Homestead seeks engineering firms for Donnie Distribution Substation
Homestead is seeking engineering firms for the planned Donnie Distribution Substation, with qualifications due Thursday, Aug. 6, at 2 p.m. Eastern.
The City of Homestead issued RFQ 202623 for “Engineering Services for Donnie Substation,” moving the electrical-infrastructure project into another procurement step. The request is for engineering services only; it is not a final engineering award, construction authorization or announcement that the facility is ready to operate.
What firms need to know
Firms must submit qualifications through the city’s OpenGov electronic bidding system by the Aug. 6 deadline. Requests for clarification were due Friday, July 31, at 5 p.m. Eastern, so that deadline has passed.
The city held a nonmandatory pre-submittal meeting July 9 at the Procurement & Contract Services Department, 450 SE 6th Avenue in Homestead. The meeting also offered a virtual attendance option.
The solicitation is subject to Homestead’s cone-of-silence rules. The published notice identifies Xintia Rubio-Rojas, CPPB, as the procurement contact.
Planned electrical capacity
City planning documents describe the proposed Donnie facility as a 138-kilovolt/13.2-kilovolt distribution substation designed for 89 megavolt-amperes of capability.
The technical concept calls for a loop-in/loop-out connection involving Homestead’s Lucy Substation and Florida Power & Light’s Davis Substation. Those technical details are planning information and could change as engineering and later project stages proceed.
The 89 MVA figure is planned design capacity, not electricity currently available to customers.
Why the project matters
Homestead management documents identify increasing electrical demand as the reason for the project. The city says the new substation is intended to add capacity and improve grid flexibility and reliability.
Those documents describe the project’s intended benefits. The current solicitation does not establish that residents or businesses will immediately experience fewer outages, different electric rates or a change in daily service.
Project status remains open
The engineering RFQ is one step in a broader sequence that includes design, equipment procurement and construction-related work. Earlier city materials described prior project activity, but the current record does not identify a selected engineering firm, final project cost or confirmed in-service date.
The next verifiable milestone is the receipt and evaluation of submissions after the Aug. 6 deadline. Any award, construction authorization, schedule or final design would require later city action or documentation.
Sources
- Donnie Substation RFQ, RFQ 202623
- City of Homestead notice of solicitation for RFQ 202623
- Homestead pre-submittal meeting notice for RFQ 202623
- Design Basis for Donnie Substation Interconnection Project
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