26-AA18 Service Station Fuel

Purchasing Division
100 City Hall, 411 W. 1st Street
Duluth, MN 55802-1189
TEL. 218-730-5340
purchasing@duluthmn.gov
INVITATION TO BID
SERVICE STATION FUELS
BID NUMBER: 26-AA18 BID OPENING: Tuesday, September 15, 2026 at 2:00 PM
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The City of Duluth has the need to establish a contract for refueling
various department vehicles en route at service stations throughout the city. In 2026 the City
purchased approximately 362,400 gallons of fuel. Of that total, approximately half were diesel
sales and half were regular unleaded.
It is anticipated that the resulting contract will be a one (1)- year contract with four (4) one-year
renewal options. Please see the attached requirements for more information.
*** NOTE The lowest responsible bid will be determined by calculating the lowest overall cost
to the City, factoring in the bid price, location and accessibility of service stations, card
security features, and data capabilities. ***
QUESTIONS: Please submit any questions via e-mail to purchasing@duluthmn.gov. Responses
will be posted on the website (https://www.duluthmn.gov/purchasing/bids-request-for-proposals/)
under Current Bids and Projects, Solicitation 26-AA18 as an addendum to this solicitation. The
deadline to submit questions is Tuesday, September 7th with a response posted by Thursday
September 9th.
INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS:
Sealed bids may be mailed to the Purchasing Office, City Hall, 411 West 1st Street, Room 120,
Duluth, MN 55802 or dropped off in person at the same address. Bids must be received in
Purchasing before 2:00 PM local time on the bid opening date specified on the Invitation for Bids.
The City of Duluth reserves the right to split the award where there is a substantial savings to the
City, to waive informalities and to reject any and all bids. Do not include federal sales tax in the
unit price. Price may not be the only consideration for bid award. Bids must be firm for a minimum
of 60 days or until an agreement is reached or a purchase order is issued. The bid and terms as
stated in the bid must be applicable for the duration of the entire agreement (up to 5 years).
It is the bidder's responsibility to ensure they have received, reviewed and acknowledged any all
bid documents, including any addenda. Bidders can sign up for e-mail notifications by visiting
https://www.duluthmn.gov/purchasing/ and clicking the "Register Online" link in the first
paragraph.
Acknowledgment of Addendum - any changes to this solicitation will be announced via
Addendum. Bidders must indicate that they have reviewed each addendum by initialing and dating
on the bid form where indicated and including the acknowledgment with your bid when submitted.
Failure to acknowledge all addenda may result in your bid being deemed non-responsive.
Declaration of Non-Collusion - The successful bidder shall be required to execute the attached
declaration stating that he/she has not entered into a collusive agreement with any other person,

firm, or corporation in regard to any bid submitted. Submitting this form with your bid will assist in
expediting the process.
CITY OF DULUTH
Patrice Stalvig
Purchasing Agent

