ITB 25.26-0010.pdf

SUWANNEE RIVER WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT

INVITATION TO BID

25/26-010

FIELD SUPPORT SERVICES FOR AGRICULTURAL WATER USE MONITORING

Table of Contents

Section Title Page 1 Introduction 2 2 Proposed Schedule 2 3 Instructions to Bidders 2 4 Key Points 3 5 Scope of Work 8 6 Bid Response Forms 10

Suwannee River Water Management District

9225 CR 49

Live Oak, FL 32060 386.362.1001

800.226.1066 (Florida only) www.mysuwanneeriver.com

SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION

The Suwannee River Water Management District requires the assistance of a qualified contractor to provide technical support in fulfillment of its agricultural water use data collection responsibilities specified in Governing Board Directive 24-0001. Technical support includes conducting flow measurements on irrigation systems, data entry, and reporting of results.

Support also includes collection of forms and contracts associated with agricultural monitoring.

The selected Contractor shall be responsible for the performance of the tasks described in the Scope of Work. The Contractor shall be responsible for completing tasks and deliverables and for providing data and deliverables of acceptable quality to the District. The initial contract shall be from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2029, with the possibility of two subsequent one-year renewals based upon the mutual agreement of the District and the Contractor.

SECTION 2 PROPOSED SCHEDULE

June 10, 2026 Release of Invitation to Bid (ITB) June 17, 2026 Written questions are due by 4:00 pm June 24, 2026 Questions with answers posted on the District Website by 5:00 pm July 1, 2026 Bids due prior to 10:00am at District Headquarters in Live Oak.

Opening will occur at this time. * August 11, 2026 Consideration by Governing Board, if required*

* Denotes a public meeting. All times denote Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)

Questions: To provide equal opportunity and ensure the same information is provided to all bidders, any questions should be submitted by email to Kelly Landis at:

kellylandis@srwmd.org before 4:00 p.m. June 17, 2026. The questions with answers will be posted on the District website www.mysuwanneeriver.com, on June 24, 2026. Questions cannot be answered via telephone or other verbal communication.

SECTION 3 INSTRUCTION TO BIDDERS

3.1 Delivery of Bid: Submit Bids Electronically through DemandStar.

https://www.demandstar.com/app/agencies/florida/suwannee-river-water-management-district/procurement.

For articles and videos to assist you through the DemandStar registry and uploading of documents visit the DemandStar business support page at:

https://network.demandstar.com/business-support/.

If you are unfamiliar with DemandStar, please submit your bid far enough in advance to work through any complications you may have with the system.

3.2 Deadline for Bid: Bids are to be uploaded to the platform prior to 10:00 a.m. on June 10, 2026. Bids received after this time, for any reason, will be rejected. Bid award winner will be announced by July 8, 2026.

3.3 ADA Compliance: All bids submitted in electronic/digital format must include a certification by the Vendor that the electronic submission and all supporting documents are accessible according to 282.603 Florida Statutes and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 relating to the creation and use of electronic documents. This https://www.demandstar.com/app/agencies/florida/suwannee-river-water-management-district/procurement https://www.demandstar.com/app/agencies/florida/suwannee-river-water-management-district/procurement https://network.demandstar.com/business-support/ requirement applies to editable formats, such as Microsoft Word, as well as portable document formats (PDF). Additional bid packages may be obtained by logging on to www.mysuwanneeriver.com

3.4 Submittals: Bidders must submit the forms provided in Sections 6. Additional pages of documentation may be submitted to further clarify the information in Sections 6, but no bid will be considered that does not include flat rate charge, staff qualifications, and prior experience. All entries on the bid form shall be typed or legibly printed in ink.

SECTION 4 KEY POINTS

4.1 Challenge of Solicitation Process: If a potential respondent protests any provisions of this ITB, a notice of intent to protest shall be filed with the District in writing within 72 hours after the posting of the request for qualification on the District’s website. “Failure to file a protest within the time prescribed in Section 120.57(3), Florida Statutes shall constitute a waiver of proceedings under Chapter 120 of Florida Statutes.”

4.2 Challenge of District’s Intent to Award Contract: If a respondent intends to protest District’s intent to award Contract, the notice of intent to protest must be filed in writing within 72 hours after posting of a notice of intent to award contract and the respondent shall file a formal written protest within ten (10) days after filing of notice of intent to protest. Any respondent who files a formal written protest pursuant to Chapter 28-110, Florida Administrative Code, and Section 120.57(3), Florida Statutes, shall post with the District at the time of filing the formal written protest, a bond pursuant to Section 287.042(2)(c), Florida Statutes (2019).

