HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Records RequestCity of Cape Canaveral
City Council Agenda Form
City Council Meeting Date: 08/16/2016
Item No. ________
Subject: Award the Bid for construction of the Oxidation Ditch Rehabilitation Project to Florida Design Contractors, Inc. of Lake Park, Florida in the amount of $2,574,000 and authorize
the City Manager to execute the Construction Agreement for same.
Department: Public Works Services
Summary: Public Works Services (PWS) invited qualified Licensed Contractors in accordance with the City’s Purchasing Policy and Florida Statutes to submit a Bid for construction of
the Oxidation Ditch Rehabilitation Project (Project description: City of Cape Canaveral Wastewater Treatment Plant [WWTP] Improvements for Oxidation Ditch Rehabilitation). The Project
work includes construction of a back-up oxidation ditch system to allow for redundancy in this portion of the wastewater treatment process. The existing equalization basin will be reconfigured
to act as an emergency oxidation ditch system which will allow for improved maintenance since each system can be temporarily shut down for cleaning, repairs, etc. Completion of this
Project was recommended by several consulting firms over the past 10 years and identified as a critical issue, due to lack of redundancy.
Firm Selection Process. Staff advertised this bid opportunity on May 27, 2016 by posting (1) a legal ad in the Florida Today newspaper, (2) a notice on the City’s web page and (3) bid
information to Onvia, Inc., bid service (DemandStar). In addition to a “Bid Submittal” notation which provided that the contract will be awarded pursuant to the requirements of applicable
state and federal laws and regulations, the Advertisement for Bids also expressly provided as follows: “SPECIFIC CRITERIA: The Contractor performing this service shall have a strong
background in providing a positive working relationship with Cities having a Council/City Manager type government and a history of performing construction of wastewater treatment plants.”
A mandatory pre-bid meeting for all bidders was held on May 3, 2016. Four sealed bid submittals were received and publicly opened at the WWTP Training Room on June 30, 2016. PWS Staff
and consulting engineering staff (Tetra Tech) analyzed the bid submittals and, due to the critical nature of the Project, requested additional information from the two low bidders.
Of particular interest was each firm’s project experience in the installation of aeration systems at WWTPs. Supplemental information was requested of the two lowest bidders, as one
bidder had provided three submitted projects which appeared to generally fall within the “similar projects” category, while the other did not appear to provide any projects which fell
within the “similar projects” category; additional information was requested of both bidders to either supplement its provided information or submit other projects which would meet
the requirements. A summary of the four sealed bids submitted for the Project is included in Attachment #1. Additional project information submitted by the two lowest bidding firms
is also included in Attachment #1.
Upon review of the additional project information from the two bidders, PWS Staff and consulting engineering staff are recommending that the Project be awarded to Florida Design Contractors,
Inc. (FDC) with a bid amount of $2,574,000. Although R2T, Inc. was the low bidder with a bid of $2,412,060, FDC is recommended for this Project due to the following:
Extensive experience with aeration systems at WWTPs throughout Florida;
Extensive experience in performing similar projects such as the City’s oxidation ditch rehabilitation project;
More relevant construction experience than the low bidder (R2T, Inc.); and
FDC’s excellent performance in the recent construction of the City’s new reclaimed water tank and belt press expansion project.
The consulting engineering staff’s evaluation letter recommending FDC for the Project is included in Attachment #1. Said letter addresses and compares, amongst the two lowest bidders,
the “SPECIFIC CRITERIA” expressly provided for in the Advertisement for Bids. Notably, the consultant’s letter provides that the lowest bidder, R2T, Inc., “was unable to produce projects
that meet the intent of the required qualifications,” and, that “conversely, Florida Design Contractors, 2nd lowest bidder, was able to supplement projects and met the intent of the
similar projects requirements stated in Section 00303.” The consultant’s evaluation/recommendation letter also provided that FDC is a well-regarded general contractor with the local
municipalities, which additionally had recently successfully completed a project for the City. The City concurs with the consulting engineering staff’s recommendation that FDC should
be awarded the Project. A proposed Construction Agreement with FDC is included as Attachment #2. Further, in accordance with Section 2-218 of the City Code, City Staff has prepared
this Agenda form providing for the full and complete statement of the reasons for placing the contract elsewhere than with the lowest bidder and shall file a copy of same with the other
documents relating to the invitation for bids.
Project Estimated Costs and Funding. This Project is funded through the City’s State Revolving Fund (SRF) Loan; adequate funds are available to fully fund this Project. It is important
to note that the Construction Industry/Economy is now a “Contractor’s Market” – trending conditions benefit now-busy contractors while owners pay more as the housing/construction market
rebounds and the economy continues to improve overall. While still early in the Contractor’s Market, the steady growth of the economy signals that construction prices will continue
to escalate. Therefore, the City is best served by moving forward with the Project as quickly as possible.
