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Starting Over
Contested
Contract for South Pointe Improvements Results in Rejection
South Pointe Park. File photos by Mitchell Zachs/Magicalphotos.com
“If we award the project to one of them, the other one
will sue us.”
By Ryan
Brown
The
long-awaited improvements to South Pointe Park, the
palm-covered land on the southernmost edge of South Beach,
have recently hit a wall, leaving two companies squabbling
and the project in limbo.
 In October
of 2006, the city of Miami Beach sent out invitations to bid
to more than 1,100 potential suppliers, resulting in bids
from two companies: A2 Group, Inc. and Magnum Construction
Management Corporation (MCM).
The ITB’s
minimum requirements were for a “general contractor
certified in the state of Florida with a minimum of five
years experience as general contractor … a minimum of three
projects within the last five years with a minimum of eight
million dollars in construction costs, with emphasis on
heavy civil, ecological[ly] sensitive environments and
landscaping construction for beautification of parks and/or
beach/bayfront related construction projects.”
Past
performance evaluations were done on both firms, and the
city chose A2 Group, Inc., whose bid was lower than MCM’s by
$415,956, for the project earlier this month.
 On Jan. 8,
Miami Beach City Manager Jorge Gonzalez received a letter
from MCM that argued “A2 Group did not meet the
qualifications of the bid and should be therefore
disqualified.”
According to the letter, A2 had yet to complete the three
projects within the last five years required by the ITB. The
letter also alleges that A2 “does not have the adequate
equipment required” for the job.
First
Assistant City Attorney Raul Aguila sent a letter to MCM on
Jan. 11, explaining that “we have subsequently determined
that neither bid complies with certain of the minimum
requirements.” According to Aguila, the previous projects
MCM listed were not similar enough to what was required on
South Pointe Park.
“If we award the project to one of them, the other one will
sue us,” said Gonzalez.
The Miami Beach Commission decided Wednesday, Jan. 17 to
reject all bids, and essentially start over.
Comments?
E-mail
ryan@miamisunpost.com. |
