FOR PRIMARY DATA CENTER COLOCATION SERVICES

Transcription

1 Office of Purchasing & Contracting 10 Baldwin St [phone] Montpelier VT [fax] SEALED BID INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR PRIMARY DATA CENTER COLOCATION SERVICES Expected RFP Schedule Summary: DATE POSTED 5/7/2012 QUESTIONS DUE 5/18/2012 3:00 p.m. ET PROPOSALS DUE 6/1/2012 3:00 p.m. ET FINALIST DEMONSTRATIONS 6/29/2012 7/18/2012 SELECTION NOTIFICATION 6/29/2012 INDEPENDENT REVIEW 7/11/2012 7/26/2012 PROJECT STARTS TBD LOCATION OF BID OPENING: 10 Baldwin Street, Montpelier PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT ALL NOTIFICATIONS, RELEASES, AND AMENDMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS RFP WILL BE POSTED AT: THE STATE WILL MAKE NO ATTEMPT TO CONTACT VENDORS WITH UPDATED INFORMATION. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH VENDOR TO PERIODICALLY CHECK FOR ANY AND ALL NOTIFICATIONS, RELEASES AND AMENDMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE RFP. PURCHASING AGENT: John McIntyre TELEPHONE: (802) E MAIL: John.McIntyre@state.vt.us FAX: (802)

2 Table of Contents 1. Overview and General Information 3 2. Schedule of Events 4 3. Technical Response 6 4. Required Policies, Guidelines and Methodologies General Terms and Conditions Sealed Bid Instructions Vendor Response Content and Format Cost Proposal Method of Award Submission Instructions and Checklist 26 Attachments: Attachment A: Certificate of Compliance 28 Worker s Compensation; State Contracts Compliance Requirement; Self Reporting 29 Worker s Compensation; State Contracts Compliance Requirement; Subcontractor Reporting 30 Attachment B: Offshore Outsourcing Questionnaire 31 Attachment C: Standard State Provisions For Contracts and Grants 32 Attachment D: Commodity Purchases Terms and Conditions 36 RFP Version: Page 2

3 Overview and General Information 1.1 Overview The Office of Purchasing & Contracting on behalf of the Vermont Department of Information and Innovation (DII) is soliciting competitive sealed, fixed price proposals (Proposals) for its Primary Data Center Colocation Services (the Work) from qualified offerors. If a suitable offer is made in response to this Request for Proposal (RFP), the Department of Information and Innovation may enter into a contract (the Contract) to have the selected offeror (the Contractor) perform all or part of the Work. This RFP provides details on what is required to submit a Proposal in response to this RFP, how DII will evaluate the Proposals, and what will be required of the Contractor in performing the Work. This is a Request for Competitive Sealed Proposals (RFP) to pre qualify vendors who can perform the service described in Section 3 of this RFP. Structure and Scope of RFP: DII is seeking proposals for primary data center colocation space. The State of Vermont is one of the largest data center consumers in the State and is looking to consolidate its Primary Data Center into one colocation facility in Montpelier, VT area by developing a long term relationship with a well qualified data center provider. DII is not currently seeking managed services proposals as part of the scope of this RFP. Objective of RFP: Identify a well qualified data center provider capable of providing long term, secured, reliable, and cost effective data center collocation services in the Montpelier, VT area. Department Background and Philosophy: The Department of Information and Innovation was created in 2003 to provide direction and oversight for all activities directly related to information technology within state government, including telecommunications services, information technology equipment, software, accessibility, and networks in state government. The CIO and Commissioner of DII have broad authority to meet the goals of the department as established by statute and policy. It is the responsibility of DII to ensure the continued delivery of IT systems that are scalable, interoperable, sustainable and secure throughout state government. Compatibility with State Standards and existing Technology: It is assumed that state and federal requirements with regards to IRS 1075, HIPAA, FISMA etc. can be met. The state anticipates having access to auditable logs for facility access and will be included in configuration and change management processes deemed applicable to state business or service level agreement with vendor. RFP Version: Page 3

