Terms, Conditions, & Rules

Terms, Conditions, & Rules

Once you become and IndyGo vendor, you will be required to adhere to the following standard terms and conditions.

Solicitation Time

There is usually a 30-day period between the time solicitations are issued and bids/proposals are due back to IndyGo. This might vary, depending on the complexity of the specific solicitation.

Bid/Proposal Deadlines Must be Met

Under no circumstances will any response be accepted later than the time or date established, or at any other location than that specified. IndyGo does not allow for exceptions. This restriction stands even if a private delivery service or the United States Postal Service fails to deliver documents as requested by the bidder.

Addenda

When official changes are made to a solicitation, vendors are required to acknowledge their receipt of any addendum. Failure to do so could result in retraction of the solicitation or rejection of the submitted bid.

Pre-Bid/Proposal Conferences

In most cases, conferences are held by IndyGo to provide an opportunity for vendors to ask questions about a given solicitation. These conferences are also excellent networking opportunities for prime vendors and subcontractors.

Prompt Payment Discounts

IndyGo makes every effort to take advantage of prompt payment discounts offered by vendors; however, depending on the complexity of each procured project and the ability to realistically exercise the discount(s) offered, they might or might not be considered in evaluating any given bid/proposal.

Do Not Provide Extraneous Information

Do not include promotional or other extraneous materials along with a bid/proposal unless IndyGo specifically asks for them. Extraneous items could inadvertently affect the solicitation and cause bid offers to be rejected. Always call the solicitation’s assigned IndyGo Contract Specialist in advance if you wish to include unrequested materials in your bid/proposal.

Exceptions Not Allowed

Vendors who take exception to a solicitation’s terms and conditions or predicate their offer/bid price on vendor-proposed conditions run the risk of having their offers rejected.

Restricted Communications

Unless otherwise authorized in IndyGo’s solicitation packages, vendors should restrict their communications with IndyGo to only those persons specified in the solicitation package, and that person is usually the assigned IndyGo Contract Specialist. Communicating with unauthorized personnel such as technical representatives or board members could cause your bid/proposal to be rejected.

Public Bid Openings

Bids are publicly opened 15 minutes after the submission deadline. Vendors are welcomed to attend. Proposals, however, are not opened in a public setting.

Pre-Award Surveys

IndyGo frequently requires a survey of a vendor in contention prior to awarding a contract. These surveys vary in complexity, depending on the item being purchased, IndyGo’s prior experience with the vendor in contention, etc.

Award Announcements

IndyGo routinely emails unsuccessful vendors and provides the name of the successful vendor. Additional information, such as the successful vendor’s bid/proposal price, can usually be obtained from the assigned IndyGo Contract Specialist by written request.

Proprietary/Confidential Data

IndyGo encourages vendors to mark any section of their offer that contains proprietary and/or confidential data. If the data is deemed “non-releasable” by criteria in federal, state or local law/regulation, IndyGo will not share it with anyone not employed by IndyGo.

Debriefings

IndyGo welcomes discussions with unsuccessful vendors about how they can improve their bids/proposals for future procurements, but only upon the vendor’s request. Please note that debriefings do not include comparisons among vendors, except in the most generic of categories.

Sunshine Laws

IndyGo is legally subject to the Indiana Open Records Act. This means IndyGo will share information with vendors or the public if three conditions are met: IndyGo possesses such information, requests for information are received in writing, and the information has not been determined to be proprietary and/or confidential. For RFPs, all proposal information is proprietary and confidential until the contract is awarded.

To submit a public record request contact the IPTC Legal Department with the appropriate request. Please follow the sample records request letter to comply with Indiana Code 5-14-1.5.

Email Public Affairs and legal: Publicrecordsrequest@indygo.net 

Mail: 

ATTN Public Affairs and Legal

1501 W Washington St

Indianapolis, IN 46222

Protests

If any interested party deems themselves to be aggrieved or adversely affected in connection with any matter related to either a solicitation, the award of any contract, or any dispute under any resulting contract, it may file a protest with IndyGo. IndyGo follows internal procedures that are consistent with applicable federal and state regulations governing such actions. These procedures will be provided upon request.

Construction Procurements

There are some unique issues associated with construction solicitations:

• Because of the expense involved in reproducing engineering drawings, most construction solicitations require a pre-paid, non-refundable fee. This fee is most often advertised well in advance of issuing the solicitation.
• Estimates are provided so that bidders understand the magnitude of a given project.
• Bid, payment and performance bonds are required on most IndyGo construction projects.
• Some construction projects include liquidated damages in the event contractors, through their own negligence, fail to meet construction schedules.

Common Vendor Errors

Forgetting to sign the bid/proposal, taking exceptions to the solicitation, not acknowledging receipt of an addendum, including promotional/extraneous information that serves to alter the solicitation requirements, not returning all required forms, not sourcing DBEs early on in the process, and the late delivery of bids/proposals.