North Florida Mobile Irrigation Lab Services

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is issuing Request for Proposal DOA 25 26 80 to establish and operate Mobile Irrigation Lab (MIL) services throughout Florida's Northern Region, encompassing 30 counties including Leon County and serving approximately 1,094 agricultural sites with adopted best management practices. The procurement seeks a qualified contractor to conduct irrigation system technical evaluations, determine irrigation efficiency, provide water conservation recommendations, and assist FDACS staff with statutory duties related to agricultural best management practices compliance. The contractor must evaluate seven irrigation system types (Micro Spray, Drip, Sprinkler, Gun, Seepage, Linear, and Center Pivot) and submit fixed unit prices for each system type across the initial three-year contract term (fiscal years 2026/27 through 2028/29) and optional three-year renewal term (fiscal years 2029/30 through 2031/32). Deliverables include monthly and annual evaluation performance reports, conservation education and outreach documentation, comprehensive technical evaluation reports with water savings calculations, and compliance tracking through the FDACS MIL Database portal; the contractor must meet minimum monthly and annual evaluation performance standards as detailed in an agreed-upon Annual Plan and submit required documentation including monthly invoices with supporting MIL database reports. Evaluation criteria consist of 270 points total, comprising price proposal (up to 20 points) and technical response (up to 250 points covering statement of qualifications, relevant experience, and approach/methodology). The contractor must demonstrate expertise in irrigation system design, evaluation methodologies, agricultural best practices applicable to Florida's diverse crop production systems, and comply with standardized evaluation procedures developed by FDACS in conjunction with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Key deadlines include a vendor question deadline of May 15, 2026, with written responses posted by May 19, 2026; sealed proposals are due June 4, 2026, at 5:00 PM Eastern Time, with public opening on June 5, 2026, at 10:00 AM via teleconference, and the anticipated notice of agency decision is June 15, 2026, with contract commencement on July 1, 2026.

The RFP does not indicate specific set-aside designations or restrictions limiting organization types from responding. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the procurement documents. The contractor must integrate with existing FDACS systems for scheduling and reporting, including the MIL Database portal at https://fdacsmilimes.fawn.ifas.ufl.edu/, and comply with all standardized reporting forms and financial closeout procedures established by FDACS. All unit prices must be all-inclusive, encompassing all services, supplies, equipment, overhead, salaries, fringe benefits, travel to MIL meetings, site evaluations, and equipment maintenance necessary to perform evaluation functions; specific unit pricing is required through Appendix IV pricing proposal forms. Based on recent performance data from January to June 2025, the existing MIL program conducted 234 irrigation system evaluations over 20,000 acres generating estimated water savings of 1.06 billion gallons per year, providing context for expected contract scope and deliverables. Financial consequences apply for failure to meet performance obligations, including $250 per business day for failure to submit required plans on time, $100 per missed evaluation for failure to meet quarterly minimums, and $250 per month for failure to meet reporting deadlines. While specific overall award values or budget ranges are not explicitly stated in the procurement documents, vendors must calculate total prices per unit across the three fiscal years of each contract term and provide average prices per unit with final summation of all seven irrigation system types for each term, with compensation paid in accordance with Section 215.422, Florida Statutes, upon invoice inspection and approval within five working days.