Annual_Grounds_Maintenance.pdf

CITY OF CARMEL

PROJECT MANUAL & QUOTE

PACKAGE

Annual Grounds Maintenance

Project No. RFQ-2026-002

HAMILTON COUNTY, INDIANA

City of Carmel Utilities

One Civic Square

Carmel, Indiana 46032

Office: (317) 571 - 2441

Thursday, February 19, 2026

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. NOTICE FOR QUOTES

2. INSTRUCTIONS TO QUOTERS

3. SPECIFICATIONS

4. SCREENSHOT INSTRUCTIONS

5. QUOTER SUBMISSIONS

6. ATTACHMENTS

Attachments:

A - 2026 Annual Grounds Maintenance Scope of Work

B - Sample Goods and Services Agreement

C - Sample of MOU for E-Verify Employer

D - W-9 Blank Form

E - Water Operations Mowing & Landscaping Addresses

NOTICE FOR QUOTES

City of Carmel, Indiana

Department:

Utilities 4915 E 106th St,City of Carmel, Indiana 46032

Project: Annual Grounds Maintenance

Notice is hereby given that the City of Carmel Utilities Department will receive sealed quotes, during regular business hours, up to, but not later than the Submission Deadline of 9:00 am local time Wednesday, March 18, 2026 via the City's e-Procurement

Portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/carmelin for the following project. No late quotes will be accepted.

Annual Grounds Maintenance

Quotes will be opened by Carmel Board of Public Works and Safety at the meeting starting at 10:00 am on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 on the 2nd floor of Carmel City Hall, One Civic Square, Carmel, IN.

The specifications can be found in the ATTACHMENTS and set forth in detailed documents on file via the City's e-

Procurement Portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/carmelin.

Questions regarding this solicitation must be submitted to the portal prior to 4:00 pm on Friday, March 13, 2026. All questions and responses will be publicly posted to the portal.

No quoter may withdraw any quote within a period of sixty (60) days following the date set for receiving quotes. The City of

Carmel reserves the right to hold any or all quotes for a period of not more than sixty (60) days and said quotes shall remain in full force and effect during said period. The City of Carmel reserves the right to reject all quotes or cancel this solicitation in whole or in part as specified in the solicitation when it is not in the best interests of the governmental body as determined by the purchasing agency in accordance with IC 5-22-18-2.

Contract will be awarded to the lowest responsive and responsible quoter.

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/carmelin https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/carmelin/projects/234540/document?section=2229482 https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/carmelin

INSTRUCTIONS TO QUOTERS

1. DEFINITION OF KEY WORDS USED IN THE SOLICITATION

For purposes of this solicitation and subsequent contract, the following definitions shall apply:

City: The City of Carmel, IN

Contract: The legal agreement(s) executed between City and the Successful Quoter(s). The Contract will include all the conditions and requirements set forth in this Request for Quotes and any Addenda to the Request for Quotes, any Special Terms and Conditions and standard terms and conditions contained in the sample

Goods and Services Agreement attached to this Request for Quotes.

Contractor/Consultant: A Successful Quoter that enters into a Contract with the City.

Contract Representative: The City employee or employees who have specifically been designated to act as a contact person or persons to the Contractor, and is responsible for monitoring and overseeing the Contractor's performance under this Contract.

Board of Public Works and Safety: The purchasing agency for the City authorized to execute contracts and addenda thereto on the City's behalf.

May: Indicates something that is not mandatory but permissible.

Quoter: Each individual or entity that submits a quote in response to this solicitation.

Will: The indicated party is promising to take the action or abide by the condition.

Must: The action or condition is required.

Should: Indicates something that is recommended but not mandatory. If the Quoter fails to provide recommended information, the City may, at its sole option, ask the Quoter to provide the information or evaluate the submission without the information.

Portal: The City's eProcurement portal, OpenGov, located at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/carmelin.

2. PRE-SUBMITTAL MEETING

If scheduled, a Pre-Submittal Meeting will be held at the date and time stated in the timeline of this solicitation.

Attendance at this meeting is not mandatory, but written minutes and/or notes regarding the meeting will NOT be provided, so attendance is encouraged. The purpose of this meeting will be to clarify the contents of this solicitation in order to prevent any misunderstanding of the City's position.

3. INQUIRIES

Quoters must submit questions by the Questions Deadline. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted. The City of Carmel will respond as completely as possible to each question. Questions and answers will be posted as soon as available. The names of respondents who submit questions will not be disclosed. All clarifications will be available in the Question and Answer and Addenda Sections in the portal, only the information in these sections should be used in preparing a quote; verbal communications and other written documents intended to clarify and interpret will not legally bind the City. The City does not assume responsibility for the receipt of any clarifying information. Quoters must periodically check for updates.

