must be submitted in writing no later than 3:00 p.m., on August, 28, 2008 to Sheri Whittington as noted in the paragraph above.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Submittals (one original and [2] copies), must be received not later than 3:00 p.m. on 28 day of August, 2007, at street address below. Proposals will be opened on August 28, 2007 at 3:10 pm at the address below. Submittals sent by U.S. Mail should be addressed to the address below and must be delivered to address listed below by the deadline stated above.

LHA Properties
Attention: Sheri Whittington, Property Manager
1400 Woodside Street
Woodland, WA 98674

DISTRIBUTION LIST: A list of firms who have picked up a copy of the RFP is available upon request. Please direct requests to Sheri Whittington at above #’s.

DIVERSITY: LHA strongly encourages minority-owned and women-owned businesses, socially and economically disadvantaged businesses, and small businesses to respond to this RFP or to participate in a subcontracting capacity on LHA contracts.

RIGHTS RESERVED:
LHA reserves the right to waive as informality any irregularities in Submittals, and/or to reject any and all Submittals.
LHA reserves the right to withdraw this RFP at any time prior to contract award.

LHA reserves the right to terminate the project, or any contracts connected to the project, for convenience during any phase of partial completion with or without cause.

LHA reserves the right to demand a change of personnel at any time and on any project.
LHA reserves the right to interview only the top three ranked firms.
LHA reserves any and all other rights to which they are legally entitled under Federal, State or local laws.

OF SPECIAL NOTE:
Any and all contracts entered into by LHA as a result of this RFP are contingent upon funding availability.

LHA may share bid documents, contracts, and awards connected to this RFP with other public entities to be used for purchase of goods and services. LHA will not be held liable for any transactions, or lack thereof, that may occur as a result.

Longview Housing Authority

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

For Landscape Maintenance of 5 LHA Properties in
Woodland, Castle Rock and Kalama

A. INTRODUCTION

General: The Longview Housing Authority (LHA) is seeking a qualified professional firm or team to supply Landscape maintenance 5 complex’s (Hawthorne House, Tulip Valley and Woodside West in Woodland, WA, Columbia View Harbor in Kalama, WA and Riverview in Castle Rock, WA) for 1 year renewal for 2 additional years, 1 year at a time.

2) Longview Housing Authority Background: See LHA website at: www.longviewha.org for details about the Longview Housing Authority, including its programs and services.

B. SCOPE OF WORK

The selected Contractor shall perform the following tasks:

Weekly lawn mowing (min. 38 times per year), edge areas with each mowing.
String trim obstacles.
Fertilize lawn areas 5 times per season.
Weed control as needed.
Blow leaf and lawn clipping debris off walkways, entries and parking areas after every mow and when leaves are falling. No blowing bark dust.
Hand weed flower beds and around shrubs as needed year-round.
Pre-emergent in beds one time per season.
Leaf control in flower beds October through February.
Fertilize trees once a year.
Fertilize shrubs twice a year
One time per season major pruning (up to 12’ in height) and control pruning as needed. Keep shrubs/plants off walkways.
Irrigation winterization and spring turn on with adjustments, excluding Woodside West complex.
Mole control year-round.
Lawn aeration one time per year.
Lawn thatching one time per year.
Provide and plant summer annuals – give per flat price for Hawthorne House, Riverview, Columbia View and Tulip Valley.
Provide and plant fall bulbs by October 31 for early spring blooms – give per dozen bulb price.
Maintenance of sprinkler heads and irrigation system – give per hour rate and materials at cost of cost plus for (excluding Woodside West complex)
Remove black berry vines.
Bid will contain Prevailing Wage Rates

C. INFORMATION TO BE PROVIDED IN YOUR SUBMITTAL

To be considered responsive to this RFP and to facilitate evaluation, Submittals should be organized in the order of the outline given below and include the following information. Please refer to the section of this RFP on Submission Requirements for information on Required Number of Copies. Effort should be made to keep submittals concise.
EXAMPLE:

___________________
_______________________________
_____________________________
2) _____________________________
etc.

D. CONSULTANT/CONTRACTOR EVALUATION CRITERIA

Contractors’ Submittals will be evaluated based on the criteria listed in this section. In preparing the Submittal to LHA, it is important for Contractors to clearly demonstrate their expertise in the areas described in this document. Because multiple areas of expertise are required for successfully performing this project, the Contractor, either through in-house staff or sub-Contractors, must demonstrate expertise and have available adequate quantities of experienced personnel in all of the areas described.

Contractors are encouraged to identify and clearly label in their Submittal how each criterion is being fully addressed. Evaluation of responses to this RFP will be based only on the information provided in the Submittal package, and if applicable, interviews, and reference responses. LHA reserves the right to request additional information or documentation from the firm regarding its Submittal documents, personnel, financial viability, or other items in order to complete the selection process. If a responding firm chooses to provide additional materials in their Submittal beyond those requested, those materials should be included in a separate section of the Submittal.

