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Request to Proceed With Negotiation Process for Curbside Residential Solid Waste and Recycling Collection Services Due to Substantial Interest of County (Contract No. 24-RFP00582/TPR)
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BRIEF OVERVIEW
The Procurement Department issued Request for Pre-Qualification (RFPQ) No. 23-PQ00289/IR on August 2, 2023, at the request of the Hernando County Utilities Department to select the most qualified entities to provide Residential Solid Waste Collection Services. The Procurement Selection Committee (PSC) met on November 13, 2023, to evaluate the proposals and qualify firms. The PSC consensus scoring evaluation resulted in the following qualified firms to proceed to the next phase of the Solicitation Process:
Firm:
• Coastal Waste & Recycling, Inc.
• FCC Environmental Services Florida, LLC
• Republic Services of Florida, Limited Partnership
• Waste Connections of Florida, Inc.
• Waste Management, Inc., of Florida
• Waste Pro of Florida, Inc.
The Procurement Department issued Request for Proposal (RFP) No. 24-RFP00582/TPR, phase two, on July 1, 2024, to the six (6) pre-qualified firms. On February 17, 2025, the County received five (5) proposals. The Procurement Selection Committee (PSC), comprised of the same members as the Pre-Qualification solicitation, met on March 4, 2025, to evaluate the proposals. The PSC consensus scoring evaluation resulted in the following scores:
Firm: Total Score (Max Score: 100)
Coastal Waste & Recycling, Inc. 73.2
FCC Environmental Services Florida, LLC 72.3
Republic Services of Florida, Limited Partnership 70.9
Waste Management Inc. of Florida 69.6
Waste Pro of Florida, Inc. 64.2
The committee did not request oral presentations and a Notice of Intent to Negotiate and Award the Contract, naming Coastal Waste & Recycling, Inc., as the highest scored Proposer, dated March 4, 2025, was posted to the OpenGov website and posted to the Hernando County Administration electronic public bulletin board on March 6, 2025.
On March 6, 2025, the County received a written Notice of Protest and Bid Protest Bond from Republic Services of Florida, Limited Partnership. On March 14, 2025, timely Formal Written Protest Petition from Republic Services of Florida, Limited Partnership was received, to which Chief Procurement Officer provided Investigative Summary and Decision on March 20, 2025 (attached).
On March 28, 2025, the County received written Opposition to Chief Procurement Officer’s Investigative Summary and Decision and Request for Formal Proceeding from Republic Services of Florida, Limited Partnership (attached).
As provided in the County’s Procurement Manual, Section 22, Procurement Protests, upon receipt of such timely formal written protest, “the County shall suspend the solicitation or contract award process until a final decision has been made, unless the Board makes a determination that the contract must proceed without delay to protect the substantial interest of the County.”
The next step in the solicitation process is for staff to enter negotiations with the highest ranked firm. Staff requires time to negotiate with the highest scored Proposer and in the event of unsuccessful negotiation to move to the next highest ranked firm for negotiation until such time as a contract has been successfully negotiated for presentation to the Board. The current solid waste collection contract expires on December 31, 2025. The timeline to transition from the current provider to a new provider is anticipated to be a minimum of six (6) months. Therefore, it is in the substantial interest of the County to proceed with the solicitation process to ensure adequate time for transition and to minimize any risk of a lapse or disruption to service.
The Chief Procurement Officer has reviewed this recommendation for conformance to Procurement Ordinance and Purchasing Policies and Procedures.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Funding is not applicable at this time.
LEGAL NOTE
In accordance with Part II, Chapter 2, Article V of the Hernando County Code of Ordinances.
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RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that (1) the Board make a determination that, to protect the substantial interest of the County, negotiations with the highest scored Proposer must continue without delay, and (2) the Board authorize the Chief Procurement Officer to proceed with such negotiations with the highest scored Proposer and, if such negotiation is unsuccessful, negotiate with the next highest scored Proposer and so on, for Solicitation No. 24-RFP00582/TPR for Curbside Residential Solid Waste and Recycling.