Purchasing Division
120 City Hall, 411 W. 1st Street
GENERAL BID SPECIFICATIONS Duluth, MN 55802-1189
TEL. 218-730-5340
purchasing@duluthmn.gov
1. General. This document covers quotes or bids requested by the bidder; the quality of the bidder's performance of previous contracts
City of Duluth ("City"), including those requested on behalf of its or services; the sufficiency of the financial resources, equipment
Agents and Authorities. Each authority may issue their own available and ability of the bidder to perform the contract; the
purchase order or contract and will be responsible for it. The City quality, availability and adaptability of the supplies or contractual
of Duluth Authorities are as follows: services to the particular use required; the ability of the bidder to
a. Duluth Airport Authority provide future maintenance and service for the use of the subject
b. Spirit Mountain Recreational Area Authority of the contract; and the number and scope of conditions attached
c. Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center to the bid. Bidders shall furnish to the City all such information and
d. Duluth Transit Authority data for this purpose, when requested.
e. Duluth Economic Development Authority Minnesota law requires that, in order to transact business in the
f. Duluth Housing and Redevelopment Authority State, including submitting a response to this request for
bids/proposals, a corporate entity of any kind must either be
2. Investigation by Bidders. Bidders are responsible for thoroughly
organized under Minnesota law or have a Certificate of Authority
reading and understanding the information, instructions, and
from the Minnesota Secretary of State to do business in Minnesota
specifications contained in the Invitation for Bids, and for
(M.S. 303.03). By submitting this bid/proposal as a corporation,
investigating the site conditions at the Project location(s), if
you are certifying that the responding corporation complies with this
applicable. At bid opening, each bidder will be presumed to have
requirement.
read and to be thoroughly familiar with the plans, specifications and
contract documents (including all Addenda). The failure or 11. Rejection of Bids. The City of Duluth reserves the right to reject any
omission of any bidder to examine any form, instrument, or and all bids or portions thereof and to waive any informalities or
document shall in no way relieve the bidder from any obligation in irregularities in bids received whenever such rejection or waiver is
respect to their bid. in its best interests.
3. Bidder Questions. Responses to general questions regarding the The City reserves the right to reject any bid if the evidence obtained
by the City through such investigation fails to satisfy the City that
Invitation for Bids may be made at the discretion of the City. Every
the bidder is properly qualified to carry out the obligations of the
request for such interpretation should be in writing and delivered
contract and to complete the work as required by the plans and
via e-mail or postal mail to the Purchasing Division before the
specifications.
deadline indicated on the Invitation for Bids, or if no deadline is
specified, at least five (5) days prior to the scheduled bid opening. 12. Liquidated Damages for Failure to Enter into Contract. The
Responses will be issued in writing in the form of Addendum or e- successful bidder, upon their failure or refusal to accept a purchase
mail to prospective bidders. order or execute and deliver the contract, proof of insurance and
4. Changes, Corrections & Withdrawal of Bids. Erasures or other bonds required within 10 days after receipt of a notice of the
acceptance of their bid, shall forfeit to the City, as liquidated
changes to the bid must be initialed and dated, however no special
damages for such failure or refusal, the security deposited with
conditions shall be made or included in the bid form by the bidder.
their bid (if required).
Bidders may make requests to withdraw/replace their bids by
13. Equal Employment Opportunity. Contractor will be required to
notifying the Purchasing Division in writing prior to the bid opening
date and time. comply with all applicable Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)
laws and regulations. Affirmative action must be taken to insure
5. Unit Pricing. If the total bid price is based on unit pricing, the City
that the employees and applicants for employment are not
will verify the extended bid price for each item (obtained by
discriminated against because of their race, color, creed, sex or
multiplying the unit bid price by the bid item quantity). If any item is
national origin. The City of Duluth is an equal opportunity
incorrectly calculated, the City will use the unit bid price to
employer.
recalculate the extended item price and the total bid price.
14. Quantities. The City reserves the right to increase or decrease the
6. Sales Tax. Do not include sales tax in the unit price. A sales tax
quantities of items within reason, unless otherwise noted.
exemption certificate will be provided upon request.
15. Prevailing Wages. Per Sec. 2-26 of Duluth City Code, payment of
7. Bid Submission. Bids may be mailed to the Purchasing Office, City
not less than the prevailing wage and salary rates specified in the
Hall, 411 West 1st Street, Room 120, Duluth, MN 55802, or
contract documents and the conditions of employment with respect
dropped off in person at the same address. Bids must be received
to certain categories and classifications of employees is required
by Purchasing before the time and date specified in the invitation
for all construction type projects estimated to exceed $2,000.
for bid.
Contractor will be required to submit certified payrolls with all
8. Non-Collusion Clause. By submitting a bid, the bidder, their agent requests for payment. This does not apply to off-site production and
and/or employee(s) hereby affirm that the attached bid or bids have manufacturing of parts and supplies.
been arrived at by the bidder independently and have been
16. Validity of Bids. All bids must remain firm for 60 days from the date
submitted without collusion with, and without agreement,
of bid opening, unless another period is noted in bid documents or
understanding or planned common course of action with any other
otherwise agreed to in writing.
vendor of materials, supplies, equipment or services described in
the Invitation for Bids, designed to limit independent bidding or 17. Insurance. All vendors doing work on City property, except vendors
competition making routine deliveries, shall submit an insurance certificate
verifying insurance coverage as per current City requirements.
9. Award. Award, if made, will be to the responsible bidder submitting
18. Reports. Contractors will be required to provide all data required by
the lowest bid which complies with the conditions of the Invitation
for Bids and specifications. A bid summary will be posted on the the city, state or federal funding source(s) for reporting purposes;
City website immediately following the bid opening. Awards over including, but not limited to job creation and retention data, itemized
$150,000 must be approved by City Council. invoices, payroll records, certifications and licenses.
10. Bidder Qualifications. Per Sec. 41.23(e) of Duluth City Code,
contracts shall be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder. In
determining the lowest responsible bidder, the City will make such
investigations as deemed necessary to determine the ability,
capacity and skill of the bidder to perform the work and perform it
in the time specified without delay or interference; the character,
integrity, reputation, judgment, experience and efficiency of the

