Wiggins and Doctors Pass Dredge 2026 - Grant Funded

Collier County, Florida is procuring sealed bids for the Wiggins and Doctors Pass Dredge 2026 project (Bid No. 26-8661), a grant-funded maintenance dredging initiative with sealed bids due March 30, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. local time via the county's online procurement portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/collier-county-fl. The project scope encompasses hydraulic dredging operations at two separate locations: Wiggins Pass, involving the dredging and placement of approximately 81,200 cubic yards of sand on the beaches of Delnor-Wiggins State Park, and Doctors Pass, involving the dredging and placement of approximately 34,400 cubic yards of sand along Naples Beach south of Doctors Pass. The selected contractor must commence work within five calendar days of receiving the Notice to Proceed (estimated April 24, 2026) and achieve substantial completion within 90 calendar days from commencement, with final completion required within 120 days total; liquidated damages are assessed at $2,667.00 per calendar day for failure to meet the substantial completion deadline. Qualified bidders must demonstrate prior experience with hydraulic dredging and coastal inlet dredging in open water environments, provide five project references of similar magnitude completed within the past five years, identify the specific hydraulic dredge equipment to be utilized (minimum 14-inch dredge capable of pumping at least 6,000 feet with Draft Quality Management equipment certified within the past year), possess current Florida contractor licenses, and comply with the Florida Trench Safety Act. Key evaluation criteria include bid responsiveness, contractor responsibility, compliance with federal and state permit requirements, and submission of certified bid bonds equal to five percent of the total bid amount; the County will award the contract to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. All dredged material must be beach-compatible sand meeting Florida Department of Environmental Protection specifications, with strict compliance required regarding turbidity monitoring (10 NTUs above background in Outstanding Florida Waters), marine turtle and shorebird protection measures including 300-foot buffer zones around active nests, and seagrass and hardbottom avoidance protocols.

The project utilizes local vendor preference (Choice 2) with no specific disadvantaged enterprise set-asides identified in the solicitation documents. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are referenced, and the County will provide certain materials including navigational channel markers for Wiggins Pass while the contractor must provide manatee marker materials. The successful bidder must submit performance and payment bonds equal to 100 percent of the contract award amount, maintain comprehensive insurance including Workers' Compensation, Commercial General Liability ($1,000,000 single limit per occurrence), Watercraft ($1,000,000 per occurrence), and Pollution ($1,000,000 per occurrence) liability coverage, and be enrolled in the E-Verify employment eligibility verification program at the time of bid submission. The contract is subject to federal oversight and compliance requirements under FEMA Public Assistance, including adherence to 2 CFR Part 200 and prevailing wage standards, with work performance standards established by the Department of Environmental Protection's Monitoring Standards for Beach Erosion Control Projects. The anticipated project budget is $2,800,000.00, with work hours limited to 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, unless otherwise specified; the bid schedule includes owner allowances of $171,025.00 for Wiggins Pass and $75,900.00 for Doctors Pass to address unforeseen conditions, with additional expenditures requiring change orders.