2-0.1 Instructions Information.pdf

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ) FOR PROFESSIONAL

ENGINEERING SERVICES FOR WATER TOWER AT CATALYST

INDUSTRIAL PARK (CIP)

(Short Title: WATER TOWER ENGINEERING AT CIP)

RFQ Number: 2026-12

• Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) does not discriminate because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, genetics, handicap status, income status, or family status. Suwannee County is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

• MBE/WBE businesses are encouraged to participate.

• Suwannee County BCC strictly enforces open and fair competition.

ADA - Special Accommodations: Any person requiring accommodation by the County due to a disability should call the Purchasing Office at 386-477-1002 or 386-364-3400 at least five (5) business days prior to any pre-response conference, response opening, or meeting. If you are hearing or speech impaired, please contact the County Procurement by the Florida Relay Service, which can be reached at 1-800-955-8771 (TDD).

Contents

INTENT AND GENERAL INFORMATION

1. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

2. CONE OF SILENCE

3. SCOPE OF WORK

4. PROPOSAL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS

5. PROPOSAL RECEIPT AND OPENING

6. EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS AND SELECTION PROCESS

7. INTENT TO AWARD AND CONTRACT EXECUTION

8. APPENDICES (AS SEPARATE DOCUMENTS)

INTENT AND GENERAL INFORMATION

In accordance with section 287.055, Florida Statutes, known as the Consultants Competitive Negotiation Act (CCNA), the Suwannee County, Florida, Board of County Commissioners (the "County") Request for Qualifications (RFQ) 2026-12 is seeking Proposals from engineering firms (the "Proposer") to provide professional engineering services for the design of a new water tower at the Catalyst Industrial Park.

Firms and individuals interested in this Project must submit a Proposal at this time.

A Proposer interested in preparing a response for this RFQ must complete the requirements set forth in this RFQ, its attached documents, and documents incorporated by reference, and any addendum issued by the County, (collectively referred to as the "RFQ"). Under the proposal process of Suwannee County BCC, the conditions set forth herein are binding on the Proposer as confirmed by the signature of a person with legal authority to bind the Proposer on the cover letter transmitting its Proposal to the County in response to this RFQ.

It is understood and the Proposer hereby agrees to be solely responsible for obtaining all materials and documents and hereby determining the best methods that will be utilized to meet the intent of the RFQ.

Proposers are expected to examine all documents, requirements, specifications, and all instructions pertaining to the required Work. Failure to do so will be at the Proposer's risk.

The County is not liable for any costs incurred by the Proposer in preparing its response, nor is a response to any inquiry an offer to contract with any Proposer. Pursuant to Section 119.07, Florida Statutes, all responses are subject to Florida's public record laws, unless exempt as provided in Chapter 119, Florida Statutes.

While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and completeness of information in this RFQ, it is recognized that the information may not be complete in every detail and that all work may not be expressly mentioned in the RFQ. It is the responsibility of the Proposer to include in its Proposal all pertinent information in accordance with this RFQ

1. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Failure to comply with this or any other paragraph of this RFQ shall be sufficient reason for rejection of the Proposal.

All times listed in the Schedule of Events for this RFQ are Eastern Standard Time (EST).

1.1. Questions: Any questions concerning specifications and/or documents should be asked in the public questions and answers section for the specific solicitation. Deadline for questions Friday, September 25th, 2026, before 5:00 pm. Any, and all, such interpretations and any supplemental instructions will be in the form of a written addendum which, if issued, will be posted on the County’s procurement portal, suwanneecountyfl.bonfirehub.com. All addenda so issued shall become part of the documents.

1.2. It is the responsibility of the Proposer to monitor the County's procurement website to determine if any postings have occurred regarding this RFQ, as provided in section 1.1, above.

The failure of the Proposer to address the posting may be a basis to determine that the Proposer is non-responsive to this RFQ.

1.3. Respondents will be notified of the County's desire to enter additional discussions and/or schedule oral presentations. The Schedule of Events will be amended as appropriate to reflect such.

