Artificial reef material, purchase/deliver/deploy

Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners, Department of Environmental Resources Management, issued Invitation for Bid #22-104/JM for the purchase, delivery, and deployment of artificial reef materials in the Atlantic Ocean offshore of Palm Beach County. The procurement seeks limestone rock and miscellaneous concrete items, such as culverts, catch basins, and utility poles, to be deployed at sites no more than four miles offshore and within 28 nautical miles of Lake Worth Inlet. The County anticipates between three and ten deployments annually, with each deployment consisting of 350 to 500 tons of reef material. Successful bidders must provide an American Bureau of Shipping (ABS)-rated deck barge with minimum 500-ton capacity, an appropriate tug equipped with electronic depth sounders and real-time Differential Global Positioning System, a crane with precision GPS, experienced divers with underwater communication capabilities, and a staging site within Palm Beach County or within 40 miles thereof for material stockpiling and barge loading. All limestone rock must meet specified physical property requirements including bulk specific gravity greater than 2.24, absorption less than 5 percent, and LA abrasion less than 45 percent, verified through testing by a Florida-licensed professional engineer or geologist. Bidders were required to submit sealed responses on the County's official response form by October 6, 2022, at 4:00 p.m., with pricing provided for four unit categories: per barge load with loader for artificial reef deployment, per barge load with crane, per barge load with crane and SCUBA divers, and per ton for limestone rock supply. Qualification requirements include three references from similar work within the past five years, equipment and facilities documentation, U.S. Coast Guard licenses for tug operators and crews, vessel registration, and ABS barge certificates with specifications.

The County reserves the right to award this all-or-none contract to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder, subject to Small/Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprise (S/M/WBE) and local preference provisions, meaning disadvantaged enterprises may receive preferential consideration during the evaluation process. A performance and payment bond equal to 100 percent of any order exceeding $200,000 is required, and bidders must maintain Commercial General Liability Insurance of at least $500,000 per occurrence, Business Auto Liability of $500,000 combined single limit, and Workers' Compensation Insurance in accordance with Florida law throughout the contract term. The contract term is twelve months with options to renew for four additional twelve-month periods, subject to mutual written agreement and appropriation of funds. The anticipated contract value is $330,000 over the twelve-month term. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the solicitation documents. This procurement does not appear to require integration with existing infrastructure or technology beyond standard maritime and GPS equipment commonly available in the marine construction industry.