Residential_Curbside_Food_Waste_RFP.pdf

BID COVER

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Procurement Division

(352) 334-5021(main)

Issue Date: January 28, 2026

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS:

Residential Curbside Food Waste Collection and Processing PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING: ☐ non-mandatory ☒ Mandatory ☐ N/A ☐ Includes Site Visit DATE: Thursday February 12, 2026 TIME: 10:30 AM LOCATION: City Hall; 200 W University Ave Gainesville, FL 32601; Roberta Lisle Conference RM 016 * (Basement)

Legal ad (Mainstreet Daily) publish date:

QUESTION SUBMITTAL DUE DATE: Wednesday March 3, 2026 11:59pm

DUE DATE FOR UPLOADING PROPOSAL: Thursday, March 19, 2026 3:00pm

SUMMARY OF SCOPE OF WORK:

Collection of containerized food waste from curbside locations and delivery to a City approved food waste processing facility for conversion into a reusable commodity.

For questions relating to this solicitation please submit via Opengov

Proposer is not in arrears to City upon any debt, fee, tax or contract: Proposer is NOT in arrears Proposer IS in arrears Proposer is not a defaulter, as surety or otherwise, upon any obligation to City: Proposer is NOT in default Proposer IS in default

Proposer who receive this solicitation from sources other than City of Gainesville Procurement Division or DemandStar.com MUST contact the Procurement Division prior to the due date to ensure any addenda are received in order to submit a responsible and responsive offer. Uploading an incomplete document may deem the offer non-responsive, causing rejection.

ADDENDA ACKNOWLEDGMENT: Prior to submitting my offer, I have verified that all addenda issued to date are considered as part of my offer: Addenda received (list all) #______________________________________

Legal Name of Proposer: ________________________________________________________________________

DBA: _______________________________________________________________________________________

Authorized Representative Name/Title: ____________________________________________________________

E-mail Address: _______________________________________ FEIN: ______________________________

Street Address: _______________________________________________________________________________

Mailing Address (if different): ___________________________________________________________________

Telephone: (______) _______________________ Fax: (______) _______________________

By signing this form, I acknowledge I have read and understand, and my business complies with all General Conditions and requirements set forth herein; and, Proposal is in full compliance with the Specifications.

Proposal is in full compliance with the Specifications except as specifically stated and attached hereto.

SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE: ____________________________________________________

SIGNER’S PRINTED NAME: ____________________________________________ DATE: _______________________

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BID COVER PAGE 1

PART 1 – REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL INFORMATION

PART 2 - MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

PART 3 – SCOPE OF WORK

PART 4 – HOW TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL

PART 5 – EVALUATION

PART 6 – AWARD

PART 7 – GENERAL INFORMATION

PART 8 – EXHIBITS

PART 9 – DRAFT AGREEMENT

PART 10 – NO RESPONSE SURVEY

PART 1 – REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL INFORMATION

1.1 DISTRIBUTION OF INFORMATION

The City posts and distributes information pertaining to its procurement solicitations on OpenGov (www.OpenGov.com). The City has transitioned from accepting hard (paper) copy submittals to accepting submittals through “E-Bidding”. In order to submit a proposal response to this solicitation the proposer must be registered with OpenGov.

It is the responsibility of the proposer to monitor OpenGov. Properly registered proposers can expect to receive automatic notification of solicitations for bids and proposals, by participating purchasing entities. Proposers failure to retrieve available, required procurement information from OpenGov and include the appropriate documentation and information in solicitation responses may result in disqualification.

1.2 PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING/QUESTIONS/CLARIFICATIONS

If scheduled (refer to Proposal Cover Page), attending a pre-proposal meeting is strongly recommended as the project’s scope of work, procedures, and specifications will be discussed at this time. It is the only time during this RFP process that proposers may ask questions directly of the end user.

NOTE: For a proposer’s attendance of a mandatory pre-proposal meeting to count, the proposer must sign-in before the Procurement Specialist calls the end of that meeting. If the proposer is not signed in by that time, they will be disqualified from responding to the solicitation. If the mandatory pre-proposal meeting also includes a required site visit, then the proposer must sign in, both at the pre-proposal meeting, and again at the end of the site visit, in order to have their attendance count and not be disqualified from submitting a proposal.

NOTE: Failure to attend a mandatory pre-proposal meeting will result in disqualification of your proposal.

If special accommodations are needed in order to attend a pre-proposal meeting or a proposal opening, please contact the Procurement Division at least 72 hours in advance.

All questions that occur outside of the pre-proposal meeting must be submitted to Procurement only, and must be received by the date indicated on the Proposal Cover Page to be considered. Technical and/or specification questions will not be answered over the phone; they must be submitted by email directed to the Procurement Specialist conducting the solicitation (refer to

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Proposal Cover Page). All questions will be answered via Addendum which will be posted on OpenGov.com for proposer access. All addenda must be acknowledged by the proposer on the Proposal Cover Page.

