seminole RFQ 34-2026.pdf

SEMINOLE TRIBE OF FLORIDA

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

Solicitation No.: RFQ 34-2026

Title: Professional Engineering Services (Tribal-wide)

Description: The Public Works Department of the Seminole Tribe of Florida is soliciting Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) from interested and qualified vendors to professional engineering services tribal-wide on an as-needed basis.

Solicitation Release Date: July 22, 2026

Deadline for Questions: July 31, 2026 @ 3:00 PM

Submission Due Date: August 7, 2026 @ 3:00 PM

Submission Instructions: Detailed in Section III, Paragraph 4.

RFQ 34-2026

SECTION I – GENERAL INFORMATION

1. BACKGROUND

The Seminole Tribe of Florida (hereinafter the “TRIBE” or “STOF”) is a federally recognized Indian Tribe organized pursuant to Section 16 of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, as amended, 25 U.S.C. §5123. There are six (6) Seminole Indian Reservations in the State of Florida in Big Cypress, Brighton, Hollywood, Immokalee, Tampa, and Fort Pierce. Tribal Headquarters are located on the Hollywood Reservation in an urban environment in the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, Florida area. Satellite offices are located on each of the other reservations or trust land. The TRIBE also maintains off-reservation offices in Naples, Fort Pierce, Hollywood, and Miami.

The TRIBE provides various governmental services to its members and residents of its reservations similar to those services provided at the municipal or county level. Examples of such services include, but are not limited to, public works, recreation and elder services programs, police, fire, and EMS services. The TRIBE also maintains health and dental clinics, an education program, preschools and schools, a museum, two rodeo arenas, etc. In addition to governmental services, the TRIBE and the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Inc. (hereinafter “STOFI”) also are engaged in various business activities including real estate, agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, gas station/convenience stores, and sales.

The terms “Vendor” and “Respondent” are used interchangeably in this document to refer to respondents of this RFQ. The term “Consultant” is used in this document to refer to the selected vendor(s).

2. ADDITIONAL ITEMS AND SERVICES

The TRIBE may require additional items or services of similar nature, but not specifically listed in this solicitation. The selected CONSULTANT(s) agrees to provide such items or services, and shall provide the TRIBE prices on such additional items or services based upon a formula or method that is the same or similar to that used in establishing the fees as a result of this solicitation.

If the fees offered are not acceptable to the TRIBE, and the situation cannot be resolved to the satisfaction of the TRIBE, the TRIBE reserves the right to procure those items or services from others.

3. FRAUD AND MISREPRESENTATION

Any individual, corporation, or other entity that attempts to fulfill the requirements of this solicitation through fraud, misrepresentation, or material misstatement may be deemed non-responsible and such individual, corporation, or other entity’s qualification may be null and void.

4. CONFIDENTIALITY / NON-DISCLOSURE

RESPONDENT shall treat any information contained in this solicitation (or accumulated through other written or oral communication with the TRIBE) as confidential information. Any information provided by the TRIBE to RESPONDENT in this solicitation is to be used solely to permit RESPONDENT to reply to the solicitation and RESPONDENT shall make no other use of the information, inclusive of sharing the information with corporate affiliates and subsidiaries without the prior written consent of the TRIBE. RESPONDENT shall hold the information contained in this solicitation in strict confidence and the information obtained will not be disclosed to any third-party, vendor affiliate, or subsidiary, without the TRIBE’s prior written consent.

5. NON-EXCLUSIVITY

It is expressly understood that consultant selection does not grant CONSULTANT an exclusive privilege to provide the TRIBE any or all of the goods and/or services that are the subject of this solicitation. The TRIBE reserves the right, as deemed in its best interest, to perform or cause to be performed the provision of the goods and/or services, or any portion thereof, herein described in any manner it sees fit, including but not limited to award to multiple consultants, and contract with other consultant(s) for the provision of goods and/or services similar or identical to those that are the subject of this solicitation.

6. DISCLOSURE

RESPONDENT must disclose in detail any current or past relationships with the TRIBE, Seminole Gaming, and/or STOFI and their employees.

