Purchase of Mitigation Credits for FDOT Project I-75 from N of Golden Gate to S of Corkscrew

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District 1 Procurement Office is issuing an Invitation to Bid (ITB) for the purchase of wetland mitigation credits to offset environmental impacts associated with the I-75 highway expansion project extending from north of Golden Gate to south of Corkscrew in Polk County's Big Cypress Swamp basin. FDOT seeks to procure approximately 8.00 freshwater forested wetland credits and 13.00 freshwater herbaceous wetland credits, assessed using either the Uniform Mitigation Assessment Method (UMAM) or Wetland Rapid Assessment Procedure (WRAP) methodology, with credits available in state-only, federal-only, or combined federal and state categories. Qualified vendors must possess valid state and/or federal mitigation banking permits with current ledger documentation and demonstrate service area coverage or obtain written regulatory verification of acceptability; all bidders must be registered in MyFloridaMarketPlace and subject to transaction fees. Delivery of credits must occur within 14 days of purchase order issuance and shall include confirmation of formal regulatory ledger adjustments. The contract term is 24 months commencing from the award date with no guaranteed minimum credit purchase quantity, and FDOT reserves the right to allocate any excess purchased credits to future Department projects. Bids must be submitted electronically to D1.Purch@dot.state.fl.us by 9:00 AM on May 20, 2026, with public opening scheduled for 2:00 PM at FDOT's Bartow office; the award decision will be posted by 5:00 PM on May 5, 2026. Required submittals include the completed bid sheet, in-state preference form, scrutinized companies list certification, E-Verify acknowledgment, and copies of permits and current credit ledgers.

All bidders are subject to standard state procurement conditions including drug-free workplace certification, E-Verify compliance, and provisions prohibiting vendors on boycott or sanctions lists; vendors must also comply with in-state preference requirements and cannot be listed on scrutinized companies lists. No set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises or minority-owned businesses are indicated in the procurement documents. FDOT reserves the right to conduct on-site inspections and document review prior to award to verify credit availability and compliance with technical specifications. The contract award will be made to the lowest-cost bidder or combination of bidders that meets the mitigation credit needs for the project, with pricing submitted on a per-credit basis. No specific budget range or award value is provided in the solicitation; costs will be determined by the number of credits ultimately purchased and the submitted per-credit pricing from selected vendors.