00309 Agent-Assisted Travel Services

Amendment #2

STATE OF WASHINGTON

DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

OFFICE OF STATE PROCUREMENT

210 11th Avenue SW, Room 201, General Administration Building Olympia, Washington 98504-1017

http://www.ga.wa.gov

AMENDMENT #2

IFB Solicitation Number: / 00309
Title: / Agent-Assisted Travel Services
Date Amendment Issued: / November 9, 2009
Purpose: / Answer Bidder questions and amend Solicitation as a result of Vendor feedback from Pre-Bid Conference held November 5, 2009. See below for details.
Scheduled Bid Due Date and Time Remain Unchanged:
Thursday, November 19, 2009 @ 2:00 PM
Richard Carlson / November 9, 2009
Richard Carlson, Procurement Coordinator / Date Signed
Bidders are requested to complete and return this Amendment with their Bid. All other terms, conditions and specifications remain unchanged.
Company:
Authorized Representative:
Signature / Date Signed

The IFB is clarified as follows:

Section 12.1, Established/Licensed Business

Question: Do we need to obtain the Washington State Department of Licensing Registered Seller of Travel License prior to submitting our Bid?

Answer: Yes.

Appendix E: Mandatory Requirements

Question: Do we need to provide IATA certification documents, ARC accreditation letters and Washington State Department of Licensing Registered Seller of Travel License for each branch that may service the Contract, or can we provide these for our primary branch alone?

Answer: You should provide requested documents for each location.

Question: For the Washington State Department of Licensing Registered Seller of Travel License, do you need a copy of the actual license or can we provide a copy of the listing from the Access Washington website with all of our branch locations listed as current?

Answer: Printouts from the Washington State Department of Licensing, License Query System are acceptable. For more information visit: https://fortress.wa.gov/dol/dolprod/bpdLicenseQuery/.

Question: What ARC and IATA certification/accreditation documents are acceptable to show participation with each?

Answer: Acceptable proof of ARC and IATA certification/accreditation should show name of business, ARC number and that certification/accreditation is current. ARC contact information can be found at http://www.arccorp.com/aboutus/contact-us.jsp and IATA contact information can be found at https://www.iataonline.com/Store/Help/ContactUs.htm.

The IFB is amended as follows:

Page 1 – Cover Page

Change Procurement Coordinator Phone to (360) 902-7427.

Page 2 – Bidder’s Authorized Offer

In Item #2, change “900-day” to “90-day.”

Page 11 – Section 3.1, Procurement Schedule

Change Evaluation Begins date to Nov. 20, 2009.

Page 12 – Section 4.1, Authorized Communication

Change Procurement Coordinator Telephone to (360) 902-7427.

Page 16 – Section 5.1, Use of Subcontractors

Insert the statement, “For the purposes of this Solicitation only, airlines, hotels and car rental companies are not considered to be Subcontractors.”

Page 26 – Section 10.9, Other Required Reports

Amend introductory paragraph to read, “Contractor must submit a quarterly Travel Report directly to the Contract Administrator that provides the following data elements:”

Amend Item #2 to read, “Year and quarter of report.”

Amend Item #3a to read, “Total number of Domestic Airfare tickets sold.”

Amend Item #3b to read, “Number of Domestic Airfare tickets sold by carrier.”

Amend Item #3c to read, “Total dollars collected for Domestic Airfare tickets sold.”

Amend Item #3d to read, “Dollars collected for Domestic Airfare tickets sold by carrier.”

Amend Item #3e to read, “Total number of International Airfare tickets sold.”

Amend Item #3f to read, “Total dollars collected for International Airfare tickets sold.”

Delete Item #’s 3g, 3h and 3i.

Amend Item #4a to read, “Total number of Car Rental days reserved.”

Amend Item #4c to read, “Total dollars represented in Car Rental reservations.”

Add Item #4d that reads, “Dollars represented in Car Rental reservations by company.”

Amend Item #5a to read, “Total number of Lodging nights reserved.”

Amend Item #5b to read, “Total dollars represented in Lodging reservations.”

Delete Item #’s 5c and 5d.

Delete Item #6c.

Delete all Items in #7 and #8.

Add the statement, “A sample report can be viewed by double-clicking on the following embedded Excel document titled, ‘Sample 00309 Detailed Travel Report.’”

Note to Bidders: After opening the embedded Excel file, you will see two tabs at the bottom of the page. The first is the amended version resulting from Vendor input. The second is the original draft. For reporting purposes, Contractor will utilize the first version titled, “00309 Amended Travel Report.”

