High Springs approves three continuing engineering‑services contracts amid questions about procurement rules
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Summary
The City Commission approved continuing‑services agreements with Woodard & Curran, Kimley‑Horn and CPH Consulting, a step officials said will let staff quickly select prequalified engineers for projects. City staff and contractors explained Florida’s qualifications‑first procurement process and cautioned that price negotiations occur project by project.
The High Springs City Commission on Feb. 12 approved three continuing engineering‑services contracts with Woodard & Curran, Kimley‑Horn and CPH Consulting LLC, a move officials said will streamline the city’s ability to engage qualified engineers for future projects.
City Attorney Kirsten and staff described the agreements as broad continuing‑services contracts that qualify firms so the city can request project‑specific work orders and negotiate price and scope later. Mike Neal of Woodard & Curran told the commission the selection process follows Florida’s qualifications‑first approach under the Competitive Consultants Negotiation Act: the city first ranks firms by qualifications and then negotiates price with the most qualified firm for each project.
"The first step of qualifications basis is we're gonna find out who's qualified and we're going to rank them," Mike Neal said, describing the two‑step process. He warned that state rules limit simultaneous price negotiations with multiple firms: staff must negotiate with a top choice and only move to the next firm if negotiations fail.
Commissioners asked why hourly rates or a rate schedule were not included in the boilerplate contract. Staff and the city attorney said the contracts are intentionally general so the city can negotiate project‑specific pricing later; the work orders produced at the project stage will set rates or lump‑sum amounts. Commissioners pressed whether the city could require time‑and‑materials billing or rate tables; attorneys said those terms can be negotiated at the work‑order stage but are not typically set in an overarching continuing‑services contract.
The commission voted to approve the three resolutions (2026‑b for Woodard & Curran, 2026‑c for Kimley‑Horn and 2026‑d for CPH Consulting). Each resolution passed on recorded roll call votes with all five commissioners recorded in the affirmative.
Officials said the contracts are intended to give the city flexibility and speed when a project arises, while preserving the ability to go to additional firms later or reissue an RFQ if the city decides none of the qualified firms meet a particular project's needs.
The commission did not approve any single project under these contracts at the meeting; staff said project details, pricing and contract terms will be negotiated and returned for approval when specific work is proposed.