26-AA18 Service Station Fuels
REQUIREMENTS
Please fill out this form and submit with the Bid Form.
1. Service Station Fuel and Requirements:
a. To provide efficient access to fuel, the city requires qualifying locations throughout
the City of Duluth.
i. To be a qualifying location, a station must have a canopy height of fourteen
(14) feet or higher and a fuel aisle width of twelve (12) feet or wider to
accommodate large trucks and heavy equipment.
ii. To be a qualifying location, a station must offer a variety of fuel types
including:
1. On-road Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel - required product
2. Standard on-road Gasoline (87 octane) - required product
3. Non-Oxygenated Premium Gasoline - optional product
4. E85 (not required at all stations) - optional product
5. Diesel Exhaust Fluid - optional product
b. Vendor should have at least one station with 24-hour access to fuel in each of the
following areas:
i. Central Entrance/Mall Area
ii. Central Hillside
iii. West Duluth Area
iv. East Duluth Area
c. Furnish the name, address, days and hours of operation (including pay at the
pump), canopy height, pump aisle width and fuel products provided at each
qualifying location. Response must include the date of last pump calibration and
frequency of pump calibration. Summer and winter grade diesel change dates need
to be stated in the bid.
d. Please list any additional locations you may have that are not a qualifying location
and include their canopy height, pump aisle width and fuel products provided.
2. Pricing Structure:
a. To facilitate the accurate comparison of bids, please submit pricing in terms of Rack
Plus Cents Added, even if you invoice as a percentage discount off the pump price.
For ease of comparing prices, provide the refinery's product rack price for the period
August 3 through August 21 and include the name of the supplying refinery.
b. As a governmental organization, the City of Duluth does not pay federal fuel taxes.
The card provider will be responsible for addressing federal fuel tax exemptions.
Please state if discount is calculated before or after the tax is removed.
c. Please provide your invoice pricing structure (i.e., Rack Plus Cents Added, Cents
Off Retail, etc.). If different from Rack Plus Cents Added, please provide the

calculation for converting from your invoice pricing structure to the Rack Plus Cents
Added bid amount.
i. If invoicing is based on a calculation from Retail, please provide your average
retail price from 8/3-8/21
ii. Does the retail price vary between stations? If so, please provide an average
retail price from 8/3-8/21 for EACH of your stations.
d. List any applicable fees, if any.
3. Invoicing:
a. The City of Duluth requires a monthly billing cycle with billing periods running from
the first day of the month until the last day of the month. Please confirm vendor is
able to meet these dates.
i. The preferred billing cycle time is from 12:00 AM on the first of the month until
11:59 PM the last day of the month. If vendor is unable to meet this billing
cycle time, please provide an alternate time.
b. How soon after the end of the billing cycle will invoices be available?
c. What are your company's payment terms? The city prefers a net 30 payment
structure with all discounts, if any, included.
d. A detailed invoice listing transaction date and time, driver ID, asset number and
odometer reading, station location, fuel type, per-gallon and total net cost, and total
gallons must be provided. Please provide a sample invoice.
4. Fleet Management Information System Integration:
The City requires a data transfer file that can be uploaded into Collective Data for
integration into our existing system.
a. A flat file with fuel transactions is uploaded at the end of each month (see attached
sample). Can you provide a flat file in this format with only the transactions from the
previous billing period? If not, what format do you have available?
b. Net fuel cost must exclude federal fuel taxes and include any discounts on fuel
price.
c. Does your company have experience preparing fuel transaction records for upload
to the Collective data system?
d. How soon after the end of the billing cycle will the data transfer file be available?
5. Report Capabilities:
a. The city requires online access to reports with the following information:
i. Transaction date, time and fueling station location.
ii. Fuel type, quantity and per-gallon and total net cost.
iii. Fuel card number.
iv. Vehicle asset number.
v. Employee ID number.
b. Online reporting must provide access to a minimum of two years of transactions.

