Purchasing and Risk Management Division - Construction Services

• Notice to Contractors for Prequalification
• Qualified Construction Contractors

For more information contact:
Rocky Luoma

(727) 464-4336

All Contractors are required to register with Pinellas ePro at no cost in advance of a scheduled bid opening and upload the required documents as requested in the solicitation prior to the submission deadline.

Contractors no longer need to become prequalified in advance to participate in bidding. Pinellas County has moved to a two-step process allowing contractors to be deemed prequalified as part of Step 1 of the two-step process (see notice to contractors below for more information).

If you are currently a prequalified contractor with the County, you will maintain your prequalification status at least through 2021. If you are a prequalified contract be sure to self-identity as a prequalified vendor when registering in Pinellas ePro. Pinellas County will validate Contractors to ensure they have been approved as a Pre-qualified contractor before approving them in the pre-qualified category in Pinellas ePro.

For further vendor registration see our vendor information.

Notice to Contractors

Effective January 2021, Pinellas County (County) will be suspending the construction prequalification process allowing contractors to participate in a two-step bid process as part of a one-year pilot program. During this pilot time frame, the County will not require contractors to prequalify through the long-standing Prequalification Committee process; the goal of this pilot program is to provide opportunities for small and medium sized contractors to participate for construction bid opportunities. New contractors, contractors not currently pre-qualified by the County or Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), must submit prequalification requirements for each new construction bid opportunity for in which they are interested in.

The two-step bid process allows contractors to submit required prequalification credentials as step 1 of the bid process. Step 2 will then be open to only the contractors who have been approved for meeting the prequalification criteria from step 1.

If you are currently a prequalified contractor with the County you will maintain your prequalification status at least through 2021; after which, staff will review the pilot program and determine how to proceed. Step 1 submissions for current prequalified contractors with the County or FDOT will only require submission of the Step 1 form indicating your prequalification status; for ease the County will attach the list of firms who are currently prequalified with the County. FDOT prequalified firms will simply respond back to Step One stating they are qualified along with proof of such. Contractors who are have not been prequalified with the County or FDOT will be required to submit additional prequalification requirements. Those requirements will include but not be limited to overall corporate experience, experience related to the specific construction discipline, bonding capacity and a signed affidavit expressing your firm has not been debarred or suspended by another government agency.

The prequalification process was previously established by the Board of County Commissioners (Board) requiring major construction and renovation purchases in the amount of $100,000 or greater be provided by firms applying, submitting specific financial and experience criteria for review and approval by the Prequalification Committee. The Committee's role was to recommend to the County Administrator the category and dollar limit for which applicants may provide their services; with the County Administrator as final approval. The Prequalification was generally sixty (60) days (from application to approval) or more with the Committee meeting four times per year, to provide recommendations for County Administrator approval prior to contractors being notified of placement on the prequalified listing, allowing participation in bidding on Pinellas County projects.

The two-step process removes the need for the prequalification process and allows for contractors to be deemed prequalified for meeting the prequalification criteria for step 1.

If you have questions or seek further information, please contact either Pamela Ulrich at (727) 464-3150 or Merry Celeste, Division Director of Purchasing and Risk Management at (727) 464-3559 or the procurement analyst responsible for this competitive process.

Thank you.