The purpose of this Bulletin is to highlight the importance of, and techniques for, monitoring moving expenses when moving services are acquired using the Office of General Service’s (OGS) multiple award contracts.

It is important that State agencies become familiar with the requirements for acquiring moving services utilizing the OGS contracts.  The moving services contract is a multi-award contract that requires agencies to solicit bids from the contract vendors to ensure the agency receives the best value for moving services.  The OGS Moving Services statewide contract provides a listing of eligible contractors by region.  Services available under these contracts include planning and preparation, moving, disassembly, assembly and other general activities related to relocation of State agencies.  By using these pre-established contracts, State agencies save administrative time and the expense of individual solicitations.  Each agency is required to complete a streamlined bid process, referred to as a “best and final” (BAFO) process, from the list of eligible contractors.  The BAFO is an abbreviated bid process by which an agency can solicit final total pricing for their specific move based upon the competitive hourly rates in the contracts.  The contract allows users to further negotiate advantageous rates for time and materials in order to accomplish moving tasks.

The moving services contract is a not-to-exceed contract which requires close monitoring so an agency is not overcharged for services performed.  Vendors cannot charge the agency more than the original price quote obtained as a result of the BAFO process for each cost category included in the BAFO response.  When billing the agency, vendors must reduce the amount charged per cost category if the actual move takes less time, manpower, or equipment than originally quoted.  However, if the actual move requires more time and/or more employees/trucks than provided for in the contractors BAFO response, the final charge may not be adjusted upward.  That is, hours, rates, or charges for employee and equipment cannot exceed those provided in response to the contractor’s best and final offer.  Exceptions where additional charges would be allowed may include but are not limited to: acts of God, building equipment malfunction or police department/fire company blocking access to or from a building where a move is taking place.  All such charges must be fully documented as to occurrence, location, time, and duration and requires the authorization of the Office of General Service Procurement Services Group or the agency representative.  It is also necessary that the contractor make every attempt to notify the agency representative of the problem during the actual occurrence.  No charges are allowed for traffic delays that do not directly block access to the building.

Taking the steps outlined below will help your agency get the services expected at the right price.

Receiving a Thorough Bid

To receive a thorough best and final quote, an agency should identify the move origin and destination locations, prepare a complete list of all items to be moved, and document any other details pertinent to the move in the Project Definition.  See OGS Contract Award Notification pages 21 and 22 for a Project Definition outline:

http://www.ogs.state.ny.us/purchase/snt/awardnotes/7900419993can.pdf

Ensure a detailed BAFO response is received from the vendor with hourly rates that are reflected in the statewide contract.  The BAFO response should identify, by job title, the number of workers needed, estimated hours of work, hourly rates for the move and any vehicles or specialty packing items needed.  It is incumbent upon the contractors to pay their employees the prevailing wage rates as established by the New York State Department of Labor.  See OGS’ Contract Award Notification for the prevailing wage rate schedule applicable to these contracts (Page 26):

http://www.ogs.state.ny.us/purchase/snt/awardnotes/7900419993can.pdf)

Establishing a Moving Coordinator

Agencies should identify a moving coordinator to monitor the move.  Throughout the move, the coordinator should maintain an independent record of the dates of the move, the number of movers, their titles, start and end times, lunch breaks, number and type of equipment and vehicles, and specialty packing items used.  The agency should use this record to evaluate the accuracy of the invoice the vendor submits for payment.

Reviewing the Vendor’s Invoice

The vendor’s invoice should be reviewed when submitted to ensure it is detailed and follows the outline of vendor’s BAFO response (e.g., hourly rate and hours worked by title).

The detailed costs on the contractor’s invoice should also be compared to the independent record maintained by the move coordinator.  Specifically, compare dates and hours worked, by title, number of movers, equipment and vehicle types and hours used, specialty packaging used, and other items as outlined in the agreement.

In addition, the hourly rates, titles, and others charges on the invoice should be compared against the corresponding contract values.  For contract pricing by region and within each region, by county see:

http://www.ogs.state.ny.us/purchase/snt/awardnotes/7900419993PriceByRegion.pdf

Receiving Certified Payroll Records

To ensure that the vendor pays its employees for the hours billed to the State, obtain certified payroll records.  The Department of Labor has a recommended certified payroll form on their website which identifies the payroll information the vendor needs to provide to the State agency.

http://www.labor.state.ny.us/formsdocs/wp/pw12.pdf

Compare the number of hours reported on the invoice, by title, with the total number of hours worked by title on the certified payroll records.  Vendors are required to provide the agency with certified payroll records upon request.

For more details on OGS’ requirements, please refer to:

http://ogs.state.ny.us/purchase/snt/awardnotes/7900419993can.HTM

For questions regarding this Bulletin, please contact: