Powdered Activated Carbon

INVITATION FOR BID (IFB)
IFB No. 110-26
POWDERED ACTIVATED CARBON
Purchasing Analyst of Record: Carol Arellano
Carol.Arellano@ThorntonCO.Gov
City Hall - 2nd Floor
Contracts and Purchasing Division
9500 Civic Center Drive
Thornton, CO 80229-4326
Main Phone: (303) 538-7325

IFB No. 110-26
Powdered Activated Carbon
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SCHEDULE, PURCHASING ANALYST OF RECORD, AND GENERAL
SUMMARY OF NEEDS ............................................................................................................. 4
A.1 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:............................................................................................... 4
A.2 PURCHASING ANALYST OF RECORD: ....................................................................... 4
A.3 GENERAL SUMMARY OF PROCUREMENT NEEDS: .................................................. 4
CURRENT STATE, SCOPE OF WORK, AND SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS .. 5
B.1 SCOPE OF WORK - GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS: .................................................. 5
B.2 ESTIMATED QUANTITIES: ............................................................................................ 6
B.3 F.O.B. POINT: ................................................................................................................. 7
B.4 DELIVERY CONSIDERATIONS: .................................................................................... 7
B.5 INVOICING REQUIREMENTS: ....................................................................................... 7
B.6 PALLET CHARGE: ......................................................................................................... 8
B.7 VENDOR PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT: ................................................................ 8
B.8 EMERGENCY PURCHASES: ......................................................................................... 8
B.9 COOPERATIVE PURCHASING: .................................................................................... 8
PRICING AND PROPOSAL ITEMS .................................................................... 9
C.1 PRICING INFORMATION: .............................................................................................. 9
C.2 VENDOR PRICING SUBMITTAL: ................................................................................... 9
C.3 VENDOR COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS: ................................................................... 9
C.4 TARIFFS: ...................................................................................................................... 10
C.5 ANNUAL PRICE UPDATES: ........................................................................................ 10
C.6 PROPOSAL ITEMS: ..................................................................................................... 10
PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS, EVALUATION, AND AWARD ......................... 12
D.1 PROPOSAL POSTED LOCATIONS: ............................................................................ 12
D.2 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS: ........................................................................................... 12
D.3 ADDENDA: .................................................................................................................... 12
D.4 SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS: ................................................................................. 12
D.5 DOCUMENTS FOR FINAL VENDOR SUBMISSION: .................................................. 13
D.6 LATE PROPOSAL SUBMISSIONS: ............................................................................. 13
D.7 AWARDS: ..................................................................................................................... 14
D.8 ACCEPTANCE PERIOD: .............................................................................................. 14
D.9 AWARD TERM LENGTH: ............................................................................................. 14
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IFB No. 110-26
Powdered Activated Carbon
D.10 POST AWARD PURCHASE ORDER: ........................................................................ 14
D.11 STANDARD PROPOSAL CONSIDERATIONS: ......................................................... 15
REQUIRED VENDOR SIGNATURE FORMS .................................................... 16
E.1 ACCEPTANCE AND ADDENDA ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM: .............................. 16
E.2 REFERENCES AND AUTHORIZATION AND RELEASE FORM: ................................ 17
E.3 DISCLOSURE OF GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (A.I.) USAGE FORM:
............................................................................................................................................. 19
AUTHORIZATION FOR SOLICITATION POSTING .......................................... 21
F.1 PURCHASING MANAGER FORM: ............................................................................... 21
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IFB No. 110-26
Powdered Activated Carbon
SCHEDULE, PURCHASING ANALYST OF RECORD, AND GENERAL
SUMMARY OF NEEDS
A.1 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
The following is a list of important items, dates, and times that pertain to this solicitation. All
times listed below are in reference to the local Thornton, Colorado time.
Solicitation Item Date Time
Proposal Issued 8/27/26
Deadline to Submit Additional Questions 9/4/26 2:00 p.m. MST
Response to Written Questions 9/9/26 4:00 p.m. MST
Proposal Due Date 9/16/26 4:00 p.m. MST
A.2 PURCHASING ANALYST OF RECORD:
The Purchasing Analyst of Record for this solicitation will be the central point of contact
throughout the solicitation process. All questions and inquiries must be submitted in writing via
a direct email to the Purchasing Analyst. No communication is to be directed to any other
Thornton personnel.