All meetings and submittal deadlines are Eastern Time (ET).

1.3 RFP TIMETABLE

The anticipated schedule for the RFP and contract approval is as follows:

RFP available for distribution 1/28/2026

Pre-Proposal Meeting 2/12/2026 @ City Hall RM 016

Deadline for receipt of questions 3/3/2026

Deadline for uploading of proposals 3/19/2026 (3:00 p.m. local time)

Evaluation/Selection process Week of April 6, 2026

Oral presentations, if conducted Week of April 27, 2026

Projected award date To be determined

Projected contracts start date Projected October 1, 2026

All dates are subject to change. Proposers will be notified via Addendum posted in OpenGov.com in event of any schedule change.

1.4 PROHIBITION OF LOBBYING

To ensure fair consideration, consistent and accurate dissemination of information for all proposers, the City prohibits communication to or with any department, employee, or agent evaluating or considering proposals during the submission process, except as authorized by the Procurement Division representative. Additionally, the City prohibits communication initiated by a proposer to any city official or employee evaluating or considering the proposals (up to and including the City Commissioners) before the time an award decision has been made. Any communication between proposer and the City required to obtain information or clarification for preparing a proposal or to enable a proper, accurate evaluation of a proposal will be handled solely through the Procurement Division staff. Any communications initiated between the proposer and the City outside these parameters may be grounds for disqualifying the offending proposer from consideration for award of the proposal and/or any future proposal.

1.5 CONE OF SILENCE

During the Cone of Silence (formerly called Blackout period) as defined in the next paragraph, except as pursuant to an authorized appeal, no person may lobby (as defined in section 1.4), on behalf of a competing party in a particular procurement process, City officials or employees except the Procurement designated staff contact in the Procurement division. Violation of this provision shall result in disqualification of the party on whose behalf the lobbying occurred.

The Cone of Silence is the period between the issue date of the RFP, which allows for immediate submittals to the City of Gainesville Procurement Division for the Request for Proposals and the time the City Officials and Employee awards the contract.

1.6 DETERMINATION OF RESPONSIBILITY OF PROPOSERS

The specific qualifications of proposers for this specific Request for Proposals are included in Part 4, 4.2 Proposer Qualifications.

Proposers must also demonstrate that it is responsible as defined in the City of Gainesville’s Pro-01 Procurement Administrative Guidelines, Section V.C.2.ii., as may be amended.

As a part of the proposal evaluation process, City reserves the right to conduct a background investigation of proposer, including a record check by the Gainesville Police Department if the qualifications require it. Proposer submission of a proposal constitutes acknowledgment of the process and consent to such investigation.

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No contract will be awarded to, any proposer who is in arrears to City upon any debt, fee, tax or contract, or who is a defaulter, as surety or otherwise, upon any obligation to City, or who is otherwise determined to be not responsible by City pursuant to Section V.C.2.ii., Pro-01 Procurement Administrative Guidelines, following:

These criteria consider the proposer’s capability to perform:

a) The ability of the proposer to successfully carry out a proposed contract.

b) Past performance (including reference check), experience, business and financial capabilities, skills, technical organization, legal eligibility and reliability.

c) Current litigation pending between the proposer and the City.

d) Proposer has paid all debts owed to the City.

e) Proposer possesses all required licenses.

If it is determined that the proposer is not responsible, City will notify proposer of its finding, including evidence used, and allow proposer the opportunity to come into compliance within three (3) business days of notification.

Successful Proposer must either update or complete City’s vendor application, pay business tax (if applicable), and register with the State of Florida. Please be advised that the City Attorney’s office will not approve a contract with any proposer unless the corporation or partnership is registered with the Division of Corporations with the State of Florida (www.sunbiz.org).

1.7 RESPONSIVENESS OF PROPOSAL

Each proposal will be reviewed to determine if the proposal is responsive to the submission requirements outlined in the RFP.

A responsive proposal is one which follows the requirements of the RFP, includes all required documentation, is submitted in the format outlined in the RFP, is of timely submission (via upload to OpenGov.com), and has the appropriate signatures as required on each document. Failure to comply with these requirements may deem the proposal non-responsive (see Section V.C.2.i. of the Pro-01 Procurement Administrative Guidelines).

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PART 2 - MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

2.1 The Proposer must demonstrate at least three (3) years of documented experience providing residential or commercial food waste, organics, or solid waste collection services of similar size and complexity to the number of homes in their proposal for the City’s food waste collection and processing program. The Proposer shall possess sufficient operational capacity to perform proposed services including staffing, supervision, vehicles, equipment, and administrative systems to perform uninterrupted weekly collections throughout the entire program area. All required licenses, permits, certifications, and insurance coverages mandated under applicable local, state, and federal law must be maintained by the awarded proposer at all times.

