Automatic Tire Chains

INVITATION FOR BID
Automatic T ire Chains
Automotiv e Services
Forsyth Co unty Fleet
Bids Will Be Open ed at 10:00 a.m.
March 2 6, 2026
SUITE 324, PURCHASING DEPARTMENT
CITY HALL BUILDING
101 NORTH M AIN STREET
WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA
ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS
Pursuant to Section 143-129 of the General Statutes of North Carolina, sealed proposals endorsed
Automatic Tire Chains for Forsyth County Automotive Services will be received by the City/County
Purchasing Dept. in Ste. 324, City Hall Bldg., 101 N. Main St., Winston-Salem, N.C. until 10:00 a.m.,
March 26, 2026, at which time they will be opened and read.
Instructions for submitting bids and complete specifications may be obtained during regular office
hours, Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the same location, or by contacting TaWanna A.
Gates via email tawannag@cityofws.org or per phone 336-747-6938. The City reserves the right to
reject any or all proposals.
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Notice to Bidders
It is the policy of the City of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County that an employee, officer, or agent of the
City/County may not participate in any manner in the bidding, awarding, or administering of contracts
in which they, or a member of their immediate family, their business partner, or any organization in
which they serve as an officer, director, trustee, or employee, have a financial interest.
The successful bidder must comply with all provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
and all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. By submitting a bid, the successful bidder agrees
to indemnify the City/County from and against all claims, suits, damages, costs, losses, and expenses in
any manner arising out of, or connected with, the failure of the Company, its subcontractors, agents,
successors, assigns, officers, or employees to comply with the provisions of the ADA or the rules and
regulations promulgated thereunder.
All bids must be firm and not subject to increase, unless specified within the provisions of this Invitation
for Bid (IFB) and mutually agreed upon by the City/County and the proposer.
No special inducements will be considered that are not a part of the original bidding document.
City/County Rights and Options
The City/County, at its sole discretion, reserves the following rights:
* To supplement, amend, substitute or otherwise modify this IFB at any time
* To cancel this IFB with or without the substitution of another IFB
* To take any action affecting this IFB, this IFB process, or the equipment subject to this IFB that
would be in the best interests of the City/County
* To issue additional requests for information
Public Records
Any material submitted in response to this IFB will become a "public record" once the bidder's
document(s) is opened and the bidder is determined to be a participant in the solicitation process and
shall be subject to public disclosure consistent with Chapter 132, North Carolina Statutes. Bidders must
claim any applicable exemptions to disclosure provided by law in their response to this IFB. Bidders
must identify materials to be protected and must state the reasons why such exclusion from public
disclosure is necessary and legal. The City/County reserves the right to make all final determination(s)
of the applicability of North Carolina General Statutes 132-1.2, Confidential Information.
Familiarity with Laws and Ordinances
The submission of a bid on the items/equipment requested herein shall be considered as a representation
that the bidder is familiar with all federal, state, and local laws, ordinances, rules and regulations which
affect those engaged or employed in the provision of such services, or equipment used in the provision
of such services, or which in any way affects the conduct of the provision of such services; and no plea
of misunderstanding will be considered on account of ignorance thereof. If the bidder discovers any
provisions in the IFB documents that are contrary to or inconsistent with any law, ordinance, or
regulation, it shall be reported to the City/County in writing without delay.
The bidder agrees that in carrying out this contract, compliance will be maintained with all applicable
federal, state, and local laws, specifically including, without limitations, the Occupational Safety and
Health Act of 1970 and Section 1324A, the Immigration Reform and Control Act.
The bidder certifies that the bid is made in good faith and without collusion with any person bidding on
this contract or with any officer or employee of the City of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County.
The undersigned further agrees, in connection with the performance of this contract, not to discriminate
against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, religion, color, gender, age,
handicap, political affiliation or national origin.
