Okaloosa County BOCC — December 18, 2012 — 2013-01-30 Reccomendation Letter — reading text

January 30, 2013 Jim Trifilio Coastal Management Coordinator Okaloosa County Tourist Development Council 1540 Miracle Strip Parkway SE Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548 Re: Okaloosa County RFB No. SW 08-13, Western Destin Dune Vegetation Project and Okaloosa Island Dune Flora and Beach Access Management Project Dear Mr. Trifilio, On January 29, 2013, Okaloosa County opened bid packages for the Western Destin Dune Vegetation Project and Okaloosa Island Dune Flora and Beach Access Management Project. A total of four competitive bids were received. Aquatic Plants of Florida, Inc. (APOFL), based in Sarasota, Florida, was the apparent low bidder meeting specifications, based on the installation of 2-inch plants along the Western Destin project area and 4-inch plants along the Okaloosa Island project area. The Installation of smaller plants (i.e., 2-inch vs. 4-inch) in the West Destin project area will meet the project goal of providing wind protection to the dunes immediately following construction, will expedite the construction schedule, and will facilitate the installation of the larger plants along the Okaloosa Island project area. Per Taylor Engineering’s Scope of Services for the above-referenced projects, we have reviewed APOFL’s bid package. Of note, our review and recommendations are limited to engineering and technical issues. Taylor Engineering is not responsible for the review and evaluation of contractor’s financial condition, business licenses or authorizations, bonding, contractual requirements, and any other non-engineering or non-technical information. The APOFL representatives attended the mandatory pre-bid meeting held on January 22, 2013 and the bid package includes the required submittals (Bid Form, Addenda, Bid Bond, Work Plan, Watering Plan, Compliance Certificates, and Soil Amendments) and forms (No Contact, E-Verify Certification, Indemnification, Conflict of Interest, Drug- Free Workplace Certification, Recycled Content, Local Preference, and References). The company also maintains an active registration status with the My Florida Marketplace vendor system. Our review also included the following information: 1. Qualifications in the field of dune vegetation installation. Taylor Engineering Review: APOFL has been in business since 1994 and has operated under license from the Florida Department of Agriculture since this time. The company’s nursery includes field offices, barns, 33,000 square feet of automated greenhouses, mist houses and a micro-propagation laboratory. APOFL’s native plant inventory is among the largest in Florida and the company presently inventories over 5 million herbaceous and salt-tolerant plants. 10151 DEERWO OOD PARK BLVD D BLDG 300 STE E 300 JACKSON NVILLE FL 32256 6 TEL 904.731.7040 WWW.TA AYLORENGINEE ERING.COM Mr. Jim Trifilio January 30, 2013 Page 2 of 3 2. Past work experience in the field of dune vegetation installation. APOFL has an extensive amount of experience in dune vegetation and sand fence installation. These services have been performed following beach and dune restoration projects (similar to West Destin) and to enhance existing dune systems (similar to Okaloosa Island). 3. Project work plan and schedule. Taylor Engineering Review: Plants for the project will be grown to the specified size in APOFL’s greenhouses within approximately 60 days of receiving a Notice to Proceed. The anticipated growing schedule may be expedited as the company already has sufficient quantities of plants (seedlings) available for the project. APOFL will provide an experienced crew of 10 members, composed of several seasoned employees who have been with the company for over 6 years. These individuals will be highly experienced in dune vegetation and sand fence installation. APOFL plans to complete installation of the sand fencing and plants for both projects within 45 to 60 days from mobilizing to the site. Assuming the County issues the Notice to Proceed for the project in early February, both projects shall be completed by late May 2013 as stated in the bid solicitation. 4. Past project performance for both State and private beach restoration projects. Taylor Engineering Review: APOFL has completed numerous dune restoration projects for both private individuals, local governments and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). FDEP projects have been performed for grant-funded programs (along public and private beaches) and within numerous Florida State Parks. Most recently, APOFL completed the Pensacola Beach Dune Restoration Project for the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Program. We contacted the Engineer of Record for the project and the FDEP project manager. Both individuals gave high recommendations for APOFL based on their experience, plant quality, expedited installation, and professionalism. The project was completed within the very short project schedule and within budget. We contacted both State and private project managers with recent dune restoration experience with APOFL. We asked the project managers to comment on the overall quality of the work, scheduling, conflicts/problem resolution, and potential for future work. All comments were positive and all recommended utilizing APOFL’s services for future work based on their experience, plant quality, expedited installations, and professionalism. Based on this information, we recommend Okaloosa County enter into a contract agreement with Aquatic Plants of Florida, Inc. for construction of the Western Destin Dune Vegetation Project and Okaloosa Island Dune Flora and Beach Access Management Project. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at (850) 375-8651 or mtrammell@taylorengineering.com. Mr. Jim Trifilio January 30, 2013 Page 2 of 3 Sincerely, Matthew A. Trammell, P.E. Senior Engineer, Coastal