REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ)

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BID NO. Q-27-01-COC

Published, August 18, 2026

CITY OF COCOA

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

Q-27-01-COC

Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION

2. STANDARD TERMS & CONDITIONS

3. SPECIAL CONDITIONS

4. STANDARD INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

5. GENERAL INFORMATION

6. SCOPE OF SERVICES

7. RFQ SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS

8. RFQ TIMELINE

9. PRESENTATIONS

10. EVALUATION PROCEDURE AND CRITERIA

11. OTHER APPLICABLE MANDATORY CRITERIA

RFQ SUBMITTAL ACKNOWLEGDEMENT

SECTION I – COVER LETTER

SECTION II – TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION III – FIRM’S QUALIFICATIONS

SECTION IV – PROJECT TEAM’S QUALIFICATIONS

SECTION V - PROJECT EXPERIENCE

SECTION VI – PROJECT APPROACH

SECTION VII – RESUMES

SECTION VIII – OTHER REQUIRED FORMS

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1. INTRODUCTION

The City of Cocoa (hereinafter referred to as “City”) operates a municipal water system that serves residential, commercial, and industrial customers throughout its service area with infrastructure including water treatment facilities, transmission and distribution mains, pumping stations, storage tanks, wells, and associated appurtenances. The Dyal Water Treatment Plant treats groundwater using lime softening and chloramination, and surface water using ozonation.

The continued reliability, safety, and regulatory compliance of this system requires ongoing professional engineering support across a broad range of technical disciplines. The City is soliciting Statements of Qualifications (known as “the proposal”) from licensed and experienced consulting engineering firms in the State of Florida capable of providing comprehensive services for the water system. The City’s objective is to select one engineering firm (also referred to herein as “Consultant”) to serve as the engineering firm that will be required to assist the City, providing technical expertise across items such as planning, design, permitting, construction administration, and program management functions.

The City reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to select among the Respondents of this RFQ, or through other solicitation procedures, other engineering/consulting firms to handle identified professional services associated with the Water System projects if the City deems it in the City’s best interests to do so. This solicitation shall be part of the Consultants Competitive Negotiation Act (CCNA) process as mandated in F.S.287.055 and the City of Cocoa Purchasing Policy.

RFQ DUE DATE & TIME: OCTOBER 13, 2026. Qualifications packages shall be mailed or hand-delivered to the Office of the Purchasing Manager, located at 65 Stone St., Cocoa, Florida 32922. Packages are to be received NO LATER THAN 3:00 P.M. ON OCTOBER 13, 2026.

Packages received after the specified time and date will not be accepted. The City will not be responsible for mail delays, late or incorrect deliveries. The clock located at the reception desk in the lobby of Cocoa City Hall will be the official authority for determining the time that packages are received and for determining late responses.

All RFQ information and required attachments must be executed and submitted in a sealed envelope or package. Respondent shall mark response envelope: RFQ No. Q-27-01-COC ENGINEERING SERVICES FOR WATER SYSTEM. Respondent’s name and return address must be clearly identified on the outside of the envelope.

The submission will be comprised of the Response Cover Page followed by the required documents in Sections I-VIII. Each section will be separated using divider tabs and bound. Three

(3) additional paper copies are to be provided along with a USB drive containing a complete electronic copy of the submittal in pdf format must also be included.

These documents constitute the complete set of terms and conditions, specification requirements, and forms. Any additional information should be attached to this format or the respondent may be disqualified.

Responses submitted by facsimile or electronically will NOT be accepted. Responses which do not comply with these requirements may be rejected at the option of the City. It is the respondent’s responsibility to ensure that all submittals are in accordance with all addendums issued, if any. Failure of any respondent to receive any such addendum or interpretation shall not relieve such respondent from its terms and requirements. The RFQ and any Addenda are available online using the Vendorlink bidding platform at https://www.myvendorlink.com/.

Users will be required to sign up for a free account in order to access the solicitation material.

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Responses not submitted in the format set forth herein shall be rejected unless otherwise explained in the response documents.

The City issues this Request for Qualifications to select a candidate for further contract negotiation. Ranking and selection by the City Council shall not result in the automatic formation of a contract. A contract may be formed only upon the parties successfully negotiating the terms and conditions of a written agreement which must be approved by the City Council and duly executed by the City and the selected Respondent.

For information concerning procedure for responding to this Request for Qualifications (RFQ), contact Brian Dale, Purchasing Manager, Purchasing & Contracts Division at (321) 433-8833 or purchasing@cocoafl.gov. Such contact is to be for clarification purposes only. Material changes, if any, to the scope of services or respondent procedures will only be transmitted by written addendum.

All questions about the meaning or intent of the RFQ Documents shall be submitted in writing and directed to the City of Cocoa, 65 Stone St., Cocoa FL 32922, Attention: Brian Dale, Purchasing Manager, Purchasing & Contracts Division. Questions may also be sent via e-mail to purchasing@cocoafl.gov. Only questions answered by formal written addenda will be binding.

