Fort Myers Beach selection committee ranks top firms for RFQ 2406AD; recommendations go to Town Council April 21

The Town of Fort Myers Beach selection advisory committee on RFQ 2406AD reviewed proposals and approved recommended shortlists of firms across multiple service categories to forward to the town manager and Town Council for consideration on April 21.

The committee — constituted of town staff and department leads — said the RFQ process was delayed after the proposals were due on Aug. 19, 2024 because of hurricanes and staff turnover. Debbie Glavin, contracts and procurement specialist for the Town of Fort Myers Beach, opened the meeting by noting the delay: "This is the selection advisory committee for, the RFQ 24 0 6 AD that was, due last year, August 19, 2024." The committee reviewed scores compiled from individual rankings and moved, by voice vote, to approve the recommended shortlists in each category.

Why it matters: the shortlists will form the pool of firms the town may negotiate with for professional services tied to rebuilding and capital projects. The committee said it preferred keeping broader shortlists in many categories — typically the top five firms — to preserve flexibility given the town's recovery and the variety of funding constraints involved. "So, it was always my contention to try to get that virtual Rolodex and have as as many top ranked professionals as we could without overloading the system," said Frankie Kropatchik, operations and compliance director.

How the committee worked: committee members completed scores individually and staff compiled totals. For many categories, members then confirmed the top-ranked firms aloud and approved the committee recommendations by voice votes; the meeting transcript records repeated motions and unanimous “aye” responses. The committee noted procedural next steps: the contracts manager will forward the compiled…