Protests may be made only by Proposers or authorized representative of a Proposer who submitted a response to this solicitation document and who have participated in a debriefing conference. Upon completing the debriefing conference, the Proposer is allowed five (5) business days to file with the Procurement Coordinator a protest of the award decision. Protests must be received by the Procurement Coordinator no later than 3:30 PM, local time in Tacoma, Washington on the fifth business day following the debriefing. Protests must be in writing, addressed to the Procurement Coordinator, and submitted by email to PCPURCHASING@piercecountywa.gov. The protest must state the RFP number, the grounds for the protest with specific facts and complete statements of the action(s) being protested. A description of the relief or corrective action being requested should also be included.Protests that do not follow these procedures shall not be considered. This protest procedure constitutes the sole administrative remedy available to Proposers under this procurement.Only protests stipulating an issue of fact concerning the following subjects shall be considered:A matter of bias, discrimination, or conflict of interest on the part of an evaluator.Errors in computing the score.Non-compliance with procedures described in the procurement document or County policy.Protests not based on procedural matters will not be considered. Protests will be rejected as without merit if they address issues such as: 1) an evaluator’s professional judgment on the quality of a proposal, or 2) County’s assessment of its own needs or requirements.Upon receipt of a protest, a protest review will be held by the County. The Finance & Enterprise Services Department Director or an employee delegated by the Director who was not involved in the procurement will consider the record and all available facts and issue a decision within five (5) business days of receipt of the protest. If additional time is required, the protesting party will be notified of the delay. In the event a protest may affect the interest of another Proposer who also submitted a proposal, such Proposer will be given an opportunity to submit its views and any relevant information on the protest to the Procurement Coordinator. The final determination of the protest shall:Find the protest lacking in merit and uphold the County’s action; orFind only technical or harmless errors in County’s procurement process and determine County to be in substantial compliance and reject the protest; orFind merit in the protest and provide the County options which may include:Correct the errors and re-evaluate all proposals, and/orReissue the solicitation document and begin a new process, orMake other findings and determine other courses of action as appropriate.If a protest is filed, the County will wait to execute the contract until a final determination on the protest is made.

The County will notify all proposers of the outcome of their proposal in writing upon completion of the evaluation process.

The County reserves the right at its sole discretion to reject any and all proposals received without penalty and not to issue a contract as a result of this RFP.

The initial period of performance of any contract resulting from this procurement is anticipated to begin on or around November 2026 and end in November 2027. Amendments extending the period of performance, if any, shall be at the sole discretion of the County. The County reserves the option to extend contracts for four (4) additional terms of twelve (12) Month each. However, no Contractor will be guaranteed an extension.

Pierce County requires County-wide towing contract to ensure timely, reliable, and cost-effective towing, removing, storage and recovery services for County-owned operated fleet vehicles and Pierce County Sheriff Office requested tows from various locations in Pierce County and those cities under contract for law enforcement services with Pierce County Sheriffs Office.

PROPOSERS WHO REGISTER AND DOWNLOAD RFP DOCUMENTS will be automatically added to the FOLLOWERS' list in the County's eProcurement Portal. Notifications for solicitation updates, addendum and other procurement information will be sent to all who register on the Pierce County eProcurement Portal.

Welcome to Pierce County's eProcurement System. This system is inclusive to the procurement process, including submission of any questions and/or clarifications, the release of any addenda/notices, and submission of proposals. It is strongly encouraged that organizations responding to any procurement first read the entire procurement, paying close attention to the timelines, scope of work, eligibility, submission requirements, and specifically to the questionnaire section, which may include required attachments (when applicable), and ask for any clarifications regarding content and instructions early in the process.

The Washington State Interlocal Cooperation Act, Ch. 39.34 RCW, authorizes public agencies to cooperatively purchase goods and services if all parties agree. By responding to this RFP, Consultants agree that other public agencies may purchase goods and services under this procurement or contract at their own cost and without Pierce County incurring any financial or legal liability for such purchases. Pierce County agrees to allow other public agencies to purchase goods and services under this procurement or contract, provided that Pierce County is not held financially or legally liable for purchases and that any public agency purchasing under such procurement or contract file a copy of this invitation and such contract in accordance with RCW 39.34.040.

A virtual or in-person Procurement Workshop will be conducted by Pierce County staff at the time, date, and location as indicated in the Procurement Schedule section of this RFP.Pre-proposal meeting attendance is not required but is highly encouraged for all organizations considering a response to this solicitation. It is the County’s belief that attending the meeting will assist proposers in presenting the best possible request for funding. During the Pre-Proposal Meeting Workshop, Pierce County staff will give an overview of the procurement, the procurement process, an overview of the requirements, and will also be available to answer questions and provide technical assistance. Please have the instruction/proposal packet available as well as any questions that the organization may have related to the procurement. The County will be bound only to written answers provided in response to questions. Questions arising during the Procurement Workshop will be documented and answered in the eProcurement Portal.

