Liquid Polymer For Orange County Utilities

Orange County, Florida is seeking to procure liquid polymers for its Utilities Department, specifically for Water Reclamation facilities, through a solicitation identified as Y25-05-SS. The county intends to establish two master agreements for non-toxic liquid polymers used in Gravity Belt Thickeners (GBTs), Belt Filter Presses (BFPs), and centrifuges. Suppliers must demonstrate the ability to provide polymers that meet specific performance requirements, including achieving targeted total solids cake percentages and high capture rates. The procurement requires electronic submission through the OpenGov e-Procurement Platform, with responses due by 5:00 PM EST on April 11, 2025. Interested vendors must create a free account on the platform and submit files in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or PDF formats with a minimum 150 dpi resolution. Evaluation criteria will focus on the lowest cost and highest effective polymer rate, with suppliers required to have experience serving clients with similar-sized wastewater utilities and the capability to conduct full-scale testing at no cost to the county.

The solicitation appears to have limited competition, with only two known suppliers capable of meeting Orange County's specific requirements: CedarChem, LLC and Polydyne, Inc. No specific set-aside designations or restrictions for disadvantaged enterprises are mentioned in the documents. If no qualified responses are received by the deadline, the county plans to award contracts to these two suppliers on a sole-source basis, a strategy developed from a decade of limited market competition. While specific award values are not explicitly stated, the procurement involves processing millions of gallons of wastewater daily, suggesting a potentially significant contract value. The county requires suppliers to formulate distinct polymers for different equipment types and demonstrate a track record of successfully serving comparable wastewater utility operations. Vendors must be prepared to provide technical support and meet stringent performance specifications for solids handling processes.