All Proposers are hereby notified that the DBE requirements of 49 CFR Part 26 apply to this Solicitation.  The DBE participation goal for the Contract is 30%. It is the policy of the Authority to practice nondiscrimination based on race, color, sex, or national origin in the award or performance of this Contract. The Authority encourages participation by all firms qualifying under this Solicitation, regardless of business size or ownership.

This resulting contract, if any, will be subject to contract compliance payment tracking, and the prime contractor and any DBE subcontractors shall provide any noted and/or requested contract compliance-related payment data electronically in the B2GNow Contract Compliance Program System.  The prime contractor and all DBE subcontractors are responsible for responding by any noted response audit date or due date to any instructions or request for information, and to check the B2GNow Contract Compliance Program System on a regular basis.  The prime contractor is responsible for ensuring all DBE subcontractors have completed all requested items and that their contact information is up-to-date.

Access information related to contractor access of the system will be provided to a designated point of contact with each contractor upon award of the contract.  The B2GNow Contract Compliance Program System is web-based and Contract Compliance Reporting – Vendor Training and can be accessed here.

Professional Services/A&E/CEI Services (Consultants Competitive Negotiation Act (CCNA))

Firm -Fixed Price or Rate

The Contact term shall be for two (2) years with the Authority having no options to renew. The Contract work shall commence upon the Authority’s issuance of a Notice to Proceed (NTP).

Basis of Award (Best Value Method).

a.         This is a “Best Value” competitive negotiated procurement. The Authority will conduct a two-step selection process as described in Section III.  The Authority may make award, if any, based on the selection criteria set forth in Section III from this solicitation to the responsible proposer(s) whose proposal offer conforms to the solicitation and is determined to be responsible in accordance with the JTA Procurement Rule 002, which is incorporated herein by reference. Proposer must possess management, financial, technical, and any required certifications necessary to fulfill the requirements of the Solicitation and is judged by an integrated assessment of the selection criteria to be most advantageous to the Authority, price and other factors considered.

b.         The Authority reserves the right to (1) reject any or all offers  or parts thereof if such action is in JTA's best interest, (2) accept other than the lowest offer if applicable, (3) waive informalities and minor irregularities in offers received, request additional information or clarifications, re-advertise, cancel, postpone the solicitation at any time, with or without cause, without liability to any Proposer.  (4) reserves the right to take into consideration the Proposer’s qualifications and past performance with JTA or any other entity in determining if the Proposer is responsible and qualified.

c.         The Authority intends to evaluate Proposals and may conduct discussions with Proposer(s) with the most highly ranked proposal.  A Proposal may be eliminated from the competitive range if, in the opinion of the Technical Evaluation Committee, the proposal has deficiencies so severe as to preclude resolution in time to be of service to the Authority or there is a need to limit the competitive range for the purpose of efficiency.

d.         Each initial Proposal should contain the Proposer’s best terms from a technical standpoint.

e.         Qualification and Technical items will be evaluated by a numerical rating system.  The numerical rating depicts how well the Proposer’s proposal meets the evaluation standards and solicitation requirements.  The proposal Risk assesses the risks associated with the Proposer’s proposed approach as it relates to accomplishing the requirements of the Request for Qualifications.  Performance Risk assesses the probability of the Proposer successfully accomplishing the proposed effort based on the Proposer’s demonstrated past and present performance.

f.          Prospective Proposers are advised that award if any may be made without discussions or any contact with the Proposers concerning the offers received except for clarifications. Therefore, Proposals should be submitted initially with the most favorable terms the prospective Proposer can submit to the JTA.

Respondent is hereby notified that Section 287.05701, Florida Statutes, requires that JTA may not request documentation of or consider a Proposer’s social, political, or ideological interests when determining if the Proposer is a responsible Proposer, and JTA may not give any preference to any Proposer based on that Proposer’s social, political, or ideological interests.

Proposers must be in good standing and authorized to transact business in the State of Florida, and must not be listed in the System for Award Management (SAM) as an excluded party.  In addition, all licenses required for Proposers whose businesses and professions are regulated by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation must be active and current at the time of the proposal submission. Failure to demonstrate compliance will result in being deemed non-responsive.

In addition, all licenses required for Proposers whose businesses and professions are regulated by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation must be active and current at the time the Proposal is submitted.  Proposer to provide copies of all licenses.

Failure to demonstrate compliance may result in being deemed non-responsive.

Specific insurance requirements are set forth in the Solicitation package. Insurance shall be written by an insurer who holds a current Certificate of Authority pursuant to Chapter 624, Florida Statutes, and who has a most recently published rating by A.M. Best & Company of “A-” or better.  Proposers must provide proof that the minimum insurance requirements can be met before Contract execution. 

All questions or concerns regarding this solicitation must be submitted on the eProcurement Portal prior to 12:00 pm (ET) on Tuesday, September 3, 2024. You will not be able to send messages after this time. Late questions may be answered at the sole discretion of the Authority. All responses to questions will be uploaded to the Portal and issued in an Addendum, on Friday, September 6, 2024. Please contact the Procurement Department's Contract Administrator at [email protected] regarding any questions or concerns prior to the questions deadline.

From the date of the initial publication of this Solicitation until the contract is awarded and the protest period has expired, all communication relating to this Solicitation, with the exception of Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) related questions, shall be sent to:

Carolyn Pride

Procurement Manager

Email: [email protected]

(904) 632-3820

All DBE questions shall be addressed to the Office of Small Business & Community Impact, Ken Middleton at [email protected] or 904-598-8728. This includes questions related to certification or assistance with finding certified DBE’s to partner with.

If you are not sure who to send a question to, please send it to [email protected] and it will be forwarded to the appropriate personnel.

All other communication to the JTA or any JTA employee, consultant, or Board Member regarding this Solicitation is prohibited, unless made in accordance with JTA's Solicitation and Award Protest Rule. The JTA Board of Directors has established a zero tolerance policy and the JTA will disqualify any Proposer who makes or causes to be made, directly or indirectly, any improper communication. Nothing contained in this paragraph prohibits JTA personnel from initiating contact with a Proposer and subsequent communication related thereto for the purpose of obtaining additional information that is relevant to the Solicitation.

Proposers are hereby notified that the JTA is subject to the Florida Public Records Law and the Government in the Sunshine Act, as set forth in Florida Statutes Chapters 119 and 286; as such, most communications to the JTA are subject to public disclosure, and the selection meeting(s), if any, will be open to the public.

All JTA contracts are subject to funding availability and are not binding upon the Authority until duly executed by the Authority and delivered to the Proposer.