Firm Description: Black & Veatch Corporation

Employee-Owned Global Leadership: Black & Veatch is a 100-percent employee-owned global engineering, procurement, consulting, and construction company with a heritage extending back to its founding in 1915. This ownership structure ensures that every professional contributing to the West Village Special Improvement District (WVID) has a personal stake in the quality and accuracy of the deliverables. The firm operates with a mission-driven approach summarized by "Building a World of Difference," leveraging over a century of technical excellence to address critical infrastructure needs in water, energy, and communications sectors.
Localized Florida Infrastructure Expertise: With strategically located offices in Coral Springs, Orlando, and Miami, the firm offers "boots-on-the-ground" presence for Florida municipal clients. Their deep familiarity with the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) standards is based on daily engagement with these regulatory bodies. For the WVID, this translates to faster permitting cycles and designs that are inherently compliant with regional environmental constraints.
Reach-Back Technical Depth: While project management is handled locally, Black & Veatch provides the WVID with access to a global network of subject matter experts (SMEs). Whether the challenge is complex hydraulic modeling, seismic risk assessment for utility vaults, or advanced business intelligence for asset management, the firm can pull specialized resources from its 10,000+ employee base. This resource depth eliminates technical bottlenecks.
Institutional Stability and Risk Management: As a multi-billion dollar entity, the firm provides institutional-grade stability. Their risk management protocols, safety programs, and professional liability coverage meet the highest standards required by municipal water districts. This financial and structural stability ensures that they remain a long-term partner for the District, capable of supporting infrastructure throughout its entire lifecycle.
Prior Work: Tradition & Southern Grove: The firm’s resume in Port St. Lucie is extensive, having served as the primary design engineer and construction manager for the Tradition Center for Innovation. They managed the complex utility master planning and physical infrastructure rollout for the Southern Grove area, ensuring that regional drainage and water distribution systems were integrated seamlessly with the City of Port St. Lucie's existing networks.
Asset Management Innovation: Beyond physical construction, Black & Veatch is a leader in digital infrastructure. Their work in Polk County (2019–2024) demonstrates their ability to revitalize legacy programs through the implementation of Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) and automated Power BI dashboards. They excel at transforming raw utility data into actionable insights for board-level decision-making.
Active Backlog and Dedicated Resourcing: The firm maintains a rigorous "Active Backlog" management system to ensure staff are not over-committed. In their WVID submission, they have dedicated a core team—including Project Manager Amanda Schwerman—whose schedules are specifically balanced to prioritize the District’s upcoming capital improvement projects. This prevents the "bait-and-switch" of personnel during procurement.
Proven Public Sector Performance: Black & Veatch holds active master service agreements with the City of Hollywood and Polk County, where they have consistently delivered multi-phase projects. Their ability to manage diverse budgets across multiple fiscal years proves their reliability as a fiduciary partner for public entities.

Client References & Case Studies

City of Hollywood, FL

Phase 1: $388,852

Phase 2: $426,346

Professional services for Cityworks Implementation at the Department of Public Utilities. Scope included Water/Wastewater Treatment Facilities and Underground Utilities to improve operational efficiencies and enhance maintenance practices to extend asset life.

Polk County, FL

Asset Management Revitalization (2019-2024)

2019: Asset Management Benchmarking Study.
2019-2020: WWTF Asset Inventory & Condition Assessment.
2020: KPI and SOP Pilot program development.
2021-2022: Compliance KPI Dashboards and Power BI Training.
2022-2024: Horizontal Asset Risk Assessment for aging infrastructure.

Scope of Services: Engineering & Infrastructure

Master District Engineering: Providing technical advice to the WVID Board, attending public hearings, and ensuring all district-wide engineering initiatives align with the master plan. This involves coordinating with developer engineers and city staff to verify that infrastructure meets the District’s benchmarks.
Utility Master Planning: Developing hydraulic models and system capacity analyses for potable water, reclaimed water, and wastewater networks. The scope ensures the West Village can support projected population density without compromising service levels.
Drainage and Stormwater Management: Engineering complex surface water management systems that comply with SFWMD Environmental Resource Permit (ERP) criteria, including interconnected retention basins and conveyance swales.
Construction Management & Observation: Providing periodic site observation during the installation of public infrastructure to verify that materials and installation techniques adhere to "Florida Greenbook" and City standards.
Geotechnical & Soil Testing Oversight: Coordinating specialized testing of subgrade soils and pavement sections to ensure the structural integrity of new roadways and utility corridors.
Environmental Permitting Liaison: Navigating the regulatory landscape of Florida’s agencies (FDEP, SFWMD), managing applications and certifications to ensure District compliance with water quality regulations.
Digital Asset Management & GIS Integration: Mapping all newly constructed assets into the District’s GIS system, facilitating the transition from "as-built" construction to operational maintenance.
Financial Advisory on Infrastructure: Assisting the District with the preparation of engineer's reports for bond financing, linking engineering design to the District’s financial strategy.

Technical Evaluation Criteria

As per the RFQ documentation, the following criteria are used to evaluate and rank professional engineering firms:

Ability of Professional Personnel: Experience and qualifications of the specific personnel proposed for the District team (highest priority).
Past Performance: Firm's history of performance on similar projects and feedback from previous municipal clients.
Willingness to Meet Schedule: Firm's current and projected workload and their commitment to the WVID's delivery timelines.
Office Location: Priority for firms with a local presence to ensure rapid response and site visit capability.
Volume of Work: Evaluation of the amount of work previously awarded to the firm by the District to ensure equitable distribution.

Technical Callouts

Black & Veatch

The 100% employee-owned engineering consultant proposed for WVID infrastructure services.

CCNA

Consultants' Competitive Negotiation Act (Florida Statute 287.055), requiring qualifications-based selection for professional services.

Cityworks

The CMMS platform implemented for the City of Hollywood to manage utility maintenance.

WVID Board

Governing body consisting of Bill Reeder, Jeff Slaton, George Ziobro, James G. "Gerry" McEnery, and Michael Marandola.

GAYA CAPITAL

DOCUMENT REF: WVID-BV-RFQ-2022

Building a World of Difference