The Purchasing Analyst of Record's contact information is as follows:
Name: Carol Arellano
Title: Purchasing Analyst II
Email: Carol.Arellano@ThorntonCO.Gov
A.3 GENERAL SUMMARY OF PROCUREMENT NEEDS:
The City of Thornton, CO ("Thornton") is seeking Proposals from interested firms for the
purchase of Powdered Activated Carbon (PAC). Proposing firms must have appropriate
quantities of approved PAC to supply Thornton's estimated needs of 500,000 - 850,000 lbs.
annually.
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IFB No. 110-26
Powdered Activated Carbon
CURRENT STATE, SCOPE OF WORK, AND SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
B.1 SCOPE OF WORK - GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS:
A. Supply and delivery requirements:
The Vendor must have appropriate quantities of the submitted Powder Activated Carbon
(PAC) to supply the City of Thornton's estimated needs of 500,000-850,000 lbs. annually
which shall be delivered in bulk 40,000 lb. loads. Delivery shall typically occur between the
months of March and November. Some months will have higher demand than others,
ranging from 1-4 loads. A reserve of up to forty (40) 800-1,000 lb. supersacks of PAC will
also be supplied. PAC loads must be delivered on a specified mutually agreed upon date,
within ten (10) Calendar Days of order notification.
B. Physical and performance-based requirements of product:
Preference will be given to U.S.A. origin, chemically activated wood-based PAC. All PAC
must meet the following requirements:
* Virgin in nature;
* Iodine rating exceeding 500;
* Meet AWWA Standard B600-16;
* Certified to ANSI/NSF Standard 61 for use in drinking water applications;
* Gold number abrasion rating (< 3);
* Ash % (<10% by weight);
* Fine content of 5 um or finer (<16%); and
* Geosmin/MIB Performance Test (AWWA Standard B-600-16) coupled with
Perfluoroalkyl Substance (PFAS) Performance Test.
C. Testing Requirement:
Any Vendor wishing to submit a proposal will first submit representative samples of PAC
along with corresponding fees directly to the 3rd party labs listed below, with address shown,
by September 14, 2026. Submit one (1) sample of each proposed PAC to each lab.
1. Test Series 1: Gold number abrasion test.
a. Conducted by and to be sent to: WRES, Inc. Mineral sample for Abrasion Testing
for City of Thornton, 11500 Trails End Rd, Leander, TX 78641. Phone
214-348-3001. Email: bmiller@wres.us.
b. 0.5 pound sample required with your firm submitting payment to WRES Inc. of
one thousand six hundred thirty-two dollars and fifty cents per sample ($1632.50)
for testing required at time of sample submission to WRES, Inc.
i. Note: It takes seven (7) to ten (10) Business Days to complete sample
testing.
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IFB No. 110-26
Powdered Activated Carbon
2. Test Series 2: Ash %, fine content of 5 um or finer %, particle size analysis, Total
Organic Carbon (TOC), Perflouoalkyl Substance (PFAS) and Geosmin/MIB
Performance Test (AWWA Standard B-600-16), and Iodine Number.
a. Conducted by and to be sent to: Engineering Performance Solutions for City of
Thornton, 3161 St. Johns Bluff Road S., Suite 3, Jacksonville, FL 32246. Phone:
855-338-7770. E-mail: Christine@epslabs.com.
b. 1.0 pound sample required with your firm submitting payment to Engineering
Performance Solutions of three thousand four hundred and eighty dollars per
sample ($3,480) for testing required at time of sample submission to Engineering
Performance Solutions.
i. Note: It takes four (4) to six (6) weeks to complete testing.
Proposal samples will be required. The sample must be submitted, at no expense to
Thornton, prior to the submittal of a Vendor's bid packet. Failure to comply with this
requirement, or failure of the sample to meet the required specifications, will be
cause for Thornton to reject the Vendor from consideration on that item.
D. Delivery requirements:
1. All Bill of Ladings and Certificates of Analysis will be stamped with the NSF logo. A
certificate of analysis will be supplied with every load delivered. The certificate shall
display test results for moisture, density, fineness, and iodine number per AWWA
Standard B600-16. Any product not meeting the AWWA Standard B600-16 minimum
test results may be rejected.
2. Vendor is responsible for all transportation and shipping. Related costs for these
activities are included with the proposal pricing.
