It is recommended that the Mayor and City Commission of the City of Miami Beach, Florida approve the Resolution accepting the City Manager’s recommendation pertaining to the proposals received, pursuant to RFP 2023-431-ND, for debris removal and disaster recovery services, authorizing the Administration to enter into negotiations with DRC Emergency Services, LLC, the top-ranked proposer, as the primary vendor, Phillips and Jordan, Inc., the second-ranked proposer, as the secondary vendor, Ceres Environmental Services, Inc., the third-ranked proposer, as the first tertiary vendor, and D. & J., Enterprises, Inc., the fourth-ranked proposer, as the second tertiary vendor. The Resolution also authorizes the City Manager and City Clerk to execute agreements with each of the recommended proposers upon the conclusion of successful negotiations.

The solicitation is currently under the cone of silence.

In responding to weather-related emergencies, such as hurricanes, the City uses various contractors and consultants to assist in the recovery and ensure that the expenses incurred are in line with the requirements of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Compliance with FEMA requirements is a prerequisite to the City receiving reimbursement for these expenses. Included in the January 31, 2024, agenda are three items relating to the City’s emergency preparedness – 1) the request to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for disaster debris monitoring services, 2) the request to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for emergency management administrative support services, and 3) the award recommendation for debris removal and disaster recovery services, which is the purpose of this agenda item.

The services provided by the debris removal and disaster recovery contract, which is the purpose of this agenda item, will include removal of debris from roads and City properties and other disaster recovery operations (e.g., equipment, labor, and supplies) that may be needed for such an event.

The other two related agenda items are for debris monitoring services and emergency management administrative support services. The services provided by the debris monitoring contract includes monitoring the measuring, movement, and disposal of the debris collected by the debris removal contractor. In accordance with FEMA regulations, the monitoring services must be performed by a contractor other than the debris removal contractor. The services provided by the emergency management administrative support services, include the expert services needed to support City’s emergency management needs with preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery associated with disaster-related events to maximize available reimbursement.

Accordingly, this item seeks approval to award the RFP for debris removal and disaster recovery services to establish a replacement contract once the current contract expires on February 4, 2024. As a result of the expiring contract, the RFP was developed seeking proposals for a replacement agreement.

On July 26, 2023, the Mayor and the City Commission authorized the issuance of Request for Proposals (RFP) No. 2023-431-ND for debris removal and disaster recovery services. On July 27, 2023, the RFP was issued. Bid notices were issued to 12,659 companies, with 91 prospective bidders accessing the advertised solicitation. A voluntary pre-proposal conference to provide information to proposers submitting a response was held on August 9, 2023.  Two (2) addenda were issued. RFP responses were due and received on September 15, 2023. The City received a total of twelve (12) proposals from the following firms:

·        Aftermath Disaster Recovery, Inc.

·        Ceres Environmental Services, Inc.

·        Crowder-Gulf Joint Venture, Inc.

·        CTC Disaster Response, Inc.

·        D. & J., Enterprises, Inc.

·        DRC Emergency Services, LLC

·        KDF Enterprises LLC

·        Looks Great Services of MS, Inc.

·        Phillips and Jordan, Incorporated

·        Southern Disaster Recovery, LLC

·        Superior Landscaping & Lawn Service Inc.

·        T.F.R. Enterprises, Inc.

The proposal from Aftermath Disaster Recovery, Inc. was deemed non-responsive for failure to submit a complete cost proposal form as required in the RFP and, therefore, could not be further considered. 

On September 13, 2023, the City Manager appointed an Evaluation Committee via LTC # 407-2023.  The Evaluation Committee convened on October 13, 2023, to consider the proposals received.  The Committee was comprised of Michael Atkin, Greenspace Division Director, Public Works Department, Michael Clark, Superintendent, Sanitation Department, Juan Mestas, Deputy Fire Chief, Fire Department, Stanley Payne, Stormwater Superintendent, Public Works Department, and Alvaro Rueda, Superintendent, Sanitation Department. The Committee was provided an overview of the project, information relative to the City’s Cone of Silence Ordinance, and the Government Sunshine Law. The Committee was also provided with general information on the scope of services and a copy of each proposal.  The Committee was instructed to score and rank each proposal pursuant to the evaluation criteria established in the RFP. The evaluation process resulted in the ranking of proposers as indicated in Attachment A.

After reviewing all of the submissions and the Evaluation Committee’s rankings and commentary, DRC Emergency Services, LLC is deemed to be the top-ranked firm, followed by Phillips and Jordan, Inc., the second-ranked firm, Ceres Environmental Services, Inc., the third-ranked firm, and D. & J., Enterprises, Inc., the fourth-ranked firm.

Based on the City’s potential needs and volume of work, it is prudent, in addition to having a primary service provider, to have secondary and tertiary firms awarded in the event the need for services exceeds the capacity of one or more vendors or in the event of a performance with an awarded firm. For this reason, it is recommended that firms be awarded as primary, secondary and tertiary in order of rank as follows:

Primary –          DRC Emergency Services, LLC

Secondary –      Phillips and Jordan, Inc.

