Composting at Vermont State Parks Addendum 1

DEPARTMENT OF BUILDINGS & GENERAL SERVICES
Office of Purchasing and Contracting
133 State Street, 5th Floor | Montpelier VT 05633-8000
802-828-2211 phone |802-828-2222 fax
http://bgs.vermont.gov/purchasing
SEALED BID
Request For Proposal
Composting at Vermont State Parks
ISSUE DATE February 27, 2026
QUESTIONS DUE March 10, 2026 - 4:30 PM (EST)
RFP RESPONSES DUE BY March 17, 2026 - 4:30 PM (EST)
Please be advised that all notifications, releases, and addendums associated with this
RFP will be posted at:
http://www.bgs.state.vt.us/pca/bids/bids.php
The state will make no attempt to contact interested parties with updated information. It is the
responsibility of each bidder to periodically check the above webpage for any and all
notifications, releases and addendums associated with this RFP.
STATE CONTACT: James Meyers, State Senior Purchasing Agent
E-MAIL: BGS.OPCVendorDocs@vermont.gov
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OVERVIEW:
1.1. SCOPE AND BACKGROUND: Through this Request for Proposal (RFP) the Department of
Buildings and General Services, Office of Purchasing and Contracting on behalf of Vermont
Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (hereinafter the "State") is seeking to establish
contracts with one or more companies that can provide Composting at Vermont State Parks.
1.2. CONTRACT PERIOD: Contracts arising from this RFP will be for a period of 12 months with an
option to renew for up to four additional twelve-month periods. The State anticipates the start
date will be April 1, 2026.
1.3. SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT: All communications concerning this RFP are to be addressed
in writing to the State Contact listed on the front page of this RFP. Actual or attempted contact
with any other individual from the State concerning this RFP is strictly prohibited and may result
in disqualification.
1.4. BIDDERS' CONFERENCE: Bidders' conference will not be held.
1.5. QUESTION AND ANSWER PERIOD: Any bidder requiring clarification of any section of this
RFP or wishing to comment on any requirement of the RFP must submit specific questions in
writing no later than the deadline for question indicated on the first page of this RFP. Questions
may be e-mailed to the point of contact on the front page of this RFP. Questions or comments
not raised in writing on or before the last day of the question period are thereafter waived. At
the close of the question period a copy of all questions or comments and the State's responses
will be posted on the State's web site http://www.bgs.state.vt.us/pca/bids/bids.php . Every effort
will be made to post this information as soon as possible after the question period ends,
contingent on the number and complexity of the questions. All information provided by vendors
during this process will be public and bidders shall not provide confidential information, except
as described in 4.1 below.
1.6. CHANGES TO THIS RFP: Any modifications to this RFP will be made in writing by the State
through the issuance of an Addendum to this RFP and posted online at
http://www.bgs.state.vt.us/pca/bids/bids.php . Modifications from any other source are not to be
considered.
2. DETAILED REQUIREMENTS/DESIRED OUTCOMES: The State of Vermont is requesting proposals
to provide food scrap collection and removal at Vermont State Park facilities Statewide.
2.1. Contractor shall provide all labor and equipment necessary to complete food scrap removal and
compost recycling services as described in this RFP.
2.2. All container prices per pickup shall include all tip fees, disposal fees, hauling charges, and any
other fees, including but not limited to finance charges, fuel surcharges, environmental fees, etc.
that may be applied. Based on need, the frequency of pickup may be changed at any time during
the contract period by State Parks.
2.3. Right-Size: Contractor shall work with the State Parks to ensure that the containers used for
food scrap recycling are the right-size containers for that location.
2.4 Damaged Containers: Whenever a container is damaged, the contractor replaces the
damaged container as soon as possible but no later than one week following notification by the
agency. All costs associated with replacement or repair of the equipment furnished by the
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contractor shall be the responsibility of the contractor or the person/company that damaged the
container.
2.5. Pickups:
2.5.1. State Parks utilizes bear proof containers at parks that have a risk of bear activity. these
bins are designed to hold 2 larger or 3 smaller totes. Vendor must adjust pickup
accordingly.