3. All PAC delivered will match the physical and performance-based qualifications of the
original sample submitted for qualification testing.
B.2 ESTIMATED QUANTITIES:
Quantities listed are Thornton's best estimate and do not obligate Thornton to order or accept
more than Thornton's actual requirements during the period of this Agreement, as determined
by actual needs and availability of appropriated funds. It is expressly understood and agreed
that the resulting Agreement is to supply Thornton with its complete actual requirement of the
materials specified in this proposal for the Agreement period.
Thornton's estimated need for PAC is approximately 500,000 - 850,000 lbs. annually.
Historically Thornton has received deliveries where a single load consists of 40,000 lbs.
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IFB No. 110-26
Powdered Activated Carbon
B.3 F.O.B. POINT:
Prices quoted shall be F.O.B. Destination and delivered, as required, to the following points:
City of Thornton
Wes Brown Water Treatment Plant
3651 East 86th Avenue
Thornton, CO 80229
B.4 DELIVERY CONSIDERATIONS:
All deliveries shall be made between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through
Friday, excluding holidays unless special arrangements are made in advance of shipping the
product. PAC loads must be delivered on a specified mutually agreed upon date, within ten (10)
Calendar Days of order notification.
Deliveries of PAC Supersacks must be delivered via a flatbed truck and will be offloaded by
Thornton staff using Thornton's forklift.
Bulk deliveries of PAC must be delivered in a pneumatic trailer and offloaded into Thornton's
PAC tank with assistance from Thornton staff.
B.5 INVOICING REQUIREMENTS:
Thornton's Accounts Payable Division is the only division within Thornton that issues payments
to Vendors whom have submitted invoices. Thornton only issues payments from invoices and
will not issue payments to Vendors off of quotes.
The Vendor must be capable of providing invoices that include the following details:
* Invoice number;
* Invoice date;
* Itemized charges, including unit of measurement;
* Total charge;
* Service date(s) or service period;
* Blanket PO number (will be provided annually to awarded Vendor; and
* Delivery location Wes Brown Water Treatment Plant, 3651 East 86th Avenue,
Thornton, CO 80229.
Vendor shall also provide monthly statement billing (as required).
Thornton's standard payment terms are net thirty (30) Calendar Days after receipt of an invoice.
All invoices submitted shall be emailed to AP.Invoices@ThorntonCO.gov. In lieu of email,
physical copies may be submitted to City of Thornton - Accounts Payable, 9500 Civic Center
Drive, Thornton, CO 80229-4326. Invoices sent to anyone other than Accounts Payable are not
considered to be properly submitted and will not be paid until they are properly submitted.
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IFB No. 110-26
Powdered Activated Carbon
B.6 PALLET CHARGE:
All pallets supplied shall be non-returnable, no deposit.
B.7 VENDOR PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT:
Thornton may administer a Vendor performance management program as part this proposal and
resulting Vendor Commitment Statement (VCS). The purpose of this program is to create a
method for documenting and advising Thornton of exceptional performance or any problems
related to the purchased goods and services.
B.8 EMERGENCY PURCHASES:
Thornton reserves the right to purchase from other sources those items which are required on
an emergency basis and cannot be supplied immediately from stock by the awarded Vendor.
B.9 COOPERATIVE PURCHASING:
Thornton encourages the proper use of cooperative purchasing and reserves the right to make
results of this solicitation available to other governmental agencies seeking like equipment,
goods, or services. Other agencies using this solicitation must do so according to regulations
established by their individual organizations and accept sole responsibility for its use. The terms
and conditions of any resulting transaction shall be exclusively between the buyer and the seller.
Buyers and sellers from other municipalities and political subdivisions using this solicitation in a
cooperative or "piggy-back" fashion, agree to defend and hold harmless Thornton from any
dispute or action arising from its use.
The remainder of this page has been left blank intentionally.
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IFB No. 110-26
Powdered Activated Carbon
PRICING AND PROPOSAL ITEMS
C.1 PRICING INFORMATION:
This section shall include a description of the proposed costs and prices. All pricing information
shall be limited solely to this section of your proposal. This section should address all
requirements set forth in Section B as well as any other items pertinent to your proposal pricing
such as additional discounts for increased quantities, service requirements, etc. The
requirements have been developed to allow Thornton to uniformly evaluate prices submitted for
the work. Accordingly, you should follow these instructions carefully and provide all data
requested in the formats specified herein and in any referenced attachments.
