Solid Waste Professional Engineering Services

RFP NOTICE
Polk County, a political subdivision of the State of Florida, requests the submittal of
proposals from vendors that are interested in providing professional engineering
services for the Solid Waste Division as described herein. Sealed proposals must be
received in the Procurement Division, prior to the due date and time listed below.
RFP Number and Title: 26-251, Solid Waste Professional Engineering Services
Description: Provide CCNA continuing contract services.
Receiving Period: Prior to 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Bid Opening: Wednesday, May 27, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. or as soon as possible
thereafter.
This form is for RFP registration only. Please scroll down for additional information.
Special Instructions: N/A
Questions regarding this RFP must be in writing and must be sent to Brad Howard, Sr.
Procurement Analyst, via email at bradhoward@polkfl.gov or via fax at (863) 534-6789.
All questions must be received no later than 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
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RFP REGISTRATION
You MUST register using this form in order to receive notice of any addenda to
these documents. Please fax the completed form to the Polk County Procurement
Division as soon as possible. It is the vendor's responsibility to verify if addenda
have been issued.
RFP Number: 26-251
RFP Title: Solid Waste Professional Engineering Services
This form is for RFP registration. Please scroll down for additional information.
This form is for bid registration only. Please scroll down for additional information.
Carefully complete this form and return it to the Procurement Division via e-mail to
procurement@polk-county.net or fax (863) 534-6789. You must submit one form for
each solicitation that you are registering for.
Company Name: __________________________________________________
Contact Name: ____________________________________________________
Mailing Address: ___________________________________________________
City: _____________________________________________________________
State: ____________________________________________________________
Zip Code: _________________________________________________________
Phone Number: ____________________________________________________
Email: ____________________________________________________________
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PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS
Proposers must submit their proposal prior to 2:00 p.m. on the receiving date. Proposals
must be submitted in a "sealed" parcel or electronically through Polk County's secure
website, Kiteworks. Proposals will be publicly opened at 2:00 p.m. on the receiving date.
Sealed Parcel Submittal:
If you are submitting a sealed parcel proposal submit one (1) original marked
ORIGINAL and five (5) copies marked COPY of the proposal in a sealed parcel to the
Procurement Division. The parcel should be labeled "RFP #26-251, Solid Waste
Professional Engineering Services" and marked with the proposer's name and address.
The Proposals may be mailed or delivered to:
Polk County Procurement Division
330 West Church Street, Room 150
Bartow, FL 33830
To assist with labeling the sealed parcel, please cut along the outer border and affix this
label. Be sure to include the name of the company submitting the proposal where
requested.
Sealed Proposal. DO NOT OPEN
RFP Number 26-251
RFP Title Solid Waste Professional Engineering Services
Due Date/Time: May 27, 2026, prior to 2:00 pm
Submitted by:
Deliver To: Polk County Procurement Division
330 West Church Street, Room 150
Bartow, Florida 33830
Proposals may be mailed, express mailed or hand delivered. It is the Proposers
responsibility to ensure their package is delivered to the Procurement Division prior to
2:00 p.m. on the Receiving date and time referenced above. Proposals delivered at 2:00
p.m. or later will not be accepted.
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Electronic Proposals Submittal:
All prospective Proposers that are interested in submitting their proposals electronically
can do so via the County's secure electronic submittal website, Kiteworks. Proposers
must email bradhoward@polkfl.gov at least 48 hours prior to opening to receive a link to
upload their submittal. Please only upload your documents as a PDF or Excel file for the
Cost Tab, if applicable. Please use the name convention of your files as follow:
"RFP 26-251 Tab 1"
"RFP 26-251 Tab 2"
"RFP 26-251 Tab 3"
"RFP 26-251 Tab 4"
"RFP 26-251 Tab 5"
"RFP 26-251 Tab 6"
"RFP 26-251 Tab 7"
For more instructions, a video tutorial has been produced to further explain the
electronic solicitation submittal process. It can be found by clicking here for RFP
Submittals: https://youtu.be/vkn_7AHgioE. If you need assistance accessing this
website due to ADA or any other reason, please email Brad Howard at
bradhoward@polkfl.gov.
Procurement recommends that Proposers submitting electronically double check the
documents submitted into Kiteworks to ensure all requested tab information has been
uploaded. Failure to upload the requested tab information may result in the proposal
being deemed nonresponsive.
