RFP_26-044-DJ.pdf

Revised March 2026

Board of County Commissioners County Administrator

Sara Baxter, Mayor Joseph Abruzzo Marci Woodward, Vice Mayor Maria G. Marino Gregg K. Weiss Joel G. Flores Maria Sachs Procurement Department Bobby Powell, Jr. www.pbcgov.org/procurement

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

RFP NO. 26-044/DJ

Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners and

Planning, Zoning & Building are seeking

Proposals for:

Building Fee Study Consultant

Date issued/available for distribution: April 29th, 2026

Proposer shall submit one (1) unbound original, Seven (7) bound copies, and one (1) electronic copy in pdf (CD or flash drive) of the complete proposal to be received in the Offices of the Procurement Department no later than June 23, 2026, 4:00 p.m. local time. See Section 1.7 of the RFP for Mailing Instructions.

Mandatory Pre-Proposal Conference: See Section 1.3 of this solicitation.

ENVELOPE MUST BE IDENTIFIED WITH THE

DEADLINE DATE FOR THE RECEIPT OF PROPOSALS

AND THE RFP NUMBER.

C A U T I O N In order to do business with Palm Beach County vendors are required to create a Vendor Registration Account OR activate an existing Vendor Registration Account through the Procurement Department’s Vendor Self Service (VSS) system which can be accessed at https://pbcvssp.co.palm-beach.fl.us/webapp/vssp/AltSelfService. If proposer intends to use subcontractors, proposer must also ensure that all subcontractors are registered as vendors in VSS. All subcontractor agreements must include a contractual provision requiring that the subcontractor register in VSS. County will not finalize a contract award until a contractor has verified that the contractor and all of its subcontractors are registered in VSS. As they are issued, all Amendments to solicitations will be posted under the applicable solicitation on our VSS system.

Palm Beach County shall not be responsible for the completeness of any Request for Proposal package not downloaded from our VSS system or obtained directly from Palm Beach County Procurement Department.

IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF ADA, THIS DOCUMENT MAY BE

REQUESTED IN AN ALTERNATE FORMAT

http://www.pbcgov.org/purchasing https://pbcvssp.co.palm-beach.fl.us/webapp/vssp/AltSelfService i

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION PAGE

SECTION 1 GENERAL INFORMATION

1.1 ISSUING OFFICE

1.2 PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT

1.3 MANDATORY PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE

1.4 PERIOD OF CONTRACT

1.5 QUALIFICATION OF PROPOSERS

1.6 TIMETABLE

1.7 PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

1.8 CONTACT PERSON

1.9 CONE OF SILENCE

1.10 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/AMENDMENT(S)

SECTION 2 GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

2.1 PROPOSAL GUARANTEE

2.2 MODIFIED PROPOSALS

2.3 WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSALS

2.4 LATE PROPOSALS, LATE MODIFIED PROPOSALS

2.5 RFP POSTPONEMENT/CANCELLATION

2.6 COSTS INCURRED BY PROPOSERS

2.7 PROPRIETARY/CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

2.8 NEGOTIATIONS

2.9 RIGHT TO PROTEST

2.10 SMALL BUSINESS ENTERPRISES(SBE) / SBD REQUIREMENTS

2.11 PALM BEACH COUNTY OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL

AUDIT REQUIREMENTS

2.12 RULES; REGULATIONS; LICENSING REQUIREMENTS

2.13 CRIMINAL HISTORY RECORDS CHECK

2.14 REVIEW OF PROPOSALS

2.15 WAIVER OF MINOR IRREGULARITY

2.16 EXCEPTIONS TO THE RFP

2.17 SELECTION PROCESS

2.18 EVALUATION CRITERIA

2.19 AWARD OF CONTRACT

2.20 DISCLOSURE OF OWNERSHIP INTERESTS

2.21 STANDARD CONTRACT PROVISIONS (ATTACHMENT 1)

2.22 COMMENCEMENT OF WORK

2.23 INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

2.24 DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE CERTIFICATION

2.25 AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE

ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

(continued)

SECTION PAGE

2.26 PROHIBITION AGAINST CONSIDERING SOCIAL, POLITICAL OR

IDEOLOGICAL INTERESTS IN GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING -- F.S.

287.05701

2.27 DISCLOSURE OF FOREIGN GIFTS AND CONTRACTS WITH FOREIGN

COUNTRIES OF CONCERN

SECTION 3 PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

3.1 EXPERIENCE / QUALIFICATION / BACKGROUND / REFERENCES

INFORMATION

3.2 PROJECT APPROACH / UNDERSTANDING INFORMATION

3.3 KEY PERSONNEL AND OPERATIONS INFORMATION

3.4 BUSINESS LOCATION / LOCAL PREFERENCE

3.5 COMMERCIAL NON-DISCRIMINATION

3.6 FINANCIAL / BUSINESS STABILITY

3.7 PRICE PROPOSAL INFORMATION

3.8 BUSINESS INFORMATION

3.9 AMENDMENTS TO THE RFP

3.10 NON GOVERNMENTAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING AFFIDAVIT

3.11 ADDITIONAL APPENDICES- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

3.12 LITIGATION HISTORY

3.13 RELATED ENTITIES

SECTION 4 SCOPE OF WORK/SERVICES

SECTION 5 ATTACHMENTS

ATTACHMENT 1 – SAMPLE STANDARD CONTRACT

EXHIBIT A – SCOPE OF WORK/ SERVICES

EXHIBIT B – CONTRACTOR/CONSULTANT PROPOSAL

EXHIBIT C – AFFIRMATIVE PROCUREMENT INITIATIVES (“API”) 55

EXHIBIT D – HUMAN TRAFFICKING AFFIDAVIT

SECTION 6 APPENDICES

APPENDIX A - PRICE PROPOSAL PAGES

APPENDIX B - BUSINESS INFORMATION

APPENDIX C - OSBD SCHEDULES 1, 2, 3(A), 4

APPENDIX D - CERTIFICATION OF BUSINESS LOCATION

APPENDIX E - DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE CERTIFICATION

APPENDIX F - DISCLOSURE OF OWNERSHIP INTERESTS

SECTION 1

GENERAL INFORMATION

1.1 ISSUING OFFICE

This Request for Proposal (RFP) is issued for the County of Palm Beach, hereinafter referred to as “County”, by the Procurement Department for the benefit of the Building Division within the Planning, Zoning and Building Department. The Procurement Department is the SOLE point of contact concerning this RFP. All communications regarding this RFP must be done through the Procurement Department. See Section 1.8, Contact Person.

1.2 PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT

Palm Beach County (“County”), on behalf of the Planning, Zoning and Building Department, the Building Division seeks proposals from qualified professional consulting firms to conduct a comprehensive Fee Study and Pay Analysis covering all fees assessed by the Department, including, but not limited to, those associated with Building Division services. Although this contract is being requested by the Building Division, this Scope of Work is intended to be broadly applicable and may, at the County’s discretion, and with appropriate authorization, be utilized by other County divisions or departments that assess regulatory, permitting, inspection, enforcement, administrative, impact, or other related fees.

The County maintains adopted fee schedules for Department services, which are publicly available and shall serve as baseline reference documents for this study.

The objectives of this engagement are to:

• Evaluate all existing Department fees, and other miscellaneous fees using legally defensible cost-of-service methodologies, as applicable.

• Compare Palm Beach County fees, service scope, and service delivery approaches with peer Florida counties, comparable jurisdictions, and other comparable competitors.

• Assess whether current fees reasonably recover the cost of providing services, including direct and indirect labor costs.

• Analyze employee pay and staffing costs and determine whether existing fees sufficiently cover the cost of employees delivering the services.

• Ensure compliance with Florida Statutes, applicable case law, and Palm Beach County Code, including requirements applicable to impact fees.

• Promote transparency, equity, and consistency within Department services.

• Support long-term operational and financial sustainability without generating surplus revenue.

1.3 MANDATORY PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE

All proposers are required to attend a Mandatory Pre-Proposal Conference which will be held at the Procurement Department, 50 South Military Trail, Room 1N-142 North/South, West Palm Beach, Florida 33415, on May 22, 2026, commencing at 10:00 a.m. local time.

At this time, the County’s representative(s) will be available to answer any questions relative to this Request for Proposal. Any questions or comments arising subsequent to the Mandatory Pre-Proposal Conference must be presented in writing prior to the date and time stated in the Timetable (Section 1.6) of the RFP, to be discussed with the County’s representative(s) as possible amendments to the RFP.

Note: The proposer’s failure to attend this conference shall result in disqualification of their proposal. All proposers shall sign an attendance sheet.

The attendance sheet will be collected at 10:10 a.m (10 minutes after start time) local time. Those arriving after the attendance sheet has been collected will be considered as not in attendance for purposes of the Mandatory Pre-Proposal Conference.

1.4 PERIOD OF CONTRACT

The proposed effective date of this Contract is August 10, 2026. The selected proposer(s) will provide services for a twelve (12) month period ending August 9, 2027, with one (1) twelve (12) month renewal option offered by the County, at the County’s sole discretion, may be included.

1.5 QUALIFICATION OF PROPOSERS

All proposers to this RFP shall have demonstrated experience in supplying such services and shall meet all criteria/requirements identified in this RFP.

1.6 TIMETABLE

The anticipated schedule and deadline for the RFP and Contract approval are as follows:

Activity Date Time Location

RFP available for 4/29/2026 Procurement Department Download from 50 S. Military Trail, Ste. 110 Procurement Dept. VSS: W. P. B., FL 33415 https://pbcvssp.co.palm-beach.fl.us/webapp/vssp/AltSelfService

Mandatory Pre-Proposal 5/22/2026 10:00 a.m. Procurement Department Conference 50 S. Military Trail Room 1N-142 North/South

W. P. B., FL 33415

http://www.pbcgov.com/purchasing

Deadline for receipt of 5/28/2026 5:00 p.m. Procurement Department questions or comments 50 S. Military Trail, Ste.110

W. P. B., FL 33415

Deadline for receipt 6/23/2026 4:00 p.m. Procurement Department of proposals 50 S. Military Trail, Ste. 110

W. P. B., FL 33415

Selection Committee 7/14/2026 10:00 a.m. Procurement Department Meeting 50 S. Military Trail Room 1N-142 North/South

W.P.B., FL 33415

Oral Presentations/ 7/21/2026 10:00 a.m. Procurement Department Selection Committee 50 S. Military Trail Meeting (if conducted) Room 1N-142 North/South

W.P.B., FL 33415

Posting Date of Notice TBD Procurement Department of Intent to Award 50 S. Military Trail, Ste. 110

W.P.B., FL 33415

www.pbcgov.org/procurement

BCC Award Date TBD Governmental Center 301 N. Olive Avenue, 6th Floor

W.P.B., FL 33401

Anticipated Contract Start Date August 10, 2026

NOTE: County reserves the right to alter the above activities and/or times at the

County’s sole discretion.

