REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) NO. P110010, Landscaping Maintenance Services

RFP Document

Table of Contents [Table No. 1]

Section / Description / Page
Introduction / 2
RFP Information at a Glance / 2
1.0 / HA’S Reservation of Rights / 3
2.0 / Scope of Work/Technical Specifications / 4
2.1 / Mowing / 4
2.2 / Edging / 4
2.3 / Trimming / 4
2.4 / Pruning / 4
2.5 / Weeding / 5
2.6 / Fertilizing / 5
2.7 / Mulching / 5
2.8
2.9
2.9.2 2.9.2.4 / Clean up
Sprinkler System
Contractor’s Responsibilities
Current Contractor / 5
6
6
6
3.0 / Proposal Format / 7
3.1 / Tabbed Proposal Submittal / 7
3.2 / Entry of Proposed Fees / 10
3.3 / Additional Information Pertaining to the Pricing Items / 10
3.4 / Additional Supplies/Material / 13
3.5 / Proposer's Responsibilities--Contact With the HA / 14
3.6 / Pre-Proposal Conference / 14
3.7 / Recap of Attachments / 15
4.0 / Proposal Evaluation / 16
4.1 / Evaluation Factors / 16
4.2 / Evaluation Method/Plan / 16
5.0 / Contract Award / 18
5.1 / Contract Award Procedure / 18
5.2 / Contract Conditions / 18
5.3 / Contract Period / 19
5.4 / Licensing and Insurance Requirements / 19
5.5 / Right to Negotiate Fees / 20
5.6 / Contract Services Standards / 20
Index of Tables / 21

INTRODUCTION

T

he Fort Walton Beach Housing Authority (hereinafter, “HA”) is a public entity that was formed in 1968 to provide federally subsidized housing and housing assistance to low-income families, within the Fort Walton Beach, Okaloosa County area. The FWBHA is headed by an executive director and is governed by a seven-person board of commissioners and is subject to the requirements of Title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations (hereinafter, “CFR”) and the HA’s procurement policy. Though brought into existence by a Resolution of the City of Fort Walton Beach, it is a separate entity from the City of Fort Walton Beach.

C

urrently, the FWBHA owns and/or manages: (a)multi-family apartment complexes totaling 123 units; (b) administrates a total of 757 Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers. The FWBHA currently has approximately 12 employees.

I

n keeping with its mandate to provide efficient and effective services, the FWBHA is now soliciting proposals from qualified, licensed and insured entities to provide the above noted services to the HA. All proposals submitted in response to this solicitation must conform to all of the requirements and specifications outlined within this document and any designated attachments in its entirety.

RFP INFORMATION AT A GLANCE

[Table No. 2]

FWBHA CONTACT PERSON

/

Rick Hanson, Telephone 850/243-3224 Ext. 205

HOW TO OBTAIN THE RFP DOCUMENTS ON THE APPLICABLE INTERNET SITE

/ 1.  Access fwbha.com
2.  Click on the Business Opportunities button.
3.  Scroll down to “Lawn Maintenance RFP and select.

If you have any problems in accessing the RFP, you can also pick up the RFP from the office.

PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE

/

10:00 AM July 31st, 2013 at the Fort Walton Beach Housing Authority 27 Robinwood Drive SW Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548

HOW TO FULLY RESPOND TO THIS RFP BY SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL

/ 1.  As directed within Section 3.2.1 of the RFP document, submit certain required financial information where provided in a separate sealed envelope

2. As instructed within Section 3.0 of the RFP document, submit 3 copies of your "hard copy" proposal to the Fort Walton Beach Housing Authority office.

PROPOSAL SUBMITAL RETURN & DEADLINE

/

*3:00 PM August 12th, 2013 Deadline is extended to 3:00 PM Wednesday August 28th 2013.

27 Robinwood Drive, SW

Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548

*(The proposed costs must be entered, submitted in a separate envelope and the 3 "hard copy" proposals must be received in-hand and time-stamped by the FWBHA by no later than 3:00 p.m. on this date).

ANTICIPATED APPROVAL BY FWBHABOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

/

August 20th, 2013

1.0  HA’S RESERVATION OF RIGHTS:

1.1 The FWBHA reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, to waive any informality in the RFP process, or to terminate the RFP process at any time, if deemed by the FWBHA to be in its best interests.

1.2 The FWBHA reserves the right not to award a contract pursuant to this RFP.

1.3 The FWBHA reserves the right to terminate a contract awarded pursuant to this RFP, at any time for its convenience upon 10 days written notice to the successful proposer(s).

1.4  The FWBHA reserves the right to determine the days, hours and locations that the successful proposer(s) shall provide the services called for and to pay only for services performed.