Oral and other interpretations or clarifications will be without legal effect and may not be relied upon by respondent in submitting their response. The deadline for questions is September 15, 2026 at 5:00pm.

ANTI-LOBBYING PROVISION

COMPANIES AND PERSONS DESIRING TO RESPOND TO THIS RFQ ARE HEREBY

NOTIFIED THAT ALL COMMUNICATIONS REGARDING THIS RFQ, WHETHER IN

WRITING, ELECTRONIC, VERBAL, OR BY SOME OTHER MEANS, AND

WHETHER MADE INDIRECTLY BY THIRD PARTIES OR DIRECTLY BY THE

RESPONDENT, SHALL BE SUBMITTED TO THE CITY’S PURCHASING MANAGER,

EXCEPT LEGAL MATTERS MAY BE DIRECTED TO THE CITY ATTORNEY

DIRECTLY OR THROUGH THE PURCHASING MANAGER. EXCEPT AS

EXPRESSLY REQUIRED BY THIS RFQ FOR FORMAL PRESENTATIONS (IF ANY),

ANY INDIRECT OR DIRECT COMMUNICATIONS AND LOBBYING REGARDING

THIS RFQ MADE TO MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL, MEMBERS OF THE

SELECTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE, OR ANY OTHER CITY OFFICIAL ARE

STRICTLY PROHIBITED AND SHALL CONSTITUTE GROUNDS FOR IMMEDIATE

DISQUALIFICATION.

mailto:purchasing@cocoafl.gov

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2. STANDARD TERMS & CONDITIONS

2.1. ACCEPTANCE AND REJECTION - The City reserves the right to accept or reject any and all responses and to accept the response which best serves the interest of the City of Cocoa. The City may award sections individually or collectively, whichever is in its best interest, unless the Respondent only intends to respond for the contract in its entirety.

2.2. ASSIGNMENT - Neither the resulting contract nor payment due pursuant to this RFQ may be assigned. Any attempt to assign the responsibilities and payment under this RFQ without the express prior written consent of the City of Cocoa shall be grounds for termination of the Contract.

2.3. SELECTION OF FIRM - Competitive selection shall be generally made pursuant to the CCNA process as established in F.S.287.055 to the engineering firms that demonstrate technical capability while most closely meeting the City’s needs according to the evaluation criteria and factors designated in the solicitation and under the CCNA.

Further, once the City Council approves a ranking of the firms, the award will depend upon the successful Respondent(s) negotiating acceptable terms under an Engineering Services Contract. While not included as part of the ranking of Respondent(s) in the CCNA process, Respondents are hereby notified that should a Respondent be selected to negotiate a formal Contract with the City, the City will be paying significant attention to cost of services being offered. The successful Respondents shall be those that are not only the most qualified firm, but the firm that has also agreed to rates, fees and charges that the City of Cocoa deems to be fair, reasonable and competitive in the marketplace. If the City pursues competitive negotiations with your firm and the City cannot agree on fair, competitive, and reasonable rates, fees, and charges for services required by this RFQ, the City will cease negotiations with your firm. The City will then commence negotiations with the next ranked firm until the City has awarded a Contract or rejected all of the proposals at its sole discretion.

2.4. Omitted

2.5. CONFLICT OF INTEREST - The Respondent certifies that this response has not been arrived at collusively or otherwise in violation of federal, state or local laws.

Respondent must disclose the name of any of their officers, partners, directors, or proprietors who is also an elected official, officer, or employee of the City of Cocoa or who is the spouse or child of any elected official, officer, or employee of the City of Cocoa. Furthermore, all Respondents must disclose the name of any City of Cocoa elected official, officer, or employee, or the spouse or child of a City of Cocoa elected official, officer, or employee, who owns, directly or indirectly, a material interest of five percent (5%) or more of the Respondent’s firm or business or any of its branches, subsidiaries, parent business entities, or partnerships. This obligation to disclose is a continuing obligation for the term of any resulting Agreement. Failure to disclose in this manner may result in the cancellation of work and termination of any resulting Agreement.

2.6. CONSULTANT’S PROJECT MANAGER AND PROJECT ENGINEER – The

Consultant will designate a Project Manager and Project Engineer in their submittal response to the RFQ. Both positions shall be qualified professional engineers licensed in the State of Florida. The Project Manager shall be authorized and responsible to act on

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behalf of Consultant with respect to directing, coordinating and administering all aspects of Services to be performed under this Contract. The Project Engineer shall be the lead technical resource on the assigned projects responsible for technical elements of the design and quality control. Replacement (including reassignment) of said Project Manager or Project Engineer shall not be made without the prior written approval by the City.

2.7. DEVIATION FROM SPECIFICATION - Any deviation from specifications and submittal requirements must be clearly stated, explained in detail and accepted by the City in writing. Otherwise, items offered are expected to be in strict compliance with specifications and submittal requirements and the successful response shall be held accordingly.

