26-P021R Dock and Marine Structure Inspection and Maintenance

The City of Charleston
Procurement Division
2 George Street, Suite 3600
Charleston, South Carolina 29401
P) 843-724-7312 F) 843-724-7354
www.charleston-sc.gov
Proposal Number: 26-P021R Proposals will be received until: October 6, 2026 @ 11:30am
Proposal Title: Dock and Marine Structure Inspection and Maintenance
Mailing Date: September 10, 2026 Direct Inquiries to: Robin B. Robinson
Vendor Name: FEIN/SS#:
Vendor Address:
City - State - Zip:
Telephone Number: Fax Number:
Authorized Signature: _____________________________ Title: __________________________
Date: _________________________
I certify that this bid is made without prior understanding, agreement, or connection with any corporation, firm, or person submitting a bid for
the same materials, supplies, equipment or services and is in all respects fair and without collusion or fraud. I agree to abide by all conditions
of this bid and certify that I am authorized to sign this bid for the bidder. This signed page must be included with bid submission.
IMPORTANT
1. The City of Charleston, South Carolina has a need for Dock and Marine Structure
Inspection and Maintenance and is issuing this Request for Proposals for Specialty
Marine Contractors licensed by the South Carolina Contractor's Licensing Board.
Qualified Marine Contractors shall have at least 7 years of continuous experience in
installing, repairing, and maintaining all types of docks, including floating and fixed pier
structures. Qualified Specialty Marine Contractors shall also have Longshoreman's
insurance for employees working on the navigable waters of the United States or in the
adjoining areas, including piers, docks, terminals, wharves, and those areas used in
loading and unloading vessels.
Qualified contractors are hereby invited to provide a proposal for services on a minimum
semi-annual, as-needed basis for a variety of activities throughout the City of Charleston,
SC. The City owned docks and marine structures include but are not limited to the
Maritime Center, Demetre Park, Water Taxi, Northbridge Park, Brittle Bank Park Pier &
Higgins Pier, Ft. Pemberton & 1717 Wappoo Rd.
2. This solicitation seeks proposals responding to the Scope of Work for Dock and Marine
Structure Inspection and Maintenance. This solicitation does not commit the City of
Charleston to award a contract, to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of
applications submitted, or to procure or contract for the services. The City reserves the
right to accept or reject any, all or any part of any proposal received as a result of this
Solicitation, or to cancel in part or in its entirety this Solicitation if it is in the best interest
of the City to do so. The City shall be the sole judge as to whether proposals submitted
meet all requirements contained in this solicitation.
3. Offeror may mail, or hand-deliver response to the Procurement Division. Do Not Fax in
the proposal response. Please show the solicitation number on the outside of any mailing
package. The City of Charleston assumes no responsibility for unmarked or improperly
marked envelopes. If directing any other correspondence to the Procurement Division
not related to the solicitation, please do not include the solicitation number on the
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envelope. If the Bidder chooses not to respond to this solicitation, it is recommended to
return the "No Proposal Response Form" to our office.
4. DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF OFFER: Any proposal or offer received after
the Procurement Director or his designee has declared that the time set for opening has
arrived, shall be rejected unless the offer has been delivered to the designated purchasing
office or the governmental bodies' mail room which services that purchasing office prior
to the proposal opening.
5. Questions regarding this solicitation must be submitted in writing to Robin B.
Robinson, no later than 12:00pm on September 21, 2026. Questions may either be
faxed to 843-724-7354 or emailed to Robin B. Robinson, robinsonr@charleston-
sc.gov.
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GENERAL INFORMATION
INTRODUCTION
The City of Charleston, South Carolina has a need for Dock and Marine Structure Inspection and
Maintenance and is issuing this Request for Proposals for Specialty Marine Contractors licensed
by the South Carolina Contractor's Licensing Board. Qualified Marine Contractors shall have at
least 7 years of continuous experience in installing, repairing, and maintaining all types of docks,
including floating and fixed pier structures. Qualified Specialty Marine Contractors shall also
have Longshoreman's insurance for employees working on the navigable waters of the United
States or in the adjoining areas, including piers, docks, terminals, wharves, and those areas used
in loading and unloading vessels.
PROCUREMENT PROCESS
The RFP (Request for Proposal) is not a bid. In the event the City elects to negotiate a contract
with the successful Vendor, any contract shall contain, at a minimum, the term and conditions (or
substantially the same term and conditions) as hereinafter stated. The City reserves the right, in
its sole discretion, to reject all submissions, reissue a subsequent RFP, terminate, restructure or
amend this procurement process at any time. The final selection and contract negotiation rests
solely with the City.
