REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

17-01-19 PURCHASE OF PROPANE PART 1 OF 3 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS RFP # 17-01-19 Purchase of Propane The Houston Independent School District ( HISD and/or the District ) is soliciting proposals for Purchase of Propane as more fully set out in this Request for Proposals ( RFP ). An original, one (1) copy of the proposal, and one USB flash drive must be submitted in accordance with the instructions set out herein to: Houston Independent School District Board Services - Room 1C03 Attn: Christopher Vest RFP / 17-01-19 4400 West 18 th Street Houston, TX 77092 Each set of the proposal must be submitted in a binder. The original proposal must be labeled ORIGINAL and contain original signatures. The copies of the original must be labeled COPY. USBs must contain a soft copy of the proposal and all attachments and have the Proposer s name, RFP number, and RFP name labeled on the outside. Each binder and any container for the binder(s) must be labeled on the outside with the Proposer s name, address, the RFP number and the RFP name. The following schedule and timelines apply to this RFP. The following timelines are subject to change at the District s discretion: Timeline Release RFP Saturday February 25, 2017 Pre-Proposal Conference March 6, 2017 // Hattie Mae (4400 West 18 th, Houston) Last date for questions: March 9, 2017 at 5pm CST RFP Due Thursday, March 30, 2017 at 2:00p.m. Evaluation Period April 3 rd, 2017 to April 20 th 2017 Estimated Board Approval Date May 11, 2017

The original proposal must be submitted in a binder and contain original signatures. The binder and any container for the binder(s) must be labeled on the outside with the Proposer s name, address, the RFP number and the RFP name. Proposals will be received until 2:00pm Central Standard Time Thursday, March 30, 2017 at 2:00p.m. (4400 West 18th, Houston, TX 77092 Board Services - Room 1C03) Pre-proposal conference will be held in conjunction with the RFP at 10:00am Central Standard Time Monday, March 6, 2017 at Hattie Mae Building (4400 West 18th, Houston, TX 77092) in conference room 2NE51. All Communication concerning this RFP shall be via email to Christopher Vest; cvest@houstonisd.org Submitting proposals prior to the pre-proposal conference is not recommended, and such proposals may be rejected by HISD. A more detailed timeline is set out in the Instructions, Submission Requirements and Procedures section of the RFP. Proposals will be reviewed as received in a manner that avoids disclosure to competing proposals. Contents of proposals will remain confidential during the negotiations period. Only the proposal number and the identity of the Proposer(s) submitting the proposal will be made available to the public before award of the RFP. Proposals received after the Proposal due date and time will not be considered Faxed or emailed proposals will not be accepted. Proposals must be submitted in sufficient time to be received and time-stamped at the above location on or before the proposal due date and time. HISD will not be responsible for proposals delivered late by the United States Postal Service, or any other delivery or courier services. All proposals must remain open for one hundred twenty (120) days from the proposal due date pending acceptance by HISD. The Master Terms and Conditions Document for Requests for Proposals (Part 2 of 3) governs this RFP and any contract(s) awarded under this RFP. The Master Terms and Conditions Document for Requests for Proposals should be carefully reviewed by all Proposers. HISD will be entitled to assume that by submitting a Proposal, all Proposers have reviewed and consented to all provisions of the Master Terms and Conditions Document. The District will award this RFP to one or more suppliers based upon the evaluation of all proposals received. More details regarding the evaluation of proposals are included in Section II below. Richard Gay 02/22/2017 Richard Gay, CPPO, Officer of Procurement Services Date