4. ADDENDA TO REQUEST FOR QUOTES

Solicitation Addenda, if any, will be posted to the project on the City’s portal. Quoter is responsible for checking the portal regularly for new solicitation addenda and must acknowledge each addenda to this solicitation in its quote. Please note that vendors who have registered as a vendor at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/carmelin and follow the project will receive email notifications of solicitation addenda.

5. UNDERSTANDING SCOPE OF SOLICITATION

Before submitting a quote, Quoter must familiarize itself with the Scope of the Solicitation, laws, regulations, physical conditions, and other factors affecting the obligations – including the expense and difficulty of fulfilling those obligations – that Quoter will have under the Contract if awarded to Quoter. No adjustment to the financial or other terms of the Contract will be justified by Quoter's failure to fully understand or appreciate the Contract requirements or other factors affecting Contract performance.

6. PREPARATION OF QUOTE

A. Form and Organization. Quoter's quote must be on the forms provided in this solicitation (as applicable) or through the portal. Supporting documentation must be arranged in a manner that follows and clearly refers to corresponding sections of the solicitation. Quoter may copy the quote forms in order to complete them electronically but may not alter or rearrange them or change any paragraph designations.

B. Confidential Proprietary Information. Any proprietary information, such as financial statement, intellectual property, or business performance information, in its quote that Quoter wishes to be treated as confidential must be clearly marked “CONFIDENTIAL.” Please note that unless specifically indicated, answers to the solicitation questionnaire are not considered confidential information and will be available for public review.

C. Quote Contents. Quoter must complete all the forms contained in and respond to all sections of the solicitation. Quoter must attach any requested supporting documentation.

D. Signatures. Any cover letter accompanying the response documents must be signed. The person electronically signing and initialing on behalf of Vendor must be a person authorized to legally bind

Vendor.

E. Prices. Where a unit price is provided it will govern over any erroneous extension of the price.

F. Time Periods. Periods of time, stated as a number of days, will be calendar days unless specifically stated otherwise.

G. Accuracy. Mistakes in preparation of its quote confers on Quoter no right to modify or withdraw its quote after the Deadline.

H. Cost of Preparation. The City will not reimburse Quoter for the cost of developing, presenting, submitting or providing any quote to this solicitation.

I. Subcontractors. Quoter must, in their quote, list any subcontractors that it will utilize in the performance of the Contract if they are awarded the Contract and must describe their qualifications in detail.

J. Incomplete Information. Failure to include all requested information may deem Quoter's quote unresponsive.

7. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Each Quoter must carefully examine all Solicitation documents and become thoroughly familiar with all requirements prior to submission to ensure the quote meets the intent of this solicitation.

Quoter is responsible for making all investigations and examinations that are necessary to ascertain conditions affecting the requirements of this solicitation. Failure to make such investigations and examinations will not relieve the Quoter from obligation to comply, in every detail, with all provisions and requirements of the solicitation.

Submissions must be in PDF or Excel format ONLY. Other formats uploaded may be deemed non-responsive.

Quotes may be submitted any time prior to the Submission Deadline. Quoters may modify submissions that have already been submitted, before the Submission Deadline. Recording of quote submission time and date will occur via the portal. To satisfy any required public opening, the Quoter list is made available in the portal after the Submission Deadline.

8. PAYMENT DISCOUNTS

Payment discount periods shall be computed from the date of receipt of the material/service or correct invoice, whichever is later, to the date City’s payment warrant is mailed. Unless freight and other charges are itemized, any discount provided shall be taken on full amount of invoice. Payment discounts of twenty-one calendar days or more shall be deducted from the proposed price in determining the price points. However, the City shall be entitled to take advantage of any payment discount offered by a vendor provided payment is made within the discount period. The payment discount shall apply to all purchases and to all payment methods.

9. TAXES

The City is exempt from federal excise tax, including the federal transportation tax. The City is exempt from sales tax.

10. QUOTE FORMAT

A Quote should be submitted on the forms and in the format specified in the Request for Quotes and these instructions.

11. PUBLIC RECORD

Any documents submitted by Quoter in response to this solicitation will become the property of the City.

Except as set forth herein with respect to Confidential Information, the Quote will be deemed to be a public record available for review by the public after the award notification.

12. CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

The City is obligated to abide by the Access to Public Records Act (APRA), Indiana Code 5-14-3. If Quoter believes that any portion of its quote contains information that is confidential and subject to being withheld from disclosure under APRA, Quoter must, when the record is submitted, provide the Contract Officer written notification of that fact. The records or portions of records that Quoter wishes to be treated as confidential must also be clearly marked “CONFIDENTIAL” on their face. Pricing will not be treated as confidential. Please note that unless specifically indicated, answers to the solicitation questionnaire are not considered confidential information and will be available for public review.

If the City, after award notification, receives a public-records request to which a Contractor record marked

“CONFIDENTIAL” is responsive, City will notify Quoter in writing. Unless Quoter, within 10 days after the date of that notice, obtains and provides to City an order from a court of competent jurisdiction prohibiting the

City from releasing the records, the City may release the records without any liability to Quoter.

13. CERTIFICATION OF NONCOLLUSION; CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

By submitting a Quote, Quoter warrants that:

A. Preparation and submission of the quote did not involve collusion or other anti-competitive practices.

B. Quoter has not given, offered to give, nor intends to give at any time hereafter, any economic opportunity, future employment, gift, loan, gratuity, special discount, trip, favor, meal or service to a public servant in connection with this solicitation.

C. No person has been employed or retained to solicit or secure a Contract under this solicitation upon a promise of a commission, percentage, brokerage, or contingent fee.

D. No member of the City of Carmel, Mayor and Council or any employee of the City involved in this solicitation process has any financial interest in Quoter's entity.

The City may disqualify Quoter from further participation in the solicitation process if the City determines that

Quoter has an actual or apparent conflict of interest or has engaged in any collusion or anti-competitive practices.

14. WHEN AND HOW TO SUBMIT QUOTES

In order to be considered, Quoter must, no later than the Quote Submittal Deadline, submit its Quote electronically through the portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/carmelin.

NOTE: THE ENTIRE QUOTE MUST BE IN "SUBMITTED" STATUS IN THE CITY’S PORTAL IN

ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED. QUOTES THAT HAVE BEEN DRAFTED IN THE SYSTEM, BUT THAT

ARE NOT IN "SUBMITTED" STATUS BY THE QUOTE SUBMITTAL DEADLINE WILL NOT BE

CONSIDERED.

15. QUOTE AND ACCEPTANCE PERIOD

In order to allow for an adequate evaluation, the City requires a Quote in response to this solicitation to be valid and irrevocable for sixty (60) days after the solicitation due date and time.

16. WITHDRAWAL OF QUOTE; BINDING QUOTE

By submitting a Quote, Quoter is offering to enter into the Contract with the City. Quoter may withdraw a submitted Quote at any time prior to the Submittal Deadline. Quotes can be withdrawn by clicking "unsubmit response" in the portal.

17. DISCUSSIONS/CLARIFICATIONS

After opening Quotes, the City may, at its discretion, conduct discussions with Quoter for the purpose of eliminating minor irregularities, informalities, or apparent clerical mistakes in Quoter's quote in order to clarify the Quote and assure full understanding of, and responsiveness to, Quote solicitation requirements.

18. VENDOR REGISTRATION

In order to be eligible for award of a Contract, Quoter must:

A. Register for the portal with the City’s Finance Department as a vendor. Registration can be completed at https://www.carmel.in.gov/government/clerk-of-the-city/bid-opportunities by clicking on View

Procurement Portal and signing up. Please note that email notifications of newly published solicitations and addenda will be provided to those vendors that opt in to receive notifications.

19. UPON NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD

The apparent successful Quoter shall sign and file with the City, within five (5) days after Quote Award, all documents necessary to the successful execution of the Contract.

20. AWARD OF CONTRACT

Notwithstanding any other provision of the Request for Quotes, the City reserves the right to:

A. waive any immaterial defect or informality; or

B. reject all Quotes; or

C. cancel the solicitation and reissue the Request for Quotes.

A response to this Request for Quotes is an offer to contract with the City based upon the terms, conditions and

Scope of the Solicitation contained in the City's Request for Quotes, any issued Addenda, and standard terms and conditions contained in the attached sample Agreement for Goods and Services. Quotes do not become contracts unless and until they are executed by the City's Board of Public Works and Safety or an authorized entity within the City.

21. SOLICITATION RESULTS

The name(s) of the successful Quoter(s) will be posted on the City’s portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/carmelin upon Quote Award or upon final contract execution.

