Project Information

Bid Title

LCSS BOE HVAC Upgrades RFP2026-07

Issuing Agency

Liberty County School System

Location

Georgia

Published Date

Dec 11, 2025

Closing Date

Jan 6, 2026

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Original Source

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Bid Inquiries

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Bid Documents

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Project Description

LCSS BOE HVAC Upgrades RFP2026-07

Title:

LCSS BOE HVAC Upgrades RFP2026-07

Description:

The Liberty County School System (the “LCSS” or the “District”) wishes to announce that we are requesting Statements of Proposals to Replace the HVAC System at the Board of Education RFP 2026-07, by a firm authorized to do business in the State of Georgia. The advertising dates for this RFP 2026-07 are December 5, 2025 through January 6, 2026. Statements of Proposal will be accepted prior to 11:30 A.M. on January 6, 2026, at which time they will be entered into a register which will be available for public review. A mandatory Pre-Proposal Conference will be held on December 16, 2025 at 11:00 A.M., at the Board of Education Lobby, located at 200 Bradwell Street, Hinesville, Georgia 31313.

Start Date:

12/5/2025

Contact Name:

Arnold Jackson

Contact Phone:

9128760080

Contact Email:

ajackson@liberty.k12.ga.us

Contact Address:

200 Bradwell St

Contact City:

Hinesville

Contact State:

Ga

Contact Zip:

31313

Files:

• 2026-07 Bid Requirements (267 KB)
• 2026-07 Drawings (2.52 MB)
• 2026-07 Invitation to Bid (145 KB)
• 2026-07 Project Manual (1.16 MB)

Attachment Preview

BID REQUIREMENTS

INVITATION TO RFP #2026-07

LCSS Board of Education HVAC Replacement

The Liberty County School System hereinafter referred to as the “District” will receive sealed bids from licensed

Contractors at 200 Bradwell Street, Hinesville, GA 31313. Bids must be physically placed in the hands of the

District’s Purchasing Department by 11:30 am on January 6, 2026, the time legally prevailing in Hinesville,

Georgia for RFP #2026-07 LCSS Board of Education HVAC Replacement. At the time and place noted above,

the bids will be publicly opened and announced.

Bidding Documents, including plans and specifications, may be viewed at https://www.liberty.k12.ga.us/apps/jobs/.

Bidders are cautioned that acquisition of Bidding Documents through any other source is not advisable. Acquisition

of Bidding Documents from unauthorized sources places the bidder at risk of receiving incomplete or inaccurate

information upon which to base a bid.

A Pre-Bid Conference will be conducted on December 16, at 11 am at LCSS Board of Education, located

at 200 Bradwell Street, Hinesville, Georgia, 31313. Bidders will meet at the front entrance of the facility. An

accompanied site visitation will follow.

A “Cone of Silence” is imposed upon this invitation to bid after advertising and terminates at the time the Board of

Education awards a contract. The Cone of Silence prohibits any communications by written, oral, or electronic

form by, or on behalf of, a prospective bidder for this solicitation, including any persons affiliated with or in any

way related to a prospective bidder, and any member of the Board of Education, the superintendent or his staff,

any persons involved in evaluating the bid, program managers, or members of any selection committee. The Cone

of Silence is intended to prohibit lobbying for, or against, a particular vendor or vendors and to prevent prospective

bidders from circumventing the process for selection set forth in this invitation to bid.

The Cone of Silence does not apply to oral communications with the Director of Purchasing, or the Director of

Purchasing’s designees, at pre-proposal conferences, site visits (as applicable), presentations before selection

committees, or contract negotiations with bidders selected for award. Written communications expressly

authorized by this solicitation, such as (1) the submission of the bid packet itself, (2) requests for interpretation,

requests for material substitutions, protests, or similar inquiries to the purchasing department, (3) documents

circulated at oral presentations before selection committees, or (4) documents circulated in connection with

contract negotiations with the bidder(s) selected for award are also permitted in communication with the Director

of Purchasing or the Director of Purchasing’s designees. The Cone of Silence does not apply to presentations

allowed by Board policy or to the Board of Education at a duly called public meeting.