2.8. DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT - An entity or affiliate placed on the Discriminatory Vendor List may not submit a response for a Contract to provide goods or services to a public entity, may not submit a response on a Contract with a public entity for the construction or repair of a public building or perform any public work, may not submit Proposals for leases of real property to a public entity, may not award or perform work as a Consultant, supplier, sub-consultant, or consultant under any Contract with any public entity, and may not transact business with any public entity.

2.9. ECONOMY OF PREPARATION - The responses should be prepared simply and economically, providing a straightforward, concise description of the Respondent’s qualifications and ability to fulfill the requirements of the RFQ.

2.10. Omitted

2.11. INFORMALITIES - The City of Cocoa reserves the right to both waive any minor informality in responses and to determine, in its sole discretion, whether or not a particular informality is minor.

2.12. INFORMATION AND LITERATURE - Respondents are to furnish all information and literature requested. Failure to do so may be cause for rejection.

2.13. INTERPRETATIONS - Any questions concerning conditions and specifications shall be directed to the purchasing manager. Interpretations that may affect the eventual outcome of this RFQ will be furnished in writing to all prospective potential Respondents. No interpretation shall be considered binding unless provided in writing by the City of Cocoa.

2.14. NON-DISCRIMINATION - The successful Respondent will comply with all federal and state requirements concerning fair employment and will not discriminate by reason of race, color, age, religion, sex, national origin or physical handicap.

2.15. PATENTS AND COPYRIGHTS - The Respondent will agree to hold harmless the City of Cocoa, its officers, agents and employees from liability of any kind, including cost and expenses, with respect to any claim, action, cost or judgment for patent or copyright infringements. Also, the City and any Federal awarding agency funding any part of the Contract with the successful Respondent reserves a royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable license to reproduce, publish or otherwise use, and to authorize others to use, for City and Federal Government purposes the copyright in any work developed under the Contract any rights of copyright that the Respondent has purchased ownership with

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funding from the Contract. In addition, with respect to any discovery or invention which arises or is developed in the course of or under any Contract with the City, the City shall retain ownership rights to any patent based on such discovery or invention unless otherwise agreed to by the City’s City Council.

2.16. PAYMENTS - Upon acceptance of work by using department of the City, employees and others, it is understood and agreed that orders and services shall be shipped and performed at the established Contract prices. Invoicing in variance with this will subject the Contract to cancellation. The City shall make payment to the Consultant in accordance with the Local Government Prompt Payment Act, Section 218.70, Florida Statutes. The City reserves the right, with justification, to partially pay any invoice submitted by the Consultant when requested to do so by the relevant City department.

Unless otherwise directed in the Contract for services, all invoices shall be directed to the Accounts Payable Section, City of Cocoa, 65 Stone St., Cocoa, FL 32922, with a copy directed to the City department using the services.

NOTE:ALL INVOICES MUST CLEARLY INDICATE THE CITY PURCHASE

ORDER NUMBER.

2.17. PUBLIC ENTITY CRIMES - As required by section 287.133, Florida Statutes, the Proposer warrants that it is not on the convicted contractor list for a public entity crime committed within the past thirty-six (36) months. The Proposer further warrants that it will neither utilize the services of, nor contract with, any supplier, sub-contractor, or consultant in connection with this Agreement for a period of thirty-six (36) months from the date of being placed on the convicted contractor list. By way of a submittal response completion and signature on this solicitation, the Proposer certifies that it is qualified to do business with the City of Cocoa in accordance with all Florida Statutes.

2.18. PUBLIC RECORDS - Florida law provides that municipal records shall, at all times, be open for personal inspection by any person. Section 119.01, Florida Statutes (The Public Records Law). Unless otherwise provided by the Public Records Law, information and materials received by the City in connection with an RFQ response and under any awarded Contract shall be deemed to be public records subject to public inspection upon award, recommendation for award, or 10 days after opening, whichever occurs first. However, certain exemptions to the public records law are statutorily provided for under section 119.07, Florida Statutes and other applicable laws. If the Respondent believes any of the information contained in his or her response is exempt from the Public Records Law, then the Respondent must in his or her response, specifically identify the material which is deemed to be exempt and cite the legal authority for the exemption, otherwise, the City will treat all materials received as public records. In addition, the Respondent shall make available to the City (and if any part of any Contract awarded under this RFQ is funded by the Federal government, the Federal Grantor agency, the Comptroller General of the United States), or any of their duly authorized representatives to any books, documents, papers, and records of the Respondent which are directly pertinent to any Contract awarded under this RFQ for the purpose of making audit, examination, excerpts, and transcriptions. All records shall be retained for a minimum of three (3) years after the City makes final payment under the Contract awarded under this RFQ and all other pending matters are closed by the City.

IF THE PROPOSER HAS QUESTIONS REGARDING THE

APPLICATION OF CHAPTER 119, FLORIDA STATUTES, TO THE

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PROPOSER’S DUTY TO PROVIDE PUBLIC RECORDS RELATING

TO THIS RFQ, CONTACT THE CUSTODIAN OF PUBLIC

RECORDS AT: (321) 433-8484; marsenault@cocoafl.gov City Clerk’s Office, 65 Stone Street, Cocoa, FL, 32922.

