Aquatic Weed Control

The City of Palm Bay, located in Brevard County, Florida, is issuing Invitation to Bid 28-ITB-26 to procure aquatic weed control herbicide spraying services at designated waterway locations throughout the municipality. The procurement requires a qualified contractor to provide bi-monthly herbicide applications (six applications per year) targeting emerged vegetation including cattails, grasses, and shrubs across approximately 113.78 total acres distributed across 66 specific locations, with services to commence upon contract execution and continue for an initial twelve-month term with options to extend for four additional twelve-month periods. Deliverables include spraying designated acreage as shown on City-provided maps, treating vegetation along the waterline or from the waterline to the high-water mark depending on water levels, applying subsurface herbicides where appropriate, providing minimum 24-hour advance notice prior to each application, notifying the City upon completion, and submitting application reports for each treatment. The City will conduct inspections within 5-10 days of each application, and the contractor must correct any identified deficiencies (missed areas or new growth) within five business days at no additional cost. Required qualifications include a valid aquatic herbicide license from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, three years of aquatic weed control experience with municipal, county, or state agencies, three references from projects completed within the last three years, compliance with Florida Statutes Chapter 369.20 and F.A.C. Chapter 68F-20, submission of a spill control plan and Safety Data Sheets for all proposed chemicals, and proof of comprehensive insurance coverage including $1,000,000 commercial general liability per occurrence, $1,000,000 automobile liability, $1,000,000 workers' compensation, and $1,000,000 pollution liability. Questions must be submitted by February 24, 2026, at 5:00 PM; bids are due March 24, 2026, at 9:00 AM, with public bid opening scheduled for 11:30 AM at the City of Palm Bay Procurement Department Conference Room, with virtual attendance available via Microsoft Teams. The contract will be awarded to one contractor based on lowest responsible and responsive bid using a firm, fixed price per acre structure.

The solicitation does not contain any set-aside designations or restrictions limiting responses to specific types of organizations, including disadvantaged enterprises, though the procurement does not constitute a commitment for future purchases. The City reserves the right to add or remove locations during the contract term with pricing adjusted based on the agreed-upon per-acre rate. The previous contract was awarded to Rockhopper Services Inc., and nine contractors submitted bids in the prior solicitation cycle, including Environmental Services Unlimited, Inc., Future Horizons, Kerner LLC DBA Kerner Environmental, Wetlands Management SF LLC, Aquatic Vegetation Control Inc., Solitude Lake Management LLC, Airboat Addicts Inc., and Ecor Industries. Bid prices from the prior contract period (31-0-2022) ranged from $20,336.00 to $42,959.80 for standard aquatic weed control services and from $254.20 to $25,420.00 for additional aquatic weed control services, though the City has not disclosed a specific budget or award value for this solicitation. Addendum 2 clarifies that right-of-way areas are required to be mowed twice annually, all vegetation at each location is expected to be treated, and algae treatments and trash removal are excluded from scope. The final award value will be determined based on bids received, calculated by multiplying the accepted per-acre price by the actual acreage to be treated over the contract period.