Request For Letters of Interest - Professional Construction and Dredging Services for Lake Bonnet Drainage Basin Flood Hazard and Debris Mitigation Project

The City of Lakeland (hereinafter referred to as the “City”) will receive formal sealed Letters of Interest (LOI) and Statement of Qualifications and Experience for Professional Construction and Dredging Services as part of this issued Request for Letters of Interest (RLOI) to identify qualified and experienced contractors interested in providing Professional Construction and Dredging Services. These services are specific to the Lake Bonnet Drainage Basin Flood Hazard and Debris Mitigation Project. This RLOI is an initial step to gauge interest and gather basic qualifications from potential providers. The information received will assist the City in determining the appropriate next steps for a future solicitation and award.

This document is for the purpose of soliciting Letters of Interest only and does not constitute a solicitation for binding bids/proposals/responses or a commitment to award a contract. All respondents are responsible for the costs associated with preparing materials in response to this RLOI.

A. Period of Performance

All work is expected to be completed within twenty-five (25) months. Mobilization is expected to begin within ninety (90) days of the Award and Notice to Proceed. Exact dates are not yet available. This project is federally funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (hereinafter referred to as HUD). HUD has awarded a Community Development Block Grant – Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) funds through the Florida Department of Commerce (Commerce), for mitigation activities authorized under Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (HCDA) (42 United States Code (U.S.C.) §5301 et seq.) and applicable implementing regulations at 24 C.F.R. part 570 and consistent with the Appropriations Act.

On October 27, 2022, following a competitive grant application process, the City of Lakeland (City) entered into a Subrecipient Agreement with the Florida Department of Commerce (FloridaCommerce) constituting a subaward of the Florida Commerce Federal award, the use of which must be in accordance with requirements imposed by Federal statutes, regulations and the terms and conditions of FloridaCommerce’s Federal award. Therefore, the City, as the Subrecipient of the CDBG-MIT funds, has legal authority to carry out all CDBG-MIT activities for this project. The selected Contractor will enter into a Construction Agreement with the City.

The Construction Agreement is a commercial transaction between the City and its contractor, and neither HUD nor the Florida Department of Commerce has a contractual relationship with the City’s contractors. Although HUD and FloridaCommerce are not parties to the Agreement, the City is using federal funds to pay for the Agreement, and the City and its contractors and subcontractors must comply with all Federal, State, and local laws, rules, regulations, ordinances, and executive orders, including the Federal Procurement Standards. (DR-4339 OMB Guidelines Prior to November 12, 2020, Revisions).

B. Mitigation Activities Definition

For the purpose of funding this project, mitigation activities are defined as (1) those activities that increase resilience to disasters and reduce or eliminate the long-term risk of loss of life, injury, damage to and loss of property, and suffering and hardship, by lessening the impact of future disasters; (2) address the current and future risks as identified in FloridaCommerce’s Mitigation Needs Assessment of Most Impacted and Distressed (MID) area(s); (3) be CDBG-eligible activities under the HCDA or otherwise eligible pursuant to a waiver or alternative requirement; and (4) primarily addressing the Benefits to Low-to-Moderate Income (LMI) National Objective. Additional information may be found in the Federal Register, Vol. 84, No. 169.