A.
Competitive bidding. Adequate public notice of the invitation for
bids shall be given, not less than 30 calendar days prior to the date
set forth therein for the opening of bids, unless it is determined
by Central Purchasing, in writing, that a public notice of less than
30 days is adequate. In no instance shall the public notice be less
than five business days. When required by state law, such notice shall
include publication in the newspaper(s) of general circulation as
designated by the County Legislature. The public notice shall state
the place, date, and time of the bid opening.
B.
Central Purchasing shall provide public notice of the RFP, RFQ, RFEI,
and RFI on the County website. The RFP shall be advertised in the
County's official newspapers and on the website of the department
requesting the RFP. At least 10 days shall elapse between the publication
and posting of such advertisement and the date when proposals responding
to the RFP are required to be submitted to the County.
Bids/Proposals are to be packaged, sealed and submitted to the
location stated in the bid specifications or RFP. Bidders/Proposers
are solely responsible for timely delivery of their bids/proposals
to the location set forth in the bid specification or RFP prior to
the stated date/time. If authorized by the bid specification or RFP,
bids may be submitted in an electronic format.
The confidentiality of all bids/proposals shall be maintained
until the time and date established for opening of the bids or due
date for proposals. The name, business address and contact information
of all persons and business entities responding to a bid/proposal
shall be a public record subject to prompt disclosure to any person
requesting such information immediately following the awarding of
the contract; except, should the Department of Law determine that
disclosing such information following the award of the contract would
impair contract negotiations with the vendor, the information may
be withheld until such time as a contract is fully executed.
The timely submission of a bid/proposal, in compliance with
instructions provided for such submission in the advertisement for
bids and/or specifications, shall be the responsibility of each bidder
or prospective bidder. The County shall not incur any liability from
delays of or interruptions in the receiving device designated for
the submission and receipt of electronic bids/proposals.
