Inshore Annual Construction (Federalized)

Palm Beach County's Department of Environmental Resources Management issued this sealed bid solicitation for Project 2020ERM04, Inshore Annual Construction (Federalized), to procure estuarine habitat restoration construction services within the coastal waters of Palm Beach County. The project involves creating and restoring seagrass, mangrove, oyster, and artificial reef habitats at multiple sites including Tarpon Cove Phase II Restoration and Monceaux Living Shoreline projects within the Lake Worth Lagoon estuary. The contractor must provide all labor, materials, equipment, and services necessary to supply and place materials including limestone rock, filter fabric, sand, loose shell, steel piles, and turbidity curtains within designated work areas to specified lines, grades, and composition standards. The initial contract term spans two years from County approval with an optional one-year extension, administered on a work-order basis with no guaranteed minimum work volume. The County intends to award the contract to two lowest responsive and responsible bidders whose bids are reasonable and compliant with specifications. A non-mandatory pre-bid meeting was held virtually on December 3, 2020, with a corresponding site walkthrough of the FIND Material Storage Area, and sealed bids were due by 2:00 p.m. on January 13, 2021 (modified from the original January 11 deadline by Addendum 3) at 2300 N. Jog Road, 4th Floor, West Palm Beach, Florida. Evaluation criteria include compliance with federal and state environmental permits, Davis-Bacon compliance documentation (note: Davis-Bacon rates do not apply), quality assurance and testing requirements performed at contractor expense, turbidity control capabilities, and adherence to operating hour restrictions limiting work to daylight hours on weekdays only.

The project is funded entirely through federal grant sources including National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Hurricane Irma Restoration Funds, United States Fish and Wildlife Service National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program, and State Wildlife Grants Program funds, which renders the County's Local Preference Ordinance, Emerging Business Ordinance, and DBE goals inapplicable to this procurement. All bidders and subcontractors must be properly certified and licensed in the State of Florida at the time of bid submission, and persons on the convicted vendor list are prohibited from bidding or performing work. Bidders must submit a proposal guaranty of not less than five percent of the base bid price in the form of a certified check, cashier's check, money order, or bid bond, with successful contractors required to furnish payment and performance bonds equal to 100 percent of the first work order price within fourteen days of the notice of intent to award. Comprehensive insurance coverage is required, including commercial general liability ($1,000,000), pollution liability ($1,000,000), and watercraft liability ($5,000,000). The engineer's estimate totals $6,048,260, comprised of a base bid of $370,880 plus either Alternate No. 1 (Contractor Staging Area) estimated at $5,677,380 or Alternate No. 2 (FIND MSA Staging Area) estimated at $4,541,904, with the County selecting which alternate to include in the final contract price. Living wage requirements apply with a minimum hourly rate of $12.83 per hour effective October 1, 2020, and liquidated damages are assessed at $450 per day for late substantial completion.