Submitting Department Director: Joshua Surprenant Date:
Summary: Public Works Services (PWS) invited qualified Licensed Contractors in accordance with the City’s Purchasing Policy and Florida Statutes to submit a Bid for construction of the
Oxidation Ditch Rehabilitation Project (Project description: City of Cape Canaveral Wastewater Treatment Plant [WWTP] Improvements for Oxidation Ditch Rehabilitation). The Project work
includes construction of a back-up oxidation ditch system to allow for redundancy in this portion of the wastewater treatment process. The existing equalization basin will be reconfigured
to act as an emergency oxidation ditch system which will allow for improved maintenance since each system can be temporarily shut down for cleaning, repairs, etc. Completion of this
Project was recommended by several consulting firms over the past 10 years and identified as a critical issue, due to lack of redundancy.
Firm Selection Process. Staff advertised this bid opportunity on May 27, 2016 by posting (1) a legal ad in the Florida Today newspaper, (2) a notice on the City’s web page and (3) bid
information to Onvia, Inc., bid service (DemandStar). In addition to a “Bid Submittal” notation which provided that the contract will be awarded pursuant to the requirements of applicable
state and federal laws and regulations, the Advertisement for Bids also expressly provided as follows: “SPECIFIC CRITERIA: The Contractor performing this service shall have a strong
background in providing a positive working relationship with Cities having a Council/City Manager type government and a history of performing construction of wastewater treatment plants.”
A mandatory pre-bid meeting for all bidders was held on May 3, 2016. Four sealed bid submittals were received and publicly opened at the WWTP Training Room on June 30, 2016. PWS Staff
and consulting engineering staff (Tetra Tech) analyzed the bid submittals and, due to the critical nature of the Project, requested additional information from the two low bidders.
Of particular interest was each firm’s project experience in the installation of aeration systems at WWTPs. Supplemental information was requested of the two lowest bidders, as one
bidder had provided three submitted projects which appeared to generally fall within the “similar projects” category, while the other did not appear to provide any projects which fell
within the “similar projects” category; additional information was requested of both bidders to either supplement its provided information or submit other projects which would meet
the requirements. A summary of the four sealed bids submitted for the Project is included in Attachment #1. Additional project information submitted by the two lowest bidding firms
is also included in Attachment #1.
Upon review of the additional project information from the two bidders, PWS Staff and consulting engineering staff are recommending that the Project be awarded to Florida Design Contractors,
Inc. (FDC) with a bid amount of $2,574,000. Although R2T, Inc. was the low bidder with a bid of $2,412,060, FDC is recommended for this Project due to the following:
Extensive experience with aeration systems at WWTPs throughout Florida;
Extensive experience in performing similar projects such as the City’s oxidation ditch rehabilitation project;
More relevant construction experience than the low bidder (R2T, Inc.); and
FDC’s excellent performance in the recent construction of the City’s new reclaimed water tank and belt press expansion project.
The consulting engineering staff’s evaluation letter recommending FDC for the Project is included in Attachment #1. Said letter addresses and compares, amongst the two lowest bidders,
the “SPECIFIC CRITERIA” expressly provided for in the Advertisement for Bids. Notably, the consultant’s letter provides that the lowest bidder, R2T, Inc., “was unable to produce projects
that meet the intent of the required qualifications,” and, that “conversely, Florida Design Contractors, 2nd lowest bidder, was able to supplement projects and met the intent of the
similar projects requirements stated in Section 00303.” The consultant’s evaluation/recommendation letter also provided that FDC is a well-regarded general contractor with the local
municipalities, which additionally had recently successfully completed a project for the City. The City concurs with the consulting engineering staff’s recommendation that FDC should
be awarded the Project. A proposed Construction Agreement with FDC is included as Attachment #2. Further, in accordance with Section 2-218 of the City Code, City Staff has prepared
this Agenda form providing for the full and complete statement of the reasons for placing the contract elsewhere than with the lowest bidder and shall file a copy of same with the other
documents relating to the invitation for bids.
Project Estimated Costs and Funding. This Project is funded through the City’s State Revolving Fund (SRF) Loan; adequate funds are available to fully fund this Project. It is important
to note that the Construction Industry/Economy is now a “Contractor’s Market” – trending conditions benefit now-busy contractors while owners pay more as the housing/construction market
rebounds and the economy continues to improve overall. While still early in the Contractor’s Market, the steady growth of the economy signals that construction prices will continue
to escalate. Therefore, the City is best served by moving forward with the Project as quickly as possible.
Submitting Department Director: Joshua Surprenant Date:
Attachments:
#1 - Bid Summary/Engineer’s Evaluation Letter/Additional Bidder Project Information
#2 - Construction Agreement
Financial Impact: $2,574,000 for construction of the Oxidation Ditch Rehabilitation Project to Florida Design Contractors, Inc. of Lake Park, Florida funded by the State Revolving Fund
(SRF) Loan. Staff time and effort to prepare this Agenda Item.
Reviewed by Administrative/Financial
Services Director: John DeLeo Date:
The City Manager recommends that City Council take the following action: Award the Bid for construction of the Oxidation Ditch Rehabilitation Project to Florida Design Contractors,
Inc. of Lake Park, Florida in the amount of $2,574,000 and authorize the City Manager to execute the Construction Agreement for same.
Approved by City Manager: David L. Greene Date: