UTILITY PLANT LABORATORY ANALYSIS, TESTING AND MONITORING SERVICES

Invitation to Bid
NUMBER
ITB #26-UT-011
UTILITY PLANT LABORATORY ANALYSIS,
TESTING AND MONITORING SERVICES
Whitney Donovan
Purchasing Coordinator

LEGAL NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that the City of Mount Dora is accepting electronic responses only, for sealed
Invitation To Bid ITB# 26-UT-011, to provide utility plant laboratory services. Bids will be received
until 2:00 p.m. on June 30, 2026.
ITB# 26-UT-011
"UTILITY PLANT LABORATORY ANALYSIS,
TESTING AND MONITORING SERVICES"
A pre-bid meeting is not applicable for this solicitation.
All meetings, unless noted otherwise, will be held via electronic meeting format. Please be advised that
dates and times, are subject to change and updates posted on the City of Mount Dora's website at www.
mountdora.gov, on www.demandstar.com and in the City Hall Lobby.
The City of Mount Dora does not discriminate based on age, race, color, sex, religion, national origin,
disability or marital status.
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NOTE: Electronic responses will be the only method allowed for Bidders to respond to this solicitation.
Electronic responses are to be provided via DemandStar only. All submittals must be compatible with
Microsoft Office 2007. PDF files are acceptable. Bidding will be done through a secure locked box. Bidders can
only view/submit their Bid and will not have access to any other Bidder's submittals. The Bidder's Bid may be
changed at the Bidder's discretion until the due date and time have been reached at which time the Bidder will no
longer change or have access to the electronic bid submittal. The City will then open the Bids. Bidders who are
bidding for the first time are strongly encouraged to contact DemandStar by e-mailing questions to DemandStar at
www.demandstar.com. All bids must be received by the date and time specified above, when they will be opened,
via computer, and publicly read aloud. The bid time shall be scrupulously observed. The City shall not be
responsible for delays or internet outages caused by any occurrence. The City website does not accommodate
electronic responses to bids. Receipt of a bid in any other form does not satisfy this requirement. No exceptions
will be made.
If you have obtained this document from a source other than directly from DemandStar by Onvia.com you are not
on record as a plan holder. The Purchasing Department takes no responsibility to provide Addenda to parties not
listed as plan holders. The Bidder is responsible for verifying they have received all Bid Addenda.
CAUTION: Bidders should take caution that the City is not responsible for any power outages or internet failures.
It is suggested that you upload your response in adequate time to assure that it will post on the day prior to the
closing date.
1) INTRODUCTION/OVERVIEW
A) Purpose/Objective
The City of Mount Dora has issued this Invitation to Bid (hereinafter, "ITB"), as a joint solicitation on
behalf of the City, the Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) and the Northeast Community
Redevelopment Area (Northeast CRA), with the sole purpose and intent of obtaining Bids from
interested and qualified firms offering to provide certain Utility Services, in accordance with the
specifications stated and/or attached herein/hereto.
The City desires to contract with one successful Bidder to provide the requested services for the City,
CRA and Northeast CRA as applicable. The successful Bidder will hereinafter be referred to
interchangeably as the "Bidder, Firm, Vendor or Contractor".
If awarded, a contract to provide these services will be effective on the date contract is approved by the
City of Mount Dora, City Council (herein after, the "Council"), signed by all required parties and filed
with the City Clerk.
An award, if made, will be made to the lowest, responsive and responsible bidder(s) whose bid is most
advantageous to the City, taking into consideration the evaluation factors set forth in this ITB. The City
will not use any other factors or criteria in the evaluation of the Bids received.
B) Background
The City serves an area of 12.29 square miles with a population of approximately 18,896. The City's
fiscal year begins on October 1st and ends on September 30th. The Finance Department maintains the
funds and accounts of the City. The Finance Department is responsible for the custody and accounting
of funds of each department.