7. ADDENDA / REVISIONS TO SOLICITATION

If it becomes necessary to revise or clarify any part of this solicitation, the TRIBE will modify this solicitation by issuance of written addenda. All addenda will clearly be marked as such and shall become part of the solicitation documents.

All questions submitted by prospective respondents will be answered via an official addendum to ensure all prospective respondents have access to the TRIBE’s answers.

SECTION II – QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENTS

1. GENERAL QUALIFICATIONS

Submissions shall be considered only from companies normally engaged in performing the type of work specified in this solicitation. RESPONDENT must have adequate organizational resources, facilities, equipment, and personnel to ensure prompt and efficient service to the TRIBE.

At a minimum, qualifying submissions shall demonstrate that RESPONDENT possesses the qualifications necessary to provide high-quality services. To ensure RESPONDENT is capable of providing an acceptable level of service to the TRIBE, RESPONDENT shall meet the following minimum qualifications:

• Be the prime consultant and will only subcontract out any work or partner with another firm if explicitly authorized in writing by the TRIBE.

o The TRIBE must approve in advance any subconsultants related to this work.

Respondents must clearly disclose in their proposals any known or expected use of subconsultants. Failure to make such disclosure at the time of bid may result in rejection of the subconsultant and the resulting agreement. The TRIBE reserves the right to reject any subconsultants which, in the TRIBE’s sole opinion, are unfit to work on this project.

• Hold a current certified license relevant to these services, as described in Exhibit M – Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation – License(s), Certification(s), and/or Registration(s).

• Hold a minimum of ten (10) years of experience in providing similar services.

• Maintain a fully equipped organization capable, technically and financially, of performing the work required, and has performed similar work in a satisfactory manner.

• Carry and maintain adequate insurance consistent with the requirements listed in Exhibit J

– Insurance Requirements.

• Meet any other requirements outlined in this solicitation.

1.1. QUESTIONS:

• Questions must be submitted through BidNet Direct as listed in Section III, Paragraph 4

“Submission Instructions” by the Deadline for Questions to receive a formal written response.

2. PRESENTATION

Respondent(s) who make it beyond the down-selection process may be required to give a presentation or be interviewed to provide more information relevant to their submission. All costs associated with RESPONDENT’s presentation will be solely the responsibility of the respective RESPONDENT. Presentations will be considered a part of RESPONDENT’s response to this solicitation.

Presentation requirements will be sent directly to respondents once the available presentation dates have been decided and an invite to schedule presentations has been distributed. A detailed script or requirements list will be subsequently developed by the TRIBE and distributed to each of the respondents invited to give a presentation.

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SECTION III – SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS & INSTRUCTIONS

1. COMMUNICATION INSTRUCTIONS

All project-related questions, inquiries, concerns, and communication (including qualifications) must be routed through BidNet Direct:

BIDNET DIRECT

http://www.bidnetdirect.com/florida/seminoletribeofflorida

All submission- and Pre-Proposal Conference-related questions, inquiries, concerns, and communication must be routed through the following Contact Person(s):

CONTACT PERSON(S)

Name: Martha Gongora Diaz Email: To: MarthaGongoraDiaz@semtribe.com

Cc: BidSubmissions@semtribe.com Phone: O: (954) 966-6300 x 10988

C: (954) 248-0012

2. CONE OF SILENCE

The TRIBE and STOFI have established a solicitation silence policy, or “Cone of Silence”, prohibiting oral and written communication regarding all TRIBE and STOFI quote requests and formal solicitations for goods and services between the RESPONDENT (and its agents or representatives) and any TRIBE or STOFI employee.

The Cone of Silence begins at the time of advertisement until award.

During the Cone of Silence, respondents shall only contact the listed Contact Person in Section III, Paragraph 1.

Respondents shall NOT contact any other employee of TRIBE or STOFI for information with respect to this solicitation, including but not limited to selection/scoring committee members, STOF Executive Directors, Board representatives, etc.

3. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

RESPONDENT must include the items listed below as part of their submission to be considered for award:

• All exhibits according to Exhibit(s) Required for Submission (attached separately).