SECTION I: PROPOSAL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS The Proposal shall be submitted in a binder with tabs as set forth below: Title Page Show the RFP subject, the name of the Proposer s firm, address, telephone number, name of contact person, and date. Tab 1 Table of Contents Provider to create a Table of Content that identifies the Tabs and page numbers Tab 2 Proposal Submission Forms Complete and return Forms A through L set forth in Part III of this RFP. The set of forms submitted in the proposal marked ORIGINAL requires original manual signatures. Copies of the forms bearing original signatures should be included in each additional proposal. The forms provided in Part III should be submitted in the following order: 1. FORM A: Vendor Information (CHE (Local) Questionnaire) 2. FORM B: MWBE Instructions and Participation Report 3. FORM C: References Instructions 4. FORM D: References 5. FORM E: General Certifications 6. FORM F: Please place pricing form in Tab 7 instead of Tab 2 7. FORM G: EDGAR Certifications 8. FORM H: Exception Forms 9. FORM I: Conflict of Interest Instructions and form CIQ 10. FORM J: Instructions for Completion of Disclosure of Interested Persons Certification (HB 1295) 11. FORM K: IRS Form W-9 12. FORM L: Certificate of Insurance (Acord Form) or a letter from its insurance provider stating that Proposer can provide the levels of insurance required in this RFP. Tab 3 Profile of the Proposer a. Provide EMR rate (Experience Modification Rate) b. Provide a list of the Proposer s current top three clients and discuss services your organization has provided and/or performed for each client. Tab 4 Scope Section Submit an overview of the goods and services your company provide as it relates to the goods and services in the Section II, Scope of Work (Locations, Number of vehicles, Capabilities, etc.). Tab 5 Questionnaire Response Respond to the questions and/or questionnaires included in the RFP. Tab 6 Invoice Procedure a. Include documentation identifying all of the Proposer s fees. b. Payment terms. The District s standard payment terms are 30 days after invoice is received.

Tab 7 Price Form F and any pricing information, including any alternate pricing proposals that may be acceptable for some projects. Include a hard copy of Form F (Price Schedule) in this section, and electronic copy on the USB Drive. Tab 8 Addenda Insert all addenda under this section.

SECTION II: SCOPE OF WORK 2.1 SCOPE OF WORK: At a minimum, the scope of services required by the successful firm shall consist of the following: Houston ISD is seeking proposals from qualified firms to provide Propane for the Transportation Department and the Warehouse The District will require multiple deliveries per week for an 18,000 gal propane tank located at 6800 Fairway Dr., Houston, TX 77087 (estimated annual usage of 500,000 gal) Fuel is to be delivered either as needed in accordance with an agreed-upon, pre-arranged schedule, or as requested in response to a telephone requested by an authorized HISD representative. The District will also require weekly scheduled propane re-fill Service at 228 McCarty Drive, Houston, TX (Central Warehouse) for 20 lbs. and 33 lbs. Bottles, (forty-seven 20 lbs. and nine 33 lbs. bottles located at 228 McCarty Dr. Houston TX) The District intends to award this bid to a single firm and to the firm deemed to provide best value by the HISD evaluation committee utilizing the evaluation criteria listed in Section 2.5. 2.2 SPECIFIC CONDITIONS: Warehouse Requirement for Propane Services (Bottles) (228 McCarty Dr. Houston TX) Provide annual training on propane handling at designated HISD facility in Houston Provide repairs to damaged bottles as needed (provide hourly rate in form F) Certification of all 20 lbs. and 33 lbs. bottles Include Safety operation stickers in the following languages: English and Spanish (no cost) Weekly service to re-fill propane bottles during normal hours of operations (M-F; 7am -3pm) 2.3 SPECIFICATIONS: PURPOSE AND INTENT The purpose of this RFP is to solicit bid proposals for Propane, Auto Gas, and related items. The intent of this RFP is to award a contract to those responsible bidders whose bid proposals, conforming to this RFP are most advantageous to HISD, price and other factors considered. HISD however, reserves the right to separately procure individual requirements that are the subject of the contract during the contract term. BIDDER RESPONSIBILITY The bidder assumes sole responsibility for the complete effort required in submitting a bid proposal in response to this RFP. No special consideration will be given after bid proposals are opened because of a bidder's failure to be knowledgeable as to all of the requirements of this RFP. Bidder shall also guarantee that HISD shall hold first responder status and be guarantee delivery of fuel in emergency events. PRICING: For clarification purposes, the terms used in this specification shall be defined as follows (1) Bidder Business entity submitting response to the RFP invitation.