The County reserves the right to make an award without further discussion of the proposal submitted. Therefore, the proposal should be submitted initially on the most favorable terms which the Proposer can offer. There will be no best and final offer procedure.The ASP should be prepared to accept this RFP for incorporation into a contract resulting from this RFP. Contract negotiations may incorporate some or all of the Proposer’s proposal. It is understood that the proposal will become a part of the official procurement file on this matter without obligation to the County.

This RFP does not obligate the County to contract for services specified herein.

The County complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Bidders should contact the RFP Coordinator to request an accommodation.

Any Proposer, who was not disqualified, who has submitted a proposal and been notified that they were not selected as an ASP may request a debriefing. The request for a debriefing conference must be received by the Procurement Coordinator within 5 days of having been notified that they were not selected.Discussion at the debriefing conference will be limited to the following:Evaluation and scoring of the Proposal.Critique of the requesting Proposer’s Proposal based on the comments made by the Application Evaluation Committee or individual comments made by an evaluator; andReview of Proposer’s final score in comparison with other final scores without identifying the other firms.Comparisons between proposals or evaluations of the other proposals will not be allowed. Debriefing conferences may be conducted in person or remotely and will be scheduled for a maximum of one (1) hour.

This procedure is available to potential Proposers who are contemplating submitting a proposal in response to this RFP. Only Concern Resolution submissions (Submissions) concerning the following subjects shall be considered:A claim that the solicitation unnecessarily restricts competition.A claim the solicitation evaluation or scoring process is unfair or flawed, orA claim the solicitation requirements are inadequate or insufficient to prepare a response.Proposers submitting a concern about this procurement shall follow the procedures described below. Submissions that do not follow these procedures shall not be considered. If a Proposer registers a concern against this solicitation, the issue(s) cannot be raised again during the protest period.All submissions must be in writing and signed by the submitting party or an authorized Agent. The submission must be sent to the Procurement Coordinator, or designee, and needs to be received no later than 4:30 pm, local time, Tacoma, WA, per Section 2.2 Timeline, and must clearly articulate the basis for the submission. The Proposer submitting a concern must also include a proposed remedy.Upon receipt of a submission, a submission review will be held by the County. The RFP coordinator will respond to submissions in writing and the Finance & Enterprise Services Department Director will be notified of all submissions and provided a copy of the County’s response. A copy of the response to the submission, including any changes to the solicitation, will also be posted in County's eProcurement Portal.The concern resolution process does not include an appeal process.

Proposal Release Date:August 31, 2026Question Submission & Concern Resolution Request Deadline:September 16, 2026, 4:30pmProposal Submission Deadline:October 7, 2026, 1:00pmEvaluation Process Completion:Approximately six weeks after proposal submission deadline. The County reserves the right to revise the above timeline.

NO VALUE

The County will not be liable for any costs incurred by the Proposer in preparation of a proposal submitted in response to this RFP, in conduct of a presentation or interview, or any other activities related to responding to this RFP.

In the event it becomes necessary to revise any part of this RFP, addenda will be published in the County's eProcurement Portal.All amendments and notifications of cancellation shall be posted in the County's eProcurement Portal. If you did not receive this solicitation via the County’s eProcurement Portal, please register there to receive further notifications.The County also reserves the right to amend or add to, retract from, or cancel this Procurement at any time, in whole or in part, and without penalty.In the event of a conflict between amendments or between an amendment and this Solicitation Document, the document issued latest in time shall control.

The proposal must be received by the time/date as indicated in Section 2.2.

Pierce County, in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4 and Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, subtitle A, Office of the Secretary, Part 21, nondiscrimination in federally assisted programs of the Department of Transportation issued pursuant to such Act, hereby notifies all Proposers that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises as defined at 49 CFR Part 26 will be afforded full opportunity to submit proposals in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award.

Proposers may submit questions through the County's eProcurement Portal, under the Question & Answer Section, no later than 4:30 pm on the date set forth in Section 2.2. Proposers must be registered in the eProcurement Portal software to submit questions, receive addendums and notifications, and ultimately submit a proposal. Proposers may only rely on written statements issued by the County. Any oral communications are unofficial and are not binding on the County.

