Florida county to issue RFP for the design, contrition and operation of a MRF

The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) of Hillsborough County, Florida, says it will issue a request for proposals (RFP) to design, build and operate (DBO) a recyclable materials processing facility (RMPF, or material recovery facility, MRF) later this year. The county has released a conceptual draft RFP that is open for comment for two weeks by interested parties during the pre-RFP period.

The county encourages vendors to submit written comments or to make appointments to discuss the RFP with its Solid Waste Division. In addition, during the week of Feb. 22, the county says it will hold a workshop to receive oral comments and considerations for potential inclusion into its RFP approach. The final RFP might contain amendments based on the information collected during this public comment period, according to the county.

Comments should not be in the form of questions; instead, a question-and-answer period will be provided upon release of the final  RFP. Comments are to be submitted or appointments are to be scheduled no later than Friday, Feb. 19, with:

Travis S. Barnes, MPA, LEED AP

Recycling Coordinator, Solid Waste Management Division Department of Public Utilities

(813) 209-3085

E: [email protected]

W: HCFLGov.net/Recycling

All interested vendors are encouraged to register with the county at www.hcflgov.net/vendors to receive further information on this potential procurement. Additional important information related to the draft and final RFP will be posted at www.hillsboroughcounty.org/en/businesses/doing-business-with-hillsborough/bid-opportunities-information.

The county encourages qualified vendors to closely monitor the development of the RFP and quickly begin due diligence investigations concerning the conditions in the county in anticipation that the BOCC will issue the RFP in March 2021 and award the MRF contract in September 2021.

The county says it is evaluating a number of RFP concepts for the BOCC’s consideration and approval:

• Hillsborough County encompasses a diverse and growing area on the west coast of Florida. The entire county has a population of approximately 1.51 million and is the fourth-most-populous county in Florida. The population in the unincorporated portion of the county is expected to pass 1 million in 2021, with the remaining population residing in the cities of Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City. Since 2010, the county population has grown 19 percent and is currently growing 1.5 percent to 2 percent per year.
• Hillsborough County’s residential single-stream recycling program generates approximately 60,000 tons of recyclables per year, not including the municipalities in the county that have their own programs. 
• Design and construction (complete with a formal commissioning and county approval) of the RMPF is expected to be completed by September 2023, with the commencement of operations projected to begin Oct. 1, 2023, provided a suitable vendor is awarded during an approved procurement. The operating contract is planned for an initial 12-year term with the county’s option for a single and one-time-only eight-year extension option.
• The county will provide and own the land for the RMPF in central Hillsborough County and will pay the vendor for the constructed building and appurtenant site work and facilities that are required and permitted and assume ownership of those assets. The awarded contractor will own and be fully responsible for installing, operating and maintaining all process and nonprocess equipment and the respective maintenance over the contract period.