Event Date/Time/Location Advertisement and Release of RFQ Date 09/02/26 Questions Due 09/25/26, 5:00 p.m.

Proposals Due • 10/05/26, 10:00 a.m.

• Paper Submissions: Suwannee County Clerk to the Circuit Court, Cashier’s Window, 200 S Ohio Ave, Live Oak, FL 32064

• Digital Submissions:

suwanneecountyfl.bonfirehub.com

Proposal Unsealing 10/05/26, 10:05 a.m.

Suwannee County Administration, Conference Room, 224 Pine Ave SW, Live Oak, FL 32064.

2. CONE OF SILENCE

2.1. A cone of silence shall be established on all County competitive selection processes. The cone of silence pertains to all solicitations (ITB, RFP, RFQ or other competitive solicitations), and prohibits any communication regarding such solicitation between the bidder (or its agents or representatives) or anyone on behalf of the bidder regarding such solicitation, and any County Commissioner or County employee, selection committee member or other persons authorized to act on behalf of the Board including the County’s Architect, Engineer or their subconsultants, or anyone designated to provide a recommendation to award a particular contract, other than Procurement Department staff. The cone of silence shall be in effect from the time of advertisement until contract award. Violation of the cone of silence by, or on behalf of, a bidder shall be grounds for disqualification from competing in the competitive solicitation.

2.2. No interpretation of the meaning of the plans, specifications, or this RFQ shall be made to a Proposer orally. Any such oral or other interpretations or clarifications shall be without legal effect.

All requests for interpretations or clarifications shall be in writing and posted on the County’s website, as provided herein.

2.3. Exceptions to the Cone of Silence Policy:

2.3.1. Communications at any public proceeding or meeting related to the competitive solicitation, including pre-bid conferences and selection committee presentations.

2.3.2. Communications during contract negotiations between designated County employees and the intended contract awardee.

2.3.3. Communication with a vendor/contractor by a Procurement Department employee following bid opening to clarify the vendor’s bid or intended scope of services.

2.3.4. Communication following the filing of a protest between the protesting party and the Procurement Department, County Administrator’s Office and County Attorney’s Office, including, but not limited to, during the dispute resolution process provided herein.

2.3.5. Purchases exempt from competitive selection, sole source procurements, single source procurements, and emergency procurements, as defined in this Policy Manual.

2.3.6. Communications with existing vendors/contractors in the performance of existing contracts.

3. SCOPE OF WORK

3.1. Project Background

This project is to design and engineer a new water tower at the Suwannee County Catalyst Industrial Park on County property (parcel number: 02-02S-12E-09820-001000). The Project is located off US Hwy 90, just west of the US 90 & I-10 interchange in Live Oak, Florida. The project will be for a new 1 million gallon Hydropillar Elevated Water Storage Tank (EST) and related water infrastructure improvements connection to the existing watermain lines from the Catalyst Water Treatment Plant. The project will provide storage capacity for industrial operations, domestic use, fire protection, emergency supply, and future expansion while improving system reliability and operating pressures throughout the industrial park.

The selected consultant will provide full engineering and project management services for the new elevated water tank, including:

• Water demand and storage analysis

• Hydraulic modeling and system integration

• Site confirmation and evaluation

• Surveying and geotechnical investigations

• Civil site development and drainage design

• Utility modifications and waterline connections

• Permitting and regulatory coordination

• Preparation of construction documents and procurement assistance

• Construction administration and inspection

3.1.1. Project Funding and Budget:

The project is grant funded.

3.2. Project Team

3.2.1. Project Owner & Team: The County is the project owner and the contracting agency and will handle grant administration.

3.2.2. Design Team: The Design Professional (awarded from this RFQ) is responsible for performing all engineering, design, and permit development services on the Project.

3.3. Project Milestones and Target Date* (Anticipated):

*The milestones and/or target dates are subject to change based on the actual date of the contract execution or other unknown factors.

RFQ Award October 20th, 2026 Survey Completion November 2026 Geotechnical Investigations Finished December 2026 Environmental Coordination Finalized January 2027 Preliminary Engineering Design Complete May 2027 Dinal Design & Construction Documents Complete August 2027

The successful Proposer will be required to comply with all grant agreement requirements, hereby incorporated by reference and will be provided as “xx0.4? Grant Agreements.”

3.4. Scope of Services

Phase 1: Pre-Construction

• Complete surveys as needed for design and permitting.

• Perform all required geotechnical investigations prior to design initiation.

• Integrate existing environmental assessment findings and coordinate with FDEP and other regulatory agencies as needed on required mitigation or compliance items.

Phase 2: Engineering and Design

• Provide full design for a complete 1-million-gallon potable water tank system, including new distribution piping to serve future commercial users. The prime consultant must be a Florida-licensed engineering firm.

• Deliver value engineering and cost estimates based on current regional construction pricing.

• Coordinate and obtain all necessary FDEP water and construction permits required or other agency/federal permits for bid solicitation and final construction.

4. PROPOSAL RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS

4.1. The County has established certain mandatory requirements that must be included as part of any response, that are described in Section 4.16, hereby incorporated by reference. The use of the terms “shall,” “must,” or “will” (expect to indicate simple futurity) in the RFQ indicated desirable attributes or conditions but are permissive in nature. Deviation from, or omission of, such a desirable feature will not by itself cause rejection of a Proposal.

4.2. Proposals not meeting all material requirements of the request, or which fail to provide all required information documents, or materials such as requested forms, etc., will be rejected as non-responsive. Material requirements of the bid are those set forth as mandatory, or without which an adequate analysis and comparison of replies is impossible, or those which affect the competitiveness of replies or the cost to the County.

4.3. The County reserves the right to determine which proposals meet the material requirements of the RFQ and which proposals are responsible and/or responsive.

4.4. All names shall be printed in ink or typed below the signatures.

4.5. The Proposal shall contain an acknowledgement of receipt of all addenda by providing acknowledgement page attached to any posted addenda.

4.6. The mailing and email addresses and telephone number for communication regarding the Proposal shall be shown on the Summary Form titled as “0.2 Summary Form.”

4.7. A Proposer seeking to do business with the County shall, at the time of submitting a Proposal, be appropriately registered with the Department of State in accordance with the provisions of Chapters 605, 607, 617, or 620 Florida Statutes, as applicable. For further information on required filing and forms, please go to the following sites: http://sunbiz.org/index.html or https://www.dos.myflorida.com/.

The Proposal shall contain evidence of Proposer’s authority and qualifications to do business in the state or locality where the Project is located, or Proposer shall covenant in writing to obtain such qualification prior to award of the Contract and attach such covenant to the Proposal.

4.8. The Proposer shall be appropriately registered with the System for Awards Management (SAM.gov) at the time of submitting a proposal. Please visit SAM.gov for additional information regarding registration. If a Proposer has already registered with SAM.gov, a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number must be provided.

4.9. The proposal must address the requirements in a clear and concise manner in the order stated herein.

4.10. Proposals must include the information/documents specified and requested in the RFQ. Proposals that do not adhere to the format or include the requested information/documents may be considered incomplete and therefore unresponsive by the County. Proposer shall submit a preliminary schedule narrative and milestone timeline reflecting its approach to meeting the County’s target milestones. The schedule must include preconstruction activities. Proposals must include the information/documents specified and requested in the RFQ. Proposals that do not adhere to the format or include the requested information/documents may be considered incomplete and therefore unresponsive by the County.

4.11. Proposer shall submit a preliminary schedule narrative and milestone timeline reflecting its approach to meeting the County’s target milestones. The schedule must include preconstruction activities, including Surveys, Geotechnical Surveys and Reports, and Environmental Assessments.

The schedule is for evaluation purposes only and is not a guaranteed contract schedule until incorporated into the negotiated Agreement. The schedule is for evaluation purposes only and is not a guaranteed contract schedule until incorporated into the negotiated Agreement.

