Professional Land Surveyor Services – County Surveyor

SECTION 1 NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Notice is hereby given that the County will receive Proposals per specifications until 3:00 PM, August 15, 2024 (CST) (“Closing”), to provide professional land surveyor services for general “county surveyor” duties; PLSS re-monumentation, perpetuation and maintenance; and technical surveying services. No Proposals will be received or considered after that time.

Proposals must be received, and date stamped as received no later than 3:00 PM, (Central Time), on August 15, 2024 . Proposals or amendments received by Sauk County after 3:00 PM (Central Time), on August 15, 2024, regardless of postmark, shall not be considered.

Contact Information
All proposals must be mailed, or hand delivered to: Lisa Wilson, Director, Land Resources and Environment Department, 505 Broadway, Baraboo, WI 53913.
Technical Questions regarding the RFP (by email only): Lisa Wilson, Director of LRE at lisa.wilson@saukcountywi.gov .

The County reserves the right to reject any and all Proposals not in compliance with all prescribed public RFP procedures and requirements and may reject for good cause any and all Proposals upon the finding that it is in the public interest to do so and to waive any and all informalities in the public interest. In the award of the contract, the County will consider the element of time, will accept the Proposal or Proposals which in their estimation will best serve the interests of the County and will reserve the right to award the contract to the contractor whose Proposal must be best for the public good.

A contract incorporating the terms of this RFP shall be entered into by successful proposer after award of the project and before the work may commence. The County encourages bids from minority, women, and small business enterprises.

SECTION 2 GENERAL PROPOSAL PROCESS

The County reserves the right to reject any and all Proposals received as a result of this RFP.

2.1 Modification or Withdrawal of Proposal. Any Proposal may be modified or withdrawn at any time prior to the Closing deadline, provided that a written request is received by the Sauk County Land Resources and Environment Department, prior to the Closing. The withdrawal of a Proposal will not prejudice the right of a Proposer to submit a new Proposal.

2.2 Requests for Clarification and Requests for Change. Proposers may submit questions regarding the specifications of the RFP. Questions must be received in writing via email at lisa.wilson@saukcountywi.gov on or before July 12, 2024, 4:00 p.m. (Central Time). Requests for changes must include the reason for the change and any proposed changes to the requirements. The purpose of this requirement is to allow Sauk County the opportunity to provide clarifications or adjust RFP terms or technical requirements prior to the opening of Proposals. The County will consider all requested changes and, if appropriate, amend the RFP. The County will provide reasonable notice of its decision to all Proposers that have provided an email address to the Sauk County Land Resources and Environment Department for this procurement. No oral or written instructions or information concerning this RFP from County managers, employees or agents to prospective Proposers must bind County unless included in an Addendum to the RFP.

2.3 Addenda. If any part of this RFP is changed, an addendum will be provided to Proposers that have provided a physical address or email address to the Sauk County Land Resources and Environment Department for this procurement. It must be the proposer’s responsibility to regularly check the Bids and Contract Information page at www.co.sauk.wi.us/rfps for any published Addenda or response to clarifying questions.

2.4 Submission of Proposals. Proposals must be submitted in accordance with this RFP.

All Proposals must be legibly written in ink or typed and comply in all regards with the requirements of this RFP. All Proposals must include a cover letter with a signature that affirms the Proposer’s intent to be bound by the Proposal. If a Proposal is submitted by a firm or partnership, the name and address of the firm or partnership must be shown, together with the names and addresses of the members. If the Proposal is submitted by a corporation, it must be signed in the name of such corporation by an official who is authorized to bind the contractor.

No late Proposals will be accepted. Proposals submitted after the Closing will be considered late and will be returned unopened. Proposals must be submitted via US mail or hand delivered to the address noted in Section 1 of this RFP.

2.5 Evaluation Criteria
If a firm submits a complete proposal by the Department deadline, an evaluation of the proposal will be performed, based on a competitive selection process. Each of the major sections of the proposal will be reviewed and evaluated with criteria designed to help judge the quality of the proposal. Evaluation of proposals will not be limited to price alone; technical merit, expertise, track record references, completeness of proposal documents, and demonstrated successes will be strongly considered in the selection process. The following criteria will be used in reviewing and comparing the proposals:
1. Completeness of the proposal documents. The ability, capacity, flexibility, and skill of the respondent to provide quality performance under the contract, as evidenced by the quality of any demonstration, client references, and any prior contracts with the Department.
2. Understanding of the background and requirements of the Scope of Work.
3. The relative allocation of resources, in terms of quality and quantity, to key tasks including the time and skills of personnel assigned to the tasks and firm’s approach to managing resources and project output. Education and experience of proposed personnel. Expertise, competence, experience, performance, solvency, and responsiveness.
4. Responsiveness of proposal specification described in the RFP, including whether the respondent has agreed to contracting the requirements set forth in the RFP.
5. Demonstrated success in projects similar to the one described in the RFP. The proposer shall provide 3 references.
6. Cost and compensation required.
7. Years of experience performing similar services to those outlined in the Objectives and Scope section of this RFP.

2.6 Post-Selection Review and Notice of Intent to Reward Contract. The County will name the apparent successful Proposer in a “Notice of Intent to Award” letter. Identification of the apparent successful Proposer is procedural only and creates no right of the named Proposer to award of the contract.

