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CRA rejects adding 15 sites to Terracon contract; board votes to re-solicit with local preference
Summary
The Riviera Beach CRA declined to expand an existing landscape contract to include 15 additional properties and instead voted 5-0 to re-advertise those 15 properties with an emphasis on local vendor participation and on the new BitNet procurement platform.
The Riviera Beach Community Redevelopment Agency voted 5-0 to re-solicit 15 property parcels that staff had proposed adding to Terracon Services Inc.'s existing landscape contract, after commissioners said adding the sites without a separate procurement process would reduce opportunities for local vendors.
The board first considered a resolution (No. 202507) to amend the Terracon contract to add 15 parcels. Staff said the 15 properties had been omitted from the original contract and that Terracon had been performing landscaping within CRA territory. Several commissioners said the additional 15 sites represented substantial square footage and could have drawn bids from local small businesses if released separately. One commissioner said that handing the parcels to the incumbent without competition was inappropriate.
After discussion the board voted 0-5 to approve directly adding the 15 properties to the contract. The motion died. The board then approved a motion to repost the 15 parcels as a new solicitation with an emphasis on local vendor participation. The motion to re-solicit passed 5-0 (Commissioner Davis Paneer: yes; Commissioner Guyton: yes; Vice Chair Mila Anderson: yes; Commissioner Spiritis: yes; Chair Shirley Lanier: yes).
Procurement staff said the new solicitation will be posted as a standalone request for the 15 sites and that the city has moved from the DemandStar platform to BitNet, which will be used for future solicitations. Procurement said BitNet registration is free for vendors and that the platform will require individual uploads for each required form to reduce incomplete submissions. Staff said they will attempt to align contract terms and renewal options so the different landscape contracts do not expire at staggered dates.
Staff also noted the CRA tightened local vendor preference language to match city code; to qualify for local preference vendors must have a business tax receipt and a certificate of occupancy in Riviera Beach. The procurement director said staff will advertise the 15-site solicitation widely on BitNet and through other outreach channels to encourage local participation.
Ending: The board's decision keeps the existing Terracon contract intact for its originally awarded parcels while opening the 15 additional properties to competitive bidding with added outreach and local preference rules meant to increase local vendor participation.
