Special_Events.png

This is a Request for Proposal issued by the City of St. Petersburg, Florida for comprehensive on-site ambassador services within the newly established Downtown Enhanced Services Zone (DESZ). The DESZ encompasses approximately 226 acres covering 203 blocks, including the Downtown Core, Central Avenue Corridor, and Waterfront Arts District. The selected vendor will provide hospitality and safety outreach, wayfinding assistance, public information services, and cleaning and maintenance operations seven days a week, fifty-two weeks per year. Key service deliverables include trash removal and disposal, pressure washing of sidewalks and hardscapes, landscaped area maintenance, special event cleanup within one calendar day of completion, and compassionate engagement with unhoused individuals. A pre-proposal meeting is scheduled for February 18, 2026, with questions due by March 10, 2026 and responses provided by March 17, 2026. Proposals must be submitted electronically by March 26, 2026 at 3:00 p.m., followed by an evaluation and shortlisting meeting on April 8, 2026. The initial contract term is three years from the date of execution with two optional one-year renewal periods available by mutual agreement.

The estimated annual budget for DESZ services is $630,000, with no set-aside restrictions limiting organizational eligibility. The City strongly encourages proposers to demonstrate outreach and engagement with small businesses, women-owned businesses, veteran-owned businesses, and minority-owned businesses within the Tampa Bay Region through a Subcontractor Utilization Plan, though participation is voluntary with no minimum requirements mandated. Vendors must comply with living wage requirements per St. Petersburg City Code due to the contract value exceeding $200,000 annually and maintain comprehensive insurance coverage including $1,000,000 commercial general liability, $1,000,000 commercial automobile liability, workers' compensation per Florida law, and $1,000,000 pollution liability insurance. Proposals will be evaluated on executive summary and qualifications (10%), technical approach and integration (25%), innovation and technology use (20%), community engagement and ordinance compliance (20%), budget and cost (10%), and business enterprise program outreach and utilization (15%). Proposers must provide a minimum of three client references from similar projects completed within the past five years and demonstrate relevant experience managing downtown ambassador services, business improvement districts, and enhanced services districts.