REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

For a vendor to provide custodial services to the Community Action Partnership of Lancaster County.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

For the period January 1, 2027, through December 31,

2027, based on performance, and with an option to extend Deadline for Submission: November 30, 2026, by 3 p.m. Local Time

RFP reference: CAP Custodial Services 2026

INTRODUCTION

Community Action Partnership of Lancaster County seeks a qualified vendor of custodial services for its owned building and leased spaces at the following locations:

Name Address Owned/Leased

CAP Headquarters 601 S. Queen Street, Lancaster, PA 17603 Owned

Formula Warehouse 57 Laurel St., Lancaster, PA 17603 Leased

Crispus Attucks CC 404 & 407 Howard Avenue, Lancaster, PA 17602 Owned

Bridge House 639 Marietta Avenue, Lancaster, PA 17603 Owned

DVS 229 East Orange Street, Lancaster, PA 17602 Owned

PAT 1770 Lincoln Highway, Lancaster, PA 17602 Leased

Columbia Head Start 815 Wright Street, Columbia, PA 17512 Leased

Columbia Outreach 400 and 406 Chestnut St., Columbia, PA 17512 Leased

Ephrata Outreach 108 N. Reading Road, Ephrata, PA 17522 Leased

Thaddeus ELC 420 S. Broad Street, Lancaster, PA 17602 Leased

ORGANIZATION

Community Action Partnership has a 60-year history of serving low-income families and individuals across Lancaster County. We advance prosperity throughout Lancaster County by activating community, mobilizing resources, and amplifying partnership to ensure everyone thrives. Each year, CAP reaches nearly 30,000 low-income families through programs that support child development and education, health and nutrition, household stability, and public safety and violence prevention to help them not only meet their essential daily needs, but to work toward a brighter future of long-term financial self-sufficiency. Currently the organization operates an annual budget of $49 million, with nearly 300 employees who work across 25 locations. CAP is one of the largest community benefit organizations in Lancaster County. Once contracts are executed, a designated CAP employee will oversee the work performed by the contractor.

PROCEDURES

It is essential that you read the entire package before preparing your response. Organizations interested in responding to the RFP must submit via email. Please include a cover letter signed by the individual authorized to bind the organization to the terms of the proposal and include the RFP reference: CAP Custodial Services 2026.

All proposals must be received in the CAP office by no later than 3:00 p.m. Local Time, November 30, 2026. Proposals will be considered in final form upon submission to CAP. Therefore, no changes may be made unless requested by CAP during the review and/or negotiation process. Proposals received after this time and date will not be considered for thefirst-round review. CAP will accept written questions regarding the RFP through 5:00 p.m. Local Time, November 9, 2026. Questions can be submitted to alishathomas@caplanc.org , with the following language in the subject line: “Cleaning RFP Questions”. Responses will be provided to all interested bidders by November 12, 2026. This written question and answer period is the only opportunity for individuals to receive responses to complex questions. Questions and answers are considered a modification to the RFP. Site inspections are available on the dates and times shown in Attachment A, A committee comprised of CAP staff will review each eligible proposal and make recommendations to CAP’s Executive Management Team. After approval, a contract between the successful Proposer and CAP will be executed. Review criteria can be found in the Evaluation Section.

SOLICITATION SCHEDULE

Action Date – Release of RFP October 19, 2026

Proposers’ Written Questions Deadline – November 9, 2026, by 5:00 p.m.

Deadline for Receipt of Proposals November 30, 2026, by 3 p.m. Local Time

Contract Awards Complete – December 15, 2026

Cleaning begins – January 1, 2027

WHO MAY APPLY

Proposers must be commercial cleaning services capable of providing after-hours custodial services as outlined in this RFP. Preference will be given to organizations with at least three (3) years of continuous cleaning experience.

GENERAL CONDITIONS

The release of this Request for Proposals does not constitute an acceptance of any offer, nor does such release in any way obligate the execution of a contract with any Proposer. CAP reserves the right to accept or reject proposals on the basis of the conditions set forth in this RFP and to evaluate all accepted proposals on the criteria included in this document.

Proposers should note:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Specifications contained in this RFP are subject to change.

CAP will not be liable for costs incurred in the preparation of proposals or negotiation of contracts. CAP will not be liable for costs or purchases made prior to the execution of the contract. Upon submission, all proposals, in their entirety, become the property of CAP. The award of a contract for any proposed service is contingent upon the favorable evaluation of the proposal and successful negotiation of any changes to the proposal required by CAP.