Any omissions in this proposal shall be identified by each Vendor and incorporated into their
proposal including any omissions for hardware, service, support, software, travel, shipping, etc.
which is necessary to the success of the project. All items must be identified as a separate line
item with pricing and included as part of this RFP, unless otherwise requested by Thornton.
Thornton will not increase any subsequent Agreement or purchase order (neither dollar amount
or time) for items not included in the submitted proposal documents. Thornton reserves the right
to purchase part or the entire proposal.
C.2 VENDOR PRICING SUBMITTAL:
All Vendor proposed pricing shall be submitted as a completed on the Pricing Form listed below
that has been provided by Thornton. Proposing Vendors may include a copy of their pricing on
a Vendor quote as additional explanation of pricing only. Any Vendor terms and conditions,
hyperlinks, or "click-through" agreements, etc. stated on a Vendor quote shall not be
enforceable, unless first approved in writing by Thornton's Purchasing Division.
Thornton's Pricing Form shall be the official record of the Vendor's proposed pricing submittal.
The Vendor shall be deemed as non-responsive for further evaluation if the Vendor fails to
complete and submit the Thornton Pricing Form that has been provided, unless otherwise
approved by Thornton in writing.
C.3 VENDOR COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS:
A proposing Vendor who has been awarded an agreement through a competitive solicitation
process that has resulted in the Vendor being a part of cooperative purchasing award, may
submit pricing that is in line and references the Vendor's cooperative purchasing award,
however, such reference shall be in name and pricing submittal only. For avoidance of doubt,
any pricing submitted by a Vendor shall not exceed the ceiling pricing awarded to the Vendor,
nor shall Thornton be bound the terms and conditions of such cooperative purchasing agreement
that is held by the Vendor unless otherwise authorized in writing by Thornton's Purchasing
Division.
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IFB No. 110-26
Powdered Activated Carbon
C.4 TARIFFS:
Thornton recognizes the ever-changing geopolitical climate and how this affects the Supplier's
pricing. For the sake of convenience, all pricing submitted with this proposal shall contain all
costs, including tariffs that are in place at the time of this proposal's posting.
If a during an awarded period with Thornton, the Supplier sees an increase in prices due to
tariffs, then the awarded Supplier is to document this change and submit it with their requested
pricing updates. No requested pricing update shall be allowed more than once in any given
renewal period.
If during an awarded period with Thornton, the Supplier sees a decrease or elimination of the
tariffs that are in place at the time of this proposal's publication, then Thornton will expect the
awarded Supplier to immediately reduce their agreed upon pricing to Thornton by no less than
what the reduced/eliminated tariffs had been set at.
C.5 ANNUAL PRICE UPDATES:
The awarded Vendor must hold the Bid prices quoted firm until December 31, 2027, after which
time the Vendor may request annual price adjustments for inflation based on the Denver-
Aurora-Lakewood Price Index upon mutual agreement of the Parties.
Price adjustment requests are to be made by the Vendor in writing (e.g., email) to the Thornton
Purchasing Division, no later than sixty (60) Calendar Days prior to the Agreement's renewal date
or year in which the adjustment may take effect. Should the Vendor fail to submit a request for a
price adjustment to Thornton's Purchasing Division, then the current pricing shall remain in effect
for the following renewal period of the Agreement.
A link to index that is current at the time of this solicitation has been provided below:
https://data.bls.gov/pdq/SurveyOutputServlet?data_tool=dropmap&series_id=CUURS48BSA0,
CUUSS48BSA0
Notwithstanding the above, Thornton may, at its sole discretion, consider other publicly
published pricing indices and/or modifications as deemed appropriate given market conditions.
Note, Thornton is under no obligation to make such considerations and may require vendors to
provide documentation substantiating any unusual market conditions beyond its control.
C.6 PROPOSAL ITEMS:
The pricing form for this IFB will be in a Microsoft Excel format that is required for the Vendor
complete. The form is under separate cover and is entitled "110-26 IFB Appendix No. 1 Pricing
Form". Failure to complete and submit this form with a Vendor's bid submittal may result in
Thornton deeming the proposing Vendor as non-responsive and excluded from evaluation.
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