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Anoka County Quote/Bid/Proposal Protest Anoka County recognizes the need to review and resolve complaints about its purchasing practices and procedure and has adopted this Policy to provide for any complaints. Any actual or prospective vendor or contractor who is aggrieved in connection with the solicitation or award of contract may protest to the Director of Central Services. A. Bid Protest. Each protest must be in writing and delivered by a certified letter to the Director of Central Services within five business days of the County’s notice of award and must include: 1. A notice of protest; 2. A statement of facts and the reasons for the protest; 3. All supporting documentation; and 4. Address all correspondence to: Bid Protest, Director of Central Services, Anoka County, 2100 3rd Ave, Suite 300, Anoka, MN 55303 B. Notification of Bid Protest. As soon as a bid protest is received, all award activity will be suspended. The Purchasing Manager and the Buyer will gather all relevant information about the solicitation, evaluation, and award of the bid and provide it to the Director of Central Services within five business days of being notified of the Bid Protest by the Director of Central Services. C. Decision. The Director of Central Services will review the information relevant to the solicitation and will decide on the merits of the protest, in a prompt manner but not longer than ten (10) days after the bid protest was received. The decision will be mailed to the protestor at the address set forth in the bid protest. A copy of the decision will be posted on the County Web-site. All documentation concerning the bid protest and the decision will be retained in the Purchasing Office. D. Appeal Process. An appeal of the Director of Central Services decision may be in writing and delivered by a certified letter by the protestor to the Director of Central Services within five business days of the release of the The Director of Central Services decision and must include: 1. A notice of an appeal to the Director of Central Services; 2. A statement of the nature and the reasons for the appeal, including claimed errors; 3. All supporting documents; and 4. A fee to cover the County’s cost for determining a bid protest will be made in the form of a certified check payable to the Anoka County Treasurer, in the amount of $1,000. All fees will be returned if the protest is upheld, otherwise the fee is non-refundable. Quote/Bid/Proposal Protest (continued) E. The Director of Central Services will deliver the protest and all relevant information about the solicitation, evaluation, and award of the bid to the County Attorney or designee. F. Hearing Date will be set by the Anoka County Attorney or designee for the appeal to commence, which date should not be later than thirty (30) days from the notice of appeal. The complainant will be presented with an opportunity to present their case to the County Attorney or designee. Appeal Decision. Upon the conclusion of the appeal, the County Attorney or designee will issue a decision within thirty (30) days of the conclusion of the appeal. Anoka County personnel will track all costs (wages, expenses, etc.) spent in the appeals process. The total cost will be subtracted from the $1,000 deposit. Any remaining balance will be returned to the vendor. If the appeal is upheld, the total deposit will be returned.