Water Use Permit Renewal

Sarasota County is seeking a professional engineering firm to prepare and submit a Water Use Permit (WUP) renewal for Consolidated WUP No. 20008836, issued by the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) for public supply use. The procurement is a Request for Professional Services (RPS) targeting engineering consultants with specific technical capabilities for a comprehensive water permit renewal project. Key deliverables include conducting pre-application meetings, reviewing historic water use trends, developing water use demand projections, evaluating groundwater withdrawal impacts, and performing regional groundwater modeling to support relocating groundwater withdrawals from the Venice Gardens Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Plant wellfield to the T. Mabry Carlton, Jr. Memorial Reserve wellfield. Proposers must be registered engineering businesses in Florida with at least one Professional Engineer (PE) and one Professional Geologist (PG) on their team. The solicitation strongly prefers firms with demonstrated experience providing three Water Use Permit modifications or renewals over 20 million gallons per day for public supply use within the past decade. The contract will be awarded through a comprehensive evaluation process using a scoring system that assesses professional personnel abilities, past performance, experience, and project approach. The proposed contract term is three years, with a due date for proposals of April 30, 2025.

The solicitation does not explicitly mention specific set-aside designations or restrictions for disadvantaged enterprises. Insurance requirements are clearly defined, including Commercial General Liability with a minimum of $500,000 per occurrence, Professional Liability with a minimum of $1,000,000 per claim, and Workers' Compensation insurance compliant with Florida statutes. While specific budget ranges are not detailed in the provided documentation, the project's complexity and scale suggest a substantial professional services contract. The procurement appears open to qualified engineering firms with the technical expertise to handle complex water use permit renewals for municipal water systems. No incumbent vendor information was provided in the solicitation documents. The project involves significant technical complexity, particularly in groundwater modeling and permit renewal strategies for municipal water supply infrastructure in Sarasota County, Florida. The successful contractor will need to demonstrate sophisticated understanding of regional water management, hydrogeological assessment, and regulatory compliance with Southwest Florida Water Management District requirements.