2.5.2. State Parks reserves the right to increase or decrease the number, size, and location of
recycling containers, in addition to the frequency of pickups, as the need arises. State
Parks shall provide ten days notice for any change in container size, quantity, or service
frequency.
2.5.3. All pickups shall be made on the date and times as directed by State Parks and servicing
of the location shall be made known to the State representative at each location. A written
notice shall be left with agency representative after each service.
2.6. Failure to Pickup Penalty: If the contractor is unable to pick up food scrap recycling on the
regularly scheduled day, they shall notify the agency. Failure to do so will result in a deduction
from the monthly charge equal to one fourth the monthly charge. No deductions will be made
without first notifying the contractor and giving them reasonable time to reply. If the contractor
fails to pick up a location on schedule, the food scrap recycling must be collected by 11:00 a.m.
of the day following.
2.6.1. Holidays: When a pickup is scheduled on a national or state holiday, food scrap recycling
shall be picked up either the day before or the day following the holiday. At no time will the
contractor allow food scrap to accumulate until the next regularly scheduled pick up day.
2.7. Food scrap disposal: All food scrap collected and disposed of under this contract shall be
accomplished in strict accordance with current applicable county, state, and federal air and water
pollution control and food scrap recycling disposal regulations.
2.8. Food scrap Recycling: Contractor shall recycle food scrap in accordance with Appendix-A.
2.9. Contractor shall provide monthly data on the approximate weight of food scraps collected and
composted.
2.10. Contractor shall provide technical assistance for solving issues as they arise.
2.11. Prices: Prices per pickup in Attachment B are all-inclusive. No additional charges will be
allowed. Prices submitted shall include all tip fees in effect on the beginning date of this
contract, disposal fees and hauling charges.
2.11.1 Invoicing is provided monthly, in arrears, based on the per pick up rate. As an example,
$25.00 per pick up for 1xwk service the monthly charge would be $108.25 ($25.00 x
4.33 = $108.25). If it was every other week service, the monthly rate is $54.13 ($25.00
x 2.165 = $54.13). The 1xper month charge would be $25.00.
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2.12 Cancellations or additions: The using agency reserves the right to make cancellations, or
any parts thereof, or make additions to upon a ten (10) day written notice to the Contractor.
The charge for any additions or deletions shall be in accordance with the price schedule.
2.13. Price Adjustment:
Prices will remain firm for the initial twelve months (12) of the contract. If the option to
renew is agreed upon by both parties, any cost adjustment shall be increased or decreased per
the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the previous twenty-four (24)
months and adjusted through an executed contract amendment. All increases are subject to
annual review. The Office of Purchasing and Contracting reserves the right to reject any price
increase deeded to be excessive. Decreases to be offered immediately as they become
available. Vendor must notify the Office of Purchasing and Contracting of any decreases in
pricing.
All price changes need to be negotiated and approved by January 15, of each calendar year. All
newly negotiated pricing shall take effect on February 1st, of the same calendar year. Any
requests after January 15th will not be considered until January 15th, of the next calendar year.
2.14 Special Requirements Regarding Invoicing and Payments:
2.14.1 It will be a requirement of contracts that each and all invoices rendered by contractors
must precisely reflect actual per-pick-up costs, of the actual number of pick-ups that
actually occur during the actual date intervals covered by each individual invoice.
Contractors must not prepare or submit any invoices based on any sort of averaging of
what costs would be associated with some fictional average month, nor any other
method that departs from precise actuals.
2.14.2 If there are issues associated with payment of invoices, it is urgent that service
continue uninterrupted. If contractor believes that there is an unreasonable payment
delay or underpayment occurring, contractor shall give written notice to the applicable
Agency or Department of the State responsible for the particular site, with a CC of that
notice to the Purchasing Agent, within the Office of Purchasing and Contracting,
responsible for the waste contracts.
