Contract Summary

DEP Contract No. GC676 is an Agreement for Storage Tank System Compliance Verification Program executed between the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Florida Department of Health, Escambia County Health Department. The contract covers compliance inspection and enforcement services for regulated underground and aboveground storage tank systems in Escambia, Bay, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and Walton Counties. The contract became effective July 1, 2007, and remained in effect through June 30, 2017, with provisions for renewal for additional terms not to exceed the original contract period or three years, whichever is longer. The DEP Contract Manager is Marshall Mott-Smith, and the Contractor's representative is Robert J. Merritt of the Escambia County Health Department.

The Contractor is responsible for performing compliance inspections, closure inspections, installation inspections, discharge inspections, and Level 1 enforcement actions at regulated storage tank system facilities. Services include completing inspection reports using the Florida Inspection Reporting for Storage Tanks (FIRST) database, issuing noncompliance and warning letters, investigating complaints, maintaining facility files, providing staff training, and submitting monthly invoices and annual financial statements. Compensation is provided on a fixed price basis determined by executed Task Assignment Notification Forms. The Contractor must maintain qualified Environmental Specialist personnel, provide adequate insurance coverage including Workers' Compensation, and comply with all federal, state, and local environmental and health regulations. The contract includes performance requirements with specific inspection completion percentages at four, eight, and twelve-month intervals, and allows the DEP to withhold payment if performance levels fall below established thresholds or to seek cost recovery for non-performance.