Wiggins Pass and Doctors Pass Maintenance Dredging - Grant Funded

Collier County is requesting sealed bids for maintenance dredging at Wiggins Pass and Doctors Pass in Collier County, Florida under Bid No. 26-8697, with bids due August 10, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. local time. This is a FEMA Public Assistance grant-funded project, which triggers federal compliance requirements including prevailing wage and Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act compliance for bids exceeding $100,000, debarment certification, lobbying certifications, Clean Air Act and Federal Water Pollution Control Act compliance for contracts exceeding $150,000, domestic preference for U.S.-produced goods, and recovered materials procurement for contracts exceeding $10,000.

The scope comprises dredging approximately 85,000 cubic yards from Wiggins Pass (main channel and interior channels) and 37,000 cubic yards from Doctors Pass (west settling basin, entrance channel, turning basin, and west channel), with dredged material placed on beaches and nearshore disposal sites. The contractor must furnish a minimum 14-inch hydraulic dredge capable of pumping 6,000 feet and handling coarse sand with shell material, with documented experience on similar Gulf or ocean-exposed dredging projects of equal or greater size completed prior to bid opening. Substantial completion must occur within 90 calendar days from Notice to Proceed; full mobilization within 5 calendar days. Work is performed 24 hours per day, seven days per week.

Environmental compliance is stringent: adherence to Florida Department of Environmental Protection and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permits, third-party turbidity monitoring with specified calibration standards, manatee protection protocols including 50-foot equipment exclusion zones, avoidance of hardbottom and seagrass communities, and sea turtle and shorebird protection measures with required daily clearances. The contractor obtains all local permits and U.S. Coast Guard authorization, provides pre-construction surveys within 14 days of Notice to Proceed, and submits comprehensive operations plans addressing equipment, methodology, scheduling, quality control, environmental protection, and safety.

Payment is based on quantities from pre-dredge and post-dredge surveys by a registered Professional Surveyor and Mapper: 60 percent of mobilization costs upon demonstrating 1,000 cubic yards excavation and placement in 24 hours, and 40 percent upon final completion and site restoration. Non-beach-compatible material encountered becomes the contractor's responsibility for removal and disposal.

Bidders must register on https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/collier-county-fl to access complete bid documents, including technical specifications, EHS contractor requirements, construction services agreement template, supplemental qualifications, and bid instructions.