Add the statement, “Reports must be submitted within 30 days after the end of the calendar quarter (i.e. - no later than April 30th, July 31st, October 31st and January 31st).”

Page 30 – Section 14.3, Payment, Invoicing and Discounts

Delete the sentence that reads, “Any bank or transaction fees or similar costs associated with currency exchange procedures or the use of purchasing/credit cards shall be fully assumed by the Contractor.”

Page 32 – Section 14.7, Audits

Insert the statement, “If the State chooses to exercise this right, it may do so without notice to the Contractor. However, if the State requires the Contractor to provide applicable records, Contractor shall be given a minimum of 14 calendar days to comply.”

Page 38 – Section 17.8, Insurance

Under the subheading “General Provisions” delete the second paragraph that reads, “Contractor shall include all Subcontractors as insureds under all required insurance policies, or shall furnish separate Certificates of Insurance and endorsements for each Subcontractor. Subcontractor(s) must comply fully with all insurance requirements stated herein. Failure of Subcontractor(s) to comply with insurance requirements does not limit Contractor’s liability or responsibility.”

Under the subheading “Specific Requirements – Business Auto Policy (BAP)” amend the second sentence of the first paragraph to read, “The coverage provided shall protect against claims for bodily injury, including illness, disease, and death; and property damage caused by an occurrence arising out of, or in consequence of, the performance of this service by the Contractor, or anyone employed by the Contractor.”

Page 61 – Appendix D: Price Worksheet

Amend introductory paragraph to read, “Each line item should be completed with either a dollar amount, a “0” (zero) or “N/C” for no charge, or an explanation of the pricing structure used by Bidder. Failure to provide a line item price shall be interpreted by the Purchasing Activity as the service being offered free of charge, at no cost to the Purchaser.”

Amend Item #1 to read, “E-Ticket Booking Fee (Domestic) Provide only one E-Ticket Booking Fee regardless of number of segments.”

Renumber Item #’s 2-15.

Add Item #2 that reads, “E-Ticket Booking Fee (International) International E-Ticket Booking Fee may be expressed as either a fixed dollar amount or percentage of cost of ticket. Please describe.”

Amend Item #3 to read, “Group Rate Booking Fee Describe Bidder’s Group Rate Booking Fee structure.”

Amend Item #4 to read, “Rental Car Only Booking Fee.”

Amend Item #5 to read, “Lodging Only Booking Fee.”

Amend Item #10 to read, “Void Fee.”

Add Item #11 which reads, “Exchange Fee.”

Amend Item #13 to read, “Visa/Passport Fee.”

Page 62 – Appendix E: Mandatory Requirements

Delete Mandatory Requirement #18 that reads, “Contractor shall secure air travel reservations via a central reservation system and provide automation to monitor fares.”

Renumber Item #’s 18-19.

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00309 Agent-Assisted Travel Services

Amendment #2

STATE OF WASHINGTON

DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

OFFICE OF STATE PROCUREMENT

210 11th Avenue SW, Room 201, General Administration Building Olympia, Washington 98504-1017

http://www.ga.wa.gov

INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB)

00309 Agent-Assisted Travel Services

Solicitation Number / Pre-Bid Conference Date & Time / Bid Due Date and Time
00309 / Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009 @ 10:00 AM / Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009 @ 2:00 PM

Richard Carlson

Procurement Coordinator

Phone (360) 902-7447 7427

Fax (360) 586-2426

Email:

To request this information in alternative formats call (360) 902-7400, or TDD (360) 664-3799.

http://www.ga.wa.gov/webs/

Responses must be received & stamped on or before the Bid Due Date and Time at this location:

Department of General Administration

Office of State Procurement

210 11th Ave SW, Rm 201, GA Bldg

Olympia WA 98504-1017

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00309 Agent-Assisted Travel Services

Amendment #2

BIDDER’S AUTHORIZED OFFER

(BID SIGNATURE PAGE)

00309 Agent-Assisted Travel Services

Issued by the State of Washington

Certifications and Assurances

We make the following certifications and assurances as a required element of the Bid, to which it is attached, affirming the truthfulness of the facts declared here and acknowledging that the continuing compliance with these statements and all requirements of the IFB are conditions precedent to the award or continuation of the resulting Contract.

