Questions and Answers Ground Maintenance Services 70FBR526Q00000002.pdf

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

GROUND MAINTENANCE SERVICES-CHICAGO, AURORA, ILLINOIS 60506

70FBR526Q00000002

1. Contract Period / Coverage Dates The SF1449 appears to identify the base period as 07/01/2026 through 06/30/2027, with four one-year option periods thereafter. However, Lawn Care SOW references a Base Year of 07/01/2022 through 06/30/2023. Please confirm the correct base year and option-year periods.

Base period as 07/01/2026 through 06/30/2027

2. Mid-Season Start / Existing Contractor Because the base period appears to commence on July 1, please confirm whether there is an incumbent/current contractor performing services before the new contract begins.

Spring Services Prior to Transition Please confirm whether timely spring services will be completed before the new contractor assumes responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, pre-emergent applications, bed and tree ring edge definitions, pruning, fertilization, aeration, and spring cleanup.

Spring services will not be completed, as the optimal timeframe for these activities—and for them to be fully effective—has already passed. We anticipate these services will instead be performed in the early fall timeframe. Based on current precipitation and environmental conditions, this is expected to be the most effective period to complete these tasks.

3. Base Year Pricing: Are offerors expected to price the base year as a full annual maintenance cycle even though the period begins mid-landscape season on July 1?

Yes

4. Wage Determination Classifications: Please confirm the applicable wage classifications for the following anticipated work categories:

• Landscape maintenance and snow sidewalk personnel

• Snow skid steer / compact loader operators

• Snow plow / deicing truck operators

• Liquid brine rig truck operators

Please see wage determination attachment on the solicitation

5. Security Access / Personnel Approval:

• The SOW states that the FEMA Aurora Annex is a closed facility and contractor personnel must be screened or approved for access. Please clarify the access process after award, including whether access will be by key card, punch code, approved personnel list, escort, or another process.

• Grounds maintenance and snow/ice operations may require different specialized crews, including mowing crews, pruning crews, turf application crews, edging crews, and snow/ice response crews. May the contractor pre-authorize multiple specialized crews for access to the facility?

• What is the expected process and timeline for adding or substituting approved crew members after award, especially for snow/ice events requiring 24/7 response?

1. Personnel Approval: Contractor must provide a list of their personnel who will be performing the services (“Approved Personnel).

a. The list must contain the full name (first, middle, last) and date of birth for each of their personnel.

b. The list(s) may also specify “specialized crews” such as snow removal, pruning, mowing, turf applications, etc.

c. Contractor must provide a point of contact for questions regarding their staffing/personnel

2. Security Access: Upon arrival, all contractor personnel will sign in at the Guard House (619 W Indian Trail) and one of them will sign out the access card for the perimeter gates. The access card must be returned once the contractor personnel are done that day and contractor personnel will sign out.

a. If contractor personnel are not on the list at the Guard House, they will not be able to sign out the access card.

3. Specialized Crews are acceptable so long as those personnel are also on the provided list.

4. Personnel Substitutions: Contractor must keep the list(s) current – adding / deleting / substituting personnel from the list(s) as their staffing/personnel changes.

a. During short notice events, e.g. snow/ice, the Contractor may notify the

Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and or Regional Security Officer (RSO) of staffing/personnel changes by email and follow up as soon as reasonable with an updated list.

6. We're looking to bid out, but I'd like to know which GCs we could bid under. If you don't have this information, could you direct me to somebody who might have it?

Please see attached SF1449 included in the solicitation you can use to submit your quote.

You can also use your own document but your quotes have to follow the same pattern on the SF1449.

7. Should I just send you my bid for landscaping and snow removal?

yes, all bids should be emailed to only monika.miller@fema.dhs.gov, bid ends on June

19, 2026 @ 2:00PM.

8. Could you please confirm the correct NAICS code for this requirement? The SAM.gov description appears to reference NAICS 561210, Facility Support Services, while the SF1449 appears to reference NAICS 561730, Landscaping Services. Please see highlighted area.

9. Could you please confirm the complete and correct period of performance? The solicitation appears to indicate a base year plus four option years extending to June 30, 2031; however, another section seems to reference a contract duration ending on June 30, 2030. The duration period of performance is July ,01, 2026 to June 30, 2031.

10. Is it mandatory to provide pricing for all CLINs, including separate CLINs for landscaping/lawn care and snow removal for the base year and each option year? Yes, that is the way the Government chooses to structure the award.

11. Is there a specific pricing template that contractors must use? If so, could you please provide it or indicate where it can be obtained? You can use the provided solicitation or use your own template, with each CLIN mentioned is price independently, if not your proposal will be deemed as non-responsive.