2.15. Contamination and Tote Rejection: Totes shall be examined by Contractor or its nominee for
contaminants listed in Appendix-A prior to being collected and hauled to the compost facility.
Tote examination is required to prevent the transportation of trash to the composting facility.
2.15.1. Totes will be rejected if any of the following are found:
2.15.2 More than two (2) items of easily removable trash, or
2.15.3. Any amount of trash that is difficult to remove such as butter wrappers, disposable
tableware, packaged produce, broken glass, motor oil, or tiny bits of Styrofoam
packaging.
2.16. If a tote(s) is/are rejected as a result of contamination the collection driver shall leave a rejection
notice on the tote. Drivers are not responsible for removing or disposing of trash contamination
found in food scraps. The State shall dispose of the contaminated food scraps along with their
other trash before the next collection.
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2.17. Tote rejection incidents shall be followed up, whenever possible, by a phone call from
Contractor to assist the State in identifying ways to improve the system to reduce
contamination. If totes are rejected two or more times both parties shall work together to
address issue(s).
3. In addition to the above terms and conditions as the Contractor shall:
3.1. Accept food scraps only as detailed in appendix A.
3.2. Provide food scrap collection and storage containers that can be rolled into and out of the State-
provided and installed ground level bear proof bin.
3.3. Containers shall be exchanged at each pickup.
3.4. Provide copy and content of education materials that adequately inform the public of the
materials that will be accepted as food waste for their composting operation.
3.4.1. This material will only include accepting the items as outlined in appendix A
4. The State Shall:
4.1. Require that only food scraps are composted in order to maintain simplicity and decrease the
opportunities for contamination,
4.1.1. Even though a company may accept paper or other compostable fiber at their facility,
State Parks will not advertise or endorse collection of that material due to risk of non-
compliance by the visiting public.
4.2. Provide a shelter (bear proof if necessary) for the food scrap recycling containers that will accept
rolling "totes' or "toters".
4.3. Provide screening of deposited food scraps and strive to maximize the amount of food scraps by
education and when possible scheduled drop times and observation. The State does NOT
control the waste stream of its visitors as they are responsible for disposal of their own refuse
and recycling.
APPENDIX A
These items cannot be composted:
* Metal
* Plastic
* Styrofoam
* Hazardous wastes
* Paper products with plastic liners
* Milk & orange juice cartons
* Sugar packets
* Grease or food items contaminated with cleaning agents
* Compostable bags, utensils, cups
* Store-bought flowers
* PLU stickers
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All of the following food scraps can be recycled:
* Meat & bones
* Milk, cheese, & other dairy
* Fruits, vegetables, & peels
* Soups & sauces
* Dressings & condiments
* Flour, bread, & pasta
* Nuts & shells
* Seafood & shells
* Coffee grinds
* Oils & fats
* Eggs & egg shells
* Spices
5. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:
5.1. PRICING: Bidders must price the terms of this solicitation at their best pricing. Any and all costs
that Bidder wishes the State to consider must be submitted for consideration. If applicable, all
equipment pricing is to include F.O.B. delivery to the ordering facility. No request for extra
delivery cost will be honored. All equipment shall be delivered assembled, serviced, and ready
for immediate use, unless otherwise requested by the State.
5.1.1. Prices and/or rates shall remain firm for the initial term of the contract. The pricing policy
submitted by Bidder must (i) be clearly structured, accountable, and auditable and (ii) cover
the full spectrum of materials and/or services required.
5.1.2. Cooperative Agreements. Bidders that have been awarded similar contracts through a
competitive bidding process with another state and/or cooperative are welcome to submit
the pricing in response to this solicitation.
5.2. STATEMENT OF RIGHTS: The State shall have the authority to evaluate Responses and select
the Bidder(s) as may be determined to be in the best interest of the State and consistent with the
goals and performance requirements outlined in this RFP. The State of Vermont reserves the
right to obtain clarification or additional information necessary to properly evaluate a proposal.