Failure to acknowledge and/or submit all information may result in disqualification or lower ranking due to not meeting these requirements.

Required Attachments and Exhibits provided to RESPONDENT by the TRIBE shall not be altered by RESPONDENT and shall be completed as instructed by the TRIBE, unless otherwise instructed by the TRIBE. Bids which include altered files may be disqualified, as determined by the TRIBE.

4. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Electronic submissions in response to this solicitation must be submitted through BidNet Direct by the Bid Due Date and time detailed in this solicitation.

• Physical correspondence, flash drives, hyperlink or any other physical media shall not be accepted.

BIDNET DIRECT

http://www.bidnetdirect.com/florida/seminoletribeofflorida

Submissions must be clear, concise, organized, legible, and easy to read and navigate. Submissions may be returned to RESPONDENT and required to be reorganized and resubmitted. Submissions which are deemed by the TRIBE to be illegible or unintelligible may be disqualified.

All parts, pages, figures, and tables should be numbered and labeled clearly. If submitting separate files, the File Name of each submitted attachment and exhibit must include the assigned letter; for example, Exhibit A’s File Name must state, at a minimum, “Exhibit A.” RESPONDENT may include additional information in the File Name, if needed.

In order to fairly evaluate all responses, respondents should not include additional information other than what is asked to be provided. This includes any information related to RESPONDENT’s organization that was not specifically asked to be provided.

5. ATTACHMENTS

Please note, Attachments are reference documents which require RESPONDENT’s review, according to the instructions specified by the TRIBE in the “Instructions” column in the table below.

While some Attachments indicated below may be attached separately, most Attachments may be found at the end of this file.

5.1. ATTACHMENTS:

Attachment Description Submission Instructions

Attachment A Sample Scope of Services Review information. No further action needed.

Attachment B Sample Contract Review information. No further action needed.

6. POST SUBMISSION

Any price adjustments after bid submission must be requested in writing and approved by the

TRIBE.

RESPONDENT may be required to clarify items related to their submission, which may include but not be limited to verifying submitted information and confirming comprehension of the full requirements of the Scope of Work, and is expected to be responsive. Respondents deemed by the TRIBE to be unresponsive may be disqualified.

RESPONDENT may be required to submit and/or sign additional documentation, forms, exhibits, etc. after the Submission Due Date and before the resultant agreement is drafted as a continuation of the solicitation requirements and/or as part of the vendor registration process. Should RESPONDENT be unable or unwilling to satisfy this requirement, RESPONDENT may be disqualified.

The TRIBE reserves the right to negotiate any and all submitted pricing, payment terms, warranties, etc. with the RESPONDENT or selected CONSULTANT during the evaluation process, drafting phase of the resultant agreement, and/or at a time otherwise determined by the

TRIBE.

SECTION IV – EVALUATION & SELECTION

1. EVALUATION OF SOQS & RESERVATION OF RIGHTS

The submissions from each prospective RESPONDENT will contain all required items listed in the “Submission Requirements” of this solicitation. The entire submission packet will be known as the Statement of Qualifications (SOQ). SOQ submitted by RESPONDENT(s) will be evaluated in accordance with the evaluation criteria set forth in this solicitation.

After evaluation of the SOQ submissions, the TRIBE will select the highest qualified RESPONDENT(s) under this RFQ to be placed on a pre-qualified consultants list. Said pre-qualified consultants will be eligible to bid on future as-needed services, such as the ones described in this RFQ.

This RFQ has been prepared solely to solicit SOQ. It is not a contract offer. The TRIBE shall not be obligated to enter into an agreement with any individual or firm determined to be qualified to perform the services described in this RFQ. The only document(s) that will be binding on the TRIBE are the contracts for services once duly executed by the TRIBE and the successful RESPONDENT(s).

The TRIBE reserves the right to conduct any investigation of the SOQ submitted by any RESPONDENT that it deems appropriate; negotiate modifications to any of the items submitted in the SOQ; accept or reject any or all vendor(s) responding to this solicitation; modify the selection process in any way; postpone the selection process for its own convenience at any time;

waive any defects, irregularities, or informalities in any SOQ; or issue a new RFQ at any time.