4.3 Written Protest: Failure to file a notice of intent to protest or failure to file a formal written protest within the time prescribed in Chapter 28-110, Florida Administrative Code, and Section 120.57(3), Florida Statutes, or failure to post the bond or other security required by law within the time allowed for filing a bond shall constitute a waiver of proceedings under Chapter 120, Florida Statutes. More specifically, “Failure to file a protest within the time prescribed in Section 120.57(3), Florida Statutes shall constitute a waiver of proceedings under Chapter 120 of Florida Statutes.”

4.4 Americans with Disabilities Act: The District does not discriminate upon the basis of any individual’s disability status. This nondiscrimination policy involves every aspect of the District’s functions including one’s access to, participation, employment, or treatment in its programs or activities. Anyone requiring reasonable accommodation as provided for in the Americans with Disabilities Act should contact the District at 386.362.1001 or

800.226.1066 (Florida only).

4.5 Minority Business Enterprises: The District recognizes fair and open competition as a basic tenet of public procurement. Respondents doing business with the District are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, handicap, age, or sex. The District encourages participation by minority business enterprises. Whenever two or more service providers are ranked equally, a minority business enterprise shall be given preference in the award process.

4.6 Veteran’s Preference: In the absence of a minority business enterprise, whenever two or more service providers are ranked equally, a veteran-owned business enterprise shall be given preference in the award process.

4.7 Public Entity Crime: Section 287.133(2)(a), Florida Statutes, states “A person or

4.7.1 List, created pursuant to s. 215.4725, or is engaged in a boycott of Israel;

or

4.7.2 One million dollars or more if, at the time of bidding on, submitting a proposal for, or entering into or renewing such contract, the company:

4.7.3 Is on the Scrutinized Companies with Activities in Sudan List or the Scrutinized Companies with Activities in the Iran Petroleum Energy Sector List, created pursuant to s. 215.473; or

4.7.4 Is engaged in business operations in Cuba or Syria.”

4.8 Drug Free Workplace Act: The selected Bidder shall certify that it has established a drug-free workplace.

4.9 Insurance Requirements: If awarded, bidder shall represent and guarantee that all employees, agents, servants or representatives of the respondent, and all employees, agents, servants, or representatives of subcontractors are covered by workers' compensation insurance. Prior to entering into a contract with the District, respondent agrees to furnish the District certificates of insurance on all insurance, naming District as additional insured for items 2 and 3 below, providing evidence that respondent has in full force and effect the following minimum insurance with insurers authorized to do business in the State of Florida:

4.9.1 Workers' compensation insurance as required above.

4.9.2 Motor vehicular liability insurance with limits of not less than $1,000,000 combined single limit which insurance shall be applicable to any and all vehicles utilized by the respondent to provide the services requested by District.

4.9.3 General liability insurance for all services rendered by the respondent for the requested services with a minimum of $1,000,000, personal and advertising injury and $1,000,000 general aggregate.

4.9.4 The certificate of insurance shall also provide that District shall be notified in writing by the carrier at least 30 days prior to any cancellation of said insurance.

4.10 Rejection of Responses: The District reserves the right to reject any and all bids or other bids submitted in response to District invitation. District also reserves the right to waive any minor deviations in an otherwise valid bid.

4.11 Bid Requests: Respondents to this solicitation or persons acting on their behalf may not contact, between the release of the solicitation and the end of the 72-business hour period following the agency posting the notice of intended award any employee or officer of the District concerning any aspect of this solicitation, except in writing as indicated above. Violation of this provision may be grounds for rejecting a bid.

4.12 Renewal of Contract: The initial contract shall be for a period of three years with the potential for two subsequent one-year renewals based upon the same terms and conditions or terms more favorable to the District, and mutual agreement of the District and the Contractor.

4.13 Qualifications of Bidder: To Submit with bid: It is the bidder’s responsibility to completely fill in all items in the response forms in Section 6. Other items that can be provided should be filled in and can be included in the contract at the option of the District. Failure to provide these items may result in the bid being considered non-responsive. The preferred qualifications for this contract are as follows:

4.13.1 Bidder shall include information that demonstrates their ability to meet this requirement; and

4.13.2 Identify the name and model of the flow meter that will be used to perform the work; please list on Meter Equipment Page.

