Huber STEPSCREEN Products, Parts and Service

Sarasota County Public Utilities is pursuing a sole source procurement with Huber Technology Inc for STEPSCREEN products, parts, and service for the Bee Ridge Water Reclamation Facility. The solicitation (2024-ISS-162) specifically covers proprietary wastewater treatment equipment that filters sewage from sewer lines, screening incoming wastewater effluent and separating solids from liquids. The procurement covers a one-year renewal period from 5/24/2024 to 5/23/2025, with key deadlines including a question submission deadline of February 27, 2024, at 3:00 pm and a proposal submission deadline of February 28, 2024, at 5:00 pm. The county will consider alternative vendors who can demonstrate the ability to supply similar products or services, potentially converting the procurement to a competitive solicitation. Evaluation will focus on technical capabilities, with strict requirements that any alternative vendor must provide equivalent proprietary STEPSCREEN technology and have factory-trained technicians capable of maintaining the specialized equipment.

The solicitation appears to have no specific set-aside designations or restrictions on respondent types, though only vendors with highly specialized wastewater treatment technology capabilities can realistically compete. Huber Technology Inc is positioned as the incumbent and exclusive vendor, asserting they are the only authorized service center with factory-trained technicians for STEPSCREEN repairs and maintenance in the United States. The county has established a maximum expenditure of $50,000 per fiscal year for this procurement. The existing infrastructure requires precise technological integration, with the county emphasizing that changing to another process would necessitate complete re-engineering of the current collection system. Any warranty on STEPSCREEN products will be void if repairs are performed by non-factory trained technicians, which further limits potential alternative vendors' ability to successfully respond to the solicitation.