The RFP Coordinator is the sole point of contact in the County for this procurement. All communications between the Proposer and the County upon release of this RFP shall be with the RFP Coordinator.Stephanie BrowningProcurement and Contract Specialist 2Email: stephanie.browning@piercecountywa.govPhone: (253) 798-7796Department:Procurement and Contract ServicesAny other communication will be considered unofficial and non-binding on the County. Proposers are to rely on written statements issued by the RFP Coordinator. Communication directed to parties other than the RFP Coordinator may result in disqualification of the Proposer.

The ASP will be expected to enter into a contract which is substantially the same as the Sample Contract and its General Terms and Conditions attached as Exhibit C. In no event is a Proposer to submit its own standard contract terms and conditions in response to this solicitation. If a Proposer has a concern regarding a certain General Term & Condition, they can raise the issue per the Questions and Answers section of this solicitation.

Organizations should be aware that any records they submit to the County or that are used by the County even if the organization possess the records, may be public records under the Washington Public Records Act (RCW 42.56). The County must promptly disclose public records upon request unless a statute exempts them from disclosure. Organizations should also be aware that if even a portion of a record is exempt from disclosure, generally, the rest of the record must be disclosed. Exemptions are narrow and specific.Organizations should clearly mark any record they believe is exempt from disclosure.

All proposals will be reviewed by the RFP Coordinator to determine compliance with administrative requirements and instructions specified in this solicitation. The Proposer is specifically notified that the County may reject or withdraw a proposal at any time as nonresponsive for any of the following reasons:Incomplete proposal,Failure to comply with any part of this solicitation or any Attachments to this procurement,Submission of incorrect, misleading, or false information.The County also reserves the right, however, at its sole discretion to waive minor administrative irregularities, which are defined as variances which do not provide a proposer an advantage or benefit over other proposers.

Proposers who do not meet these minimum qualifications will be considered non-responsive and their proposal will not be evaluated or scored.Contractor and subcontractors must have a valid Towing License to operate in Pierce County and according to the Washington State Towing License requirements as a Registered Tow Truck Operator (RTTO) in Washington State. https://dol.wa.gov/professional-licenses/registered-tow-truck-operators-rttoAll vehicles must be registered. All drivers must possess a valid driver’s license with the appropriate Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) endorsement as applicable. Contractor must have a valid Hazardous Materials License

Each evaluator will score the Proposals separately. The scores of all the evaluators will be averaged to determine the Proposer’s score.The County reserves the right to award the contract to any organization or combination of organizations whose proposal(s), in the opinion of the County, is in the best interest of the County.

An Evaluation Committee (EC) will review the bidding documents and evaluate all responses received based upon the criteria listed herein. The County may request clarifications or additional information, if needed. The proposer determined to be most qualified through the initial evaluation phase may be interviewed and the final determination will also consider reference checks and interviews.The County intends to select the Contractor most qualified for this pursuit/solicitation and begin the negotiation and award process based on the requirements of this solicitation.Selected Proposer(s) will be invited to enter into contract negotiations with the County. Should the County and the selected proposer not reach a mutual agreement, the County will terminate negotiations and move to the next ranked contractor and proceed with negotiations. A Proposer’s inability to agree to the terms of the County’s standard contract may be a basis for the County to terminate negotiations and begin negotiating with one or more other Contractors.

“Apparently Successful Proposer (ASP)” means a proposer selected as an entity to perform the anticipated services, subject to completion of contract negotiations and execution of a written contract."Applicant," "Bidder," and "Proposer" mean an organization, agency or provider that submits a formal response to this procurement."Application," "Bid," or "Proposal" mean a formal response to this solicitation. “CFR” means Code of Federal Regulations.“Client,” "Participant," "Household," or "Member" means an individual (or individuals) who receives services, or is eligible to receive services, under this procurement. “Contractor” means an individual or organization whose proposal has been accepted by the County and has been awarded a fully executed, written contract.“Procurement” means the process by which the County obtains services.“Request for Proposal (RFP)” or "Solicitation" means this document and its attachments in which needed goods and/or services are identified and organizations are invited to provide information as to how they propose to meet the County's needs. “RCW” means Revised Code of Washington.“WAC” means Washington Administrative Code."Vehicles" means all instrumentalities capable of moving by means of circular wheels, skids, or runners of any kind, specifically including but not limited to all forms of automotive vehicles, motorcycles, buses, trucks, cars and vans, all forms of trailers or mobile homes of any size whether capable of suppling their own motive power or not, without regard to whether the primary purposed of which instrumentality is or is not conveyance of persons or objects, and specifically, including all such automobiles, motorcycles, buses, trucks, cars, vans, trailers and mobile homes even though they may be at anytime immobilized in any way and for any period of time."Impound" means a removal which is at direction of an authorized representative of Pierce County, but is at the expense of the private owner, whether the owner is present at the time of removal or not."Investigative Hold" means a removal which is at direction of authorized representative for the County, or contract cities, from various locations within Pierce County in the course of evidence retrieval and is at County expenses, at the rate agreed upon. It may also include stored storage or removal to County storage, at the direction of Pierce County"Impound Fee" shall include all services required to place the vehicle in a position to be towed and to safely and properly tow the vehicle from the location of the impound to the Contractor's primary storage lot, together with storage for the first 24 hours after the Contractors notified the County of the vehicle impoundment. The services provided to private owners are subject to Washington State Patrol Tow Rate Cap agreements now in effect or hereafter amended, including but not limited to the maximum fee, which may be less than but, shall be no higher that Tow Rate Cap set forth by the Washington State Patrol for the applicable region. The applicable rate shall be the rate in effect at the time the County or private owner authorized the impounding. Additional Information: Towing Services will require Class A, B, C and E tow truck capabilities as defined in Chapter 204-91A WAC. Towing will mean the use of hooks, dolly, flat bed, or any means necessary to provide safe transportation of the vehicle at the quoted rate.