2.2 The Proposer shall maintain a documented safety program that includes employee training and compliance monitoring that is verifiable. The Proposer must provide at least three (3) references from a current or recently completed contract(s) of comparable scope, preferably from municipal or governmental clients. Key personnel proposed for this contract shall be identified, along with evidence of their qualifications and/or relevant experience.

2.3 Finally, the Proposer must demonstrate the capability to provide accurate administrative reporting systems, including customer set-out percentages, contamination metrics, customer participation data, and monthly tonnage reports supported by certified weight slips.

2.4 If a proposer does not meet the minimum requirements listed above, including providing pricing in the proposal for a number of homes for which the proposer does not have the requisite experience, a proposer may provide documentation that it is financially capable of meeting the requirements of this solicitation. Documentation should include bonding capacity

vs. availability, credit ratings, all debt (initial amount and payoff schedule), list of all property and equipment owned and leased, equity and pooled investments, and any other resource or financial data. The proposer shall clearly demonstrate how its personnel and experience can scale up an operation and collection of a minimum of 29,000 customers at one time and shall clearly demonstrate how equipment, personnel, and resources will be acquired to meet the requirements of this solicitation. Qualifying a proposal under this paragraph will be at the sole discretion of the Evaluation Committee and only if the pricing of such proposal has a significant benefit to the City.

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PART 3 – SCOPE OF WORK

3.1. GENERAL DESCRIPTION

1. The purpose of the RFP is to obtain pricing for food waste collection and processing services. The City of Gainesville (“City”) reserves the right to decide how many homes in the City will be serviced by the Contractor(s) after reviewing all the proposals and allocated funding. The City has not determined a budget for this project and may choose multiple vendors based on ranking within the home category to fit within budgetary constraints.

2. The City is soliciting proposals from qualified, experienced, and fully resourced Contractors to provide weekly curbside collection of residential food waste for participating single-family households, as well as collection of food waste from designated municipal facilities and City-permitted special events. Food Waste Collection services are not included in the City’s single-family residential refuse service fee; therefore, the City seeks proposals for this service. Contractors shall provide per-household pricing for:

a) A minimum participation threshold.

b) A progressively tiered house count, and;

c) A full-service option covering all single-family households city-wide.

3. Proposers shall also provide pricing and service logistics for municipal facilities and special event food waste collection, including container delivery, servicing, and post-event recovery operations.

4. The selected Contractor will be responsible for providing weekly curbside residential collection and collection from municipal facilities and special events using properly trained personnel, safe and compliant collection vehicles, and operational systems capable of ensuring consistent, contamination-free service delivery. Municipal facility and special event food waste collection timeframes will be provided by the City.

5. All collected food waste shall be transported directly to a City approved composting or organics processing facility, with the City retaining title to the collected material, until verifiable weight documentation is issued to the Contractor by the ton.

6. The awarded proposer shall service all City or Contractor issued food waste containers for this program in a manner which provides a clean container, functions as intended, and does not attract pests of any kind. Awarded proposer shall maintain a clean and reliable fleet, track customer participation and customer set-out percentages, document contamination incidents, and ensure that all materials collected from households, municipal facilities, and special events are processed into a beneficial, reusable product(s) in alignment with the City’s environmental objectives of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by diversion of food waste from the landfill.

7. The proposer must demonstrate proven experience in food waste or organics collection programs, demonstrate operational capacity to handle proposed collection and processing of food waste, and have the ability to meet the City’s reporting, safety, quality control, and customer service standards. Close coordination with City staff is required to ensure program alignment, high-quality service delivery, contamination control, responsiveness to municipal facility and special event operational needs, and ongoing support for outreach and public education.

8. To encourage innovation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the City requests that proposals identify collection vehicles to be used by the Contractor. While alternative fuel options are not required for this proposal, the City shall evaluate lower-emission or alternative-fuel proposals more favorably as part of its carbon emissions reduction for operational impacts. Proposals may also provide combinations of fuel types where it is operationally advantageous.

9. This program is a key component of the City’s long-term Zero Waste, landfill diversion, and sustainability initiatives, designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, support circular material systems and expand community participation in responsible waste reduction practices.

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3.2. SCOPE OF WORK

1. Single-Family, Municipal Facilities, and Municipal Special Event Food Waste Collection The awarded proposer shall provide weekly curbside residential food waste collection services for up to approximately twenty-nine thousand (29,000) single-family homes. Food waste will be collected once per week using City-approved containers or carts set out by participating residents. The City will issue service requests electronically, and the awarded proposer shall correct and close all requests using City-approved systems and forms. All collection activities shall be performed safely, efficiently, and consistently between the hours of 7:00AM and 6:00PM, Monday through Friday to ensure reliable service throughout the City.