2.19. TAX EXEMPTIONS - The City of Cocoa is a tax exempt entity. The City of Cocoa’s tax-exempt number is 85-8012621548C-8.

2.20. TERMINATION FOR CAUSE - If a Respondent is awarded a Contract under this RFQ, the successful Respondent is hereby on notice that the Contract shall be subject to termination in the event that the Respondent breaches the Contract, or Respondent fails to fulfill in a timely and proper manner its obligations under this Contract, or if the Respondent is declared bankrupt or insolvent, or Respondent is found to have committed fraud or any other unlawful act against the City or another party. The City may, upon written notice to the Respondent, terminate the right of the Respondent to proceed under the Contract, and may hold the Respondent liable for any damages caused to the City by reason of such default and termination. In the event of such termination, any completed services performed by the Respondent under the Contract shall, at the option of the City, become the City’s property and the Respondent shall be entitled to receive equitable compensation for any work completed to the satisfaction of the City. The Respondent, however, shall not be relieved of liability to the City for damages sustained by the City by reason of any breach of the Contract by the Respondent, and the City may withhold any payments to the Consultant for the purpose of setoff until such time as the amount of damages due to the City from the Respondent can be determined.

2.21. TERMINATION FOR CONVENIENCE - If a Respondent is awarded a Contract under this RFQ, the successful Respondent is hereby on notice that the Contract shall also be subject to termination for convenience by the City. The City reserves the right, in its best interest as determined by the City, in its sole discretion, to cancel the Contract by giving written notice to the Respondent thirty (30) days prior to the effective date of such cancellation.

2.22. TIME FOR CONSIDERATIONS – All Proposals will be considered after the time and date set for the opening of the Proposals and for a period up to ninety (90) days thereafter.

2.23. TRADE SECRETS - Respondents should not send trade secrets as a part of its Proposal. If, however, information provided to the City is considered by the Respondent to be a trade secret, such information will only be considered a trade secret if that information qualifies as a trade secret under Florida law. Respondent must mark any trade secret information submitted to the City as Confidential prior to such submittal. If a Respondent fails to submit a claim of trade secrets to the City before obtaining the City’s Contract, any subsequently-claimed trade secrets will be treated as public records and will be provided to any person or entity making a public records request for the information (section 119.01, Florida Statutes).

mailto:

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3. SPECIAL CONDITIONS

3.1. ADDENDUM AND AMENDMENTS TO REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS - If it becomes necessary to revise or amend any part of this Request for Qualifications, the City’s Purchasing & Contracts Division will furnish the revision by written Addendum to all prospective Respondents who are recorded with the City as having received an original Request for Qualifications. Addenda information will be posted on Vendorlink at https://www.myvendorlink.com/. Respondents are responsible to check this location for updates.

3.2. COMMITTEE MEETINGS/PRESENTATIONS INFORMATION - The Notice of Committee Meetings/Presentations is generally posted at least seventy-two (72) hours in advance of such meetings/presentations. However, the City reserves the right to hold Committee meetings with less notice if necessary upon reasonable notice. Proposers are responsible to check the following locations for updates on this proposal’s status: on the bulletin board located in the main lobby of the City Hall building at 65 Stone St., Cocoa, FL 32922; or on the City’s Web Page http://www.cocoafl.org, under the City Clerk.

City Council meetings, at which matters regarding this RFQ may be considered, are noticed by the City Clerk’s office under the general rules and procedures of the City Council.

3.3. INDEMNIFICATION STATEMENT – By submitting a response document signed by an authorized agent of the Respondent, Respondent (Consultant) acknowledges and accepts the terms and conditions of the following Indemnification Statement in the event of Contract award:

“For other and additional good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the Consultant shall indemnify, hold harmless and defend the City of Cocoa and its elected and appointed officers, agents, officials, attorneys, representatives and employees (hereinafter the “City”) from and against any and all liability, loss, cost, damages, expenses, injuries (including death), claim or actions, of whatever type, including but not limited to reasonable attorney's fees in any legal proceeding through trial and appeal, which the City may hereafter sustain, incur or be required to pay, to the extent caused by the negligence, recklessness, or intentionally wrongful conduct of Consultant, its agent(s), vendors, representatives, servants, employees, or other persons employed or utilized by the Engineer in the execution, performance or non‐performance or failure to adequately perform Consultant’s obligations pursuant to this RFQ and any subsequent contract, including any Task Order.

The Consultant specifically assumes potential liability for actions brought by the Consultant’s own employees against the City and, solely for the purpose of this indemnification, the Consultant specifically waives its entitlement, if any, to immunity under Section 440.11, Florida Statutes. This waiver has been specifically and mutually negotiated by the parties.”

