Request for Information Harmful Algal Bloom Remediation Response RFI No.: 2017031C REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM REMEDIATION RESPONSE DEP Solicitation Number: 2017031C Pursuant to s. 287.012 (22), Florida Statutes (F.S.), the Florida Department of Environmental Protection ( Department ) is issuing a Request for Information (hereinafter an RFI ) seeking information from interested parties relating to Harmful Algal Bloom clean-up services. Please note that under Section 287.012, (22) F.S., responses to this request are not offers and may not be accepted by the Department to form a binding contract. Interested parties can view and download this Request for Information from the Vendor Bid System (VBS) website at http://www.myflorida.com. Once at this site, the steps listed below should be followed to access the Vendor Bid System (VBS). Click on BUSINESS Click on Doing Business with the State Under the Everything for Vendors and Customers heading, click on Vendor Bid System Click Search Advertisements Under the Agency search field, select the Department of Environmental Protection and click on Initiate Search Click on the applicable RFI number DEP RFI No2017031C Page 1 of 10
TABLE OF CONTENTS SCHEDULE OF EVENTS... 3 Section 1. 00 INTRODUCTION... 4 1.01. Purpose and Scope... 4 1.02. Procurement Officer.... 4 1.03. Questions... 4 1.04. Addenda... 4 1.05. Submittal of Response... 4 1.06. Public Records.... 5 SECTION 2.00 Technical Requirements... 7 2.01. Overview.... 7 2.02. Background... 7 2.03. Response.... 7 SECTION 3.00 Vendor Contact Information.... 8 SECTION 4.00 Requested Information... 9 DEP RFI No. 2017031C Page 2 of 10
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS DATES EVENTS METHOD Tuesday, February 14, 2017 Monday, February 27, 2017, by 5:00 PM ET On or about, Wednesday, March 8, 2017 Monday, March 20, 2017, by 5:00 PM ET RFI Advertised Questions Submitted in Writing Answers to Questions Posted Response Due Vendor Bid System http://www.myflorida.com/apps/vbs/vbs_www.main_menu Procurement Contact: Florida Department of Environmental Protection Fran Spivey, Procurement Officer Procurement Section, Room 215 3800 Commonwealth Blvd, MS93 Tallahassee, FL 32399-3000 Fax: (850) 245-2412 E-mail: Fran.Spivey@dep.state.fl.us Vendor Bid System http://www.myflorida.com/apps/vbs/vbs_www.main_menu Submit to: Florida Department of Environmental Protection Fran Spivey, Procurement Officer Procurement Section, Room 215 3800 Commonwealth Blvd, MS93 Tallahassee, FL 32399-3000 RFI NUMBER MUST BE ON ENVELOPE Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank DEP RFI No. 2017031C Page 3 of 10
Section 1. 00 INTRODUCTION 1.01. Purpose and Scope. The Florida Department of Environment Protection ( Department ) is requesting information from qualified vendors with proven, verifiable and documented expertise regarding clean up response to harmful algal blooms. The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is for planning purposes only. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETETIVE BIDS OR A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS, AND NO CONTRACT WILL BE AWARDED IN RESPONSE TO SUBMISSIONS. If, as a result of the RFI, the Department decides to pursue contract(s) to provide any of the services mentioned and vendors capable of providing such services are identified, a competitive procurement package will be developed and issued at a later date. 1.02. Procurement Officer. Fran Spivey, Procurement Officer Procurement Section, Carr Building, Room 215L Florida Department of Environmental Protection 3800 Commonwealth Boulevard, MS#93 Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3000 Telephone Number: (850) 245-2372 Fran.Spivey@dep.state.fl.us 1.03. Questions. Information will not be provided by telephone. The Procurement Officer shall not be bound by any verbal information or by any written information that is not contained within the RFI documents or formally noticed and issued by the DEP Procurement Section. Any questions from vendors concerning this RFI shall be submitted in writing, identifying the submitter and RFI number, to the Procurement Officer no later than the time and date specified in the Schedule of Events. No interpretation shall be considered binding unless provided in writing by the Department in response to a request in full compliance with this provision. E-mail inquiries are preferred; however, a hard copy or facsimile is acceptable. All questions and answers will be posted on the Vendor Bid System (VBS). It is the Vendor s responsibility to periodically check the VBS. The Department bears no responsibility for any delays, or resulting impacts, associated with a Vendor s failure to obtain the information made available through the VBS. 1.04. Addenda. If the Department finds it necessary to supplement, modify, or interpret any portion of the RFI documents, a written Addendum will be posted on the VBS. It is the responsibility of the Vendor to be aware of any Addenda that might have a bearing on their response. 1.05. Submittal of Response. Responses are due in accordance with VBS and Schedule of Events. Vendors responses must be in writing, and submitted electronically via email. Responses must be emailed to the Procurement Officer (Section 1.02). DEP RFI No. 2017031C Page 4 of 10
Once received, all RFI responses and attachments shall become the exclusive property of the Department and will not be returned. The Department is not liable for any of the costs incurred by the Vendor in preparing and submitting a response. The response package must contain a title page including the below contact information: Vendor/Company Name; Contact Name and Title; Address; and Phone Number, Fax Number and email address In an effort to ensure a clear understanding of the products and service, DEP may request system demonstrations. These demonstrations will be at the department s discretion and at no cost to DEP. If a demonstration is requested, this will be noticed as a public meeting in the Florida Administrative Register. There will be no negotiations or discussions of subsequent procurement during these meetings. 