In addition to any other penalties provided by law, violation of the Cone of Silence by any prospective bidder may

result in the rejection of the prospective bidder’s bid response and disqualify the prospective bidder from being

awarded any contract as a result of this solicitation. Any person having personal knowledge of a violation of these

provisions shall immediately report such violations to the District’s Purchasing Department.

The Contract, if awarded, will be on a total lump sum bid basis. Bidders are required to provide their bid schedule

for the total lump sum bid on the form contained herein. No bid may be withdrawn for a period of sixty days after

time has been called on the date of opening except in accordance with the provisions of Georgia law. If the bid

exceeds $100,000, the bid must be accompanied by a Bid Bond made payable to the District in an amount equal

to not less than five percent (5%) of the bid. The successful Contractor will be required to provide both a

Performance Bond and a Payment Bond, each in an amount equal to 100 percent of the total Contract amount

within 14 days receipt of the District’s Intent to Award and prior to execution of contract.

The District reserves the right to reject all bids or proposals or any bid or proposal that is nonresponsive or not

responsible and to waive technicalities and informalities. The District reserves the right to not award a contract to

any bidder, to cancel this invitation to bid, and re-advertise the project using a similar or different competitive

process at any time before the Board of Education votes to award a contract as a result of this invitation to bid.

The District has the right to disqualify any bidder from consideration when such bidder cannot demonstrate its

ability to deliver requested services or when investigation shows that it is not in a position to perform the solicited

services in a manner that is in the best interest of the District.

The District assumes no responsibility or obligation to the bidders and will make no payment for any costs

associated with the preparation or submission of any documents related to this invitation to bid, even if the

invitation to bid is cancelled or a bidder is disqualified.

The District anticipates that the contract will be awarded to the responsive and responsible bidder who provides

RFP 2026-07 LCSS Board of Education HVAC Replacement

December 2025

Page 1 of 18

the lowest bid within the budget. In judging whether the bidder is responsible, the District will consider, but is not

limited to, the following:

• Whether the bidder or its principals are currently ineligible, debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded

from bidding or contracting by any state or federal agency, department, or authority;

• Whether the bidder or its principals have been terminated for cause or are currently in default on a public

works contract;

• Whether the bidder can demonstrate sufficient cash flow to undertake the project as evidenced by a

Current Ratio of 1.0 or higher;

• Whether the bidder can demonstrate a commitment to safety with regard to Workers' Compensation by

having an Experience Modification Rate (EMR) over the past three years not having exceeded an

average of 1.2; and

• Whether the bidder’s past work provides evidence of an ability to successfully complete public works

projects within the established time, quality, or cost, or to comply with the bidder’s contract obligations.

• Whether the bidder’s workload will allow the bidder to complete this project within the established time,

quality, or cost, or to comply with the bidder’s contract obligations. In evaluating the bidder’s workload,

the District may consider whether the bidder has submitted bids on other District projects and whether

the award of multiple projects to the bidder may impair the bidder’s ability to complete this project within

the established time, quality, or cost, or to comply with the bidder’s contract obligations or otherwise

pose a risk to the District.

• Bidders’ refusal to provide any documentation requested by the District to assess whether the bidder is

responsive and responsible, including but not limited to: financial information, other project information,

license suspension/terminations, or insurance/bonding documentation etc., itself will be sufficient

grounds for the District to deem a bidder to be non-responsive and/or not responsible.

In the event all responsive and responsible bids are in excess of the budget, the District, in its sole and absolute

discretion and in addition to rejecting all bids, reserves the right either to supplement the budget or to negotiate

with the lowest responsive and responsible bidder (after all deductive alternates are taken in the order defined in

the Instructions to Bidders) but only for the purpose of making changes to the project that will result in a cost to

the District that is within the budget, as it may be supplemented.

RFP 2026-07 LCSS Board of Education HVAC Replacement

December 2025

Page 2 of 18

BID REQUIREMENTS

INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS

1. Basis of Contract: The Contract, if awarded, will be on a total bid basis and will be substantially in

accordance with the Sample Contract (Form of Agreement) attached to this solicitation.