1.7 PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

All proposals must be submitted on 8 ½” x 11” paper.

One (1) unbound original, Seven (7) bound copies, and one (1) electronic copy in pdf (CD or flash drive) of the complete proposal must be received in the Procurement Department by June 23, 2026, 4:00 p.m. local time. The original and all copies must be submitted in a sealed envelope or container. The proposer’s complete return address must be included on the outer envelope or wrapper enclosing any materials submitted in response to this RFP. The outer envelope or wrapper should be addressed as follows:

Proposer Name Address Phone No.

Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners Procurement Department 50 South Military Trail, Suite 110 West Palm Beach, Florida 33415 ATTENTION: David Juhe, Senior Buyer RFP No. 26-044/DJ

Title: Building Fee Study Consultant Due Date: June 23, 2026, 4:00 p.m. local time.

The Procurement Department’s office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays observed by the County.

Proposers are responsible for informing any commercial delivery services, if used, of all delivery requirements and for insuring that the required address information appears on the outer wrapper or envelope used by such service.

The Price Proposal Page(s) (Appendix A) must be signed by an officer of the company who is legally authorized to enter into a contractual relationship in the name of the proposer (“Authorized Person”).

The submission of a signed proposal by a proposer will be considered by the County as constituting a legal offer by the proposer to perform the required services at the proposed pricing identified therein.

1.8 CONTACT PERSON

The contact person for this RFP is David Juhe , Senior Buyer, at (561) 616-6826, e-mail address PUR-Purchteam2@pbc.gov or PUR-Procure-Solicit@pbc.gov in the Procurement Department.

Proposers are advised that from the date of release of this RFP until award of the contract, NO contact with County staff and/or designated Selection Committee members concerning this RFP is permitted, except as authorized by the contact person designated herein.

1.9 CONE OF SILENCE

Proposers are advised that the “Palm Beach County Lobbyist Registration Ordinance” prohibits a proposer or anyone representing the proposer from communicating with any County Commissioner, County Commissioner’s staff, or any County Employee authorized mailto:PUR-Purchteam2@pbc.gov mailto:PUR-Procure-Solicit@pbc.gov to act on behalf of the Board of County Commissioners to award this contract regarding its proposal, i.e., a “Cone of Silence”.

The “Cone of Silence” is in effect from the date/time of the deadline for submission of the proposal, and terminates at the time that the Board of County Commissioners, or a County Department authorized to act on their behalf, awards or approves a contract, rejects all proposals, or otherwise takes action which ends the solicitation process.

Proposers may, however, contact any County Commissioner, County Commissioner’s Staff, or any County Employee authorized to act on behalf of the Board of County Commissioners to award this contract via written communication, i.e., fax, e-mail, or U.S.

Mail.

Violations of the “Cone of Silence” are punishable by a fine of $250.00 per violation.

1.10 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/AMENDMENT(S)

Any questions, comments (i.e., additional information or clarifications) must be made, in writing via e-mail or U.S. Mail, no later than the date specified and to the address listed in the RFP Timetable (Section 1.6) or e-mail address listed for the Contact Person (Section 1.8) above. The request must contain the proposer’s name, address, phone number, facsimile number and e-mail address.

Facsimiles must have a cover sheet which includes, at a minimum, the proposer’s name, address, number of pages transmitted, phone number, facsimile number and e-mail address.

Changes to this RFP, when deemed necessary by the County, will be completed only by written Amendment(s) issued prior to the Deadline for receipt of proposals. Proposers should not rely on any representations, statements or explanation other than those made in the RFP or in any Amendment to this RFP. Where there appears to be a conflict between the RFP and any Amendment issued, the last Amendment issued shall prevail.

As they are issued, all Amendments to solicitations will be posted under the applicable solicitation on the County’s on-line Vendor Self-Service (VSS) system at https://pbcvssp.co.palm-beach.fl.us/webapp/vssp/AltSelfService. It is the sole responsibility of the proposer to routinely check VSS for any Amendments that may have been issued prior to the Deadline for receipt of proposals. The County shall not be responsible for the completeness of any RFP package not downloaded from VSS or obtained directly from the Palm Beach County Procurement Department.

It is the proposer’s sole responsibility to assure receipt of all Amendments. The proposer should verify with the designated Contact Person (see Section 1.8) prior to entering a proposal that all Amendments have been received. Proposers are required to acknowledge the receipt of all Amendments as part of their proposal.

SECTION 2

GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

2.1 PROPOSAL GUARANTEE

Proposer guarantees their commitment, compliance, and adherence to all requirements of the RFP by submission of their proposal.

2.2 MODIFIED PROPOSALS

Proposer may submit a modified proposal to replace all or any portion of a previously submitted proposal until the Deadline for receipt of proposals. The County will only consider the latest proposal submitted.

2.3 WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSALS

A proposal may be withdrawn only by written notification. Letters of withdrawal received after the Deadline for receipt of proposals will not be accepted unless the contract has been awarded to another vendor or no award has been made within ninety (90) days after the Deadline for receipt of proposals.

Unless withdrawn, as provided in this subsection, a proposal shall be irrevocable until the time that a contract is awarded.

2.4 LATE PROPOSALS, LATE MODIFIED PROPOSALS

Proposals and/or modifications to proposals received after the Deadline for receipt of proposals specified in the RFP Timetable (Section 1.6) are late and shall not be considered.

2.5 RFP POSTPONEMENT / CANCELLATION

The County may, at its sole and absolute discretion, reject any and all, or parts of any and all, proposals; waive any minor irregularities in this RFP or in the proposals received as a result of this RFP; postpone or cancel, at any time, this RFP process; or re-issue this

RFP.

2.6 COSTS INCURRED BY PROPOSERS

All expenses incurred with the preparation and submission of proposals to the County, or any work performed in connection therewith, shall be borne by the proposer. No payment will be made for proposals received, nor for any other effort required of or made by the proposers, prior to commencement of work as defined by a contract approved by the Board of County Commissioners.

2.7 PROPRIETARY/CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

Any material submitted in response to this Request for Proposal is considered a public document in accordance with Section 119.07, F.S. This includes material which the responding proposer might consider to be confidential. All submitted information that the responding proposer believes to be confidential and exempt from disclosure (i.e., a trade secret or as provided for in Section 119.07 and Section 812.081, F.S.) must be specifically identified as such. Upon receipt of a public records request for such information, a determination will be made as to whether the identified information is, in fact, confidential.

2.8 NEGOTIATIONS

The County may award a contract on the basis of initial proposals received, without discussions. Therefore, each submitted proposal should contain the proposer’s best price and technical offer.

2.9 RIGHT TO PROTEST

Any proposer may protest any recommendations for contract award by submitting a written protest and protest bond to the Director of Procurement within five (5) business days after posting the Notice of Intent to Award in accordance with Chapter 2, Article II, Section 2-55 of the Palm Beach County Code. Protests must be submitted in writing, addressed to the Director of Procurement, via hand delivery, or mail using the Procurement Department’s address noted in Section 1.7 PROPOSAL SUBMISSION of this RFP

2.10 SMALL BUSINESS ENTERPRISES (SBE) / SBD REQUIREMENTS

NOTE: The following provisions apply to the sections of the non-federally funded portions of this solicitation. All Small Business Enterprise (SBE) Program forms, including waiver and good faith effort forms and documentation are available on the Office of Small Business Development (OSBD) website:

https://discover.pbcgov.org/HED/osbd/Pages/Documents.aspx.

Item 1 – Policy The BCC adopted the Small Business Development Ordinance (SBD Ordinance), codified in Sections 2-80.20 through 2-80.28 (as may be amended) of the Palm Beach

County Code, which sets forth the County’s requirements for the SBE Program, and which is incorporated in this solicitation. The provisions of the SBD Ordinance are applicable to this solicitation, and has precedence over the provisions of this solicitation in the event of a conflict.

Item 2 – Proposal Submission Documentation If any subcontractors/subconsultants are utilized in performing work under the contract, bidders or respondents must complete Schedule 1 and Schedule 2, listing the work to be https://discover.pbcgov.org/HED/osbd/Pages/Documents.aspx performed by any subcontractor/subconsultant, including SBE subcontractors/subconsultants.

SBE bidders or respondents submitting as prime contractors or consultants (Primes) are advised that they must complete Schedule 1 and Schedule 2, listing the work to be performed by their own workforce.

Schedules 1 and 2 must be submitted with the bid or proposal prior to the published bid or proposal due date and time.

Schedule 1 – List of Proposed Contractor/Consultant and Subcontractor/Subconsultant Participation A completed Schedule 1 must be submitted by the Prime and list the names of all subcontractors/subconsultants intended to be used in performance of the contract, if awarded, including the total proposed percentage of SBE participation. This schedule must also be used if an SBE Prime is performing all or any portion of the contract with their own workforce.

When a minimum mandatory API goal is applied, an improperly executed Schedule 1 will not count toward the established goal and may result in a determination of non-responsiveness to the solicitation.

Schedule 2 – Letter of Intent A completed and executed Schedule 2 is a binding document between the Prime and subcontractor/subconsultant (any tier) and should be treated as such. Each Schedule 2 must be executed by the Prime and by all proposed subcontractor/subconsultant. If the Prime is an SBE, a Schedule 2 must be submitted to document work to be performed by its own workforce. All SBE(s) must specify, in detail, the type of work they will perform along with the dollar amount they will be compensated and/or percentage of work they will perform. If any subcontractor/subconsultant intends to subcontract any portion of their work, they are required to list the dollar amount and the name of the subcontractor/subconsultant on this Schedule. All named subcontractors/subconsultants on this Schedule must also complete and submit a separate Schedule 2. The Prime may count toward its SBE goal 2nd and 3rd tiered certified SBE(s); provided that the Prime submits a completed and executed Schedule 2 for each SBE.

A detailed scope of work may be attached with an executed Schedule 2.

In the event of a conflict between Schedules 1 and 2 when calculating SBE participation, the information provided on Schedule 2 takes precedence.

In the event of mathematical error(s), the unit price, if available, shall prevail and the bidder or proposer’s total offer shall be corrected accordingly. If the County’s issuance of an alternate or change order on a project results in changes in the scope of work to be performed by a subcontractor/subconsultant listed at the time of bid submission, the Prime must submit a completed and executed Schedule 2 that specifies the revised scope of work to be performed by the subcontractor/subconsultant, along with the modified price and/or percentage.

2.11 PALM BEACH COUNTY OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL AUDIT

REQUIREMENTS

Pursuant to Palm Beach County Code, Section 2-421 - 2-440, as amended, Palm Beach County’s Office of Inspector General is authorized to review past, present and proposed County contracts, transactions, accounts, and records. The Inspector General’s authority includes, but is not limited to, the power to audit, investigate, monitor, and inspect the activities of entities contracting with the County, or anyone acting on their behalf, in order to ensure compliance with contract requirements and to detect corruption and fraud.