4 Current Business Environment: As information technologies that deliver good business value continue to expand, so will the need for these technologies to remain available and resilient. Over the past several years the direction to service orient all facets of information technology has continued to grow with advancements in interoperability, network throughput and cloud service delivery. The State has not kept pace with adequate Data Center facilities and continues to suffer from true data center expertise. As we continue to consolidate data centers, data rooms and closets, it becomes more critical to establish a best in class data center capacity and processes. Leveraging data center capacity in a co location fashion is thought to be the most efficient and effective way to deliver better data center services for all state systems now and in the future. As we continue to consolidate physical equipment and establish a more robust Virtualized First Policy throughout the state, our physical space and power requirements will peak in or about It is assumed that this capacity will start to reduce after that over the next 5 10 years as more cloud based solutions Software as a Service, Platform as a Service mature. For these reasons, the State is looking at data center hosting solutions that can scale up and down as needed. 2 Schedule of Events The expected timetable, including the Proposal due Date and other important dates, are set forth below. The name of any Vendor submitting a proposal shall be a matter of public record on the Proposal Due Date. RFP Published 5/7/2012 Questions Due Answers to Questions Posted Proposal Due (see section below for detailed instructions on Proposal Format and submission instructions) Finalist Selection / Notification (this can be general in nature, i.e., within 5weeks of receiving proposals ) Finalist Presentations and Site Walkthroughs Recommendation for Award Independent Review Completed Following the selection of a proposal for contract award, the selected proposal will be the subject of an independent review before a contract can be completed. The time required for this process is, at a minimum, 3 weeks. Notification of Award 5/18/2012 3:00 p.m. ET 5/25/2012 3:00 p.m. ET 6/1/2012 3:00 p.m. ET 6/29/2012 6/29/2012 7/18/2012 7/18/2012 2:00 p.m. ET 7/11/2012 7/26/2012 7/31/2012 2:00 p.m. ET Contract Negotiation Period 7/31/2012 8/17/2012 Contract Dates RFP Version: Page 4 TBD

5 2.1 Single Point of Contact All communications concerning this Request for Proposal (RFP) are to be addressed in writing to the attention of: John McIntyre, Purchasing Agent State of Vermont Office of Purchasing & Contracting 10 Baldwin St Montpelier, VT John McIntyre, Purchasing Agent is the sole contact for this proposal. Actual contact with any other party or attempts by bidders to contact any other party could result in the rejection of their proposal. E mail Address: John.McIntyre@state.vt.us 2.2 Questions and Answers Any vendor requiring clarification of any section of this proposal or wishing to comment or take exception to any requirements or other portion of the RFP must submit specific questions in writing no later than PM. Questions may be e mailed to john.mcintyre@state.vt.us. Any objection to the RFP or to any provision of the RFP, that is not raised in writing on or before the last day of the question period is waived. At the close of the question period a copy of all questions or comments and the State's responses will be posted on the State s web site Every effort will be made to have these available as soon after the question period ends, contingent on the number and complexity of the questions. 2.3 Presentation/Onsite Review and Walkthrough: A presentation may be required if it will help the evaluation committee measure the rated factors. After any discussions for clarifications and the initial evaluation of proposals received, offerors whose proposal receive the highest scores and are determined to be reasonably susceptible for award will be required to provide a presentation to The State as well as to conduct an on site review and walkthrough of the proposed data center location. The State will factor information presented and onsite walkthroughs into the evaluation scoring. Offerors will be responsible for all costs associated with the providing the demonstration. RFP Version: Page 5

6 Dates and times for the required proposal and onsite walkthroughs will be arranged with selected offerors after the initial review of the proposal. Specific instructions for required presentation content will be provided to selected offerors only at this time. The State, at its sole discretion, will select offerors to provide presentations and reserves the right to offer no presentations or site walkthroughs to offerors if it so chooses. 3 Technical Response 3.1 Contractor RFP Response Requirements and Responsibilities Contractor shall prepare and submit proposals in accordance with all requirements identified in this RFP. The State of Vermont retains the right to reject any proposal if it does not conform to the stated requirements. By submitting a proposal in response to this RFP, Contractor agrees to be bound by and to comply with the terms and conditions included herein. Any exceptions shall be clearly and explicitly identified in the RFP response. RFP responses will include all information required by this RFP along with any additional data, references, literature, prints and/or design documentation that the Contractor believes is pertinent to the evaluation of Contractor s proposal. By electing to respond to this RFP, Contractor represents that it has the capabilities, fiscal means, personnel, and availability necessary to provide the required services to the State of Vermont. The State of Vermont retains the right to verify all information submitted by the Contractor and submission of an RFP response by Contractor will constitute Contractor s authorization to the State of Vermont to pursue such verification. Costs proposed by the Contractor are expected to be inclusive of all costs necessary to perform services and provide products required by the RFP, including (but not limited to), assets, overhead, subcontract costs, maintenance costs, licensing, staffing, cost of facilities, and cost of construction. 3.2 Primary Data Center Colocation Services Overview The State of Vermont has outlined the following overview of their data center requirements: The State of Vermont Department of Information and Innovation (DII) seeks to consolidate its primary data center functionality into 1 (one) highly available and highly secure data center in Montpelier, VT area. In doing so, The State seeks to enter into a relationship with a highly qualified, experienced data center provider to support the consolidation and long term data center operations of The State. Through this evaluation, The State will consider providers offering existing data center spaces and/or newly proposed to be constructed data center facilities that meet the requirements set forth in this RFP. All data center facilities, existing or proposed, will be evaluated based on the Contractor s and the facility s ability to meet The State s requirements. In evaluation of any proposals of data center facilities that require construction, regardless of size, The State requests the right to have oversight into design, product selection, and construction RFP Version: Page 6

