Section 00201
2007-03-07Instructions to Bidders
This Master Specification Section contains:
.1This Cover Page
.2Specification Section Text:
1.Summary
2.Bid Submission
3.Invitation to Bid
4.Bid Documents
5.Bid and Contact Form
6.Bid Modification
7.Bid Withdrawal and Acceptance
8.Bid Opening
9.Irregularities
10.Availability of Bid Documents
11.GST Excluded
12.Examination of Bid Documents and Site
13.Product Substitutions
14.Conflicts of Interest
15.Suspension of Bidders
16. Interpretation and Modification of Bid Documents
17Addenda
18.Inquiries
SPMS Small Projects Master SpecificationAlberta Infrastructure and Transportation
Master Specification System / Page 0
Section 00201
Plan No:Instructions to Bidders
Project ID:Page 1
1.SUMMARY
.1The intent of this bid call is to solicit and receive formal offers to [perform the following Work] [construct the following Project]:
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[]
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2.BID SUBMISSION
.1Bids will be received before 2:01:00pm local time on [] by:
Office of the Tender Administrator
Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation
Main Floor, 6950 - 113 Street
Edmonton, AlbertaT6H 5V7
Telephone: (780) 4273962
Fax: (780) 4229686
Toll free (within Alberta): 310-0000 followed by above telephone or fax number.
OR
Office of the Tender Administrator
Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation
10th Floor, JohnJ.BowlenBuilding
620 7th Ave. S. W.
Calgary, AlbertaT2P 0Y8
Telephone: (403) 2977717
Fax: (403) 2972103
Toll free (within Alberta): 310-0000 followed by above telephone or fax number.
.2For bid closing purposes, the official time of receipt of bids shall be as determined by the time recorder clock used to time and date stamp bids upon submission to the above location.
.3Submit bids on forms provided in the Bid Documents.
.4When a pre-addressed envelope is not available, include the following information on a Bidder supplied envelope:
.1Labeled as a “Bid”.
.2Name of the Project/Work specified in 1.1.
.3Address for receipt of bids, as specified in 2.1.
.4Bidder’s Name
.5Seal envelope and deliver to address specified in 2.1.
.6Oral, telephoned, fax, or e-mail bids will not be accepted nor acknowledged.
3.INVITATION TO BID
SPECNOTE: Include this article for invitational bid calls only, where bidding will be limited to invited Bidders. If Bidders have been formally prequalified, so state. Otherwise delete reference to prequalification.
.1This bid call is by invitation only [to prequalified Bidders]. Submit bids only in the name indicated in letter of invitation to bid.
.2Bids submitted in a name different to that indicated on the invitation, and from Bidders not invited to bid, may cause the bid to be declared invalid and rejected.
4.Bid DOCUMENTS
.1The Bid Documents consist of these Specifications, the Drawings, if any, information documents, if any, and addenda, if any.
5.BID and contract FORM
.1Complete Bid and Contract Form by typing or legibly printing, and signing, in spaces provided.
.2Any required information that is omitted or illegible, any alterations to the text, or any conditions added on or submitted with the Bid and Contract Form may cause the bid to be declared invalid and rejected.
6.BID MODIFICATION
.1A submitted bid may be modified, provided the modification:
.1is in the form of a fax transmittal received at the fax number specified in 2.1, before the bid closing time, and
.2states the name of the Bidder, the nature of the modification, and is signed by an authorized person.
.2For bid closing purposes, the official time of receipt of faxed bid modifications shall be the time of receipt automatically printed on the fax transmission by the receiving fax machine.
.3When submitting a modification directing a change in a bid amount, do not reveal the original amount nor the revised amount. State only the amount to be added to or deducted from an original bid amount.
.4When submitting a second or more modifications related to a single bid amount, ensure that there is no ambiguity as to the intended bid price.
.5The Minister will assume no responsibility or liability for the content of modifications, or for modifications that are, for any reason, delayed, illegible, unclear as to intent, ambiguous, contrary to these instructions, or otherwise improperly received. The Minister may disregard improperly received modifications.
7.BID WITHDRAWAL AND ACCEPTANCE
.1At Bidder’s request, a bid may be withdrawn at any time before the bid closing time.