Failure to cooperate with the Inspector General or interfering with or impeding any investigation shall be a violation of Palm Beach County Code, Section 2-421 – 2-440, and punished pursuant to Section 125.69, F.S., in the same manner as a second degree misdemeanor.

2.12 RULES; REGULATIONS; LICENSING REQUIREMENTS

The proposer shall comply with all laws, ordinances and regulations applicable to the services contemplated herein, to include those applicable to conflict of interest and collusion. Proposers are presumed to be familiar with all federal, state and local laws, ordinances, codes and regulations that may in any way affect the services offered, to include the Department of Labor Regulations (41 CFR, Part 60).

2.13 CRIMINAL HISTORY RECORDS CHECK

Pursuant to Palm Beach County Code Section 2-371 – 2-377, the Palm Beach County Criminal History Records Check Ordinance (“Ordinance”), the County will conduct fingerprint based criminal history record checks on all persons not employed by the County who repair, deliver, or provide goods or services for, to, or on behalf of the County.

A fingerprint based criminal history record check shall be conducted on all employees of contractors and subcontractors of contractors, including repair persons and delivery persons, who are unescorted when entering a facility determined to be either a critical facility ("Critical Facilities") or a criminal justice information facility ("CJI Facilities"), which are critical to the public safety and security of the County. County facilities that require this heightened level of security are identified in Resolution R2013-1470, R2015-0572 and R2024-0549, as may be amended. In October 2013, compliance with the requirements of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation’s CJI Security Policy was added to the Ordinance, which includes a broad list of disqualifying offenses. The proposer is solely responsible for understanding the financial, schedule, implications, and/or staffing implications of this Ordinance. Further, the proposer acknowledges that its proposal price includes any and all direct or indirect costs associated with compliance of this Ordinance, except for the applicable FDLE/FBI fees that shall be paid by the County.

2.14 REVIEW OF PROPOSALS

Each proposal will be reviewed to determine if the proposal is responsive to the RFP.

Proposals deemed to be non-responsive will be rejected without being evaluated by the Selection Committee. A responsive proposal is one which has been signed, has been submitted by the specified submission time, and has provided the information required to be submitted with the proposal (as stated in Section 3). While poor formatting, poor documentation, and/or incomplete or unclear information may not be cause to reject a proposal without evaluation, such substandard submissions may adversely impact the evaluation of your proposal, especially information relating to establishing financial/business stability. Proposers who fail to comply with all of the required and/or desired elements of this RFP, do so at their own risk.

2.15 WAIVER OF MINOR IRREGULARITY

An irregularity in a proposer’s submitted proposal is deemed minor for purposes of correction when: (1) its waiver would not deprive the County of its assurance that the contract will be entered into, performed and guaranteed according to its specified requirements, and (2) the irregularity is of such a nature that its waiver would not adversely affect competitive proposals by placing a proposer in a position of advantage over other proposers or by otherwise undermining the necessary common standard of competition. Pricing errors are never considered a minor irregularity.

In situations where a proposal has incomplete, missing or unsigned required documents, which are deemed a minor irregularity, the Director of Procurement may allow the Proposer up to five (5) business days to correct said minor irregularity, per Section 2- 54(C)(6)(a)(2), Palm Beach County Code. The decision whether to waive a minor irregularity is within the sole discretion of the Director of Procurement.

2.16 EXCEPTIONS TO THE RFP

All exceptions taken must be specific, and the proposer must indicate clearly what alternative is being offered to allow the County a meaningful opportunity to evaluate the proposal. Proposers are cautioned that submitting an alternative proposal does not relieve the proposer from submitting the “Minimum Requirements” as stated in Section 3.

The County is under NO obligation to accept any proposed exceptions or alternatives.

2.17 SELECTION PROCESS

All proposals timely received will be reviewed first by the Procurement Department to determine if each proposer has submitted the required information and met all Proposal Requirements (as stated in Section 3). Those proposals fulfilling the Proposal Requirements shall be referred to the Selection Committee for review and further consideration.

The Selection Committee will evaluate all responses to this RFP that meet the Proposal Requirements and are deemed responsive. The Selection Committee may evaluate all proposals based solely on the information submitted with the proposal. Accordingly, proposers are urged to ensure that their proposal contains all the necessary information for the Selection Committee to fairly and accurately evaluate each of the criteria listed below in Section 2.18. However, an oral presentation, additional written information, internal staff analysis, proposer presentations, outside consultants, and/or any other information may be required, at any time during the selection process, to help the Committee determine the final ranking of proposers. The Selection Committee may determine, as the result of additional information, that the impact of this information is significant and may be considered in the scoring and/or ranking, at the discretion of the Committee.

The Selection Committee shall meet in public session as necessary to score each proposal by reviewing each proposal against the evaluation criteria listed below, see Section 2.18. Upon completion of the Selection Committee’s review and discussion of all the responsive proposals submitted, each Selection Committee Member shall score each proposal and total the scores for each proposal. The proposals shall be assigned a ranking based upon the totals of each Selection Committee Member’s score for each proposal.

After the Selection Committee has developed an overall ranking for each proposer, the committee will then review, discuss, and declare the proposer ranked the highest as its “finalist” and make its recommendation for award of the contract.