The TRIBE reserves the right to negotiate terms and conditions submitted by any RESPONDENT in connection with this RFQ and any other with one or more qualified consultants at the same time, if such action is in the best interest of the TRIBE. The TRIBE reserves the right to delete, add, or amend any of the services listed and described in this RFQ before entering into a formal agreement with the selected RESPONDENT. The TRIBE reserves the right to reject incomplete, illegible, unsatisfactory and/or non-responsive submittals.

2. EVALUATION CRITERIA

The TRIBE will conduct a comprehensive, fair, and impartial evaluation of all proposals received in response to this solicitation.

The TRIBE shall evaluate all submissions in the order listed below:

• On-time and complete submission (with all required documentation)

• License requirements

• Projected completion date and lead time

• Previous performance at a satisfactory level o The TRIBE reserves the right to eliminate any submission should RESPONDENT have evidence of previous poor or unsatisfactory performance for similar or dissimilar services performed for the TRIBE or other companies.

• Statement of Qualifications or Qualification Questionnaire

• Current and pending workload with the TRIBE performing similar and dissimilar services, and capability to take on additional responsibilities without negatively impacting existing opportunities

• Any other relevant factors, as listed in the solicitation

The applicable submission(s) will be eliminated if any of the following apply:

• Any criteria or requirements are incomplete

• Any criteria or requirements are not met

• The required schedule cannot be met

• Any other relevant factor(s) are not met, as determined by the TRIBE

The remaining submission (s) will be evaluated based upon the evaluation criteria identified in the table below and an awardee(s) will be determined:

Evaluation Criteria Points Meets Minimum Qualifications Firm has submitted cover letter plus all required Exhibits and Forms.

Past Experience of Similar Contracts Evaluation of the Firm’s experience, professional role, and knowledge of similar contracts in response to Exhibit F – Project References, relative to the service types and delivery methods ranking selected in Exhibit E – Service Type, Delivery Method, and Location Selection Tables.

Firm’s understanding of Attachment A – Sample Scope of Services, which may include but not be limited to key design elements, approach to the contract, understanding and awareness of the regulatory, permitting, and compliance requirements

Past Performance Evaluation of the firm’s past performance, as indicated in Exhibit D – Record of Performance. Firm’s overall interrelationship with proposed team members, responsiveness, experience in scheduling contracts, and timely submittal of deliverables on past contracts will be considered, including performance on any non-TRIBE contracts.

Qualifications of the Team Members Evaluation of the qualifications listed in Exhibit C – Organization, Management, and Staff, of the individuals and experience level of the professional and management staff assigned to the contract, quality and availability of the contract manager and staff of the Firm to be assigned, if any, relative to the service types and delivery methods ranking selected in Exhibit E – Service Type, Delivery Method, and Location Selection Tables.

Evaluation Criteria Points Staffing Availability, and Ability to Meet Time and Budget Evaluation of the Firm’s staffing levels assigned to the contract, including the Firm's ability to replace key personnel if so needed, their experience in scheduling contracts, systems utilized to keep track of the contract schedule, cost controls, familiarity with TRIBE guidelines and regulations as indicated in Exhibit C – Organization, Management, and Staff & Exhibit E – Service Type, Delivery Method, and Location Selection Tables.

Subconsultants Utilization Evaluation of the Firm's use of subconsultants listed in Exhibit N – Proposed Subconsultants, highlighting the extent of self- performance for specific tasks

Total Possible Score: 25

The respondent(s) with the best overall score will be the apparent awardee(s), pending final review and satisfaction of all requirements regarding the qualifications and documentation. The TRIBE may select one (1) respondent or multiple respondents to provide the solicited services by opting to award based on the highest scored bid per category, location, service type, etc. The TRIBE reserves the right to split award in its sole discretion.