Failure of bidder to respond to a request for additional information or clarification could result in
rejection of that bidder's proposal. To secure a project that is deemed to be in the best interest of
the State, the State reserves the right to accept or reject any and all bids, in whole or in part, with
or without cause, and to waive technicalities in submissions. The State also reserves the right to
make purchases outside of the awarded contracts where it is deemed in the best interest of the
State.
5.2.1. Best and Final Offer (BAFO). At any time after submission of Responses and prior to the
final selection of Bidder(s) for Contract negotiation or execution, the State may invite
Bidder(s) to provide a BAFO. The state reserves the right to request BAFOs from only
those Bidders that meet the minimum qualification requirements and/or have not been
eliminated from consideration during the evaluation process.
5.2.2. Presentation. An in-person or webinar presentation by the Bidder may be required by the
State if it will help the State's evaluation process. The State will factor information
presented during presentations into the evaluation. Bidders will be responsible for all costs
associated with providing the presentation.
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5.3. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST:
5.3.1. Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCOI): An OCOI arises when a bidder as a
business entity has interests (for example, customers, partners, contracts) that could
undermine, or reasonably be perceived to undermine, its faithful and unbiased
performance of a contract with the State that may result from this solicitation.
5.3.2. Personal Conflict of Interest (PCOI): A PCOI arises when an interest held by an
individual, agent or employee of a bidder could undermine, or reasonably be perceived to
undermine, its faithful and unbiased performance of a contract with the State that may
result from this solicitation.
5.3.3. Requirements: The State does not seek to contract with any individual or business entity
having a conflict of interest which cannot be mitigated to the State's satisfaction. To
ensure the State's awareness of actual, potential, or reasonably perceived PCOIs and
OCOIs, bidders shall:
a) Prior to submitting a proposal, conduct an internal review of its current affiliations and
activities and identify actual, potential, or reasonably perceived PCOIs or OCOIs relative
to a contract with the State that may result from this solicitation.
b) Disclose in your proposal any actual or potential PCOI or OCOI or the existence of any
facts that may cause a reasonably prudent person to perceive a PCOI or OCOI with
respect to a contract with the State that may result from this solicitation. Disclose, also,
any actions proposed to mitigate the PCOI or OCOI.
5.3.4. The State shall have sole discretion to determine whether a PCOI or OCOI can be
mitigated to the State's satisfaction and may discuss the conflict with the bidder if and to
the extent the State deems discussion necessary to its determination. The State reserves
the right to (a) reject from further consideration any proposal having a PCOI or OCIO that
cannot be mitigated to the State's full satisfaction and (b) terminate a contract upon
discovery that a contractor failed to disclose facts pertaining to a PCOI or OCOI in its
proposal, or otherwise misrepresented relevant information to the State.
5.4. WORKER CLASSIFICATION COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS: In accordance with Section 32
of The Vermont Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Act No. 54), Bidders must comply with
the following provisions and requirements.
5.4.1. Self Reporting: For bid amounts exceeding $250,000.00, Bidder shall complete the
appropriate section in the attached Certificate of Compliance for purposes of self-reporting
information relating to past violations, convictions, suspensions, and any other information
related to past performance relative to coding and classification of workers. The State is
requiring information on any violations that occurred in the previous 12 months.
5.4.2. Subcontractor Reporting: For bid amounts exceeding $250,000.00, Bidders are hereby
notified that upon award of contract, and prior to contract execution, the State shall be
provided with a list of all proposed subcontractors and subcontractors' subcontractors,
together with the identity of those subcontractors' workers compensation insurance
providers, and additional required or requested information, as applicable, in accordance
with Section 32 of The Vermont Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Act No. 54).
This requirement does not apply to subcontractors providing supplies only and no labor to
the overall contract or project. This list MUST be updated and provided to the State as
additional subcontractors are hired. A sample form is available online at
http://bgs.vermont.gov/purchasing-contracting/forms. The subcontractor reporting form
is not required to be submitted with the bid response.