.2A bid may not be withdrawn at or after bid closing time and shall be open to acceptance by the Minister until:
.1some other Bidder has entered into a contract with the Minister for performance of the Work, or
.235days after the bid closing time,
whichever occurs first.
.3The lowest or any bid will not necessarily be accepted and the Minister may reject any and all bids.
.4The Minister may negotiate contract terms with the Bidder submitting the lowest valid bid, provided that the negotiated changes to the Bid Documents result in either no change to the bid price or a reduced bid price. Such changes may be formalized in the form of a Post-Bid Addendum that, upon written acceptance by the Bidder, shall form part of the Contract Documents.
8.BID OPENING
.1Bids will be opened in public immediately after the bid closing time, at the address specified in 2.1.
.2The name of each Bidder and the bid price stated on the Bid and Contract Form will be read aloud. The reading aloud of a bid price shall not be considered a representation or warranty that the price is correct or that the bid is valid.
9.IRREGULARITIES
.1A bid that is informal, incomplete, qualified, non-compliant with the requirements of the Bid Documents, or otherwise irregular in any way, may be declared invalid and rejected.
.2The Minister may accept or waive a minor and inconsequential irregularity, or where practicable to do so, the Minister may, as a condition of bid acceptance, request a Bidder to correct a minor and inconsequential irregularity with no change in bid price.
.3The determination of what is, or is not, a minor and inconsequential irregularity, the determination of whether to accept, waive, or require correction of an irregularity, and the final determination of the validity of a bid, shall be at the Minister's sole discretion.
.4Discrepancies between words and figures will be resolved in favour of words.
10.AVAILABILITY OF BID DOCUMENTS
SPECNOTE: Delete this article for “invitational” tenders, where bid documents are issued to invited bidders with a letter of invitation.
.1Bid Documents are available, at no charge, to the following bidders only, at the address specified in 2.1:
.1Prime contract bidders.
.2Mechanical subcontract bidders.
.3Electrical subcontract bidders.
.4[].
.5[].
.6[].
at the following location only:
Office of the Tender Administrator
Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation
Main Floor, 6950 – 113 Street
Edmonton, Alberta T6H 5V7
Telephone: (780) 427-3962
Fax: (780) 422-9686
Toll free (within Alberta): 310-0000 followed by above telephone or fax number
.2Hard copy Bid Documents are also available, for viewing only, at local Construction Association Plan Rooms.
SPECNOTE: Include the following three clauses if Bid Documents will be available on CoolNet.
.3Bid Documents are also available in electronic form, from CoolNet Alberta at and COOLNet Edmonton at .
.4The Minister will assume no responsibility or liability for the completeness of any Bid Documents obtained from a source other than the address specified in .1 above.
.5In the event of a discrepancy between hard copy Bid Documents obtained from the address specified in .1 and:
.1any electronic version of the Bid Documents, or
.2any hard copy version derived from any electronic version,
the Bid Documents issued from the address specified in .1 shall be deemed to be correct. Promptly notify the Minister at the office identified under “Inquiries” upon discovery of any such discrepancies.
11.GST EXCLUDED
.1Bidders shall not include GST in their bid prices.
12.EXAMINATION OF BID DOCUMENTS AND SITE
.1Bidder shall, before submitting a bid:
.1examine and read the Bid Documents thoroughly,
.2visit site and its surroundings and other locations to become familiar with local and other conditions affecting the Work,
.3consider the effect of regulatory requirements applicable to the Work,
.4study and correlate Bidder's observations with the Bid Documents,
.5immediately notify Minister of all perceived omissions and discovered conflicts, errors and discrepancies in the Bid Documents, and
.6be satisfied that Bidder understands the Bid Documents and is competent to undertake and complete the Work.
SPECNOTE: Include Section 00250 if a pre-bid meeting, or a pre-bid meeting in conjunction with a site inspection, is required.
13.PRODUCT SUBSTITUTIONS
.1Where products are specified by a proprietary specification, and substitutions are permitted, Bidders may base their bids on a named product or manufacturer or on unnamed substitutions, subject to the requirements specified for substitutions in the General Conditions.
.2During the bid period, it is the sole responsibility of each Bidder to determine whether a substitution meets the requirements specified in the General Conditions.