22. PROTESTS

A protest shall be in writing and shall be filed with the Board of Public Works and Safety. A protest of a

Request for Quotes shall be received at the Board of Public Works and Safety not less than five (5) working days before the Request for Quotes due date. A protest of a proposed award or of an award shall be filed within ten (10) days after issuance of notification of award or issuance of a notice of intent to award, as applicable. A protest shall include:

A. The name, address, and telephone number of the protestant;

B. The signature of the protestant or its representative;

https://www.carmel.in.gov/government/clerk-of-the-city/bid-opportunities

C. Identification of the Request for Quotes or Contract number;

D. A detailed statement of the legal and factual grounds of protest including copies of relevant documents;

and

E. The form of relief requested.

SPECIFICATIONS

1. Purpose

This request is for grounds maintenance.

2. Specifications

In addition to the specifications in this section, please reference the ATTACHMENTS for any additional specifications.

SCREENSHOT INSTRUCTIONS

All quotes must include E‐Verify documentation, which includes a computer Screenshot of the business’

“MOU” E‐Verify webpage. A sample of the MOU can be found in the ATTACHMENTS section.

Failure to include any of the above requirements will void the quotes.

QUOTER SUBMISSIONS

1. Authorized representative contact info:*

Please include the name, title, phone and email of the authorized representative

*Response required

2. I certify that I, the individual responding to this RFQ, am an authorized representative with the authority to certify and submit the following legally binding statements in this Response on behalf of my company.*

☐ Please confirm

*Response required

3. Please upload your pricing here*

*Response required

4. E-Verify Affidavit*

Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• E-Verify_Affidavit.PDF

*Response required

5. Non-Collusion Affidavit*

Please download the below documents, complete and have notarized. An online notarization option will be provided for you when responding.

• Non-Collusion_Affidavit.pdf

*Response required

6. Insurance Certificate*

*Response required

7. W-9 Form & Payment Remittance Information*

*Response required

8. Professional Reference 1*

Business Name:

Contact Name:

Phone Number:

Years of Service:

*Response required

9. Professional Reference 2*

Business Name:

Contact Name:

Phone Number:

