7-ITB-25-00248 Addendum No. 1.pdf

Addendum No. 1

ITB-25-00248

Irrigation Systems Installation Services

IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ CAREFULLY BEFORE SUBMITTING

BID

ISSUANCE DATE: August 8, 2025

SOLICITATION NUMBER: ITB-25-00248

SOLICITATION TITLE: Irrigation Systems Installation Services

PRIMARY CONTACT: James O’Brien, Senior Buyer

CONE OF SILENCE: A Cone of Silence is in effect for this procurement; therefore, no bidder interested party and/or their principals, officers, employees, attorneys, or agents shall communicate with County employees, the Hearing Master assigned to hear the applicable protest appeal and/or members of the Board of County Commissioners, including their aides and employees regarding this procurement and/or a related protest, except as otherwise provided in the Hillsborough County Procurement Protest Policy and Procedures Ordinance. The Cone of Silence does not prohibit a bidder from communicating with the Director of Procurement, staff in the Procurement Services Department, or the County’s attorney assigned to this procurement. Violating the Cone of Silence may disqualify the bidder from consideration for award. Please refer to the Instructions for complete details about the Cone of Silence.

NOTICE: This Addendum is an integral part of the Invitation to Bid under consideration by you as a Bidder in connection with the subject matter identified below. Hillsborough County deems all Bids to have been proffered in recognition and consideration of the entire Invitation to Bid including all issued Addenda.

THE INFORMATION INCLUDED HEREIN IS HEREBY INCORPORATED INTO THE CONTRACT DOCUMENTS OF THIS PRESENT BID MATTER AND SUPERSEDES ANY CONFLICTING CONTRACT DOCUMENTS OR PORTION

THEREOF PREVIOUSLY ISSUED.

REASON(S) FOR ADDENDUM: The County has revised the E-Verify requirement language in the bid specification document. Below is the revised Section 5.3 that replaces the original/current section in the bid document. The Bid closing date has also been extended.

1. Replace Section 5.3 in the bid document with the following:

5.3 Contractor Must Use E-Verify, Must Have Legally Authorized Workforce & Utilize IMAGE Best Practices

5.3.1 E-Verify

5.3.1.1 Pursuant to Florida Statutes Section 448.095, the Contractor (and its Subcontractors) are required to utilize the United States Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) E-Verify system for all newly hired employees. The E- Verify system is an Internet-based system operated by DHS that allows participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of newly hired employees.

5.3.1.2 Contractor is advised that there is no requirement that the Contractor must be registered with and use the E-Verify system prior to or at the time the Contractor submits its bid/offer to the County. However, in the event the Contractor is selected for the award of this contract, then the Contractor is required to be registered with, and use the E-Verify system. The County shall not award this contract to the Contractor if the Contractor has not complied with the E-Verify registration and usage requirements set forth in Florida Statutes Section 448.095 by or at the time of contract award.

5.3.1.3 Pursuant to Florida Statutes Section 448.095, the Contractor must obtain an affidavit from its Subcontractors stating that the Subcontractor does not employ, contract with, or subcontract with an unauthorized alien. The Contractor is required to maintain a copy of such affidavit for the duration of the Contract Period and shall provide the County with a copy of such affidavit within three (3) Business Days of the County’s request for said affidavit.

5.3.1.4 Contractor is advised that pursuant to Florida Statutes Section 448.095, the County is required to terminate this Contract if it has a good faith belief that the Contractor knowingly violated Florida Statutes Section 448.09(1); whereupon the Contractor will not be eligible for award of a public contract for at least one

(1) year from the date of such termination.

5.3.1.5 Contractor is advised that pursuant to Florida Statutes Section 448.095, if the County has a good faith belief that a Subcontractor knowingly violated Florida Statutes Section 448.095(2) (but that the Contractor has otherwise complied with said Florida Statute), that the County is required to promptly notify the Contractor of such violation and order the Contractor to immediately terminate its contract with the applicable Subcontractor.

5.3.2 Legally Authorized Workforce

5.3.2.1 Contractor is advised that the County has entered into an agreement (the IMAGE Agreement) with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) wherein the County will, in part, seek to promote the principles of ethical business conduct, prevent knowingly hiring unauthorized workers through self-governance, and encourage voluntary reporting of the discovery of unauthorized workers to ICE. Accordingly, by submitting its Offer, Contractor represents and warrants:

5.3.2.1.1 that Contractor is in compliance with all applicable Federal, State and local laws, including, but not limited to, the laws related to the requirement of an employer to verify an employee’s eligibility to work in the United States;

5.3.2.1.2 that all of Contractor’s employees are legally eligible to work in the United States; and

5.3.2.1.3 that the Contractor has actively and affirmatively verified such eligibility utilizing the E-Verify system and/or the Federal Government’s Employment Eligibility Verification Form (the Form I-9).

5.3.2.2 A mere allegation of Contractor’s intent to use and/or current use of unauthorized workers may not be a basis to delay the County’s award of a Contract to the Contractor unless the County has a good faith belief that the Contractor knowingly violated Florida Statutes Section 448.09(1) or such allegation has been determined to be factual by ICE prior to the date the Contract is scheduled to be awarded by the County.

5.3.2.3 Good faith claims/beliefs of the Contractor’s use of unauthorized workers must be reported to both of the following agencies: The County’s Compliance Services hotline at (813) 272-6554; and ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423).

5.3.3 IMAGE Best Practices

Contractor is required to incorporate the following IMAGE Best Practices into its business and, when practicable, incorporate verification requirements into its agreements with Subcontractors:

5.3.3.1 Use the Department of Homeland Security employment eligibility verification program (E-Verify) to verify the employment eligibility of all new hires.

5.3.3.2 Use the Social Security Number Verification Service and make a good faith effort to correct and verify the names and Social Security numbers of the current workforce. Establish a written hiring and employment eligibility verification policy.

5.3.3.3 Establish an internal compliance and training program related to the hiring and employment verification process, to include, but not be limited to, completion of Form I-9, how to detect fraudulent use of documents in the verification process, and how to use E-Verify and the Social Security Number Verification Service.

5.3.3.4 Require the Form I-9 and E-Verify process to be conducted only by individuals who have received appropriate training and include a secondary review as part of each employee’s verification to minimize the potential for a single individual to subvert the process.

5.3.3.5 Arrange for annual Form I-9 audits by an external auditing firm or a trained employee not otherwise involved in the Form I-9 process.

5.3.3.6 Establish a procedure to report to ICE credible information of suspected criminal misconduct in the employment eligibility verification process.

5.3.3.7 Establish a program to assess subcontractors’ compliance with employment eligibility verification requirements. Encourage contractors to incorporate the IMAGE Best Practices contained in this paragraph and, when practicable, incorporate the verification requirements in Subcontractor agreements.

5.3.3.8 Establish a protocol for responding to letters received from Federal and State government agencies indicating that there is a discrepancy between the agency’s information and the information provided by the employer or employee; for example, “no match” letters received from the Social Security Administration.

5.3.3.9 Establish a tip line mechanism (inbox, e-mail, etc.) for employees to report activity relating to the employment of unauthorized workers, and a protocol for responding to employee tips.

5.3.3.10 Establish and maintain appropriate policies, practices, and safeguards against use of the verification process for unlawful discrimination, and to ensure that U.S. citizens and authorized workers do not face discrimination with respect to hiring, firing, recruitment or referral for a fee because of citizenship status or national origin.

5.3.3.11 Maintain copies of any documents accepted as proof of identity and/or employment authorization for all new hires.

2. The Bid Closing Date/Time has been extended to Friday, August 15, 2025, at 2:00 PM.