7 process. By submitting a proposal in response to this RFP, Contractor hereby agrees to this provision. Any exceptions to this provision need to be explicitly stated in the RFP response. 3.3 Facility Requirements Primary Data Center Colocation Services The State seeks a data center facility that meets the following requirements. The requirements set forth below are intended to serve as a baseline reference only. Offerors shall submit detailed descriptions of their data center facility in Section 4 of this RFP Geography The State seeks a data center facility in Montpelier, VT. area Security The State seeks a data center facility that is highly secure with separate levels and multiple points of authentication Access The State requires 24/7/365 access to the data center facility Dedicated Space and Data Security The State requires a dedicated suite for their data center. The suite shall be separately secured with electronic access. All cabinets located inside the suite shall be independently secured Racks and IT Load The State requires data center space in their dedicated suite for 30 contiguous racks on day 1, with the availability to add 15 additional IT racks in the future. The total anticipated IT load at full build out is estimated between 250kW 500kW Availability The State seeks a high availability data center facility that offers redundancy in critical infrastructures, including (but not limited to): mechanical, electrical, telecommunications Energy Efficiency The State seeks a highly efficient data center facility that leverages innovative technology and favorable environmental conditions in Montpelier, VT area to reduce energy consumption in the data center Enclosure & Finishes The State requires a well designed and constructed, industry compliant data center envelope with appropriately selected materials for flooring, paints, ceilings, etc that are consistent with industry standards and best practices. RFP Version: Page 7

8 3.3.9 Fire Suppression The State requires clean agent fire suppression as the primary fire suppression mechanism in the data center Industry Standards The State seeks a data center complaint with industry standards as defined by (but not limited to) the following organizations: ASHRAE, NEC, NFPA, BICSI, IEC, The Uptime Institute, The Green Grid, TIA/EIA, US Department of Energy Certifications The State seeks a data center compliant with requirements of certifications such as (but not limited to): SAS 70, SSAE 16, ISO 27002, PCI, HIPAA. 3.4 Data Center Specifications Instructions to Offerors: Complete the following specifications table by describing, in detail, how your existing or proposed facility meets or will meet the requirement or category indicated. All responses should be completed in the Offeror Response box provided. All questions shall be addressed; Offerors may choose to include a response of N/A if Offeror believes it is appropriate. The notes section should be left blank and will be used internally by The State only. Description Offeror Response Notes Architectural Total Gross Square Footage Total net usable square footage for data center colocation Total # of Racks, Future Expansion availability Wall Finishes Drywall, Masonry, etc Vapor Barrier RFP Version: Page 8

9 Flooring Raised Floor (include sub floor height), Slab, Static Dissipative Tile Ceiling Finish Acoustical Ceiling, Hard Ceiling, Exposed Deck Structural Integrity Roofing System Membrane, Shingles, minimum warranty, wind rating Aisle Spacing Bathroom Facilities ADA Access Customer workstations Electrical Utility Feeds size, number of, utilty service provider(s). Verify if feeds are dedicated to the data center UPS Capacity include battery runtime at full load. Verify full capacity is dedicated to the data RFP Version: Page 9

10 center. UPS Redundancy N, N+1, 2N. Answer shall indicate physical number of UPS systems at partial or full load (if different) Electrical Power Distribution from UPS to IT Racks. Include method, strategy, voltage, redundancy, etc Lighting Grounding/Bonding Power Monitoring. Is monitoring data available to The State in raw format? Generator type, capacity, current load. Verify infrastructure is dedicated to the data center. RFP Version: Page 10

