26-27MC Vehicle and Vessel Towing and Storage Services

The City of Sarasota is soliciting sealed bids for exclusive Vehicle and Vessel Towing and Storage Services to support the Sarasota Police Department through Invitation for Bid 26-27MC, with a question submission deadline of March 24, 2026, at 5:00 pm and a bid submission deadline of April 7, 2026, at 2:00 pm. The selected contractor must provide twenty-four-hour, seven-day-per-week service with a mandatory thirty-minute response time for removal, towing, storage, and secure handling of motorcycles, passenger vehicles, pickup trucks, vans up to one-ton capacity, boats, sailboats, golf carts, and motorized wheelchairs. Services extend forty-five miles from City limits, with vessel towing available west of those boundaries, and include handling of disabled, abandoned, impounded, seized, and evidence vehicles, as well as found property and roadside assistance for City vehicles. The initial contract term is three years from the Notice to Proceed with two optional one-year renewal periods available at the City's discretion, with the possibility of annual increases not exceeding three percent during renewals. Respondents must meet mandatory minimum qualifications including Florida business registration, minimum three years of experience in professional vehicle towing and storage services with law enforcement experience, current listing on the Sarasota County North County Rotation Wrecker List, a secured storage facility and staffed office within five miles of Sarasota city limits, required equipment (one standard wrecker, one flatbed wrecker, and access to one 5-ton heavy-duty wrecker with low-boy trailer), properly licensed personnel, and comprehensive insurance coverage including Commercial General Liability of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and Automobile Liability of at least $1,000,000 combined per occurrence. Award shall be made to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder with anticipated award in late April 2026.

This is a revenue-generating exclusive service contract with no identified set-aside designations or restrictions limiting respondent eligibility based on business type or disadvantaged enterprise status. The solicitation documents do not reference any incumbent vendors, current contractors, or existing technology infrastructure requiring integration with the selected contractor's operations. Bids below $8,000 annually will be rejected as non-responsive, establishing a minimum annual fee floor, though no maximum budget or award value is specified in the procurement materials. The City reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids and to conduct due diligence investigations into bidder qualifications, including examination of litigation history related to negligence or breach of contract. The successful bidder will pay the City an annual fee submitted through the Bid Form, payable in twelve equal monthly installments due by the tenth of each month, with the annual fee remaining firm and fixed during the initial three-year term. The City does not guarantee any minimum number of tows, and services are provided on an as-needed basis.