QUESTIONS
Every effort has been made to insure that all information needed by the Offeror is included
herein; however, questions are allowed and encouraged to clear up any information as described
herein, etc. The City will not accept telephone calls or visits regarding this RFP. All questions
shall be in writing and addressed to: Robin B. Robinson, City of Charleston, Procurement
Division, 2 George Street, Suite 3600, Charleston, South Carolina 29401, or email to:
robinsonr@charleston-sc.gov. Written Questions may also be faxed to: 843-724-7354. All
questions must be received before 12:00pm on September 21, 2026. No interpretation shall be
binding upon the City unless in writing from the City's Corporate Counsel.
ORAL STATEMENTS
No oral statement of any person shall modify or otherwise change, or affect the terms, conditions
or specifications stated in the resulting contract. The City of Charleston shall not be legally
bound by any amendment or interpretation that is not in writing.
NON-ENDORSEMENT
If a Proposal is accepted, the successful Offeror shall not issue any news releases or other
statements pertaining to the award or servicing of the agreement that state or imply the City's
endorsement of the successful Offeror's product or services.
PROPRIETARY INFORMATION
If an Offeror does not desire proprietary information in the Proposal to be disclosed, the Offeror
shall identify all proprietary information in the Proposal. This identification will be done by
individually marking each page with the words "Proprietary Information" or "Confidential" on
which such proprietary information is found. If the Offeror fails to identify proprietary
information, it agrees that by submission of its Proposal that those sections shall be deemed non-
proprietary and made available upon request through the Freedom of Information Act.
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UNAUTHORIZED COMMUNICATIONS
Respondents' contact regarding this RFP with employees or officials of the City of Charleston
will result in disqualification from this procurement process. Any oral communications are
considered unofficial and non-binding with regard to this RFP. The only authorized contacts for
this procurement are any designated Procurement staff.
CONTRACTOR SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR PERFORMANCE
Vendor shall be responsible for the performance of the services required by the contract. Vendor
is an independent contractor and does not act as the City's agent or employee.
DISQUALIFICATION OF OFFERORS
Offerors may be disqualified for any of the following reasons:
* Reason to believe collusion exists among the Offerors
* The Offeror is involved in any litigation against the City
* The Offeror is in arrears on any existing contract or has defaulted on a previous
contract with the City
* Lack of financial stability
* Failure to perform under previous or present contracts with the City
* Is currently debarred by the State of South Carolina Procurement Services
SUSPENSION AND DEBARMENT
The Offeror certifies, by submission of this proposal, that neither it nor its principals are
presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily
excluded from participation in this transaction by any federal, state or local agency. Where the
Offeror is unable to certify to any of the statements in this certification, such Offeror shall attach
an explanation to this proposal.
CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS
The City will rank, based upon the evaluation criteria, all responsible and responsive Vendors.
The City will begin negotiations with the top ranked Vendors and will continue with negotiation
down the ranking until a satisfactory contract with the City is finalized, if any. The terms and
conditions of the contract will be no less advantageous than the provisions of this RFP or the
Vendor's proposal. The City reserves the right to make a partial award or to split the award at its
sole discretion.
CONTRACT TERMS
The initial term of the Agreement shall be for one year. The City reserves the right to extend the
Agreement if the City determines the extension is in its best interest; said extension will be on an
annual basis and shall not exceed four (4) additional one (1) year periods.
VENDOR'S DUTY TO INSPECT & ADVISE AND DECLARE ALL COSTS
Each Vendor shall become fully acquainted with the City's requirements and the scope of
commodities and/or services to be provided. Vendor shall have a duty to request any information
from the City as it deems necessary to prepare the RFP. No change order will be granted or
additional compensation permitted if based upon information the Vendor knew or should have
known as part of the Vendor's duty to become acquainted with the City's circumstances and
requirements.
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RECEIPT OF PROPOSALS
Proposals must be submitted to and received by the City no later than the date and time specified
within this RFP. Offerors mailing proposals should allow a sufficient mail delivery period to
insure timely receipt (11:30am on October 6, 2026) of their proposal by the City. Proposals
received after the scheduled due date and time will not be considered. Proposals must be
completed and delivered in sufficient time to avoid disqualification for lateness due to difficulties
in delivery. The time and date stamp clock in the City Procurement Division is the official clock
for determining whether submittals are submitted on time. The City of Charleston is not
responsible for delays in the delivery of mail by the U.S. Postal Service or private couriers. It is
the responsibility solely of the Offerors to ensure that its proposal reaches the City of Charleston
Procurement Division, by the designated date and time. Proposals received after the scheduled
due date and time will not be considered.
