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Growth & Business Development

Florida Construction Brief

Fort Myers Housing Authority’s Broadway Bid and CM/GC Windows Have Closed — Lessons for Specialty Contractors

Updated Oct 6, 2026: Both HACFM solicitations covered in this brief have closed (ITB 26-07 on September 17 and RFQ 26-08 on September 21, 2026). This update reports the posted Broadway bid tabulation, notes that no award or selection had been posted as of October 6, 2026, adds AGC’s September labor figures, and reframes the takeaways for the next housing-authority window.

Summary

In September 2026, the Housing Authority of the City of Fort Myers (HACFM) had two construction solicitations open at the same time: ITB 26-07 Broadway Exterior Renovation, which closed September 17, 2026, and RFQ 26-08 Construction Management General Contracting, which closed September 21, 2026. Both windows are now closed. HACFM’s posted bid tabulation for the Broadway job lists five bids, with totals from $691,310.00 to $1,541,024.10. As of October 6, 2026, no award notice for ITB 26-07 and no selection for RFQ 26-08 had been posted on HACFM’s opportunities pages. The strongest Growth & Business Development lesson still holds: the procurement notice is not the start of business development. Separately, AGC data show nonresidential and specialty-trade hiring continuing through September, and AGC of Greater Florida’s own “next steps” include securing trade partners earlier. Catha analysis: treat the next housing-authority window as a relationship deadline, not only an estimating deadline.

What Happened

Where things stand. HACFM’s Contracting and Bidding Opportunities page no longer lists the Broadway ITB or the CM/GC RFQ as current. As of October 6, 2026, its current list shows a single item: ITB No. 26-09 Mold Inspections Renaissance Family Phase 2, 3, and 4, closing November 5, 2026. HACFM’s 2026 opportunities archive still carries the September solicitations and their documents:

  • ITB 26-07 — Broadway Exterior Renovation — Invitation to Bid — published August 18, 2026; closed September 17, 2026 at 4:00 p.m.
  • Addenda: Addendum 1 issued Aug 24, 2026; Addendum 2 issued Sep 2, 2026
  • Revised bidder Bid Form / “Bid Tabulation Sheet” V2 — a blank unit-price bid form for bidders to complete and submit
  • Bid tabulation — bid date September 17, 2026; posted September 21, 2026 — five bidders, with total bids from $691,310.00 to $1,541,024.10
  • RFQ 26-08 — Construction Management General Contracting — Request for Qualifications — published September 1, 2026; Addendum 1 posted September 15, 2026; closed September 21, 2026

A bid tabulation is not an award. The ITB states that award notice(s) will be sent to the selected bidder(s), and HACFM reserves the right to reject any or all bids. As of October 6, 2026, no award notice for ITB 26-07 and no shortlist or selection for RFQ 26-08 had been posted on HACFM’s opportunities pages.

Who is buying. The Housing Authority of the City of Fort Myers (HACFM) is the owner / procurement entity. Under the ITB, contracts are made directly with HACFM. The ITB encouraged Section 3 business participation and required bidders to monitor hacfm.org for written addenda. The RFQ seeks a CM/GC to assist HACFM’s nonprofit affiliate, the Southwest Florida Affordable Housing Choice Foundation, Inc., “in the rehabilitation of blighted properties and build new construction units in Lee County,” and states that the Authority may award one or more firms.

Broadway ITB scope (from ITB No. 26-07 Advertisement / Attachment B). Work is at Broadway Apartments in Fort Myers, for two buildings. The ITB states the work includes, but is not limited to:

  • concrete repair and restoration
  • soffit and fascia repair and replacement
  • gutter and downspout repair and replacement
  • stucco repair and restoration
  • exterior painting
  • caulking and sealants
  • exterior electrical work
  • and all other work as shown and listed in the scope of work

Attachment B further describes coordinated exterior building-envelope rehabilitation (stucco, substrate repairs, concrete restoration, waterproofing, exterior coatings, and related exterior component work). The base bid had to include an allowance assuming 35 percent of the original stucco layer would require removal, plus a per-square-foot unit price for removal beyond that allowance. Bids over $250,000 required a 5% bid bond, and the contractor’s project records include federal reports such as Davis-Bacon and Section 3. For firms tracking future HACFM work, these documents are a useful guide to what this owner asks bidders to carry.