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More detailed information on the government and its finances can be found in City of Mount Dora's
Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for fiscal year 2023-2024 and in the City's Annual
Budget for fiscal year 2025-2026. Copies of these documents may be viewed on www.mountdora.gov.
The City of Mount Dora is exempt from any and all state, local and federal taxes.
C) Inquiries
Direct questions related to this ITB to Whitney Donovan, Purchasing Coordinator, and submit such
questions in writing to: donovanw@mountdora.gov. Please include the page and paragraph number for
each question in order to ensure that questions asked are responded to correctly.
Bidders must clearly understand that the only official answer or position of the City will be the one
stated in writing from donovanw@mountdora.gov. All questions asked, along with the answers rendered
will be electronically distributed to firms registered for this solicitation and additionally posted on the
City website (www.mountdora.gov) and on DemandStar (www.demandstar.com).
D) Method of Source Selection
The City is using the Competitive Sealed Bids methodology of source selection for this procurement, as
authorized by Resolution 2021-107 and 2024-36 (amendment) establishing and adopting the City
Purchasing Policy. Each Bid will be reviewed to determine if the Bid is responsive to the ITB. Bids
deemed to be non-responsive may be rejected without being evaluated by the Purchasing Coordinator.
The responsible city department will make a recommendation to the City Council who will make the
final selection(s). A responsive Bid is one which has been signed and submitted by the specified Bid
deadline, and has provided the information required to be submitted with the Bid. Poor formatting, poor
documentation, incomplete or unclear information may be considered substandard submissions and may
adversely impact the evaluation of a Bid. Bidders who fail to comply with the required and/or desired
elements of this ITB do so at their own risk.
The City may, as it deems necessary, conduct discussions with responsible Bidders determined to be in
contention for being selected for award for the purpose of clarification to assure full understanding of,
and responsiveness to solicitation requirements.
E) Pre-Bid Meeting
A pre-bid conference is not applicable for this solicitation.
A non-mandatory mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held on _________, commencing promptly
at _______, and will be held in the __________ Room, located at _______ , Mount Dora, Florida 32757.
If this pre-bid conference is denoted as "mandatory," prospective Bidders must be present in order to
submit a bid response.
F) Projected Timetable
The following projected timetable should be used as a working guide for planning purposes only. The
City reserves the right to adjust this timetable as required during the course of the ITB process.
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Events Dates
Issue ITB Notice May 27, 2026
Last Date for Receipt of Written Questions June 15, 2026 - 4:00 pm
Addendum Issued (If Applicable) June 22, 2026
Bid Due/ Opening Date (See Exhibit "D") June 30, 2026 @ 2:00 pm
Issue Notice of Recommendation July 8, 2026
City Council Meeting Date (anticipated) August 4, 2026
2) GENERAL DESCRIPTION / SCOPE OF SERVICES
It is the intent of this solicitation to engage one (1) qualified contractor(s) to provide the required Utility
Plant Laboratory Analysis, Testing and Monitoring Services on an as needed basis, per the Scope of
Services found in this ITB, subsequent Agreement as applicable. The Bidder awarded this ITB must
meet or exceed all terms, conditions and specifications of the City of Mount Dora. The City of Mount
Dora Utility Department is requesting bids for the provision of various Water and Waste Water plant
laboratory analysis, testing and monitoring services at each of the City's Water and Waste Water utility
plants.
Work under this solicitation award will be submitted to the successful Contractor(s) on an as needed
basis or by pre-scheduled timeline to be presented to the successful Bidder. Pricing shall include, but not
necessarily be limited to, all fees associated with sample collection, preservation, cooling,
transportation, delivery, testing, QC/QA, and preparation of the analytical report.
SCOPE OF SERVICES
See Exhibit "A" attached below for a detailed Scope of Services.
See Exhibit "B" attached below for applicable Special Conditions.
MINIMUM CONTRACTOR REQUIREMENTS
The following mandatory minimum requirements have been established, subject to the City's right to
waive minor irregularities. The Bidders shall provide proof of the minimum qualification by furnishing
copies of letters, certificates, etc. (as applicable); which clearly document said qualifications.