The following criteria with a point system of relative importance with an aggregate total of 100 points will be utilized to evaluate the qualifications of each Contractor:

Evaluation Criteria Weighting
(Max. Points)
1 Overall project costs 45
2 Type & length of experience 15
3 Contractors understanding of project as shown by proposal 15
4 References 25
Maximum Total Points 100

E. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

1) Due Date For Questions: Technical questions regarding substantive matters related to this RFP or requests for further information must be submitted in writing consistent with the deadline and submission requirements on page 2 of this RFP.

2) Due Date and Place For Submission of Submittals: Submittals must be received by the Longview Housing Authority by the deadline and at the place indicated on page 2 of this RFP.

The deadline is firm as to place, date, and time. LHA will not consider any Submittal received after the deadline and will return all such Submittals unopened.
All Submittals should be clearly marked when delivered or mailed to avoid any confusion about recording arrival dates and times. Contractors should take this practice into account and submit their materials early to avoid any risk of ineligibility caused by unanticipated delays or other delivery problems. NOTE: A faxed or e-mailed Submittal is not acceptable.
Upon receipt of each Submittal, Longview Housing staff will date-stamp it to show the exact time and date of receipt. Upon request, LHA will provide the Contractors with an acknowledgment of receipt. All Submittals received will become the property of LHA and will not be returned to the Contractor.
3) Required Number of Copies: Contractors responding to this RFP shall submit one original Submittal along with the required number of copies of the Submittal (see page 2 of this RFP) to the address also indicated on page 2 of this RFP.

4)Addenda: In the event that there are changes or clarifications to this RFP, LHA will issue an addendum. Addenda will only be sent to those parties who have been issued an official copy of the RFP by LHA, or who have specifically requested in writing to be notified of addenda. An official copy of the RFP is one with an identifying number written in red on the upper right hand corner of the cover page of the RFP. It is the responsibility of Contractors to call Sheri Whittington, at (360) 225-7781 prior to the Submittal deadline to ensure that all addenda issued by LHA have been received.

5) Rights Reserved by LHA: LHA reserves the right to waive, as informality, any irregularities in Submittals and/or to reject any or all Submittals. LHA will generally not disclose the status of negotiations until LHA’s Executive Director has approved the award of a Contract for services.

F. SELECTION PROCESS

All responses to this RFP that are received on or before the stated deadline will be initially screened for eligibility. A selection panel will rate eligible responses, according to the criteria listed above, and may conduct reference checks as part of the process. Based on its initial evaluation, the panel may:
Make a recommendation to LHA’s Executive Director and request authority to negotiate a Contract with one or more Contractors; or
(a) Request additional information from the Contractor whose responses appear to have the greatest likelihood of success; or
(b) Invite one or more Contractors whose responses appear to have the greatest likelihood of success to attend an interview/presentation to discuss their Submittal;

G. CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS

LHA shall negotiate with the most qualified Contractor, as determined by evaluation of the responses and, if applicable, interviews. If LHA is unable to reach agreement with the highest ranked firm, it will negotiate with the second highest ranked firm, proceeding in turn to each firm, in order of rank, until a Contract is executed.

H. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

1) Minority-owned and Women-owned Business Enterprises: LHA strongly encourages minority-owned and women-owned businesses, socially and economically disadvantaged business enterprises, and small businesses to respond to this RFP, to participate as partners, or to participate in other business activity in response to this RFP.

2) Basic Eligibility: The successful Contractor must be licensed to do business in the State of Washington and must have a state Unified Business Identifier (UBI) number. In addition, the successful Contractor must not be debarred, suspended, or otherwise ineligible to contract with LHA, and must not be included on the General Services Administration’s “List of Parties Excluded From Federal Procurement and Non-procurement Programs” or the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s “Limited Denial of Participation” list, or State of Washington, Department of Labor and Industries list of debarred contractors for prevailing wage violations (only required on construction projects).

3) Payment Requirements: Contractors should be aware that LHA will only make payments on the Contract issued under this RFP after the work being billed has been completed, and will pay reimbursable expenses to the Contractor only upon receipt of an invoice for the reimbursable expenses. No advance payments will be made to the Contractor, who must have the capacity to meet all project expenses in advance of payments by LHA.

4) Approval of Sub-Consultants/Contractors: LHA retains the right of final approval of any sub-Contractor of the selected Contractor who must inform all sub-Contractors of this provision.

5) Other Contracts: During the original term and all subsequent renewal terms of the Contract resulting from this RFP, LHA expressly reserves the right, through any other sources available, to pursue and implement alternative means of soliciting similar or related services as described in this RFP. LHA may award contracts to other vendors such as designers, Contractors, or contractors.