Contractor will provide On-Call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays tow services, recovery, secured storage services (if applicable) and roadside assistance for Pierce County to include Pierce County Sheriff's Office. Contractor shall furnish all equipment, materials, labor and personnel for towing services. Tow company must be able to respond within 20 minutes after they have been dispatched to respond from Pierce County representative or dispatched through South Sound 911 for Pierce County Sheriff's Office. All services will include but not limited to the following;Clearing motor vehicle accidents.removal of debris, glass, gas, hazardous material, vehicle parts, etc.Towing abandoned vehicles.Evidence Tow (if applicable)Traffic Safety and Code Enforcement towRoadside assistance for Pierce County vehiclesTowing Services for Pierce County Fleet as neededTowing requests for vehicles in Pierce County Parking lotsContractor will respond with a tow truck of the fleet classification required to tow the vehicle specified. Before towing, tow operator shall check the followingVerify License numberVerify vehicle ID numberVerify Year, Make, and body style of vehicle if applicable.Contractor shall provide, at its own expense, all notices and services necessary to dispose of unclaimed vehicles and property in the manner provided by lawContractor shall wear professional attire consistent with the job function and clear identification for the company they work for. Attire should include safety equipment and reflective vest.All Employees of Contractor will be qualified, competent, skilled, in the performance of the special work they are assigned to for this project. Contractor will ensure all employees and subcontractors do not have any prior felony convictions. Contractor and subcontractor employees must successfully pass Pierce County Sheriff's Office background check.Contractor shall comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws, ordinances, rules and regulations.Contractor will be in good standing with the Washington Tow Truck Association.Contractor is encouraged to receive training from the Washington Tow Truck AssociationContractor shall maintain two-way communication equipment and services between Contracts dispatch office and each tow truck used to impound vehicles.Personal belongings from a vehicle shall be available for the owner to pick up as required pursuant to WA State laws.

Maintain knowledge of and comply with all federal, state and city laws and ordinances that pertain to the operation of the vehicle storage facility.Be knowledgeable of applicable laws relating to vehicle titles and the language of court orders. Be knowledgeable of all laws and procedures that pertain to the storage, release and sale of stored vehicles. Provide fenced and secure storage for vehicles. Any vehicle towed, stored, and marked “hold”, relative to a criminal investigation shall be handled with gloves, i.e. cloth, rubber or leather, by the Contractor, unless otherwise authorized by Pierce County Sheriff personnel. Vehicles held for criminal investigation will be stored to prevent physical contamination or degradable evidence from deteriorating by coverage of the vehicles with tarpaulin type covers, or their equivalent, or by storage in a covered facility.Segregate all Pierce County vehicles from all other vehicles, and vehicles are to be fully accessible. All vehicles impounded under the authority of the Pierce County are to be fully accessible 24/7 to all authorized personnel employed by the County. Impound vehicles twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week. Provide Pierce County Sheriff's Office personnel access to the secured vehicle storage at all times.Send proper notices in compliance with all laws by certified mail to owners and/or lien holders, as required, of said vehicles within five (5) days of receiving the vehicle. Require proper documentation from owner(s) or their representative, to include valid government photo identification card/driver’s license, proof of ownership and proof of insurance. Require proof of vehicle owner’s authority when releasing vehicle to the owner(s) representative.Cooperate with Pierce County Sheriff's Office with respect to any vehicles to be held and/or impounded and any other aspects of the operations. Provide individuals who are attempting to claim vehicles with an escort to the vehicle, when needed, for the purposes of obtaining ownership documentation located inside the vehicle. Verify through the County a “hold” status prior to allowing access to or releasing vehicles / property in which a “hold” has been placed.Resolve disputes with vehicle owners.