A. The Bidder must be in good standing and must not be listed in the System for Award
Management (SAM) as an excluded party.
B. All licenses required by the Bidder, whose businesses and profession(s) are regulated by the
Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation must be active and current for the
duration of the contract.
C. The Bidder must have been issued a certificate of authority through the Department of State in
compliance with Florida Statute 607.1501 if applicable. Bidder shall provide documentation to
demonstrate meeting this minimum requirement with your Bid response. Include local business
tax receipts, corporation documents with date of inception, and the certificate of authority if
applicable.
D. Evidence of authority to conduct commercial business in the State of Florida - Provide Sunbiz
report showing your company registered as "Active".
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E. Professional Licenses - Provide all licenses that qualify the firm for the type of work as
identified herein. Vendor will be a licensed business with all necessary State of Florida
requirements and certifications to serve as an operating business in the State of Florida.
F. If you are not a single prime contractor, you will be required to list all subcontractors to be used
for this project and their professional licenses.
G. Minimum 5 years of experience in the collection, testing and monitoring of various Water and
Waste Water laboratory service requirements.
Failure to provide the appropriate and required documentation with your Bid will be grounds for
deeming your Bid non-responsive and removing it from further consideration.
COMPENSATION
1. The City of Mount Dora agrees to pay the successful Contractor(s) for the performance of the
services listed herein per the unit pricing amount(s) as shown in the "Bid Pricing Form" included
herein for the work performed based upon unit price quantities. The City will provide the
Contractor with a complete and fully executed annual Purchase Order. The Contractor(s) shall
request the City for approval of any quantities that will result in exceeding any purchase order
amount, prior to the work performed. The invoice and supporting documents/reports received
from the successful Contractor(s), pursuant to an Agreement, will be reviewed and approved by
the City, indicating services have been rendered in conformity with the Agreement. The Invoice
will be paid in accordance with the State of Florida Prompt Payment Act.
3) SUBCONTRACTORS
The successful bidder shall not employ subcontractors without the advance written permission of the
City. At no time will any assigned work be 100% performed by sub-contractors.
4) CITY'S RIGHT TO INSPECT
The City or its authorized Agent shall have the right to inspect the Contractor's files to determine status
of work on this project.
5) TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF CONTRACT
An Agreement resulting from this ITB shall be subject to the terms and conditions set forth in a City
Agreement and any terms and conditions included in this ITB. The City reserves the right to include in
any Agreement document such terms and conditions, as it deems necessary for the proper protection of
the rights of the City. The City will not be obligated to sign any contracts, agreements or other
documents provided by the Contractor with their submittal. No guarantee of work or amount of work is
stated or intended. The City reserves the right to issue a separate solicitation for individual service needs
if deemed to be in the best interest of the City.
Initial Agreement Term: The initial Agreement term will be for a period of two (2) years.
Agreement Renewal Periods: There will be three (3) one-year renewal periods. Renewals must be
mutually agreed upon in writing.
The above results in a possible five (5) year contract.
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All pricing submitted under this ITB shall remain firm for the duration of the Initial two-year Agreement
Term. The City will consider Contractor's written requests for rate increases at no less than 90 days
prior to each Agreement renewal dates ("Agreement Anniversary Date.") Increases shall be based on the
Consumer Price Index calculation or a maximum of 10%, whichever is less. The Consumer Price Index
to be applied is, "All items in South Urban, All Urban Consumers, Not Seasonally Adjusted (South
Area) ("CPI-U"), Series ID CUUR0300SA0, CUUS0300SA0" for the previous twelve (12) month
period.
Failure to submit a written request for an increase, within the time frame specified, will result in no rate
increase until a request is made prior to the following renewal period. The City reserves the right to
accept or reject any increase request.
6) GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
A) Licenses
The Contractor is required to possess the correct occupational license, professional license, and
any other authorizations necessary to carry out and perform the work required pursuant to all
applicable Federal, State and Local Law, Statutes, Ordinances, and rules and regulations of any
kind.