2. Examination of Site: In undertaking the work under this Contract, the Contractor acknowledges that he/she

has visited the Project Site and has taken into consideration all observed conditions that might affect his/her work.

The project site is property of the District. No easements or rights-of-way are required on the site. The Design

Professional shall file for all applicable Permits prior to award of the Contract. The Contractor shall be responsible

to obtain all applicable Permits from the Jurisdiction prior to commencing work governed by Permit.

3. Surety and Insurance Companies: The Contract provides that the surety and insurance companies must

be acceptable to the District. At the time of issuance, all insurance and bonds must be issued by a company

licensed by the Georgia Insurance Commissioner to transact the business of insurance in the State of Georgia for

the applicable line of insurance. Such company shall be an insurer (or, for qualified self-insurers or group self-

insured, a specific excess insurer providing statutory limits) with an A.M. Best Financial Strength Rating of "A-" or

better and with an A.M. Best Financial Size Category of Class V or larger.

4. Bidding Documents: The Bidding Documents comprise the Construction Documents, the Invitation to Bid,

the Instructions to Bidders, the Bid Form, and all Addenda, upon which the bidder submits a bid.

5. Addenda: All Addenda issued prior to bid date adjust, modify, or change the drawings and specifications as

set forth in the Addenda. All such Addenda are part of the contract. No addenda will be issued within seventy-two

(72) hours of the date and time set for opening bids without an extension of the bid date as required by Law. All

such Addenda are part of the contract.

6. Submittal of Objections: Objections from bidders to this Invitation to Bid and/or these specifications should be

brought to the attention of the Board through the Director of Purchasing. The bidder should submit any objections

in writing not less than five (5) days prior to the opening of the bid. The objections contemplated may pertain to

form and/or substance of the Bid documents and specifications. Failure to object in accordance with this procedure

will constitute a waiver on the part of the bidder to protest this Invitation to Bid.

7. Protest: Any bidder(s) who wishes to protest the handling or fairness of a solicitation shall express his/her

concerns in writing to the Director of Purchasing within five business days of the matter being protested. The

letter of protest shall be taken under consideration by the Chief Operating Officer and the Superintendent and the

protesting bidder(s) shall be notified within ten (10) business days of the result of such consideration, which may

include a statement that additional time is needed to review the protest. In the event the District takes more than

ten (10) business days to render a decision on the protest, which shall be final, the District will not enter into a

final contract for this solicitation until the protest is resolved.

The protest notice shall include the following:

o the name, address, and telephone number of the protester

o the signature of the protester or an authorized representative of the protester

o identification of the purchasing agency and the solicitation or contract number

o a detailed statement of the legal and factual grounds of the protest including copies of relevant

documents

o the form of relief requested

8.

Interpretations: No oral interpretation will be made to bidders as to the meaning of the drawings and

specifications. Requests for interpretation of drawings and specifications must be made in writing to the District

Purchasing Department not later than 5:00 pm on December 29. Failure on the part of the successful bidder to

request clarification shall not relieve him/her as Contractor of the obligation to execute such work in accordance

with a later interpretation by the Design Professional. All interpretations made to bidders will be issued in an

Addendum to the plans and specifications will be sent to all plan holders of record. Acknowledgement of receipt

of such Addendum shall be listed in the Bid Form by the Contractor.

If any questions should arise pertaining to the bid documents, the Bidder may mail or email a written Request for

Interpretation to:

Liberty County School System

Attention: Arnold Jackson,

COO

200 Bradwell Street

Hinesville, GA 31313

ajackson@liberty.k12.ga.us

9. Alternates: Unless otherwise stipulated, all alternate bids are deductive. It is in the best interest of the public

and the intent of the District that the entire Project be constructed within the funds allocated in the Project budget.

RFP 2026-07 LCSS Board of Education HVAC Replacement

December 2025

Page 3 of 18

The acceptance of any deductive alternate will be utilized as a last resort to accomplish the Project without

requiring a redesign and rebidding of the Project. Any alternate, or alternates, if taken, will be taken in numerical

sequence to the extent necessary to bring the Project within budget.