1.5 The FWBHA reserves the right to retain all proposals submitted and not permit withdrawal for a period of 60 days subsequent to the deadline for receiving proposals without the written consent of the FWBHA Contract Administrator (CA).

1.6 The FWBHA reserves the right to negotiate the fees proposed by the proposer entity.

1.7  The FWBHA reserves the right to reject and not consider any proposal that does not meet the requirements of this RFP, including but not necessarily limited to incomplete proposals and/or proposals offering alternate or non-requested services.

1.8  The FWBHA shall have no obligation to compensate any proposer for any costs incurred in responding to this RFP.

1.9  The FWBHA shall reserve the right to at any time during the RFP or contract process to prohibit any further participation by a proposer or reject any proposal submitted that does not conform to any of the requirements detailed herein. By accessing the fwbha.com internet site and downloading this document, each prospective proposer is thereby agreeing to abide by all terms and conditions listed within this document, and further agrees that he/she will inform the FWBHA CA in writing within 5 days of the discovery of any item listed herein or of any item that is issued thereafter by the FWBHA that he/she feels needs to be addressed. Failure to abide by this time frame shall relieve the HA, but not the prospective proposer, of any responsibility pertaining to such issue.

2.0  Scope of Work: The contractor shall provide all labor and equipment to maintain the grounds for Charlie Hill Terrace Complex. The services shall include but not limited to:

2.1  Mowing:

2.1.1.1  Contractor will mow grass areas bi-weekly from the beginning of March to the end of November.

2.1.2  No more than 1/3 of the grass blades should be removed per mowing.

2.1.3  Mowing shall be with a (reel/rotary/ or mulching) mower blades will be sharp at all times to provide a quality cut.

2.1.4  Complete (100 %) mowing of grounds including football field bi-weekly,

2.2  Edging:

2.2.1 Contractor will edge tree rings, plant beds, all building, sidewalk, fences, driveways, Parking lots and other surfaced area bordered by grass, plants, and bushes by-weekly.

2.2.1  Edging performed with every mowing bi-weekly.

2.3  Trimming:

2.3.1 Grass around sprinkler heads will be trimmed or treated with a non- selective herbicide so as to not interfere with intercept water output

bi-weekly.

2.3.2  Trim around isolated trees and shrubs bi-weekly.

2.3.3 Hedges will be trimmed with a gas or electric clippers no less than1 time a month.

2.3.4 Minor tree trimming: Contractor will trim or remove low hanging leaves and /or branches to provide sufficient non-obstructive clearance of all sidewalks, parking areas, entry way, stair, parking vehicles, fences etc.

No less than one time a month. Note; No trees or vegetation is to be

touching any of the buildings.

2.3.5 The fence line surrounding the property will be trimmed bi-weekly. The contractor will keep all and any overgrowth off the fences. There is to be NO vegetation or growth left on any fence. Trees overhanging the fence line must be trimmed to a height higher than the fence.

2.4 Pruning:

2.4.1 Shrubs and hedges will be pruned MONTHLY to provide an informal shape, fullness and blooms.

2.4.2 Palm pruning will be done twice (2) per year to remove brown fronds and seed heads. No green palm fronds shall be removed. Pruning paint will not be applied. Provide on individual pricing as indicated on Price Sheet.

2.4.3 Sucker growth will be removed bi-weekly by hand from the base of the No herbicides will be used for this purpose.

2.5 WEEDING

2.5.1 Contractor will remove and control weeds and other wild growths and around plant beds, bushes, shrubs, lawn areas, cracked areas/seams in sidewalks, curbs, parking lots, buildings, fences, playground and driveways bi-weekly.

2.6  Fertilization:

2.6.1 Contractor will apply fertilizer twice (2) a year during the months of March and October as recommended for South Florida lawns.

2.6.2 Fertilizer shall be granular in composition and contain 30% to 50 % or more of nitrogen in a slow or controlled release form. Fertilizer will also contain magnesium and micro-nutrients (i.e., manganese, iron, zinc, copper, etc.) The application rate will rate will be 0.5 pounds of Nitrogen (i.e. Table at end of document) per 1000 square feet. The FWBHA representative will be allowed visual verification of the bags prior to distribution and empty bags after distribution.

2.6.4 Fertilizer will be swept off of sidewalks and drive way into lawns or plant beds.

2.6.5 Quote prices individually as indicated on Price sheet

2.7  Mulch:

2.7.1  Red mulch will be used and maintained at a depth of no less than (3)

Inches 2 times a year. No pine straw is to be used.

2.7.2  Mulch will not be place against the trunks of plants

2.8  Clean-up:

2.8.1.1  Award Contractor will supply bags and be responsible for the bi-weekly gathering, bagging and removal of all dead leaves, grass clippings, tree and shrub trimming from walkways, driveways, parking lot areas, lawns, flower beds, playgrounds and etc. No dead leaves, pine needles or any other debris will be blown onto lawns or shrub and flower beds.