11 Generator Redundancy N, N+1, 2N Service Level Agreements from manufacturer on equipment used to provide services to The State Mechanical Mechanical Strategy for data center whitespace CRAC, CRAH, In Row Cooling, Direct Economizer, other Cooling Redundancy in data center N, N+1, 2N, other Supply inlet temperature setpoints (in degrees Farenheit). What variances are included? Mechanical heat rejection design/strategy water cooled chiller, air cooled chiller, air cooled DX, glycol cooled, direct economization, other. Verify infrastructure is dedicated to the data center. Mechanical plant redundancy N, N+1, 2N, etc. Economization free cooling strategy Humidity & dewpoint specifications RFP Version: Page 11

12 HVAC Monitoring systems. Is monitoring data available to The State in raw format? Service Level Agreements from manufacturer on equipment used to provide services to The State Fire Suppression Wet Pipe Sprinkler Pre action Sprinkler Clean Agent VESDA Security Customer Access Please indicate if 24x7. If not, please provide onsite availabilty and after hours response times Onsite Security Staff Please indicate if 24x7. If not, please provide onsite availavility and after hours response times RFP Version: Page 12

13 Onsite Tech Staff Please indicate if 24x7. If not, please provide onsite availavility and after hours response times Visual ID Required for Entry? Means of controlled access Access Card, Biometric, etc CCTV Telecommunications Onsite Access Providers Planned Access providers include proposed timing Dark Fiber Providers please include speeds available RFP Version: Page 13

14 Service Level Agreements Please describe your existing customer SLA s. Do you provide at least 99.99% availability? Please describe the penalty for noncompliance with the SLA. Please outline any additional SLAs that are offered. 3.5 Contractor Information, Background, and Strategy Instructions to Contractors: Please provide a written narrative providing comprehensive answers to the questions and requirements outlined below. Narratives shall specifically list the section number and provide a complete answer for each individual section/requirements. All questions shall be addressed; Contractors may choose to address a requirement in the narrative with a response of N/A if Contractor believes it is appropriate. RFP Version: Page 14

15 3.5.1 Corporate Information provide full legal name, form of ownership and state of ownership, legal address of headquarters and any other offices, number of employees Contractor History provide a brief history of your organization Corporate Culture & Strategy describe your company s mission, strategy, culture, and vision. Explain how you believe these characteristics align with the objectives of the State of Vermont Name of Owners provide name(s) and percentage ownership of owners Management & Officers provide names of company management and officers and experience relevant to the data center industry and services required by this RFP Recognition identify and describe any awards, certifications, or press coverage in which your company was recognized Customer Satisfaction outline your process for monitoring and maintaining customer satisfaction Innovation & Industry Trends describe how your organization is innovative and how you understand, address, and keep up with industry trends Proposed Team Provide names of individuals who will be directly involved with The State and explain their experience and qualifications Warranties & Guarantees Provide details related to any warranties or guarantees provided to The State for the products and/or services your propose Current References provide a list of current customer references with associated contact information that The State can contact on your behalf Relevant Experience please describe your history and experience in working with clients similar to The State of Vermont Financial Statements The offeror shall provide financial information in such a manner that the State can reasonably formulate a determination about the stability and financial strength of the organization. This must include but not be limited to company size, organization, date of incorporation, ownership, number of employees, revenues for the last fiscal year, and, if available, audited financial statements for the most recent 3 years. A current Dun and Bradstreet Report that includes a financial analysis of the firm would fulfill this requirement. An offeror can use an Annual Report as verification of financial status provided it contains at a minimum a Compiled Income Statement and Balance Sheet verified by a Certified Public Accounting firm. The State reserves the right to contact the accounting firm if questions arise. As an alternative, for those offerors unable to provide audited financial statements or Dun and Bradstreet report, the offeror shall provide tax returns and financial statements including income statements and balance sheets for the most recent 3 years, and any available credit reports Litigation Disclose any and all judgments, pending or expected litigation, or other real potential financial reversals, which might materially affect the viability or stability of the offeror s organization; or certify that no such condition is known to exist. Please also indicate if any of such litigation was filed by a customer. RFP Version: Page 15