1.06. Public Records. Any material submitted in response to this RFI will become a public record pursuant to Chapter 119, Florida Statutes. Any claim of confidentiality is waived upon submission, unless addressed as set forth below. Disclosure and Ownership of Response Contents: A Vendor s response to this RFI shall be a public record and subject to production, disclosure, inspection and copying consistent with the requirements of Chapter 119, Florida Statutes. All information in a Vendor s response (including, without limitation, technical and price information) will be a matter of public record, subject to the provisions of Florida s Public Records Act, Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, regardless of copyright status. Submission of a response to this RFI shall constitute a waiver of any copyright protection which might otherwise apply to DEP s production, disclosure, inspection and copying of such response and contract, or any part thereof, except those parts asserted to be exempt under Chapter 119, Florida Statutes. The response, upon submission shall be the property of DEP (except those parts asserted to be exempt in the manner set forth below), and DEP, in its sole discretion, shall have the right to use, reproduce, and disseminate the response. DEP reserves the right to use any and all information contained in a response received to this RFI. Any content submitted to DEP which is asserted to be exempt under Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, shall be set forth on a page or pages separate from the rest of the response, and clearly marked exempt, confidential, or trade secret (as applicable), with the statutory basis for such claim of exemption, confidentiality, or trade secret specifically identified in writing on each and every such page. Failure to segregate and so identify any such content shall constitute a waiver of any claimed exemption, confidentiality, or trade secret as applied to the portion of the response or other document in which the content is set forth. DEP RFI No. 2017031C Page 5 of 10
Per Section 287.012(22), Florida Statutes, Responses to these requests are not offers and may not be accepted by the agency to form a binding contract. Vendors submitting information to this RFI are not prohibited from responding to any related subsequent solicitation. DEP reserves the right to use or reject any information supplied in response to this RFI. Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank DEP RFI No. 2017031C Page 6 of 10
SECTION 2.00 TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS 2.01. Overview. Harmful algal blooms are relatively rare in occurrence, and occur predominantly during the summer months in locations throughout Florida. Due to the unpredictable and transient nature of harmful algal bloom occurrence (and their oftenrapid dissolution), responding to a harmful algal bloom in a meaningful manner is particularly challenging. The current response to harmful algal blooms needs improvement to provide a more rapid response and greater protection of the environment and public health. 2.02. Background. The Division of Water Resource Management (Water Division) is charged with the regulation and management of Florida's water resource, including water quality monitoring, permitting and ensuring healthy waterways. An essential component of these duties is to support departmental policies and clean-up strategies to improve water quality. 2.03. Response. The Department is interested in obtaining feedback related to current products or processes on the market capable of responding to harmful algal blooms in a manner that is safe for the ecosystem and poses no public safety risks. Specifically, the Department is interested in information that will result in a greater understanding of the costs and associated requirements for the clean-up of harmful algal blooms. Responses should be based upon previous response activities, particularly those associated with harmful algal bloom remediation. Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank DEP RFI No. 2017031C Page 7 of 10
SECTION 3.00 VENDOR CONTACT INFORMATION. Solution providers are asked to provide the following information: CONTACTS Primary contact regarding this submission? Name: Email Address: Phone: Title or Role in Organization? Primary contact to schedule Presentation: (If other than contact above) Company Website URL: Type of Organization (Corporation, Partnership, etc.): How long has your company been in this type of business? Location of Project Manager that would serve the Department: Location of Regional Sales Manager that would serve the Department: Name: Email Address: Phone: Title or Role in Organization? Years: Months: City: State: City: State: Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank DEP RFI No. 2017031C Page 8 of 10
SECTION 4.00 REQUESTED INFORMATION Solution providers are asked to provide answers to the following based on historical experience specific to your technology: 1. Please provide the estimate algal cleanup cost by either; a. Gallons of algal bloom water treated; b. Square meter of surface area treated; c. Pounds of dewatered algae removed; d. Cubic meters of dewatered algae removed. The figures provided are not binding to the company. These costs will assist the Department in developing our initial strategy, planning and budget for this solution and related services. 2. Please provide the estimated disposal costs or income earned for the algal biomass removed using the same units as used to answer question 1 above. 3. Please provide the estimated time necessary to deploy your technology once a site has been identified. 4. Please identify any necessary infrastructure needed to deploy your technology (e.g., electricity, level ground or pavement, boat ramp ). 5. Please describe the physical footprint (dimensions in meters or feet) of your technology once set up onsite. 6. Please provide the estimated time required to complete algal removal services using the same units as used to answer question 1 above. 7. Please provide a Material Data Safety Sheet for any chemicals used as part of your algal cleanup technology. 8. Please provide an estimated target concentration of chemical used as part of your algal cleanup technology. 9. If your technology includes the use of a chemical, please describe whether the chemical is added directly to the surface water or if it is added to a side stream treatment system which will eliminate or significantly reduce the amount of chemical that is introduced into the surface water. 10. Please provide the estimated time necessary to demobilize your technology once a site clean-up has been completed. 11. Please provide the approximate years of environmental remediation experience. DEP RFI No. 2017031C Page 9 of 10
12. Any additional information that DEP should consider, including relevant topics that were not specifically described in this RFI. Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank DEP RFI No. 2017031C Page 10 of 10