3.4. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY STATEMENT – By submitting a response document signed by an authorized agent of the Respondent, Respondent acknowledges and accepts the terms and conditions of the following Limited Liability Statement in the event of Contract award:

“The City desires to enter into this Contract only if in so doing the City can place a limit on the City’s liability for any cause of action arising out of the Contract, so that the City’s liability for http://www.cocoafl.org/

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any breach never exceeds the sum of any Contract amount that is owed by the City for services actually performed by the Respondent to the City’s complete satisfaction. For other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, Respondent expresses its willingness to enter into this Contract with the knowledge that the Respondent’s recovery from the City to any action or claim arising from the Contract is limited to a maximum amount of the sum of any Contract amount that is owed by the City for services actually performed by the Respondent to the City’s complete satisfaction, and in no case shall exceed the amount provided in Section 768.28, Florida Statutes. Nothing contained in this paragraph or elsewhere in this Contract is in any way intended either to be a waiver of the limitation placed upon the City’s liability as set forth in Section 768.28, Florida Statutes, or to extend the City’s liability beyond the limits established in said Section 768.28, Florida Statutes; and no claim or award against the City shall include attorney’s fees, investigative costs, expert fees, suit costs or pre-judgment interest.”

3.5. PROPOSER EXPENSES - No out-of-scope services shall be provided in the absence of prior, written authorization in the form of a written supplemental Contract and issuance of an appropriate amendment to the Contract. The City will not pay a retainer or similar fee. The City is not responsible for any expenses that Respondent may incur in preparing and submitting responses called for in this request. The City will not pay for any out-of-pocket expenses, such as word processing; photocopying; postage; per diem; travel expenses; and the like, incurred by the Respondent. The City will not be liable for any costs incurred by the Respondent in connection with any interviews/presentations (i.e., travel, accommodations, etc.).

3.6. REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/CLARIFICATION - The Respondent shall furnish such additional information/clarification as the City may reasonably require. This includes, but is not limited to, information that indicates financial resources as well as the ability to provide and maintain the services requested. The City reserves the right to make investigations of the qualifications of the Respondent as it deems appropriate including, but not limited to, a background investigation of service personnel to be conducted by the City of Cocoa Police Department or its designees.

3.7. TERM AND RENEWALS - Contracts awarded and entered into under this RFQ shall be contracts for continuing engineering services under which project or task orders will be issued subject to deadlines mutually agreed to by the parties. The term of any Contract will not exceed three (3) years with two (2) optional two (2)-year renewals. However, the City will reserve the right to extend the Contract beyond that period if the City Council determines that extension is required based upon public necessity to complete a pending task related to this RFQ or as otherwise deemed necessary in the best interests of the City at the City’s sole discretion. Selected Consultants will be required to execute a written agreement on a form prepared by and acceptable to the City Attorney. Under no circumstances whatsoever shall a contract be formed between the City and a selected consultant until such time the written agreement is approved by the City Council at a public meeting and executed by the consultant.

3.8. TRUTH-IN-NEGOTIATIONS - Pursuant to section 287.055(5)(a), Florida Statutes, for any lump-sum or cost-plus-a-fixed-fee professional service contract over the threshold amount provided in section 287.017, Florida Statutes for CATEGORY FOUR, the City shall require the firm receiving the award to execute a truth-in-negotiation certificate stating that wage rates and other factual unit costs supporting the compensation are accurate, complete, and current at the time of contracting.

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3.9. PROHIBITION AGAINST CONTINGENT FEES - Each contract entered into by the City for professional services must contain a prohibition against contingent fees, which reads as follows: “The architect (or registered surveyor and mapper or professional engineer, as applicable) warrants that he or she has not employed or retained any company or person, other than a bona fide employee working solely for the architect (or registered surveyor and mapper, or professional engineer, as applicable) to solicit or secure this agreement and that he or she has not paid or agreed to pay any person, company, corporation, individual, or firm, other than a bona fide employee working solely for the architect (or registered surveyor and mapper or professional engineer, as applicable) any fee, commission, percentage, gift, or other consideration contingent upon or resulting from the award or making of this agreement.” For each breach or violation of this provision, the City shall have the right to terminate the agreement without liability and, at its discretion, to deduct from the contract price, or otherwise recover, the full amount of such fee, commission, percentage, gift, or consideration.

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4. STANDARD INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

All qualified firms MUST provide written proof of insurance and demonstrate that they maintain all applicable insurance coverage as specified below as a condition precedent to contracting with, and performing any work for, the City of Cocoa. Copies of all applicable current insurance certificates must be attached to the Respondent’s submittal.

Excluding professional liability policies which prohibit naming the City as an additional named insured, the Certificate of Insurance must be made to the City of Cocoa, 65 Stone St., Cocoa, FL 32922 and should reference the operation and must name the City as an additional insured.

Prior to renewal, non-renewal, cancellation, or change or modification of any insurance policy, at least 30 days advance written notice shall be given to the City of Cocoa.

All Certificates of insurance shall be approved by the City prior to the commencement of any work. Minimum coverage with limits and provisions are as follows:

4.1. COMMERCIAL GENERAL LIABILITY INSURANCE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

FOR CONTRACTS VALUED AT LESS THAN $15,000:

It is required that individuals and firms Contracting with the City of Cocoa, where the total contract or job value is LESS than $15,000, maintain Commercial General Liability insurance with a minimum per occurrence limit of not less than $200,000 and with a deductible amount not greater than $5,000. It is further required that the City of Cocoa be named as an additional insured to the Consultant’s CGL policy, and that proof of same in the form of a certificate of insurance be submitted before work is begun.