4.13.3 Provide two years of experience in completing agricultural flows that can be verified by references in the applicable Scope of Work (Bidders shall use the References Page form provided to list the names of the references, including the personnel assigned to each, and the names of the agencies/companies for whom the work was performed, including a contact person and telephone number.); and

4.13.4 A working email address with the ability to send and receive photographs;

receive and print color maps in jpeg or PDF format. District staff needs the ability to send the contractor task work assignments, photographs, and project maps via email.

4.13.5 Each bidder shall submit the documentation stated above under Exhibits A, B, and C with the bid package. Failure on the part of the bidder to include the above with the bid shall render the bid non-responsive. Only responsive bidders will be considered by the District.

4.13.6 A license to open, read, and gain signatures through Adobe Reader.

4.14 Disqualification of Bidder: Any of the following causes shall be considered as sufficient grounds for the disqualification of a bidder and the rejection of the bid:

4.14.1 Submission of more than one bid for the same work by an individual, firm, partnership, or corporation under the same or different names.

4.14.2 Evidence of collusion among bidders.

4.14.3 Complete work for which the bidder is committed by contract, which, in the judgment of the District, might hinder or prevent the prompt completion of work under this contract if awarded to bidder.

4.14.4 Being in arrears on any existing contract with the District or in litigation with the District or having defaulted on a previous contract with the District.

4.14.5 Any other cause which, in the District’s judgment and discretion, is sufficient to justify disqualification of a proposer or the rejection of the bid.

4.15 Evaluation of Bids: Bids shall be evaluated based on the information provided and their satisfaction of the bid requirements. In determining whether a firm is qualified, the District shall consider such factors as the ability of the professional personnel; whether a firm is a certified minority business enterprise; past performance; willingness to meet time and budget, requirements; location; recent, current, and projected workloads of the firms; and the volume of work previously awarded to each firm by District. A contract will be negotiated with the qualified firm. No work shall be performed until a Task Work Assignment is issued.

The District intends to award contracts to multiple qualified firms.

4.16 Execution of Contracts: The following documents are required prior to execution of a contract.

4.16.1 A completed Internal Revenue Service Form W-9.

4.16.2 Satisfactory evidence of all required insurance coverage.

4.16.3 Human Trafficking Affidavit

4.16.4 Proof satisfactory to District of the authority of the person or persons executing the contract on behalf of the bidders, and

4.16.5 All other information and documentation required by the contract documents.

4.16.6 The above documents must be furnished, executed, and delivered before the contract will be executed by the District. The contract shall not be binding upon the District until it has been executed by the District, and a copy of such a fully executed contract is delivered to the Contractor. The District reserves the right to cancel the award without liability and at any time before the contract has been fully executed by all parties and delivered to the Contractor.

4.17 Notice and Services Thereof: All notices given by District, under the provisions of this contract, shall be in writing, and service of same may be in either of the following manners:

4.17.1 By delivery of such notice to the proposer or any office of the bidder if said proposer is a corporation, partnership, or LLC or to any agent of the bidder.

4.17.2 By mailing such notice by United States mail to the address of the proposer shown on the proposers’ proposal.

4.17.3 The District shall not accept as filed any electronically transmitted facsimile pleadings, petitions, notice of protests, or other documents.

4.18 Florida Sales Tax: The District is exempt from payment of State of Florida sales tax pursuant to section 212.08(6), Florida Statutes.

4.19 Time of Completion: Each bidder agrees that the time is of the essence and further agrees that if awarded the contract, bidder shall proceed with the specified work in accordance with the approved schedule and within the time period specified in each task work assignment.

4.20 Use by Other State of Florida Governmental Entities: Other State of Florida governmental entities may purchase from the Agreement to be awarded pursuant to this bid provided such use of the bid has been determined to be cost-effective by the entity. Eligible users of this bid include other water management districts, State of Florida agencies (including members of the state university system and community college system), counties, local county Boards of Public Instruction, municipalities, and other local public agencies or authorities. The general terms and conditions of this bid shall apply to the services procured by other State of Florida governmental entities referencing this bid.

