The County is seeking a qualified, licensed, experienced wastewater operator to provide the maintenance and operation of the County collection system. The County is seeking a qualified, licensed, experienced wastewater operator to provide the maintenance and operation of the County collection system. The award resulting from this RFP will be for an annual contract with the option to renew for four (4) additional one (1) year terms. The Purchasing Director reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to waive formalities. Instructions for preparation and submission of a qualification proposal are contained in the Request for Proposal package. Please note that specific forms for submission of a proposal are required. Any changes to the conditions and specifications must be in the form of a written addendum to be valid; therefore, the Purchasing Director will issue a written addendum to document approved changes. Chatham County has an equal opportunity procurement policy. Chatham County seeks to ensure that all segments of the business community have access to providing services needed by County programs. The County affirmatively works to encourage utilization of disadvantaged and minority business enterprises in our procurement activities. The County provides equal opportunity for all businesses and does not discriminate against any persons or businesses regardless of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin or handicap. The County expects its contractors to make maximum feasible use of minority businesses and qualified minority employees. The terms "disadvantaged business", "minority business enterprise", and "minority person" are more specifically defined and explained in the Chatham County Purchasing Ordinance. The contract, if awarded, will be awarded to that responsible Proposer whose proposal will be most advantageous to Chatham County, price and other factors considered. The Board of Commissioners will make the determination as to which proposal best serves the interest of Chatham County The price or prices for the service shall include full compensation for all fees that the proponent is or may be required to pay. Chatham County is Tax Exempt. The Purchasing & Contracting Office upon request (912) 790-1618 will provide a Tax Exemption Certificate. MINORITY - WOMEN BUSINESS ENTERPRISE PARTICIPATION: It is the desire of the County Board of Commissioners to increase the participation of minority (MBE) and women-owned (WBE) business in its contracting and procurement programs. The County is committed to a policy of equitable participation for these firms by setting goals for each contract. Bidder/proposers are requested to include in their proposals a narrative describing their past accomplishments and intended actions in this area. If bidder/proposers are considering minority or women owned enterprise participation in their proposal, those firms, and their specific duties must be identified in their proposal along with the percentage(s) and dollar amount awarded to the M/WBE firm. Proposers may also provide demographic information regarding their employees to show their commitment to equal opportunity. If a bidder/proposer is considered for award, he/she will be asked to meet with the County Staff so that the intended MBE/WBE participation goals can be formalized and included in the subsequent contract. If the awarded contractor is claiming minority status, the contractor shall apply for certification by Chatham County, Georgia to the Office of Minority Business Coordinator. The Minority Business Coordinator will provide documentation of application status once approved or disapproved by Chatham County. Certification by any other government entity is acceptable if current copy of the certification is provided with this solicitation. For additional information concerning Chatham County's MBE/WBE Coordinator, please contact Connell Heyward, at (912) 652-7860 or cheyward@chathamcounty.org. The County reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and is not bound to accept any proposal if that proposal is contrary to the best interest of Chatham County. Similarly, the County is not bound to accept the lowest dollar proposal if the offer is not considered in the County's best interest. Question Deadline 08/30/2023 at 5:00 PM ET. Direct any questions related to this RFP to Mr. Felix Espada Jr., Procurement Specialist, and submit all questions through Electronically. Include the RFP number, page, and paragraph number as a reference to each question. DEADLINE FOR ALL QUESTIONS IS one week after the pre-proposal conference prior to due date.