4.2. COMMERCIAL GENERAL LIABILITY INSURANCE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

FOR CONTRACTS VALUED AT $15,000 OR MORE:

It is required that individuals and firms contracting with the City of Cocoa, where the total Contract or job value is $15,000 or MORE, maintain Commercial General Liability insurance with a minimum per occurrence limit of not less than $1,000,000.00 and with a deductible not greater than $5,000. It is further required that the City of Cocoa be named as an additional insured to the Consultant’s CGL policy, and that proof of same in the form of a certificate of insurance be submitted before work is begun.

4.3. AUTOMOBILE LIABILITY INSURANCE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL

CONTRACTS:

It is required that individuals and firms contracting with the City of Cocoa who own licensed motor vehicles that will be utilized in connection with any City contract or job maintain automobile liability insurance and submit proof of same in the form of a certificate of insurance before work is begun.

It is further required that individuals and firms contracting with the City of Cocoa who lease, rent, or borrow licensed motor vehicles that will be utilized in connection with any City contract or job be required to maintain non-owned or hired automobile liability insurance and submit proof of same in the form of a certificate of insurance before work is begun.

4.4. PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY INSURANCE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR

ALL PROFESSIONALS AS DEFINED BY FLORIDA STATUTE:

Professionals and professional corporations, associations, and firms who contract with the City of Cocoa to provide professional services are required to maintain Professional Liability Insurance in a minimum amount of $3,000,000.00 per occurrence and in the aggregate, with a deductible not greater than $50,000.00.

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4.5. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPAIRMENT INSURANCE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Individuals or firms who contract with the City of Cocoa to provide excavation or construction type services and who will be locating portable fuel or lubricant storage tanks at the job site or who will be storing or using hazardous chemicals on the job site are required to maintain Environmental Impairment Insurance or "Pollution Insurance" with a limit of not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence and submit proof of same in the form of a certificate of insurance or an endorsement to their General Liability policy showing a pollution exclusion exception for each specific work product or storage container before work is begun. Contracts with such firms shall include a provision that they work in compliance with the OSHA Hazardous Communication Standard and Florida Department of Environmental Protection guidelines and supply all information about hazardous chemicals being brought onto City property as required by the City's Safety and Loss Control Program.

4.6. WORKERS' COMPENSATION INSURANCE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Individuals or firms must demonstrate that they have worker’s compensation coverage at levels required by Florida law.

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5. GENERAL INFORMATION

The City reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to select among the Respondents of this RFQ or, through other procedures, other engineering/consulting firms to handle component parts of the anticipated utility projects if the City deems it in the City’s best interests to do so. This solicitation shall be part of the Consultants Competitive Negotiation Act process as mandated in Section 287.055, Florida Statutes and the City of Cocoa Purchasing Manual.

The engineering firm selected will serve as the City’s consultant for its Water System including, but not limited to, the services described in the Scope of Services. The selected consultant will enter into a contract for the Term indicated in Section 3.7 with the City if recommended by City staff after successful contract negotiations and approved by City Council in its sole discretion.

However, the Consulting Professional Services Agreement shall be subject to termination for convenience by the City. The City reserves the right to select one or more consultants. Once under Contract, the City may award work on a task order basis to the contracted engineering firm for different phases of the project, such as design services phase and services during construction phase. The City reserves the right to award task orders at the City’s sole discretion as it deems to be in the City’s best interest.

The selected engineering firm will be required to enter into an Engineering Services Contract in a form approved by the City Attorney and City Council, and at rates, fees, and charges determined by the City, in its sole discretion, to be fair, competitive and reasonable.. Under no circumstances whatsoever shall a contract be formed between the City and a selected consultant until such time the written agreement is approved by the City Council at a public meeting and executed by the consultant. Respondents are required to list and introduce by resume and during presentations (if applicable) all lead members of their team, and provide the information needed to satisfy the specific requirements for the engineering firm’s selected Project Manager and Project Engineer.

All subconsultants proposed to perform portions of the work shall be identified in the proposal and are subject to approval by the City. In the most relevant section(s) of the proposal, describe the extent to which the services indicated in the solicitation scope will be performed in-house by your firm using proposed staff versus performed by subconsultants. For any services proposed to be performed by subconsultants, identify the subconsultant firms, describe their relevant qualifications and Florida experience, explain how their work will be integrated and quality-controlled by your firm, and identify the specific lead individuals from those subconsultant firms who would be assigned to work for the City. Subconsultant rates shall also be considered during competitive negotiation and shall be included in any resulting contract approved by the City Council.

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6. SCOPE OF SERVICES

The selected engineering firm may be asked to perform any engineering services related to the water system. The engineering services that are required shall include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Engineering design services to include design submittals, specifications development, permitting, and Engineer of Record services, as well as engineering services during construction which may be performed as a separate task order under this same RFQ.