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Ethics Policy / Code of Conduct
The City of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County has established guidelines for ethical standards of conduct
for City/County representatives and to provide guidance in determining what conduct is appropriate in
particular cases. City/County representatives should maintain high standards of personal integrity,
truthfulness, honesty, and fairness in carrying out public duties; avoid any improprieties in their roles as
public servants including the appearance of impropriety; and never use their position or power for
improper personal gain. In establishing an ethics policy, the City of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County
desires to protect the public against decisions that are affected by undue influence, conflicts of interest,
or any other violation of these policies as well as promote and strengthen the confidence of the public in
their governing body.
Equal Employment Opportunity / ADA
The Contractor shall not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of
race, creed, color, religion, national origin, political affiliation, gender, age or disability. The contractor
shall comply with all applicable laws and regulations regarding the American with Disabilities Act
(www.ADA.gov) as amended from time to time and all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder
and other laws and regulations pertaining to equal employment. The Contractor hereby agrees to
indemnify the Owner from and against all claims, suits, damages, costs, losses and expenses in any
manner arising out of or connected with the failure of the contractor, its subcontractors, agents,
successors, assigns, officers or employees to comply with the provisions of the ADA or rules and
regulations promulgated thereunder. The Contractor agrees to act affirmatively in its employment and
promotion practices, and in the general treatment of its employees.
Iran Divestment Act
Contractor hereby certifies that it is not on the North Carolina State Treasurer's list of persons
engaging in business activities in Iran, prepared pursuant to NCGS G.S. 147-86.58, nor will
Contractor utilize on this agreement any subcontractor on such list. This list, along with additional
information about the Iran Divestment Act, is available on the Treasurer's Office site:
https://www.nctreasurer.com/inside-the-department/OpenGovernment/Pages/Iran-Divestment-Act-
Resources.aspx.
Divestment from Companies that Boycott Israel
Contractor hereby certifies that it is not on the North Carolina State Treasurer's list of companies
engaged in a boycott of Israel in violation of NCGS 147-86.80 et. seq. and that it will not utilize on this
agreement any subcontractor on said list."
SPECIAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
DETAILED SPECIFICATIONS: Detailed specifications for the items/equipment are included with
the bid request. Bids to be submitted in accordance with the specifications and these Special
Terms and Conditions, both of which require doing all that is necessary, proper, or incidental to
the furnishing of the items/equipment identified herein. All things not expressly stated in the
specifications or Special Terms and Conditions but involved in carrying them out must be
included in bidder's proposal as though they were specifically stated.
NOTICE TO BIDDERS: All bids are subject to the provisions of the instructions to Bidders, special
terms and conditions specific to this Invitation for Bids, the specifications, and General Contract
Terms and Conditions. The City of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County objects to and will not
evaluate or consider any additional terms and conditions submitted with a bidder response. This
applies to any response appearing in or attached to the document as part of the bidder's response.
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DO NOT ATTACH ANY ADDITIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS. By execution and
delivery of a proposal, the bidder agrees that any additional terms and conditions, whether
submitted purposely or inadvertently, shall have no force or effect. It shall be the bidder's
responsibility to read this entire document, review all enclosures and attachments, and comply
with all requirements specified herein.
The bidder is cautioned that the requirements of this bid can be altered only by written addendum
and that verbal communications from whatever source are of no effect.
EXCEPTIONS TO SPECIFICATIONS:
In the event that clarifications or changes to bid specifications are necessary, changes will be
made by written addendum. In all cases items/equipment must be furnished as requested, and
where brand names are used, consider the term "or equal" to follow. Such references are not
intended to be restrictive and comparable products of other manufacturers will be considered.
However, written approval for any proposed substitution or change in specifications must
be obtained by bidder prior to the close of bids.
Any request for an approved equal, change in specification or protest of specifications must be
fully supported with technical data, test results, or other pertinent information and evidence that
the substitute offered is equal to, or better than, the specification requirement. The bidder shall
not construe this paragraph as inviting deviation or implying that any deviation will be
acceptable.
Bidder's failure to request exceptions to specifications or approved equals as stated above will
be interpreted as the bidders' intent to comply fully with the requirements as written. Conditional
or qualified bids shall be subject to rejection in whole or in part.
The City of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County reserves the right to postpone bid openings for its
own convenience.
