View Agenda

Leon County
Board of County Commissioners
Cover Sheet for Agenda #16

December 12, 2023

To:	Honorable Chairman and Members of the Board

From:	Vincent S. Long, County Administrator

Title:	Bid Award for Construction of the Fred George Park Wetland Restoration Project

Review and Approval:	Vincent S. Long, County Administrator
Department/Division Review and Approval:	Ken Morris, Assistant County Administrator Ben Pingree, Assistant County Administrator Scott Ross, Director, Office of Financial Stewardship Brent Pell, Director, Public Works Charles Wu, Director, Engineering Services
Lead Staff/ Project Team:	Melanie Hooley, Purchasing Director Chris Muehlemann, Chief of Engineering Design Samuel Ijeoma, Senior Design Engineer Tim Barden, Administrative Services Manager

Statement of Issue:

Fiscal Impact:

This item has a fiscal impact. Funding for this project is included in the Fred George Wetland Restoration capital improvement budget. This project is primarily supported by a $400,000 grant from Florida Department of Environment Protection (FDEP).

Staff Recommendation:

Option #1: Approve the bid award to Hale Contracting, Inc., in the amount of $405,177 for the construction of the Fred George Park Wetland Restoration project, and authorize the County Administrator to execute the Agreement (Attachment #1) and any amendments thereto, subject to legal review by the County Attorney.

Report and Discussion

Background:

This item seeks Board approval to award the bid for construction of the Fred George Park Wetland Restoration Project to Hale Contracting, Inc., the lowest responsible and responsive bidder, in the amount of $405,177. The project will restore the area to natural conditions by removing the man-made berms and re-establishing free-flow conditions. This work will rehydrate wetland areas that had been drained. The project will restore wildlife habitat, reduce flooding, improve the water quality and the ecosystem, and improve discharge into the Floridian aquifer through the sinkhole.

The bid award for construction of Fred George Park Wetland Restoration project advances the following FY2022-FY2026 Strategic Initiative:

Ensure the County’s water quality and stormwater regulations, programs and projects are evaluated and implemented holistically to advance the County’s adopted strategic priority: to protect the quality and supply of our water. (2022-16)

This particular Strategic Initiative aligns with the Board’s Environment Strategic Priorities:

(EN1) Protect the quality and supply of our water.
(EN2) Conserve and protect environmentally sensitive lands and our natural ecosystems.

In 2009, the County, using funds from Florida Communities Trust (FCT) and Blueprint 2000, acquired four contiguous parcels (overall approximately 160 acres), now known as the Fred George Greenway and Park. The Fred George Greenway and Park is intended to protect the Fred George closed basin as well as preserve and protect flood prone areas, wildlife habitat, wetlands, and a sinkhole. One of the largest parcels, also the most environmentally sensitive, has experienced significant landscape alterations and floodplain alterations over the past several decades, including ditching, berming, and channelization to divert water around the property.

After the property was acquired, the County began restoring the flood prone and wetlands areas, in addition to protecting the sinkhole. The main goal of the planned improvements is to enhance surface water quality prior to runoff entering the Fred George Sink. This project is one of the final planned improvements at the Fred George Greenway and Park.

Prior to the start of the 2022 legislative session, Leon County’s legislative team worked with the County’s delegation members to submit an appropriation request for the Fred George Wetland Restoration project. The Governor signed the General Appropriations Act (HB 5001) on June 2, 2022, which included $400,000 in funding for the Fred George Wetland Restoration project.

On November 22, 2022, the Board accepted the grant in the amount of $400,000 from the Florida Department of Environment Protection (FDEP) for the Fred George Wetland Restoration project construction. Additional funding for this project has been budgeted in the Fred George Park Greenway Wetland Restoration capital improvement budget.

Analysis:

The Fred George Wetland Restoration Project will restore the area of 5.34 acres to natural conditions by removing the man-made berms and re-establishing free-flow conditions (Attachment #2). This work will rehydrate wetland areas that had been drained and restore wildlife habitat, reduce flooding, improve the water quality and the ecosystem, and improve discharge into the Floridian aquifer through the sinkhole.

The Invitation to Bid (ITB) for the Fred George Park Wetland Restoration Project (BC-2024-005) was advertised through the automated procurement system OpenGov Procurement, and in the legal notices of the Tallahassee Democrat on October 13, 2023. A total of 7,297 vendors were notified through the automated procurement system. A total of 41 vendors requested the bid package. The County received three responsive bids on November 14, 2023. This is a unit price contract, and the Contractor will be paid based on the actual quantity used for each individual pay item (Attachment #3). Based on the bidders’ itemized price sheets, the lowest responsible and responsive bidder is Hale Contracting Inc. for an estimated total of $405,177 (Attachment #4).

The Minority, Women, & Small Business Enterprise (MWSBE) Division reviewed the project and determined that that no aspirational goals could be set, due to the use of state funds for this project. Leon County projects that are financed with funds from Florida state agencies, like the Florida Department of Environmental Protection or Transportation, are not subject to local MWSBE aspirational targets, so the MWSBE program does not apply to FDEP funded projects. Although aspirational goals were determined not to be required for this project, Hale Contracting Inc. is a registered WBE with the MWSBE Division.

Each proposer, however, is strongly encouraged to secure MBE and WBE participation through purchases of those goods or services to be provided by others. Each proposer must take the following affirmative steps to ensure these firms are used when possible:

Place qualified small, minority, and woman‐owned business on solicitation lists;
Assure that such business is solicited when they are potential sources;
Divide total requirement, when economically feasible, into smaller tasks or quantities to permit maximum participation by such businesses;
Establish delivery schedules, where requirements permit, which encourage such business to respond; and
Use service and assistance from such organization as SBA, Minority Business Development Agency of the Department of Commerce.

This item recommends Board approval of the bid award to Hale Contracting, Inc., which is a certified WBE, and seeks authorization for the County Administrator to execute the Agreement (Attachment #1) for the Fred George Park Wetland Restoration Project. The project is anticipated to commence in February 2024 and be completed in June 2024.

Options:

Approve the bid award to Hale Contracting, Inc., in the amount of $405,177, for the construction of Fred George Park Wetland Restoration Project, and authorize the County Administrator to execute the Agreement (Attachment #1), and any amendments thereto, subject to legal review by the County Attorney.
Do not approve the bid award to Hale Contracting, Inc., in the amount of $405,177 for construction of Fred George Park Wetland Restoration Project.
Board direction.

Recommendation:

Option #1

Attachments: