Submitted By: John King
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Presentation By: John King
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Department: Facilities Management
STAFF RECOMMENDATION (Motion Ready):
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Approve the purchase and installation of pool slide replacements from Natural Structures for Jervey Gantt Aquatic Fun Center and the Hampton Aquatic Center in the amount of $303,273
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OCALA’S RELEVANT STRATEGIC GOALS:
Quality of Place, Operational Excellence
PROOF OF PUBLICATION:
N/A
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BACKGROUND:
The Jervey Gantt and Hampton Aquatic Fun Centers are used extensively to provide a fun and safe aquatic experience for the citizens of Ocala. The centers feature waterfalls, water slides, and swimming programs. Annually, the State of Florida Bureau of Fair Rides performs a maintenance and operational inspection of the City’s aquatic centers. The most recent inspection report noted severe corrosion and damage of the slide structures at both aquatic centers and recommended replacement.
FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS:
The pool slides at Jervey Gantt Aquatic and Hampton Aquatic Centers (constructed in April 1999) now require replacement, having failed structural integrity tests and surpassed their useful life.
On December 2, 2022, the City issued its Request for Proposals (RFP) No. REC/230018 for the design and construction of a replacement swimming pool slide at the Jervey Gantt Aquatic Center. The solicitation required responsive firms to be licensed as Certified Pool Contractors in the state of Florida and possess at least five (5) years’ experience installing commercial swimming pool slides and towers. A single proposal was received from Jumeaux, Inc. who offered lump sum pricing for the removal of the existing stainless steel slide structure and replacement and installation of a new structure made of galvanized steel in the amount of $427,671. This proposal was rejected as non-responsive because the vendor was unable to provide a stainless-steel replacement structure.
Procurement staff subsequently consulted with staff from both the Facilities and Recreation and Parks Departments to discuss whether the solicitation documents could be revised in an effort to promote more competition and to possibly obtain pricing more within the desired budget for the project. It was decided that the project would be re-solicited as a Request for Quotations (RFQ) to experienced metal fabricators to design and build a replacement swimming pool slide staircase at the Jervey Gantt Aquatic Center.
On April 17, 2023, the City sourced thirty-three (33) qualified vendors and issued RFQ No. REC/230437 which had a mandatory pre-bid meeting requirement. Only one vendor, Big Guy Welding, LLC, presented to the pre-bid meeting. Ultimately, no quotes were received in response to the RFQ.
On June 28, 2023, the City issued Invitation to Bid (ITB) No. REC/230529 in an attempt to receive lump sum pricing for the design and replacement of the staircase platform at the Jervey Gantt Aquatic Center. In addition to lump sum pricing, bidders were required to provide engineered drawing and temporary construction area plans. Only a single bid, in the amount of $496,602.63, was received from Com Pac Filtration, Inc. The bid did not contain engineered drawings or plans and was subsequently rejected as non-responsive.
In July 2023, Facilities staff attempted to solicit quotations for alternative slide replacement solutions from eight vendors, namely: (1) Spectrum Aquatics, (2) Aquatix, (3) Lincoln Aquatics, (4) Rave Sports, (5) Water Odyssey, (6) Natural Structures, and (7) Willy Goat Sales. Only two vendors, Natural Structures and Willy Goat Sales responded.
The quotation received from Willy Goat Sales was rejected due to the quoted materials not meeting City specifications. More specifically, it offered a polyethylene flume which would degrade over time, a stair system which would be cumbersome to climb, and the 4-foot pool depth requirement for the flume exit would not be compatible with the existing pool depth.
The quotation offered by Natural Structures featured slides with powder-coated stainless-steel supports, thermal plastic-coated aluminum stairs and decks, and finishes designed to withstand corrosive commercial pool environments at a highly competitive price. Facilities staff sought a procurement exception to procure Natural Structures’ pool replacement solution for both the Jervey Gantt Aquatic Center and Hampton Aquatic Center at a cost of $303,273.
After consideration of the history of the procurement for a solution to the City’s critical need for slide structure replacement and the inability to yield responsive proposals and quotations to the City’s attempts to formally solicit these services via three prior competitive procurement methods, the City’s Contracting Officer found that accepting the quote from Natural Structures would best serve the City’s best interests. Moreover, the pricing offered by Natural Structures for engineered drawings, two slide structures, and accompanying installation services at both the Jervey Gantt Aquatic Center and the Hampton Aquatic Center are considerably less than those received in response to previous solicitations for one aquatic center.
Staff recommends the approval of this purchase.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Funding for this project was approved in the FY23 budget and will be allocated to the Recreation and Parks CIP - Construction in Progress account 103-021-123-575-69-65010.
PROCUREMENT REVIEW:
These goods and services were procured in compliance with the City’s Procurement Policy.
LEGAL REVIEW:
This Agreement will be reviewed and approved for form and legality by City Attorney, William E. Sexton.
ALTERNATIVE:
• Approve with Changes
• Table
• Deny