NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE - Smith & Loveless Grit System

The City of Palm Coast, located in Franklin County, Florida, is pursuing a sole source procurement for a Smith & Loveless Grit System to be installed at the city's wastewater treatment plant. The procurement involves a comprehensive grit removal system, specifically a Model 20.0 PISTA 270 Grit Chamber complete system that includes a vortex grit removal mechanism, grit pump, concentrator, and electrical panels. Interested vendors can submit alternative solutions that could potentially overcome the sole source justification by providing detailed documentation to Taya Hoff at thoff@palmcoastgov.com before 2:00 PM on September 8, 2025. The equipment will be purchased from Environmental Equipment Services, which has an exclusive sales agreement with Smith & Loveless for Florida. The procurement timeline anticipates 32-36 weeks from approval to equipment production release, with payment structured in three phases: 30% upon submittal approval, 60% upon shipment, and 10% upon startup. The equipment specifications include 316 stainless steel wetted parts for corrosion resistance and carries a 12-month warranty from startup, not exceeding 18 months from shipment date.

The procurement appears to have no specific set-aside designations or restrictions on responding organizations. Environmental Equipment Services is the exclusive vendor for this procurement, with Smith & Loveless as the equipment manufacturer. The total potential project cost ranges from $187,626 for the base equipment to $278,221 if the optional Model 15 Screw Classifier is included. The grit system is intended to integrate with existing wastewater treatment infrastructure, focusing on improving grit removal processes. No specific disadvantaged enterprise requirements are mentioned in the documentation. The procurement is structured as a direct purchase with a clear sole source justification based on the exclusive sales agreement between Smith & Loveless and Environmental Equipment Services. The technical specifications and warranty terms suggest a specialized, high-performance wastewater treatment equipment solution tailored to the City of Palm Coast's specific infrastructure needs.