Ranch road sidewalk from US 19 to ponderosa avenue

The Pasco County Board of County Commissioners is conducting an Invitation for Bid (IFB-KM-26-058) for the construction of ADA-compliant sidewalk infrastructure along Ranch Road from US Highway 19 to Ponderosa Avenue in Pasco County, Florida. The project scope includes construction of a 5-foot concrete sidewalk, curb ramps, driveways, and incidental work extending approximately 1.92 miles (10,100 linear feet) to provide safe pedestrian accessibility. Key deliverables include fiber-reinforced concrete sidewalks constructed per FDOT Standard Plans 522-001 with 3,000 PSI strength specifications, construction joints at 5-foot intervals and expansion joints at 100-foot intervals, mid-block pedestrian crossing with rectangular rapid flashing beacon signs, and restoration of disturbed areas through sodding rather than seeding. The contractor must comply with FDOT Design Standards, 2018 Florida Greenbook standards, 2014 Florida Building Code accessibility requirements, and maintain a minimum 2-foot clear zone between existing pavement and sidewalk front with 7-foot minimum vertical clearance. Required qualifications include state of Florida contractor licensing, prequalification with FDOT (unless the contract is $250,000 or less), E-Verify program compliance, and prevailing wage rate compliance under the Davis-Bacon Act, with applicable wage determination FL20260265 establishing hourly rates ranging from $14.00 for asphalt laborers to $33.61 for boom operators. The contractor must submit a maintenance of traffic plan, erosion control plan, quality control plan, and hurricane evacuation plan to the pre-construction conference. Critical deadlines include a written questions deadline of March 17, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. ET, bid submission deadline of March 31, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. ET through the Bonfire platform (pascocountyfl.bonfirehub.com), and public bid opening at 2:00 p.m. ET on March 31, 2026. The contract term is 365 calendar days from the Notice to Proceed, with an additional 90 calendar days allocated for allowance work, and liquidated damages of $1,685.00 per diem apply for delays in completing work or meeting established milestone dates. All submissions must be made exclusively through the electronic Bonfire procurement system, with virtual attendance at the public bid opening available through Microsoft Teams.

This federally-funded Local Agency Program (LAP) project under FDOT funding is not eligible for Pasco County's local vendor preference consideration; however, the project is subject to disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) requirements under a race-neutral program with an overall 10.67% DBE goal, and contractors are encouraged to utilize DBE firms with actual DBE and MBE subcontractor payments reported through the Equal Opportunity Compliance system. The contractor must obtain an approved DBE Affirmative Action Plan from the FDOT Equal Opportunity Office prior to contract award, valid for three years. Extensive utility coordination is required with multiple providers including Duke Energy, City of Port Richey, Clearwater Gas System, Charter Communications, Frontier Communications, MCI/Verizon Business, Pasco County Utilities, TECO Peoples Gas, Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative, and Zayo Group, with all utility providers providing no-conflict letters confirming facility locations and accommodating sidewalk construction. The project is funded through FDOT LAP funding of $633,077.00 (consisting of $562,046.00 in federal-aid funds and $71,031.00 in state funds for construction engineering and inspection), with Pasco County contributing $281,212.00 in local funds, for an estimated total project cost of $914,289.00. Comprehensive insurance requirements include Workers' Compensation per Florida statutory requirements, Commercial General Liability at $5,000,000 general aggregate, Business Automobile Liability at $1,000,000 combined single limit, and Employer's Liability at $100,000 per accident, with the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners named as additional insured. Performance and Payment Bonds equal to 100% of the contract price are required prior to work commencement, and the contractor must submit all required documentation, including certificates of insurance and surety acknowledgments, within ten days of receiving the Notice to Apparent Low Bidder.