12. Could you please confirm the required quantity and unit of measure for each CLIN? The quantity is a monthly service per year, along with as needed basis. Site visit is available (located in the description of the solicitation) please refer back to the SOW.

13. Could you please provide the approximate linear footage of fencing requiring vegetation trimming, including the eastern outer perimeter area mentioned in the Statement of Work?

mailto:monika.miller@fema.dhs.gov

14. Do you have an estimated count of the trees, shrubs, hedges, bushes, mulched areas, landscaped beds, outdoor trash receptacles, and other site features included in the requirement?

Answers 13 & 14 : 1. Landscaping / Grounds Maintenance Frequency and Pricing

The SOW is performance based and requires year-round grounds maintenance to maintain the conditions described (for example, grass height between 2 and 3 inches, weed control, debris removal, twice-annual aeration/dethatching/overseeding/feeding, annual pruning, etc.).

The Government expects offerors to:

• Price routine landscaping and grounds maintenance as a recurring Firm-Fixed-Price CLIN (for example, a fixed monthly amount for the base and each option year), and

• Include in that price all routine visits and labor necessary to meet the performance standards in the SOW.

The SOW does not prescribe a fixed calendar frequency (weekly, bi-weekly, etc.). Offerors should propose a service plan and visit frequency that, in their professional judgment, will maintain the required conditions throughout the year based on weather, growth rates, and site conditions.

2. Snow and Ice Removal Pricing Structure and Frequency

Per the SOW, snow and ice services are required on an as-required basis whenever the trigger conditions are met (accumulation or anticipated accumulation greater than one inch of snow, and any ice or black ice conditions), and services may be ordered by Authorized Callers.

For pricing purposes, FEMA intends that:

• Snow and ice removal be priced as a Firm-Fixed-Price seasonal or annual CLIN for each period of performance (base and option years).

• The seasonal/annual CLIN price must cover all snow and ice events during that period that meet the SOW trigger conditions, without additional per-event charges.

Historical usage is not being provided. Offerors should develop their seasonal/annual pricing based on their professional assessment of typical winter conditions in Aurora, Illinois (for example, using publicly available historical weather data), and should account for variability in the number and severity of events within their Firm-Fixed-Price.

15. Original Date Offers Due: Jun 19, 2026, 02:00 pm EDT. Questions and Answer: All questions must be emailed to Contracting Officer monika.miller@fema.dhs.gov, no later than June 17, 2026, at 5:00 PM CT.

Will these questions be answered before the due date or posted on the site before the bid is due?

Yes, all questions from contractors will be placed on the solicitation.

16. Mowing – says 2-3” uniform height. That is usually considered weekly. Can you confirm?

The specified height of 2–3 inches is typically maintained on a weekly basis. However, if growth is limited due to lack of precipitation, mowing may not be necessary. Service frequency will be adjusted as needed to maintain a consistent, uniform appearance.

17. PEST/BUG CONTROL – is that something that will be included in this bid or a per basis event? We don’t know or can’t know what pest or bugs will be an issues once we arrive. We are assuming on a per event basis.

At this time, specific pest or insect issues cannot be determined in advance. Services will be included in the bid and performed on an as-needed basis, depending on site conditions.

18. All these items don’t have specifics, do we price what we usually perform per site or is there a specific amount you would like us to do?: mulching, fertilization, grounds repair, planting flowers or trees, sodding, watering of grounds, vegetation cutting, trimming of hedges and shrubs, pruning of identified and requested tree/hedges/shrub branches, cutting trees, stump grinding, applying arbor treatments, removal of dead plants/vegetation/under-brush, maintain hard surfaces, outdoor pest control, power washing, furniture maintenance, empty outdoor garbage and cigarette receptacles, collection and disposal of litter/trash. The only thing that is mentioned to perform 2x per year is: Expert lawn services to provide aeration, dethatching, over seeding and feed, to be performed twice a year, in spring and early Fall along with Pruning.

For the listed services (e.g., mulching, fertilization, grounds repair, planting, sodding, watering, vegetation management, trimming, pruning, tree work, debris removal, hard surface maintenance, pest control, power washing, furniture maintenance, and trash removal), pricing will be included as part of the overall lump-sum bid rather than on a per-event basis.

The only services specifically identified to occur twice per year are expert lawn services, including aeration, dethatching, overseeding, fertilization, and pruning, to be performed in the spring and early fall.

19. For Snow- can you tell us what the last contractors’ crew consisted of? Did they have a truck and plow or a skid steer? Are we able to leave equipment or snow materials on site?

We do not have details on the previous contractor’s equipment or crew composition. No equipment may be left on-site, with the exception of a small snow blower.

20. Are you able to let us know who the last contract was under and their prices for both landscape and snow? Information regarding the previous contractor and pricing is not available.