2. Container Supply, Inventory, and Tracking

The awarded proposer shall supply all new food waste collection containers in their proposal and, shall maintain a sufficient inventory to support deliveries, exchanges, repairs, and replacements. All container activities shall be tracked using unique numbers that align that container with a single service address which shall be recorded and reported to the City monthly. GPS locations of all containers and customer participation set-out locations is not mandatory but will be scored favorably during the evaluation. The awarded proposer shall respond promptly to City service requests and keep accurate records for reporting and auditing. All maintenance and replacement activities for containers shall be performed at no additional cost to the City.

3. Container Distribution and Deployment Plan

The awarded proposer shall prepare a comprehensive container distribution and deployment plan outlining container deployment methods, container distribution routing, staff designated to the proposer’s plan, customer communication strategies, and procedures for resolving missed deliveries. Coordination with City staff is required, and the deployment plan must receive City approval prior to its implementation.

4. Public Education, Outreach, and Communication

The awarded proposer shall collaborate with the City to design, produce, and distribute all educational materials related to the food waste program. All materials must be approved by the City prior to distribution. The City shall be responsible for designing, printing, and distribution. The awarded proposer shall assist with distribution of educational outreach and communications in the field.

5. Municipal Facility Food Waste Collection

The awarded proposer shall provide food waste collection services to all designated City municipal facilities, including delivery, maintenance, repair, replacement, and inventory management of all containers.

6. Special Event Food Waste Collection Services

The awarded proposer shall provide food waste collection for special events identified by the City, collection services shall include container deployment, contamination control, on-site servicing, and post-event removal and processing.

7. Food Waste Processing and Composting Requirements

The proposal shall identify the processing facility or facilities where collected food waste will be processed and specify the method used and end use product. The proposer may process the material at its own processing facility or a third party facility, as long as the facility is compliant with state law. The Contractor shall deliver to the City twenty-five (25) tons of finished compost twice annually, at a location designated by the City and at no additional cost. All processing, transportation, and disposal costs are the responsibility of the awarded proposer. Any change in processing facility or facilities requires forty-five (45) days’ advance written notice and must be approved by the City prior to the change.

8. Subscription Collection of Residential Organic Yard Waste

The City reserves the right to add residential yard waste including leaves, grass clippings, and plant trimmings to the list of acceptable organic materials at any time during the contract period. Upon notice from the City, the awarded proposer shall incorporate these materials into the collection and processing stream and adjust routing, processing, and contamination control measures accordingly. If the City adds any or all of the items listed in this section after the contract has been executed, the contract shall be amended to reflect mutually agreed upon terms and pricing.

9. Vehicles and Fuel Types

The City encourages low-emission and alternative-fuel vehicles. Proposer’s fleet may consist of standard gas, diesel, CNG, electric, hybrid, biodiesel, or other City approved fuel sources.

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10. Disposal, Transfer, and Processing Facilities The proposer shall submit rates for hauling organic materials to City approved processing facility or facilities. The proposal shall provide processing rates per ton and separate disposal costs from collection rates. If the City identifies a processing facility with lower costs or other advantages to the program, the awarded proposer shall deliver all collected food waste organics to the City designated facility. If a processing facility change is requested by the City after the execution of the contract, the contract shall be amended to reflect mutually agreed upon terms and pricing based upon the cost differential for the new processing facility. The awarded proposer shall be responsible for all collection, processing, and tipping fees.

11. Acceptable Materials, Contamination Control, and Compliance Standards

The proposer shall provide a list of acceptable and unacceptable materials and strategies to reduce contamination with their proposal. However, the City will ultimately determine which materials are acceptable as part of the contract award. All activities must comply with environmental, health, and safety regulations.

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PART 4 – HOW TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL

Instructions to proposers: Proposals must contain each of the documents listed below; each fully completed, signed, and notarized as required. Required signatures for proposal forms may be applied using electronic signature software (i.e., Docusign, Adobe Sign, etc.). Proposals submitted which do not include the following items may be deemed non-responsive and may not be considered for contract award.

4.1. PROPOSAL FORMAT

4.1.1 Project Understanding and Approach: Describe your understanding of the objectives and scope of the requested services and your general approach to such. Include a general time frame for being able to provide the services contained in this RFP.

4.1.2 Proposed Project Staff: Identify the key personnel who will be directly assigned to this project. State the qualifications and related experience of each member of the proposed project team of engineers and professionals.

4.1.3 Qualifications of Firm: Provide pertinent information about the firm and related experience with similar projects. In addition, the firm should identify its total number of technical and professional personnel by discipline and training and further describe the total workload during the project period. Indicate what resources (professional and technical time) the firm would have available to allocate to the project.

