The University of Florida, Board of Trustees, announces that General Contractor services will be required for the project listed below:
PROJECT NAME: Chilled Water Plant No. 10 (Gainesville, Florida)
BID NUMBER: ITB08SVF-287
PROJECT NUMBER: UF Work Order #863125
SCOPE OF WORK: This project entails the construction of a new 2,400 ton chilled water plant. The scope of work includes a standalone 7,000 SF 2-story building with standard building systems along with all mechanical and electrical systems to support the production of chilled water. Contractors will not commission chilled water mechanical and electrical systems. An independent consultant/contractor will handle all commissioning.
The estimated cost of construction is between $6,000,000 and $8,000,000. Generally, the work is expected to commence in July 2008 and be completed by March 2009. Once pre-qualified, bidders will be given instructions for obtaining copies of the Conformed Bid Documents and allowed approximately 30 days to develop firm fixed prices for the base bid. A pre-bid meeting with the architect/engineer will likely be held during this bidding period to clarify technical questions and allow bidders a chance to familiarize themselves with the site.
Work on an active campus may present some logistical challenges to the contractor. Applicants unfamiliar with work at the University of Florida (UF) are strongly urged to familiarize themselves with the UF Design and Construction Standards, the UF General Terms and Conditions, template UF contracts and other materials available on the Facilities Planning and Construction (FP&C) website at www.facilities.ufl.edu.
At the time of application, the applicant must be licensed to practice as a general contractor in the State of Florida and, if the applicant is a corporation, must be chartered by the Florida Department of State to operate in Florida.
PROPOSAL: The method of delivery is design-bid-build (also known as “hard bid”), with an enhanced pre-qualification process due to the nature of the work. The following criteria shall be used to pre-qualify potential bidders:
1. Past performance constructing chilled water plants of similar size. Identify in the proposal chilled water plant projects successfully completed in the last 5 years or currently under construction. Indicate size of plant in tonnage with descriptions of chillers, cooling towers, piping systems, electrical systems, and any unique features of the plant. Provide owner and architect/engineer references (names, email addresses, and current phone numbers) for each project.
2. Qualifications and experience of key personnel to be assigned to the project.
3. Financial standing (including bonding capacity).
4. Workload
5. Safety Record
Interested applicants shall retrieve the detailed Pre-Qualification Instructions and all relevant proposal forms from the UF PPD www.ppd.ufl.edu/architectureengineering.htm and Purchasing www.purchasing.ufl.edu websites. The pre-qualification proposal shall consist of a completed Statement of Qualifications form, a copy of the applicant’s contracting license, proof of the applicant’s corporate status in Florida (if applicable), proof of applicant’s bonding capacity, resumes, and other information as outlined in the Pre-Qualification Instructions. Unsigned proposals or proposals containing expired or invalid licenses will be disqualified. Submittal materials will not be returned, and the University may reject all proposals and stop the selection process at any time.
PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING: A mandatory Pre-Proposal Meeting will be held at 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 6, 2008, in Room 101 of Elmore Hall (Building 465, Division of Purchasing), Radio Road, on the UF campus. The purpose will be to generally explain the pre-qualification process, the technical scope of work, and other project parameters such as site constraints and schedule. A site visit/tour will not be included at this time, but applicants will be provided an opportunity to review the not-for-construction 100% Construction Documents (plans and specifications) in order to familiarize themselves with the scope of work.
PRE-SUBMISSION INQUIRIES: Submit inquiries, questions, or comments via e-mail to the University’s Project Manager identified in the Statement of Qualifications instructions. All requests for information or clarification must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. (Local Time), Tuesday, May 13, 2008. Responses to questions or comments will be posted to the UF PPD and Purchasing web sites. No hard copy reply will be issued.
SUBMISSION OF QUALIFICATIONS: Proposals – one original plus five copies, plus one electronic copy on CD-ROM – shall be submitted no later than 2:00 p.m. (Local Time), Tuesday, May 20, 2008, to the UF Division of Purchasing, Attn.: Sarah Vidal-Finn, Elmore Hall, Building 465, Radio Road, Gainesville, FL 32611, (352)392-1331. Late, electronic, or facsimile (FAX) submittals are not acceptable and will not be considered.
PUBLIC ENTITY CRIMES: As required by Section 287.133, Florida Statutes, a contractor may not submit a bid for this project if it is on the convicted vendor list for a public entity crime committed within the past 36 months. Each applicant shall warrant that it will neither utilize the services of, nor contract with, any supplier, subcontractor, or consultant in excess of $10,000.00 in connection with this project for a period of 36 months from the date of their being placed on the convicted vendor list.
The University of Florida is an equal opportunity institution and, as such, encourages the use of Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) in the provision of construction related services. MBEs should have a fair and equal opportunity to compete for dollars spent by the University of Florida to procure construction-related services. Competition ensures that prices are competitive and abroad vendor base is available. MBE-related information should be sent to the Division of Small Business and Vendor Diversity Relations, P. O. Box 115250, Elmore Hall, Room 106, Gainesville, Florida 32611.