Operations & Maintenance Services for Wastewater Treatment Plants

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is issuing an Invitation to Bid (ITB 2026001) to procure comprehensive Operations and Maintenance Services for Wastewater Treatment Plants serving Blue Spring State Park (Orange City, FL), Hontoon Island State Park (DeLand, FL), and lift stations at those locations plus Wekiwa Springs State Park (Apopka, FL). The contractor must provide five routine weekly service visits to each wastewater treatment plant and one weekly visit to each lift station, all performed by a Class C-Certified Plant Operator, and must deliver plant operations, effluent disposal systems maintenance, lift station operations, emergency services, major repairs, and additional services as directed by the Department. Key qualifications include maintaining certified operators on-site per facility classification requirements, conducting regular monitoring and reporting of effluent quality and flow rates, managing biosolids properly, and ensuring compliance with Florida Administrative Code Chapter 62-600 and all permit conditions, including the Volusia Blue Spring Basin Management Action Plan with total nitrogen limits and an Administrative Order requiring full compliance by March 1, 2030. The contractor must carry commercial general liability insurance with minimum limits of $250,000 per occurrence and $500,000 aggregate, as well as workers' compensation and employer's liability insurance, with emergency service response required within four hours of contact and penalties of $50 per hour for delays beyond allowable response periods. Pricing shall be submitted on Form D with monthly rates for plant operations and lift station maintenance plus hourly rates for major repairs and emergency services (with separate rates for after-hours weekday versus weekend/holiday calls), and award will be made to the lowest total price responsive and responsible bidder. Optional pre-response site visits are available February 24-25, 2026, questions are due March 9, 2026, bids are due March 30, 2026 at 3:00 PM, with public opening on March 31, 2026 and anticipated award on April 15, 2026; the initial contract term is three years (July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029) with up to three renewal years available.

The procurement applies a Florida-based business preference of five percent to foreign state vendors in accordance with section 287.084, F.S., and in case of tied scoring, award preferences will be given to certified minority-owned or veteran-owned businesses based on net worth, with coin toss as the final tiebreaker if needed. All respondents must be registered with MyFloridaMarketPlace and comply with responsibility requirements including verification of non-status on discriminatory, convicted, and scrutinized vendor lists; failure to post any required bond or protest within the timeframes prescribed in section 120.57(3), Florida Statutes, constitutes waiver of proceedings under Chapter 120. The contractor is responsible for all personnel, labor, materials, replacement parts, chemicals, equipment, permits, and licenses necessary to perform services, with the Department covering compensation on a fixed price and cost reimbursement basis as specified in the attached Price Sheet (Attachment 5). No incumbent contractor or current contractor information is identified in the solicitation documents. The specific award value or total contract budget range is not disclosed in the procurement documents, though the contract structure indicates monthly rates for routine operations combined with hourly rates for emergency and major repair services will determine the total compensation over the three-year initial term and any renewal periods.