(2) Vendor Shall be the successful bidder on this RFP. (3) Fuel Index Price Per Gallon (Mont Belvieu s Price as published in BPN (Butane-Propane News) (4) Fuel Price per Gallon -shall be the posted Mont Belvieu s Price per gallon and the proposer contract price per gallon. (5) Regulatory Fees Federal and state mandated fees. (6) Total Selling Price per Gallon shall be the total of the posted Fuel Index Price per Gallon, Contracted Fuel Price per Gallon and Regulatory Fees per Gallon. Final Invoice shall include: shall be the total of the posted Fuel Index Price per Gallon, Contracted Fuel Price per Gallon, Regulatory Fees per Gallon, delivery fees, and any additional services provided. PROPANE SPECIFICATIONS All propane supplied under this contract must conform in every respect to all standards and regulations established by Federal and Texas State laws. If any of the applicable standards and regulations is updated/revised during the term of the contract; the contractor must conform to the latest version. The fuel supplied under this contract shall have a minimum content of 85,000 btu/gal and an octane rating of 105 as established by the American Petroleum Institute and shall meet or exceed the Type II, Propane, Federal Specification, and Auto gas latest revision thereof QUANTITIES HISD reserves the right to order any quantity necessary to meet requirements. No guarantee is made by HISD to purchase any amount of product from any contractor as a result of prices offered by the bidder and approved by HISD. For bidding purposes, it is estimated that the total amount of the contract(s) entered into as a result of this proposal is estimated to be 500,000 gallons per year. HISD reserves the right to bid individual requirements separate from any contract(s) resulting from this RFP, if deemed to be in the best interest to HISD. DELIVERIES Unless otherwise indicated herein, all deliveries are to be made within twenty-four (24) hours following the receipt of an order via electronic or verbal notification by a Using Agency. Vendors shall have the ability to deliver 9,000 gallon loads and also fuel vehicles and buses on site if needed. The vendor shall also state any added costs for receiving loads smaller that a full transport load. EMERGENCY DELIVERY Unless otherwise indicated herein, all emergency deliveries are to be made within eight (8) hours upon receipt of verbal notification from a Using Agency. HOURS OF DELIVERY Unless otherwise indicated herein, all deliveries will be accepted only between the hours of 6:00 AM and 6:30 PM, Monday through Friday, except holidays, unless otherwise agreed upon by HISD and the contractor.

FUEL TANK MONITORYING Vendor shall state in the bid any fuel tank remote monitoring that will be provided with this bid. This monitoring shall be accessible to HISD personnel remotely via the web and should have the ability to interface with the HISD current fuel management system, TRAK. This monitoring system shall be watched by the vendor to assist with auto ordering an also send daily e-mails as to the amount of fuel in the storage tank. MEASURING DEVICES CHECKS HISD reserves the right to have all measuring devices rechecked, at any time during the life of the contract. Spot checks at delivery points may also be made. If rechecks disclose any discrepancy in the number of gallons shown on the delivery ticket and the actual number of gallons delivered, use of such equipment will not be permitted until certification has been received from the Texas Department of Agriculture Weights and Measures that the measuring device is accurate, or has been corrected. Upon notification HISD has the right to refuse delivery on metered trucks with broken seals. The contractor with the defective measuring device will be charged the added cost of obtaining fuel from an emergency source, until the defective metering device has received the necessary certification. SPECIFICATIONS: PROPANE FUEL QUALITY The fuel received/delivered must comply with the specification of HD5 PROPANE for use as Auto Gas must be free of particle contaminates that could be picked up during the transportation process; this would include excessive iron oxides. The fuel shall be free of other known contaminants including but not limited to water, hydrogen sulfides, sulfur dioxides, ammonia and any elements outside the specification that causes failure of customer components. The fuel provider shall provide random fuel analysis no less than 4 times per year from the source of the fuel supply, terminal/refinery. At the customer s request the fuel provider shall take a fuel sample within 24 hours of the customer notifying the fuel provider that they suspect fuel quality issues or contamination based on evidence that may include impairment of site glasses in the piping system, uncommon particulates causing failed fuel injectors or any other vehicle component failures believed to have been caused by fuel quality inconsistency. The fuel provider is responsible to deliver contaminate free odorized fuel within the specification and should a failure of this be experienced and require expenditures to resolve, the fuel provider shall reimburse the customer in whole for repairs and cleaning of the customers properties. TEST SAMPLING HISD may request supplier to take periodic samples of the propane delivered to their locations from the truck, tank wagon or container in which delivery if made. The right is reserved to cancel the contract at the contractor s expense for inferior deliveries, or if the propane is found to contain dirt or sediment, or is of a structure that will cause clogging and prevent proper operation. Cancellation of a contractor will only be implemented upon prior approval by HISD. PRODUCT PERFORMANCE Any fuel that is delivered and found not to meet contract specifications shall be removed by the contractor and replaced with a delivery of fuel meeting contract specifications, at no cost HISD. OTHER PRODUCTS Vendor shall state if they can provide equipment repair or replacement. If vendor can provide fueling stations where the cost of the station will be included in the cost of the fuel dispensed this shall also be included in the bid. Vendor shall also include any other services they may be able to provide.