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS: The items/equipment furnished shall be new and unused and the
manufacturer's latest listed and published stock model, or models which meet all the applicable
requirements of these specifications. Specifications may require that certain makes and models
of vehicles, auxiliaries and/or accessories be provided.
BIDDERS SUBMITTALS(when requested): Bidder must furnish all information requested herein
including descriptive literature and/or complete specifications covering the products offered.
Reference to literature submitted with a previous bid will not satisfy this provision. Bids which
do not comply with these requirements will be subject to rejection. All documents submitted
should bear the name of the bidder.
EXPENSES INCURRED IN PREPARING BID: The City of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County
accepts no responsibility for any expense incurred by the bidder in the preparation and
presentation of a bid. Such expenses shall be borne exclusively by the bidder.
CONTRACT/AWARD: Pursuant to the laws governing public contracts in North Carolina, the
successful bidder's/vendor's response to this Invitation for Bids and Proposals and any addenda
thereto, plus the City's/County issuance of a Purchase Order for the proposed goods and/or
services shall constitute a binding contract.
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INDEMNIFICATION: The bidder/vendor covenants to save, defend, keep harmless, and indemnify
the City of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County and all of its officers, departments, agencies,
agents, and employees from and against all claims, loss, damage, injury, fines, penalties and
cost - including court costs and attorney's fees, charges, liability, and exposure, however,
caused resulting from, arising out of, or in any way connected with the bidder's/vendor's
negligent performance or nonperformance of the terms of the contract.
VENDOR SUPPORT/SERVICE AND PARTS(where it applies): The vendor and/or manufacturer
bidding on these specifications must have the ability to provide repair parts and technical service
in the form of a service representative, including the maximum time from receipt of notice to
arrival of parts or the service representative. The manufacturer, whether they are the vendor or
not must be satisfactory to the City of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County from the standpoint of
experience, reliability, and demonstrated ability to manufacture equipment comparable as to size
and type as that required by the specifications and shall have manufactured and/or sold equipment
of the size and type specified which has operated satisfactorily in the field for a minimum of one
year. The City of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County reserves the right to reject bids from
vendors that have failed to perform satisfactory under previous contracts with the City of
Winston-Salem & Forsyth County and/or vendors that cannot produce satisfactory evidence that
they can furnish promptly all spare parts needed for ordinary service and repair of the
items/equipment herein specified.
INSPECTION, TRAINING, PERFORMANCE TEST AND ACCEPTANCE:
a. Upon delivery the items/equipment will be subject to inspection to verify conformance
with specifications by the staff of the City of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County
b. Any defects or failure of items/equipment to perform or comply with any requirements
of the City/County specifications must be immediately remedied by the vendor at the
vendor's own expense prior to acceptance by the City/County.
WARRANTY(where it applies): Bidder to include the warranty provisions as outlined in bid
specifications.
TAX EXEMPTIONS: The City of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County is exempt from Federal Excise
Tax but not from State and Local Sales Tax. Sales tax should not be included in bid prices but
may be added as separate items.
EVALUATION AND SELECTION OF BIDS: The evaluation of vendor bids shall center on the
match between the stated specifications and other requirements included in the final bid request
and the vendor's proposal including selection of the lowest responsible bidder, with consideration
of past performance, service record, and reliability. The statutory provisions controlling
purchasing by local governments in N. C. (GS 143) includes selection standards for use in making
of awards. The provision reads, "All contracts shall be awarded to the lowest responsible,
responsive bidder, taking into consideration quality, performance, and the time specified in the
bids for the performance of the contract". The City of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County reserves
the right to accept or reject any or all bids and proposals and further specifically reserves the right
to make the award or awards in the best interest of the City of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County.
All bids shall be made firm for no less than 120 days.
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Automatic Tire Chains
Submit proposals to the following location:
US Postal Service address: or Hand-delivery or FedEx address:
City/County Purchasing Department City/County Purchasing Department
Post Office Box 2511 101 N. Main Street, 324 City Hall
Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27102 Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27101
BIDDERS:
Forsyth County Emergency Services is seeking bids for Automatic Tire Chains per specifications
included in this document.