4.2. CONTENT OF PROPOSAL

Required Documents: The following documents are required to be included in the proposer’s submission and can be found in Part 8, Exhibits:

a. Completed RFP Cover Page

b. Drug-Free Workplace Form

c. Proposer Verification Form

d. E-Verify Certification

e. Anti-Human Trafficking Affidavit

f. Scrutinized Companies or Entities Form

g. Experience and References Form

h. Responsible Agent Form

i. Address each Minimum Qualification (Part 2)

j. Provide a Statement of all Qualifications that will communicate the capabilities of the proposer to successfully complete the project Provide pertinent information about the firm and related experience with similar projects. List each residential and municipal food waste contract held in the State of Florida; each contract listed shall include the point of contact, number of homes collected (if residential), number of municipal locations collected (if municipal), and any contract breaches/notices.

k. Proposed Rates: The proposers shall provide proposals for the collection and processing of residential and municipal food waste.

Proposers shall submit their pricing using the Proposed Rates spreadsheet in Excel format.

l. Technical Qualifications

Fill out the “Fleet, Fuel Type, and Employee Experience” form Key staff resumes – Contract Manager and other contractor staff

m. Written Proposal Contract understanding Contract approach Contract Manager Contractor Team Contract Schedule

n. Proposer Verification Form

o. Proposer’s W-9

p. Copy of any applicable, current licenses and/or certifications required by City/County/State

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q. Exceptions to the RFP (refer to Part 4, 4.5 Exception to the RFP)

r. Investigation of Alleged Wrongdoings, Litigation/Settlements/Fines/Penalties

4.3. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

The proposal response, containing all required documents, with authorized signatures, must be received by 3:00 p.m.

on the due date indicated on the Proposal Cover Page for this project. The proposer’s complete pdf response must be uploaded into OpenGov.com prior to the 3:00 p.m. deadline. This platform will not accept late submittals.

Upload proposal response as a pdf formatted document only, unless the solicitation states otherwise. The pdf document should be titled with proposer’s name, proposal number, and, if the response is submitted in parts, include “Part # of x”.

Modifications to or withdrawal of a proposer’s submittal can be made up to the deadline date. Modifications and withdrawals must be documented in OpenGov.com in order to be recognized by the city. Any proposal not withdrawn will constitute an irrevocable offer, for a period of one hundred twenty (120) days, to provide the City adequate time to award the Contract for the services specified in this solicitation.

The response must be signed by an officer of the business who is legally authorized to enter a contractual relationship in the name of the proposer.

An authorized representative who is not an officer may sign the proposal but must attach a corporate resolution granting authorization to the representative to execute on behalf of the business.

The submittal of a proposal by a proposer will be considered by the City as constituting an offer by the proposer to perform the required services.

4.4. DISCLOSURE AND CONFIDENTIALITY

Florida’s Public Records Law, Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, includes numerous exemptions to the general requirement to disclose information to the public in response to a public record’s request. Exemptions are found in various provisions of the Florida Statutes, including but not limited to Section 119.071, Florida Statutes (General exemptions from inspection or copying of public records), and Section 119.0713, Florida Statutes (Local government agency exemptions from inspection or copying of public records). Section 815.045, Florida Statutes (Trade secret information), provides that trade secret information as defined in Section 812.081, Florida Statutes (Trade secrets; theft, embezzlement; unlawful copying; definitions; penalty) is confidential and exempt from disclosure because it is a felony to disclose such records. The Parties understand and agree that Florida’s Public Records Law is very broad and that documents claimed by a Party to be confidential and exempt from public disclosure pursuant to the Public Records Law may in fact not be deemed such by a court of law. Accordingly, the following provisions shall apply:

1. Identifying Trade Secret or Otherwise Confidential and Exempt Information. For any records or portions thereof that proposer claims to be Trade Secret or otherwise confidential and exempt from public disclosure under the Public Records Law, proposer shall:

a. Specifically identify the records or specific portions thereof that are confidential and exempt and reference the particular Florida Statute that grants such status. Provide one redacted copy of the record and one copy of the record with the confidential and exempt information highlighted as outlined in items 1 and 2 on the following page.

Proposer shall take care to redact only the confidential and exempt information within a record.

b. Provide an affidavit or similar type of evidence that describes and supports the basis for Proposer’s claim that the information is confidential and exempt from public disclosure.

2. Request for Trade Secret or Otherwise Confidential and Exempt Information.

a. In the event City receives a public records request for a record with information labeled by proposer as Trade Secret or otherwise as confidential and exempt, City will provide the public record requester with the redacted copy of the record and will notify proposer of the public records request.

b. However and notwithstanding the above, in the event that City in its sole discretion finds no basis for proposer’s claim that certain information is Trade Secret or otherwise confidential and exempt under Florida’s Public Records Law, then City shall notify proposer in writing of such conclusion and provide proposer a reasonable amount of time to file for declaratory action requesting a court of law to deem the requested information as Trade Secret or otherwise as confidential and exempt under Florida’s Public Records Law. If proposer fails to file for declaratory action within the reasonable amount of time provided, then City will disclose the information requested.

