Statewide Natural Areas Management - 4 year contract

Jack Kaskel has been awarded a four-year Statewide Natural Areas Management contract by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' Office of Resource Conservation, effective July 16, 2026, through July 15, 2030, with a total contract value of $2,381,120. The contract covers ecological science services and aquatic ecology work across ten geographic zones encompassing multiple counties throughout the State of Illinois. Services are performed on an as-needed basis through individual work order assignments issued throughout the contract term.

The primary services delivered include natural areas management tasks such as handwork operations (cutting and herbicide treatment), grinding and forestry mowing, firebreak maintenance, and foliar herbicide applications. The contractor is required to provide herbicides, equipment, supplies, and labor for these activities, with pricing structured as firm hourly rates for the first contract year and potential cost-of-living adjustments thereafter based on the Consumer Price Index. The contract explicitly prohibits subcontracting and requires the contractor to maintain an Illinois Commercial Pesticide Applicators License, general liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence, auto liability coverage of $1,000,000 per occurrence, and workers' compensation insurance. No drone-based herbicide application work is permitted under this contract scope.