2.18 EVALUATION CRITERIA

1. Experience / Qualifications Weight 25% (25 pts) Background / References (See Section 3.1)

2. Project Approach / Understanding Weight 20% (20 pts) (See Section 3.2)

3. Key Personnel and Operations Weight 20% (20 pts) (See Section 3.3)

4. Price Proposal Weight 15% (15 pts) (See Section 3.7)

5. Small Business Enterprises Weight 15% (15 pts) (See Section 2.10 and Exhibit C “API”s)

6. Business Location / Local Preference Weight 5% ( 5 pts) (See Section 3.4)

2.19 AWARD OF CONTRACT

The award, if any, will be made to the responsive, responsible proposer whose proposal is considered to be the most advantageous to the County based on the Selection Committee’s opinion after review of every such proposal including, but not limited to, price.

Upon review and approval of the Selection Committee’s recommendation for award, the Procurement Department will post the award recommendation at the Procurement Department and on the Procurement Department website at www.pbcgov.org/procurement for a period of five (5) business days for review by interested parties prior to final approval of the award. The apparent successful proposer will be notified of the recommendation for award by mail. The recommended awardee shall provide documentation that demonstrates that the individual(s) executing the Contract has the authority to do so and to legally bind the recommended awardee. A contract must be completed and executed by the successful proposer and the County and, when appropriate, by the Board of County Commissioners before it becomes valid and effective. If these conditions and contract negotiations, if applicable, are not met and/or completed within a reasonable timeframe as determined by the County, the County may elect to cancel the Recommended Award to that proposer and make the award recommendation to the next most advantageous proposer. This process may continue until such time as the County has determined to cancel the procurement in its entirety.

The official posting on the Procurement Department website shall prevail if a discrepancy exists between the referenced listings.

2.20 DISCLOSURE OF OWNERSHIP INTERESTS

Pursuant to a directive by the Board of County Commissioners, the Disclosure of Ownership Interest affidavit (DOIA, Appendix F) must be completed on behalf of any individual or business entity that seeks to do business with the County when applicable.

Disclosure does not apply to nonprofit corporations, government agencies, or to an individual’s or entity’s interest in any entity registered with the Federal Securities Exchange Commission or registered pursuant to Chapter 517, F.S., whose interest is for sale to the general public.

Upon request from the Procurement Department, the recommended awardee shall submit a completed DOIA (Appendix F) within a reasonable time, as requested. If the recommended awardee fails to submit a completed DOIA in a timely manner, the County, at its sole discretion, may elect to cancel the Recommended Award.

2.21 STANDARD CONTRACT PROVISIONS (ATTACHMENT 1)

The selected proposer will be required to execute a contract similar to the attached Sample Standard Contract (Attachment 1). If a proposer has comments related to any of the provisions in this RFP and/or the Sample Standard Contract, comments must be made, in writing, no later than the date specified in the RFP Timetable (see Section 1.6)

The Sample Standard Contract provisions (general and specific) will be incorporated into any contract resulting from this RFP. Should any selected proposer and the County be unable to consummate a written contract, the County may proceed to the next most advantageous proposal as determined by the Selection Committee or issue a new solicitation or cancel the procurement process in its entirety.

2.22 COMMENCEMENT OF WORK

This RFP does not, by itself, obligate the County. The County’s obligation will commence when the contract is approved by the Board of County Commissioners or their designee and upon written notice to the proposer. The County may set a different starting date for the contract. The County will not be responsible for any work done by the proposer, even work done in good faith, if it occurs prior to the contract start date set by the County.

2.23 INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

Prior to the effective date of the Contract, it shall be the responsibility of the successful proposer to provide evidence of the minimum amounts of insurance coverage specified in Attachment 1, Article 14, to Palm Beach County through the Contact Person set forth in Section 1.8, until otherwise notified by County.

The successful proposer shall, on a primary basis and at its sole expense, maintain in full force and effect, at all times during the life of this Contract, insurance coverages and limits (including endorsements) as described herein (see Attachment 1, Article 14). Failure to maintain the required insurance shall be considered default of the Contract. The requirements contained herein, as well as the County’s review or acceptance of insurance maintained by the successful proposer, are not intended to and shall not in any manner limit or qualify the liabilities and obligations assumed by the successful proposer under the Contract.

2.24 DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE CERTIFICATION

Proposers should submit, with their proposal, an executed Drug-Free Workplace Certification (Appendix E) indicating that the proposer has implemented a Drug-Free Workplace Program which meets the requirements of Section 287.087, F.S.

2.25 AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE

The authorized representative signature required on all offers and the Contract must be made by an officer of the company (if applicable).

2.26 PROHIBITION AGAINST CONSIDERING SOCIAL, POLITICAL OR

IDEOLOGICAL INTERESTS IN GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING - F.S.

287.05701.

Proposers are hereby notified of the provisions of section 287.05701, Florida Statutes, as amended, that the County will not request documentation of or consider a Proposer’s social, political, or ideological interests when determining if the Proposer is a responsible Proposer. Proposers are further notified that the County's governing body may not give preference to a Proposer based on the Proposer’s social, political, or ideological interests.

2.27 DISCLOSURE OF FOREIGN GIFTS AND CONTRACTS WITH FOREIGN

COUNTRIES OF CONCERN

Pursuant to F.S. 286.101, as may be amended, by entering into a Contract or performing any work in furtherance hereof, the Proposer certifies that it has disclosed any current or prior interest of, any contract with, or any grant or gift received from a foreign country of concern where such interest, contract, or grant or gift has a value of $50,000 or more and such interest existed at any time or such contract or grant or gift was received or in force at any time during the previous five (5) years.

