26B-083 Golden Holiday WWTP and WTP Decommissioning and Lift Station and Force Main Installation

Marion County, Florida is seeking bids for Project 26B-083, the Golden Holiday Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) and Water Treatment Plant (WTP) Decommissioning and Lift Station and Force Main Installation. This Invitation to Bid (ITB) procurement solicits a general contractor to complete the complete abandonment and demolition of the existing Golden Holiday WWTF and two WTPs, construction of a new duplex lift station with a 5-foot diameter lined wet well rated at 49 gallons per minute, installation of approximately 2.7 miles of 3-inch HDPE forcemain, installation of approximately 200 linear feet of 2-inch Schedule 40 PVC water main, site restoration including sidewalk and roadway reconstruction, and comprehensive testing and as-built documentation. The project scope includes temporary bypass pumping operations, well abandonment procedures, horizontal directional drilling (HDD) under FDOT right-of-way on US Highway 27, and utility coordination with existing infrastructure owned by Lumen, TECO Peoples Gas, City of Ocala, and Duke Energy. The contractor must secure all necessary permits including City of Ocala right-of-way permits and FDOT utility permits, comply with FDEP NPDES stormwater regulations and domestic wastewater collection/transmission permitting requirements, and maintain traffic control in accordance with FDOT standards during work within the state right-of-way. The total contract time is 240 calendar days, consisting of 60 days for pre-construction activities, 150 days for substantial completion, and 30 additional days for final completion, with liquidated damages assessed at $1,500 per day for delays beyond the substantial completion date and an additional $1,500 per day beyond final completion. Bids are due May 21, 2026, and must be submitted electronically through Marion County's Bonfire e-procurement portal; questions must be submitted through the Bonfire "Vendor Discussions" or "Ask a Question" feature prior to bid opening; the county intends to select a vendor within sixty days of the bid deadline; and award will be made to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder meeting all specifications, with the low bidder determination based on the total cost of the Base Bid combined with any alternates selected by the County post-bid closing, excluding contingency pricing and fixed allowances.

The contract documents do not identify specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises, minority-owned businesses, or women-owned business enterprises, nor do they restrict bidding to particular organization types beyond standard requirements that contractors possess Florida business registration and utilize Florida-certified subcontractors with one-year warranty capabilities. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the available documentation. The project requires integration with existing City of Ocala sewer infrastructure through connection to the Ocala #2 Water Reclamation Facility, compliance with Marion County Utilities standards and specifications, and adherence to geotechnical recommendations detailed in the subsurface exploration report including maximum net bearing pressure of 2,000 pounds per square foot for lift station foundation design with anticipated short-term settlements less than one inch. Mandatory insurance requirements include Workers' Compensation at Florida statutory levels with $100,000 per accident limits, Commercial General Liability with $1,000,000 per occurrence coverage, and Business Automobile Liability with $500,000 combined single limits; Payment and Performance Bonds are required as the project exceeds $200,000; and a bid bond or cashier's check equal to five percent of the total base bid is required with bid submission. No specific budget or award value range is disclosed in the procurement documents; however, the scope—encompassing facility demolition, 2.7 miles of forcemain installation using multiple construction methods including HDD, lift station construction, and comprehensive site restoration—indicates a substantial infrastructure project. Contractors must provide a Disclosure of Subcontractors and Suppliers form identifying all proposed subcontractors and suppliers, which Marion County reserves the right to accept or reject based on past performance, location, or other factors in the County's best interest.