Incinerator, Animal Carcass

Agency:	State Government of Arkansas
State:	Arkansas
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	S - Utilities and Training Services
Posted:	Apr 5, 2024
Due:	Apr 9, 2024
Solicitation No:	S000000323
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

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STATE OF ARKANSAS

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSFORMATION AND SHARED SERVICES

OFFICE OF STATE PROCUREMENT

501 Woodlane St., Ste. 220

Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-1023

INVITATION FOR BID

SOLICITATION DOCUMENT

Solicitation Number:

Description:

Department:

SOLICITATION INFORMATION

Amended S000000323

Solicitation Issued:

Incinerator

Arkansas Department of Agriculture

March 29, 2024

SUBMISSION DEADLINE AND DELIVERY OF RESPONSE DOCUMENTS

Bid Opening Date: April 8, 2024 April 9, 2024 Bid Opening Time: 1:30 p.m., Central Time

Bid responses for this Invitation for Bid must be submitted through ARBuy, the State’s eProcurement system.

It can be accessed at arbuy.arkansas.gov. Bids received after the submission deadline may be rejected as

untimely.

Teams Meeting Link:

Meeting ID:

Passcode:

Call in (audio only):

Phone conference ID:

LIVE BID OPENING INFORMATION

Join the meeting now

295 230 097 707

2X5R8Y

+1 501-244-3310,,9680589# United States, Little Rock

968 058 9#

TSS OFFICE OF STATE PROCUREMENT CONTACT INFORMATION

TSS OSP Procurement Julia Shackelford

Specialist:

Procurement Specialist’s 501-371-6079

Direct Phone Number:

Email Address:

Julia.shackelford@arkansas.gov TSS OSP’s Main Number: 501-324-9316

TSS OSP Website:

transform.ar.gov/procurement

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SECTION 1 – INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS

1.1 INTRODUCTION

This Invitation for Bid (IFB) is issued by the TSS Office of State Procurement (TSS OSP) on behalf of the

Arkansas Department of Agriculture/Livestock and Poultry Commission (“Agency”) to obtain pricing and a

contract for an incinerator to be used by the AR Veterinary Diagnostics Laboratory (AVDL).

Direct all correspondence regarding this Solicitation to TSS OSP and not to the Agency.

1.2 OBJECTIVE

The Agency seeks to purchase an incinerator for immediate bio-secure disposal of large animal

carcasses eliminating risk of contamination associated with animal diseases, viruses and the spread of

infection.

1.3 BACKGROUND AND CURRENT ENVIRONMENT

Veterinary Diagnostics Laboratory (VDL) at the Arkansas Department of Agriculture (ADA), is a full-

service ISO 17025 accredited veterinary diagnostics laboratory centrally located in the city of Little Rock,

Arkansas. It is a Level-2 National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) and FDA’s Veterinary

Laboratory Investigation and Response Network (Vet-LIRN) recognized laboratory. VDL is organized

around the veterinary pathology service with sections devoted to necropsy, histopathology,

immunohistochemistry, virology, microbiology, clinical pathology, serology, and analytical chemistry

where toxicological analyses are performed.

A central mission of the VDL is diagnosis and monitoring of disease in animals. The Pathology section

performs necropsies on many animal species, including commercial and backyard poultry, livestock

(cattle, sheep, goats, camelids), horses, and companion animals such as dogs and cats. Disposal of

animal remains following completion of necropsies is a necessary part of this diagnostic service.

An important component of equipment infrastructure at the VDL is the stand-alone incinerator. The

incinerator is used to dispose of animal tissues in a controlled manner that eliminates infectious disease

agents, reducing risk to public health and safety. Incineration is the process of burning carcasses and

other materials at temperatures high enough to destroy contaminants and infectious agents, combusting

organic material into carbon dioxide and water. The incinerator consists of two chambers, with the upper

chamber providing secondary combustion of fine particulate matter. The incinerator is on a sixteen (16)

by twelve (12) foot pad of reinforced concrete and is fueled by propane stored in a nearby 1000-gallon

tank. It is operated under a permit issued by Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality.

The VDL also assists state and federal partners with incineration needs, including contraband organic

material seized by USDA APHIS, fish carcasses from the ADA Baitfish Inspection Program, hemp

samples from the ADA Hemp Program, lab materials and tissue samples from the VDL Chronic Wasting

Disease testing program, and wild animal carcasses from Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. We

also incinerate rabies-suspect and rabies-positive animals in cooperation with the Arkansas Department

of Health.

In 2021, the VDL incinerated 43,360 lb. of material requiring 4,972 gallons of propane consumed during

450 hours of operation. In 2023, this had increased to 52,002 lb. incinerated with 6,381 gallons of

propane consumed during 595 hours of operation.

The current incinerator unit has a top-loading, roll-back design. It is undersized and underpowered for

both per-load and annual volumes of material that must be incinerated. The lower chamber is too small to

contain adult large animals. The upper chamber is undersized for the temperatures it sustains during

average burns (2000F for 10 to 20 hours), and steel panels comprising the upper chamber flue and the

flue linking upper and lower chambers are warped and rusted due to excessive temperatures. The unit

has experienced constant controller and burner failures, including a 15-week shutdown during the

summer of 2023 due to warping and failure of couplings between the upper burner and upper chamber

caused by excessive temperatures. Large animal necropsy services were shut down during this period.

With time, the unit has become increasingly inefficient. We have had to increase burn times for the same

load weight to obtain complete burns, increasing costs due to increased propane usage. We have also

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had to decrease the weight of individual loads to obtain complete burns, requiring more individual burn

events and increased man-hours spent in incineration activities.

When the current incinerator unit fails, most necropsy functions at the VDL will immediately stop. The

negative impact on diagnosis and monitoring of animal health and food safety in Arkansas will be

immediate and severe. A core function of the VDL will no longer be available to food animal producers.

Poultry and beef cattle production results in billions of dollars of annual revenue to the State of Arkansas.

Necropsy services at the VDL, and the required incineration of animal remains, provide critical support for

those activities.

1.4 TYPE OF CONTRACT

A. As a result of this IFB, TSS OSP intends to award a contract to a single Contractor (see Contractor

Selection). AVDL will have the final approval for awarding the incinerator.

B. The anticipated starting date for any resulting contract will be from date of award, except that the

actual contract start date may be adjusted unilaterally by the State for up to three (3) calendar

months. By submitting a signed bid in response to the IFB, the Prospective Contractor represents

and warrants that it will honor its bid as being held open as irrevocable for this period.

1.5 DEFINITION OF TERMS

A. Unless otherwise defined herein, all terms defined in Arkansas Procurement Law have the same

meaning herein.

B. The terms “Agency” and “Department” are used synonymously in this document to represent the

Arkansas Department of Agriculture/Livestock and Poultry Division.

C. The terms “Invitation for Bid,” “IFB,” and “Solicitation” are used synonymously in this document.

D. “Large Animal Carcass” means a mature horse or cow or other large animal of similar size.

E. “Prospective Contractor” means a responsive and responsible bidder who submits a bid that meets

the Requirements and criteria set forth in this Solicitation.

F. “Requirement” means a term, condition, provision, deliverable, Specification, or a combination

thereof, that is obligated under the Solicitation, resulting contract, or both.

G. “Shall” and “must” mean the imperative and are used to identify Requirements and Specifications.

H. “Specification” means any technical or purchase description or other description of the physical or

functional characteristics, or of the nature, of a commodity or service. “Specification” may include a

description of any Requirement for inspecting, testing, or preparing a commodity or service for

delivery.

I. “State” means the State of Arkansas. When the term “State” is used herein to reference any

obligation of the State under a contract that results from this Solicitation, that obligation is limited to

the Department using such a contract.

1.6 CONTRACTOR SELECTION

A. Award is expected to be made to the responsive and responsible Prospective Contractor determined

to have submitted the lowest bid that meets the Requirements and criteria set forth in the IFB, based

on the Total Cost as shown in ARBuy submitted by the Prospective Contractor.

B. If the State so chooses, negotiations may be conducted with the lowest-bidding, responsive and

responsible Prospective Contractor if:

1. All bids received from responsive and responsible bidders exceed available funding; or

2. It appears that additional savings to the state may result from negotiation.

C. If negotiations fail to result in a contract, the State may negotiate with the next lowest-bidding,

responsive and responsible Prospective Contractor.

