RFQ 21.22.023.pdf

SUWANNEE RIVER WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

21/22-023

FIELD SUPPORT SERVICES FOR AGRICULTURAL WATER USE MONITORING

Table of Contents

Section Title Page

1 Introduction 2

2 Proposed Schedule 2

3 Instructions to Bidders 2

4 Key Points 3

5 Scope of Work 8

6 Proposal Response Forms 10

Suwannee River Water Management District

9225 CR 49

Live Oak, FL 32060 386.362.1001

800.226.1066 (Florida only) www.mysuwanneeriver.com

SECTION 1 – INTRODUCTION

The Suwannee River Water Management District requires the assistance of a qualified contractor to provide technical support in fulfillment of its agricultural water use data collection responsibilities specified in Governing Board Directive 21-0007. Technical support includes conducting flow measurements on irrigation systems, data entry, and reporting of results.

The selected Contractor shall be responsible for the performance of the tasks described in the Scope of Work. The Contractor shall be responsible for completing tasks and deliverables and for providing data and deliverables of acceptable quality to the District. The initial contract shall be from October 1, 2022, through September 30, 2024, with the possibility of two subsequent one-year renewals based upon the mutual agreement of the District and the Contractor.

SECTION 2 - PROPOSED SCHEDULE

July 13, 2022 Release of Request for Qualification (RFQ)

July 20, 2022 Written questions due by 4:00 pm

July 21, 2022 Questions with answers posted on the District Website by 5:00 pm

July 28, 2022 Proposals due prior to 10:00 am at District Headquarters in Live Oak. Opening will occur at this time. *

July 28,2022 Selection Team meeting*

August 9, 2022 Consideration by Governing Board, if required*

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

Questions: To provide equal opportunity and ensure the same information is provided to all bidders, any questions should be submitted by email to Pennie Flickinger at Pennie.Flickinger@srwmd.org before 4:00 p.m. July 20, 2022. The questions with answers will be posted on the District website www.mysuwanneeriver.com, on July 21, 2022.

Questions cannot be answered via telephone or other verbal communication.

SECTION 3 - INSTRUCTION TO BIDDERS

Proposers also known as respondent, are required to complete and submit two (2) original and one (1) digital copy of the proposal response forms. Proposal forms shall be sent to:

Pennie Flickinger, Business Resource Specialist III Suwannee River Water Management District 9225 County Road 49 Live Oak, Florida 32060 Phone: 386.362.1001

All proposal forms shall be submitted in sealed envelopes with the following clearly marked in large, bold, and/or colored lettering.

ITB No. 21/22-023

FIELD SUPPORT SERVICES FOR AGRICULTURAL WATER USE MONITORING

Proposal Opening July 28, 2022, at 10:00 a.m.

Proposals delivered in an envelope not properly marked with the RFQ number and opening date and time that are inadvertently opened by District personnel will not be considered. The proposal shall be hand-delivered or mailed, preferably by registered mail.

Proposals are due at the above address prior to 10:00 am on July 28, 2022. Proposals received after this time, for any reason, will be rejected.

ACCESSIBILITY: For all electronic/digital submissions in response to this request, the Respondent must ensure that those deliverables and all supporting documents are accessible according to 282.603 Florida Statutes and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 relating to the creation and use of electronic documents. This requirement applies to editable formats, such as Microsoft Word, as well as portable document formats (PDF).

Proposer Response: Proposer shall complete and submit the Proposal Response Forms in Section 6 including:

• Per Measurement Rate (Response Form 1), and details about the proposed flow meter to be used

• Similar Projects (Response Form 2): Summarize at least two (2) projects of a similar nature specified in this Scope of Work accomplished over the past five (5) years,

• Staff Qualifications (Response Form 3): List the education, experience, and certifications of staff who will be working on this project,

• References (Response Form 4): List contact information for up to three (3) persons/clients who have contracted similar projects with your firm.

SECTION 4 – KEY POINTS

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

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

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

Americans with Disabilities Act: The District does not discriminate upon the basis of any individual’s disability status. This nondiscrimination policy involves every aspect of the District’s functions including one’s access to, participation, employment, or treatment in its programs or activities. Anyone requiring reasonable accommodation as provided for in the Americans with Disabilities Act should contact the District at 386.362.1001 or 800.226.1066 (Florida only).

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

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

Public Entity Crime: Section 287.133(2)(a), Florida Statutes, states “A person or affiliate who has been placed on the convicted vendor list following a conviction for a public entity crime may not submit a bid on a contract to provide any goods or services to a public entity, may not submit a bid on a contract with a public entity for the construction or repair of a public building or public work, may not submit bids on leases of real property to a public entity, may not be awarded or perform work as a contractor, supplier, subcontractor, or consultant under a contract with any public entity, and may not transact business with any public entity in excess of the threshold amount provided in s.287.017 for CATEGORY TWO for a period of 36 months from the date of being placed on the convicted vendor list.”