QUALIFICATION OF BIDDERS No bid will be considered for a term contract unless the bidder meets the following conditions: The bidder s source of supply must be with a reputable propane gas refiner. Letters of guaranteed supply from the bidder's source should, but are not required to be submitted with the bid proposal. HISD reserves the right to request information, such as but not limited to, the following from any bidder/contractor. The bidder/contractor must, if requested, show evidence to HISD, that it has adequate facilities, equipment, resources, etc. to perform all requirements of the contract. Information regarding the bulk storage/source of supply. Letters of guaranteed supply from the bidder's source. Certified analysis of the propane offered such analysis to be made by an independent testing laboratory, or the refiner. Said certified analysis is to be provided by the vendor at no cost to HISD. A certified list/statement of equipment, trucks, etc. that the bidder actually owns, for delivery of products from bulk plants to the Using Agency locations. CONTRACTOR S WARRANTY a) The Contractor is responsible for the quality, technical accuracy, timely completion and delivery of all deliverables and other services to be furnished by the Contractor under the Contract. The Contractor agrees to perform in a good, skillful and timely manner all services set forth in the Contract. b) The Contractor shall, without additional compensation, correct or revise any errors, omissions, or other deficiencies in its services and deliverables furnished under the Contract.. REMEDIES FOR FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH MATERIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS In the event that the contractor fails to comply with any material contract requirements, HISD may take steps to terminate the contract in accordance with HISD administrative code and/or authorize the delivery of contract items by any available means, with the difference between the price paid and the defaulting contractor's price either being deducted from any monies due the defaulting contractor or being an obligation owed to HISD by the defaulting contractor 2.4 COST: Supplier shall provide a 30-day written notice of any price changes during the term of the Agreement and provide supporting manufacturer and/or distributor documentation to support such price adjustments. HISD reserves the right to use alternative supplier if no agreement is made Price is to remain firm/fixed for the term of the contract. Price is to be provided on Form F and inserted in Tab 7. 2.5 EVALUATION FACTORS: The evaluations committee will conduct a comprehensive, fair and impartial evaluation of all proposals received in response to this RFP. Each proposal received will be analyzed to determine overall responsiveness and completeness as defined in the scope section and in the instructions on submitting a proposal. Failure to comply with the instructions or to submit a complete proposal may deem a proposal non-responsive and may at the discretion of the Evaluation Committee be eliminated from further evaluation. If the evaluation committee has reasonable grounds to believe that the Proposer with the highest ranking score is unable to perform the required services to the satisfaction of HISD, HISD reserves the right to make an award to another proposer who in the opinion of the evaluation committee would offer HISD the best value. Some indicators (but not a complete list) of probable supplier/proposer performance

concerns are: past supplier performance; the proposer s financial resources and ability to perform; the proposer s experience or demonstrated capability and responsibility; and the supplier s ability to provide a reliable on-going business relationship and the maintenance of on-going agreements and support. Criteria Criteria Description Weighted Value # 1 the purchase base price 30% a) total base period price (Year 1) 2 the reputation of the Proposer and of the Proposer s goods or 20% services a) ten references from top ten clients provided below 3 the quality of the Proposer s goods or services 10% b) quality of submittal c) questionnaire 4 the extent to which the goods or services meet the District's needs 10% 5 the Proposer s past relationship with the District 10% 6 the impact on the ability of the District to comply with laws and rules relating to historically underutilized businesses 10% 7 the total long-term cost to the District to acquire the Proposer s goods or services a) cost of renewal option terms and support 9% 8 for a contract for goods and services, other than goods and services related to telecommunications and information services, building construction and maintenance, or instructional materials, whether the vendor or the vendor's ultimate parent company or majority owner: (A) has its principal place of business in this state; or (B) employs at least 500 persons in this state 1% 9 any other relevant factor specifically listed in the request for bids or proposals. a) Any additional services with pricing for those additional services listed or requested in the proposal N/A

2.6 QUESTIONNAIRE: Please include responses to the following in Tab 5 of the proposal response: 1. Does the proposer have location(s) in the Houston area? 2. What is the proposer normal response time? 3. What would be the Price effect if the total actual number of gallons came in either less than or greater than the quantity guaranteed? 4. Identify any unusual features of your program that might make this unique or better than others. 2.7 PRICING SHEETS INCLUDING ELECTRONIC SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS. Refer to Attachment F: Price Schedule (EXCEL SPREADSHEET) (should be placed in tab 7)