Common use of Records Submitted in Response to an Invitation to Bid or Request for Proposals Clause in Contracts

Records Submitted in Response to an Invitation to Bid or Request for Proposals. If this Agreement was procured through a Request for Proposals (RFP) or invitation to bid issued by the District, all documents submitted in response to the RFP or invitation to bid become the exclusive property of the District. At such time as the District selects a bid, all proposals received become a matter of public record, and shall be regarded as public records, with the exception of those elements in each proposal that are defined by Consultant/Professional and plainly marked as "Business Secret" or Trade Secret." Any proposal that contains language purporting to render all or significant portions of the proposal "Confidential," "Trade Secret," or "Proprietary," shall be regarded as non-responsive. The District shall not be liable or in any way responsible for the disclosure of any such proposal or portions thereof, if Consultant/Professional has not plainly marked it as a "Trade Secret" or "Business Secret" or if disclosure is required under the Public Records Act. Although the California Public Records Act recognizes that certain confidential trade secret information may be protected from disclosure, the District may not be in a position to establish that the information that a prospective bidder submits is a trade secret. If a request is made for information marked "Trade Secret" or "Business Secret," and the requester takes legal action seeking release of the materials it believes does not constitute trade secret information, by submitting a proposal, Consultant/Professional agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the District, its agents and employees, from any judgment, fines, penalties, and award of attorneys fees awarded against the District in favor of the party requesting the information, and any and all costs connected with that defense. This obligation to indemnify survives the District's award of the any subsequent agreement. In submitting a proposal, Consultant/Professional agrees that this indemnification survives as long as the trade secret information is in the District's possession, which includes a minimum retention period for such documents.