Land Acquisition Services

Sarasota County is requesting proposals for land acquisition consulting services to support the County's Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Department under programs including the Land Acquisition and Management Program (LAMP), the Environmentally Sensitive Lands Protection Program (ESLPP), and the Neighborhood Parkland Acquisition Program (NPP), with proposals due August 27, 2026 and an anticipated initial contract term of three years.

Proposers must hold a current active Florida real estate license. Preferred qualifications include four years of professional land acquisition experience and prior service in Sarasota, Manatee, or Charlotte counties. Compensation is structured as hourly rates plus itemized direct expenses.

The scope encompasses investigation, evaluation, negotiation, appraisal ordering, and validation activities across multiple parks and recreational land acquisitions on an as-needed basis. Proposals must include a letter of interest, resumes for key personnel, relevant licenses and certifications, a detailed narrative of experience and capabilities, a customer list with references from the past five years, a comprehensive project approach with anticipated resources, an organizational chart, and a complete cost description.

The County will evaluate proposals on a zero-to-five scoring scale. Presentations and interviews are required for short-listed proposers and will be conducted either in Sarasota, Florida or virtually at the County's discretion. Presentations are mandatory if estimated costs exceed $350,000 annually or for the total project, or if scoring differences between top proposers are five points or less.

Insurance requirements include Workers' Compensation with $500,000 minimum employer's liability; Commercial General Liability of $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate; Business Automobile Liability of $1 million combined single limit; and Professional Liability of $1 million per claim or occurrence. Local and American business preferences do not apply due to grant funding requirements. Submissions are through OpenGov Procurement at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/scgov.