If required and/or requested, copies of the required licenses must be submitted with the bid
response indicating that the entity proposing, as well as the team assigned to the City account,
are properly licensed to perform the activities or work included in the contract documents. A
Contractor, with an office within the City is also required to have a business tax receipt. If you
have questions regarding required professional licenses and Business Tax Receipt, contact the
Finance Department at (352) 735-7120.
B) Principals/Collusion
By submission of this Bid, the undersigned, as Bidder, does declare that the only person or
persons interested in this ITB as principal or principals is/are named therein and that no person
other than therein mentioned has any interest in this ITB or in the contract to be entered into; this
Bid is made without connection with any person, company or parties making a Bid, and that it is
in all respects fair and in good faith without collusion or fraud.
C) Taxes
The City is exempt from Federal Excise and State of Florida Sales Tax.
D) Relation of City
It is the intent of the parties hereto that the Contractor shall be legally considered an independent
contractor, and that neither the Contractor nor their employees shall, under any circumstances, be
considered employees or agents of the City, and that the City shall be at no time legally
responsible for any negligence on the part of said Contractor, their employees or agents, resulting
in either bodily or personal injury or property damage to any individual, firm, or corporation.
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E) Term Contracts - Fund Availability
If funds are not appropriated for continuance of a term contract to completion, cancellation will
be accepted by this Contractor on thirty (30) days prior written notice.
F) Termination
Should the Contractor be found to have failed to perform his services in a manner satisfactory to
the City, the City may terminate this Agreement immediately for cause; further the City may
terminate this Agreement for convenience with a thirty (30) day written notice. The City shall be
sole judge of non-performance.
G) Liability
The Contractor will not be held responsible for failure to complete contract due to causes beyond
its control, including, but not limited to, work stoppage, fires, civil disobedience, riots,
rebellions, Acts of Nature and similar occurrences making performance impossible or illegal.
H) Indemnity
The successful Bidder shall indemnify and hold the City harmless from any and all liabilities,
damages, losses and costs, recognizing any applicable limitations under Florida law, with such
indemnification and hold harmless requirements included in the final Agreement executed
between the City and said successful Bidder.
I) Assignment
The Contractor(s) shall not assign, transfer, convey, sublet or otherwise dispose of this contract,
or of any or all of its rights, or interest therein, or his or its power to execute such contract to any
person, company or corporation without prior written consent of the City.
J) Lobbying/Cone of Silence
All Contractors are hereby placed on NOTICE that the City does not wish to be lobbied, either
individually or collectively about a matter for which a firm has submitted a Bids.
Firms and their agents are not to contact members of the City Council for such purposes as
meeting or introduction, luncheons, dinners, etc. During the process, from Bid advertisement to
final Council approval, no firm or their agent shall contact any other employee of the City in
reference to this Bid, with the exception of the Finance Director or his designee(s). Failure to
abide by this provision may serve as grounds for disqualification for award of this contract to the
Contractor.
K) Single Bid
Each Bidder must submit, with their bid, all of the required forms included in this ITB. Only one
bid from a legal entity as a primary will be considered. A legal entity that submits a bid as a
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primary or as part of a partnership or joint venture submitting as primary may not then act as a
sub-Contractor to any other Bidder submitting under the same ITB.
If a legal entity is not submitting as a primary, or, that legal entity may not act as a sub-
contractor to any other firm or firms submitting under the same ITB nor act as part of a
partnership or joint venture to the primary. All submittals in violation of this requirement will be
deemed non-responsive and rejected from further consideration.
L) Protest Procedures
Any appeal or protest to the Invitation To Bid shall be governed by the City of Mount Dora's
Purchasing Policy.
