Aquatic Weed Control

The City of Palm Bay, Florida is issuing an Invitation for Bid (ITB) for aquatic weed control services covering approximately 113.78 acres across 66 identified waterway locations throughout the municipality. The procurement requires contractors to provide herbicide spraying services targeting emerged vegetation including cattails, grasses, and shrubs, with six bi-monthly applications scheduled annually during the contractor's normal operating hours. Qualified bidders must possess a valid Aquatic Herbicide License issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, demonstrate a minimum of three years of aquatic weed control experience (preferably with municipal, county, or state agencies), and provide three professional references from projects completed within the last three years. Required insurance coverage includes Commercial General Liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence/$2,000,000 aggregate), Business Automobile ($1,000,000 combined single limit), Workers' Compensation as required by Florida law, and Pollution Liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence). Contractors must comply with Florida Statutes Chapter 369.20 and F.A.C. Chapter 68F-20, submit Safety Data Sheets for all proposed chemicals, maintain E-Verify compliance, and certify drug-free workplace and human trafficking affidavits. The submission deadline for questions is February 24, 2026 at 5:00 PM, with bids due March 10, 2026 at 9:00 AM via the City's Bonfire website platform and public bid opening scheduled for March 10, 2026 at 11:30 AM at the Procurement Department Conference Room (120 Malabar Road SE, Suite 200, Palm Bay, FL 32907). Pricing shall be submitted as a firm, fixed price per acre for all labor, materials, equipment, and incidentals, with the City intending to award the contract to one contractor based on the lowest responsible and responsive bid determined to be in the City's best interest, with inspection of treated areas to occur within 5-10 days of application and required correction of any deficiencies within five business days at no additional cost.

The solicitation does not specify any set-aside designations or restrictions limiting participation to disadvantaged enterprises or specific organization types. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the available procurement documents. The contract term is twelve months from the date of full execution, with the City retaining the option to extend for four additional twelve-month periods for a cumulative maximum of sixty months. Specific budget ranges or award values are not disclosed in the procurement materials; however, contractors should calculate pricing based on the firm, fixed price per acre methodology across the 113.78-acre total project scope. The detailed scope and geographic locations requiring treatment are provided in the attached Aquatic Spraying Maps (Attachment A, revised January 22, 2026), which identify specific Melbourne Tillman Canals and MTDD Canals throughout Palm Bay city limits that require herbicide application services.