It is recommended that the Mayor and City Commission approve the award of a contract pursuant to Invitation to Bid (ITB) No. 2023-156-DF for plumbing services to Pipeline Plumbing Services of Broward, Inc., the lowest responsive and responsible bidder.

This solicitation is currently under the cone of silence.

The Facilities and Fleet Management Department requires a qualified contractor to provide ongoing plumbing services on a routine basis or in response to an emergency situation.

On February 8, 2017, the City Commission approved the award of a contract pursuant to Invitation to Bid (ITB) 2017-039-JC for Plumbing Services. The contract has exhausted all renewal options, and this ITB is intended to replace the prior contract.

On February 2, 2023, the ITB was issued. Bid notices were issued to approximately 9,000 companies utilizing the City's e-procurement system, with 35 prospective bidders accessing the solicitation. A pre-bid conference to provide information to proposers submitting a response was held on February 15, 2023. Responses were due and received on March 6, 2023. The City received responses from Pipeline Plumbing Services of Broward, Inc., and Rudge Wood Flooring, Inc.

The bid submitted by Rudge Wood Flooring, Inc. was deemed non-responsive to the ITB for failure to meet the minimum requirements of the ITB regarding licensure and previous experience. Therefore, its bid received no further consideration.

Because of the limited number of bids received, the Procurement Department conducted outreach to interested bidders to determine why they did not submit a response. Several potential bidders responded that current workloads prevented them from bidding. Others potential bidders reported that they did not have the license required.

The solicitation stated that the lowest responsive, responsible bidder meeting all terms, conditions, and specifications would be recommended for award. The Procurement and Facilities and Fleet Management Department verified that the lowest responsive bid submitted by Pipeline Plumbing Services of Broward, Inc. met the requirements of the ITB.

City staff verified that the Bidder complied with the solicitation's minimum requirements regarding licensure. The Facilities and Fleet Department has verified that the Bidders have provided satisfactory services to various South Florida public and private agencies. Further, Pipeline Plumbing Services of Broward, Inc. has provided services to the City since 2014 and received satisfactory remarks. Accordingly, the Bidder has been deemed the lowest responsive and responsible Bidder, meeting all terms, conditions, and specifications of the ITB.

The ITB stipulated an initial term of two (2) years with three (3) additional one (1) year renewal options.

Below is a brief description of the lowest responsive and responsible bidder.

Pipeline Plumbing Services of Broward, Inc.

Pipeline Plumbing Services of Broward, Inc.  (“Pipeline Plumbing”) is the City’s incumbent plumbing contractor, serving the City of Miami Beach for the last nine (9) years. Additionally, Frederick Schilling Jr., the President and Master Plumber of Pipeline Plumbing Services of Broward is the Vice President of Plumbers Without Borders and serves as a representative on the World Plumbing Council.

According to the 2019 Community Satisfaction Survey conducted by ETC institute (the "Survey"), 80.8% satisfaction was given to the “Maintenance of parks” among survey respondents. The plumbing services aim to provide necessary upkeep to areas most used by City residents and visitors in order to maintain a neat appearance.

Staff performed a cost analysis to determine whether the fiscal impact was in the City's best interest. Where the CPI-U for the south region has increased 23.4% since the previously established contract, the pricing received by Pipeline Plumbing is only approximately 2% higher than the previous contract pricing.

The City estimates average expenditure for these services to be approximately $275,000.00 annually. City departments utilizing the services include Facilities and Fleet Management, Parks and Recreation, Housing and Community Services, and Public Works. Future purchases pursuant to the award of the ITB shall be subject to funds availability approved through the City's budgeting process. Grant funding is not anticipated to be utilized for this project.

Based on the foregoing, the Administration recommends that the Mayor and City Commission of the City of Miami Beach, Florida, approve the award of a contract pursuant to Invitation to Bid (ITB) No. 2023-156-DF for plumbing services to Pipeline Plumbing Services of Broward, Inc. as the lowest responsive and responsible bidder.