Follow instructions carefully - if attachments are provided under this solicitation, they are to be utilized as part of the proposal - do not replace or use the organization's own format, as the proposal may be deemed "non-responsive" or "not eligible."

The County may award multiple contracts from this procurement. The County reserves the right to make fewer awards or no awards, based on the quality and scope of proposals received, available funding, and identified service needs.Additional federal, State, or local funds may become available during the contracting cycle and allocated through this solicitation. Funding may only be awarded for the same scope of services as described in this solicitation. It is important to note, any contract awarded as a result of this procurement is contingent upon the availability of funding. If at any time during the term of the contract the funding relied upon for the contract is reduced, modified, or eliminated, or if the funding terms are modified, Pierce County reserves the right to amend the contract as appropriate or to terminate the contract.

All proposals are evaluated on the completeness and quality of the content. Only those Proposers providing complete information as required will be considered for evaluation. The County will not contact the organization for correction of proposals and Proposers are strongly encouraged to carefully review their proposals for completeness and accuracy before submitting. For proposals to be considered responsive and move to the review process, the Proposer must, under Section 3, RFP Questionnaire:Acknowledge all required “confirmations.”Complete all required attachments, to include uploading any supplemental documents requested in attachments; and

Contractor must provide assigned personnel with any and all necessary equipment to complete the required scope of work. Contractor will be responsible for any work required to render a disabled vehicle suitable for towing such as retrieval, up righting, split loads, and removal of drive shafts. If drive shafts are removed, they must be reinstalled upon arrival at destination.Contractor shall display the company’s name, address and telephone number painted on or otherwise permanently affixed to each Tow Vehicle.Tow Vehicles and Equipment must be in good mechanical condition and shall be subject to inspection during the term of the Agreement.

This section provides a curated list of help articles addressing common questions and challenges proposers may encounter during the Request for Proposal process. The resources below are intended to offer clear guidance, practical solutions, and relevant information to support a smooth and successful submission. Proposers are encouraged to review these materials as needed to better understand requirements, resolve issues, and navigate the process with confidence.Vendor RegistrationFollowing a ProjectGetting Started with SubscriptionsHow to Submit a Question in OpenGovHow to Submit a Proposal Response in OpenGovHow to Edit or Withdraw a Proposal after Submission in OpenGov

For incidents involving hazardous materials (HAZMAT), the Contractor must ensure that a qualified HAZMAT responder is on-call and available to arrive on-site within sixty (60) minutes of notification. The Contractor will be responsible for the proper storage and disposal of any hazardous materials in accordance with all environmental laws and regulations. The Pierce County will not be held responsible.

Only electronic submittal via the County's eProcurement Portal shall be accepted for this procurement. No hard copies, emails, or fax submittals shall be accepted. The accepted forms of submitted materials are .pdf, png., jpeg., and MS Office formats such as docx. and xlsx.

Proposers must acknowledge and confirm each addendum and notice issued under this solicitation. The system will not allow final submission unless all required confirmations are checked.

For Vehicle Recovery services performed the Contractor must bill the citizen(s) directly. Vehicle(s) will not be released from the County's impoundment until payment is confirmed The Contractor is responsible for all associated credit card processing fees.

Proposers should allow sufficient time to ensure timely receipt of the proposal by the County’s e-procurement System, OpenGov. Late responses will not be accepted and will be automatically disqualified. The County assumes no responsibility for delays caused by Proposer's technical related system errors.

Provide Monthly accounting reports to Pierce County Fleet and Pierce County Sheriff's Office, depending on who made the request to include the following;The number of vehicles towed at the request of Pierce County Sheriff's Office.The number of Pierce County owned vehicles towed. A comprehensive list of vehicles impounded at the request of the Pierce County Sheriff's Office. Location where vehicles are towed. Reason for towDate/Time of towOrigin of vehicle

All proposals and any accompanying documentation become the property of the County and will not be returned.

The Contractor shall provide continuous towing and roadside assistance services twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days per week, three hundred sixty-five (365) days per year, including all holidays. Standard service requests shall be fulfilled during normal business hours, defined as Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, excluding County-recognized holidays. Emergency, after-hours, and high-priority service requests shall be supported outside of standard business hours with on-call dispatch and response capability.The Contractor shall maintain a centralized dispatch system capable of receiving service requests via telephone and electronic means and shall meet contractually defined response time standards for both routine and emergency calls across all Pierce service areas.