This solicitation and selection process shall in no way be deemed to create a binding contract, agreement, or offer of any kind between the TRIBE and any entity. If the TRIBE selects a CONSULTANT(s) to provide the services described in this solicitation, any legal rights and obligations between the successful CONSULTANT(s), if any, and the TRIBE will come into existence only when an agreement is fully executed by the parties, and the legal rights and obligations of each party shall at that time be only those rights and obligations which are set forth in the agreement and any other documents specifically referred to in that agreement and executed by the parties.

3. DOWN SELECTION PROCESS

The TRIBE reserves the right to eliminate proposals, which, in its sole discretion, do not properly meet all exhibit requirements listed in the Exhibit(s) Required for Submission document. The TRIBE may review Exhibit(s) Required for Submission for completion prior to continuing with the evaluation process.

4. RIGHT TO RESCIND AWARD

The awarded CONSULTANT(s) will be required to enter into a formal agreement for these services after award. The TRIBE prepared a sample of its contract, attached as Attachment B – Sample Contract which is incorporated into this solicitation package. The TRIBE expects the awardee to suggest minimal revisions to this agreement.

The TRIBE reserves the right to rescind an award should the awardee be considered, in the TRIBE’s sole opinion, to be inflexible in its agreement negotiations.

5. SEMINOLE TRIBAL AND STOFI OWNED BUSINESS PREFERENCE

The TRIBE encourages its Seminole Tribal Member vendors and STOFI owned businesses to bid on goods and services through the competitive bidding process and will give preference to qualified Seminole Tribal Member and STOFI owned businesses/entities certified by the TRIBE.

In all cases, the Seminole Tribal Member owned business/entity or STOFI owned business/entity must be qualified for the applicable Scope of Work and must be able to demonstrate that the individual or business/entity has the skills and abilities to perform requested tasks in an acceptable manner.

Should respondents or prospective respondents have any questions related to Seminole Tribal Preference, please reach out to the Contact Person(s) listed in this solicitation.

6. HOW SEMINOLE TRIBAL PREFERENCE IS APPLIED

The following preference rules do not apply to projects over Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000.00) in value.

For solicitations where the criteria for award or qualification is based on a quantitative scoring analysis, the following Seminole Tribal Preference rules shall apply whether the business/entity is 51% Seminole Tribal Member owned or higher:

• An additional five percentage (5%) points will be allocated to the final combined scoring average/total for each Seminole Tribal Member and STOFI owned business/entity.

7. VENDOR APPLICATION AND REGISTRATION PROGRAM

Because the TRIBE is engaged in Indian tribal gaming in accordance with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and the regulations promulgated by the National Indian Gaming Commission, the TRIBE cannot engage in significant transactions with individuals or business entities whom, because of past or continuing activities, associations, or reputation, might bring discredit to the TRIBE and its gaming operations. Thus, the TRIBE has adopted a program whereby it reviews significant transactions and the persons or entities involved with those transactions to assure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations relating to gaming.

If not already an approved and registered vendor with the TRIBE, the highest scoring or lowest-priced vendor(s) will be required to submit a completed and fully executed Vendor Application and Registration Form to the TRIBE’s Purchasing Department. The highest scoring or lowest-priced vendor(s) shall not initiate this process until requested by the TRIBE’s Purchasing Department.

Upon successful completion of an investigation into the past and current activities, associations, and reputation of the applicant, the TRIBE will assign a vendor number and the vendor will be added to its Master Vendor File. The TRIBE may not enter into any business transactions with any vendor whose name does not appear on its Master Vendor File.

Should the highest scoring or lowest-priced vendor(s) be unresponsive or unable to successfully complete the vendor registration process, the TRIBE reserves the right to halt the vendor registration process with the highest scoring or lowest-priced vendor(s) and move onto the next highest scoring or lowest-priced vendor(s). Should the next highest scoring or lowest-priced vendor(s) be unresponsive or unable to complete the vendor registration process, the TRIBE will continue to halt the vendor registration process and move onto the next highest scoring or lowest-priced vendor(s) until a vendor(s) is successfully registered.

ATTACHMENT A

SAMPLE SCOPE OF SERVICES

(Attached separately as a .pdf)

ATTACHMENT B

SAMPLE CONTRACT

(Attached separately as a .pdf)