Hillsborough County holds pre-bid conference for South Shore Library renovations; bidders warned to submit required DMDWBE paperwork and questions on time

Hillsborough County procurement staff held a pre-bid conference for IFB2500203, the South Shore Library renovations and South Shore Library restroom renovations, outlining the project scope, submission process on the Bonfire platform, the site-visit schedule and DMDWBE (diverse-minority-disadvantaged/women-owned business enterprise) documentation requirements.

The pre-bid was led by Sybil Tucker, the procurement buyer for the project; Amy Jarman, manager of Capital Construction and the project manager; and D'Shaun Hines, the county's MBE/DMWBE compliance officer. Tucker said the bid close date in Bonfire is currently “June the third at 2PM.” She also said a site visit is scheduled “for tomorrow morning at 9AM” and that “the deadline for questions will be 14 calendar days after the date of that site visit.”

The project documents posted in Bonfire describe selective interior renovations within the existing 43,872-square-foot South Shore Library building, including interior demolition, new partitions and finishes, renovated restrooms, new office and meeting space, shelving changes, HVAC/plumbing/fire protection/electrical and related systems. Jarman summarized a three-phase sequence of work that keeps parts of the library open during construction and noted that the bid package includes a set of alternates for restroom work and for other additive items; she emphasized bidders must provide pricing for every line item, because the county may choose not to select some alternates.

Procurement and submission rules: Tucker walked bidders through required uploads in Bonfire and key contract documents. Required bid items listed include the bid table (line-item pricing), bidder requirements and acknowledgments, the supplier/subcontractor material-supplier list, the MBE1 form, a bid bond and an affidavit related to doing business with foreign countries. She cautioned bidders to submit electronically well before the close time, to use Bonfire’s support if they experience technical issues, and noted that allowances will be added by the county at award and that payment/bonding forms are required of the selected vendor.

DMDWBE/MBE compliance and documentation: D'Shaun Hines said bidders must submit a completed MBE1 form listing the DMDWBE firms proposed for the work and supporting letters of intent. He told attendees that the MBE/DMWBE firm must have current certification either with Hillsborough County as a DMDWBE or with a Florida state agency as an MBE, WBE or DBE; he said firms that have “graduated, been denied, or have previously received a one-time six-month reciprocal with Hillsborough County” cannot be used to meet the goal. Hines also said apparent low bidders must submit completed DMDWBE documents within five business days of notification, and that a bidder failing to meet the stated goal may submit good-faith-effort documentation within five business days for county evaluation.

The transcript contains conflicting statements about the numeric DMDWBE goal: Hines said, “There is a 60% goal on this project,” while Tucker later told bidders, “remember, you're trying to meet the goal of 16%.” The bid package and the contract documents were identified in the meeting as the authoritative sources for the established goal; Tucker pointed attendees to Section 2.12 of the contract terms and conditions for the DMDWBE information and urged bidders to consult the posted documents.

Other process notes and vendor resources: Tucker highlighted Bonfire features — the document-takers (plan-holders) list and an “interested contractors” area — as networking tools for primes and subcontractors and said vendor questions should be submitted in writing via Bonfire’s vendor discussions; answers and any addenda will be posted in Bonfire public notices. She reiterated the county’s “cone of silence” and told bidders not to contact county staff or the architect (Harvard Jolly) outside the permitted channels. The procurement team said they expected to post addenda or responses “most likely next week.”

No formal actions or votes were taken at the pre-bid conference; staff described submission deadlines, documentation requirements and site logistics and said the meeting was informational only. The procurement team said the pre-bid recording will be posted in Bonfire for firms that joined late.

For bidders: review the contract terms and special conditions in Bonfire (which include allowances, liquidated-damage language, days for substantial and final completion and phasing information), complete and submit the required forms with the electronic bid, and send written questions via Bonfire’s vendor discussions before the stated 14-calendar-day deadline after the site visit. The county cautioned that failure to submit required DMDWBE documentation may result in bid rejection.