RFP for Cleaning Services for Leased Sites

Request for Proposal
Cleaning Services for Leased Sites
Richland - Lexington Airport District
West Columbia, SC
DATE: March 25, 2026
ISSUED BY: Richland - Lexington Airport District
3400 Air Commerce Drive
West Columbia, SC 29170
POINT OF CONTACT: Mr. Thomas Tapp, Facilities Maintenance Manager
Email: t.tapp@flycae.com
MANDATORY MEETING: Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. EST
Columbia Metropolitan Maintenance Shop
3400 Air Commerce Drive
West Columbia, SC 29170
QUESTION DEADLINE: Wednesday, April 15, 2026; no later than 2:00 p.m. EST
Mr. Thomas Tapp, t.tapp@flycae.com
PROPOSAL DEADLINE: Tuesday, April 21, 2026; no later than 2:00 p.m. EDT
Richland- Lexington Airport District
Attn. Thomas Tapp Airport Facilities Manager
3400 Air Commerce Drive
West Columbia, SC 29170
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PURPOSE OF REQUEST
The Richland-Lexington Airport District ("District") through this Request for Proposal ("RFP")
invites written proposals from qualified Contractors ("Contractors") to provide Cleaning Services
at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport ("Airport") leased sites further described herein.
INSTRUCTIONS TO CONTRACTORS
A. Contractors shall submit three (3) hard copies of their proposal. Proposals must be enclosed
in a sealed envelope, box or package, and clearly marked on the outside with the following:
DO NOT OPEN - PROPOSAL ENCLOSED, "Cleaning Services", Contractor's name,
address, phone, and primary contact name. Proposals must be delivered to the following
address:
Columbia Metropolitan Airport
3400 Air Commerce Drive West Columbia, SC 29170
Attention: Thomas Tapp, Airport Facilities Manager
B. All proposals must be delivered by 2:00 p.m. EST, April 21, 2026. Requests for extension
of time to submit will not be granted. Late proposals will be rejected. Requests to modify
or withdraw a proposal after its submission will not be considered. Proposals sent via e-
mail or fax will not be accepted.
C. The opening and reading of a proposal do not constitute the District's acceptance of the
Contractor as a responsive and responsible Proposer.
D. It is the sole responsibility of the Contractor to ensure that the proposal arrives on time and
bears the handwritten signature of an officer duly authorized to sign all three copies. The
name, address, telephone number, and email address of the person to contact must be
clearly identified.
E. Any questions about the RFP should be directed in writing via email to Thomas Tapp at
t.tapp@flycae.com by the noted deadline. Answers to questions timely received will be
posted by Friday, April 17, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. EDT to the District's website at
http://www.flycae.com/procurement-bids.
F. No proposal may be withdrawn for a period of ninety (90) days after the proposal
submission deadline.
G. Other than with written consent from the Point of Contact, all Contractors, including any
persons affiliated with or in any way related to a Contractor, are strictly prohibited from
contacting any Commissioners or any District personnel on any matter having to do in any
aspect with this RFP after March 25, 2026. Any other contact with such persons associated
with the District shall be made only through and in coordination with the Point of Contact
and must be made in writing. Prohibitive or inappropriate contacts made by a Contractor
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may result in the disqualification of the Contractor. This requirement will be strictly
enforced.
H. The District may elect to issue addenda to this RFP. All addenda will be posted on the
District website at the following URL:
http://www.flycae.com/procurement-bids
I. It is the responsibility of the Contractor to view, obtain or download all addenda issued by
the District for this RFP. The Contractor shall acknowledge all issued addenda on the
Acknowledgement of Addendum Form.
J. Submission of a proposal establishes a conclusive presumption that the Contractor is
thoroughly familiar with the RFP and that the Contractor understands and agrees to abide
by all of the stipulations and requirements contained therein.
K. All notations must be typed or printed in ink. No erasures are permitted. Mistakes may be
crossed out and corrections must be initialed in ink by the person(s) signing the Proposal
Form.
L. All costs incurred in the preparation and presentation of the proposal are the Contractor's
sole responsibility; no such costs will be reimbursed to any Contractor.
M. All documentation submitted with the proposal will become the property of the District.
N. Proposals are to be submitted as outlined below with all information completed as
requested:
1. Contractor's Questionnaire (pages 11-13; submit additional pages if necessary)
2. References (page 14)
3. Annual Price Escalation Form (page 15)
4. Proof of Insurance Coverage (page 16)
5. Certification (page 17)
6. Proposal Form (page 18)
7. Acknowledgment of Addendum/a (page 19)
O. The District reserves the right to cancel any or all solicitations, in whole or in part, as well
as reject any or all proposals, or to accept or reject any proposal in part, and to waive any
minor informality or irregularity in proposals received if it is determined by the President
and CEO or his designee that the best interest of the District will be served by so doing. If
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the solicitation is canceled or all proposals are rejected by the District, a notice will be
posted on the District website as identified for the posting of addenda. A proposal will not
be considered from any person, firm, or corporation that is in arrears or in default to the
District on any contract, debt, or other obligation, or if the Proposer is debarred by the
District from consideration for a contract award.