Scrutinized Company: Section 287.135, Florida Statutes, states “A company is ineligible to, and may not, bid on, submit a proposal for, or enter into or renew a contract with an agency or local governmental entity for goods or services of:

a. Any amount if, at the time of bidding on, submitting a proposal for, or entering into or renewing such contract, the company is on the Scrutinized Companies that Boycott Israel List, created pursuant to s. 215.4725, or is engaged in a boycott of Israel; or

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

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

s. 215.473; or

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

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

Insurance Requirements: If awarded, Proposer shall represent and guarantee that all employees, agents, servants or representatives of the respondent, and all employees, agents, servants, or representatives of subcontractors are covered by workers' compensation insurance.

Prior to entering into a contract with the District, respondent agrees to furnish the District certificates of insurance on all insurance, naming District as additional insured for items 2 and 3 below, providing evidence that respondent has in full force and effect the following minimum insurance with insurers authorized to do business in the State of Florida:

1) Workers' compensation insurance as required above.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Qualifications of Proposer – *To Submit with Proposal*: It is the bidder’s responsibility to completely fill in all items in the response forms in Section 6. Items that are in bold will be used to determine the low-price component of assessment where applicable. Other items that can be provided should be filled in and can be included in the contract at the option of the District.

Failure to provide these items may result in the bid being considered non-responsive.

The preferred qualifications for this contract are as follows:

a. Have three (3) years’ experience for the task(s) being proposed (project experience must be by the individual(s), firm, or project manager(s) assigned to the project).

b. Proposer shall include information that demonstrates their ability to meet this requirement; and

c. Have completed at least two (2) projects of the nature specified in the applicable Scope of Services over the past three (3) years. (Proposers shall use the SIMILAR PROJECTS form provided to list the names of the project(s), including the personnel assigned to each, and the names of the agencies/companies for whom the work was performed, including a contact person and telephone number.); and

d. The names, addresses, and telephone numbers of three (3) clients who can attest to your experience as it relates to the Scope of Services (not including the District).

e. Proposer shall use the REFERENCES form provided in the contract documents to list their references.

f. Proposer must demonstrate their ability to provide all equipment necessary (either owned or leased) with experienced operators (minimum three years) necessary to provide the required work.

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

Each proposer shall submit the documentation stated above under Paragraphs ‘a’ - ‘g’ with the proposal package. Failure on the part of the proposer to include the above with the proposal shall render the proposal non-responsive. Only responsive proposals will be considered by the District.

Disqualification of Proposer: Any of the following causes shall be considered as sufficient grounds for the disqualification of a proposer and the rejection of his proposal:

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

b. Evidence of collusion among proposers.

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

d. Being in arrears on any of his existing contract with the District or in litigation with the District or have defaulted on a previous contract with the District.

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

If items ‘c’ or ‘d’ above are considered to be applicable to any prospective Proposer by District prior to the issuance of proposal documents, the prospective Proposer will be notified and will not be allowed to pick up proposal documents or submit a proposal for the work. If a proposal is submitted, District will notify the prospective Proposer and the proposal will not be opened.

Evaluation of Proposals: Responses shall be evaluated based on the information provided and its satisfaction of the proposal requirements.

Evaluation by District Selection Committee: The District Selection Committee composed of three

(3) persons will select no fewer than two (2) firms deemed to be the most highly qualified to perform the required services. In determining whether a firm is qualified, the District shall consider such factors as the ability of the professional personnel; whether a firm is a certified minority business enterprise; past performance; willingness to meet time and budget requirements; location; recent, current, and projected workloads of the firms; and the volume of work previously awarded to each firm by District with the object of effecting an equitable distribution of contracts among qualified firms, provided such distribution does not violate the principle of selection of the most highly qualified firms. At the Selection Committee Meeting, which is a public meeting, each member will list at least two (2) firms to be prequalified. The prequalified firms will constitute the shortlist for the purpose of commencing negotiation of a contract. A contract will be negotiated with all prequalified firms. No work shall be performed until a Task Work Assignment is issued.

Execution of Contracts:

a) A completed Internal Revenue Service Form W-9.

b) Satisfactory evidence of all required insurance coverage.

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

d) All other information and documentation required by the contract documents.

