This is a service / maintenance or supply contract in Bunn, North Carolina. Contact the soliciting agency for additional information.

This Invitation for Bid (IFB) is for the purchase of Aluminum Flat Bar needed by the NCDPS Enterprise Sign Plant in the production of highway and road signs for their customers. Bids shall be submitted in accordance with the terms and conditions of this IFB and any addenda issued hereto. For internal State agency processing, including tabulation of bids, provide your company's eVP (Electronic Vendor Portal) Number. Pursuant to G.S. 132-1.10(b) this identification number shall not be released to the public. This page will be removed and shredded, or otherwise kept confidential, before the procurement file is made available for public inspection. This page shall be filled out and returned with your bid. Failure to do so may subject your bid to rejection. For your bid to be considered, your company (you) must be a North Carolina registered vendor in good standing. You must enter the vendor number assigned through eVP (Electronic Vendor Portal). If you do not have a vendor number, register at website. This is an NC eProcurement solicitation facilitated by the Ariba Network. The E-Procurement fee applies to this solicitation. See paragraph entitled ELECTRONIC PROCUREMENT of the North Carolina General Terms and Conditions. General information on the E-Procurement Services can be found at website. The Ariba Network is a web-based platform that serves as a connection point for buyers and vendors. Vendors can log in to the Ariba Network to view purchase orders, respond to electronic requests for quotes, participate in Sourcing Events, and collaborate with buyers on contract documents. For training on how to use the Sourcing Tool to view solicitations, submit questions, develop responses, upload documents, and submit offers to the State, Vendors should go to the website. It shall be the Vendor's responsibility to read the Instructions to Vendors, the North Carolina General Terms and Conditions, all relevant exhibits and attachments, and any other components made a part of this IFB and comply with all requirements and specifications herein. Vendors also are responsible for obtaining and complying with all Addenda and other changes that may be issued in connection with this IFB. If Vendors have questions, issues, or exceptions regarding any term, condition, or other component within this IFB, those must be submitted as questions in accordance with the instructions in the BID QUESTIONS Section. If the State determines that any changes will be made as a result of the questions asked, then such decisions will be communicated in the form of an IFB addendum. The State may also elect to leave open the possibility for later negotiation and amendment of specific provisions of the Contract that have been addressed during the question-andanswer period. Other than through this process, the State rejects and will not be required to evaluate or consider any additional or modified terms and conditions submitted with Vendor's bid. This applies to any language appearing in or attached to the document as part of the Vendor's bid that purports to vary any terms and conditions or Vendors' instructions herein or to render the bid non-binding or subject to further negotiation. Vendor's bid shall constitute a firm offer. By execution and delivery of this IFB Response, the Vendor agrees that any additional or modified terms and conditions, whether submitted purposely or inadvertently, shall have no force or effect, and will be disregarded. Noncompliance with, or any attempt to alter or delete, this paragraph shall constitute sufficient grounds to reject Vendor's bid as nonresponsive. The State may exercise its discretion to consider Vendor proposed modifications. Upon review of the IFB documents, Vendors may have questions to clarify or interpret the IFB in order to submit the best bid possible. To accommodate the Bid Questions process, Vendors shall submit any such questions by the "Submit Written Questions" date and time provided in the IFB SCHEDULE Section above, unless modified by Addendum. Questions related to the content of the solicitation, or the procurement process should be directed to the person on the title page of this document via the Sourcing Tool's message board by the date and time specified in the IFB SCHEDULE Section of this IFB. Vendors will enter "IFB # 19-IFB- 465316173-WKM- Questions" as the subject of the message. Question submittals should include a reference to the applicable IFB section. This is the only manner in which questions will be received. Questions or issues related to using the Sourcing Tool itself can be directed to the North Carolina eProcurement Help Desk at 888-211-7440, Option 2. Help Desk representatives are available Monday through Friday from 7:30 AM ET to 5:00 PM ET. Questions received prior to the submission deadline date, the State's response, and any additional terms