CAP reserves the right to negotiate the final terms of all contracts with successful Proposers. CAP may require selected Proposers to attend a meeting to discuss their proposal and contract provisions. Items that may be negotiated include, but are not limited to, the type and scope of services, cost and fees, production schedules, and service levels. Likewise, CAP also reserves the right to accept any proposal without substantive negotiation. Therefore, proposers are advised to propose their most favorable terms with their initial submission. CAP reserves the right to reject all proposals and re-issue the RFP at any time prior to the execution of a final contract; to require in any RFP for similar products and/or services that may be issued subsequent to this RFP, terms and conditions that are substantially different from the terms and conditions set forth in this RFP; or to cancel this RFP with or without issuing another RFP.

CAP further reserves the right:

a. b. to reject the proposal of any Proposer that, in CAP’s sole judgment, has been delinquent or unfaithful in the performance of any contract associated with CAP, is financially or technically incapable, or is otherwise not a responsible Proposer. to waive any informality, defect, non-responsiveness, and/or deviation from this RFP that 5c. d. e. f. g. h. is not, in CAP’s sole judgment, material to the proposal to permit or reject, at CAP’s sole discretion, amendments (including information inadvertently omitted), modifications, alterations, and/or corrections to proposals by one or more of the Proposers following proposal submission. to request that one or more of the Proposers modify their proposals or provide additional information to request additional or clarifying information from any Proposer at any time, including information inadvertently omitted by a Proposer to require that Proposers appear for interviews and/or presentations of their proposals at CAP offices to inspect projects similar in type and scope to the work sought in this RFP and/or to inspect the Proposer’s facilities to be used in furnishing goods or services required by the RFP to conduct such investigations as CAP considers appropriate with respect to the qualifications of any Proposer and with respect to the information contained in any proposal.

In order to review proposal(s) quickly and efficiently, all proposals must be presented in the designated format with all budget and other forms completed thoroughly and accurately. CAP reserves the right to reject any proposal not formatted consistently with the proposal format requirements.

CAP reserves the right to negotiate with successful Proposers for the inclusion of services to groups and for the inclusion of activities other than those described. Changes may be instituted at any time during the contract period with advance notice to Proposers.

If a selected Proposer fails to provide the information required to begin negotiations in a timely manner, fails to negotiate in good faith or indicates they cannot perform the contract within the budgeted funds available for the project or, if a selected Proposer and CAP after a good faith effort, cannot come to terms, CAP may terminate negotiations with that particular Proposer and commence negotiations with any other Proposer.

CAP reserves the right to increase or decrease the areas and amount of space to be cleaned as well as the frequency of cleaning with notice to the successful bidder. Such increases and decreases will cause a change in the amount of the agreement. For this reason, it is critical that the Proposer follow the instructions found in the Proposal Format and Content that requires the Proposer to submit costs by building address.

Initially it is possible that a portion of the space will be cleaned by another provider during the initial phase of the agreement requiring a gradual implementation of the cleaning schedule for certain buildings.

CONTRACT AWARD

CAP shall award a contract to the responsible and responsive Proposer(s) whose proposal is determined to provide the best overall value to CAP as to the most favorable in terms of 62. 3. 4. 5. apparent ability to perform the required services efficiently and effectively. CAP reserves the right to enter into an agreement with a provider whether or not the proposal contains the lowest cost. Proposers must detail in their proposal their reasons for objection to any part of these terms and conditions and include in their proposal proposed alternate language. Time is of the essence in the award of a contract. Hindrance of the award process due to the extent of a Proposer’s proposed modifications may have a negative impact on CAP’s assessment of that Proposal. No portion of these services may be subcontracted without prior CAP approval. Contract Content – The contract resulting from the award of this RFP will consist of this RFP (which includes CAP’s General Conditions), the Proposer’s proposal, and any additional information deemed necessary as a result of the negotiations held with the successful Proposer. Insurance – the successful Proposer, at its expense, shall carry and maintain, in full force at all times during the contract term:

a. Carry insurance for Commercial General Liability, Business Automotive Liability and Workers Compensation.

b. Maintain the following minimum coverage: Workers Compensation: As required by statute Employer’s Liability: $100,000 each accident $500,000 Aggregate for Bodily Injury by Disease-Policy Limit $100,000 Each Employee-Bodily Injury by Disease Automotive Liability $1,000,000 Combined Single Limit Commercial General Liability with the following minimum coverage: General Aggregate $2,000,000 Products – Completed/Ops Aggregate $2,000,000 Personal and Advertising Injury $1,000,000 Each Occurrence $1,000,000 Fire Damage $ 50,000 Medical Expense (any one person) $ 5,000 Umbrella Liability: $1,000,000 Combined Single Limit

c. Insurance must be purchased through companies which have been rated “A-” or greater by A.M. Best Rating Service.

d. All required insurance will include CAP of Lancaster County as an additional insured on the Commercial General Liability coverage in the minimum amounts as indicated above for all work/services performed by the contract. The Additional Insured coverage must be primary and non-contributory with respect to CAP of Lancaster County policies wherein they are listed a named insured. The successful Proposer will provide CAP of Lancaster County with proof of insurance prior to the commencement of performance. Proposer shall provide at least 30 days’ notice to CAP of Lancaster County of any applicable aforementioned insurance policy cancellation or any change in coverage of the aforementioned policies.

