Pinellas County Aquatic Plant Removal Services

Pinellas County is seeking qualified firms to provide aquatic vegetation mechanical removal services for invasive and nuisance plants on county waterbodies through Request for Proposal (RFP) #25-0815-RFP. The primary objective is to enhance fish and wildlife habitat by fully removing target aquatic vegetation, including floating, emergent, and submerged plant portions across county lakes. Contractors must demonstrate expertise in aquatic plant management, providing comprehensive documentation of project team qualifications, equipment inventory, and past performance with similar projects. The evaluation will utilize a 1000-point system across five criteria: qualifications (250 points), approach (350 points), statement of work (250 points), compensation (100 points), and no exceptions to RFP (50 points). Key procurement dates include a question submission deadline of August 26, 2025, and a proposal submission deadline of September 11, 2025, at 3:00 pm, with electronic submissions required via OpenGov. The contract will have an initial three-year term with potential for one additional two-year extension, and work will be executed through individual Work Orders on an as-needed basis.

Contractors must comply with extensive documentation requirements, including Small Business Enterprise (SBE) Status Form submission and multiple affidavits covering foreign countries of concern, human trafficking, and common carrier transportation regulations. Insurance requirements are comprehensive, mandating workers' compensation, general liability, automobile liability, pollution legal liability, and watercraft liability, with Pinellas County to be named as an additional insured. While no specific set-aside designations are explicitly mentioned, the RFP suggests an interest in diverse contractor participation. Pricing will be structured on a per-acre basis for aquatic plant removal, with rates for on-site and off-site disposal, and mobilization/demobilization costs capped at 5% of each work order's total cost. Though a specific contract value is not stated, the procurement is designed as a flexible, on-demand service contract that allows Pinellas County to order aquatic vegetation management services as required. The solicitation appears to be partially funded through federal grants, which introduces additional compliance requirements from agencies like FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security.