M) Public Entity Crime
A person or affiliate who has been placed on the convicted vendor list following a conviction for
a public entity crime may not submit a bid, bid, or reply on a contract to provide any goods or
services to a public entity; may not submit a bid, bid, or reply on a contract with a public entity
for the construction or repair of a public building or public work; may not submit bids, bids, or
replies on leases of real property to a public entity; may not be awarded or perform work as a
contractor, supplier, subcontractor, or Contractor under a contract with any public entity; and
may not transact business with any public entity for a period of 36 months following the date of
being placed on the convicted vendor list.
N) Conflict of Interest
Bidder shall complete the Conflict-of-Interest Affidavit included as an attachment to this ITB
document. Disclosure of any potential or actual conflict of interest is subject to City staff review
and does not in and of itself disqualify a firm from consideration.
These disclosures are intended to identify and or preclude conflict of interest situations during
contract selection and execution.
O) Responsible Vendor Determination
Prospective Vendor is hereby notified that Florida Statutes, Section 287.05701, requires that the
City may not request documentation of or consider a vendor's social, political, or ideological
interests when determining if the responding party is a responsible Vendor.
P) Prohibition of Gifts to City Employees
No organization or individual shall offer or give, either directly or indirectly, any favor, gift,
loan, fee, service or other item of value to any City employee, as set forth in Chapter 112, Part
III, Florida Statutes, the current City Ethics Ordinance, and City Administrative Policy.
Violation of this provision may result in one or more of the following consequences: a.
Prohibition by the individual, firm, and/or any employee of the firm from contact with City staff
for a specified period of time; b. Prohibition by the individual and/or firm from doing business
with the City for a specified period of time, including but not limited to: submitting bids, ITB,
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and/or quotes; and, c. immediate termination of any contract held by the individual and/or firm
for cause.
Q) Immigration Reform and Control Act
Bidder acknowledges, and without exception or stipulation, any firm(s) receiving an award shall
be fully responsible for complying with the provisions of the Immigration Reform and Control
Act of 1986 as located at 8 U.S.C. 1324, et seq. and regulations relating thereto, as either may be
amended. Failure by the awarded firm(s) to comply with the laws referenced herein shall
constitute a breach of the award agreement and the City shall have the discretion to unilaterally
terminate said agreement immediately.
R) Scrutinized Company List - State of Florida Requirement
A person or affiliate who has been placed on the convicted vendor list following a conviction for
a public entity crime may not submit a Bid on a Contract to provide any goods or services to a
public entity, may not submit a Bid on a Contract with a public entity for the construction or
repair of a public building or public work, may not submit Bids on leases of real property to a
public entity, may not be awarded or perform work as a Contractor, supplier, subcontractor, or
consultant under a Contract with any public entity, and may not transact business with any public
entity in excess of the threshold amount provided in Section 287.017 F.S., for CATEGORY
TWO for a period of thirty six (36) months from the date of being placed on the convicted
vendor list.
The list of "Scrutinized Companies" is created pursuant to Section 215.473, Florida Statutes. A
copy of the current list of "Scrutinized Companies" can be found at the following link:
https://www.sbafla.com/reporting/
The company representative authorized to sign, on the required form found below, on behalf of
the bidder, CERTIFIES that the company identified as the Respondent is not listed on either the
Scrutinized Companies with Activities in Sudan List; or the Scrutinized Companies with
Activities in the Iran Petroleum Energy Sector List; is not on the Scrutinized Companies or Other
Entities that Boycott Israel List or participating in a boycott of Israel; and does not have any
business operations with Cuba or Syria. Authorized representative understands that pursuant to
Sections 287.135 and 215.473, Florida Statutes, the submission of a false certification may
subject the Respondent Company to civil penalties, attorney's fees, and/or costs.
S) Billing Instructions - Awarded Professional Consultants
Invoices, unless otherwise indicated, must show Work Order or Purchase Order numbers and
shall be submitted in to the City of Mount Dora, Accounts Payable at 510 North Baker Street,
Mount Dora, FL 32757. Specific format of the invoice shall be worked out between the City and
the Contactor prior to the first invoice being submitted. Payment shall be made in accordance
with the Florida Prompt Payment Act, as amended from time to time.
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