Operation of the Farmers Market

The Town of Miami Lakes issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the operation of the Farmers Market on New Barn Road. The RFP required proposers to have at least two years of experience managing and operating farmers markets and to provide three reference letters from past or current municipalities/clients. The Town received two proposals, but the highest-ranked Proposer, The Cioli Group LLC, was deemed unresponsive due to not meeting the minimum qualification of three verifiable client references. As a result, the Town decided to cancel the RFP. • The RFP was issued on May 25, 2021, and the proposal opening date was June 15, 2021. • The Evaluation Committee ranked the proposals, with The Cioli Group LLC receiving 536 points and Florida Fresh Markets, Ent. Inc. receiving 408 points. • The Town contacted the references provided by The Cioli Group LLC, but one of the references stated that they were not familiar with the owner of the company. • The Town decided to cancel the RFP due to The Cioli Group LLC not meeting the minimum qualification.