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c. If a public records lawsuit is filed against CITY requesting public disclosure of the information labeled by proposer as Trade Secret or otherwise as confidential and exempt, CITY shall notify proposer, and proposer shall intervene in the lawsuit to defend the nondisclosure of such information under Florida’s Public Records Law.

d. Proposer hereby indemnifies and holds CITY, its officers and employees harmless from any and all liabilities, damages, losses, and costs of any kind and nature, including but not limited to attorney’s fees, that arise from or are in any way connected with proposer’s claim that any information it provided to CITY is Trade Secret or otherwise confidential and exempt from public disclosure under Florida’s Public Records Law.

3. How to Designate Trade Secret or Otherwise Confidential and Exempt Information

a. If a proposer believes that its response contains trade secret or otherwise confidential and exempt information (as defined by Florida or Federal law) and should be withheld from disclosure to the public, in such cases the proposer must provide a redacted copy of the proposal for public access.

Redacted means that the confidential/proprietary information in the proposal has been obscured so that it cannot be read.

Unredacted means that the entire document, including the confidential/proprietary information, has not be obscured and is visible for the evaluation team to use in their evaluation process.

b. Upload a pdf version response of the complete UNREDACTED proposal. Include “UNREDACTED, CONFIDENTIAL” in document title. This is the version that will be used by the evaluators when they are reviewing your proposal. It is essential that the items that will be redacted are highlighted in yellow to prevent the evaluation team from discussing these items after the award. The first page of the document for the unredacted document should provide a general description of the information proposer has designated as confidential and/or exempt and provide a reference to the appropriate Florida or Federal statute supporting the confidential and/or exempt classification.

c. Upload a pdf version response of the REDACTED copy of the proposal. Include “REDACTED” in the document title. This copy will be used to support any public records requests that may arise from this solicitation.

4. How the City will Handle Material Identified as Trade Secret or Otherwise Confidential and Exempt Information

a. The City’s evaluators will be provided with the complete unredacted proposal, including any trade secret or otherwise confidential and exempt information. The city evaluators will maintain the confidentiality of the information through the evaluation process, including any recorded evaluation team meetings.

b. In the event a public record request is made to view the information which proposer claims is confidential and/or exempt, the City will notify the proposer and give the proposer a reasonable opportunity (generally 2 business days) to institute appropriate legal action to prevent the disclosure of the information claimed as confidential and/or exempt.

c. All public records submitted to the City, including those claimed as confidential and/or exempt, will be retained by the City and will not be returned to a proposer at the conclusion of the solicitation process.

4.5. EXCEPTION TO THE RFP

Exceptions to the RFP are prohibited under this solicitation.

4.6. ONLY ONE PROPOSAL

Only one proposal from any individual, firm, corporation, organization or agency under the same or different name shall be considered. Should it appear to the City that any proposer has a financial interest in more than one submission under this solicitation, all proposals in which such proposer has a financial interest will be rejected. A sub proposer is permitted to appear in more than one proposal for the same RFP, if the sub proposer is not a prime proposer in any of the submittals. The City considers a financial interest to include, but not be limited, to joint ventures and partnerships.

4.7. FULLY INFORMED PROPOSER

A proposer is expected to fully inform itself as to the requirements of the Specifications and Contract terms and conditions;

failure to do so will be at its own risk. A proposer shall not expect to secure relief on the plea of error.

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PART 5 – EVALUATION AND SELECTION PROCESS

5.1 EVALUATION CRITERIA

a) Selection and Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the procedures described in the Professional and Other Services Evaluation Handbook as follows:

The proposals will be evaluated using the following process: Technical Qualifications , Written Proposal Evaluation, and Presentation/Interview Evaluation, Price, and Other Factors as deemed appropriate. The City shall consider the ability of the firm’s professional personnel, willingness to meet time and budget requirements, workload, and past performance. The Evaluation process provides a structured means for consideration of all these areas.

b) Technical Qualifications Evaluation The Technical Qualifications Evaluation will assess each responding firm's ability based on experience and qualifications of key team members, the firm's capability of meeting time and budget requirements, and the firm's record regarding this type of work, particularly in the City of Gainesville or in the State of Florida. This stage does not involve review and evaluation of a proposal addressing the project scope of work. Consideration will be given to the firm's current workload, financial stability and location where most of the technical work will be produced.