2. Bidding Support Services

3. Construction Phase Services including: shop drawing and submittal review, responses to requests for information, and progress meeting attendance/management, periodic site visits, testing, Certification of Construction, Record Drawings, Resident Engineer (if required), Construction Management and Inspection, startup assistance/training, and the use of alternative project delivery methods

4. Cost Estimating Services

5. Design, support, and implementation for SCADA and other Instrumentation and Controls

(I&C) infrastructure per the City’s Control Systems Configuration Standards.

6. Design and management support of repair, maintenance, refurbishment, replacement, and expansion projects for the water treatment plant, supply infrastructure, and distribution system

7. Engineering assessments, including structural, process, hydraulic, pipeline condition, etc.

8. Permitting assistance including consumptive use permitting, negotiations, and compliance

9. Environmental impact assessments, including wetlands monitoring, and other environmental assistance

10. Hydraulic, hydrogeologic, and water quality modeling, calibration and analysis including ground water hydrology, ASR system assistance and well drilling assistance

11. Planning evaluations and studies including long-term master planning and CIP development, validation, prioritization, scheduling, probable cost determinations and coordination with various planning agencies

12. Water Quality Monitoring Program management assistance (Technical and regulatory support)

13. Studies related to water treatment and quality

14. Assistance in regulatory negotiations with the St. Johns River Water Management

District, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and other regulatory agencies associated with the development and operation of the water system

15. Asset management and condition assessment assistance including operation and maintenance studies

16. Information management services including GIS, GPS, instrumentation, custom programming/software, and other technologies

17. Security system design, support, and implementation

18. System optimization assistance including lost water mitigation

19. Grants assistance and state/federal funding assistance

20. Engineering evaluation and design of alternative and conventional water supplies, wells, treatment facilities, transmission and distribution system modifications, expansions and other improvements including development of specifications and bench/pilot scale testing when necessary

21. Reporting assistance to regulatory and other agencies including document preparation, public meetings, and presentations

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22. Program management services, including program management/administration, scheduling, cost control, document control, program website updating, design management, construction project support, and public involvement services in support of the Cocoa Utilities Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) program and repair and maintenance projects for the water system

23. Services related to the development of the City’s project financing and/or budget

24. Assistance with rate and fee determinations and associated revenue projections

25. Miscellaneous services including public relations assistance, design review, program management services, financial controls, and land and easement acquisition services

26. Surveying and geotechnical services

Additional related services may also be requested by the City.

Any of the services referenced above may be tasked to the selected engineering firm or another engineering or consultant selected by the City at its sole discretion. The City reserves the right to solicit proposals for any project and award a Contract for consulting services for such project separate and apart from the Contract entered into pursuant to this RFQ.

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7. RFQ SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS

For the response to be considered complete and timely, Respondent must submit ONE (1) original marked "ORIGINAL", One (1) USB copy, and Three (3) paper copies of the proposal must be received by the City of Cocoa on or before 3:00 P.M., Tuesday, October 13, 2026.

The submission will be comprised of the Response Cover Page followed by the required documents in Sections I-VIII. Each section will be separated using divider tabs and bound.

A USB drive containing a complete electronic copy of the submittal in pdf format must be included.

Respondents must include the following information in their proposal:

RFQ Submittal Acknowledgement: Respondent will complete the acknowledgement and agree to the terms and conditions therein.

Section I - Cover Letter: The response shall contain a cover letter signed by a person who is authorized to commit the Respondent’s offer to perform the work included in the RFQ and should identify all materials and enclosures being forwarded in response to the RFQ. (Limited to 2 pages)

Section II - Table of Contents: The Table of Contents shall provide a listing of all major topics, their associated section number, and starting page. (Limited to 2 pages)

Section III - Company/Firms and Subconsultant Qualifications and Capabilities: The Company Qualifications and Capabilities section of the proposal shall be limited to four (4) pages. The purpose of this section is to provide a brief discussion of Respondent’s business history and description of the firm’s and subconsultants’ abilities and capabilities to perform Tasks described in the RFQ. The section should also include a summary of current and projected workload of the project team including the designated project manager and project engineer and statements addressing the following:

1) Responsiveness of the prime firm to satisfy the requirements of this RFQ, especially the Scope of Services and Minimum Qualifications set forth in Section 6;

2) The sufficiency of the financial resources and ability of the firm’s personnel to perform the Contract or service;

3) Whether the firm has performed similar Contracts within the time and budget specified, without delay or interference;

4) The character, integrity, reputation, judgment, experience and efficiency of the firm;

5) The previous and existing experience and compliance by the firm with the laws and ordinances relating to the scope of services;

6) The number, frequency, and outcome of any professional malpractice and other claims related to services rendered that are made against the firm in any administrative, license, court, or other legal proceeding within the last five (5) years; and

7) Whether the firm is a certified minority business enterprise as defined by the Florida Small and Minority Business Assistance Act.