10. Sales Tax: Unless otherwise provided for in the Contract Documents, the Contractor shall include in his bid all

sales taxes, consumer taxes, use taxes, and all other applicable taxes that are legally in effect at the time bids are

received. Contractor shall not include sales tax on District supplied items. If sales tax is required to be paid by

Contractor on District furnished items, a Change Order to Contractor shall be issued by District.

11. Trade Names, Specifications:

(a) No Restriction of Competition: When reference is made in the Contract Documents to trade names, brand

names, or to the names of manufacturers, such references are made solely to indicate that products of that

description may be furnished and are not intended to restrict competitive bidding. If it desired to use products

of trade or brand names or of manufacturers’ names that are different from those mentioned in the Bidding

Documents, application for the approval of the use of such products must reach the hands of the Design

Professional at least ten (10) days prior to the date set for the opening of the bids (see Section 11(b) below).

This provision applies only to the party making a submittal prior to bid. If approved by Design Professional,

the Design Professional will issue an addendum to all bidders. This provision does not prevent the District

from initiating the addition of trade names, brand names, or names of manufacturers by addendum prior to

bid.

(b) Request for Approval of Substitute Product: All requests for approval of substitution of a product that is

not listed in the Bidding Documents must be made to the Design Professional in writing. For the Design

Professional to prepare an addendum properly, an application for approval of a substitute product must be

accompanied by a copy of the published recommendations of the manufacturer for the installation of the

product together with a complete schedule of changes in the drawings and specifications, if any, that must

be made in other work in order to permit the use and installation of the proposed product in accordance with

the recommendations of the manufacturer of the product. The application to the Design Professional for

approval of a proposed substitute product must be accompanied by a schedule setting forth in which respects

the materials or equipment submitted for consideration differ from the materials or equipment designated in

the Bidding Documents and submitted to the Purchasing Department.

All requests for material substitution must be submitted to the Attention of the Purchasing Director

prior to the deadline. Requests must include full illustrations and detailed specifications for the item

being offered as an alternate or approved equal. Bidders are not permitted to contact the Design

Professional directly. The only official view of the District is that which is issued by and provided to

all Bidders of record bythe Purchasing Department in the form of a written addendum.

(c) Burden of Proof: The burden of proving acceptability of a proposed product rests on the party making the

submission. Therefore, the application for approval must be accompanied by technical data that the party

requesting approval desires to submit in support of its application. The Design Professional will consider

reports from reputable independent testing laboratories verified experience records showing the reputation

of the proposed product with previous users, evidence of reputation of the manufacturer for prompt delivery,

evidence of reputation of the manufacturer for efficiency in servicing its products or any other written

information that is helpful in the circumstances. The degree of proof required for approval of a proposed

product as acceptable for use in place of a named product or named products is that amount of proof

necessary to convince a reasonable person beyond all doubt. To be approved, a proposed product must also

meet or exceed all express requirements of the Contract Documents.

(d) Issuance of Addenda: If the Design Professional approves the submittal, an addendum will be issued to

all prospective bidders indicating the approval of the additional product(s). Issuance of an addendum is a

representation to all bidders that the Design Professional in the exercise of his professional discretion

established that the product submitted for approval is acceptable and meets or exceeds all express

requirements. If a submittal is initially rejected by the Design Professional, but determined to be acceptable

to Design Professional after a conference with the District, an addendum covering the said submittal will be

issued prior to the opening of bids. The successful bidder may furnish products of any trade names, brand

names, or manufacturers’ names except those designated in the Contract Documents unless approvals have

been published by addendum in accordance with the above procedure. Oral approvals of products are not

valid.

(e) Conference with the District: Any party who alleges that rejection of a submittal is the result of bias,

prejudice, caprice, or error on the part of the Design Professional may request a conference with a

representative of the District, provided: that the request for said conference, submitted in writing, shall have

reached the District at least six (6) days prior to the date set for the opening of bids, time being of the essence.

RFP 2026-07 LCSS Board of Education HVAC Replacement

December 2025

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12. Bids:

(a) Bid Opening: Bids will be opened and announced as stated in the Invitation to Bid.