Contacts in reference to bid are TaWanna A. Gates at (336) 747-6938 tawannag@cityofws.org and
cc: Jonathan Markle 336-703-2244 marklejs@forsyth.cc
County Rights and Options
The County, at its sole discretion, reserves the following rights:
* To supplement, amend, substitute or otherwise modify this RFP at any time
* To cancel this RFP with or without the substitution of another RFP
* To take any action affecting this RFP, this RFP process, or the Services subject to this RFP that
would be in the best interests of the County
* To issue additional requests for information or clarification from Offerors or to allow corrections
of errors or omissions
* To require one or more Service Providers to supplement, clarify or provide additional information
in order for the County to evaluate the Responses submitted
To negotiate an agreement with a Service Provider based on the information provided in response to
this RFP.
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AUTOMATIC TIRE CHAINS SYSTEM
1. General Information
Forsyth County is requesting bids from qualified suppliers for the purchase of automatic tire chains
system as specified herein. The bid price must be inclusive of the equipment price as well as any and
all installation fees. Orders may be placed in a single bulk order or incrementally, on an as-needed
basis, over the course of 12 consecutive months, based on what best benefits Forsyth County. Pricing
should remain firm for the entire 12-month period.
Award of this bid is subject to the approval of the Forsyth County Board of County Commissioners.
Forsyth County is eligible to purchase directly from many North Carolina State and federal contracts,
as well as other select competitive purchasing agreements. In the event the proposals received are in
excess of any existing North Carolina State or federal contract or other competitive purchasing
agreements' pricing which is available, Forsyth County may, at its sole discretion, reject all proposals
and purchase directly from the vendor awarded the North Carolina State or federal government
contract or other select competitive purchasing agreements. Forsyth County reserves the right to
accept or reject any or all proposals, in whole or in part, as is deemed to be the best interest of Forsyth
County, at the County's sole discretion.
2. Scope
Awards will be based on bidder's pricing of the specified item, including labor. Bidders should
include the brand, make, model of tire chains as well as any other applicable information. Pricing
should be firm and not be subject to increase during this time.
3. Taxes
Prices provided by the vendor should not include any applicable taxes.
4. Transportation/Freight Charges
Any applicable transportation and/or freight charges should be incorporated in the per item price.
5. Placement of Orders
Orders may be placed in a single bulk order or incrementally, on an as-needed basis, over the course of
12 consecutive months, based on what best benefits Forsyth County.
6. Installation
Tire chains systems will be installed by the vendor at the vendor's facility. Vendor will be responsible
to pick-up and deliver the Forsyth County owned vehicles at 3730 N Liberty Street, Winston-Salem,
NC at the vendor's sole expense. The vendor shall coordinate towing and/or other hauling services for
the units. The vendor may NOT drive the vehicles to and from Forsyth County's facility for
installation.
Alternatively, work may be performed by the vendor onsite at 3730 N Liberty Street, Winston-Salem,
NC with prior written approval of the Automotive Services Manager. Authorization to complete the
work onsite shall be at the sole discretion of the Automotive Services Manager and shall not be
considered a guaranteed option.
Vendor must complete installation of all units within the 12-month period after award. Only one unit
may be out of service at a time.
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7. Invoices
Invoices are to be billed to Forsyth County General Services Department and mailed to:
Forsyth County General Services
Attn: Jonathan Markle
201 N. Chestnut St
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
Invoices will be sent to the County on a per order basis and will be sent within fifteen business days of
satisfactorily installation. The County will submit payment to vendor no later than 30 days after the
entire order has been received, onsite by the County. Failure to invoice correctly as per these bid
requirements will result in default on the part of the Provider. The County may elect to cease business
operations with Provider as a result of Provider's default.
Invoices must include the following information. Failure to include required information will delay
processing.
1. Name of the supplier
2. Address of the supplier
3. Invoice remittance address
4. Invoice Number
5. Order Date
6. Unit cost, which must match contract pricing
7. Unit quantity
8. Description of the product and/or service to be understood by a layperson
8. Warranty
All materials provided must be free from any and all defects. The vendor will warranty the items for
one year after the date of installation and will replace, without charge, any items that fails to provide
acceptable quality at no charge to the County during that time frame.