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POLK COUNTY
Procurement Division
Fran McAskill
Procurement Director
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL 26-251
Solid Waste Professional Engineering Services
Sealed proposals will be received in the Procurement Division, Wednesday, May 27, 2026
prior to 2:00 p.m.
Attached are important instructions and specifications regarding responses to this Request for
Proposal (the "RFP"). The failure of a responding proposer (a "Proposer") to follow these
instructions could result in Proposer disqualification from consideration for a contract to be
awarded pursuant to this RFP.
This document is issued by Polk County (the "County") which is the sole distributor of this RFP
and all addenda and changes to the RFP documents. The County shall record its responses to
inquiries and provide any supplemental instructions or additional documents pertaining to this
RFP in the form of written addenda to the RFP. The County shall post all such addenda,
together with any other information pertaining to this RFP, on the County's website at
https://www.polkfl.gov/business/procurement/. It is the sole responsibility of each Proposer to
review the website prior to submitting a responsive proposal (a "Proposal") to this RFP to
ensure that that the Proposer has obtained all available instructions, addenda, changes,
supporting documents, and any other information pertaining to this RFP.
The County is not responsible for any solicitations issued through subscriber services,
publications, or other sources not connected with the County and the Proposer should not rely
on such sources for information regarding the RFP solicitation.
Questions regarding this RFP must be in writing and must be sent to Brad Howard, via email at
bradhoward@polkfl.gov or via fax at (863) 534-6789. All questions must be received no later
than 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
Proposers and any prospective Proposers shall not contact, communicate with or discuss any
matter relating in any way to this RFP with any member of the Polk County Board of County
Commissioners or any employee of Polk County other than the County Procurement Director or
the individual designated above. This prohibition begins with the issuance of the Request for
Proposal and ends upon execution of a contract. Any such communication initiated by a
Proposer or prospective proposer shall be grounds for disqualifying the offender from
consideration for a contract to be awarded pursuant to this RFP and for contracts to be awarded
pursuant to RFPs or Requests for Bid that the County may issue in the future.
A Proposer's responsive Proposal to this RFP may be mailed, express mailed, or hand
delivered to:
Polk County Procurement Division
330 West Church Street, Room 150
Bartow, Florida 33830
(863)534-6757
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INTRODUCTION
Polk County, a political subdivision of the State of Florida seeks professional
engineering services for the County's Solid Waste Division, and as further defined in the
Scope of Services below.
Polk County's Selection Process for consultants' services is in accordance with Section
287.055, Florida Statutes, the Consultants' Competitive Negotiations Act ("CCNA"). The
Professional Services Selection Committee will review the qualifications of all submitting
firms.
It is the intent of the County to select and negotiate a Master Consulting Agreement with
one (1) or more firm(s).
The County will negotiate a fee schedule and or overall lump sum price as part of
"Selection Process", Elevation Level 4 Contract Negotiations.
Services under this contract will be in compliance with Section 287.055 of the Florida
Statutes referred to as the "Consultants' Competitive Negotiation Act" (CCNA). Polk
County's Procurement Procedure's Manual outlines the Procedures for Contracting for
Professional Services Covered by CCNA. These procedures outline the process used
for the selection of a consulting firm awarded through this RFP process.
The Successful Proposer must register in our new Vendor Database if you have not
already done so prior to award of this RFP. A purchase order cannot be issued to a
vendor until they have registered. You may register by going to the following link:
https://www.polkfl.gov/business/procurement/vendor-information/. Registered vendors
will receive a User ID and Password to access their company information. All registered
vendors must provide their owner gender, owner ethnicity, corporate status, and a
minimum of one (1) commodity code to be considered registered. It is the responsibility
of all vendors to update their vendor information. Only registered vendors will receive
notifications of future RFP's.
All services must be performed in accordance with applicable Federal, State and Local
regulations.
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BACKGROUND, PURPOSE AND SCOPE
Background & Purpose:
The Solid Waste Division's mission is excellent service to residents, protect the
environment, and reduce operating costs through effective use of resources. Polk
County has three permitted landfills: the North Central Landfill (NCLF), the Southeast
Landfill (SELF) and the Northeast Landfill (NELF). The NELF and the SELF are closed.