(b) Bid Submission. All bids must be submitted on the Bid Form as attached hereto and must be signed,

notarized, and sealed by a notary public. All blanks for information entry in bid forms submitted to District

should be filled in. Blanks left unfilled constitute irregularities in the bid and place the bidder at risk of having

the bid rejected unless the District rules the irregularity to be an informality or technicality that can be waived,

as is made clear in Article 15 of the “Instructions to Bidders” and on the Bid Form. Numbers shall be written

in English words and in Arabic numerals. The inclusion of any condition, alternate, qualification, limitation, or

provision not called for shall render the bid nonresponsive and shall be sufficient cause for rejection of a bid.

(c) Bid Security: Bids must be accompanied by a Bid Bond made payable to the District in an amount not

less than five percent (5%) of the Bid. Bid Bonds should be furnished on forms accepted as standard by the

insurance industry but shall be substantially in accordance with the Bid Security Form attached hereto.

(d) Delivery of Bids: Bids are to be addressed to the District, at the address and room number shown in the

Invitation to Bid. Bids must be enclosed in an opaque, sealed envelope; marked with the Bid Date, Bid Time,

Bid Number, Name of Project; and the Bidders Company name and address. Bids must be placed in the hands

of the District at the specified location by not later than the time and date named in the Invitation to Bid. After

that time, no bids may be received.

(e) Alternates: If alternatives are called for, a bid must be submitted for all alternates. Failure to do so may

render the bid nonresponsive and be sufficient cause for rejection of a bid.

(f) Withdrawal of Bids: Bids may be withdrawn by bidders prior to the time set for official opening. After time

has been called, no bid may be withdrawn for a period of sixty days after the time and date of opening except

as provided in O.C.G.A Title 36 Chapter 91 (appreciable error in calculation of bid). Negligence or error on

the part of any bidder in preparing his bid confers no right of withdrawal or modification of his bid after time

has been called except as provided by Georgia law.

(g) Errors or Revisions: Prior to the bid opening date and hour, errors may be stricken or revisions may be

made and corrections entered on the bid proposal form with sufficient clarity to be easily understood. All such

annotations shall be made by authorized representative of the bidder and identified as such. These

annotations shall be binding on the bidder. No revisions will be allowed or accepted on the outside of the

envelopes.

13. Contract Award: Award shall be made on a total bid basis to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder.

The lowest bid will be the bid whose price, after incorporating all accepted alternates, is the lowest responsive bid

that was received from a responsible bidder. No bid may be withdrawn for a period of sixty days after time has

been called on the date of opening except in accordance with the provisions of law.

14. District’s Rights Concerning Award: The District reserves the right to reject all bids or proposals or any

bid or proposal that is nonresponsive or not responsible and to waive technicalities and informalities. The District

reserves the right to not award a contract to any bidder, to cancel this invitation to bid, and re-advertise the project

using a similar or different competitive process at any time before the Board of Education votes to award a contract

as a result of this invitation to bid.

In judging whether the bidder is responsible, the District will consider, but is not limited to consideration of, the

following:

(a) Whether the bidder or its principals are currently ineligible, debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded

from bidding or contracting by any state or federal agency, department, or authority;

(b) Whether the bidder or its principals have been terminated for cause or are currently in default on a public

works contract;

(c) Whether the bidder can demonstrate sufficient cash flow to undertake the project as evidenced by a

Current Ratio of 1.0 or higher;

(d) Whether the bidder can demonstrate a commitment to safety with regard to Workers' Compensation by

having an Experience Modification Rate (EMR) over the past three years not having exceeded an

average of 1.2; and

(e) Whether the bidder’s past work provides evidence of an ability to successfully complete public works

projects within the established time, quality, or cost, or to comply with the bidder’s contract obligations.

(f) Whether the bidder’s workload will allow the bidder to complete this project within the established time,

quality, or cost, or to comply with the bidder’s contract obligations. In evaluating the bidder’s workload,

RFP 2026-07 LCSS Board of Education HVAC Replacement

December 2025

Page 5 of 18

Commodity Codes

• NAICS 238220Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors

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