P. Proposals are subject to public disclosure afterwards in accordance with state law. All
information contained in any submitted bid, request for proposal, or request for
qualifications document to the District will be available for public review upon Freedom
of Information Act (FOIA) request. All Contractors are hereby advised that any
information that they may consider to be confidential or proprietary and would give a
competitive advantage if disclosed, should be identified as "Confidential" or "Proprietary."
If any portion of a proposal is labeled as "Confidential" or "Proprietary," the Contractor
must also submit a redacted form of the proposal at the same time it submits its proposal.
The redacted copy will be made available for public review upon a FOIA request.
Contractors are cautioned to use care when labeling portions of the proposal as
"Confidential" or "Proprietary" as blanket invocations of confidentiality are often
unwarranted and may require additional scrutiny from the District.
Q. In the event a contract is entered into pursuant to this RFP, the Contractor shall not
discriminate against any qualified employee or qualified applicant for employment because
of race, sex, color, creed, national origin or ancestry. The Contractor must include in any
and all subcontracts a provision similar to the above.
R. Any ambiguity in any proposal as a result of omission, error, lack of clarity or non-clarity
by the Contractor with this RFP, instructions, and all conditions of the submission shall
be interpreted in the light most favorable to the District.
S. The District has set the following schedule:
Request for Proposal Issued March 25, 2026,
Mandatory Meeting and Site Tour April 8, 2026, at 10:00 am EST
Deadline for Proposal Question April 15, 2026, by 2:00 pm EST
Submission
Deadline for Proposal Submission April 21, 2026, by 2:00 pm EST
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RIGHT TO PROTEST AND PROTEST PROCESS
1. The rights and remedies described in this section to an aggrieved prospective and/or actual
Contractor are at the exclusion of all other rights and remedies of such aggrieved
Contractor against the District at common law or otherwise for the loss or potential loss of
an award of a contract.
2. Any prospective and/or actual Contractor who is aggrieved in connection with the
solicitation of a contract shall protest to the President and CEO of the District in the manner
stated below in subsection 4 within fifteen days of the issuance of the RFP or other
solicitation document or any amendment thereto, if the amendment is at issue.
3. Any actual Contractor who is aggrieved in connection with the award of a contract shall
protest to the President and CEO of the District in the manner stated below in subsection 4
within fifteen days of the award of the contract.
4. Any protest submitted must be in writing and shall set forth the grounds of the protest and
the relief requested with sufficient detail to give notice of the issues to be decided. It must
be addressed to:
Columbia Metropolitan Airport
3250 Airport Blvd - Suite 10
West Columbia, SC 29170
Attention: President/CEO
5. The District must actually receive any Protest submitted under subsections 2 or 3 within
the time limits noted in those subsections. The Contractor bears the burden of establishing
the District's receipt within the stated time period.
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TERMS AND CONDITIONS
A. The District is seeking proposals from Contractors to provide Cleaning Services for a period
effective June 1, 2026 - May 31, 2029.
B. The District reserves the right to reject any or all proposals or to award the contract to the next
most qualified Contractor if the selected Contractor does not execute a contract within fourteen
(14) days after the award of the proposal.
C. The District reserves the right to request any supplementary information it deems necessary to
evaluate the Contractor's experience, qualifications, or to clarify or substantiate any information
contained in the Contractor's submittal.
D. Any proposal submitted will constitute an irrevocable offer, for a period of ninety (90) days, to
sell to the District the services set forth in this RFP.
E. If through any cause, the Contractor shall fail to fulfill in a timely and proper manner the
obligations agreed to, the District shall have the right to terminate its contract by specifying the
date of termination in a written notice to the Contractor at least thirty (30) days before the
termination date. In this event, the Contractor shall be entitled to just and equitable compensation
for any satisfactory work completed.
F. Any agreement or contract resulting from the acceptance of a proposal shall be on forms either
supplied by or approved by the District and shall contain, at a minimum, applicable provisions of
the RFP. The District reserves the right to reject any agreement that does not conform to the RFP
and any District requirement for a agreements and contracts
District requirements for agreements and contracts.
G. The Contractor shall not assign any interest in the contract and shall not transfer any interest in
the same without the prior written consent of the District.
H. No reports, information, or data given to or prepared by the Contractor under the contract shall
be made available to any individual or organization without the prior written approval from the
District.