4.12. The County reserves the right to seek additional/supplemental presentations on specific issues as needed.

4.13. Proposals must be typed or clearly written. No changes in or corrections to Proposals will be allowed after the Proposals are opened.

4.14. The signer of the Proposal must declare that the Proposal is in all respects fair and in good faith without collusion or fraud and that the signer of the Proposal has the authority to bind the principal Proposer.

4.15. The County shall not be liable for any costs incurred by Proposer prior to entering into a contract.

Therefore, all Proposers are encouraged to provide a simple, straightforward, and concise description of their ability to meet the RFQ requirements.

4.16. The following information should be used to format proposals:

All hard, paper submittals shall include one original and three copies (4 total sets of documents) of the following information and shall be organized in the order listed below.

**(DO NOT submit binders or glue bound/spined responses)** Submission Requirements.

Title Page: Include name of firm, address, phone number, contact person.

Summary Page from solicitation packet (0.2 Summary Form).

A. Table of Contents

B. Letter of Transmittal: Limit to one page.

C. Describe the firm’s experience with projects of similar size and scope. Limit to one

(1) page.

D. Describe the team and/or individuals experience with projects of similar size and scope. Include the respective roles and responsibilities of each team member. Limit to fifteen (15) pages.

E. Proposer shall submit a preliminary schedule narrative and milestone timeline reflecting its approach to meeting the County’s target design milestones. The schedule must include preconstruction activities, Water Tower design development to construction documents, development timeline, permitting, 30% Design, 60% Design, 90% Design and Final 100% Construction and Permit Documents.

F. References, Conflicts, and Failure to Preform Questionnaire: Forms provided in “0.3 Required Forms.”

G. Provide applicable licenses and a statement that the firm is qualified to perform the requested services in the State of Florida. Include copies of applicable licenses, registrations, and certifications of the firm and pertinent personnel who will participate in the project.

a. If applicable, provide Minority and Women Business Enterprise (MWBE) Certification

H. Any supplemental information that might enhance the County’s understanding of the firm and its experience/qualifications. Limit to one (1) page.

I. SAM.gov screenshot/proof & E-Verify MOU

J. Required Forms:

1. Indemnification and Hold Harmless Acknowledgement

2. Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action Statement

3. Ethical Business Practices Clause

4. Anti-Collusion Acknowledgement Form

5. Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form

6. Debarment Form

7. Addenda Acknowledgement (if applicable)

5. PROPOSAL RECEIPT AND OPENING

5.1. All Proposals shall be submitted in accordance with Section 1.0. Schedule of Events. As stated within the table, all proposals should either be submitted to the Suwannee County Clerk of the Circuit Court (200 S Ohio Ave, Live Oak, FL 32064), or through the procurement portal (suwanneecountyfl.bonfirehub.com). All proposals will be date/time stamped – either electronically or by hand – at the time of receipt.

5.2. The responsibility for submitting the Proposal no later than the specified time and date is solely the responsibility of the Proposer. The County will in no way be responsible for delays in mail delivery or delays caused for any other occurrence.

5.3. Submission of Proposals by fax, other electronic means, or any other location than the Clerk’s Office or the online portal will not be accepted.

5.4. Any Proposals received after the stated time and date will not be considered. Late Proposals will not be opened at the public opening. Arrangements may be made for the unopened Proposal to be returned at the Proposer’s request and expense.

5.5. A Proposal may be withdrawn or modified only by written notification from the Proposer prior to the time fixed for the opening of Proposals. Negligence on the part of the Proposer in preparing the Proposal does not constitute the right for withdrawal of the Proposal after it has been opened.

5.6. All Proposals will be opened on the date and time indicated in Section 1.0, Schedule of Events (i.e., date Proposals are due) or as modified by addendum.

5.7. Time is of the essence. The Engineer shall complete all design services and achieve Substantial Completion by the Contract Date. For each calendar day of delay attributable to the Engineer, the County may impose liquidated damages, and the Engineer shall forfeit construction-phase fees and general conditions for the period of delay. No extension of Contract Time shall be granted unless the Engineer demonstrates that the delay affected the critical path and was not caused by the Engineer or its subcontractors.

6. EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS AND SELECTION PROCESS

6.1. Proposals for this RFQ that satisfy the required qualifications and are deemed to be responsive and responsible shall be ranked by a Selection Committee appointed by the County Administrator.

6.2. In ranking proposals, the Selection Committee shall evaluate the proposals based on this RFQ, the information provided by the Proposer, and rank each proposal for compliance with the qualifications of each Proposer and compliance with the mandatory requirements of the RFQ.

6.3. Responses to this RFQ, not meeting the requirements specified herein, will be considered non-responsive or not responsible, as applicable.

6.4. In the best interest of the County, the Suwannee BCC reserves the right to reject any and all responses or waive any minor irregularity or technicality in responses received. Proposers are cautioned to make no assumptions unless their response has been deemed responsive.

6.5. The selection committee will evaluate the Proposals that are responsible and responsive to the requirements of this RFQ using the following weighted criteria:

6.6. Proposers may be selected for interviews or oral presentations (shortlisted) as may be necessary.

The County makes no commitment to any Proposer to this RFQ beyond consideration of the written response to this RFQ. All Proposers will be notified of the shortlisted and non-shortlisted Proposers as well as the date, time, and location of interviews and/or oral presentations. The County may consider any supplementary information from interviews or presentations in the evaluation.

6.7. Individual Committee members will be removed from the Committee if unable to participate in all reviews, and scoring will be based on the scores of the remaining Committee members.

6.8. Reference Checks: The County may conduct reference checks relevant to the proposal with any or all of the references cited in the Proposal to verify any and all information and rely on or consider any relevant information from such cited references in the evaluation of the Proposal.

6.9. Clarification from Proposals: The County may seek clarification from any or all Proposers and consider such supplementary information in the evaluation of the Proposal.

CRITERIA* SCORE

Experience with Similar Projects & Qualifications of Firm and Key Staff 40 References 20 Project Approach 20 Proposed Project Schedule/Milestone Plan 20

TOTAL MAXIMUM POINTS 100

7. INTENT TO AWARD AND CONTRACT EXECUTION

7.1. The County reserves the right to incorporate the successful proposal into the Contract. Failure of a firm to accept this obligation may result in the cancellation of the award to said Proposer and the County shall then negotiate with the next-ranked Proposer.

7.2. The construction, interpretation, and performance of this RFQ, and all transactions under it shall be governed by the laws of the State of Florida and Suwannee County. The Agreement shall include all terms and conditions of this RFQ, any addenda, response, and the County's contract issued as a result of this RFQ.

7.3. The selected Proposer will be required to assume responsibility for all services offered in the proposal. The County will consider the selected firm to be the sole point of contact regarding contractual matters, including payment on any or all charges.

7.4. All notices for the intent to award, award, or other events will be posted to the County's procurement portal.

7.5. The Proposals deemed best by the selection committee shall be presented to the Suwannee County BCC, who shall either accept and award or deny the recommendation of the selection committee as presented by the County Administrator.

7.6. After successful posting of the intent to award for 72 hours per Suwannee County Purchasing Policy, and Board approval of an award, County Staff will negotiate a contract with the successful Proposer in accordance with County policy, Florida Law, this RFQ, and the successful Proposer's proposal.

8. APPENDICES (AS SEPARATE DOCUMENTS)

8.1. 0.0 Advertisement

8.2. *0.2 Summary Form

8.3. *0.3 Required Forms

• *Qualification & Failure to Perform Questionnaire

• *References and Conflicts Table

• *Indemnification and Hold Harmless Acknowledgement

• *Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action Statement

• *Ethical Business Practices Clause

• *Anti-Collusion Acknowledgement Form

• *Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form

• *Debarment Form

• *Addenda Acknowledgement (if applicable)

8.4. 0.4 Draft Agreement

*Indicates forms/documents to submit with proposal.