The pre-Subtitle D Tri-City Landfill is inactive. Integrated waste management occurs at
the NCLF for the management of approximately 3,000 tons/day. This facility manages
Class I waste, household hazardous waste, white goods, waste tires, yard trash and
provides citizens services. The Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility
processes collected materials for recycling, and environmentally safe off-site disposal.
The Small Quantity Generator program monitors businesses within the County.
Solid Waste Division facilities are constructed, operated, maintained and monitored
under requirements and permits issued by State and Federal regulatory agencies:
Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) divisions of Waste
Management (including Solid Waste Section and Waste Cleanup Section), Air Resource
Management, Water Resource Management, (including National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System (NPDES) Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP), and Industrial
Wastewater), Environmental Resource Permit (ERP) Program and Mining and Minerals
Regulation); Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD); U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers (ACOE) wetlands regulation; and U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) divisions of Air Quality and Climate Change.
Polk County's ordinance provides universal garbage collection in unincorporated Polk
County. Collection services are contracted to provide collection of household waste
once a week and yard waste once a week. Property owners are assessed an annual
collection and disposal fee. Additional information can be obtained through the
County's website located at www.polk-county.net.
SCOPE OF SERVICES
All work must be performed in accordance with applicable Federal (ACOE and EPA),
State (FDEP and SWFWMD) and Local regulations.
The scope of services shall include, but is not limited to, the civil engineering, solid
waste, geotechnical, geoenvironmental and hydrogeological engineering work
described below. Services typically span all phases of project implementation:
planning, conceptual or preliminary design, final design, permitting, bidding,
construction, and operation. The scope also includes, but is not limited to: conceptual
studies, feasibility studies, preliminary assessments; cost estimates; bidding,
construction administration and management, operation support services; design of
solid waste management and related systems/facilities; construction observation; GIS
support; hydraulic and water quality modeling; permitting of new or existing facilities for
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construction and operation; assistance with information requests by regulatory
agencies; water, wastewater and groundwater monitoring; hydrogeologic and surface
water modeling; evaluation of technical and water quality data as required by federal,
state and/or local regulations; preparation of appropriate documents, reports or maps as
related to design, permitting and regulatory information requests; land surveying and
geotechnical services; well construction and abandonment-related engineering services;
well head protection, water quality and environmental assessments; technical
assistance for preparation of public information; feasibility studies for developing,
improving and maintaining solid waste management and related facilities;
implementation of compliance projects or preparation of reports; and other solid waste-
related professional engineering and consulting services.
Civil Engineering Applications - Firms or their subconsultants must demonstrate
qualifications and specific experience in one or more of the following listed areas.
* General Civil - This service includes permitting design and construction of
access roads, stormwater drainage and pumping.
* Structural design for civil engineered projects including drainage structures,
maintenance buildings, and structures for liquid storage.
* Wastewater and/or leachate, treatment and pumping.
* Electrical, Instrumentation and Controls - This service applies to projects
requiring electrical power, control, and instrumentation and may be completed
using subcontract services.
* Environmental Resource Permitting - This service includes wetland delineation,
wetland mitigation, wildlife assessments, stormwater management system
permitting, design and construction, and environmental permitting through local,
state, and federal agencies.
Solid Waste Engineering Applications - Firms must demonstrate qualifications and
specific experience in three or more of the following listed areas.
Solid Waste Master Planning - This service may include public surveys, trend
projections, future estimates, and presentations to the Board and to the public. The
Firm must demonstrate experience and expertise in maximizing the economic value and
community benefits of owning and operating solid waste facilities.
Landfill Design, Permitting, and Construction Services - Work includes preparation
of feasibility studies, engineering design plans, engineering calculations, construction
documents, bid documents, bid review and analysis, responses to bid questions, pre-bid
meetings, pre-construction meetings, construction management, construction
inspection, construction progress meetings, as-built surveys, final certifications and
review pay requests, operational plans, closure plans, long term care plans, and
monitoring plans in accordance with all Federal, State and Local regulations for solid
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waste management facilities. Experience with innovative technologies including
bioreactors, leachate management and treatment systems, landfill mining, and landfill
construction techniques are beneficial. Significant and innovative solid waste research
and development projects completed by the Firm should be specifically listed in the
responses.
