Pinellas County is procuring a maintenance dredging project for the Grand Canal, funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The project involves dredging a 150-foot wide channel to a depth of -11.5 ft NAVD with a 1-foot over-dredge allowance to -12.5 ft NAVD, covering 15.5 acres and involving approximately 13,000 cubic yards of material. The dredged material will be hydraulically placed on Pass-a-Grille beach within a permitted beach template, with the primary objective of maintaining navigation from Pass-A-Grille Inlet into Grand Canal while minimizing impacts to seagrass beds. Bidders must be pre-qualified with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) in the GRADING work type or provide comprehensive qualification documentation. The Invitation to Bid was issued on September 29, 2023, with questions due by October 6, 2023, and proposal submissions due by October 10, 2023, at 3:00 pm. A non-mandatory site visit is scheduled for October 17, 2023. The contract will be awarded to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder, with a maximum contract completion time of 120 consecutive calendar days and liquidated damages of $1,236.00 per calendar day beyond the contract time.
The project includes a Small Business Enterprise (SBE) compliance requirement, with the county mandating specific subcontractor information and participation goals. Contractors must complete an SBE Compliance Form detailing subcontractor information, including company names, addresses, and subcontracted work amounts. The project requires extensive insurance coverage, including workers' compensation, commercial general liability, automobile liability, excess liability, cyber risk liability, pollution legal liability, and professional liability insurance. Contractors must also comply with E-Verify requirements, verifying work authorization status for all employees hired after January 1, 2021. While a specific contract value is not explicitly stated, the project involves approximately 13,000 cubic yards of dredging and beach placement, with an additional line item for "Unspecified Work" of 200,000 units at $1.00 per unit, suggesting a potential contingency or flexible budget allocation. Environmental permits from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) are in place, with the permit valid from January 27, 2022, to March 29, 2025.