SECTION 3

PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

PROPOSAL FORMAT AND CONTENT

Format

Proposer shall submit one (1) unbound original, Seven (7) bound copies, and one (1) electronic copy in pdf (CD or flash drive) of the complete proposal. Proposals should be typed and submitted on 8 ½” x 11” size paper. Copies should be bound using a single method of fastening (e.g., stapled, binder, etc.). Proposals should include only brief and concise narrative. The enclosure of elaborate or unnecessary verbiage or promotional material is discouraged.

Table of Contents

Proposals should contain a Table of Contents. The Table of Contents outlines, in sequential order, all of the areas of the proposal and it allows for clarity and ease of review of the proposal.

Letter of Transmittal

Proposals should contain a Letter of Transmittal addressed to David Juhe, Senior Buyer, and should, at a minimum, contain the following:

a. Identification of Proposer, including name, address and telephone number.

b. Proposed working relationship between proposer and subcontractors, if applicable.

c. Name, title, address, telephone/fax numbers and e-mail address of contact person during period of proposal evaluation.

d. Signed by a person authorized to bind proposer to the terms of the proposal.

Technical Proposal

Proposals shall contain all of the documents listed below, each fully completed, signed, and notarized as required. Failure of a proposer to provide the required information is considered sufficient cause to deem the proposal non-responsive.

The item(s) marked by an asterisk (*) should be a part of the proposal; however, if these items are omitted, the proposer must submit the item(s) upon request from the County within a time frame specified by the County (normally within two working days of request) or the proposal shall be deemed non-responsive. All other items must be submitted with the proposal or it shall be deemed non-responsive.

Notwithstanding these proposal requirements, the County reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to waive any minor irregularity relating to the proposal. Upon request, it shall be the responsibility of the proposer to address the determined minor irregularity within a time frame specified by the County (normally within two working days of request). Failure of a proposer to provide the required information within the specified time frame is considered sufficient cause to deem the proposal non-responsive.

Each of the following requirements should be addressed in separate sections of the proposal.

3.1 EXPERIENCE / QUALIFICATION / BACKGROUND / REFERENCES

INFORMATION

3.1.1 Each proposer shall submit a detailed statement of their experience, qualifications, and background providing fee studies, pay analyses, and cost-of-service evaluations for local government departments, including but not limited to Planning, Zoning, Building, Code Compliance, Administration, or other regulatory, permitting, inspection, enforcement, or development-related departments.

The statement shall clearly demonstrate the proposer’s experience with:

• Regulatory, permitting, inspection, enforcement, administrative, and other miscellaneous fees

• Cost allocation and cost-of-service methodologies applicable to regulatory fees

• Evaluation of employee pay, staffing levels, and labor costs as they relate to fee adequacy and cost recovery

• Florida local government operations, statutory requirements, and applicable case law

• Development, evaluation, and implementation of legally defensible fee schedules

• Work performed for counties, municipalities, or other public agencies comparable in size and complexity to Palm Beach County

*3.1.2 Each proposer should submit a minimum of five (5) references demonstrating the successful provision of fee studies, cost-of-service analyses, or similar financial consulting services, within the past five (5) year(s).

Each reference should include the following:

a. Name of client company, contact names, addresses, e-mail address, telephone/fax numbers, dollar amount of contracts and dates of service.

b. Scope of Work, types of services performed and number of full-time staff provided.

3.2 PROJECT APPROACH / UNDERSTANDING INFORMATION

The proposer shall provide a detailed narrative description of its approach and methodology for conducting a comprehensive fee study and pay analysis, including comparative benchmarking, in accordance with the Scope of Work.

The response shall demonstrate the proposer’s understanding of:

• Regulatory fee principles under Florida law

• Cost-of-service requirements for local government fee setting

• The relationship between fees charged, services provided, employee pay, staffing levels, and cost recovery

• Comparative analysis of fees and services provided across peer jurisdictions

• The operational differences among Planning, Zoning, Building, Code Compliance, Administration, and other County departments

• The County’s existing adopted and publicly available fee schedules as baseline reference documents including, but not limited to, the following:

3.2.1 Overview of the project tasks to be performed including:

• Project initiation and coordination with County staff

• Data collection and validation

• Cost-of-service and workload analysis

• Pay and staffing cost analysis related to fee recovery

• Fee and miscellaneous fee evaluation and development

• Benchmarking and comparative analysis of fees and services provided

• Financial impact analysis and implementation considerations

• Reporting and presentation support

3.2.2 A description of the methodologies, analytical tools, and models that will be used to:

• Allocate direct and indirect costs, including administrative and overhead costs

• Evaluate workload, staff time, and service delivery processes

• Analyze employee pay and staffing costs relative to fee recovery

• Compare existing fees and miscellaneous fees to calculated costs of service

• Develop recommended fee schedules that are transparent, defensible, and compliant with Florida law

3.2.3 County resources that will be required to conduct the study including:

• Staff interviews or workshops

• Access to financial, staffing, workload, and permitting data

• Review meetings and draft report feedback.

3.2.4 Timeline for performing the required services from start to completion including estimated durations for each phase and key milestones.

Palm Beach County recognizes that proposers may propose differing approaches; however, the response must demonstrate the proposer’s ability to meet the objectives of the Scope of Work within the anticipated project timeframe.

3.3 KEY PERSONNEL AND OPERATIONS INFORMATION

The proposer shall provide:

3.3.1 An Organizational Chart identifying the structure of firm.

3.3.2 A list of the key personnel assigned to the project, along with a complete resume detailing their experience, education, expertise, qualifications and knowledge of the project.