6. Security Controls:
a. To meet audit requirements, the city requires certain information be collected at the
pump:
i. A four digit employee ID number
ii. A four- or five-digit vehicle asset number (this should be programmed into the
card)
iii. The vehicle's current odometer reading.
b. Can you collect this information with each fuel card transaction? Can you validate
employee ID number against approved ID numbers?
c. Fuel cards may only be used for fuel transactions. Can you restrict card use to only
fuel purchases?
d. An online interface to allow updates to employees is preferred. Can you provide
that?
7. Fuel Cards:
a. The city will require approximately 600 fuel cards.
b. Card must indicate that the card belongs to the City of Duluth.
c. Card must be embossed with the vehicle's asset number.
d. All cards must be set with matching expiration date. Expiration date must be at
least two years after the date the first card is issued.
8. Accidental Spills: Explain in the bid who is responsible for spills that occur at the pumps,
recommended clean up procedures, reporting to proper authority and disposal of clean up
wastes.
9. Guaranteed Supplier(s): List name(s) and address(s) of both your primary and emergency
back-up suppliers.
10. Initial Startup
a. For initial startup, the City will provide a list of asset numbers. Awarded vendor will
need to assign the asset number to a credit card number and upload both into the
system.
b. The City will provide a list of driver names and PIN numbers of authorized
purchasers. Awarded vendor will need to upload the information into the system,
and be able to verify purchasers are authorized to purchase fuel at the time of
purchase.
c. If new fuel cards are required, the City expects new cards be distributed before and
active as of 12:00 AM on 1/1/27. Can you meet this deadline? If not, please
indicate earliest deadline you can meet.
11. What process do you have available for purchasing car washes? Is the City able to be
invoiced for car washes purchased throughout the month? What stations have car washes?
What sizes are the car washes? What pricing structure do you have for car washes and

are there any discounts available to the City?
12. Do you have a method to allow for vehicle-related purchases (i.e., windshield wipers and
washer fluid) without allowing other store purchases?
13. Do you have the ability to provide a fuel-only gift card?

Bid Form Pg. 1
BID FORM
BID # 26-AA18
SERVICE STATION FUELS FOR 2027
Rack price per Cents per
gallon gallon above
ITEM 8/3-8/21 rack price
Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel
$ $
Standard On-road Unleaded Gasoline (87 octane) -
list % ethanol ______
$ $
Non-oxygenated Ethanol Free Premium Gasoline______
$ $
E85
$ $
Diesel Exhaust Fluid
$ $
Supplying Refinery used for your bid ______________________________________________________
Please complete all information requested on page 2.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF ADDENDA
ADDENDUM # INITIAL/DATE
ADDENDUM # INITIAL/DATE
ADDENDUM # INITIAL/DATE
Signature _______________________________________________________ Date ___________________
Name/Title ______________________________________________________________________________
Company Name ___________________________________________________________________________
Address _________________________________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip ___________________________________________________________________________
Tel. ____________________________________ E-Mail _________________________________________
Revised 6.3.16

Bid Form Pg. 2
If your organization is certified as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, please check here:
1. List summer and winter grade diesel change dates: _________________________________________
2. List names and addresses of your primary and back-up suppliers:
Name Address
3. Please attach a service station listing with information requested in item #1 of the Requirements.
4. If you have any terms and conditions that may be applicable to an agreement, please provide those for
the City to review.
5. Please provide all information requested in the Requirements. A Microsoft Word version has been
provided to allow you to enter the information directly into the form. Do not modify the existing
Requirements language. The completed requirements form must be submitted with your bid.
Revised 6.3.16

DECLARATION OF NON-COLLUSION
I hereby swear (or affirm) under penalty of perjury:
1)That I am the bidder (if the bidder is an individual), a partner in the bidder (if the bidder is a
partnership), or an officer or employee of the bidding corporation having authority to sign on its
behalf (if the bidder is a corporation);
2)That the attached bid or bids have been arrived at by the bidder independently and have been
submitted without collusion with and without agreement, understanding, or planned common
course of action with any other vendor of materials, supplies, equipment or services described in the
invitation to bid, designed to limit independent bidding or competition;
3)That the contents of the bid or bids have not been communicated by the bidder or its employees
or agents to any person not an employee or agent of the bidder or its surety on any bond furnished
with the bid or bids and will not be communicated to any such person prior to the official opening
of the bid or bids;
4)That a family relationship between a City of Duluth employee and bidder/proposer are in non-
collusion; and
5)That I have fully informed myself regarding the accuracy of the statements made in this
declaration.
Signed:
Firm Name:
Bidder's Federal Identification Number