Winter Springs rescinds contract minutes after approval

A difference of more than $100,000 in bids caused a change of heart with the Winter Springs City Commission Monday, as the commission rescinded a motion to offer a contract to Zulu Marine Services Inc.to remove sediment from streams throughout the city. 

The selected contractor is meant to increase flow rates by removing sediment buildup and is not meant to dig out or deepen creek beds, Mayor Kevin McCann said. He said the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service will cover 75% of the cost of sediment removal, a process which could help improve stormwater flow in the wake of heavy rain events, as the city encountered during Hurricane Ian in 2022. 

After a brief discussion, Commissioner Cade Resnick motioned for approval of the contract, followed by a 5-0 vote in favor of Zulu. 

Bayside Dredging LLC, Cathcart Construction Company – Florida LLC, GRSC Inc., TSI Disaster Recovery LLC and U.S. Commercial Diving had all bid on the contract.

Joe Ralph, a representative from the lowest bidder, GRSC, Inc., addressed commissioners after the passing vote. Ralph said GRSC had bid $207,600, which is $125,000 less than Zulu, the third lowest bidder. 

“When this project was first unveiled, we put in an aggressive bid together for this project,” Ralph said. “We were approximately $125,000 less than your suggested bidder.” 

He said GRSC has done similar work in the area and is under a performance-bonded contract. “Which means not only do I stand behind the work, but my insurance company does also, which poses very little risk to the city,” Ralph said. 

Interim City Manager Phil Hursh said, “Yeah, but the bid’s not solely based on price; it’s also your comfortable level of awarding somebody that you feel that you can work with.” 

Hursh said there is a wide range of prices among the bidders, with a highest bid of $1.8 million.

He said the city works with Zulu because the company videotaped and identified the creeks on the project after Hurricane Ian. A bid to allow other contractor applications was put out because the commission is statutorily required to do so, Hursh said. 

“So they have an acute awareness of the actual work,” McCann said. “Although, GRSC’s point is it’s insured that the work will be done.” 

McCann said the price difference raises a good point to reconsider. 

“I have concerns,” District 3 City Commissioner Ted Johnson said. “I mean he brought up that is a significant amount of money, and at the next meeting I would like to hear from both companies.” 

Johnson made a motion to rescind the approval and it passed unanimously. 

Johnson made a second motion to table the discussion of the final bid award until the next City Commission Regular Meeting on March 11. The motion passed with a 4-1 vote, with a no from District 2 City Commissioner Victoria Bruce. 

In a phone interview, Bruce said time did not allow her the chance to speak up before voting against the motion. She said she did not care who was awarded the contract but did not want to wait two weeks to make the decision. 

“This is something that they have been talking about doing for the past two years with no prevail, so the reason I voted no was just because I wanted to get it done as soon as possible, but I understand we have to go back and look at the staff recommendation now,” Bruce said. 

Extending the discussion allows factors to be introduced to the commission for further deliberation, including bid presentations and the city staff’s bid rankings. 

Bruce said part of the reason why the commission tabled the contract was because they never received the staff’s recommendation with ranked bids before the vote on Monday. 

“I’m kind of upset with myself because I didn’t even catch that it [Zulu] wasn’t the lowest bidder, and so I’m glad that that guy came and stood up for himself and I’m not sure why Zulu is better than the other guy,” she said. 

Vendors are notified that there is a possibility they have to attend a commission meeting in the invitation to bid that they received. “After the initial Bid review, the CITY may require one or more of the top Bidders to attend a meeting to make an oral presentation, answer questions, or clarify Bid conditions with the Bidder(s),” according to the invitation. 

Although Zulu and GRSC were the only companies discussed Monday, the city invites the remaining additional bidders to present. 

“We do want to make sure that we are doing the right work for the residents,” McCann said.