1st Tertiary –    Ceres Environmental Services, Inc.

2nd Tertiary –   D. & J., Enterprises, Inc.

When the City awards firms in this manner, the Administration will endeavor to utilize vendors in order of award. However, the City may engage vendors in any order when it is deemed to be in the City's best interest, including but not limited to the following reasons as articulated in the City Code:

(1) The ability, capacity and skill of the bidder to perform the contract.

(2) Whether the bidder can perform the contract within the time specified, without delay or interference.

(3) The character, integrity, reputation, judgment, experience and efficiency of the bidder.

(4) The quality of performance of previous contracts.

(5) The previous and existing compliance by the bidder with laws and ordinances relating to the contract.

Below is a brief synopsis of each top-ranked firm.

DRC Emergency Services, LLC

DRC Emergency Services, LLC (DRC) is headquartered in Galveston, Texas, and maintains offices across the United States, providing it with geographical maneuverability along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts.   DRC is vastly familiar with Florida as it presently holds disaster relief contracts with the cities of Miami, Surfside, and Hollywood and the counties of Monroe, and Miami-Dade. DRC is an incumbent providing these services to the City, and staff has been satisfied with its work and offered positive feedback.

Phillips and Jordan, Incorporated

Phillips and Jordan, Incorporated (P&J) was involved in its first major hurricane clean-up in 1989 after Hurricane Hugo.  Since then, P&J’s disaster team has worked with federal, state, and local governments and agencies, as well as private sector clients across the United States.  P&J has responded to most federally declared disasters for the past three decades, including hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, wildfires, rockslides, and ice storms.

Phillips and Jordan, Inc., over the past four decades, has completed disaster debris management services totaling more than $2.2 billion for over 200 individual jurisdictions across the U.S.  Its clients include but are not limited to the City of Coral Springs, Highlands County, Volusia  County, and Hillsborough County.

Ceres Environmental Services, Inc.

Ceres Environmental Services, Inc. (Ceres) is a national leader in disaster recovery and a government contracting firm capable of providing personnel, equipment, and resources to respond to any disaster event. The firm is a Florida-based company whose local experience includes over 77 client activations since 2016, including the City of Miami Beach following Hurricane Irma in 2017. Its services include debris removal and separation, demolition and hazardous material management, debris reduction and site management, hazard tree, limb, and stump removal, and the collection/generation of FEMA-required project documentation. Ceres is an incumbent providing these services to the City, and staff has been satisfied with its work and offered positive feedback.

D. & J. Enterprises, Inc.

D. & J. Enterprises, Inc. (D&J) is a full-service contracting firm with over 55 years of hands-on experience as a prime contractor for emergency recovery services, with a specific focus on debris removal, reduction, disposal, and management following natural and man-made disaster events. D&J performed its first emergency debris removal and clean-up project following Hurricane Betsy on the Gulf Coast in 1965.  Today D&J is a full-service contracting firm with over 55 years of hands-on experience as a prime contractor for emergency recovery services.  Debris recovery projects completed during these 55+ years total over $1,000,000,000.00, at times employing over 600 employees and an additional 500+ subcontractors with over 2,000 trucks daily.  D&J has provided emergency recovery services to the City of Pensacola, Gadsden County, and Monroe County among other cities, counties, and local and private entities. Moreover, D&J is an incumbent providing these services to the City.

Results from the 2019 resident survey show that 84.5% are satisfied with the City’s emergency hurricane preparedness efforts. Of the 84.5% only 36.5% rated their satisfaction as excellent. In order to continue to improve the satisfaction of these residents and increase the excellent rating, the City intends to contract with qualified disaster recovery contractors to provide technical expertise and guidance to support the City during emergency recovery efforts following declared disaster event(s).

The RFP contained a listing of anticipated services and items should the City need to deploy debris removal and disaster recovery contractors. Based on the proposal submitted by DRC Emergency Services, the top-ranked firm, staff performed a cost analysis to determine whether the fiscal impact was in the City's best interest. The cost analysis compared the costs submitted under the RFP to similar line items in the current contract. For the items compared, it has been determined that DRC Emergency Services has submitted a slightly lower cost than the City’s current contract. Final pricing with all firms is subject to negotiations.

Based on the foregoing, it is recommended that the Mayor and City Commission approve the Resolution authorizing the Administration to enter into negotiations with DRC Emergency Services, LLC, the top-ranked proposer, as the primary vendor, Phillips and Jordan, Incorporated, the second-ranked proposer, as the secondary vendor, Ceres Environmental Services, Inc., the third-ranked proposer, as the first tertiary vendor, and D. & J., Enterprises, Inc., the fourth-ranked proposer, as the second tertiary vendor. Finally, the Resolution authorizes the City Manager and City Clerk to execute agreements with each of the proposers upon conclusion of successful negotiations by the Administration.

Was Agenda Item initially requested by a lobbyist which, as defined in Code Sec. 2-481, includes a principal engaged in lobbying? No.