The city will not be impressed with excessive amounts of boilerplate language, excessive numbers of resumes, excessive length of resumes, excessive numbers of photographs, work that distant offices have performed, or work not involving personnel to be assigned to the proposed project.

c) Written Proposal Evaluation The Written Proposal Evaluation will assess the firm's understanding of the project and the proposed approach to be undertaken as addressed in a written proposal. The evaluation process will assess how effectively the requirements of the scope of services have been addressed. The written proposal should identify a project manager and other key members of the project/service team. It should relate the capabilities of the project/service team to the requirements of the scope of services.

d) Presentation/Interview Evaluation The Proposal Presentation/Interview Evaluation is based on an oral presentation that addresses both the technical qualifications of the firm and the approach to the project. Importance is given to the firm's understanding of the project scope of work, the placement of emphasis on various work tasks, and the response to questions. The evaluation process will assess the project manager's capability and understanding of the project and his/her ability to communicate ideas. The role of key members of the project/service team should be established based on the scope of services and the firm’s approach to the project/service. The role of any subcontracted firm in the proposal should be clearly identified. Unique experience and exceptional qualifications may be considered with emphasis on understanding of the project/service, particularly “why it is to be done” as well as “what is to be done”. The City of Gainesville will not be impressed with excessive boilerplate, excessive participation by “business development” personnel, and the use of “professional” presenters who will not be involved in the project or future presentations.

e) Price The Evaluation Committee will select the rate sheet options (Exhibit 8, Proposed Rates.) to evaluate price at the Determination of Responsiveness Meeting. The maximum points for price will be 100 points.

f) Other factors The Other Factors to be considered, based upon the specific project (but not limited to), are those items, such as Vehicle Type, Small or Service-Disabled Veteran Business and/or Local Preference.

5.2 QUALIFICATIONS AND PRICE EVALUATION

Proposals will be evaluated using the categories and criteria described below. If proposers complete more than one fuel option, the proposer will be ranked for each option they bid on. Each proposer may receive multiple scores for all items below.

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1. Evaluation Criteria: The proposals will be evaluated using the following criteria and process: Price, Technical

Qualifications Evaluation, Written Proposal Evaluation, Vehicle Types, and Other Factors as deemed appropriate.

The total points available are in the following table. The method of scoring for each subcategory is further explained below.

Ranking Criteria Maximum Points Price 100 Technical Qualifications 100 Written Proposal 100 Vehicle Type 15 Presentation/Interview Evaluation 100 Total Possible Points 415

a. Price: The Evaluation Committee will select the rate sheet options (Exhibit 8, Proposed Rates.) to evaluate price at the Determination of Responsiveness Meeting. The maximum points for price will be 100 points. For each option evaluated, the lowest price will be scored at 100 points regardless of the number of days per week and fuel type. All other proposals will be evaluated as percent over the lowest price and deducted from 100 points. For example, if the lowest price proposed is $1,000 and the second lowest is $1,200, the lowest price proposal would receive 100 points and the second lowest price proposal would receive 80 points.

b. Technical Qualifications Evaluation: The Technical Qualifications Evaluation will assess each responding contractor’s ability based on the experience and qualifications of key team members, capability of meeting time and budget requirements, and performance record with this type of work, particularly in the City of Gainesville or in the State of Florida. This stage does not involve reviewing and evaluating a proposal addressing the project scope of work. Consideration will be given to the contractor’s current workload, financial stability, and location where the work will be performed. The City will not be impressed with excessive amounts of boilerplate language, excessive numbers of résumés, excessive length of résumés, excessive numbers of photographs, work that distant offices have performed, or work not involving personnel to be assigned to the proposed project.

The criteria for evaluating the technical qualifications will be as follows:

CRITERIA MAXIMUM POINTS

Key staff members 25 Past Experience 25 Litigation history 25 Ability to meet time and budget requirements 25 Total 100

c. Written Proposal Evaluation: The Written Proposal Evaluation will assess the contractor’s understanding of the contract and the proposed approach to be undertaken as addressed in a written proposal. The evaluation process will assess how effectively the requirements of the scope of services have been addressed. The written proposal should identify a contract manager and other key members of the service team. It should relate the capabilities of the service team to the requirements of the scope of services.

The criteria for evaluating the written proposal will be as follows:

Understanding of Contract Scope of Work 30 Contract Approach 30 Contract Manager 15 Contractor’s Team 15 Proposal Organization 10

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d. Vehicle Types:

The criteria for evaluating vehicle types will be as follows. Points will be given based on the type of vehicle that will comprise the proposed vehicle fleet identified in the Fleet, Fuel Type, and Employee Experience in Part 8 - Exhibits. A proration system will be used. The proposer will be given 0.15 points for every 1% of proposed Electric vehicle type, 0.125 points for every 1% of proposed Electric/Hybrid vehicle type, 0.1 points for every 1% of proposed CNG vehicle type,

0.075 points for every 1% of proposed Biodiesel/CNG Hybrid vehicle type, 0.05 points for every 1% of proposed Biodiesel vehicle type, and 0.0 points for every 1% of Standard Diesel vehicle type.