16 Certifications Please list any existing certifications that your company has (SAS 70, ISO, PCI, etc). If any certifications are planned, please indicate which certifications are planned and the proposed timetable for completion of each Information Security Please describe, in detail, your internal process for information security and ensuring the information security of your customers. Include information on policies, processes, and standards and how staff is screened for potential security risks. Describe how this policy is monitored and enforced within your organization Ingress/Egress Please describe your demark of both internet and SOV WAN ingress/egress as it relates to your access control and multi tenancy usage. When these connectivity points enter your facility, how do they get terminated into State of Vermont dedicated colocation area? Who completes the termination? Disaster Recover Please describe your ability to respond to disasters and unplanned events resulting in outages to data center services Planned Maintenance Please describe your proposed approach for facilitating maintenance windows and scheduling planned maintenance. 3.6 Additional Documentation The State will review additional documentation provided by the Offeror to aid in the review of this RFP. All additional documentation must be explicitly listed in your table of contents (see Section 7) Additional documentation may include (but is not limited to): Facility Design Documentation existing and/or proposed Existing facility certifications Proposed SLA Organizational Chart List of existing or proposed partners, subcontractors, or affiliates. Resumes of proposed team members Information Security Policies 3.7 Multiple Bid Responses Contractor Narrative Requirement The State is seeking to enter into a relationship with a provider for both primary data center colocation services (Montpelier, VT area as outlined in this RFP) and secondary data center colocation services (Williston, VT area as outlined in a separate RFP). If applicable and if it so chooses, The State will evaluate the potential of using 1 (one) vendor to provide data center colocation services in both locations. If Contractor is also responding to the secondary data center collocation services RFP, provide a narrative as an Appendix to your response that outlines any favorable pricing or related considerations that Contractor would make to The State should The State choose to contract with Contractor for both primary and secondary data center colocation services. Any additional RFP Version: Page 16

17 information Contractor feels is pertinent to Contractor s ability to provide both primary and secondary data center colocation services and any associated benefits to The State may be included in this appendix. 3.8 Staffing Notes Contractor shall obtain approval in advance by the State of all staff proposed for each project. Contractor shall notify the State in advance and obtain approval of any new staff if staffing changes during a project. If any Contractor staff does not perform up to acceptable or satisfactory standards as documented in the contract or SOW, the State shall inform the Contractor. When so informed, the Contractor shall either replace the staff member(s) with approved staff or take remedial action agreed by the State to ensure staffs are performing at an acceptable standard. 4 Required Policies, Guidelines, and Methodologies 4.1 Required Project Policies, Guidelines and Methodologies The Contractor shall be required to comply with all applicable laws, regulations, policies, standards and guidelines affecting information technology projects, which may be created or changed periodically. It is the responsibility of the Contractor to insure adherence and to remain abreast of new or revised Laws, regulations, policies, standards and guidelines affecting project execution. Agency specific confidentiality and privacy policies, such as Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) may apply. These may include, but are not limited to: The State s Information Technology Policies & Procedures at: The State s Record Management Best Practice at: The State Information Security Best Practice Guideline at: The State Digital Imaging Guidelines at The State File Formats Best Practice at The State File Formats Guideline at The State Metadata Guideline at RFP Version: Page 17

18 5 General Terms and Conditions: 5.1 Non Commitment The State reserves the right to make any award or no award as it determines best satisfies the needs and requirements of The State for primary data center colocation services. Nothing contained in this RFP shall constitute a binding agreement between The State and a Contractor. Should a Contractor be chosen at the conclusion of the RFP process, The State will enter into contract negotiations with selected Contractor at that time. 5.2 Confidentiality The successful response will become part of the contract file and will become a matter of public record, as will all other responses received. If the response includes material that is considered by the bidder to be proprietary and confidential under 1 VSA, Chapter 5, the bidder shall clearly designate the material as such, explaining why such material should be considered confidential. The bidder must identify each page or section of the response that it believes is proprietary and confidential with sufficient grounds to justify each exemption from release, including the prospective harm to the competitive position of the bidder if the identified material were to be released. Under no circumstances can the entire response or price information be marked confidential. Responses so marked may not be considered. 5.3 Contract Requirements The selected vendor will sign a contract with the State to provide the items named in its response, at the prices listed. Minimum support levels, terms, and conditions from this RFP, and the vendor s response, will be drafted as requirements of the contract. This contract will be subject to review throughout its term. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE STATE WILL NOT ACCEPT THE VENDOR S STANDARD FORM IN LIEU OF THE STANDARD STATE CONTRACT PROVISIONS. 5.4 Terms and Conditions for Technology Contracts The State will consider cancellation upon discovery that a vendor is in violation of any portion of the agreement, including an inability by the vendor to provide the products, support, and/or service offered in their response. The state reserves the right to purchase hardware or software recommended in the vendors proposal from any state contract in force. Vendors planning to submit a bid are advised of the following: 1. The State of Vermont expects the vendor and their legal counsel to carefully review and be prepared to be bound by the Standard State Provisions for Contracts and Grants outlined in Attachment C. 2. If the vendor wishes to propose an exception to any Standard State Provisions for Contracts and Grants, it must notify the State of Vermont in its response to the RFP. Failure to note exceptions will be deemed to be acceptance of the Standard State Provisions for Contracts and Grants as outlined in Attachment C of the RFP. If exceptions are not noted in the RFP but raised during contract negotiations, the State reserves the right to cancel the negotiation if deemed to be in the best interests of the State of Vermont. RFP Version: Page 18

