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CFTOD Issues Small Construction Continuing Services RFP: Multiple Awards, No Price Scoring, and a Five-Page Limit That Will Test Your Brevity

Filed in: Bid Watch By: Sean Gellis Date: May 12, 2026

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District — the special independent district governing the 25,000-acre area encompassing the Walt Disney World Resort — released RFP #C007074 on May 8, 2026, seeking qualified general contractors for a continuing services contract covering a broad range of small construction, renovation, demolition, utility, and emergency repair work across District property.

For contractors unfamiliar with this procurement authority: CFTOD is the successor entity to the Reedy Creek Improvement District, restructured by the Florida Legislature in 2023. It functions as a quasi-municipal government with its own building department, utility system (Reedy Creek Energy Services, or “RCES”), land development regulations, and — critically for this solicitation — its own building code, the EPCOT Building Code. If you’ve never contracted with CFTOD or its predecessor, this RFP is a reasonable entry point, but the regulatory environment is unlike any other special district in Florida.

The key structural feature: this is not a single-award contract. The District intends to award continuing services contracts to every firm that scores 90 points or higher out of 100. Price is not a scored evaluation criterion. The competition is entirely on qualifications, references, and your ability to demonstrate standard and emergency response capability — all within a five-page narrative limit.

The Opportunity at a Glance

• Solicitation Number: RFP #C007074
• Issuing Entity: Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD), Procurement & Contracting Department, 1900 Hotel Plaza Blvd., Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
• Scope: All labor, materials, equipment, tools, supervision, and transportation for a wide range of small construction projects issued on a Task Work Order (TWO) basis — including minor construction, renovations, demolition, site work, grading, concrete/asphalt, fencing, stormwater systems, utility systems (potable water, sanitary sewer, force main, reclaim), flooring, ceilings, framing, drywall, cabinetry, and door/hardware installation
• Term: Three (3) years initial, with an optional two (2)-year renewal
• Award Structure: Multiple awards — all proposers scoring 90+ receive contracts
• Submission: Electronic only via the CFTOD PlanetBids Portal; hard-copy submissions will not be accepted
• Due Date: Check the PlanetBids portal — the RFP document itself defers to the portal for all dates (Section 3.1)
• Page Limit: 5 pages (excluding cover letter up to 2 pages, resumes, required forms, licenses, and certifications)
• Licensing Requirement: Florida General Contractor or Building Contractor license required
• Volume Guarantee: None — the contract is non-exclusive with no minimum guaranteed work

Price Isn’t Scored. That Changes the Entire Response Strategy.

The evaluation criteria tell you exactly where to put your energy:

Price is submitted separately — detailed labor rates and equipment rates uploaded as a distinct attachment, preferably in Excel format. The RFP says pricing must be “within industry standard,” but it is not scored. This means two things: first, you cannot buy your way into the vendor pool by undercutting on price; second, you cannot be excluded from the pool for being at the higher end of market rates, provided you’re within the industry standard range.

The 90-point threshold on a 100-point scale (105 with bonus) is high. It means even a strong firm can miss on one criterion and fall short. The math: if you score a perfect 40 on qualifications but underperform on emergency response (say, 25 out of 35) and references (20 out of 25), you land at 85 — below the cutoff. Every section matters.

The 5 bonus points for Buy Local, Opportunity Zone, and Veteran Small Business designation could be the difference between 88 and 93. If you qualify under the District’s Procurement Policy for any of these programs, confirm your eligibility and documentation before you submit.

Five Pages Is Not a Lot of Room

Section 8.1.B limits narrative responses to five pages, excluding the cover letter (up to two pages), resumes, and required forms/licenses/certifications. For a scope that spans 15 trade categories from stormwater systems to cabinet installation, five pages forces painful prioritization.

The practical approach: don’t try to address every line item in the scope. The evaluation committee knows what small construction looks like. Instead, concentrate your five pages on the three scored criteria — qualifications that match the District’s specific environment (EPCOT Building Code experience, RCES utility coordination, work in active guest-facing areas), references from engagements of comparable scope and sensitivity, and a detailed explanation of your standard and emergency response protocols with named contacts and documented procedures.

Resumes are excluded from the page count. Use them. Put your project manager’s track record and relevant certifications in a resume attachment rather than burning narrative pages on biographical detail.

Emergency Response Requirements Are Aggressive — and Default-Triggering

The emergency response obligations in this RFP are among the most demanding you’ll see in a continuing services contract, and the penalties for non-compliance are severe:

• Regular service requests: On-site within 24 hours after request. Failure to adhere is cause for contract default (Section 12.17).
• Emergency rate billing: Contractor must arrive within 2 hours of after-hours callback. If the contractor arrives outside the 2-hour window, only after-hours rates (not emergency rates) may be charged. Multiple failures to meet the 2-hour window constitute cause for contract default (Section 12.7).
• Emergency mobilization: When a project is deemed an emergency, the contractor must mobilize and be on-site within 4 hours of initial notification — which may come by phone, email, text, or any other form of communication, at any time of day or night, weekday, weekend, or holiday. Failure to adhere is cause for contract default (Section 12.8.B).
• Storm response: When a named storm threatens the District, contractors must provide a list of standby contacts within 24 hours and guarantee dedicated priority response. Failure is cause for contract default (Section 15).

That’s four separate contract default triggers tied to response time. Section 8.2.E — “Response Capabilities for Standard and Emergency Work” — carries 35 of 100 points. This is where you win or lose the RFP. The District wants documented procedures, specific staffing commitments, and named contacts. Generic assurances won’t score well against firms that describe shift rosters, on-call rotations, equipment pre-staging, and defined mobilization protocols.

