A pre-proposal conference shall be conducted at Pierce Transit Headquarters, 3701 96th Street SW, Lakewood, Washington 98499 at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 4, 2006. All prospective proposers are encouraged to attend.

SCOPE OF WORK
The following information is provided to assist the proposer in understanding the scope of services needed by Pierce Transit.

The laundry service shall supply, maintain, and launder an adequate supply of garments and other items to provide one clean uniform per maintenance employee per day.

MAINTENANCE SHOP PERSONNEL
Employees in coveralls	78
Employees in bib overalls	16
Other employees in uniforms	44
TOTAL EMPLOYEES	138

EXPECTATIONS OF QUALITY
Garments furnished at the beginning of the contract shall be new. Used garments will not be accepted.

Garments shall be made of cotton or cotton blend fabrics. Name patches shall be sewn on shirts (except polo shirts), coveralls, and overalls above the right breast pocket; logo patches shall be sewn above the left breast pocket. Pierce Transit shall furnish employees’ names at time of award. Rags and towels shall be made of cotton. Floor mats may have synthetic content.

Laundry service shall launder or otherwise clean garments and other items in the best commercial fashion. The service shall repair damaged or worn garments to maintain a "like new" appearance. Pierce Transit will not accept unclean, torn, badly faded, or damaged garments. Items no longer usable due to normal wear and tear or excessive shrinkage during laundering shall be replaced by the laundry service.

PICKUP AND DELIVERY
The laundry service shall pick-up soiled laundry and deliver clean laundry to designated points within the Pierce Transit facility base at 3701 96th Street SW, Lakewood, Washington 98499. The laundry service shall also pick-up soiled floor mats and replace with clean floor mats at all five (5) buildings at the base site, Lakewood Bus Shop, Commerce Street Facility, 17th & Broadway Layover Site, and Tacoma Dome East and West Stations. Additional pick-up and delivery locations may be added during the term of the contract.

The laundry service may establish a pick-up and delivery schedule to suit its own needs subject to PIERCE TRANSIT approval provided that:

• The intervals between visits to the required locations are constant;
• The intervals are no longer than one week; and
• · Each visit occurs during normal business hours. Normal business hours for Pierce Transit Maintenance Department are Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Additional locations where some garments are delivered and mats are replaced may vary from the Maintenance Department hours, however all are accessible Monday through Friday.

AGENCY CONTACT
Pierce Transit will identify an Agency contract administrator at time of award. The contract administrator will submit in writing to the contractor the names of Pierce Transit personnel that will have authority to make changes or additions to the contracted items. Changes or additions made by anyone other than Pierce Transit authorized personnel will not be accepted or paid for by Pierce Transit.

VENDOR CONTACT
The Contractor shall make a representative available to assist Pierce Transit in measuring and fitting of personnel for the initial stock. At the same time, selected Pierce Transit personnel shall be instructed in proper measuring and fitting procedures. Preferably, the Contractor shall provide measuring tape and order forms giving step-by-step instructions on where and how to measure.

The Contractor shall also designate an inside representative, who will be available to assist authorized Pierce Transit personnel with questions and/or problems that may arise on a day-to-day basis. Pierce Transit shall not be responsible for requests made by un-authorized personnel.

TERM OF CONTRACT
The contract shall be for a three (3) year period, effective May 1, 2006 through April 30, 2009 with an option for two (2) additional one-year contract periods.

PRICING AND ESCALATION
Prices must be established for each year of the contract including option years. If proposer does not provide prices for each contract year including option years, the following escalation clause will be applied.

Proposed prices shall be firm for one calendar (1) year from the contract start date. Effective on the first anniversary date and each subsequent annual anniversary date, fees will be increased based upon the March (typically published between April 14th-19th) percentage increase of the All Urban Consumers rate of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton Consumer Price Index (CPI) but shall not exceed three percent (3%) of the prior annual rate. Pricing so determined shall be valid until the next anniversary date.

CANCELLATION
If the laundry service fails to comply with the conditions of these specifications, if pricing is no longer competitive, or if the quality of the garments or other items provided deteriorates, Pierce Transit may cancel the contract by providing a ninety (90) day written notification of intent to cancel.

GARMENTS TYPES AND QUANTITIES
The quantities contained below reflect the estimated needs of Pierce Transit at the present time based upon the current method of laundry service. Quantities may differ based upon the method being proposed. Quantities may also increase or decrease during the life of the contract due to fluctuation of employees and/or function.

All garment colors listed are Pierce Transit’s preferences. Other colors may be submitted as alternates, but shall be identified in proposal. Samples shall be submitted per requirements listed on pages 7-8 in Section B titled CONTENT OF PROPOSAL. Alternates will be evaluated using the same criteria listed on page 9 in Section E titled EVALUATION CRITERIA.

Current Inventory quantities listed below are based on providing one (1) clean uniform per employee per day, i.e., overalls: five (5) at laundry; five (5) at Pierce Transit for daily exchanges; one (1) in use. The current program is on a weekly pick-up and delivery schedule. Note, each employee may have a variety of uniforms, i.e., overalls one day, jeans and shirt the next day, etc.