Special Events Parks and Other City Owned Properties Grounds Maintenance (Bid Discount)

The City of Tampa Parks and Recreation Department seeks qualified contractors to provide comprehensive grounds maintenance services for nine special events parks and city-owned properties totaling approximately 61.3 acres through an Invitation to Bid (ITB) procurement. The scope of work encompasses turf mowing, turf maintenance, and landscape bed maintenance at designated locations including Al Lopez Park, Cotanchobee Fort Brooke Park, Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, Doyle Carlton Linear Park, Joseph Frye Park, Kiley Gardens, MacDill Park on the Riverwalk, USF Park on the Riverwalk, and Water Works Park. The awardee must furnish all labor, supervision, equipment, and materials to perform work consistent with the highest quality standards and in strict accordance with Parks and Recreation Department specifications, with each site receiving 38 maintenance cuts annually on a cyclical schedule (weekly during fast growth season weeks 20-39 and bi-weekly during slow growth season weeks 40-19). Contractors must submit sealed bids by 3:00 p.m. on March 13, 2026, through the OpenGov eProcurement Portal, with a mandatory pre-bid meeting and site inspection scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on February 24, 2026, at the Parks and Recreation Department, 3402 Columbus Drive, Tampa, Florida 33607. Required qualifications include proof of Florida business licensing, Commercial General Liability insurance ($1M/$2M), Automobile Liability insurance ($500,000–$1M), Worker's Compensation coverage, three references for similar services performed within the past two years, current Florida Department of Agriculture (DAC) and/or Pest Control Operator (PCO) licensing, ISA Arborist Certification and Professional Mangrove Trimming Certification as necessary, proof of permanent business location in Hillsborough County or immediately adjacent counties, and equipment inventory documentation demonstrating minimum requirements of six ride-on rotary mowers, four walk-behind mowers, six edgers, six line trimmers, two motorized spray tanks, six hand-held spray tanks, six backpack blowers, five landscape crew cab trucks, and miscellaneous hand tools. Bid pricing must be submitted on a cost-per-cut basis for each of the nine sites, with the award made to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder and award notification expected within 120 days of bid opening; the contract term is one year from the effective date with options for renewal for three additional one-year periods through mutual written agreement and unilateral City extension rights for up to three additional thirty-day periods.

The City of Tampa offers a five percent bid discount (capped at $10,000) for certified Small Local Business Enterprises (SLBEs) for evaluation purposes only, with no sheltered market provisions or subcontracting goals established for this nonprofessional service contract. The estimated contract amount is $350,000.00, and the procurement is classified as a traditional open market solicitation open to all qualified bidders; however, a comprehensive SLBE contact list containing 56 certified vendors has been made available for reference. Contractors utilizing SLBE subcontractors must complete the DMI-20 Form (Schedule of Subcontractors to be Utilized) and submit separate DMI-40 Letter of Intent forms for each SLBE within ten workdays after notice of intent to award, with supporting subcontract agreements or purchase orders required prior to commencement of work. Bidders must also complete DMI-30 Payment Forms documenting all subcontractor payment activity during each pay period and submit Accessibility Conformance Reports based on WCAG 2.2 Level AA and Section 508 standards for any information and communications technology (ICT) products or services included in their proposals. Bid submissions must include optional unit pricing for additional services such as mowing and cleanup (per 1/10 acre), landscape bed maintenance services (per square foot or per plant), herbicide treatment, tree pruning (by size category), fertilizer application, sodding by grass variety, plant replacement, debris removal by weight, and hourly rates for exceptional special maintenance tasks. All work must be performed Monday through Friday between 7:00 a.m. and one hour prior to sunset, with work completion required within 48 hours of commencement; penalties of $100 per task per calendar day are assessed for work not completed within specified timeframes, and rejected work must be redone within 24 hours at no additional compensation to the City.