The bidder has the option of providing services described under this bid to other State of Florida governmental entities at the proposer’s discretion. Funding mechanisms/work assignments must be executed in advance of work performed for another State of Florida governmental entity. The governmental entity shall utilize appropriate funding mechanisms (purchase orders, etc.) to authorize performance by bidders. All work performed under a funding mechanism executed by another state of Florida governmental entity shall be the responsibility of that governmental entity for payment. The District shall not be a party to any such funding mechanism thereby executed and shall not be responsible for payment for any services performed for any governmental entity that utilizes bidders pursuant to this section of the bid.

4.21 Contract Managers: Contract/project managers shall be identified for each work assignment executed between the proposer and another governmental entity. The District’s contract/project manager(s) shall not be responsible for any work performed under any bid between another governmental entity and the bidders.

SECTION 5 - SCOPE OF WORK

The Suwannee River Water Management District requires the assistance of a qualified contractor to provide technical support in fulfillment of its agricultural water use data collection responsibilities specified in Governing Board Directive 24-0001. Technical support includes conducting flow measurements on irrigation systems, and data entry and reporting of results.

While the contractor will work closely with District staff, it is expected that the consultant will operate independently from the District office.

Consultant will provide all necessary equipment, vehicles, and staff needed to reach and safely conduct flow measurements on agricultural irrigation systems. Flow meters must be non-invasive and accurate within 2% or better, and with documented proof of current calibration prior to commencing work.

Flow meters must have the capability to generate a raw data file of the measurement, such as a comma separated values or.csv file, along with the parameters used to make it. Once the file is created, the contractor must submit a copy of the raw data to District for record keeping a cloud-based file sharing program provided by the District. The District uses the Panametrics TransPort PT900 Ultrasonic Flow Meter for in-house flow measurements. The contractor’s meter must meet or exceed the capabilities of the TransPort PT900. The Consultant’s field staff will be expected to provide a GPS-enabled iPad, iPhone, or equivalent android device with internet service for electronic field data entry, using the District’s electronic data entry service, Go Canvas.

District staff will be available to accompany the consultant on initial field visits if needed. The District may accompany consultants in the field at any time to audit procedures and quality of work. The District will provide work instructions or general guidelines and time frames for performance after contract initiation as part of the first scheduled contractor field trip, and thereafter on an as-needed basis. Any deviation from these guidelines must be discussed and agreed upon in writing with the District’s Project Manager prior to implementation.

The contractor is expected to achieve and maintain data quality such that a minimum of ninety-five (95) percent of the discharge measurements submitted are error-free. If at any time during the contracted period the submitted data error rate exceeds five (5) percent, the District may withhold payment for poor quality samples or terminate the contract as it sees fit. Failure to follow the agreed upon guidelines may result in the termination of the contractual agreement.

Contractor will invoice for work accomplished on a monthly basis. The invoice shall show the number of measurements collected and costs by task.

Task 1. Flow Monitoring at Agricultural Irrigation Systems.

The contractor will measure flow on agricultural irrigation systems at 5 stations per week, averaging 20 or more per month across fifteen counties (Section 6, Attachment B). Exceptions related to weather, equipment failure, sickness, etc. must be sent in writing to the District Project Manager. The District will provide station location information and GPS coordinates for each well. Flow entries must record accurate GPS coordinates at the well associated with each pivot.

Coordinates should not be taken at the pivot, field, or other general locations. Measurements will be conducted using an appropriate method while using a non-invasive flow meter. The contractor will be responsible for contacting producers to schedule site visits and coordinating the appropriate irrigation schedules to ensure the irrigation system will be fully primed and running for the duration of the measurement.

Payment will be based upon completion of measurements within specified timeframes as described in this section on a per-measurement basis. The contractor will provide flow meters and ancillary equipment, including vehicles, as well as all staff needed to access and safely measure at each station. Measurements that are incomplete due to equipment failures, weather conditions, access issues, or deemed unacceptable quality, etc. will not be paid by the District. Costs associated with failed attempts are the responsibility of the consultant and contingencies should be calculated in the per measurement rate proposed. If a measurement is not performed due to lack of access, the consultant may request a substitute location from the District’s Project Manager to receive payment for that measurement event. All requests and approvals for task schedule changes must be documented in writing or via email.

Deliverables:

Contractor will record field measurement data, and the current crop being grown into the District’s electronic data entry service, Canvas. Data and site information must be entered and submitted through Canvas before the end of the month that a measurement was conducted. All raw and post-processed data files that are created must also be submitted to the District by the end of the month.