9. SPECIFICATIONS
Item specifications and requirements include:
* Automatic tire chains system
* Six (6) Chain System per unit
* Functionality in forward and reverse
* Compatible with non-air brake vehicles
* Operating Speeds: 2-3 @MPH
* Quantities for various vehicle types:
o 28 - Ford E450 Ambulances
o 2 - Chevrolet G4500 Ambulances
o 2 - Ram 5500 Fire Rescue Trucks
o 1 - Ford F550 Fire Rescue Trucks
* The County reserves the right to add or change the vehicle types needing automatic tire chains.
Additionally, the County reserves the right to add or subtract the quantity of vehicles needing
automatic tire chains.
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10. Minimum Insurance Requirements
Contractor agrees to save and hold harmless and to indemnify Forsyth County against any and all
liability, losses, claims or costs of whatever kind of nature for any occurrence or accident in connection
with or in the performance of any work or service pursuant to awarded bid, whether to property or to
persons. Bidding firm shall furnish certificate of coverage from an insurance carrier. The Bidding
firm shall maintain, at his/her sole expense, the following minimum insurance coverage:
1) Commercial General Liability Insurance. The Contractor shall maintain occurrence version
commercial general liability insurance or equivalent form with a limit of not less than
$1,000,000 each occurrence. If such insurance contains a general aggregate limit, it shall be no
less than two times the occurrence limit. Such insurance shall:
a) Include Forsyth County, its officials, officers, and employees as additional
insureds with respect to performance of the Services. The coverage shall contain no
special limitation on the scope of protection afforded to the above listed insureds.
Please mail certificate of insurance to Forsyth County Risk Management, 201 North
Chestnut Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101.
b) Be primary with respect to any insurance or self-insured retention programs
covering the County, its officials, officers and employees.
2) Business Automobile Liability Insurance. The Contractor shall maintain business automobile
liability insurance or equivalent form with a limit of not less than $1,000,000 each accident.
Such insurance shall include coverage for owned, hired, and non-owned automobiles.
3) Workers' Compensation and Employers' Liability Insurance. The Contractor shall maintain
workers' compensation insurance with North Carolina statutory limits and employers' liability
insurance with limits of not less than $1,000,000 each accident and disease.
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Attachment A - Proposal for Automatic Tire Chains Systems
The undersigned bidder hereby declares that they have carefully examined the specifications contained herein
and will provide all labor, supervision, equipment, materials, supplies, transportation and incidentals to fulfill
the bid requirements as specified herein and the requirements under the following sum to wit:
Total Labor Total Cost Per
Vehicle Type Needing Tire Price Per System Cost for Unit
Brand Proposed
Chains Per Unit Installation Per (Equipment &
Unit Installation)
Ford E450 Ambulances
Chevrolet G4500 Ambulances
Ram 5500 Fire Rescue Trucks
Ford F550 Fire Rescue Trucks
Anticipated Installation Timeline Per Unit: _________days
Installation Timeline For Completion of 33 Units: _________days
*The County reserves the right to add or change the vehicle types needing automatic tire chains. Additionally, the County
reserves the right to add or subtract the quantity of vehicles needing automatic tire chains.
Are there any additional fees/costs associated with this bid?
YES NO
If yes, please explain on a separate sheet of paper and attach to the proposal.
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING:
The award period will be for 12 consecutive months from the date of award by the Board of County
Commissioners. Submission of a bid shall indicate that the contractor is fully aware of the requirements
for supplying the product as requested by Forsyth County and acknowledges all bids are firm and NOT
subject to increase during the award period.
By signing below the Bidder agrees to the following:
The County reserves the right to hold bids open for a period of 120 days after due date and reserves the
right to reject any or all bids at the County's discretion.
The Bidder certifies that the proposal is made in good faith and without collusion with any person
submitting a proposal in response to this RFB or with any officer or employee of Forsyth County.
The undersigned further agrees, in connection with the performance of this agreement, not to
discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, religion, color, gender,
age, handicap, political affiliation or national origin.
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