Late Proposal documents will not be accepted under any circumstances.
PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS
To assure similarity in proposal presentation and allow the Selection Committee to easily
compare competing proposals, Offerors shall include, in the order described, the material
indicated below. It is not the intent of the City of Charleston to constrain Offerors with regard to
content, but to assure that the specific requirements set for in this RFP are addressed in a uniform
manner amenable to Evaluation and Selection Committee review. Offerors may include
additional information sections or appendices if desired, to present additional pertinent
information. Offerors should submit information in a concise and responsive manner for every
requirement. Non-responsive or incomplete submittals or inability to meet City requirements set
forth may lead to disqualification of the Offeror's submittal.
Only information presented in the Proposal will be used to evaluate the submittals.
Responses shall be completed in accordance with the requirements in the RFP. Statements
made by an Offeror shall be without ambiguity, and with adequate elaboration, where
necessary, for clear understanding.
Specific Requirements
Proposals should be as thorough and detailed as possible so that the City may properly evaluate
the Offeror's capabilities to provide the required services. Offerors are required to submit the
following items as a complete proposal:
Complete response to RFP, signed, completed and submitted as required with a
detailed outline and description of proposal, including a list of standard limitations and
exclusions.
A narrative summary of all the deviations from the specifications. The detailed explanation
and description of price quotation deviations should be submitted.
The submission of the Price Quotations.
Sealed package marked on the outside with the Offeror's name, address, and the solicitation
number.
All submittal forms.
PROPOSAL FORMAT
Proposals are to be prepared in a manner design to provide the Selection Committee with a
straightforward presentation of the capability to satisfy the requirements of this RFP.
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All documentation submitted with the proposal shall be in a single volume. Documentation must
be on 8 12 x 11 pages.
Include the following items:
o RFP Cover Page listing title of project, RFP number, date of submittal, and name of company
o List of lead contact(s) for the City
o List of Qualifications and References: provide at least (4) municipal projects for a client in
the past year. References are provided with accurate and up-to-date contact information.
*Reference form is provided.
o Acknowledgement of any issued Addenda
o Proposal must be signed by an official authorized by the vendor's company to contractually
bind the vendor.
RESPONSE FORMAT AND ORGANIZATION
To assure similarity in proposal presentation and allow the evaluation team to easily compare
competing proposals, Offerors shall include, in the order described, the material indicated below.
It is not the intent of the City to constrain Offerors with regard to content, but to assure that the
specific requirements set forth in this RFP are addressed in a uniform manner amenable to
Evaluation and Selection Committee review. Offerors may include additional sections or
appendices if desired, to present additional pertinent information. Offerors should submit
information in a concise and responsive manner for every requirement and every question. Non-
responsive or incomplete answers to information requests and/or City requirements may lead to
disqualification of the Offeror's submittal.
REQUIRED FORMS AND SIGNATURE PAGES
Offerors shall include as an appendix, all ancillary forms required in this Request for Proposal
(RFP). Required forms include, but are not limited to the following:
* RFP Cover Page
* Certificate of Familiarity
* Any Addenda
COMPLETION OF REPONSES
Only information presented in the Proposal will be used to evaluate the services that best fits the
needs of the City.
Responses shall be completed in accordance with the requirements of this RFP. Statements made
by an Offeror shall be without ambiguity, and with adequate elaboration, where necessary, for
clear understanding.
QUANTITY AND IDENTIFICATION OF PROPOSALS SUBMITTED
Each vendor must submit the following:
o One (1) Original un-bound, single-sided Proposal labeled as "ORIGINAL"
o Three (3) bound, double-sided Proposals
o One (1) electronic copy on a flash drive. Please have submittal on flash drive divided
into two documents: 1) the proposal; and 2) the cost.
o The Vendor must mark on the envelope or box containing the proposal the follow
information: "26-P021R"
o Note the RFP identification number on the outside of the envelope or box
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o All Proposals, including original, copies and the flash drive, shall be submitted together
in one envelope or box
o Proposals must be submitted by mail or hand delivered to City of Charleston,
Procurement Division, 2 George Street, Suite 3600, Charleston, SC 29401, ATTN: 26-
P021R.
No more than one proposal may be submitted by any Vendor.
PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCESS
An Evaluation and Selection Committee will be established to evaluate the Proposals and select a
proposal which represents the best value to the City. The Evaluation and Selection Committee
will be comprised of City personnel and any other persons as designated by the City. This
Committee will determine the responsiveness and acceptability of each proposal. The Evaluation
and Selection Committee may request additional information from Offerors.
The City will conduct a comprehensive, fair and impartial evaluation of all Proposals received in
response to this RFP. Each Proposal received will first be analyzed to determine overall
responsiveness and completeness to this RFP. Each Proposal will then be evaluated based on
each of the criteria as outlined in Proposal Evaluation Criteria Factors, and after which identified
as either reasonably qualified or unqualified. A Proposal may be declared unqualified if it clearly
fails to demonstrate, in any of the listed areas, a standard that the City believes necessary to meet
the requirements set forth in this RFP.
Following their review of all submitted Proposals, the Selection Committee may select a shortlist
of the highest ranked reasonably-qualified Offerors. Shortlisted Offerors will be invited to
present their Proposal to the Evaluation and Selection Committee.
After the proposals are evaluated, the City will determine whether formal presentations and
interviews are necessary, and if so, which vendors may be invited to make a formal presentation
and/or sit for a panel interview. The City may choose not to require formal presentations or
interviews. The City may choose to contact officials from other jurisdictions regarding the
vendor, their prior work experience and their ability to successfully complete the scope of
services. The City may request clarification or additional information from a specific vendor in
order to assist in the City's evaluation of a proposal. Finally, the City may require changes in the
scope of services as deemed necessary by the City, before execution of the contract.
PROPOSAL EVALUATION CRITERIA FACTORS
The following weighted criteria will be used to evaluate the Proposals for purposes of selecting
the Offeror(s) to negotiate with or to shortlist.
Criteria Factors
* Ability to provide services required
* Responsiveness, Quality and Completeness of Proposal
* Qualifications of the Company and Staff
* Company History/Stability/Bonding Ability
* Past Performance/References
* Cost
It is the Offeror's responsibility to effectively communicate their qualifications, services, and
products to the City by thoroughly responding to each requirement contained in this RFP.
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Scope of Work
A. Project Intent - Annual Dock & Marine Structures Inspection & Maintenance
DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT AND SCOPE OF WORK: The City of Charleston is
requesting qualifications from Specialty Marine Contractors to perform Annual Dock
Maintenance and other similar maritime maintenance services from qualified contractors. It
is the intent of the City of Charleston to retain qualified contractors to enhance the City of
Charleston's ability to provide the necessary services.
The City will consider submittals from contractors in which the prime contractor is capable
of providing a minimum of 80% of the services described below.
B. Scope of Work
1. Activities assigned to the Contractor under this contract may include, but not be limited
to the following:
a. All necessary inspection services on floating dock and typical yearly maintenance and
may include the following:
1) Retighten all fasteners, including through-rods, plywood filler screws, pile roller
bolts, cleat bolts, etc. Pay particular attention to ramps or other areas where
loadings vary. Tighten fasteners using normal pressure on a standard ratchet drive
wrench.
2) Compensate the float system as necessary for any added equipment or
appurtenances.
3) Inspect concrete surfaces for chips and spalls. Patch spalled concrete areas with a
patching material such as Sona Patch or Sika 123.
4) Inspect all wood wailers and rubrails. Ensure that wood end joints remain gapped
to allow system flexibility and that wood is kept level throughout the system.
Treat repairs or cuts with an appropriate copper based compound.
5) Inspect galvanized steel components for nicks and rust spots. Treat all such
blemishes, as well as bare steel resulting from field modifications, with cold
galvanizing compound.
6) Scrape oysters and other marine growth from all concrete and metal pilings
supporting pier system, to allow unimpeded movement of deck rollers and blocks.
Oysters and marine growth shall be removed to the mean lower water level. Use
a Corothane 1 HS coating by Sherwin Williams for metal surfaces.
7) Inspect deck cleats and tighten as necessary.
8) Remove any floating debris found under or between float modules of floating
dock.
9) Inspect pile rollers for worn, weak or flat spots. Replace if excessive wear is
evident. Tighten all fasters for pile roller system and blocks as required.
10) Re-secure loose areas of wood rubrail, vinyl fendering and vinyl corner bumpers
using aluminum or stainless steel nails. Clean all vinyl fendering using standard
commercial cleaners.
11) Anchor loose fiberglass electrical power pedestals with new anchor bolts as
required to provide complete fastening at all four corners of base.
