Title Search Services

Palm Beach County's Purchasing Department, on behalf of the Facilities Development & Operations/Property & Real Estate Management Division, is soliciting qualified firms to provide comprehensive title search services on an as-needed basis through a Request for Submittal (RFS). The procured services encompass title reports, 50-year chain of title searches, title insurance commitments and policies, ownership and encumbrance searches, and present owner searches, divided into two lots: Lot 1 for residential properties (no more than five residential units) and Lot 2 for commercial properties. Respondents must demonstrate a minimum of ten consecutive years of experience as an agent, underwriter, or attorney agent, maintain appropriate licenses, bonds, and Professional Liability Insurance with minimum coverage of $1,000,000, and register as vendors in the County's Vendor Self Service System. The evaluation criteria consist of experience and qualifications (40 percent), key personnel and operations (15 percent), price (25 percent), small/minority/women business enterprise participation (15 percent), and business location/local preference (5 percent). Pricing is structured on a unit-rate basis with weighted factors for different service types, including title reports (70 percent), 50-year chain of title searches (10 percent), ownership and encumbrance searches (10 percent), and present owner searches (10 percent), while title insurance products are priced at the Florida Insurance Commissioner's minimum promulgated rate with allowances for search fees (up to $125), update search fees (up to $90), and closing fees ($150). The submission deadline is January 11, 2023, at 4:00 p.m. local time, with evaluation and selection scheduled for January 26, 2023, and an award date of February 9, 2023, which also marks the contract start date.

The contract term is 24 months, ending February 8, 2025, with three optional 12-month renewal periods at the County's sole discretion, and is available to Small Business Enterprises (SBEs) with an evaluation preference of up to 15 points for SBE prime respondents on contracts valued under $500,000. All respondents must comply with the County's Equal Business Opportunity Ordinance and Commercial Non-Discrimination Policy, with failure to maintain required insurance or comply with EBO program requirements constituting material breach subject to suspension, withholding of funds, termination, debarment, or liquidated damages. All subcontractors must also be registered vendors in the County's system. No incumbent vendors or specific budget range was identified in the solicitation documents, though the contract structure suggests a flexible, performance-based pricing model dependent on the volume and type of services requested by the County across the two property categories.