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Section IV - Project Team Qualifications and Experience: The Project Team Qualifications and Experience section of the proposal will be limited to 8 pages and shall include the following:

1)Provide an overview of the project team qualifications and experience (Limited to 1 page) 2)Provide an organizational chart designating Consultant’s Principal-In-Charge, Project

Manager, Project Engineer, Key Personnel and any sub-consultants. (Limited to 1 page) 3)Prepare Form A for the Proposed Project Manager. Form A requires the consultant to provide three (3) projects demonstrating the proposed project manager’s experience, of which two (2) shall be located in Florida. List up to three (3) projects, (one project per page), for which services have been SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED WITHIN THE PAST TEN (10) YEARS, which most closely match the scope of work in this RFQ, as identified in similar project description, wherein the proposed Project Manager has performed IN THE SAME CAPACITY with your firm, or other firms. LIST THE ONE

PROJECT MANAGER ONLY AS INDICATED ON THE ORGANIZATIONAL

CHART. The Consultant shall ensure that the basic description of the similar project, including all required performance requirements and/or dimensions are identified and that the elements are adequately explained in the text.

4)Prepare Form B for the Proposed Project Engineer. Form B requires the consultant to provide three (3) projects demonstrating the proposed project engineer’s experience, of which two (2) shall be located in Florida. List up to three (3) projects, (one project per page), for which services have been SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED WITHIN THE PAST TEN (10) YEARS, which most closely match the scope of work in this RFQ, as identified in similar project description, wherein the proposed project engineer has performed IN THE SAME CAPACITY with your firm, or other firms. LIST THE ONE PROJECT ENGINEER ONLY AS INDICATED in the Organizational Chart. The Proposer shall ensure that the basic description of the similar project, including all required performance requirements and/or dimensions are identified and that the elements are adequately explained in the text.

Section V - Past and Present Experience and Performance on Projects. The experience and performance on Projects section of the proposal will be limited to 6 pages and shall include the following:

1)Provide a summary of project team’s experience on projects (Limited to 1 page) 2)Prepare Form C for the Proposed Project Team. Form C requires the consultant to provide five (5) projects demonstrating the proposed project team’s experience, of which three (3) shall be located in Florida. List up to five projects, (one project per page), for which services have been SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED WITHIN THE PAST TEN

(10) YEARS, which most closely matches the scope of work in this RFQ. The Respondent(s) shall ensure that the basic description of the similar project, including all required performance requirements and/or dimensions are identified and that the elements are adequately explained in the text. (Limited to 5 pages as Form C)

Section VI - Project Approach: The purpose of the Project Approach is to provide preliminary insight into what specific design considerations the Respondent would consider for this project, how the Respondent would sequence the primary work tasks, manage multiple projects, effectively communicate with the City, provide quality assurance and quality control, and provide innovative ideas. (Limited to 3 pages)

Section VII - Resumes: Resumes of key personnel on the project team indicating specific skills and experience related to the scope of work of the RFQ. (Limited to 5 pages)

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Section VIII - Required Proposal Submittal Forms and Statements: This section of the proposal is where the following forms and statements will be located. Use the RRQ form template where provided

1) Location (form provided) The Company/Firm’s office, and the residences of both the Project Manager and Project Engineer shall reside within 75 miles of the City of Cocoa defined as City Hall, 65 Stone Street, Cocoa, Florida. Include the Affidavit of the Project Manager and Project Engineer Locations

2) Affidavit of Existing or Prior Contracts with the City (form provided)

3) Affidavit of Other Applicable Mandatory Criteria (form provided)

4) Scrutinized Company Certification (form provided)

5) Drug Free Workplace Form (form provided)

6) Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters –

Primary Covered Transactions (form provided)

7) Non-Collusion/Lobbying Certification (form provided)

8) Organizational Information (form provided)

9) E-Verify Affidavit (form provided)

10) FEMA Rider (form provided)

11) Flow down of Terms and Conditions from the Federal Regulations and/or Grant

Agreement (form provided)

12) Business Reference List (form provided)

13) Standard Terms and Conditions/Special Condition Modification Requests (Proposer provided letter detailing exceptions)

14) Copy of business licenses

15) Certificates of Insurance (see RFQ terms 4.1-4.6)

16) If applicable, Minority Business Enterprise certification

17) Anti Human Trafficking Affidavit (form provided)

18) Certification of Compliance with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Laws (form provided)

These materials will not be counted against the submittal’s total page limit provided that they are all collected under a separate tabbed section of the submittal and labeled ‘Required Proposal Forms and Statements.’

Written Response to the RFQ: When compiling the responses, sections should be tabbed and labeled; pages should be sequentially numbered at the bottom of the page; proposals should NOT be permanently bound (3-ring binder is acceptable); should allow flat storage; and sections should be compiled in the sequence list above. The Maximum number of pages shall be 33 pages, not including tabs/dividers nor Section 8 the “Required Proposal Submittal Forms and Statements” section.

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8. RFQ TIMELINE

The City reserves the right to establish and change the schedule of the RFQ process at any time, with or without notice and without penalty.