RFP No. MF-26-0417 — Custodial Services, Municipal Facilities (Three Buildings)
Issuer: City of Meridian Falls, Dept. of Public Works (fictitious)
Proposals close: April 3, 2:00 p.m. local (synthetic date)
Contract term: two years, one two-year renewal option
24 requirements · 4 sections · 100 evaluation points
The matrix below decomposes the solicitation into every line a proposal must answer, flags each line by consequence — mandatory lines are pass/fail, scored lines carry points, format lines can disqualify on mechanics alone — and maps each to the proposal section where the answer belongs. The annotated outline that follows is the response structure the matrix implies.
Section 2 — Submission instructions
| Ref | Requirement | Flag | Answer in | Drafting note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | Proposals due by 2:00 p.m. local on the closing date, via the City's electronic vendor portal only. | Mandatory | Transmittal | Portal uploads cut off at the minute. Late means unopened — plan the upload for the day before. |
| 2.2 | One PDF, 12-point type, page limit 25 excluding required forms and résumés. | Format | Whole document | The limit excludes forms — move boilerplate into attachments and spend pages on scored sections. |
| 2.3 | Signed acknowledgment of all issued addenda must accompany the proposal. | Mandatory | Attachment A | Two addenda are out as of this matrix. Check the portal again the day of submission. |
| 2.4 | Proposals must remain valid for 90 days from opening. | Mandatory | Transmittal | One sentence in the transmittal letter satisfies this. Easy to forget; fatal to omit. |
| 2.5 | Questions only through the procurement office by the question deadline; no contact with other City staff. | Mandatory | — (conduct) | A conduct rule, not a writing task. A call to the facilities manager can void the bid. |
| 2.6 | Cost proposal on Form C, sealed separately from the technical proposal. | Format | Separate file | Price anywhere in the technical volume is grounds for rejection. Sweep every page for numbers. |
Section 3 — Mandatory qualifications (pass/fail)
| Ref | Requirement | Flag | Answer in | Drafting note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | Three years of continuous commercial or institutional custodial experience. | Mandatory | §2 Qualifications | State the founding year and count plainly. Evaluators check arithmetic, not adjectives. |
| 3.2 | Three references of similar size and scope within the last five years, with contacts. | Mandatory | §2.2 References | "Similar" means square footage and building type. Choose references the City can actually reach. |
| 3.3 | Current business license; registered and in good standing in the state. | Mandatory | §2.3 + Attachment B | Quote the license number; attach the certificate. Never paraphrase a credential. |
| 3.4 | Insurance: general liability $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate; statutory workers' compensation; auto $1M. | Mandatory | §2.4 + certificate | A broker letter of insurability satisfies this at proposal stage if current limits fall short. |
| 3.5 | A named site supervisor with at least two years of supervisory custodial experience. | Mandatory | §3.3 Staffing | Name a person, not a position. An unnamed "TBD supervisor" fails the line. |
| 3.6 | Background checks for all personnel assigned to public buildings. | Mandatory | §3.4 Personnel | Describe the existing screening procedure; commit to the City's standard where it is stricter. |
Section 4 — Scope of work
| Ref | Requirement | Flag | Answer in | Drafting note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.1 | Nightly service, five days per week, at City Hall (28,400 sq ft), the Public Library (19,750 sq ft), and the Operations Center (11,200 sq ft). | Scored | §3.1 Work plan | Break the plan out per building — a single generic routine reads as not having visited. |
| 4.2 | Day porter at City Hall, 8:00 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday. | Scored | §3.1 Work plan | A distinct duty, not a mention: give the porter a task list and an escalation path. |
| 4.3 | Cleaning products certified to a recognized green standard, or documented equivalent. | Scored | §3.2 Products | List actual products and their certifications. "Eco-friendly supplies" scores nothing. |
| 4.4 | Quarterly deep cleaning and floor care on a published schedule. | Scored | §3.1 Work plan | Put the four quarters in a table with dates relative to contract start. |
| 4.5 | Staffing plan stating positions, hours, and coverage by building, including absence coverage. | Scored | §3.3 Staffing | Hours must reconcile with the work plan — evaluators cross-check the two tables. |
| 4.6 | Quality-control inspections with a written monthly report to the facilities manager. | Scored | §4 Quality control | Include a one-page mock inspection report as an exhibit; it answers 5.3 at the same time. |
| 4.7 | Response to urgent service calls within two hours during business hours. | Scored | §4.2 Response | State who answers the phone and who dispatches. A named chain beats a promised metric. |
| 4.8 | All equipment and supplies furnished by the contractor; secure storage available on site. | Scored | §3.2 Products | One paragraph on equipment and consumables logistics; confirm use of on-site storage. |
Section 5 — Evaluation criteria (100 points)
| Ref | Criterion | Flag | Answer in | Drafting note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.1 | Experience and references — 30 points. | Scored · 30 | §2 Qualifications | Lead with the reference most like this contract; mirror the City's own scope words. |
| 5.2 | Work plan and staffing — 30 points. | Scored · 30 | §3 Work plan | The largest writing surface. Per-building detail is what separates scores here. |
| 5.3 | Quality control and responsiveness — 15 points. | Scored · 15 | §4 Quality control | The mock monthly report (see 4.6) is the concrete evidence this criterion wants. |
| 5.4 | Price — 25 points, scored by formula against the lowest responsive offer. | Scored · 25 | Form C | Formula scoring means no price narrative is read. Win the other 75 on paper. |
Annotated outline — the response the matrix implies
- Signature block · 90-day validity statement (2.4) · addenda acknowledgment reference (2.3)
One page. It exists to clear three mandatory lines in three sentences — nothing here is scored, so spend no prose on it.
- 2.1 Firm history and years in service (3.1)
- 2.2 Three reference projects (3.2)
- 2.3 Licenses and registration (3.3)
- 2.4 Insurance (3.4)
Carries 30 points (5.1) and four pass/fail gates. Order the references by similarity to this contract, not by size — the evaluator scores likeness.
- 3.1 Nightly routines per building + porter duties + quarterly schedule (4.1, 4.2, 4.4)
- 3.2 Products and equipment (4.3, 4.8)
- 3.3 Staffing table and named supervisor (3.5, 4.5)
- 3.4 Personnel screening (3.6)
The 30-point center (5.2) and the bulk of the page budget. The staffing table and the routine tables must reconcile hour for hour — that cross-check is where plans lose points.
- 4.1 Inspection program and monthly report, with mock exhibit (4.6)
- 4.2 Urgent-call chain and two-hour response (4.7)
Fifteen points (5.3) usually answered in adjectives. The one-page mock report is a cheap, concrete edge: it shows the deliverable instead of promising it.
- Attachment A — signed addenda acknowledgment (2.3)
- Attachment B — license and registration certificates (3.3)
- Form C — cost proposal, sealed separately (2.6, 5.4)
Outside the 25-page limit (2.2). Verify Form C travels as its own sealed file — a price figure inside the technical volume is a rejection, not a deduction.
Sample — synthetic demonstration document. Everything above was drawn for a fictitious posting to show the shape and depth of the deliverable. For a real solicitation, the same page is built from the actual document — every reference number, flag, and note yours.