https://government-project.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/116964/725fe6c0-f43f-4a37-9d87-297568f0f247_E-Verify_Affidavit.PDF?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=ASIA47RIURE4NB3MKW32%2F20260219%2Fus-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260219T143604Z&X-Amz-Expires=72000&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjELf%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaCXVzLXdlc3QtMiJGMEQCIFxcHxZgnbBVQBhyylarn7o055oJ61NU6h9aavtkPq8aAiApnnMKiqpe0gFGiTtnDSftVSVHFudRugtHvgF1rxy92iqOBQiA%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F8BEAIaDDg5MjM2NDY4NzY3MiIMwtW6bykbhxr08JiHKuIEhCBJIKcP721u9aOLgP2o03uwXDc6O88B9y7nmQBCrtf1VOjcNcf7AhvcBG2qdC3BRQWSmdzmfG7PWN8%2FVgRO8ydBPFLe5KTGt0wf7xThkvHa3xqvVqXGM%2F8AIdqj4wHp9EijXdLFRayN5UnKZaJzykqK8exxYYtBMxf722xBnck2pxqnyI8eWM5MBOQzRk4od6lmbwJDOzQpuzA6ZmaKauq5KIwmqBXJ%2Fi9aNzvShTUGKTv%2BV24n0rUs3fTt%2BWC6C%2FMG3aZmm%2BIbi7DmEKD1nsairmuB5LAn0fJgUDTm12Zvim%2BGQmzyY2n%2FIproLBiZrz387GvmaQrFXwJs%2B%2BX4y9AlPeHfE36H9kZ7l%2BaBKmdcu%2BwgMbJBCMRWWqs%2BsdEnQ%2BuUo3UeSAzXBjbjhjdZHrvOH33J22Y2G1%2FJMdBISvz5Cvj5EHesw55BE%2FPermj8tGTxbL6M3R5zZkWugk0QHp6sClXXpI56DHrCphsIkis2epaE9ul%2BteAPiUjUgl6OA%2BQ6eTNMhh5Lzxaw8fph%2FcG%2BvZebe819XqxgfEISCz8yf%2BC42%2FklQdCmOPkoaqSw%2FWUPtgqMZqxsCFRj4oAke55nSR1mKdCveEWNZiT5OrSQviRjNVQdTpShMXuREM5%2Bx0iLUVTVLDTDJcOJOtmw3xSawgONKNppXZxoamR5g8Ty9D%2FoqFXRfGtq89NNianlA1bGYacnkVL8DRzj7GA7PJ6vwpEAN66fagA0VeYKBSY%2FWmYgk%2BK53F%2BkhdewFAW2OctwQAJbN%2B2oMPiXA7730KYZU47AOikvA%2BxSepUN4eUG2TC4v9zMBjqaAU3gEbODZRB%2BSPr%2BsW5oHAVKXnn%2B0YVatQK9KlVkvVb53%2FUA5UiO95UwYGqyp2A7FPjWNKzb5J4%2FPk5HLzeiGRrXBIRAkn1zTAPWvkvb2uDBqpn%2FM3NCnqM66NYjZDioI6xL0kUX%2ByOK0yO40IlqHixnC86aisdTTAezdg4dp85w0iZJ63ePd8PRR4LqJvuo3kXEDyZlURN7MbM%3D&X-Amz-Signature=ff324fd5d86e79ec42e6fd399df9a0c5ddb1e370147fa20399d849dc5528b308&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=attachment%3B%20filename%3D%22E-Verify_Affidavit.PDF%22&x-id=GetObject https://government-project.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/116964/2c7e5991-a37f-4b4f-9eba-170ca4d91fea_Non-Collusion_Affidavit.pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=ASIA47RIURE4NB3MKW32%2F20260219%2Fus-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260219T143604Z&X-Amz-Expires=72000&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjELf%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaCXVzLXdlc3QtMiJGMEQCIFxcHxZgnbBVQBhyylarn7o055oJ61NU6h9aavtkPq8aAiApnnMKiqpe0gFGiTtnDSftVSVHFudRugtHvgF1rxy92iqOBQiA%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F8BEAIaDDg5MjM2NDY4NzY3MiIMwtW6bykbhxr08JiHKuIEhCBJIKcP721u9aOLgP2o03uwXDc6O88B9y7nmQBCrtf1VOjcNcf7AhvcBG2qdC3BRQWSmdzmfG7PWN8%2FVgRO8ydBPFLe5KTGt0wf7xThkvHa3xqvVqXGM%2F8AIdqj4wHp9EijXdLFRayN5UnKZaJzykqK8exxYYtBMxf722xBnck2pxqnyI8eWM5MBOQzRk4od6lmbwJDOzQpuzA6ZmaKauq5KIwmqBXJ%2Fi9aNzvShTUGKTv%2BV24n0rUs3fTt%2BWC6C%2FMG3aZmm%2BIbi7DmEKD1nsairmuB5LAn0fJgUDTm12Zvim%2BGQmzyY2n%2FIproLBiZrz387GvmaQrFXwJs%2B%2BX4y9AlPeHfE36H9kZ7l%2BaBKmdcu%2BwgMbJBCMRWWqs%2BsdEnQ%2BuUo3UeSAzXBjbjhjdZHrvOH33J22Y2G1%2FJMdBISvz5Cvj5EHesw55BE%2FPermj8tGTxbL6M3R5zZkWugk0QHp6sClXXpI56DHrCphsIkis2epaE9ul%2BteAPiUjUgl6OA%2BQ6eTNMhh5Lzxaw8fph%2FcG%2BvZebe819XqxgfEISCz8yf%2BC42%2FklQdCmOPkoaqSw%2FWUPtgqMZqxsCFRj4oAke55nSR1mKdCveEWNZiT5OrSQviRjNVQdTpShMXuREM5%2Bx0iLUVTVLDTDJcOJOtmw3xSawgONKNppXZxoamR5g8Ty9D%2FoqFXRfGtq89NNianlA1bGYacnkVL8DRzj7GA7PJ6vwpEAN66fagA0VeYKBSY%2FWmYgk%2BK53F%2BkhdewFAW2OctwQAJbN%2B2oMPiXA7730KYZU47AOikvA%2BxSepUN4eUG2TC4v9zMBjqaAU3gEbODZRB%2BSPr%2BsW5oHAVKXnn%2B0YVatQK9KlVkvVb53%2FUA5UiO95UwYGqyp2A7FPjWNKzb5J4%2FPk5HLzeiGRrXBIRAkn1zTAPWvkvb2uDBqpn%2FM3NCnqM66NYjZDioI6xL0kUX%2ByOK0yO40IlqHixnC86aisdTTAezdg4dp85w0iZJ63ePd8PRR4LqJvuo3kXEDyZlURN7MbM%3D&X-Amz-Signature=8fc90587066f5a81708503d906fc2ceb19828139d1b9e805f00d0d7be0a5cce5&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=attachment%3B%20filename%3D%22Non-Collusion_Affidavit.pdf%22&x-id=GetObject

Years of Service:

*Response required

10. Professional Reference 3*

Business Name:

Contact Name:

Phone Number:

Years of Service:

*Response required