What kind of contractors this work involves. General contractors / exterior-renovation specialists like those who bid ITB 26-07; firms pursuing CM/GC seats like the one offered under RFQ 26-08; and specialty / trade partners whose capabilities match exterior scopes like these and who can show crew capacity, insurance/bonding readiness, and documentation pathways (including Section 3 where applicable) to primes and CM/GCs pursuing this kind of work.

Labor market context. Per AGC of Greater Florida (Jul 9, 2026), citing AGC of America analysis of federal labor data: construction firms added 17,000 jobs in May; nonresidential construction employment rose 15,700 in May and 101,500 over 12 months; nonresidential specialty trade contractors added 11,400 jobs in May and 57,400 year over year; average hourly earnings for production and nonsupervisory construction employees reached $38.97 in May (20.6% above the average for all private-sector production employees). AGC’s own “Next Steps for Florida Contractors” include: update labor assumptions; “Secure trade partners earlier: Confirm subcontractor capacity and specialty trade schedules early”; invest in workforce retention; watch policy updates. AGC of America’s analysis of September data (Oct 2, 2026) shows the trend continuing: construction firms added 11,000 jobs in September; nonresidential specialty trade contractors added 12,300 jobs in the month and 84,700 over the year; average hourly earnings for production and nonsupervisory construction employees reached $39.20; and the number of jobseekers with recent construction experience fell 11% from a year earlier, to 359,000.

Why This Matters in Florida

Public-housing and municipal rehab packages are a recurring Southwest Florida workstream. They often move on short calendars with addenda that change scope or forms: the Broadway ITB was open for about a month and the CM/GC RFQ for about three weeks, and HACFM issued two addenda and a revised bid form for Broadway before the close. Contractors who only watch statewide headlines can miss local procurement while it is open.

Why It Matters to Construction Businesses

THE PROCUREMENT NOTICE IS NOT THE START OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT.

For specialty contractors, useful growth work often happens before award:

  • knowing which public owner is buying
  • monitoring addenda
  • identifying likely primes / CM-GCs
  • confirming vendor-registration requirements
  • understanding Section 3 / MBE pathways where applicable
  • confirming bonding, insurance and crew capacity
  • studying posted bid tabulations (on Broadway, the high total bid was more than double the low one)
  • making relevant introductions before bid lists harden

Catha may assist with positioning, relationship development, introductions, and opportunity awareness where appropriate. Catha does not guarantee inclusion on a bid list, control procurement decisions, certify MBE / Section 3 status, guarantee award, or interfere with public procurement rules.

Catha’s Take

Labeled Catha analysis — not news reporting.

Catha analysis: HACFM’s September windows have closed, so the useful question now is: were you already in conversation with the firms pursuing those packages, or will you learn the outcome from a post-close notice? Treat the next housing-authority ITB or RFQ as a relationship deadline, not just an estimating deadline. Use AGC’s documented employment and wage facts and AGC’s own “secure trade partners earlier” next step as market context — then do the local work: owner page, archive, addenda, bid forms, posted tabulations, and introductions before lists harden.

What to Watch Next

  • Any award notice, protest, cancellation, postponement, or re-bid on ITB 26-07 (none posted as of October 6, 2026)
  • RFQ 26-08 shortlist / selection outcome (none posted as of October 6, 2026)
  • HACFM Board of Commissioners meeting noticed for October 7, 2026, and later board agendas and minutes
  • Whether a selected CM/GC under RFQ 26-08 creates downstream subcontracting opportunities
  • New postings on HACFM’s current opportunities list (ITB No. 26-09 for mold inspections closes November 5, 2026)
  • Future HACFM opportunities and how primes assemble specialty relationships before notices harden

Sources

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