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1. The negotiation process may be repeated until an acceptable lower bid price is negotiated, or

until such time the State determines negotiations are no longer in the best interest of the state.

2. Negotiations are conducted at the sole discretion of the State.

D. Once the anticipated awardee has been determined, the anticipated award will be posted to ARBuy,

generally for a period of fourteen (14) days prior to the issuance of a contract. The postings are

anticipated awards only, subject to protest.

E. A contract is not effective prior to final award being made by the State; some contracts may be

subject to Legislative review prior to final award.

1.7 CLARIFICATION OF SOLICITATION

A. The Prospective Contractor should notify the TSS OSP Procurement Specialist of any term,

condition, etc., that precludes the Prospective Contractor from submitting a Responsive Bid.

Prospective Contractors should note that it is the responsibility of the Prospective Contractor to seek

resolution of all such issues, including those relating to the terms and conditions of the contract, prior

to the submission of a bid.

B. Prospective Contractors may contact the TSS OSP Procurement Specialist with non-substantive

questions at any time prior to the bid opening.

C. An oral statement by TSS OSP will not be part of any contract resulting from this Solicitation and may

not reasonably be relied on by any Prospective Contractor as an aid to interpretation unless it is

reduced to writing and expressly adopted by TSS OSP.

1.8 RESPONSE DOCUMENTS

A. All bids must be submitted through ARBuy, the State’s eProcurement system. The system can be

accessed at arbuy.arkansas.gov.

1. Prospective Contractors must be registered in ARBuy to submit bids.

B. Bid Response Packet

1. Prospective Contractors shall utilize the Bid Response Packet attached to the Solicitation in

ARBuy to submit their bids.

2. The following are bid submission Requirements and must be submitted as part of a Prospective

Contractor’s bid.

a. Signed Bid Signature Page; signature may be ink or digital.

b. Completed Bid Response Packet, which must be in English.

c. Completed pricing response submitted by the Prospective Contractor in ARBuy.

i. Pricing must be proposed in U.S. dollars and cents.

ii. Quantities stated are estimates only and are not guaranteed. Prospective Contractor

must bid unit price on the estimated quantity and unit of measure specified.

• The State may order more or less than the estimated quantity on term contracts, and

the Contractor shall sell to the Agency quantities ordered at no more than the bid

price.

iii. If pricing documents do not allow for accurate pricing, Prospective Contractor should

notify the TSS OSP Procurement Specialist at least seventy-two (72) hours before the

bid opening time.

iv. Prices must be firm offers.

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v. Discount from list bids pricing is not acceptable unless requested elsewhere in the

Solicitation.

vi. State and local sales taxes should not be included in the bid price. Trade discounts

should be deducted from the unit price and the net price should be shown in the bid.

d. Copy of Prospective Contractor’s Equal Opportunity Policy

i. Pursuant to Arkansas Code Annotated § 19-11-104, OSP requires a Prospective

Contractor bidding on a state contract to submit a copy of the Prospective Contractor’s

Equal Opportunity (EO) Policy. Prospective Contractors not required by law to have an

EO Policy must submit a written statement to that effect.

e. Proposed Subcontractors Form.

3. The following items, which must be submitted prior to a contract award to the Prospective

Contractor, may also be included with the Prospective Contractor’s bid response:

a. EO 98-04 Contract & Grant Disclosure Form (see Standard Commodities Contract, Section

11.)

4. Prospective Contractors should not include any other documents or ancillary information, such

as a cover letter or promotional marketing information.

C. Prospective Contractors should not alter any language in Solicitation document(s) or any

document(s) provided by the State.

D. Prospective Contractors’ bids cannot be altered or amended after the bid opening except as

permitted by law or rule.

E. As requested, Prospective Contractors shall provide clarification regarding Prospective Contractor’s

bid response.

F. Prospective Contractors may submit multiple bids.

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This is the opportunity summary page. You are currently viewing an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation. For more information, please visit the Publication URL Web page.

Mandatory Contract	Description	Agency	Opening Date/Time	Bid Number	Buyer
	Incinerator, Animal Carcass	Arkansas Agriculture Department	04/09/2024 01:30 PM CDT	S000000323 04/05/2024 CDT

Incinerator, Animal Carcass

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