ECEP Cooling Tower Basin Improvements

Reedy Creek Energy Services, on behalf of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, is soliciting bids for cooling tower basin improvements at the EPCOT Central Energy Plant under ITB C007159, with bids due October 26, 2026. BuyLocalNow, Veteran Small Business, and Opportunity Zone preferences apply where qualifying bidders submit required affidavits; these are preferences, not set-asides.

Bidders must hold a current Florida State Mechanical Contractor License or General Contractor License at bid opening and submit at least three project references from the past five years demonstrating substantial cooling tower rehabilitation experience of similar capacity, size, complexity, and scope — general HVAC maintenance or inspection experience does not qualify. At least one reference project must involve a centrifugal chiller rated 2,000 tons or more. The scope includes installing sluice gates at three basin openings; a 24-inch condenser water return bypass pipe with butterfly valves between north and south side headers; replacing pneumatic actuators with electric actuators on cooling tower inlet valves for towers 1, 2, and 3; replacing the butterfly valve and pneumatic actuator at tower 4 inlet; installing isolation butterfly valves in the main condenser water header; installing solenoid valves at chemical treatment discharge pipes; and control modifications integrating with the existing Schneider Quantum programmable logic controller system. Equipment specifications include Bray butterfly valves (2.5–60 inch), Hayward solenoid and manual ball valves, ONICON flow meters with 4.3-inch displays, and Whipps fiberglass-reinforced plastic sluice gates with 316 stainless steel components. Piping shall be Schedule 40 black steel or SCH 80 CPVC welded to ASME B31.1 standards. Work is performed Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM at 751 Backstage Lane, Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

Substantial completion is required within 60 days of Notice to Proceed; final completion within 75 days. The contractor must include a $75,000 allowance for sluice gates, which may be procured as Owner-Furnished Material post-award. Contractors must warrant labor and workmanship for one year from final completion and provide manufacturer warranties on materials. Commercial General Liability, Automobile Liability, Workers' Compensation, and Umbrella Liability insurance minimums are $1 million per occurrence; contractors must list the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District as Additional Insured on a primary and non-contributory basis. A recorded Public Construction Bond per Florida Statute 255.05 covering the full contract sum is required. Bidders must submit a Subcontractor List (Exhibit E), Foreign Countries of Concern and Human Trafficking Affidavit, Conflict of Interest and Public Entity Crime Affidavit, and applicable Buy Local, Veteran, or Opportunity Zone eligibility affidavits. Work requires compliance with OSHA, Walt Disney World, Reedy Creek Energy Services standards including Lockout/Tagout and Confined Space procedures, and submission of a detailed Project Specific Safety Plan prior to commencement.