.3The Minister will not consider requests for approval of substitutions from Bidders during bid period. Substitutions will be evaluated and approved or rejected by the Minister after contract award.
14.CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
- As required by the Conflicts of Interest Act (Alberta) no Member of the Legislative Assembly or person directly associated with a Member, as defined in the Act, shall submit a bid for this Contract.
15.SUSPENSION OF BIDDERS
SPEC NOTE: Delete this article for invitational tenders.
.1The Minister may suspend a prime contract bidder from bidding on the Minister's publicly advertised bidding opportunities if, in the Minister's opinion, it is in the public interest to do so on account of a documented history of:
.1willful failure to perform in accordance with the terms of previous contracts with the Minister, or
.2unsatisfactory performance of previous contracts with the Minister.
.2Suspended bidders will be notified, in writing, of the reasons for their suspension and the terms of their suspension and reinstatement. Suspensions shall be at the Minister's sole discretion and shall not be subject to any right of appeal.
.3The Minister will not knowingly open a bid submitted by a bidder for whom a suspension is in effect at the bid closing time, or submitted by any person or firm known to be affiliated with a suspended bidder.
.4If the Minister inadvertently opens a bid submitted by a suspended bidder or by a person or firm the Minister determines, after bids are opened, to be affiliated with the suspended bidder, that bid will be declared invalid and rejected.
16.INTERPRETATION AND MODIFICATION OF BID DOCUMENTS
.1Submit questions about the meaning and intent of the Bid Documents to the person identified under "Inquiries".
.2If an inquiry requires an interpretation or modification of the Bid Documents, the response to that inquiry will be issued in the form of a written Addendum only.
.3Submit inquiries as early as possible in the bid period. If an inquiry requires an interpretation or modification of the Bid Documents, but is received too close to the bid closing time to permit issuance of an Addendum, the Minister may be unable to respond to that inquiry.
.4Any replies to inquiries or interpretations or modifications of the Bid Documents made verbally, by e-mail, or by any manner other than in the form of a written Addendum, shall not be binding.
17.ADDENDA
.1During the bid period, Addenda will be issued via fax or courier to all parties recorded by the Minister as having received Bid Documents from the Office of the Tender Administrator.
SPECNOTE: Delete the following clause if Bid Documents will not be available on COOLNet.
.2[Other Bidders who may have obtained Bid Documents from another source, such as one of the COOLNet electronic plan rooms, will not automatically receive addenda via fax or courier. It is such Bidders’ obligation to check CoolNet for addenda as they are issued.]
.3Addenda shall become part of the Bid and Contract Documents.
.4Each Bidder shall ascertain before bid submission that it has received or read all Addenda issued by the Minister.
SPECNOTE: When issuing addenda late in the bid period, ensure there is ample time left to ensure receipt by all Bidders before the bid closing time
18.INQUIRIES
.1For a list of prospective bidders (planholders) who have received bid documents from the Office of the Tender Administrator, telephone: (780) 427-3962 or call toll free (within Alberta): 310-0000 (780) 427-3962. A list of plan holders and interested bidders is available electronically on the Alberta Purchasing Connection and can be accessed from COOLNet Alberta and COOLNet Edmonton.
SPECNOTE: The Department’s policy is to have all technical inquiries directed to one person, normally a department staff member, thus providing a 'single window' approach for all inquiries. This person will notify consultants, as necessary, of inquiries received and determine, in consultation with consultants, appropriate action to be taken, e.g. modifying drawings or specifications by addendum, extending the bid closing time, etc. Confirm with the department the name of the person to be designated to receive inquiries.
.2Direct all other inquiries during bid period to:
[Name ]
[Title ]
Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation,
3rd Floor, 6950 113 Street
Edmonton, Alberta,
T6H 5V7
Telephone:[(780) ]
Toll free (within Alberta): 310-0000 followed by above telephone number
E-mail: [ ]
OR
[Name ]
[Title ]
Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation,
10th Floor, JohnJ.BowlenBuilding,
620 7th Avenue, S.W.
Calgary, Alberta,
T2P 0Y8
Telephone:[(403) ]
Toll free (within Alberta): 310-0000 followed by above telephone number
E-mail: [ ]
END OF SECTION