deemed necessary by the State will be posted in the Sourcing Tool in the form of an addendum and shall become an Addendum to this IFB. No information, instruction or advice provided orally or informally by any State personnel, whether made in response to a question or otherwise in connection with this IFB, shall be considered authoritative or binding. Vendors shall rely only on written material contained in an Addendum to this IFB. Vendors shall provide responses to all questions and complete all attachments for this IFB that require the Vendor to provide information and upload them to the Sourcing Event in the Sourcing Tool. Vendor may not be able to submit its response in the Sourcing Tool unless all required items are addressed. Vendors shall provide authorized signatures where requested. Failure to provide all required items, or Vendor's submission of incomplete items, may result in the State rejecting Vendor's bid, in the State's sole discretion. North Carolina G.S. 143-52 provides a general list of criteria the State shall use to award contracts, as supplemented by the additional criteria herein. The Goods or Services being procured shall dictate the application and order of criteria; however, all award decisions shall be in the State's best interest. All responsive bids will be reviewed, and award or awards will be based on the responsive bid(s) offering the lowest price that meets the specifications set out herein. While the intent of this IFB is to award a Contract(s) to a single Vendor for all line items the State reserves the right to make separate awards to different Vendors for one or more line items, to not award one or more line items or to cancel this IFB in its entirety without awarding a Contract, if it is considered to be most advantageous to the State to do so. If a Vendor selected for award is determined by the State to be a non-resident of North Carolina, all responsive bids will be reviewed to determine if any of them were submitted by a North Carolina resident Vendor who requested an opportunity to match the price of the winning bid, pursuant to Executive Order #50 and G.S. 143-59 (for more information, please refer to ATTACHMENT H: VENDOR REQUEST FOR EXECUTIVE ORDER #50 PRICE MATCHING. If such bid(s) are identified, the State will then determine whether any such bid falls within the pricematch range, and, if so, make a Contract award in accordance with the process that implements G.S. 143-59 and Executive Order #50. The State reserves the right to waive any minor informality or technicality in bids received. a) It is anticipated that the tasks and duties undertaken by the Vendor under the contract which results from the State solicitation in this matter (Contract) shall include Services, and/or the manufacturing, furnishing, or development of goods and other tangible features or components, as deliverables. b) Except as provided herein, and unless otherwise mutually agreed in writing prior to award, any deliverables not subject to an agreed Vendor license and provided by Vendor in performance of this Contract shall be and remain property of the State. During performance, Vendor may provide proprietary components as part of the deliverables that are identified in this Contract. Vendor grants the State a personal, permanent, non-transferable license to use such proprietary components of the deliverables and other functionalities, as provided under this Contract. Any technical and business information owned by Vendor or its suppliers or licensors made accessible or furnished to the State shall be and remain the property of the Vendor or such other party, respectively. Vendor agrees to perform under the Contract in at least the same or similar manner provided to comparable users and customers. The State shall notify the Vendor of any defects or deficiencies in performance or failure of deliverables to conform to the standards and specifications provided in this Contract. Vendor agrees to timely remedy defective performance or any nonconforming deliverables on its own or upon such notice provided by the State. c) Vendor has a limited, non-exclusive license to access and use State Data provided to Vendor, but solely for performing its obligations under and during this Agreement and in confidence as further provided for herein or by law. d) Vendor or its suppliers, as specified and agreed in the Contract, shall provide support assistance to the State related to all Services performed or other deliverables procured hereunder during the State's normal business hours. Vendor warrants that its support, customer service, and assistance will be performed at a minimum in accordance with generally accepted and applicable industry standards. e) The State may document and take into account in awarding or renewing future procurement contracts the general reputation, performance and performance capabilities of the Vendor under this Contract as provided by G.S. 143-52 and 143-135.9 (a) and (b) (Best Value).