Bid Opening - Refuse & Yard Waste Bins - Toter LLC

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Toter, LLC has reviewed the Bid for Six Thousand (6,000) More or Less Universal/Nestable Refuse and Yard Waste Containers and has several questions for the City of South Bend. Please see our questions below. • Pg. 5: MANUFACTURING PROCESSES AND MATERIALS: Bidder must submit technical data sheet(s) from the resin producer, which verify that the resin to be used in the container body will meet the following minimum property levels: Density - 0.937-0.940 Resin material with a density of 0.935 is good for products that require a combination of toughness, flexibility, and chemical and moisture resistance. This density range is slightly below the specification and produces cart bodies less rigid than high -density polyethylene (HDPE), making it a flexible yet tough material. The increased flexibility makes it resistant to impacts without breaking which is ideal for products such as waste and recycling containers that need to withstand wear and tear. A resin with this density is an excellent moisture barrier, making it ideal for waste and recycling containers. This resin grade offers good resistance to various chemicals, including alcohols, acids, and bases. Low density resin is a perfect match with our rotationally molded process, and our cart bodies consistently last 15-20+ years in active service life and are warranted with a standard residential warranty of 12 years on the cart body (with 10 years of coverage on all other cart components). Will the City accept a resin density of 0.935? • Pg. 6: LOAD RATING: 45/48 Gallon -160 pounds ANSI Standard Z245.30-2008 limits a cart's load rating to 3.5 pounds per gallon. Will the City accept a 48-gallon cart that has a load rating of 168 pounds, the maximum allowable load rating by ANSI for a 48-gallon cart? • Pg. 8: AXLE: The axle must be 27/32" or greater for 96-gallon containers and 45/48-gallon containers must be 3/4" or greater diameter zinc chromate plated solid high strength steel fully supported by cart body. A standard axle in U.S. carts has been 5/8" diameter solid steel for over 40 years. The ultimate yield strength of a 5/8" axle is 2,000+ pounds, six (6) times the load rating of the 96-gallon cart and nearly twelve (12) times the load rating of the 48-gallon cart based on ANSI required load ratings. Will the City allow a minimum 5/8" axle? Pg. 10: QUANTITY PRICING: Vendor to guarantee pricing for a 24-month period from date of bid award. Due to the volatility of both resin and freight for cart pricing, it is common for long-term contracts to allow quarterly price adjustments using highly respected indices (respected by municipalities and manufacturers alike). Pricing can then start at a best/fair price level, without additional margins added as an attempt to anticipate unknown future costs changes over the course of a year. Then, pricing can be adjusted according to real-time indices with actual market costs. We respectfully request that the City allow bidders to propose price adjustments according to industry standard indices and procedures, with transparent documentation of indices and calculations of new pricing.