1.  The prices in this Bid have been arrived at independently, without, for the purpose of restricting competition, any consultation, communication, or agreement with any other Offeror or competitor relating to (i)those prices, (ii) the intention to submit an offer, or (iii) the methods or factors used to calculate the prices offered. The prices in this Bid have not been and will not be knowingly disclosed by the Offeror, directly or indirectly, to any other Offeror or competitor before Contract award unless otherwise required by law. No attempt has been made or will be made by the Offeror to induce any other concern to submit or not to submit an offer for the purpose of restricting competition. However, we may freely join with other persons or organizations for the purpose of presenting a single Bid.

2.  The attached Bid is a firm offer for a period of 90 days following the Bid Due Date and Time specified in the IFB, and it may be accepted by the Purchasing Activity without further negotiation (except where obviously required by lack of certainty in key terms) at any time within the 900-day 90-day period. In the case of protest, our Bid will remain valid for 120 days or until the protest and any related court action is resolved, whichever is later.

3.  In preparing this Bid, we have not been assisted by any current or former employee of the State of Washington whose duties relate (or did relate) to the State's Solicitation, or prospective Contract, and who was assisting in other than his or her official, public capacity. Neither does such a person nor any member of his or her immediate family have any financial interest in the outcome of this Solicitation. (Any exceptions to these assurances are described in full detail on a separate page and attached to this document.)

4.  We understand that the State will not reimburse us for any costs incurred in the preparation of this Bid. All Bids become the property of the State, and we claim no proprietary right to the ideas, writings, items or samples unless so stated in the Bid. Submission of the attached Bid constitutes an acceptance of the evaluation criteria and an agreement to abide by the procedures and all other administrative requirements described in the Solicitation document.

5.  We understand that any Contract awarded as a result of this Bid will incorporate all the Solicitation requirements. Submission of a Bid and execution of this Certifications and Assurances document certify our willingness to comply with the Contract terms and conditions appearing in Part II, The Model Contract, if selected as a Contractor. It is further understood that our standard contract will not be considered as a replacement for the terms and conditions appearing in Part II, The Model Contract, of this Solicitation.

6.  Under the requirements of Lobbying Disclosure Act, 2 U.S.C., Section 1601 et seq., no Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid, by or on behalf of the Contractor, to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with the awarding of any Federal contract, the making of any Federal grant, the making of any Federal loan, the entering into of any cooperative agreement, and the extension, continuation, renewal, amendment, or modification of any Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement.

7.  We are not submitting proposed Contract exceptions (See Section 1.4, Model Contract).

8.  The authorized signatory below acknowledges having read and understood the entire Solicitation and agrees to comply with the terms and conditions of the Solicitation in submitting and fulfilling the offer made in its Bid.

9.  By submitting this Bid, Bidder hereby offers to furnish materials, supplies, services and/or equipment in compliance with all terms, conditions, and specifications contained in this Solicitation.

The signatory below represents that he/she has the authority to bind the company named below to the Bid submitted and any Contract awarded as a result of this Solicitation.

Printed Name, Title / Company Name
Signature / Date

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00309 Agent-Assisted Travel Services

Amendment #2

CHECKLIST

This checklist is provided for Bidder's convenience only and identifies the documents to be submitted with each Bid. Any Bid received without any one or more of these documents may be rejected as being Non-Responsive.
Signed Bidder's Authorized Offer (Bid Signature Page)
IFB
Signed Copies of any Amendments
Signed Part II: The Model Contract (Complete [yellow] highlighted areas on pages
22 and 48-51. Sign in ink, print or type name, date and enter title.)
Section 4, Instructions To Bidders
Section 4.3, Bidder Authorized Representative (acknowledgement)
Section 4.7, Bidder Profile (acknowledgement)
Section 5, Bidder Qualifications and Requirements
Section 5.1, Use of Subcontractors (acknowledgement)
Section 5.2, Bidder Certifications/Licenses (acknowledgement)
Section 5.3, Federal Restrictions on Lobbying (acknowledgement)
Section 5.4, Federal Debarment and Suspension (acknowledgement)
Section 6, Successful Bidder Responsibilities
Section 6.4, Insurance (acknowledgement)
Section 6.5, Statewide Vendor Payment Registration (acknowledgement)
Section 6.6, Sales & Subcontractor Reports (acknowledgement)
Section 6.7, Other Required Reports (acknowledgement)
Section 7, Pricing
Section 7.1, Pricing (acknowledgement)
Section 7.4, Price Adjustments (acknowledgement)
Appendix C: Bidder Profile
Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) compliance
(Only applicable if response in Bidder Profile is “Yes.”)
Appendix D: Price Worksheet
Appendix E: Mandatory Requirements
Registered Seller of Travel License issued by the Washington State
Department of Licensing
Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) certification/accreditation
International Air Transport Association (IATA) certification/accreditation

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