12) Inspect aluminum electrical power pedestals and reanchor where necessary.
Reweld loose base connections as necessary.
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b. All necessary inspection services on a fixed pier and typical yearly maintenance and
may include the following:
1) Perform topside yearly visual pier and pile inspection and provide a detailed
report of the accessible areas on all structures.
2) Power pedestals, dock boxes, fire hose and fire extinguisher cabinets: Clean all
exposed surfaces. Was with polished designed for fiberglass or plastic surfaces to
renew original colors.
3) Clean grease or oil spots on decking with Oil-Sorb and/or muriatic acid. Remove
rust spots using oxalic acid and rinsing with fresh water and Dutch cleaner. Scrub
bird droppings with a fiber bristle brush (do not use wire brushes).
c. Provide a detailed maintain a maintenance log of all work performed on the dock and
marine structure system. This log should reflect the date the work was performed, the
type of maintenance performed, the personnel who did the work, and it should be
signed off by the maintenance supervisor. This log will help identify areas which
may require scheduled maintenance on a recurring basis, as well as provide a written
record of the preventative maintenance as it is performed.
d. Proper disposal of all materials resulting from maintenance, repairs, or construction
of maritime structures in accordance with all South Carolina DHEC regulations.
e. Visual dive inspection on select piers.
f. Post storm inspection & recommendations for repairs.
2. The contractor shall be responsible for obtaining all necessary permits as required by the
local, state and federal jurisdictions and costs associated with obtaining said permits shall
be the responsibility of the contractor.
3. Contractor shall not proceed with any project activity and/or work without the written
consent of the City of Charleston, or its designated sub-recipient, and/or a valid purchase
order.
4. All work must be completed according to the City of Charleston requirements, in addition
to any recognized best practice standards and adopted City of Charleston Codes.
5. The City may add new docks and fixed piers in the future.
6. Prior to severe storm events, the city may request the removal and temporary storage at
predetermined locations and/or shoring of existing floating docks. The City will
negotiate with the selected contractor how far in advance of a hurricane event.
C. Qualifications
1. Qualified Applicants performing the work shall have a Specialty Marine License as
issued by the South Carolina Contractor's Licensing Board.
2. The Specialty Marine Contractor shall provide evidence of seven (7) years of more
experience in basic inspection/monitoring, all forms of floating dock, wood, concrete and
steel piles. Experienced with cleaning and removing debris around all moving parts,
tightening and making adjustments, painting and treating corroded metals such as steel
piles as necessary and documenting all maintenance and repairs.
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3. Qualified bidders shall provide evidence of all insurances identified in the document
relating to this project including Longshoreman's Insurance.
4. Provide evidence of in house or contracted certified dive inspections of underwater piers
and structures.
5. Marine Supervisor/Inspector with 5 years' experience with marine wood and concrete
systems.
D. Submittals
1. The approval or disapproval of contractors will be determined by their response to this
request and past performances demonstrated in their proposal. The contractor should
make no assumptions as to this Committee's prior knowledge of qualifications.
2. At a minimum, the submitted qualifications shall include the following:
a. Introduction to principals and supervisory staff planned for this work that describes
both history and professional experience.
b. Provide a listing of three (3) relevant project activities including:
1) A listing of staff that worked on the project activity and their project activity
assignment (i.e., estimating, supervisory, actual work staff),
2) Complete project activity description,
3) Nature of contractor's responsibilities,
4) Project activity owners' name,
5) Reference contact with current telephone number
c. Ability to provide services within a predetermined schedule and budgetary constraints
based on the requirements of the activity;
d. A statement by the Contractor of their ability both in experience and available
manpower to meet the requirements contained herein.
e. A statement by the Contractor describing their ability to provide "real time" service to
the client. Real time shall be defined as providing services within a predetermined
time based on the requirements of the project activity, as in a one week or one month
deadline for the completion of the activity.
f. Professional references for both the Contractor and the key individuals assigned for
this project activity.
g. A statement that describes the Contractor's experience with the City of Charleston.
h. Conclusion, remarks, and/or supplemental information pertinent to this request.
E. Contractor Responsibility
The contractor shall provide all of the proposed work and services as finally agreed upon and
accepted by the City of Charleston. The contractor shall fully acquaint himself with
conditions relating to the scope and restrictions attending the execution of the work under the
conditions of this proposal. It is expected that this will sometimes require on-site
observation. The failure or omission of the contractor to acquaint himself with existing
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