SEBASTIAN — At its Sept. 9 meeting, the City Council chose the top-ranking bidder, Nutt Construction of Tullahoma, Tenn., to replace the Sebastian Municipal Golf Course’s failing, 35-year-old irrigation system, with a price tag just shy of $1 million, but not before the second highest ranking (and second costliest) bidder voiced its protest.
At $998,500, Nutt’s bid was the highest: The Pignato Group, based in Wellington, Fla., submitted a bid of $947,723.
Sebastian Administrative Services Director Ken Killgore explained that, “since this is a design-build project, the selection of the contractor/design team was based on qualifications and not on the lowest bid.”
Four proposals were submitted last month, and the City Selection Committee, comprised of Killgore, City Manager Joe Griffin, Golf Course Director Greg Gardner, and City Engineer Ken Watanabe, studied and assessed the bids, conducted the interviews and made the recommendation to Council.
The four responding companies were ranked in several categories, through their proposals and detailed interviews, using a ranking process the City has successfully utilized in other major projects.
Two of the four were rejected because of “failure of complete responsiveness.”
Only 5 points – 375 vs. 380 – separated the remaining two, Nutt and Pignato, both of which have extensive experience working with top in- and out-of-state golf facilities.
Michael Pignato argued that, because his company also met the City’s requirements, the City should negotiate first with the lowest, not the highest bidder.
“I have no issue with (Nutt’s) qualifications, but with the process,” Pignato told Council. “I ask that you not approve Nutt, but table and revisit (the issue) and make the interviews public.”
Pignato called the City’s interview questions “softball-ish” and stated that Nutt had an unfair advantage because they were allowed to have their contractor in the interview, and he was not. “This isn’t fair,” he asserted.
Griffin stood by the process and the recommendation and said, “It’s time to move on.”
City Council member Andrea Coy agreed, telling Pignato, “In the 10 years I’ve been here, other people have disagreed with our process. It’s always come back to trusting our staff. I trust Joe Griffin implicitly.”
Mayor Richard Gillmor agreed with Coy, and told Pignato, “There were two good bidders. You were close.”
To Pignato’s comment that the interviews should be public, he explained, “This is not a Sunshine Law issue. The Selection Committee is not subject to that, like we (the City Council) would be.”
City Attorney Robert Ginsburg told Council, “You have followed the process. You can either reject (the recommendation) or go forward.”
In the absence of Council member Bob McPartlan, Council voted 4-0 to authorize Griffin to negotiate and execute the contract. Should the negotiation with Nutt Construction prove unsuccessful, Griffin would move to the second-place ranked company – Pignato.
The 121-acre Sebastian Municipal Golf Course is an 18-hole, par 72 championship course, which opened in 1981. The current irrigation system dates from that time.
olf Course Director Greg Gardner says there are more than 10 miles of pipe throughout the system, including 6- and 8-inch main line, and 2-, 4- and 6-inch laterals.
Repairs have been done, per the maintenance contract, over the years, but the entire system is old and worn out, and leaks occur constantly, losing thousands of gallons of water and compromising the course, according to staff.
The new project is far more complex than simple maintenance, Gardner says. The irrigation layout “will be adjusted for maximum efficiency, mostly repositioning the sprinkler heads around the greens and tees. In the long run (the new system) will provide more coverage on our turf, while using less water and less electricity from the 20 (horsepower) and two 50 HP pumps.”
The golf course is an enterprise fund, and this project is not included in the city’s FY 15-16 General Fund budget. It will be funded through the DST (Discretionary Sales Tax) and the Building Fund.
The construction period is 120 days with work to start Oct. 1, and be completed by Jan. 31.