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

Failure to Execute Contract: Failure upon the part of the proposer to whom the contract has been awarded to execute and deliver the contract, and to furnish the evidence required in “Execution of Contracts” “a – d” above, within ten (10) days after the date of the award shall be just cause, in the sole discretion of the District, for the annulment of the award.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SECTION 5 - SCOPE OF WORK

The Suwannee River Water Management District requires the assistance of a qualified contractor to provide technical support in fulfillment of its agricultural water use data collection responsibilities specified in Governing Board Directive 21-0007. Technical support includes conducting flow measurements on irrigation systems, and data entry and reporting of results.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Task 1. Flow Monitoring at Agricultural Irrigation Systems.

The contractor will measure flow on agricultural irrigation systems at 10 stations per week, averaging 40 or more per month across fifteen counties (Section 7, Form 1). Exceptions related to weather, equipment failure, sickness, etc. must be sent in writing to the District Project Manager. The District will provide station location information and GPS coordinates for each well. Flow entries must record accurate GPS coordinates at the well associated with each pivot.

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

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

Deliverables:

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

SECTION 6: PROPOSAL RESPONSE FORM RFQ 21/22-023

Company Name - Proposer______________________________________________________

FEID # ______________________________________________________________________

Proposer Representative/ Title____________________________________________________

Address _____________________________________________________________________

City, State, Zip Code ___________________________________________________________

Telephone Number ________________________Email________________________________

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

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

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

FORM 1. CONTRACTOR’S PROPOSED FEE SCHEDULE

Date: ___________________Company Name:_____________________________________

County of Completed Installation Fixed Rate per Flow Measurement

Alachua $

Baker $

Bradford $

Columbia $

Dixie $

Gilchrist $

Hamilton $

Jefferson $

Lafayette $

Levy $

Madison $

Putnam $

Suwannee $

Taylor $

Union $

Proposed Flow Meter(s): ________________________________________________________

Type of Technology Flow Meter Uses: _____________________________________________

Date of Last Calibration: ________________________________________________________

The District requires a vendor to perform 10 flow measurements per week or 40 per month. Are you able to meet this requirement?: _____ Yes _____ No

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

*Please also complete the forms 2-4 below.

FORM 2. SIMILAR PROJECTS

Date: _______________________________________________________________________

Company Name: ______________________________________________________________

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

CLIENT AGENCY/COMPANY: ___________________________________________________

CONTACT: __________________________________________________________________

TELEPHONE: ________________________________________________________________

NAME OF PROJECT: __________________________________________________________

DESCRIPTION: _______________________________________________________________

START DATE / COMPLETION DATE: _____________________________________________

NAMES OF PERSONNEL ASSIGNED TO PROJECT: ________________________________

CLIENT AGENCY/COMPANY: ___________________________________________________

CONTACT: __________________________________________________________________

TELEPHONE: ________________________________________________________________

NAME OF PROJECT: __________________________________________________________

DESCRIPTION: _______________________________________________________________

START DATE / COMPLETION DATE: _____________________________________________

NAMES OF PERSONNEL ASSIGNED TO PROJECT: ________________________________

FORM 3. STAFF QUALIFICATIONS

Company Name: ______________________________________________________________

Please list staff to be assigned to this project and include their qualifications, training, and experience with agricultural water use monitoring as related to the Scope of Work (Section 5) described herein.

NAME and TITLE: _____________________________________________________________

YEARS EMPLOYED WITH COMPANY: ____________________________________________

COLLEGE DEGREES/FIELDS OF STUDY: _________________________________________

AG WATER USE MONITORING EXPERIENCE: _____________________________________

NAME and TITLE: _____________________________________________________________

YEARS EMPLOYED WITH COMPANY: ____________________________________________

COLLEGE DEGREES/FIELDS OF STUDY: _________________________________________

AG WATER USE MONITORING EXPERIENCE: _____________________________________

NAME and TITLE: _____________________________________________________________

YEARS EMPLOYED WITH COMPANY: ____________________________________________

COLLEGE DEGREES/FIELDS OF STUDY: _________________________________________

AG WATER USE MONITORING EXPERIENCE: _____________________________________

FORM 4. REFERENCES

Company Name: ______________________________________________________________

Please provide names, address, and telephone number of three clients who can attest to your experience as related to the Scope of Work (Section 5) described herein.

CLIENT NAME: _______________________________________________________________

ADDRESS: __________________________________________________________________

CONTACT PERSON: __________________________________________________________

TELEPHONE: ________________________________________________________________

EMAIL: ______________________________________________________________________

CLIENT NAME: _______________________________________________________________

ADDRESS: __________________________________________________________________

CONTACT PERSON: __________________________________________________________

TELEPHONE: ________________________________________________________________

EMAIL: ______________________________________________________________________

CLIENT NAME: _______________________________________________________________

ADDRESS: __________________________________________________________________

CONTACT PERSON: __________________________________________________________

TELEPHONE: ________________________________________________________________

EMAIL: ______________________________________________________________________