INVITATION TO BID

Sealed bids are being received from qualified contractors, by the State of Florida, Department of Children and Family Services, for the following project:

PROJECT NUMBER: DCF-05225311

PROJECT NAME: Install Fire Sprinklers, Bldg. 1265, Florida State Hospital (Chattahoochee).

BID DATE AND TIME: January 9, 2007 until 1:30 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time)

PLACE OF BID OPENING: Operations and Facilities Conference Room, Florida State Hospital, Highway 90 East, Chattahoochee, FL 32324. Telephone: (850)663-7152.

BID REQUIREMENTS: Bids must be submitted in full accordance with the requirements of the drawings, specifications, bidding conditions and contractual conditions, which may be obtained from: Systech Group, Inc., 11260 Roger Bacon Drive, Suite 501, Reston, VA 20190-5203. Telephone: (703)759-9600. Fax: (703)759-3813. Direct e-mail inquiries to: jamie@systech-group.com

CONTRACTOR QUALIFICATIONS: Bidders shall be state-certified in accordance with Chapter 633, Florida Statutes, as a Contractor I or a Contractor II. Bidders not able to furnish proof of required certification are subject to disqualification.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: A mandatory pre-bid walk-through will be held on December 7, 2006, at 10:00 a.m. (EST) at the Operations and Facilities Conference Room, Florida State Hospital, Highway 90 East, Chattahoochee, FL 32324. Site Contact is Richard Frey, Telephone: (850)663-7152.

CORPORATE REGISTRATION: No bid shall be accepted from any corporation which is not able to demonstrate current corporate charter registration (for a domestic corporation) or authority to transact business within the State of Florida (for a foreign corporation).

PERFORMANCE BOND AND LABOR AND MATERIAL BOND: On any construction contract for which the award amount is greater than $100,000, a Performance Bond and a Labor And Material Payment Bond shall be required.

CONTRACT AWARD: The Bid Tabulation and Notice of Award Recommendation will be posted at 4:00 p.m. on the date and at the location where the bids are opened. Award of a contract by the Office of General Services is contingent upon acceptance of the award recommendation by the Department. The Department of Children and Family Services reserves the right to reject any and all bids in the best interest of the State of Florida.

MINORITY PARTICIPATION: In accordance with Florida Statutes, the Department of Children and Family Services is encouraged to target certified minority business enterprises (MBEs) for 21 percent of total awarded construction contract dollar value (4% for African-American, 6% for Hispanic-American, and 11% for women-owned). The Department of Children and Family Services encourages minority businesses to participate in the bidding process, including any bidders conferences or pre-bid meetings which are scheduled. The Department of Children and Family Services further encourages contractors to utilize certified MBEs as subcontractors or subvendors whenever possible. An online directory of certified MBEs, available on the website of the Office of Supplier Diversity http://osd.dms.state.fl.us/ dirhome.htm, may be searched by county for construction-related products and services.