INVITATION TO BID 'Project ID Sealed bids will be accepted by the City of Lake City, Florida, until 'Proposal Submission Date at 'Proposal Submission Time , local time, through the City's e-Procurement Portal, OpenGov Procurement. Any bids received after the above time will not be accepted under any circumstances. Any uncertainty regarding the time a bid is received will be resolved against the Bidder. Bids will not be accepted through any other means. Bid opening will be promptly at 'Bid Opening in the 'Bid Opening Location located on the 2nd floor in City Hall, at which time all bids will be publicly opened and read aloud for the annual contract for landscape and maintenance services for four (4) median islands on a one (1) mile corridor from the Interstate 75 interchange, eastbound on U.S. Highway 90. 'Project Title Any deviation from the specifications must be explained in detail under "Clarifications and Exceptions", as part of the Bidder's Response, and each deviation must be itemized by number and must specifically refer to the applicable specification paragraph and page. Otherwise, it will be considered that items offered are in strict compliance with these specifications, and the successful Bidder will be held responsible for meeting the specification. All questions related to this ITB shall be submitted in writing through the OpenGov Procurement Question/Answer Tab via the City's e-Procurement portal, on or before the Question & Answer Submission Date by the Question & Answer Submission Time. Please include the section title for each question, if applicable, to ensure that questions are answered correctly. All questions must be in writing and directed to the Procurement Director. All questions will be answered in writing. Any answers that may alter the scope of work will be answered in the form of addenda. All addenda must be acknowledged through the City's e-Procurement Portal. Deadline for receiving questions is 'Question & Answer Submission Date at 'Question & Answer Submission Time . Questions received after this date and time will not be considered. Bidder may not withdraw his/her bid for a period of ninety (90) days following the opening of the responses. The City of Lake City is exempt from State Use Tax, State Retail Tax, and Federal Excise Tax. The bid price must be net, exclusive of taxes. Bidder's proposal must be dated, signed by an authorized representative, and include the title, firm name, address, and telephone number. Local Vendor Preference: City of Lake City Administrative Policy #18 states that the bid of a resident of Columbia County, Florida will have a 5% preference over the bid submitted by any non-resident of Columbia County. A resident is defined as an individual whose primary residence is within Columbia County, Florida; a partnership whose principals are all residents of Columbia County, Florida; a partnership or other business entity whose principal place of business is within Columbia County, Florida; or which maintains a full-time business office open to the public within Columbia County, Florida. With these and other factors considered, the City Council reserves the right to award a bid or contract in the best interests of the City. Respondents to this solicitation or persons acting on their behalf may not contact, between the release of the solicitation and the end of the 72-hour period following the agency posting the notice of intended award, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and city holidays, any employee or officer of the executive or legislative branch concerning any aspect of this solicitation, except in writing to the Procurement Department or as provided in the solicitation documents. Violation of this provision may be grounds for rejecting a response. Any Bidder desirous of protesting a bid for any reason must file a written notice of bid protest with the City Manager's office within 72 hours following posting of notice of intended award. All protests will be in writing, stating the bid being protested and the specific reason for the protest. All protests will be signed by the Protestor and include all details for a complete and thorough review. The City Manager's decision, after consultation with the City Attorney, will be issued within five (5) working days of receipt of the protest, unless additional time is agreed upon by all parties involved, should circumstances warrant such a delay. By submission of his/her bid, the Bidder certifies that: The bid has been arrived at independently by the Bidder and submitted without collusion with any other vendor of materials, supplies, or equipment described in the Invitation to Bid. The contents of the bid have not been communicated by the Bidder, his/her employees or agents, to his/her best knowledge and belief, to any person not an employee or agent of the Bidder or his surety in any bond furnished herewith and will not be communicated to any such person prior to the official opening of the bids. The City of Lake City reserves the right to accept or reject any/all bids and to award the contract in the best interest of the City of Lake City, Florida. CITY OF LAKE CITY, FLORIDA Don Rosenthal City Manager
