BID ACCEPTANCE PERIOD A bid shall constitute an irrevocable offer for a period of ninety (90) days from the bid opening date or until the date of award. In the event that an award is not made by the County within ninety (90) days from the bid opening date, the Bidder may withdraw their bid or provide a written extension of their bid.
BID SUBMISSION All Bids are to be packaged, sealed and submitted to the location stated in the Bid Specifications. Bidders are solely responsible for timely delivery of their Bids to the location set forth in the Bid Specifications prior to the stated Bid opening date/time. A Bid return envelope, if provided with the Bid Specifications, should be used with the Bid sealed inside. If the Bid response does not fit into the envelope, the Bid envelope should be attached to the outside of the sealed box or package with the Bid inside. If using a commercial delivery company that requires use of their shipping package or envelope, Bidder’s sealed Bid, labeled as detailed below, should be placed within the shipper’s sealed envelope to ensure that the Bid is not prematurely opened. All Bids must have a label on the outside of the package or shipping container outlining the following information: “BID ENCLOSED (bold print, all capitals) • Group Number • IFB or RFP Number • Bid Submission date and time” In the event that a Bidder fails to provide such information on the return Bid envelope or shipping material, the receiving entity reserves the right to open the shipping package or envelope to determine the proper Bid number or Product group, and the date and time of Bid opening. Bidder shall have no claim against the receiving entity arising from such opening and such opening shall not affect the validity of the Bid or the procurement. Notwithstanding the receiving agency’s right to open a Bid to ascertain the foregoing information, Bidder assumes all risk of late delivery associated with the Bid not being identified, packaged or labeled in accordance with the foregoing requirements. All Bids must be signed by a person authorized to commit the Bidder to the terms of the Bid Documents and the content of the Bid (offer).
Competitive Bid Quote Request When the Borrower wishes to request offers to make Competitive Bid Loans under this Section 2.16, it shall transmit to the Administrative Agent by telecopy a Competitive Bid Quote Request substantially in the form of Exhibit C-1 hereto so as to be received no later than (i) 10:00 a.m. (Chicago time) at least five Business Days prior to the Borrowing Date proposed therein, in the case of a request for a Competitive LIBOR Margin or (ii) 9:00 a.m. (Chicago time) at least one Business Day prior to the Borrowing Date proposed therein, in the case of a request for an Absolute Rate specifying:
(i) the proposed Borrowing Date for the proposed Competitive Bid Loan,
(ii) the requested aggregate principal amount of such Competitive Bid Loan,
(iii) whether the Competitive Bid Quotes requested are to set forth a Competitive LIBOR Margin or an Absolute Rate, or both, and
(iv) the LIBOR Interest Period, if a Competitive LIBOR Margin is requested, or the Absolute Interest Period, if an Absolute Rate is requested. The Borrower may request offers to make Competitive Bid Loans for more than one Interest Period (but not more than five Interest Periods) in a single Competitive Bid Quote Request. No Competitive Bid Quote Request shall be given within five Business Days (or such other number of days as the Borrower and the Administrative Agent may agree) of any other Competitive Bid Quote Request. A Competitive Bid Quote Request that does not conform substantially to the form of Exhibit C-1 hereto shall be rejected, and the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify the Borrower of such rejection by telecopy.
BID EVALUATION The Commissioner reserves the right to accept or reject any and all Bids, or separable portions of Bids, and waive technicalities, irregularities, and omissions if the Commissioner determines the best interests of the State will be served. The Commissioner, in his/her sole discretion, may accept or reject illegible, incomplete or vague Bids and his/her decision shall be final. A conditional or revocable Bid which clearly communicates the terms or limitations of acceptance may be considered, and Contract award may be made in compliance with the Bidder’s conditional or revocable terms in the Bid.