6) Funding Availability: By responding to this RFP, the Contractor acknowledges that for any Contract signed as a result of this RFP, the authority to proceed with the work is contingent upon the availability of funding.

Insurance: The following are the insurance requirements that will be included in the Contract executed based on this RFP: Copies of Current license, Insurance, Bond and Proof of current Wash State L & I account must be submitted with bids.

General Requirements:

Prior to undertaking any work under this Contract, the Contractor shall procure and maintain continuously for the duration of this Contract, at no expense to LHA, insurance coverage as specified below, in connection with the performance of the work of this Contract by the Contractor, its agents, representatives, employees and/or subcontractors.

The Contractor’s insurance shall be primary as respects LHA, and any other insurance maintained by LHA shall be excess and not contributing insurance with the Contractor’s insurance.

Except with respect to the limits of insurance, and any rights or duties specifically assigned to the first named insured, the Contractor’s Commercial General Liability and Commercial Automobile Liability insurance coverage shall apply as if each named insured were the only named insured, and separately to each insured against whom claim is made or suit is brought.

Failure of the Contractor to fully comply with the insurance requirements of this Contract will be considered a material breach of contract and, at the option of LHA, will be cause for such action as may be available to LHA under other provisions of this Contract or otherwise in law, including immediate termination of the Contract.

B. Required Insurance Coverage: The following are the types and amounts of insurance coverage that must be maintained by the Contractor during the term of this Contract. The Contractor must provide acceptable evidence of such coverage prior to beginning work under this Contract.

Commercial General Liability Insurance. A policy of Commercial General Liability insurance including bodily injury, property damage, and products/completed operations, written on an occurrence form, with the following minimum coverage:

$1,000,000 each occurrence, and
$2,000,000 aggregate

Coverage shall extend to cover the use of all equipment on the site or sites of the work of this Contract. In the event that the services to be provided under this Contract involve the Contractor’s contact with minor children, the Contractor shall provide evidence that sexual misconduct coverage has not been excluded from the policy and is covered under the policy. Acceptable evidence of sexual misconduct coverage must include an endorsement and policy excerpt(s) and is subject to approval by LHA Management.

Employers Liability or Washington Stop Gap Liability. A policy of Employers Liability or a Washington Stop Gap Liability insurance endorsement with the following minimum coverage:

$1,000,000 each accident

Commercial Automobile Liability Insurance. A policy of Commercial Automobile Liability Insurance, including coverage for owned, non-owned, leased or hired vehicles written on an insurance industry standard form (CA 00 01) or equivalent, with the following minimum coverage:

$1,000,000 combined single limit coverage


Workers Compensation. A policy of Workers Compensation. As respects Workers Compensation insurance in the State of Washington, the Contractor shall secure its liability for industrial injury to its employees in accordance with the provisions of Title 51 of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW). If the Contractor is qualified as a self-insurer in accordance with Chapter 51.14 RCW, the Contractor shall so certify by a letter signed by a corporate officer, indicating that it is a qualified self-insured, and setting forth the limits of any policy of excess insurance covering its employees, or any similar coverage required.

C. Additional Insured Endorsement: The Longview Housing Authority must be named as an Additional Insured on a primary and non-contributory basis on all Commercial General Liability policies of the Contractor. A policy endorsement (form CG2010B or equivalent) must be provided to LHA as evidence of additional insured coverage.

D. Proof of Insurance and Insurance Expiration:

The Contractor shall furnish certificates of insurance and policy endorsements as evidence of compliance with the insurance requirements of the Contract. Such certificates and endorsements must be signed by a person authorized by that insurance company to bind coverage on its behalf.

The Contractor shall include all subcontractors as insureds under its policies (except for Professional Liability insurance) and shall ensure that coverage of subcontractors under the Contractor's policies is not excluded by any policy provision or endorsement.

The Contractor’s insurance shall not be reduced or canceled without thirty (30) days prior written notice to LHA. The Contractor shall not permit any required insurance coverage to expire during the term of this Contract.

LHA reserves the right to require complete, certified copies of all required insurance policies at any time during the term of this Contract, or to waive any of the insurance requirements of this Contract at its sole discretion.

Carrier Review and Approval Authority: Insurance policies, deductibles, self-insured retentions, and insurance carriers will be subject to review and approval by LHA. All insurance shall be carried with companies that are financially responsible. Generally, except for Professional Liability Insurance coverage, all carriers of insurance or re-insurers must have and maintain a rating of “A VII” or better as identified in the A. M. Best Insurance Rating Guide, most recent edition. Insurance carriers or re-insurers who do not have a rating of “A VII” or better may not be used without written approval the Longview Housing Authority contracting officer.