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5.5. EXECUTIVE ORDER 05-16: CLIMATE CHANGE CONSIDERATIONS IN STATE
PROCUREMENTS:
For bid amounts exceeding $25,000.00 Bidders are requested to complete the Climate Change
Considerations in State Procurements Certification, which is included in the Certificate of
Compliance for this RFP.
After consideration of all relevant factors, a bidder that demonstrates business practices that
promote clean energy and address climate change as identified in the Certification, shall be
given favorable consideration in the competitive bidding process. Such favorable consideration
shall be consistent with and not supersede any preference given to resident bidders of the State
and/or products raised or manufactured in the State, as explained in the Method of Award
section. But, such favorable consideration shall not be employed if prohibited by law or other
relevant authority or agreement.
5.6. METHOD OF AWARD: Awards will be made in the best interest of the State. The State may
award one or more contracts and reserves the right to make additional awards to other compliant
bidders at any time if such award is deemed to be in the best interest of the State. All other
considerations being equal, preference will be given first to resident bidders of the state and/or to
products raised or manufactured in the state, and then to bidders who have practices that
promote clean energy and address climate change, as identified in the applicable Certificate of
Compliance.
5.7. CONTRACT NEGOTIATION: Upon completion of the evaluation process, the State may select
one or more bidders with which to negotiate a contract, based on the evaluation findings and
other criteria deemed relevant for ensuring that the decision made is in the best interest of the
State. In the event State is not successful in negotiating a contract with a selected bidder, the
State reserves the option of negotiating with another bidder, or to end the proposal process
entirely.
5.8. COST OF PREPARATION: Bidder shall be solely responsible for all expenses incurred in the
preparation of a response to this RFP and shall be responsible for all expenses associated with
any presentations or demonstrations associated with this request and/or any proposals made.
5.9. CONTRACT TERMS: The selected bidder(s) will be expected to sign a contract with the State,
including the Standard Contract Form and Attachment C as attached to this RFP for reference.
5.9.1. Business Registration. To be awarded a contract by the State of Vermont a bidder
(except an individual doing business in his/her own name) must be registered with the
Vermont Secretary of State's office https://sos.vermont.gov/corporations/registration/ and
must obtain a Contractor's Business Account Number issued by the Vermont Department
of Taxes http://tax.vermont.gov/ .
5.9.2. The contract will obligate the bidder to provide the services and/or products identified in its
bid, at the prices listed.
5.9.3. Payment Terms. Percentage discounts may be offered for prompt payments of invoices;
however, such discounts must be in effect for a period of 30 days or more in order to be
considered in making awards.
5.9.4. Quality. If applicable, all products provided under a contract with the State will be new and
unused, unless otherwise stated. Factory seconds or remanufactured products will not be
accepted unless specifically requested by the purchasing agency. All products provided by
the contractor must meet all federal, state, and local standards for quality and safety
requirements. Products not meeting these standards will be deemed unacceptable and
returned to the contractor for credit at no charge to the State.
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6. CONTENT AND FORMAT OF RESPONSES: The content and format requirements listed below are
the minimum requirements for State evaluation. These requirements are not intended to limit the
content of a Bidder's proposal. Bidders may include additional information or offer alternative
solutions for the State's consideration. However, the State discourages overly lengthy and costly
proposals, and Bidders are advised to include only such information in their response as may be
relevant to the requirements of this solicitation.
6.1. Unsolicited Bidder-Confidential Information Prohibited. Bidders are hereby expressly
directed not to include any confidential information in their proposal submissions, except as
specifically permitted below. By submitting a proposal in response to this RFP, bidders
acknowledge and agree to abide by the terms and conditions outlined in this document, including
the prohibition on submitting confidential information. This prohibition reduces the burden on the
State while preventing bidder-confidential information from entering the public record.
6.2. Disclosure under Public Records Act. All information received by the State in response to this
solicitation will become part of the contract file and subject to public disclosure in accordance
with the State's Public Records Act, 1 V.S.A. 315 et seq. The State may also choose to
publicly post responses to this solicitation and the resulting agreement(s), following conclusion of
this procurement process.
