A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, ACCEPTING THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE ADMINISTRATION, PURSUANT TO INVITATION TO BID ("ITB") 2020-006-JC, TO ESTABLISH A POOL OF PREQUALIFIED CONTRACTORS FOR THE REMOVAL AND DISPOSAL OF DERELICT OR ABANDONED VESSELS FROM PUBLIC WATERS, ON AN "AS-NEEDED" BASIS, AND APPROVE THE INITIAL POOL OF QUALIFIED CONTRACTORS, AS SET FORTH IN EXHIBIT "A"; FURTHER, AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO KEEP THE ITB OPEN FOR THE PURPOSE OF QUALIFYING ADDITIONAL CONTRACTORS, AND DELEGATING TO THE CITY MANAGER THE AUTHORITY TO ADD OR REMOVE CONTRACTORS TO THE POOL, PROVIDED SUCH CONTRACTORS 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.

The Administration recommends that the Mayor and City Commission of the City of Miami Beach, Florida approve the City Manager’s recommendation pertaining to bids received, pursuant to ITB 2020-006-JC, for the prequalification of bidders for derelict vessels removal and disposal.

On January 31, 2020, the City issued an Invitation to Bid 2020-006-JC (the “ITB”). The purpose of the ITB is to establish a contract, by means of sealed applications, with qualified contractors for the establishment of a prequalified pool of contractors for the removal and disposal of derelict or abandoned vessels from public waters, on an as-needed basis. The pre-qualified pool established shall effectively create a source of viable contractors from which the City may issue Invitation to Quotes (ITQs) for 1) removal and disposal of derelict vessels as the result of damage caused by accidents, storms, and/or owner neglect/abandonment, which may include sunken and partially sunken vessels, and/or other debris that may impede navigation and affect the safety of public waters;  2) removal and disposal of damaged vessels by a major natural disaster event, which may include sunken and partially sunken vessels and other debris that may impede the navigation of public waters, wherein Code of Federal Regulations (“CFR”) and FEMA Recovery Policy shall apply. This pool of prequalified contractors is an important tool in the City's portfolio of emergency response contracts. Because some of the most of the needs are unplanned and require a quick response, it is in the City's best interest to have a pool of prequalified contractors for which various City departments may seek proposals and quickly deploy a contractor to address the identified need.

When a need arises, the department will seek proposals from all prequalified contractors.  For service orders up to $100,000, the approval of the City Manager, or designee, will be required.  Services orders exceeding $100,000 will be submitted to the City Commission for its consideration and approval.  To maximize competition among contractors, the Administration is recommending that contractors be allowed to submit prequalification applications throughout the term of the contract. Further, at any time, the City, through the approval of the City Manager, may accept applications and add, or remove, contractors to the list of prequalified contractors during the term of the contract.

The ITB was issued on January 31, 2020, with bid opening date of February 28, 2020.  The Procurement Department issued bid notices to 1,443 companies utilizing www.bidsync.com website. 28 prospective bidders accessed the advertised solicitation. The notices resulted in the receipt of five (5) responses from: Ballard Marine Construction, Inc., Blue Water Marine Services, Inc., DRC Emergency Services LLC, Legion Undersea Services LLC, and Upper Cut Promotions LLC.

The ITB stated that following the review of applications, the responsive and responsible bidder(s) meeting all terms and conditions of the ITB will be recommended for award.  In its due diligence, the Procurement Department found that all five (5) bidders met the requirements of the ITB. Accordingly, Ballard Marine Construction, Inc., Blue Water Marine Services, Inc., DRC Emergency Services, LLC, Legion Undersea Services LLC, and Upper Cut Promotions LLC have all been deemed responsive, responsible bidders meeting all terms and conditions of the ITB and are to be prequalified for future work. 

I concur with staff that it is in the best interest of the City to have a pool of prequalified contractors for which quotes can be requested expeditiously for the removal and disposal of derelict or abandoned vessels from public waters on an “as needed” basis.  Otherwise, redundant and time-consuming efforts would be required to prequalify contractors at the time of need.  This prequalified pool is an important tool in the City's emergency response portfolio of contracts.

Further, in order to continue to maximize competition by continuing to add contractors, 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.  Contractors 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. 2020-006-JC, to establish a pool of contractors for the removal and disposal of derelict or abandoned vessels from public waters, on an “as-needed” basis, and approve the initial pool of qualified contractors, as set forth in Exhibit “A” to the Commission Memorandum; further, authorizing the City Manager to keep the ITB open for the purpose of prequalifying additional contractors, and delegating to the City Manager the authority to add contractors to the pool, provided such contractors 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.