I. The Contractor is responsible for any damage caused by their employees and/or equipment to
any District property (structures, windows, and roof, etc.) and shall replace any damaged piece of
property at no cost to the District.
J. Insurance Requirements: The selected Contractor shall carry and keep in force a comprehensive
general liability and employer liability insurance by an insurance company authorized to do
business in the State of South Carolina with limits of liability as follows:
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Employer Liability $1,000,000.00
Comprehensive General Liability
Bodily Injury $1,000,000.00 each occurrence and
$2,000,000 aggregate
Property Damage $1,000,000.00 each occurrence and
$2,000,000 aggregate
K. Workers' Compensation and Employer's Liability Insurance: The Contractor shall maintain
workers' compensation and employer's liability insurance in the amounts and form required by
the laws of the State of South Carolina. The Contractor shall furnish a certification of said
insurance to the District certifying that the District will be given thirty (30) days written notice of
non-renewal, cancellation or other material change.
SELECTION PROCESS AND CRITERIA
The District will evaluate all proposals during which time the District may ask questions of a
clarifying nature from the Contractor(s) and/or contact any references provided. The District will
form a proposal review committee and review, evaluate, and score all proposals on the framework
described below. All Proposers will be notified of the results of the selection process. The selection
process used for determining the most successful proposal is best described as a "Competitive
Proposal" process in which pricing is one of the most important criteria but not the only criteria.
The factors in the evaluation process include:
A. Proposer Questionnaire (Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14) (30 points).
B. Responsiveness of the proposal to the scope of work outlined in the District's request
and adherence to the proposal format (Proposer Questionnaire No. 5) (30 points).
C. Proposed fee schedule (Proposer Questionnaire No. 15, Annual Price Escalation,
Proposal Form) (30 points).
D. Attendance at mandatory meeting, Certification, Proof of Insurance Coverage,
Acknowledgement of Addenda forms (pass/fail, but proposal will not be scored without
return of these forms and attendance at mandatory meeting).
E. References. (10 points)
QUALIFICATIONS/CERTIFICATIONS
Proposals will be considered only from responsible individuals, co-partnerships, corporations, or
other private organizations demonstrating that they have the ability to maintain a staff of regular
employees adequate to ensure the continuous performance of the work. Labor relations measured
by standards of compensation, promptness in meeting obligations, and frequency of personnel
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changes, among other things, will be considered in determining whether a proposer has an
established operating organization.
The proposer must also have all applicable licenses and certifications to perform Cleaning Services
in this RFP.
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SCOPE OF WORK
1. Locations. The District is seeking a qualified Contractor to provide comprehensive janitorial
and cleaning services for the facilities listed below:
Building Locations
FAA 125 A
FAA 125 B
US CUSTOMS
ACC BUILDING A1
ACC BUILDING A2
ACC BUILDING A3
DOOLITTLE BUILDING
BOEING (WEST CARGO)
The Contractor shall furnish all labor, supervision, equipment, cleaning agents, and consumable
supplies necessary to maintain the facility in a clean, sanitary, and orderly condition.
2. Supplies and Equipment. To ensure a fully inclusive proposal, the Contractor is strictly
responsible for providing:
* Cleaning Equipment: All vacuums, floor machines, carts, and tools.
* Cleaning Agents: All chemicals, disinfectants, and cleaning solutions (SDS sheets must
be provided upon contract award).
* Consumables: The Contractor shall purchase and stock all restroom and breakroom paper
products and consumables, including but not limited to:
o Toilet tissue
o Paper towels
o Hand soap
o Trash liners
3. Routine Janitorial Services: The Contractor shall propose a frequency schedule (e.g., Daily,
3x Weekly) that guarantees the high standards of the facility. At a minimum, the following tasks
must be performed during every scheduled visit:
* Breakrooms: Clean and disinfect countertops, sinks, tables, and the exterior surfaces of
appliances (microwaves, refrigerators, coffee stations).
* Carpet Care: Vacuum all carpeted areas, including traffic lanes and under accessible
furniture.
* Hard Floors: Sweep, dust mop, and wet mop all hard surface floors.
* Detailing: Remove cobwebs from corners and ceilings; dust baseboards.
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4. Periodic Services -
A. Annual Deep Carpet Cleaning
* Requirement: The Contractor shall perform a complete professional deep cleaning of all
carpeted areas once per calendar year.
* Method: Hot water extraction (steam cleaning) or an equivalent manufacturer-approved
method is required.
* Scheduling: This service must be scheduled in advance and performed outside of standard
business hours to minimize disruption to operations.
B. Semi-Annual Exterior Window clean.
[Remainder of Page Left Blank.]
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