On January 8, 2020, the City issued an Invitation to Bid 2020-005-AY (the “ITB”). The purpose of the ITB is to establish a contract, by means of sealed applications, with qualified suppliers for the establishment of a prequalified pool of suppliers for the purchase of pipes and fittings. The pre-qualified pool established shall effectively create a source of viable suppliers from which the City may issue Invitation to Quotes (ITQs) for the purchase and delivery of various pipes and fittings on an “as needed” basis, during the term of the contract. Further, at any time, the City, through the approval of the City Manager, may accept applications and add additional or remove suppliers to the list of prequalified suppliers during the term of the contract.

The ITB was issued on January 8, 2020, with bid opening date of February 6, 2020. The Procurement Department issued bid notices to 2,631 companies utilizing www.bidsync.com website. 31 prospective bidders accessed the advertised solicitation. The notices resulted in the receipt of two (2) responses from: Ferguson Enterprises LLC (“Ferguson”), and Siteone Landscape Supply (“Siteone”).

The ITB required that the suppliers provide proof that they are authorized by the manufacturer to sell the proposed brands to the City. The brands that each supplier is authorized to distribute to the City is included in Attachment A. Further, the ITB stated that following the review of applications, the responsive and responsible bidder(s) meeting all terms and conditions of the ITB would be recommended for award. In its due diligence, the Procurement Department found that Ferguson and Siteone met the requirements of the ITB. Accordingly, Ferguson and Siteone have been deemed responsive, responsible bidders meeting all terms and conditions of the ITB and are recommended for award.

The cost associated with the purchase of pipes and fittings is subject to the funds availability approved through the City’s budgeting process.

I concur with staff that it is in the best interest of the City to have a pool of prequalified suppliers for the purchase pipes and fittings from which proposals can be sought to purchase various pipes and fittings on an “as needed” basis. Otherwise, redundant and time-consuming efforts would be required to seek proposals and qualify suppliers each time a need was identified. In order to continue to maximize competition by continuing to add suppliers, I recommend that the period for submitting applications be extended to be consistent with the term of the contract.  New applicants that meet the ITB requirements will be added to the pool. Suppliers that do not perform well will be removed from the pool. 

Therefore, I recommend that the Mayor and City Commission of the City of Miami Beach, Florida, approve the Resolution, accepting the recommendation of the City Manager, pursuant to Invitation to Bid (ITB) No. 2020-005-AY, to establish a pool of suppliers for the purchase of pipes and fittings to expedite the selection of vendors for future projects, and approve the initial pool of qualified suppliers, as set forth in Exhibit “A;" further, authorizing the City Manager to keep the ITB open for the purpose of prequalifying additional suppliers, and delegating to the City Manager the authority to add suppliers to the pool, provided such vendors meet the requirements of the ITB; and further providing that any purchase in excess of $100,000 shall be subject to the prior approval of the City Commission.