19 3. All contracts are subject to review and approval by the Attorney General and Secretary of Administration. A software license and maintenance support agreement will be required for all major software proposed for this project. 4. Once awarded, the term of the Contract will be from the award date forward through the term stated in the contract. The State may renew this Contract for additional renewals, subject to and contingent upon the discretionary decision of the Vermont Legislature to appropriate funds for this Contract in each new fiscal year. The State may renew all or part of this Contract subject to the satisfactory performance of the Contractor and the needs of State of Vermont. The vendor should guarantee that its rate offerings, over the term of the contract, are comparable to other customers of similar size and requirements. If offerings are rendered to a comparable customer which improve the pricing agreed to in the contract, the vendor agrees to apply those same discounts and offerings to the State of Vermont. 5. The State of Vermont has no legal authority to indemnify a vendor and will not consider limitations of liability or third party claims. These 2 conditions are not negotiable. Vendors who are not able to legally enter into a contract under those conditions should not submit a bid. The successful bidder will be required to complete a non disclosure agreement. 5.5 Performance Measures In accordance with current State of Vermont policy and procedures, the contract may include vendor performance measures. The specific performance measures will be determined during the contract negotiation process. 5.6 Acknowledgment of Terms A statement from the vendor and its legal counsel acknowledging all Customary State Contract Provisions and Purchasing and Contract Administration Terms and Conditions with any exceptions or additional provisions noted. (These will be considered when making an award). 5.7 Indemnification The State of Vermont has no legal authority to indemnify a vendor, and that issue is not negotiable. 5.8 Location of Work As a general rule, project work will be done in Montpelier, Vt. The bidder will be required to work on site in (such site or sites in area, Vt. as may be identified by the State) where space will be provided, however travel to other State facilities may be needed and the vendor will be responsible for such travel using their own mode of transportation. Occasional exceptions to this rule may be established by mutual agreement between the Bidder and the State Project Manager. 5.9 Statement of Rights The State of Vermont reserves the right to obtain clarification or additional information necessary to properly evaluate a proposal. Vendors may be asked to give a verbal presentation of their RFP Version: Page 19

20 proposal after submission. Failure of vendor to respond to a request for additional information or clarification could result in rejection of that vendor's proposal. To secure a project that is deemed to be in the best interest of the State, the State reserves the right to accept or reject any and all bids, in whole or in part, with or without cause, and to waive technicalities in submissions. The State also reserves the right to make purchases outside of the awarded contracts where it is deemed in the best interest of the State Taxes Most state purchases are not subject to federal or state sales or excise taxes and must be invoiced tax free. An exemption certificate will be furnished upon request covering taxable items. The contractor agrees to pay all Vermont taxes which may be due as a result of this order. If taxes are to be applied to the purchase it will be so noted in the response Order of Precedence The order of precedence for documentation will be the State of Vermont Standard Contract Form and attachments, the bid document and any amendments, and the vendor s response and any amendments Specification Change Any changes or variations in the specifications must be received in writing from the Office of Purchasing & Contracting. Verbal instructions or written instructions from any other source are not to be considered Amendments No changes, modifications, or amendments in the terms and conditions of this contract shall be effective unless reduced to writing, numbered, and signed by the duly authorized representative of the State and Contractor Non Collusion The State of Vermont is conscious of and concerned about collusion. It should therefore be understood by all that in signing bid and contract documents they agree that the prices quoted have been arrived at without collusion and that no prior information concerning these prices has been received from or given to a competitive company. If there is sufficient evidence to warrant investigation of the bid/contract process by the Office of the Attorney General, all bidders should understand that this paragraph might be used as a basis for litigation Business Registration To be awarded a contract by the State of Vermont an offeror must be (except an individual doing business in his/her own name) registered with the Vermont Secretary of State s office and must obtain a Contractor s Business Account Number issued by the Vermont Department of Taxes 1&instr.pdf RFP Version: Page 20