Washington, DC, Dec. 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- All indications are that Washington DC metro maintenance is on schedule as the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (WMATA) issued a procurement opportunity today for third-rail components. Planned work is expected to begin on May 12, 2018 and last through May 27. Contractors supplying the third-rail components must submit bids by January 19.
A guaranteed $50,000 in third-rail components will be ordered from the qualified vendor who submits the most favorable bid. There is a ceiling on the amount that can be ordered at $500,000 per year with options to extend the one year base-period to four additional years. Considering the near-term 2025 goals of the WMATA to rebuild the system, this contract could be the start of a great relationship between a railway equipment manufacturer and the WMATA.
For a chance to win the bid, businesses must submit a package containing all required signed documents, the pricing schedule for each line item requested and all certifications that qualify the business for this type of manufacturing. In addition, in the event that a bid exceeds $150,000, the vendor must acknowledge that they will reserve a portion of the work for a subcontractor that qualifies as a Disenfranchised Business Enterprise (DBE).
There are many components to this invitation for bid and to clarify requirements, a pre-bid telephone conference call will be held at 1:00AM on January 5, 2018. Participation in this call is not mandatory, but is strongly recommended for vendors hoping to win the contract. The contact information for this call can be found on the federal business opportunity's website on FBO.gov or by reaching out to the contracting officer in charge of the procurement, Frederick R. Voellm at fvoellm@wmata.com.
Vendors doing business with the transit authority must be registered at wmata.com. Vendors submitting bids to the government on a solicitation such as this must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM).
US Federal Contractor Registration (USFCR), the world’s largest third-party government registration firm, registers companies as entities in SAM on their behalf and maintains good standing in the database for their clients. SAM registration is free, but third-party registration at a fee is highly recommended when getting set-up to place bids. USFCR's SAM registration for businesses, organizations and even government agencies is fast and accurate allows the firms to focus more time on the work at hand. USFCR can also help companies and organizations submit responsive bids through professional one-on one bid-training workshops.