Statewide Natural Areas Management - 4 year contract

The State of Illinois Department of Natural Resources, through the Office of Resource Conservation (RESCONSERV422), awarded a statewide natural areas management contract to Nelson Land Management on July 16, 2026, under Invitation for Bid 26-422DNR-RESCO-B-51743. The contract is valued at $4,984,400.00 and extends for four years through July 15, 2030, with provisions to add renewal terms up to a maximum ten-year term. Nelson Land Management was selected as a primary, secondary, or tertiary vendor for specific work items and geographic zones through competitive sealed bidding based on lowest responsive and responsible pricing. The contract encompasses service delivery across multiple counties organized into geographic work zones, specifically including Zone 3 (Bureau, Henry, LaSalle, Lee, Marshall, Mercer, Putnam, Rock Island, and Stark Counties), Zone 5 (Adams, Brown, Cass, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Knox, Logan, Mason, McDonough, Menard, Peoria, Schuyler, Tazewell, Warren, and Woodford Counties), and Zone 7 (Calhoun, Christian, Greene, Jersey, Macoupin, Montgomery, Morgan, Pike, Scott, and Sangamon Counties).

Nelson Land Management will provide natural areas management services including grinding and forestry mowing operations, handwork services with chain saws and hand tools, herbicide application treatment, and firebreak maintenance across sensitive and non-sensitive sites. Services are compensated on an hourly basis with rates varying by work item and site type, ranging from $66.00 to $300.00 per hour. Work assignments will be issued on an as-needed basis through Work Order Job Forms, with vendors required to accept or decline assignments within seven days of receipt. The contract is funded in part through the State Wildlife Grants Federal Assistance Program and is governed by applicable federal requirements including 2 Code of Federal Regulations Part 200, prevailing wage standards, and state procurement regulations.