Proposer must agree to obey all OSHA, federal, state, county, and local laws or ordinances in any way pertaining to the requirements of the specification, and shall obtain any and all permits, etc. which may be necessary. The selected Proposer must notify CAP of any chemical switch within 10 business days and must submit the corresponding SDS.

The agreement for the custodial services will commence with the awarding of a contract on or about January 1, 2027 and end December 31, 2027 with an option to renew for an additional two-year period based on funding and performance. The agreement will be reviewed on an annual basis.

CAP, with advance written notice to provider, may terminate the agreement, all or in part, due to, but not limited to factors such as: a. b. c. CAP experiences a decrease in its funding of 10% or higher—unsatisfactory performance by the contractor. CAP loses an existing building site or relocates to a new building site.

CAP, with or without notice to the provider, may terminate the agreement due to serious issues such as, but not limited to:

a. theft, tampering with or unauthorized use of equipment;

b. unallowable use of funds;

c. unsafe acts;

d. breach of confidentiality (all financial, customer and employee information is considered confidential) and/or HIPAA violations;

e. provider’s employees or sub-contracted employees working in CAP facilities without the required background clearances.

f. activities performed by employees or agents of the provider that are not directly related to the cleaning specifications outlined in this RFP and which constitute a breach of the agreement.

The provider must provide CAP with a ninety (90) day written notice if it wishes to terminate the agreement.

SPECIFICATIONS

1. Background

CAP currently has twelve (12) locations that require custodial services. The total square footage 8 to be cleaned is approximately 112,649 square feet. This number is subject to change and CAP reserves the right to either add or delete locations, square footage and/or frequency of service(s). The approximate square footage to be cleaned by location is as follows: CAP Headquarters (41,507 sq. ft.), Formula Warehouse (2,472 sq. ft.), Crispus Attucks Admin (3,729 sq. ft.), Crispus Attucks Gym (9,716 Sq ft). Bridge House (12.250 sq. ft.), DVS (10.040 sq. ft.), PAT (1700 sq. ft.), Columbia Head Start (12,080 sq. ft.), Grace ELC (12.183 sq ft), Thaddeus Head Start (2,852 Sq. ft.), Columbia Outreach/WIC/ELRC (2,000 sq. ft.), and Ephrata Outreach (2,120 sq. ft.). The successful Proposer will be expected to provide quality service with minimal service call backs.

Normal operating hours are 6:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Cleaning is expected to occur before or after operating hours, in consultation with CAP’s administration. The Proposer is expected to work around occasional fluctuations in this schedule.

2. The Proposer will base its proposal on the cleaning schedules contained in the Janitorial

Learn more about our custodial needs and how to submit a proposal.

FAQ’S

1. Can I submit a proposal for only a few locations? No, we require bidders to send a proposal for all locations. 
2. Are bidders required to provide all periodic floor care services listed in the RFP, including stripping, waxing and machine scrubbing or do these requirements vary by location? Please refer to the spec sheet for what each property requires. 
3. Must all three references required be specifically located within Lancaster County? Yes, they must all be from Lancaster County, PA. 
4. Could you provide a PDF copy of the emergency route maps for all areas at each location?  There are no PDF copies of the emergency route maps. These are posted at the appropriate locations at each facility. 
5. What are the preferred cleaning days and hours for each property?  Refer to the Specifications sheet in the RFP for each location 
6. How was the square footage calculated for each property (e.g., based on exterior building dimensions)?  Exterior dimensions 
7. Is walk-through attendance required? No, but encouraged. 
8. Do you accept firms with less than 3 years of operational experience (company started in 2025)? Yes 
9. Would CAP consider alternative qualifications, such as our operational plan, staffing structure, insurance coverage, and management capabilities?  Yes 
10. Additionally, would references from an experienced local subcontractor or joint-venture partner satisfy this requirement? Yes 
11. Does CAP consider the experience of proposed management and supervisory personnel when evaluating newer cleaning businesses? Yes 
12. What is CAP looking for in asking for appropriate financial references? A reference from their primary bank indicating they have an account in good standing and the same from a vendor (e.g. who they buy their supplies from).