CRITERIA POINTS

Electric Vehicle 15 Electric/Hybrid Vehicle 12.5 CNG Vehicle 10 Biodiesel/CNG Hybrid 7.5 Biodiesel Vehicle 5 Standard Diesel Vehicle 0 Other Alternative Fuel Vehicle Not Listed Points based on emissions compared to above fuel types

2. Oral Presentation Evaluation Criteria

a. Presentation/Interview Evaluation: The Proposal Presentation/Interview Evaluation is based on an oral presentation that addresses both the qualifications of the contractor and the approach to the contract. The Evaluation Committee will assess the contractor’s understanding of the contract scope of work, placement of emphasis on various work tasks, and response to questions. The evaluation process will assess the project manager's capability and understanding of the project and his/her ability to communicate ideas. The role of key members of the service team should be established based on the scope of services and the contractor’s approach to the service. The role of any subcontracted firm in the proposal should be clearly identified. Unique experience and exceptional qualifications may be considered with emphasis on understanding of the project/service, particularly “why it is to be done” as well as “what is to be done.” The City of Gainesville will not be impressed with excessive boilerplate language, excessive participation by “business development” personnel, and use of “professional” presenters who will not be involved in the contract.

The criteria for evaluating the oral presentation will be as follows:

Understanding of Contract Scope of Work 40 Responsiveness to Questions 15 Contract Team 25 Contract Manager 20

5.3 SELECTION PROCESS

1. Participants The City will use an Evaluation Committee to review and evaluate proposals. Below is a description of the various groups of City employees and each’s functional role:

a. Evaluation Committee: The Evaluation Committee is responsible for reviewing, evaluating, and selecting the vendors who will be invited to give oral presentations. The Evaluation Committee will negotiate with the final selected vendor(s) until a Best and Final Offer is reached. Although the Evaluation Committee meetings are

E-Bidding Document - RFP (Residential Curbside Food Waste) - Page 15 of 63 subject to the Florida Sunshine Law (section 286.011, Florida Statutes), most meetings of the Evaluation Committee will be exempt from the public meetings requirements (section 286.0113, Florida Statutes). See Section 4.

b. Procurement Representative: The Procurement Division representative or designee will attend the RFP opening, all Evaluation Committee meeting(s), Oral Presentations, and Negotiation Meetings by serving as the facilitator to the selection process.

c. City Attorney: The City Attorney or designee may attend meetings as requested to provide legal advice.

d. Technical Expert/Advisors: City or contracted staff may provide advice and feedback during the RFP process.

a. Evaluators consisting of City staff will review the proposals.

b. Evaluators shall execute the Evaluator’s Disclosure statement included in the handbook and shall be completed prior to proceeding with the evaluation period. Individuals that do not meet the requirements with any conflict of interest shall be prohibited from participating as evaluators.

c. Upon review and evaluation of proposals, the City may select vendors for further discussion or presentations based on ranking. If further discussion or presentations are needed the proposers shall then further detail their qualifications, approach to the project and ability to furnish the required services during the presentation. Vendors selected for further presentations must provide one (1) electronic copy of materials presented in PDF format on a USB Flash drive.

d. The City shall select and rank vendors in order of preference who are deemed to be the most highly qualified to perform the required services, in accordance with the procedures described in the City's Professional and Other Services Evaluation Handbook included with this solicitation. The City Commission, if applicable, will then be requested to approve the ranking and authorize contract negotiation and execution.

e. The City will negotiate a contract with the top ranked vendor (s) for services in accordance with Part 6 – “Award”.

5.4 SUNSHINE LAW REQUIREMENTS

1. All participants are advised that meetings of the Evaluation Committee are subject to the Florida Sunshine Law, unless specifically exempted. Unless exempted, Evaluation Committee meetings will:

a. Be publicly noticed as all other public meetings of the City of Gainesville.

b. Be open and accessible to the public.

c. Have minutes taken of the meeting and be promptly recorded.

2. Any portion of an Evaluation Committee meeting at which:

d. A negotiation with a vendor is conducted, or

e. A vendor makes an oral presentation, or

f. A vendor answers questions, or

g. The Evaluation Committee negotiation strategies;

is exempt from the public meeting requirement.

The recording of, and any records presented at, an exempt meeting are also exempt from public disclosure until such time as the City provides notice of an intended decision or until 30 days after opening the bids, proposals, or final replies. For purposes of this Invitation to Negotiate, the recordings and any records presented at the exempt meetings will be available within 30 days after the notice of an intended decision or 30 days after the City receives its Best and Final Offer (see Phase 5 above) whichever is sooner.

Evaluator Committee members will not discuss the proposals in writing or verbally with each other outside of meetings where all members of the Evaluation Committee are present.

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5.5 ATTENDANCE

Evaluation Committee members will participate in public evaluation team meeting(s) and scheduled oral presentation(s)/interview(s). If a team member is unable to attend a scheduled meeting, the meeting will be postponed until all present. If an Evaluation Committee member is no longer able to serve on the Evaluation Committee, a new member will be selected to continue the process.

E-Bidding Document - RFP…