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Proposed Award of Contract to Ayres Associates Inc for Barclay Avenue Roadway Improvements from Powell Road to Lucky Lane Design (Contract No. 25-RFQ01076/FH; Amount: $6,414,280.58).
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BRIEF OVERVIEW
The Procurement Department issued Request for Qualifications (RFQ) No. 25RFQ01076/FH on October 8, 2025, at the request of the Hernando County Public Works Department for design of Barclay Avenue roadway improvements from Powell Road to Lucky Lane.
The Procurement Department placed the legal advertisement in the Hernando Sun on October 10, 2025, and the OpenGov website on October 8, 2025. The solicitation was sent to three thousand eight hundred sixty-eight (3,868) matching vendor/contractors from the website. The solicitation document was downloaded by one hundred one (101) contractors and seven (7) submissions were received.
The Procurement Department reviewed and evaluated submissions to determine if submissions were responsive and responsible. The Procurement Selection Committee (PSC) met on January 9, 2026 to evaluate the proposals. The committee included Scott Herring, Public Works Director; Erik Van De Boogard, Construction Projects Coordinator; Todd Crosby, Assistant County Engineer; Kelly Soreng, Real Property Supervisor; and, Josh Walker, Project Manager (Utilities). The PSC consensus scoring evaluation resulted in the following scores:
Firm Total Score (Max Score: 100)
Mead & Hunt, Inc. 85.4
HDR Engineering, Inc. 84.6
Ayres Associates, Inc. 84.4
DRMP, Inc. 83.2
Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. 81.4
Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. 81.0
LJA Engineering Inc. 77.6
The PSC requested to proceed with oral presentations, which were conducted on February 4, 2026, with the top three (3) ranked firms. The PSC consensus scoring resulted in the following total consensus scores:
Firm Total Score (Max Score: 120)
Ayres Associates Inc 102.4
Mead & Hunt, Inc. 100.2
HDR Engineering, Inc. 96.8
Staff entered into negotiations with the top-ranked firm and successfully completed contract negotiations on May 1, 2026.
A Notice of Intent to Award the contract to Ayres Associates Inc dated February 5, 2026, was posted to the OpenGov website. No challenges to the Notice of Intent to Award were received.
The Chief Procurement Officer has reviewed this requirement for conformance to Procurement Ordinance and Purchasing Policies and Procedures.
STRATEGIC PLAN INITIATIVES
Strategic Theme: D - Quality of Life
GOAL D.1 Well-maintained existing community assets
OBJECTIVE D.1.1 Pursue diverse funding opportunities to support the maintenance and improvement of community assets (parks and roadway maintenance), with a goal of identifying and applying for key sources.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Funding in the amount of $6,414,280.58 is available in the following accounts:
B335-180-13104-38-54100-566350-XC499- $5,768,557.68
B411-200-14102-40-53600-566350-XC542- $645,722.90
Expense:
Fund: Impact Fee-Road - B335, Department: DPW-Admin - 180, Account: Capital-Improve Other than BLDG - 566350
Fund: HCUD-Water &Sewer Fund - B411, Department: HCUD-Administration - 200, Account: Capital-Improve Other than BLDG - 566350
CIP 100380 - Barclay Avenue Multi-lane, included in the approved FY 26 CIP.
LEGAL NOTE
In accordance with Chapter 2, Article V of the Hernando County Code of Ordinances.
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RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the Board approve and authorize the Chairman’s signature on the attached Professional Services Agreement with Ayres Associates Inc for Barclay Roadway Improvements from Powell Road to Lucky Lane (Contract No. 25-RFQ01076/FH) in the contract amount of $6,414,280.58.
It is further recommended the Board authorize the Chief Procurement Officer to approve change orders up to budgeted amounts to the contract when there is no change to the terms and conditions.