Van Meter Substation Construction

The Kissimmee Utility Authority (KUA) is issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP 26-016-SN) for the construction of a new greenfield Van Meter 69-kilovolt substation located in Polk County, Lake Harbor CDP, Florida. The procurement seeks a qualified contractor to perform all substation construction activities, including furnishing labor, supervision, materials, and equipment not provided by KUA, with deliverables encompassing site preparation, civil works, structural construction, electrical equipment installation, grounding systems, and a fully operational substation compliant with applicable standards. KUA will furnish major equipment including two 69KV transmission takeoff bay structures, four 69KV SF6 breakers, twelve 69KV air break switches, two 69/13.2KV 44.8MVA transformers, two 15KV PDC switchgears, and a control house, while the contractor is explicitly excluded from providing transformer erection and filling, relay control or power cable supply and termination, equipment testing and commissioning, transmission structure installation (except H-frame takeoff structures), URD feeder cable supply and installation, station service transformers, distribution circuit air break cabinet switchgear, and battery system installation. The evaluation of proposals is weighted as follows: 50 points for pricing, 15 points each for management and personnel qualifications and approach to delivery of services, and 5 points each for relevant experience, prior KUA projects, technical exceptions, and contractual exceptions, with proposals limited to 50 pages. Key dates include a mandatory pre-bid conference on February 23, 2026, at 1:30 PM EST with site visit included, questions and comments due by February 27, 2026, at 2:00 PM EST, proposal submission deadline of March 17, 2026, at 2:00 PM EST with virtual public bid opening via Zoom, anticipated construction start of May 11, 2026, and station energization expected in April 2027. Contractors must meet mandatory qualifications including demonstrated experience completing at least one full-scale 69KV greenfield substation project and one brownfield rebuild/expansion project within the past four years, current Florida electrical contracting licensure, provision of as-built and redline record documents, and coordination of planned power outages with utility clients.

Only firms with demonstrated substation construction experience are eligible to submit proposals, with no specific set-aside designations or restrictions based on disadvantaged enterprise status indicated in the solicitation documents. The contractor must provide four references for similar projects completed within the last four years and disclose any litigation or disputes from the past five years. Required insurance for this Construction Tier C project (exceeding $750,000) includes General Liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence with $2,000,000 annual aggregate, an Excess/Umbrella policy of $10,000,000, Vehicle coverage of $1,000,000 combined single limit, Workers' Compensation of $1,000,000, and Builders Risk insurance before construction start. The successful contractor must maintain a 100% Performance Bond, payable within ten days of award notification, and no bid bond is required. Pricing shall be submitted on a firm-fixed basis with all costs including labor, supervision, overhead, profit, materials, supplies, equipment, tools, mobilization, demobilization, travel, transportation, and taxes included in the lump sum price, supplemented by time-and-materials pricing options for potential change orders structured with material cost markups, labor hourly rates for various classifications, subcontractor and equipment rental costs, and contractor-provided equipment hourly rates. While the specific contract award value is not explicitly stated in the solicitation documents, the project budget and award amount will be determined based on the evaluation of submitted proposals and contractor qualifications.