OVERVIEW

Any general contractor or trade contractor (hereinafter "Applicant") wishing to do business with the District must be pre-qualified 10 days prior to submission of a bid or proposal that exceeds $3,500,000.

Pre-Qualification Program Applications may also be downloaded from the District web page.

PRE-QUALIFICATION PERIOD AND RENEWAL

Pre-Qualification is valid for a period of two years as specified on the approval notification letter, unless new information comes to light that may disqualify the Applicant, such as conviction for fraud or other crimes, or significant changes in the composition or financial status of the Applicant.
To ensure continuity, all Applicants who wish to extend their Pre-Qualification beyond the two-year period must submit an Application for renewal three-months prior to the expiration of their Pre-Qualification period.

PRE-QUALIFICATION CONTRACTING LEVEL

Applicants will be pre-qualified for award of contracts not to exceed the amount specified in the approval notification letter. This amount will be based on the amount of bonding capacity and the largest single completed project performed by the contractor within the last five years. Applicants may submit additional information regarding new bonding limits, financial conditions or increased capacity with a request to reconsider the pre-qualified limit at any time.

VALIDATION FORM 

All pre-qualified firms submitting on contracts exceeding $3,500,000 must submit a Validation Form ten (10) days prior to the bid submission due date. On the Validation Form the pre-qualified firm must certify that the information contained in the most recently submitted Application has not changed, and must list contact information for all current projects that affect the firm's aggregate bonding capacity at the time of the new bid. If it determined that the firm's aggregate bonding capacity will be surpassed with the submittal of the new bid, the District may reject the firm's bid. Likewise, if the information has changed or the firm's ownership or financial status has changed, the firm must attach a separate sheet with a full explanation. Any new annual financial statements or tax returns published since submittal of the most recently submitted Application must also be attached. A copy of the Validation Form is attached to these instructions.

If you are unsure of your filing requirements, please contact the Pre-Qualification Administrators at (626) 685-6989.

 PREPARATION AND SUBMITTAL OF APPLICATION 

A person who is knowledgeable and duly authorized to attest to the past and present operations of the Applicant and its policies must complete the Application. A Pre-Qualification Certification Form must be SIGNED by the preparer and by at least one general partner, owner, principal, or executive officer of the firm who is authorized to legally commit the firm. More than one certification page may be necessary.

All questions must be answered. Disclaimers, general statements with global qualifications, or notations of  "Not Applicable" are not acceptable. Any pages containing supplemental information, and other documentation which the Applicant submits to ensure full disclosure, should be attached to the Application. Each page must contain the Applicant's name and tax identification number.

Applicants are encouraged to submit Applications as soon as possible to allow pre-qualification prior to submission of a bid or proposal. Applications received with the bid or proposal may not be processed in time for acceptance of the bid/proposal.

Applications should be mailed or delivered to: 
The Solis Group
Attn: LBCCD Pre-Qual Administrators
145 Vista Ave, Ste 104
Pasadena, CA 91107
http://www.thesolisgroup.com

WHAT WE DO WITH YOUR APPLICATION

INITIAL SCREENING

All Applications will be checked for completeness upon receipt. Applications found to be incomplete will be returned to the Applicant with a letter advising them of missing answers or documentation. All Applications will also be checked to ensure the Applicant is not on any public agency list of debarred firms.

After this initial screening process is completed, the Application is evaluated to determine whether Pre-Qualification is approved or denied.

VERIFICATION 

The verification process will include review of public databases and records check of references, financial analysis, and utilization of other investigative methods.

EVALUATION

The Application contains Parts I though VI. Each part contains questions that will be scored as well as questions that request background information on the Applicant. Applicants who receive an acceptable score will be approved for Pre-Qualification. The evaluation will include consideration of the following:

• Does the Applicant have adequate financial capability to perform contracts in excess of $3,500,000 or have the ability to obtain adequate financial resources in a timely manner?
• Does the Applicant have an acceptable past performance record?
• Is the Applicant’s capability of performing or complying with the required delivery or performance schedules, considering all existing commercial and governmental business commitments?
• Does the Applicant have an acceptable record of integrity and business ethics?
• Does the Applicant have the necessary organization, experience, accounting and operational controls, and technical skills, or the ability to obtain them?
• Does the Applicant have the necessary production, construction, and technical equipment and facilities, or the ability to obtain them?
• Is the Applicant qualified and eligible to receive an award under applicable laws and regulations?
• Has the Applicant been determined to be unqualified or ineligible to participate in public contracts?
• Is the Applicant's Experience Modification Rate (EMR) below 1.25%?

Maximum possible points per application section:
Part I - 5 points
Part II - 27 points
Part III - No score
Part IV - 137 points (each reference check must score at least 18 points, or contractor may be deemed non-responsible)
Part V - 33 points

FACTORS LEADING TO DENIAL OF PRE-QUALIFICATION STATUS

The following can result in denial of Pre-Qualified status:

• Failure to submit any material information required on the questionnaire;
• Deliberate submission of false information;
• Debarment or suspension (with finding) by any public entity;
• Conviction of a crime or public offense;
• Any combination of substantive factors such as, but not limited to, disregard for laws and regulations, history of failure to perform in other contracts, unresolved tax liens, patterns of serious OSHA violations, etc., which, in the sole discretion of the District, do not meet the standards of fitness or reliability expected from contractors wishing to do business with this agency;
• Applicant's Experience Modification Rate (EMR) is at or above 1.25%; or
• Reference interviews for Applicant's past projects are not commendable.

NOTIFICATION OF PRE-QUALIFICATION STATUS

Once the evaluation is complete, the Applicant will be notified by a letter whether the Pre-Qualification Application has been approved or denied. If an Applicant achieves Pre-Qualified status, the letter will also contain the term of the Pre-Qualification and the maximum dollar value of any contract that may be awarded to the firm.

SUPPEMENTAL INFORMATION

Applicants who are not approved for Pre-Qualification will be given the opportunity to submit additional information within a predetermined timeframe. This supplemental information will be considered and evaluated along with the initial Application and a new score developed. Applicants who receive an acceptable score based on the initial and supplemental information will be approved for Pre-Qualification. Applicants who do not receive an acceptable score, based on deficiencies in the initial and supplemental information, may re-submit a Pre-Qualification Application once the application deficiencies have been corrected.

DEBRIEFING MEETING

If the Pre-Qualification is denied, a debriefing meeting to discuss the rationale for the denial of a Pre-Qualification can be scheduled. In some cases, information obtained during such debriefings may assist a denied Applicant in planning a corrective action plan that could result in their approval on an Application re-submittal. The scheduling of such debriefings shall not extend the time for appeal.

APPEAL OF DENIAL

Any Applicant denied Pre-Qualification has a right to appeal the decision. The Applicant has ten (10) business days from the date of receipt of the Denial Notification to file a written appeal with the District's Contracts Manager at the Application submittal address shown on page 3 of this Pre-Qualification Program.

The District has established a Review Panel for appeals. Upon receipt of the written appeal, the Review Panel (Panel) will meet to address the appeal. The Panel may consult with District counsel during its review. The Panel will examine the appeal and the facts surrounding the determination before making a decision. The Panel's decision is the final decision of the District. There are no further administrative appeals.

NOTE: The District's formal contract protest procedure is not applicable or available in this appeals process.