Legal Notice Request for Qualifications Engineering Services – State Revolving Fund (SRF) under the Supplemental Appropriation for Hurricanes Helene and Milton (SAHM), Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR), and Continuing Engineering Services The Suwannee Water & Sewer District (District), located in Suwannee, Florida has been awarded funding through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), State Revolving Fund (SRF), under the Supplemental Appropriation for Hurricanes Helene and Milton (SAHM) in the amount of $5,138,000. The funded project involves the planning, design, permitting, and construction of an additional ground water storage tank (GST), installation of permanent emergency backup generators, and replacement of hydro tanks. The District requests proposals from qualified individuals or firms to provide Engineering Services related to the above-mentioned project. Engineering services may include but are not limited to preliminary engineering, topographic surveying, testing, engineering design, cost estimating, permitting, contractor bidding coordination, construction administration, and resident observation, and shall be procured strictly on a Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) basis in accordance with the Florida Consultants' Competitive Negotiation Act (Section 287.055, F.S.). No pricing or fee information shall be submitted with the proposal. Subject to successful negotiation and compliance with all applicable federal procurement regulations (2 CFR 200.317–200.326), the Florida Consultants' Competitive Negotiation Act (Section 287.055, F.S.), and all federal cross-cutting requirements including, but not limited to, applicable provisions of Section 3 of the HUD Act of 1968 (when triggered), Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), and other civil rights laws. The firm selected through this RFQ will also be considered for continuing engineering services for other District projects on an as-needed basis. Contracts for such services may include support for other grant/loan programs such as USDA Rural Development, FDEP Springs/AWS/Water Quality grants, State Revolving Fund (SRF), Resilient Florida, FloridaCommerce Rural Infrastructure Fund (RIF), Water Management District grants, FDOT programs, and potable water or wastewater collection, pumping, or treatment facility projects. In addition, the District has applied for funding through the Rebuild Florida 2023 and 2024 Storms Infrastructure Repair Program (IRP), administered by the Florida Department of Commerce and funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program. Should the District receive IRP funding, the engineer selected through this RFQ may also be contracted to provide engineering services for the IRP project, subject to successful negotiation and compliance with all applicable federal procurement regulations (2 CFR 200.317–200.326), the Florida Consultants' Competitive Negotiation Act (Section 287.055, F.S.), and FloridaCommerce's Purchasing and Contracting Guidelines, and all HUD-required federal cross-cutting regulations. Additional information concerning the proposed services being requested and the ranking criteria to be used to evaluate the proposals may be obtained from Raelynn Brownell, General Manager, PO Box 143, Suwannee, FL 32692, telephone number (352)542-7570 or email, rbrownell@suwanneewater.com. Proposals will be considered on an equal competitive basis. No proposal will be accepted from individuals or firms placed on the convicted vendor list following a conviction of a public entity crime. Proposals for services will be evaluated in accordance with the requirements of Florida Statutes 287.055, the Consultants' Competitive Negotiation Act, using the following scoring criteria: Engineering Services: 1) Knowledge of State & Federal Rules Governing the CDBG Small Cities Program as well as Other Grant Programs serving municipalities and utilities with less than 10,000 population; 30 points 2) Experience with Projects Funded through FDEP SRF, CDBG Small Cities, CDBG Disaster Recovery (DR), and CDBG Mitigation (MIT) Programs; 30 points 3) Experience with Municipal and Utility Engineering Projects; 10 points 4) Management and Staffing; 10 points 5) Approach to Task; 10 points 6) Ability to Become Quickly Familiar with Local Conditions; 10 points Engineering fees will be negotiated after ranking, in compliance with the Florida Consultants' Competitive Negotiation Act. An original and six (6) copies of sealed proposals, marked "RFQ for Engineering Services (SRF SAHM, Continuing Services, and CDBG-DR/IRP Eligible Projects)" must be received by 12:00 p.m. noon on January 2, 2026. They can be mailed to PO Box 143, Suwannee, FL 32692, or dropped off at 825 SE 327th St, Old Town, FL 32680. Proposals will be opened as soon as possible after the submission deadline and evaluation, and selection will occur in accordance with CDBG requirements at a time and place to be determined. Suwannee Water and Sewer District reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, to waive any minor informalities or minor irregularities in the proposal process, all things being considered equal. The Suwannee Water and Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer and supports Equal Opportunity Employment, Fair Housing, and providing handicap access. Minority- and women-owned business enterprises (MBE/WBE) and Section 3 businesses are strongly encouraged to apply. THE SUWANNEE WATER AND SEWER DISTRICT SUPPORTS EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYMENT, FAIR HOUSING, AND PROVIDING HANDICAP ACCESS December 18 2025 LSAR0424260