Title
Resolution accepting the recommendation of the Chief Procurement Officer to award a contract to Manuel Diaz Farms, Inc. for the purchase and installation of trees and groundcover and to waive the Procurement Code pursuant to Section 2-583; and authorizing a budget amendment to the Fiscal Year 2012-2013 Annual Budget to recognize as revenue a transfer from General Fund Reserve and to appropriate such funds to cover the cost of the project.
Department Head Recommendation
Approval.
Brief History
The proposed improvements would restore the landscaping in the existing planters along the sidewalks by planting 265 (two hundred sixty-five) single trunk Alexander palm trees. Alexander palms are known for their arching evergreen fronds that emerge from the shaft forming a graceful crown. These palm trees, with an overall height of 18 to 20 feet, will provide a slender, clean and elegant look visually connecting the entire Ponce de Leon Boulevard corridor from Almeria Avenue to Salamanca Avenue. In addition, the planters will also receive 820 (eight hundred twenty) Green Island Ficus groundcover plants.
Staff has negotiated a favorable price of $275 per Alexander palm tree for this project as well as $5.31 for each 3-gallon Green Island Ficus plant. The remaining $16,333 will cover mulch, planting soil, mobilization and traffic control for a contract cost of $93,562.20. A $5,000 owner’s contingency is also included for a total project cost of $98,562.20.
Manuel Diaz Farms, Inc. currently has a contract with Miami Dade Expressway Authority for Systemwide Landscaping Services with a unit price of $323.40 for similar size Alexander palm trees. The cost of the Green Island Ficus is being paid at their current contract price. The waiver of the Procurement Code under Section 2-583, which requires a four-fifths vote of the Commission, is recommended in order to take advantage of the favorable price of $275 for each of these high quality trees.
A budget amendm...
Click here for full text