Closure Design, Permitting, and Construction Services - Prepare closure plans,
long term care plans, designs and permit applications in accordance with all Federal,
State and Local regulations for Class I, Class III and Construction and Demolition
Debris (C&DD) landfills and other solid waste facilities. Work may include
characterization of in-place landfill waste, studies of potential contaminant fate, and
design of remediation systems. Innovative research and development experience is
beneficial. Services may also include land reclamation and remediation. Experience
with innovative projects should be specifically listed.
Leachate Collection and Disposal - This work includes the design, permitting, and
construction management of leachate collection, pumping, storage, bioreactor,
treatment, and disposal systems. The Firm should demonstrate expertise and
experience with leachate management in order to compare potential alternative
methods for collection and disposal. Experience with innovative projects should be
specifically listed.
Landfill Gas Collection and Control - This work includes the design, permitting, and
construction management of gas monitoring and gas collection systems. The work may
include landfill gas beneficial use project(s). The Firm should demonstrate expertise
and experience with Title V regulations, greenhouse gas regulations, carbon and
renewable energy credits, and renewable energy. Experience with innovative projects
should be specifically listed.
Lining and Cover Systems - This work includes the design, permitting, and
construction management of geomembrane, geosynthetic, clay, and composite lining
systems, leachate collection and leak detection systems, and stormwater management
covers (temporary geomembrane liners and other materials). The Firm should
demonstrate expertise and experience with lining systems used to contain solid waste
and the leachate and landfill gas emitted from solid waste landfills. Expertise and
experience with double geomembrane systems is required. Expertise in estimating and
comparing total installation and operating costs for innovative design projects is
required. Experience with innovative projects should be specifically listed.
Landfill Operation Support - Services include preparation of operating plans and fill
sequence drawings, design of access roads (within the active landfill), computation of
compaction density and landfill life projections, management and updates of CADD
files, analysis of requests for special waste disposal, alternate daily covers, and
minimization of leachate generation. Work may include evaluation of and
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recommendation on both on-site and off-site soils for landfill cover and construction
projects and borrow site development.
Household Hazardous Waste Collection Services - These services may include
facility design, permitting and construction, alternative collection efforts, volume
estimates and projections, and permanent disposal plans. The Firm should
demonstrate knowledge and experience with collection, testing, repacking,
transportation, and disposal regulations for household hazardous wastes including used
motor oil, paints, household and yard chemicals, batteries and electronics. The work
may include contract writing and contract negotiations to support the household
hazardous waste program.
Recycling Facilities - These services may include all items associated with recycling
efforts including feasibility studies, waste composition studies, volume generation and
reduction, equipment selection, design, bidding, and implementation of projects and
systems. The Firm should demonstrate expertise and experience with current recycling
information, strategies and limitations for significantly increasing recycling rates, and
trends. Experience with innovative projects should be specifically listed.
Infrastructure Ancillary to Solid Waste Facilities - This service may include retrofit
modifications or new design to access roads, site buffer enhancements, surface water
management systems, operational plans, leachate and gas management systems, data
management, equipment maintenance plans and other services related to the landfill
infrastructure. The Firm should demonstrate expertise and experience in retrofitting
existing landfills and ancillary systems to meet changes or projected changes in
operating conditions or regulatory requirements.
Environmental Monitoring and Evaluation - Prepare and permit monitoring plans.
Develop and implement corrective action and/or remediation plans. Evaluate data of
semi-annual, annual, biennial or other frequency reporting for ground water and surface
water quality, leachate, gas migration, gas collection and control, soil and air monitoring
as required by regulatory agencies. The Firm should demonstrate expertise and
experience in the reduction of monitoring and maintenance activities for landfill long-
term care approved by FDEP. Projects may include wetland delineation, wetland
mitigation design, and permitting.
Financial and Collection Services - This may include solid waste collection rate
studies and negotiations, preparation of closure and long-term care financial assurance
cost estimates and supporting information, generation studies, composition studies, full
cost accounting, assessment studies, disposal rate studies, and evaluation of new
weighing and scale data management systems.
Geotechnical, Geoenvironmental and Hydrogeological Engineering Applications -
Firms (or proposed sub-consultants) must demonstrate qualifications and specific
experience in two or more of the following listed areas.
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