35Deprecyclinghotlinesvcs

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Bureau of Waste Management, requires a Contractor to provide staffing and operation of a Recycling Hotline (Hotline) service. The Hotline will encompass the areas of Municipal Waste Recycling, Household Hazardous Waste, Electronics Recycling, Waste Tires and Waste Tire Collection, Organics (including wasted food), Safe Battery Recycling and Disposal, and Litter. The Hotline shall provide up-to-date information on waste minimization, recycling, household hazardous waste minimization and management, waste tire management, residential tire collection programs, management for other than disposal of organics (including wasted food), and littering programs throughout Pennsylvania.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:

The Contractor shall employ adequate staff to manage an approximate average of 35 calls per week to the Hotline. If it is agreed by the Contractor and DEP, or is directed by DEP, that additional staff is necessary to efficiently operate the Hotline, the Contractor shall provide the additional staff at the per hour bid rate. DEP may also direct a decrease in staff if required.

The Hotline shall be staffed from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Hotline shall be answered by an answering device during non-staffing hours, including weekends and legal holidays. All recorded calls shall be returned on the first working day following receipt of the recorded call.

In addition to being responsible for managing Hotline calls, updating and verifying Hotline information, and filling caller requests for information, the Contractor shall respond to questions regarding:

Act 101 of 1988 (the Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act);

Chapter 1 of Act 190 of 1996 (the Waste Tire Recycling Act);

Chapter 2 of Act 190 of 1996 (the Small Business and Household Pollution Program Act), as amended by Act 111 of 2002;

Act 155 of 1994 (the Household Hazardous Waste Funding Act);

Act 108 of 2010 (the Covered Device Recycling Act); and,

Act 89 of 1982 (Pennsylvania Used Oil Recycling).

The Contractor shall send weekly summaries of Hotline activities to DEP. Weekly summaries shall include the number of calls received, categorized by waste minimization and recycling, Covered Device Recycling Act (CDRA) materials and electronic waste, household hazardous waste, waste tires, residual tire collections, organics (including wasted food), safe battery recycling and disposal, littering and those calls not related to these topics. All weekly summaries are to be provided in an electronic format compatible with Microsoft Office. Each category shall be subcategorized in accordance with the following:

The referral source or how the caller became aware of the Hotline;

The services performed for the caller;

A list and count of frequently requested information;

New information such as changes, additions, and deletions to referral lists;

A list of questions relayed to DEP or other appropriate agencies outside the capability of the Contractor to answer (i.e., questions related to DEP programs and areas of responsibility);

The contact information, website, or document title to which the call was referred; and,

Questions requiring detailed answers best provided by County or Municipal Recycling Coordinators, or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

A calendar year annual summary of the weekly reports must be provided by March 31 the following calendar year.

As required by DEP, the Contractor shall mail, email or text requested information to the Hotline caller and other disseminations as directed by DEP within 48 hours of the request. The Contractor shall maintain a Microsoft Office compatible database detailing the name and address of each caller, the information received, and referral lists. This information shall be included in the weekly reports as required by provision 4 of these General Requirements.

CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS:

NOTE: DEP hosts the Hotline and will forward calls to a phone number determined by the Hotline service provider. The Hotline service provider must establish their own dedicated phone line and provide and maintain their own equipment.

C. CONTRACTOR QUALIFICATIONS:

Following the bid opening and prior to award of the contract, the Contractor shall provide DEP with the following:

Proof of a minimum of five years' experience in recycling education, technical experience in recycling, and public relations specific to Pennsylvania.

Proof of the ability to hire a supervisory employee with a minimum of five years' experience involving the following:

Recycling education;

Household hazardous waste minimization and education; and

Safe battery recycling and disposal, and

Management other than disposal of organics (including wasted food)

The Contractor shall provide documentation of the following abilities:

Technical expertise in recycling;

Technical expertise in waste tire pile clean-ups and residential tire collection programs;

Ability to work with individuals and groups to provide various waste minimization, recycling, organics, and litter educational materials;

Ability to disseminate Hotline-related educational information to the public; and,

Ability to provide an orientation/training program on the operation of the Hotline service to Hotline staff.

Contractor staffing shall include permanent full-time personnel with experience in providing waste minimization, recycling, household hazardous waste, waste tire, residential tire collection, organics (including wasted food), safe battery recycling and disposal, and littering information through direct telephone contact with the public.

Contractor shall have the ability to provide accurate responses to Hotline caller questions concerning:

The recycling requirements of Pennsylvania's Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling, and Waste Reduction Act (Act 101 of 1988), including the identity of municipalities required by the Act to implement recycling programs and features of those programs;

The location and features of other municipal and non-municipal recycling programs operating in Pennsylvania;

The location and contact information of processors, brokers, end-user industries and other markets for recyclables and organics in Pennsylvania;

Contact information regarding DEP and County and Municipal Recycling Coordinators, EPA, and other related government recycling contacts;

General information concerning the need for recycling as part of a waste management program, and preparation requirements for recyclable materials identified in Act 101 and its regulations, including clear and colored glass, aluminum and steel cans, corrugated and high-grade office paper, newspapers, plastics, and other marketable grades of paper (i.e. telephone directories, magazines, "junk" mail);

General information concerning components of recycling public information and education programs;

General information on the availability of recycling equipment, consultant services, and products made from recycled materials and Pennsylvania manufacturers of these products;

General information about the management other than disposal of organics (including wasted food), such as where local leaf/yard waste composting operations are located, the availability of local curbside leaf/yard waste and other organics collection programs, where facilities permitted to accept food waste for composting or anaerobic digestion are located, information about backyard composting, and general information about wasted food reduction;

The purpose and availability of Household Hazardous Waste, Waste Tire Recycling and Tire Collection program funds under Act 155 of 1994, and Act 190 of 1996, as amended by Act 111 of 2002;

The locations and features of permanent and one (1)-time event household hazardous waste collections, electronic collections and tire collections in Pennsylvania;

The location and contact information of commercial household hazardous waste collection, management, reuse and recycling facilities for municipalities to contact for help in establishing or enhancing local household hazardous waste collection programs;

Information on the purpose and availability of the CDRA including the identification of devices covered by the CDRA;

The locations, features and contact information for ongoing and one-time electronic material collection sites operated in PA for "consumers" as defined by the CDRA;

General information regarding the need to recycle covered devices;

General information on minimizing the generation of electronic waste;

Information on how to contact electronics manufacturers if the caller feels collection infrastructure is inadequate;

General information on mail back programs available to residents where there may be no collection site available;

Information on how to contact electronics recyclers for entities included or excluded in the definition of "consumer;"

General information on the need to protect personal information on hard drives and other electronic devices;

Contact information regarding DEP and County and Municipal Household Hazardous Waste Coordinators, the U.S. EPA and other related government household hazardous waste program contacts;

General information regarding the need for local household hazardous waste collection and management programs;

General information on minimizing household hazardous waste generation;

General information on how to properly store and manage household hazardous waste if no local collection program is available to the caller;

The location and contact information of residential tire collection programs registered with the DEP under Act 111 of 2002;

Existing litter prevention programs such as Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful and Adopt-a-Highway programs, including available educational materials;

How to conduct Highway clean-ups;

The schedule of community litter clean-up events; and,

Taking a pledge not to litter.

Contractor shall keep track of changes to local recycling, household hazardous waste, waste tire, tire collection, organics (including wasted food), safe battery recycling and disposal, and litter programs and communicate these changes to Hotline callers and DEP.

D. OPERATION OF RECYCLING HOTLINE:

The Recycling Hotline shall be operated, based on the following criteria:

One Supervisor/Administrative staff person to support the Hotline;

Sufficient staff to handle Hotline calls;

Receiving an approximate average of 35 calls per week and placing return calls on the first working day following receipt of a recorded call;

Weekly mailing, emailing, or texting of publications, in response to phone requests for publications;

Staff person to update and verify information; prepare DEP requested reports, mailing lists, and labels; and record keeping of all calls. Record keeping shall include source of call, service performed for caller, and referral to the appropriate DEP, County or Municipal Coordinator, or the EPA concerning questions outside the capability of the Contractor to answer (including referral contact information);

Maintain a database of the name, address, and email address (when appropriate) of each caller receiving information and referral lists.

NOTE: All per hour charges shall include fringe benefits.

E. OTHER RELATED SERVICES:

The following services shall not be considered part of the bid award; however, additional funds shall be added to the contract to pay for any related charges incurred:

1. Mailings - Approximately 50,000 pieces per year. Prices shall be based on sending all postal classes, including bulk material. DEP shall pay only for actual expenses incurred and only for the appropriate postal class. *

2. Telephone - Hotline-related telephone calls to any location in the United States. DEP shall pay only for actual expenses incurred. *

3. Clearinghouse - Includes subscriptions to recycling, municipal waste, and household hazardous waste periodicals designated or approved by DEP, and photocopying, distribution of pertinent articles, or both contained within or provided by DEP to citizens requesting the information. DEP shall pay only for actual expenses incurred. *

4, Copying - All photocopies must be done on recycled paper. DEP shall pay only for actual expenses incurred. *

* Upon submission of invoices, documentation to support expenses actually and reasonably incurred shall be provided. For these items, the Contractor must provide a schedule of prices for DEP approval, prior to incurring any expenses. The schedule of prices may be updated upon re-submittal to and approved by DEP.

F. BID AWARD:

The contract shall be awarded to the lowest responsive bidder meeting all requirements described in this Invitation for Bid (IFB).

Estimated Quantities: Contract quantities within this IFB are only estimated and may increase or decrease depending upon DEP's needs. Contractor shall be paid at the unit bid price for actual work performed.

G. CONTRACT TERM:

The contract shall commence on July 1, 2026, or upon execution, whichever is later, and terminate June 30, 2027. Additionally, the parties may agree to renew the contract for up to four additional years, with a final termination date of June 30, 2031.

The contractor may adjust the unit price on July 1 of each renewal year by an amount not to exceed 3%. Contractor shall provide written requests to DEP no later than March 1 prior to each renewal year, if such increases are requested.

H. PAYMENT TERMS:

Contractor shall be paid at the unit bid price for actual services performed. Contractor shall submit monthly invoices to DEP for actual services performed.

I. BID SUBMISSION:

All Bids must be submitted electronically through the Department of General Services' (DGS) eMarketplace website. The eMarketplace website is located at DEP is not responsible for the maintenance of the eMarketplace website.

DGS's Supplier Service Center lier-Service-Center/ Pages/default.aspx) is available to assist vendors with registration, bidding, and account management. For help, send an email to or call (877) 435-7363, choose option 1. For questions regarding bidding help, send an email to or call (877) 435-7363, choose option 2.

DEP is not responsible for the support or functionality of any Department of General Services website.