Task 2: Administrative Support for Monitoring and Agricultural Cost Share The Contractor shall assist with gaining contact information, as well as well and irrigation information from landowners to complete electrical monitoring forms, agricultural cost share applications/agreements, permitting compliance information and other documentation associated with agricultural monitoring.

Payment will be based only on completed and submitted forms.

Deliverable:

Contractor will assist with completing administrative forms associated with permits, monitoring and agricultural cost share. Documents must be submitted to the District with proper information.

SECTION 6: BID RESPONSE FORMS

EXHIBIT A

CONTACT INFORMATION

Company Name - Bidder______________________________________________________

FEID # ______________________________________________________________________

Bidder Representative/ Title____________________________________________________

Address _____________________________________________________________________

City, State, Zip Code ___________________________________________________________

Telephone Number ________________________Email________________________________

The undersigned, as bidder, hereby declares that the only person or persons interested in this proposal as principal or principals is or are named herein and that no person other than herein mentioned has any interest in this bid or in the agreement to be entered into; that this bid is made without connection with any other person, company or parties making a bid; and that it is in all respects fair and in good faith without collusion or fraud. Bidders represents to District that, except as may be disclosed in Addendum hereto, no officer, employee or agent of District has any interest, either directly or indirectly, in the business of the bidders to be conducted under this Agreement, and no such person shall have any such interest at any time during the term of the Agreement, should they be awarded the bid.

The bidder further declares that they have examined the documents and informed themselves fully in regard to all conditions pertaining to the work to be done; that they have examined the specifications for the work and other contract documents relative thereto.

The bidder agrees, if this bid is accepted, to contract with District; to furnish everything necessary to complete the work covered by this bid and other contract deliverables for District through contract termination.

EXHIBIT B

CONTRACTOR’S PROPOSED FEE SCHEDULE

Date: ___________________Company Name:_____________________________________

Flat Rate District Wide per Flow: $ ______________________________________________

Flat Rate per Document: $______________________________________________________

Type of Technology Flow Meter Uses: _____________________________________________

Date of Last Calibration: ________________________________________________________

Type of Internet-Enabled Mobile Device for Data Entry – List Make, Model and Year

EXHIBIT C

REFERENCES PAGE

Date: _______________________________________________________________________

Company Name: ______________________________________________________________

List your company’s experience with agricultural water use monitoring over the past three years as related to the Scope of Work (Section 5) described herein.

CLIENT AGENCY/COMPANY: ___________________________________________________

CONTACT: __________________________________________________________________

TELEPHONE: ________________________________________________________________

NAME OF PROJECT: __________________________________________________________

DESCRIPTION: _______________________________________________________________

START DATE / COMPLETION DATE: _____________________________________________

NAMES OF PERSONNEL ASSIGNED TO PROJECT: ________________________________

REFERNCES

Date: _______________________________________________________________________

Company Name: ______________________________________________________________

TELEPHONE: ________________________________________________________________

NAME OF PROJECT: __________________________________________________________

DESCRIPTION: _______________________________________________________________

REFERENCES

Date: _______________________________________________________________________

Company Name: ______________________________________________________________

TELEPHONE: ________________________________________________________________

NAME OF PROJECT: __________________________________________________________

DESCRIPTION: _______________________________________________________________

HUMAN TRAFFICKING AFFIDAVIT

CONTRACT NUMBER: ___________________________________________

CONTRACT TITLE: ______________________________________________

In compliance with Section 787.06(13), Florida Statutes, this affidavit must be completed by an officer or representative of a nongovernmental entity that is executing, renewing, or extending a contract with the Suwannee River Water Management District (the “Governmental Entity”).

The undersigned, on behalf of the entity listed below (the “Nongovernmental Entity”), hereby attests under penalty of perjury as follows:

1. My name is ______________________and I am over eighteen years of age.

The following information is given from my own personal knowledge.

2. I am an officer or representative with_________________________, a non-governmental entity. I am authorized to provide this affidavit on behalf of

3. The non-governmental entity, _______________________________, does not use coercion for labor or services as defined in s.787.06, Florida Statutes.

Company: ____________________________________

Authorized Signature: Date: _____________

Printed Name: _________________________________

Title: ________________________________________