Don’t forget Exhibit D — Emergency Response Form, which is a required submission excluded from the page count.

The EPCOT Building Code and RCES Standards Are Not Suggestions

This is not a typical municipal construction environment. Section 13.7 requires all work to comply with:

• The EPCOT Building Code (latest edition) — CFTOD’s own building code, distinct from the Florida Building Code
• RCES Electrical Construction Specifications (latest edition)
• CFTOD Utility Specifications and Construction Standards (latest edition)
• FDOT Standard Plans and Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction (latest edition)
• The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (latest edition)
• CFTOD Land Development Regulations (latest edition)

If you’ve worked under the Florida Building Code your entire career but have never encountered the EPCOT Building Code, you need to understand what you’re walking into. CFTOD operates its own permitting system — contractors must register with the District’s Building & Safety department and use the Accela Citizen Access (ACA) online permitting system. This is Section 19.2 territory: get registered before you bid, not after you win.

The 811 utility locate process (Section 12.6.A) also has a CFTOD-specific layer. Beyond the standard 811 ticket, contractors must coordinate with RCES for utility locates within the District and contact CFTOD Facilities Management for secondary locates on communications and low-voltage systems (Section 13.5). Hitting an unmarked utility in an active resort environment is not a billing dispute — it’s a safety and operational crisis.

The Grooming Standards Tell You Where You’re Working

Sections 20.2 through 20.12 contain approximately three pages of grooming, appearance, and conduct requirements that would be unusual in most public construction contracts but are entirely consistent with the District’s operating environment. Among the specifics: facial hair must be well-groomed and may not exceed two inches in length; goatees must be kept at one-quarter inch; mustaches may not extend onto or over the upper lip; visible tattoos on the face, head, neck, or hands are prohibited; nail length may not exceed one-quarter inch beyond the fingertip; altered hair color must appear natural; shaving of eyebrows is not permitted; T-shirts and hooded sweatshirts are not allowed; and mirrored sunglasses are unacceptable.

These aren’t arbitrary rules. This is a 25,000-acre resort district that receives tens of millions of visitors annually. Section 20.7 says it plainly: contractors may frequently encounter visitors, and “the image that you project plays a role in the impression of the District.” For firms accustomed to highway construction or utility work in rural right-of-way, this is a different operating culture. Make sure your field crews understand the expectations before the first day on site — a Section 20.3 removal of a non-conforming employee is an avoidable embarrassment.

Subcontractor Disclosure Is a Fatal Requirement

Section 8.2.C is explicit: the District will reject any proposal that does not include a Subcontractor List (Exhibit C), or if the list is found incomplete. If you’re self-performing everything, you must still submit the form with “None” written on it. Once awarded, contractors cannot change or add subcontractors without District approval.

This isn’t just a paperwork requirement — it’s a structural constraint on your business model. If you plan to sub out stormwater, utility, or specialty trades, those subcontractors must be named in your proposal, must carry insurance equal to or exceeding the minimums required of the prime, and must comply with all District guidelines including the grooming and conduct standards. Plan your team before you submit.

Task Work Order Economics: How the Money Actually Flows

Winning a continuing services contract with CFTOD gives you a seat at the table, not a check. Work is issued via individual Task Work Orders (TWOs), and the process works like this:

1. The District requests a written quote from the contractor.
2. The contractor submits a detailed proposal — scope, price breakdown using the rates established in the RFP, schedule, milestones, and subcontractor list — within five calendar days of the request (unless it’s an emergency).
3. Work among the awarded contractors is distributed on an “equitable distribution of work effort” basis, with consideration for best-qualified contractor for a given project.
4. No work begins until the District issues a written Notice to Proceed (except in emergencies, where email authorization suffices with written follow-up within 24 hours).

Pricing mechanics: labor rates are fully burdened (overhead, profit, benefits, insurance, workers’ comp). Materials are billed at cost plus a reasonable markup percentage — no additional fees or costs beyond that markup. Standard hours are 7:00 AM–5:00 PM Monday through Friday; after-hours is everything else. Payment and Performance Bonds are required for any project valued at $200,000 or more, per F.S. §255.05, and the bond cost must be identified as a separate line item.

The non-exclusivity clause (Section 12.18) is worth internalizing: the District does not guarantee any volume, and it retains sole discretion to obtain services from third parties. This contract is a license to compete for work, not a promise of revenue.

Strategic Takeaways

For firms with CFTOD/Reedy Creek experience: You have a significant advantage on the qualifications criterion (40 points). Emphasize your familiarity with the EPCOT Building Code, RCES coordination, ACA permitting, and working in guest-facing environments. Your references should include CFTOD project managers by name.

For firms entering the CFTOD ecosystem for the first time: Start your ACA registration now (Section 19.2). Identify which of the 15 scope categories you can credibly self-perform. Your five pages should focus on transferable experience from similarly sensitive environments — airports, convention centers, hospital campuses, active resort properties — anywhere you’ve demonstrated the ability to execute construction work in proximity to the public with strict conduct and appearance standards.

For everyone: Check the PlanetBids portal immediately for the submission deadline — the RFP document defers entirely to the portal for dates. Complete Exhibit B (Project Reference Form), Exhibit C (Subcontractor List), and Exhibit D (Emergency Response Form) early — they’re excluded from the page count and represent your chance to provide detail you can’t fit in five pages. If you qualify for the Buy Local, Opportunity Zone, or Veteran Small Business bonus points, confirm your documentation against the District’s Procurement Policy before you submit.

And read the grooming standards before your first site visit. The District means them.