2.8.2  Remove overgrowth vegetation out of site drainage.

2.8.3  Place vegetation on one location for city pick up.

2.8.4  Blow off and remove grass from sidewalk, entry ways, parking lots, and roads.

2.8.5  Rack up all dead leave and pine straw.

2.8.6  All streets and paring areas in the Charlie Hill Terrace property are to

be kept clean from debris and sand bi-weekly.

2.9.2 Itemized Pricing List and Schedule; Contractor shall provide in proposal itemized pricing and schedule for scope of work to be done as shown in the table below. A price value MUST be entered for each

Item. “0” or “free will not be excepted.

[Table 3]

Item / Frequency / Unit Price / Annual Price
Mowing / Bi-Weekly
Edging / Bi-Weekly
Trimming / Bi-Weekly
Pruning shrubs
and hedges / Bi-Weekly
Pruning Palms / March and November
Sucker growth
Removal / Bi-Weekly
Weeding / Bi-Weekly
Fertilizing / March and October
Mulching / March and November
Clean up / Bi-Weekly

2.9.2  CONTRACTORS RESPONSIBILITIES

2.9.2.1.1  Equipment, Supplies; Materials: As a part of the proposed fees, the contractor shall supply any and all such items needed to provide the services detailed herein; meaning, the FWBHA shall not pay any additional fees for such.

2.9.2.2  Safety: The contractor shall, at all times, ensure that all work provided by the contractor complies with all local, State and Federal rules pertaining to work place safety; meaning, the contractor shall, at all time, conduct business in such a manner as to protect its workers, FWBHA residents, FWBHA staff, and the public. Further, the contractor shall have full and sole responsibility to correct and such condition found unsafe by any authorized entity (including the HA), and, if such unsafe conditions result to any group named within this section, shall have full and sole responsibility to compensate such persons if so ordered by an authorized agency or a court having jurisdiction.

2.9.2.3 Ensuing Debris: The contractor shall, as detailed herein, remove all ensuing debris from the FWBHA property daily.

2.9.2.4 Current Contractor: The HA’s current contractor for these services is Emerald Green Lawn Services, pursuant to RFP No. KDO826014

3.0 PROPOSAL FORMAT:

3.1  Tabbed Proposal Submittal: The FWBHA intends to retain the successful proposer pursuant to a “Best Value” basis, not a “Low Bid” basis ("Best Value," in that the FWBHA will, as detailed within the following Section 4.0, consider factors other than just cost in making the award decision). Therefore, so that the FWBHA can properly evaluate the offers received, all proposals submitted in response to this RFP must be formatted in accordance with the sequence noted following. Each category must be separated by numbered index dividers (which number extends so that each tab can be located without opening the proposal) and labeled with the corresponding tab reference also noted below. None of the proposed services may conflict with any requirement the FWBHA has published herein or has issued by addendum. Submit 3 hard copies of proposal and one sealed envelope with the proposed pricing.

[Table No. 4]

RFP Section / Tab No. / Description
3.1.1 / 1 / Form of Proposal: This Form is attached hereto as Attachment A to this RFP document. This 1-page Form must be fully completed, executed where provided thereon and submitted under this tab as a part of the proposal submittal.
3.1.2 / 2 / Form HUD-5369-C (8/93), Certifications and Representations of Offerors, Non-Construction Contract: This Form is attached hereto as Attachment B to this RFP document. This 2-page Form must be fully completed, executed where provided thereon and submitted under this tab as a part of the proposal submittal.
3.1.3 / 3 / Profile of Firm Form: The Profile of Firm Form is attached hereto as Attachment C to this RFP document. This 2-page Form must be fully completed, executed and submitted under this tab as a part of the proposal submittal.
3.1.4 / 4 / Proposed Services: As more fully detailed within Section 2.0, Scope of Proposal/Technical Specifications, of this document, the proposer shall, at a minimum, clearly detail within the information submitted under this tab documentation showing:
3.1.4.1 / As detailed within Section 3.1, Evaluation Factor No. 2, herein, the proposer’s Demonstrated Understanding of the FWBHA’s Requirements.
3.1.4.2 / As detailed within Section 3.1, Evaluation Factor No. 3, herein, the proposer’s Technical Approach (including, if appropriate, labor categories, estimated hours and skill mix) and the proposer’s proposed Work Plan to provide the required services. PLEASE NOTE: While proposers may make reference to the proposed hours for each position listed within Section 3.2.1, proposer’s shall NOT, as detailed within Section 3.2 HEREIN, enter anywhere within the tabbed proposal submittal any reference to the proposed fees entered.