3.3.3 A description of the role of each staff member who will be responsible for handling and monitoring the Contract.

3.3.4 Identification of projects of similar nature in which each staff member has been involved.

3.4 BUSINESS LOCATION / LOCAL PREFERENCE

Pursuant to Section 2-80.47 of the Palm Beach County Local Preference Code, unless prohibited by federal, state or local law or where prohibited under the conditions of any grant, the location of a business shall be addressed through the evaluation criteria set forth in this solicitation.

Proposer shall submit at the time of proposal submission the attached “Certification of Business Location” (Appendix D) (the “Certification”) together with a valid Business Tax Receipt issued by the Palm Beach County Tax Collector, unless the proposer is exempt from the Business Tax Receipt requirement by law, which will be used to verify that the proposer had a permanent place of business prior to the issuance of this Notice of Solicitation/Request for Proposal. The Palm Beach County Business Tax Receipt and the Certification are the sole determinant of Business Location/Local Preference points. Errors in the completion of the Certification or failure to submit the completed Certification will cause the proposer to not receive points for Business Location/Local Preference.

Provided a proposer does not qualify to receive an SBE preference, local proposers who submit the Certification, together with the required Business Tax Receipt at the time of proposal submission, shall receive five (5) points.

3.5 COMMERCIAL NON-DISCRIMINATION

As a condition of submitting a proposal to the County, the proposer agrees to comply with the County’s Commercial Non-discrimination Policy as described in Resolution R2025-0748, as may be amended. In accordance with Palm Beach County Code Section 2-80.24, proposer hereby certifies and agrees that the following information is correct: In preparing its response to this solicitation, the proposer has considered all proposals submitted from qualified, potential subcontractors and suppliers, and has not engaged in "discrimination" as defined in the County’s Commercial Nondiscrimination Policy as set forth in Resolution R2025-0748, as may be amended, to wit: discrimination in the solicitation, selection or commercial treatment of any subcontractor, vendor, supplier or commercial customer on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, ancestry, sex, age, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, disability, or genetic information, or on the basis of any otherwise unlawful use of characteristics regarding the vendor's, supplier's or commercial customer's employees or owners;

provided that nothing in this policy shall be construed to prohibit or limit otherwise lawful efforts to remedy the effects of discrimination that have occurred or are occurring in the County’s relevant marketplace of Palm Beach County. Without limiting the foregoing, "discrimination" also includes retaliating against any person or other entity for reporting any incident of "discrimination." Without limiting any other provision of the solicitation, it is understood and agreed that, if this certification is false, such false certification will constitute grounds for the County to reject the proposal submitted by the proposer for this Solicitation, and to terminate any contract awarded based on the response.

At the time of proposal submission, the proposer shall provide to the County a list of all instances within the immediate past four (4) years where there has been a final adjudicated determination in a legal or administrative proceeding in the State of Florida that the proposer discriminated against its subcontractors, vendors, suppliers or commercial customers, and a description of the status or resolution of that complaint, including any remedial action taken.

Indicate your agreement to the foregoing by signing the Price Proposal Page(s).

In accordance with Palm Beach County Code Section 2-80.24, this certification and agreement must be completed and submitted with the proposal for all solicitations.

*3.6 FINANCIAL / BUSINESS STABILITY

Proposer should submit the following:

The firm’s most recent financial audit, within the past two (2) years, with a statement from an independent certified public accountant, prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, demonstrating the firm’s financial stability.

Required Appendices

3.7 PRICE PROPOSAL INFORMATION

The proposer shall submit the attached Price) Proposal Page(s) (Appendix A) filled out and signed. The proposer shall indicate the amount of money to be paid by the County during the Contract term.

Offers will receive up to the maximum points listed in 2.18 above, based upon the reasonableness of the total price and competitiveness of this amount with other offers received.

In order for the County to make payment, the Vendor’s Legal Name, Vendor’s Address and Vendor’s TIN/FEIN Number on the Contractor’s proposal and Contract must be exactly the same as it appears on the invoice and in the County’s Vendor Self Service (VSS) system. Contractor shall send ALL ORIGINAL invoices to the following address and shall send copies of invoices to the County’s representative set forth in the Contract. Invoices submitted on carbon paper shall not be accepted.

PALM BEACH COUNTY

FINANCE DEPT.

P.O.BOX 4036

WEST PALM BEACH, FL 33402-4036

Note: Palm Beach County Vendors can now be paid by Credit Card via the County’s voluntary Payment Manager Program. For vendors who do not have a merchant account, one is needed to utilize the Program. For vendors with a merchant account, you will need to enroll with the Palm Beach County Clerk & Comptroller’s office. For information, contact the Palm Beach County Clerk & Comptroller at pbcpaymentmgr@mypalmbeachclerk.com.

mailto:pbcpaymentmgr@mypalmbeachclerk.com

3.8 BUSINESS INFORMATION

Each proposer shall complete and submit the attached Business Information page (Appendix B).

3.9 AMENDMENTS TO THE RFP

It is the proposer’s responsibility to assure receipt of all amendments. The proposer shall verify with the designated contact person, prior to submitting a proposal, the number of amendments that have been received. Each amendment to the RFP shall be signed by an authorized person and shall be submitted with the proposal or the proposal shall be deemed non-responsive.

3.10 NON GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY HUMAN TRAFFICKING AFFIDAVIT

Proposer warrants and represents that it does not use coercion for labor or services as defined in section 787.06, Florida Statutes. Proposer has executed Exhibit D, Nongovernmental Entity Human Trafficking Affidavit, which is attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference.

3.11 ADDITIONAL APPENDICES…