Competitive Bid Procedure (a) Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, from time to time during the Availability Period any Borrower may request Competitive Bids for Competitive Loans in US Dollars and may (but shall not have any obligation to) accept Competitive Bids and borrow Competitive Loans; provided that the aggregate Exposures at any time shall not exceed the aggregate Commitments. To request Competitive Bids, the Company or the applicable Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of such request by telephone (i) in the case of a Eurocurrency Competitive Borrowing, not later than 10:00 a.m., New York City time, four Business Days before the date of the proposed Competitive Borrowing and (ii) in the case of a Fixed Rate Borrowing, not later than 12:00 noon, New York City time, one Business Day before the date of the proposed Competitive Borrowing. Not more than three Competitive Bid Requests may be submitted on the same day. Each telephonic Competitive Bid Request shall be confirmed promptly by hand delivery or telecopy to the Administrative Agent of a written Competitive Bid Request in a form approved by the Administrative Agent and signed by the Company. Each such telephonic and written Competitive Bid Request shall specify the following information in compliance with Section 2.02:
(i) the Borrower requesting the Competitive Bid and the aggregate amount of the requested Borrowing;
(ii) the date of such Borrowing, which shall be a Business Day;
(iii) whether such Borrowing is to be a Eurocurrency Borrowing or a Fixed Rate Borrowing;
(iv) the Interest Period to be applicable to such Borrowing, which shall be a period contemplated by the definition of the term “Interest Period”; and
(v) the location and number of the Company’s account to which funds are to be disbursed, which shall comply with the requirements of Section 2.05. Promptly following receipt of a Competitive Bid Request in accordance with this Section, the Administrative Agent shall notify the Lenders of the details thereof by telecopy, inviting the Lenders to submit Competitive Bids.
(b) Each Lender may (but shall not have any obligation to) make one or more Competitive Bids to the Company in response to a Competitive Bid Request. Each Competitive Bid by a Lender must be in a form approved by the Administrative Agent and must be received by the Administrative Agent by telecopy, (i) in the case of a Eurocurrency Competitive Borrowing, not later than 12:00 noon, New York City time, four Business Days before the date of the proposed Competitive Borrowing and (ii) in the case of a Fixed Rate Borrowing, not later than 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on the date of the proposed Competitive Borrowing. Competitive Bids that do not conform to the form approved by the Administrative Agent may be rejected by the Administrative Agent, and the Administrative Agent shall notify the applicable Lender as promptly as practicable. Each Competitive Bid shall specify (i) the principal amount (which may equal the entire principal amount of the Competitive Borrowing requested by the Company) of the Competitive Loan or Loans that the Lender is willing to make, (ii) the Competitive Bid Rate or Rates at which the Lender is prepared to make such Loan or Loans (expressed as a percentage rate per annum in the form of a decimal to no more than four decimal places) and (iii) the Interest Period applicable to each such Loan and the last day thereof.
(c) The Administrative Agent shall promptly notify the Company by telecopy of the Competitive Bid Rate and the principal amount specified in each Competitive Bid and the identity of the Lender that shall have made such Competitive Bid.
(d) Subject only to the provisions of this paragraph, the applicable Borrower may accept or reject any Competitive Bid. The Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent by telephone, confirmed by telecopy in a form approved by the Administrative Agent, whether and to what extent it has decided to accept or reject each Competitive Bid, (i) in the case of a Eurocurrency Competitive Borrowing, not later than 11:00 a.m., New York City time, three Business Days before the date of the proposed Competitive Borrowing and (ii) in the case of a Fixed Rate Borrowing, not later than 10:30 a.m., New York City time, on the date of the proposed Competitive Borrowing; provided that (i) the failure of the Borrower to give such notice shall be deemed to be a rejection of each Competitive Bid, (ii) the Borrower shall not accept a Competitive Bid made at a particular Competitive Bid Rate if such Borrower rejects a Competitive Bid made at a lower Competitive Bid Rate, (iii) the aggregate amount of the Competitive Bids accepted by the Borrower shall not exceed the aggregate amount of the requested Competitive Borrowing specified in the related Competitive Bid Request and (iv) to the extent necessary to comply with clause (iii) above, the Borrower may accept Competitive Bids at the same Competitive Bid Rate in part, which acceptance, in the case of multiple Competitive Bids at such Competitive Bid Rate, shall be made pro rata in accordance with the amount of each such Competitive Bid; provided further that in calculating the pro rata allocation of acceptances of portions of multiple Competitive Bids at a particular Competitive Bid Rate pursuant to clause (iv) the amounts shall be rounded to integral multiples of the Borrowing Multiple in a manner determined by the Borrower. A notice given by the Borrower pursuant to this paragraph shall be irrevocable.
(e) The Administrative Agent shall promptly notify each bidding Lender by telecopy whether or not its Competitive Bid has been accepted (and, if so, the amount and Competitive Bid Rate so accepted), and each successful bidder will thereupon become bound, subject to the terms and conditions hereof, to make the Competitive Loan in respect of which its Competitive Bid has been accepted.
(f) If the Administrative Agent or one of its Affiliates shall elect to submit a Competitive Bid in its capacity as a Lender, it shall submit such Competitive Bid directly to the applicable Borrower at least one quarter of an hour earlier than the time by which the other Lenders are required to submit their Competitive Bids to the Administrative Agent pursuant to paragraph (b) of this Section.
