Hillsborough County evaluation committee ranks firms for culvert and pump‑station rehabilitation, recommends awards

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY — An evaluation committee for Hillsborough County’s solicitation RPS2500030 reviewed and scored proposals for professional engineering services for culvert and pump‑station rehabilitation and reached consensus to recommend award based on the ranked scores.

The committee, chaired by Aaron Post of Hillsborough County Public Works, used four weighted criteria — firm and personnel qualifications (35 points), relevant project experience (50 points), ability to meet schedule and budget (10 points), and recent/current/projected workload (5 points) — plus bonus points for DMWBE participation, past performance and volume of work. Sybil Tucker, the county buyer for the project, recapped the consensus scores and next steps at the end of the meeting.

The highest‑ranked firms and total scores reported by the committee were: DRMP (105 points), Dewberry Engineers (99 points), Jacobs Engineering Group (95 points, ranked higher than Kissinger Campo and Associates under the solicitation tie‑breaker), Kissinger Campo and Associates (95 points), Kimberly Horn and Associates (90 points), Atkins Realis (86 points), Environmental Consultant & Technology/ECT (78 points), Alan Plummer & Associates (77 points), VNA Consulting Engineers (75 points), and others ranked lower in the overall list. The committee applied DMWBE bonus points, past performance points and volume‑of‑work points as shown in the committee’s recap. The committee used the solicitation’s tie‑breaker provision (lowest historical volume of work paid by the county over the previous two fiscal periods) to break a 95‑point tie, placing Jacobs ahead of Kissinger Campo.

Committee discussion recorded detailed, firm‑by‑firm consensus scores for each of the four criteria. For example, the committee gave Dewberry Engineers high marks overall and recorded 43 points for Criteria 2 (experience with similar projects); DRMP received a high score on Criteria 2 and an overall total of 105 points. Several firms received lower scores where evaluators found limited pump‑station or electrical experience relative to the solicitation scope.

On next steps, Aaron Post, committee chair, said, “I think we would proceed with recommendation to award.” Tucker told the committee the department will determine the actual number of contracts to award based on available budget and will post a notice of intent to award in the Bonfire system. Tucker also reminded participants that “the cone of silence is still in effect, so please refrain from any contact with any of the proposers.”

The committee did not hold oral presentations during this meeting; the committee and county procurement staff will use the ranking and the department’s budget availability to determine awards and publish a notice of intent to award. The recommendation to award was made by consensus and the department will implement the tie‑breaker and award procedures described in the solicitation document (RPS2500030).