25-08 Artificial Reef

The Bay County Board of County Commissioners (County) seeks bids from qualified vendors to create and deploy two (2) new patch reefs within a one square nautical mile (nm), approximately 847.5-acre, artificial reef site. Reef construction materials were donated to County and will be used to establish essential fish habitat benefiting fishing, diving, and other tourism businesses.

Any contract awarded under this Request for Proposals is expected to be funded in part by a grant from the U.S.  Department of Treasury, RESTORE.  It is imperative that Respondents examine and become familiar with the grant requirements.  Funding for the project has been made possible through this program and is contingent on strict conformance to the guidelines set forth by this grant.   Respondents will comply with the Federal Contract Requirements shown at Exhibit 2 and RESTORE Act Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions and Program-Specific Terms shown at Exhibit 3. Neither the United States nor any of its departments, agencies or employees is or will be a party to this Request for Proposals or any resulting contract.

Respondents must meet the following minimum requirements to be qualified to submit a response to this solicitation:

1. Must be on file with the Department of State in accordance with provision of Chapter 607, Florida Statutes;
2. Shall have the necessary resources to fulfill the conditions of the contract and show they are competent to complete the project;
3. Shall have completed an artificial reef project within the past 5 years, anywhere in the United States.
4. Must not be on the state debarment list.
5. Must not be on the federal debarment list

A MANDATORY Site Visit will be held at 10:00 (CST) Friday, January 17, 2025 by the 6200 Tram Road, Star Avenue Yard, Panama City, FL 32404 .

Note: Respondents shall attend the site visit. Any respondent who fails to attend will be deemed non-responsive and automatically disqualified from further consideration. The purpose of this visit is to familiarize respondents with the project. No questions will be answered at the site visit, they must be submitted in writing. All respondents must be present and signed in prior to the start of the Mandatory Site Visit. The convener of the meeting will collect the sign in sheet(s) and the meeting will “Officially” start. Anyone not signed in at the “Official” start of the meeting will be considered late and will not be allowed to propose on the project. Please allow 10 to 15 minutes to sign in prior to the start of the Mandatory Site Visit.

In the event that any discussions or questions at the pre-bid meeting or afterward require additional clarification the COUNTY will issue a written summary of questions and answers as an addendum to this Invitation to Bid.

ELECTRONIC OR SEALED PAPER BIDS for ITB NO: 25-08 Artificial Reef will be received by the BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF BAY COUNTY, FLORIDA up until 2:00 pm (CST) Wednesday, February 19, 2025. Bids will be publicly opened immediately following the deadline. ANY BID RECEIVED AFTER THE SPECIFIED TIME WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

Bids for this solicitation may be submitted either electronically via OpenGov or by paper, sealed and delivered to the Board of County Commissioners Purchasing Department, at 840 W. 11 ^th Street, Suite 2500, Panama City, Florida 32401.

Bidders electing to submit paper bids should submit one (1) original bid package. Bids shall be enclosed in a sealed envelope bearing the title of the work, the name of the bidder, and the date for opening. It is the sole responsibility of the bidder to ensure that the bid is received on time.

Each bid shall be valid to Bay County for a period of ninety (90) days after the bid opening. The County will check the bids and notify the selected bidder at the earliest opportunity.

Special Accommodation:  Any person requiring a special accommodation at a Pre-Bid Conference or Bid opening because of a disability should call the Purchasing Department   at (850) 248-8270 at least five (5) workdays prior to the Pre-Bid Conference or Bid opening.   For Hearing Impaired, Dial 1-800-955-8771 (TOO), and 1-800-955-8770 (Voice).

Electronic versions of the solicitation documents are available via OpenGov Procurement https://procurement.opengov.com/signup

Bid documents, plans, blueprints, or other materials may also be obtained by contacting the Bay County Purchasing Department, For security reasons, you must enable JavaScript to view this E-mail address. , 840 West 11 ^th Street, Suite 2500, Panama City, FL 32401, (850) 248-8270.

For those projects with separate plans, blueprints, or other materials that cannot be accessed through the internet, the Purchasing Department will make a good faith effort to ensure that all registered bidders (those who have been registered as receiving a bid package) receive the documents.

If any addenda are issued after the initial specifications are released, the County will post the addenda on the County website or OpenGov. It is the responsibility of the bidder prior to submission of any bid to check the above website or contact the Purchasing Department to verify any addenda issued.  The receipt of all addenda must be acknowledged on the addenda response sheet.

QUESTIONS
Bidders shall submit all questions, in writing, to the Purchasing Department via email Purchasing@baycountyfl.gov. All questions shall be submitted no later than 5:00 pm (CST) on Wednesday, January 29, 2025.