At the October 13, 2020 regular meeting, the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) unanimously approved a bid by Cardno, Inc. for engineering services for the Lake Townsend Park Boat Ramp Project for $55,515.
One other proposal was received from Land & Water Engineering Science of St. Petersburg, FL.
The goal of this project is to make improvements to the existing gravel ramp that will enable year-round use and improve accessibility and to construct a properly designed concrete boat ramp, sidewalk, dock and floating mooring dock. Improvements will also be made to the existing access road and parking areas. The design of the boat ramp and floating dock needs to incorporate the fluctuations in water levels of the Withlacoochee River in order to improve seasonal access.
The term of the resulting contract is for 24 months or through construction completion, whichever is greater. Funding is available through the Florida Boating Improvement Program (FBIP).
“The Florida Boating Improvement Program provides funding through competitive grants for boating access projects and other boating-related activities on coastal and/or inland waters of Florida. Eligible program participants include county governments, municipalities and other governmental entities of the state of Florida” according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website.
The selection process is based on scores provided by the Professional Services Review Committee (PSRC). PSRC is composed of Scott Herring, P.E., Public Works Director; Keith Kolasa, Aquatic Services and Waterways Manager; Clay Black, P.E., Stormwater Engineer; and Harry Johnson, Parks and Recreation Manager. The PSCR met via conference call on April 13, 2020, to review and rank the two written Proposals. The selection process was conducted using the guidelines set forth in Section 287.055, Florida Statutes, which is the “Consultants’ Competitive Negotiation Act.” This statute only permits negotiation of fees or project costs as a part of the contract negotiation process after the firms have been ranked. In a memo dated April 22, 2020, the PSRC agrees with the ranking order and recommended that contract negotiations begin with the highest-ranked firm, which is Cardno, Inc., with a score of 82.00 compared to 78.50 from Land & Water Engineering Science.
More Information: https://myfwc.com/boating/grants-programs/fbip/