6.3. Unsolicited Confidential Materials. This RFP does not solicit bidder confidential information
and bidders are expressly prohibited from providing confidential information in response to this
RFP. All materials furnished by bidders in response to this RFP, including those marked as
confidential by bidders, are subject to disclosure if requested under the Public Records Act, or
public posting.
6.4. State Not Responsible for Disclosure of Unmarked Bidder-Confidential Information. It is
the sole responsibility of the bidder to ensure that, other than where specifically directed or
permitted by this RFP and accordingly marked as described below, no information that should
not be publicly disclosed is included in their proposal materials, including any 1) trade secrets or
intellectual property, 2) proprietary financial or business information, 3) personal information, or
4) any other information that should not be disclosed to the public. For example, bidders should
avoid including specific details of their proprietary technologies or methodologies that they
consider confidential, and any references to previous client engagements should be presented in
a manner that does not disclose the client's confidential information.
6.5. The bid should include a Cover Letter and Technical Response and Price Schedule.
6.6. COVER LETTER:
6.6.1. Exceptions to Contract Terms and Conditions. The State will not consider exceptions to
contract terms and conditions included with this RFP.
6.7. TECHNICAL RESPONSE. In response to this RFP, a bidder shall:
6.7.1. Provide details concerning your form of business organization, company size and
resources.
6.7.2. Describe your capabilities and particular experience relevant to the RFP requirements.
6.7.3. If you have experience working with the State of Vermont, identify all current or past State
projects. Provide the name of the Vermont department or agency and the project title or a
brief description of the work. Do not include references or statements from State of
Vermont agencies or employees.
6.7.4. Identify the names of all subcontractors you intend to use, the portions of the work the
subcontractors will perform, and address the background and experience of the
subcontractor(s), in response to the questions described above in this section.
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6.8. REFERENCES. Provide the names, addresses, and phone numbers of at least three companies
with whom you have transacted similar business in the last 12 months. You must include contact
names who can talk knowledgeably about performance. Do not list a State of Vermont agency or
employee as a reference.
6.9. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS: Provide a sample of any reporting documentation that may be
applicable to the Detailed Requirements of this RFP.
6.10. PRICE SCHEDULE: Bidders shall submit their pricing information in the Price Schedule
attached to the RFP.
6.11. CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE: This form must be completed and submitted as part of the
response for the proposal to be considered valid.
7. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:
7.1. CLOSING DATE: Bids must be received by the State by the due date specified on the front page
of this RFP. Late bids will not be considered.
7.1.1. The State may, for cause, issue an addendum to change the date and/or time when bids
are due. If a change is made, the State will inform all bidders by posting at the webpage
indicated on the front page of this RFP.
7.1.2. There will not be a public bid opening. However, the State will record the name, city and
state for any and all bids received by the due date.
7.2. ELECTRONIC BIDS ONLY: All bids under this RFP must be submitted electronically in
accordance with the submission requirements herein.
7.2.1. Electronic bids will be accepted via email submission to BGS.VTBids@vermont.gov. The
subject line of the email submission must reference the Project Title as indicated on the
front page of this RFP.
7.2.1.1. Bids must consist of a single email with a single, digitally searchable PDF
attachment containing all components of the bid. Multiple emails and/or multiple
attachments will not be accepted.
7.2.1.2. There is an attachment size limit of 40 MB. It is the Bidder's responsibility to
compress the PDF file containing its bid if necessary in order to meet this size
limitation. It is also the Bidder's responsibility to ensure that their own email
system can send and receive messages up to this size.
7.2.2. Bids may also be submitted through Vermont's eProcurement System, VTBuys, link to the
system can be found:
https://vtbuys.suppliers.vermont.gov/page.aspx/en/usr/login?ReturnUrl=%2fpage.aspx%2fe
n%2fbuy%2fho mepage
8. BID SUBMISSION CHECKLIST:
Cover Letter
Technical Response
Redacted Technical Response, if applicable
References
Price Schedule
Signed Certificate of Compliance
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