CEI - Bob Sikes Fishing Pier South - Restore

Escambia County, Florida is issuing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for Construction Engineering and Inspection (CEI) services for the Bob Sikes Fishing Pier South restoration project, a comprehensive rehabilitation initiative addressing deterioration of this key public access facility located on the Santa Rosa Sound side of Pensacola Beach. The procuring agencies include Escambia County Board of County Commissioners, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury under the RESTORE Act Direct Component grant program. The scope of work encompasses oversight and management of substructure repairs including installation of cathodic protection systems with galvanic zinc anodes on 85 pile jackets, restoration of 3,644 cubic yards of spalled concrete areas, ADA accessibility upgrades featuring new aluminum pedestrian railings, installation of 13 solar luminaire light poles, removal of 3,300 linear feet of existing curb and rail, and potential demolition of final pier spans (3,276 square feet) if repair proves cost-ineffective. The CEI consultant will provide 420 total calendar days of services comprising 30 days of preliminary work, 270 days of substantial completion support, 30 days of final completion activities, and 60 days of constructability review. Deliverables include daily construction monitoring, quality assurance documentation, shop drawing reviews, testing coordination, and final certification of completion with punch list verification. Evaluation criteria include qualifications of firm and personnel (30% weight), experience in similar bridge projects with preference for RESTORE, NRDA, or federally-funded initiatives (30% weight), availability and current workload (20% weight), and construction and grant oversight experience (20% weight). The solicitation was released on April 17, 2026, with a non-mandatory pre-solicitation meeting scheduled for April 24, 2026 at 10:00 a.m., questions due by May 12, 2026 at 12:00 p.m., and proposals due electronically by May 19, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. Proposals are limited to 50 pages excluding required purchasing documents and must include resumes, project references, organizational charts, current workload analysis, and compliance certifications including SAM registration and W-9 forms.

No specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises are identified in the RFQ documentation, though the contract is subject to Build America, Buy America Act (BABAA) requirements, obligating the successful respondent to develop and implement written compliance policies within 90 days of award. The CEI consultant must provide Professional Errors and Omissions insurance with limits of $1,000,000 per wrongful act/$2,000,000 aggregate, general liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence/$2,000,000 aggregate, and business auto liability of $1,000,000 per accident, with Escambia County named as additional insured. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the available documentation. The project infrastructure incorporates existing permits and environmental authorizations including U.S. Army Corps of Engineers authorization (SAJ-2025-00570 under Nationwide Permit 3), Florida Department of Environmental Protection exemption verification, and compliance with Nationwide turtle and sawfish protection conditions, all of which the CEI consultant must coordinate and monitor throughout project execution. The total project budget is $3,713,090.00, comprising $2,750,000.00 from the RESTORE Act Direct Component grant and $963,090.00 from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection NRDA Phase III Early Restoration funding, with Task 3 (construction document preparation) reimbursable up to $110,000.00, Task 4 (construction services) up to $40,000.00, and Task 6 (construction itself) up to $813,090.00. The contract must be executed and insurance documentation provided within 10 working days of award, with the overall project performance period extending from January 30, 2026, through November 30, 2027.