East Parks, Playgrounds, and Other City Owned Properties Grounds Maintenance (Bid Discount)

The City of Tampa Parks and Recreation Department is conducting a competitive sealed bid procurement (26-P-00241) for grounds maintenance services covering 29 East Parks, Playgrounds, and Other City Owned Properties throughout Tampa, Florida, encompassing approximately 237.3 acres across Hillsborough County. The scope of work includes turf mowing, turf maintenance, and landscape bed maintenance performed on two maintenance tiers: Tier 1 sites requiring 31 annual maintenance visits (once every 7 days during fast growth season weeks 20-39 and once every 21 days during slow growth season weeks 40-19) and Tier 2 sites requiring 21 annual visits (once every 14 days during fast growth season and once every 21 days during slow growth season). The awarded contractor must furnish all labor, supervision, equipment, materials, chemicals, and other means necessary to maintain properties to the satisfaction of the Parks and Recreation Department representative, with all work performed Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to one hour before sunset and completed within 48 hours of service initiation. Required contractor qualifications include minimum staffing of 20 full-time and part-time employees with at least 4 experienced crew members per landscape crew cab truck, a permanent place of business in Hillsborough County or an immediately adjacent county, current DAC and/or PCO licensing, and proof of three professional references demonstrating grounds maintenance experience within the past two years. Equipment requirements include 6 ride-on rotary mowers, 4 walk-behind mowers, 6 edgers, 6 line trimmers, 2 motorized spray tanks, 6 handheld spray tanks, 6 backpack blowers, and 5 landscape trucks with crew cabs. A mandatory pre-bid meeting and site inspection is scheduled for June 11, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. at the Columbus Municipal Office Building, with sealed bids due electronically through OpenGov by 3:00 p.m. on June 26, 2026. Award will be made to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder based on aggregate or divisional bids, with the contract term of one year from the effective date plus three optional one-year renewals by mutual written agreement and the City's unilateral right to extend for up to three additional 30-day periods at the same terms and conditions. Evaluation criteria include quality of materials and workmanship, compliance with Green Industries Best Management Practices (GI-BMP) standards, adherence to specified chemical application protocols (including Trifluralin for pre-emergent weed control and Glyphosate for post-emergent control in limited areas only), and successful completion of all work with no reinspection failures or monetary deductions of $100 per task per day assessed for work not completed within 48 hours or failing reinspection.

This procurement is designated as a sheltered market opportunity exclusively for Small Local Business Enterprises (SLBEs) certified by the City of Tampa, with a five percent (5%) bid discount available to eligible SLBE bidders, not to exceed a maximum discount of $10,000, applied for evaluation purposes only. Bidders must obtain SLBE certification prior to bid opening to claim the discount. The City of Tampa Equal Business Opportunity Determination Letter (26-P-00241) indicates the estimated contract amount is $475,000.00, with no specific narrowly tailored subcontracting goals established beyond the SLBE shelter designation and bid preference. A minimum certified SLBE contact list containing 59 qualified contractors eligible to participate in this procurement has been published by the City. The contract requires submission of Letters of Intent (DMI-40 Form) from all SLBEs listed on the Schedule of Subcontractors to be Utilized within ten (10) workdays after notice of intent to award, and contractors must submit DMI-30 Payment Package Forms with all invoicing and payment requests to track subcontractor payments throughout the contract term. Bidders must maintain Commercial General Liability Insurance ($1 million per occurrence/$2 million aggregate for projects valued at $2 million or less), Automobile Liability Insurance ($500,000 or $1 million depending on contract value), and Worker's Compensation Insurance as required by Florida law. All work must comply with OSHA, EPA, USDA, and local regulations, with the contractor bearing all costs for plant replacement, chemical damage remediation, Glyphosate testing if required, and remediation of any environmental violations or citations resulting from non-compliance. The City reserves the right to award by division or aggregate total, cancel or reject any or all bids, and award within 120 days of bid opening.