CDBG-DR Stormwater Consulting Services HS005

Escambia County, Florida is soliciting qualified consulting firms through a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to provide comprehensive CDBG-DR grant compliance and monitoring services for four separate stormwater mitigation projects funded through Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) resources allocated for Hurricane Sally recovery (DR-4564). The projects include Brickyard Road Stormwater, Monroe Avenue Stormwater Repair, Olive Road Stormwater Upgrade, and Oakfield Palafox Stormwater Improvements, consolidated under a single CDBG-DR grant umbrella. The selected vendor will be responsible for managing grant compliance monitoring, HUD Section 3 compliance, Davis-Bacon prevailing wage reporting, monthly invoicing and activity reports, bi-monthly meetings with the County's contract manager, development of a robust web-based grant management system, and ongoing compliance oversight through project closeout expected by the end of 2027. Key qualifications required include demonstrated expertise in CDBG-DR grant administration, federal labor standards compliance, and HUD reporting requirements, with evaluation based on company information and experience (50 points), staff qualifications and experience (25 points), and web-based grant management system capabilities (25 points). The RFQ was released on February 4, 2026, with a mandatory pre-solicitation meeting on February 12, 2026, a deadline for questions on February 19, 2026, and a response deadline of March 6, 2026, at 2:00 p.m., with submissions required electronically through the ProcureNow portal. The County will award on an "all-or-none" basis to the most responsive and responsible firm, and firms previously awarded solicitations for environmental, owner's representative, or construction engineering and inspection services on this project are ineligible to submit proposals.

The selected vendor must maintain comprehensive insurance coverage including general liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence/$2,000,000 aggregate, professional errors and omissions of $1,000,000/$2,000,000, and workers' compensation at statutory state limits, with Escambia County named as an additional insured on applicable policies. All contractors and subcontractors must comply with HUD Section 3 requirements, which mandate directing employment and economic opportunities to low- and very low-income persons, with minimum numeric goals of 25 percent of total project hours worked by Section 3 workers and 5 percent by Targeted Section 3 workers; the grantee has established a contracting preference for bidders utilizing the highest number of qualified Section 3 subcontractors or workers if the bid is reasonable and no more than 10 percent higher than the lowest responsive bid from any qualified source. Vendors must also comply with federal contract provisions mandated by 2 C.F.R. Part 200, including Davis-Bacon prevailing wage compliance, E-Verify employment eligibility verification, and record retention requirements for six years after final payment. The total funding for this opportunity is drawn from $113 million in CDBG-DR funding appropriated by Congress and allocated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to the Florida Department of Commerce for long-term recovery efforts; pricing must be submitted as firm unit prices inclusive of all necessary equipment, supplies, and services. Firms submitting proposals must complete mandatory Section 3 documentation, including the Section 3 Assessment and Certifications form, and failure to submit all applicable forms may result in bid disqualification.