2.7 Investigation of References. The County reserves the right to investigate all references in addition to those supplied references and investigate past performance of any Proposer with respect to its successful performance of similar services, its compliance with specifications and contractual obligations, its completion or delivery of a project on schedule, its lawful payment of subcontractors and workers, and any other factor relevant to this RFP. The County may postpone the award or the execution of the contract after the announcement of the apparent successful Proposer in order to complete its investigation.

2.8 RFP Proposal Preparation Costs and Other Costs. Proposer costs of developing the Proposal, cost of attendance at an interview (if requested by the County), or any other costs are entirely the responsibility of the Proposer and will not be reimbursed in any manner by the County. Proposer must not include any such expenses as part of the price proposed in response to this RFP. The Department must be held harmless and free from any and all liability, claims, or expenses whatsoever incurred by, or on behalf of, any person or organization responding to this RFP.

2.9 Clarification and Clarity. The County reserves the right to seek clarification of each Proposal, or to make an award without further discussion of Proposals received. Therefore, it is important that each Proposal be submitted initially in the most complete, clear, and favorable manner possible.

2.10 Right to Reject Proposals. The County reserves the right to reject any or all Proposals or to withdraw any item from the award, if such rejection or withdrawal would be in the public interest, as determined by the County.

2.11 Cancellation. The County reserves the right to cancel or postpone this RFP at any time or to award no contract.

2.12 Proposal Terms. All Proposals, including any price quotes, will be valid and firm through a period of ninety (90) calendar days following the Closing date. The County may require an extension of this firm offer period. Proposers will be required to agree to the longer time frame to be further considered in the procurement process.

2.13 Oral Presentations. At the County’s sole option, Proposers may be required to give an oral presentation of their Proposals, a process which would provide an opportunity for the Proposer to clarify or elaborate on the Proposal but will in no material way change Proposer’s original Proposal. If the County request presentations, the Sauk County Land Resources and Environment Department will schedule the time and location for said presentation. Any costs of participating in such presentations will be borne solely by Proposer and will not be reimbursed by the County.

2.14 Usage. It is the intention of the County to utilize the services of the successful Proposer(s) to provide services as outlined in the below Scope of Work.

2.15 Review for Responsiveness. Upon receipt of all Proposals, the Sauk County Land Resources and Environment Department or designee will determine the responsiveness of all Proposals. If a Proposal is incomplete or non-responsive in significant part or in whole, it will be rejected and will not be submitted to the evaluation committee. The County reserves the right to determine if an inadvertent error is solely clerical or is a minor informality which may be waived, and then to determine if an error is grounds for disqualifying a Proposal. The Proposer’s contact person identified on the Proposal will be notified, identifying the reason(s) the Proposal is non-responsive. One copy of the Proposal will be archived, and all others discarded.

2.16 RFP Incorporated into Contract. This RFP will become part of the Contract between the County and the selected contractor(s). The contractor(s) will be bound to perform according to the terms of this RFP, their Proposal(s), and the terms of a contract.

2.17 Communication Blackout Period. Except as called for in this RFP, Proposers may not communicate with members of the Sauk County Board or other County employees or representatives about the RFP during the procurement process until the apparent successful Proposer is selected, and all protests, if any, have been resolved. Communication in violation of this restriction may result in rejection of a Proposer. Refer to Section 2.2 Requests for Clarification and Requests for Change.

2.18 Prohibition on Commissions and Subcontractors. The County will contract directly with persons/entities capable of performing the requirements of this RFP. Contractors must be represented directly. Participation by brokers or commissioned agents will not be allowed during the Proposal process.

2.19 Ownership of Proposals. All Proposals in response to this RFP are the sole property of the County, and subject to the provisions of public records.

2.20 Clerical Errors in Awards. The County reserves the right to correct inaccurate awards resulting from its clerical errors.

2.21 Rejection of Qualified Proposals. Proposals may be rejected in whole or in part if they attempt to limit or modify any of the terms, conditions, or specifications of the RFP.

2.22 Collusion. By responding, the Proposer states that the Proposal is not made in connection with any competing Proposer submitting a separate response to the RFP and is in all aspects fair and without collusion or fraud. Proposer also certifies that no officer, agent, elected official, or employee of County has a pecuniary interest in this Proposal.

2.23 Proposal Evaluation. Proposals will be evaluated by the County and potentially external representatives.

2.24 Commencement of Work. The contractor must commence no work until all insurance requirements have been met, and a Notice to Proceed has been issued by the County.

2.25 Best and Final Offer. The County may request best and final offers from those Proposers determined by the County to be reasonably viable for contract award. However, the County reserves the right to award a contract based on the initial Proposal received. Therefore, each Proposal should contain the Proposer’s best terms from a price and technical standpoint. Following evaluation of the best and final offers, the County may select for final contract negotiations/execution the offers that are most advantageous to the County, considering cost and the evaluation criteria in this RFP.

2.26 Nondiscrimination. The successful Proposer agrees that, in performing the work called for by this RFP and in securing and supplying materials, contractor will not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, religious creed, political ideas, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, physical or mental handicap, national origin or ancestry, or any other class protected by applicable law.