Sole Source: Composite Access Products LP (CAP)

As the agency published it

City of Fort Myers - Public Utilities has issued sole source.

Date: October 26, 2026 Supplier: Description: This is not a formal solicitation and there are no submissions required. The proposed action is for product or services for which the City intends to negotiate and award with only one source under the authority of and in accordance with Florida State Statute 287.057(3)(c). Any responses received as a result of this shall be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Responses will not be considered as proposals, bids, or quotes. This is a Notice for a Sole Source designation for the City of Fort Myers. To date, the above listed supplier has been identified as the exclusive source for this product/service. Notice is hereby provided that the above product/service may be a sole source. Any supplier that believes they are capable of providing the same type of product/service should submit product information, statement of qualifications, and/or capabilities, as applicable, through question #2 under the vendor questionnaire section for consideration by the department requesting the item no later than the due date and time. This posting will remain active for fifteen (15) calendar days. The Purchasing Agent must be notified by email only (kzimmerman@fortmyers.gov) within this fifteen-day period. Product or Service Required: Justification for Sole Source Acquisition: Recommended Procurement Approach: For the reason stated above, the City of Fort Myers Procurement Division intends to utilize the sole source procurement method to contract with supplying the above.

Composite Access Products (CAP) manufactures composite utility access covers and frames using a compression molding process and thermosetting resins blended with fiberglass. The specific method that CAP uses has never been patented as the original developers decided that making a patent would reveal too many proprietary details that others could merely copy with slight changes. CAP has been issued patent # 11,525,235 which covers the encapsulation of magnets and radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. CAP molds these devices into the raw substrate during the compression process. The magnets amplify signals received by metal detectors to locate the covers if they are overlayed by asphalt, buried, or hidden by surrounding plants etc. The RFIDs can be read with a portable device, can be located with that device, and can store information that the users may want like rim elevation, invert level, diameters, and many more. Since these devices are molded into the substrate, they are protected from incidental impact as well as chemical exposure. No machining into the composite is necessary, and the information can be read through the composite cover without exposed antennae. The patent referred to is entitled, Composite Manhole Cover with In-molded Components, was granted on December 13, 2022 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). A detailed specification can be received upon request.

Responses are due November 16, 2026 at 9:20 AM EST.

Commodity categories: Manholes, and Manhole Covers, Frames, Grates, Rings, Yokes, etc.; Manhole Risers, Steel Expandable.

Contact: Kirk Zimmerman, Senior Procurement Specialist (kzimmerman@fortmyers.gov, (239) 321-7241).

3 documents are attached to the notice: CAP MH City of Ft. Myers sole source letter 10-23-26; CAP General Submission Patent and Specification; US-11525235-B2.

The full solicitation document, addenda and the question-and-answer thread are on the agency's OpenGov portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/cityftmyers/projects/320240. Responses are submitted electronically there, and a free vendor account is required before you can upload one.

Reproduced from the official notice via OpenGov Procurement - Florida. The agency's page is the one that counts.