Bremerton Marina Private Mgmt Services Request for Proposal Process Report

The Bremerton Marina is projected to lose $350,000 in budget year 2013.  Once this was made public through the Port’s budget preparation process, a local businessman who has found success in owning and managing marinas approached the Port commission with an unsolicited proposal to privately manage the Bremerton Marina.  On October 23, 2012, the Port Commission in a public meeting took action and directed the staff to prepare a public solicitation (Request for Proposal) for the privatization of the Bremerton Marina. After extensive research by the staff and with the assistance of a consultant, BST Associates, the Port staff briefed the Port commission on the staff's recommended RFP process during the public Work Study Session held November 13, 2012. The RFP was released to local and regional news groups, Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce, and Puget Sound Business Journal, the RFP for publication on and around November 30, 2012 for the private “operation and management of the Bremerton Marina”.  The RFP response date was set for no later than December 28, 2012. 
 
On December 12, Port staff conducted a marina tour of the Bremerton Marina for any business interested in responding to the RFP.  The questions and answers that came from that meeting resulted in Addendum A to the RFP. 
 
Upon call for responses, only two companies submitted proposals; Marinas International of Dallas, TX and Marsh Andersen, LLC.  In order to provide a third party expert impartial review, the Port contracted with BST Associates for a consultant’s recommendation of the two proposals.  Although late in December but with only two responses received, both the consultant and Port staff determined that sufficient time existed to complete an analysis of the proposals prior to the next normally scheduled Port business meeting of January 8, 2013. 
 
On Wednesday, January 2, 2013, the Kitsap SUN and the Kitsap Business Journal submitted a public records request for the two proposals.  Law allows the Port five business days to acknowledge public record requests and the Port responded by providing the proposals within that timeframe. 
 
On Tuesday, January 8, the Port commissioners heard during the scheduled Work Session the consultant’s and staff’s recommendations on the two proposals (click here for a link to the consultant’s presentation).  Under the question “What is best for the Port of Bremerton?” the consultant concluded that both Marinas International and Marsh Anderson were qualified firms but neither the consultant nor Port staff could recommend either responder as providing a compelling business case for private management of the marina. The Port commission then closed the Work Session meeting and at the Business Meeting that directly followed and after taking public comments, moved and unanimously approved to terminate the process of privatizing the Bremerton Marina and reject both proposals.