Attachment A - Professional Forestry Consultant Services - Grayson Lake WMA.docx

Revised March 2023

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION CHECKLIST

The vendor MUST include the following with the proposal submission.

If the items highlighted below are not submitted with the proposal submission, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources MUST deem the proposal non-responsive and SHALL NOT consider for award.

All other items MUST be submitted prior to award.

_____ SIGNED AND COMPLETED SOLICITATION –Section(s) 8.00 and 8.10 of this RFP

_____ TRANSMITTAL LETTER – Section 8.20 of this RFP

_____ PROOF OF REGISTRATION WITH SECRETARY OF STATE BY A FOREIGN ENTITY -- Section 9.00 of the Personal Service Contract Terms and Conditions of this RFP

_____ REQUIRED AFFIDAVIT(S) – Section 8.20 of this RFP

*The Commonwealth defines SEALED as “a closure that must be broken to be opened and that thus reveals tampering” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seal

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

FOR

PERSONAL SERVICE CONTRACT

Kentucky Department of Fish, and Wildlife Resources Professional Forestry Consultant Services – Grayson Lake WMA

RFP 660 2400000348

This document constitutes a Request for Proposals for a Personal Service Contract from qualified individuals and organizations to furnish those services as described herein for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources

Offerors are advised that any personal service contract resulting from this RFP must comply with all applicable provisions of KRS 45A and KRS 12.210 prior to becoming effective.

A contract, based on this RFP, may or may not be awarded. Any contract award from this RFP is invalid until properly approved and executed by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and filed with the Legislative Research Commission, Government Contract Review Committee.

1.00 Purpose and Background

The Northeast Region consists of 21 counties; within those counties Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) staff manage over 64,898 acres of state and federally owned land. These Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) are scattered across the region and are typically associated with flood control lakes that were built in the 1960’s and 1970’s. The department has long-term lease agreements on these federal properties that allows for habitat management, which includes forest management.

Northeast WMA’s are forested with several scattered openings across their landscape. Over the past 20 years invasive species have taken over around field edges and forested edges. Old-field edges that would have reverted to persimmon, wild plum, viburnum and other native species have been overtaken with non-native species. Invasive species are fast growing and produce heavy amounts of seed that allow for rapid spread. They smother out native vegetation, create a monoculture, reduce the effects of prescribed fire and reduce the use by wildlife altogether. Species mainly consist of Autumn Olive, Bush Honeysuckle, Privot, Multi-Flora Rose and Tree of Heaven. Edge habitat is an important habitat component for many wildlife species.

With large acreage and limited staff, the most efficient process for managing edge habitat is to utilize contractors to implement habitat projects. Contractors allow staff to complete a scale of work not achievable with current staff levels. Contractors tend to be more equipped with people and equipment to efficiently conduct larger projects.

2.00 Scope of Work

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) is soliciting proposals to implement invasive species habitat work on Grayson Lake Wildlife Management Area in Northeastern Kentucky. The winning bidder needs to have the ability to provide an operator and equipment to spec to treat invasive species such as autumn olive, bush honeysuckle and multi-flora rose.

Services include:

The vendor will be required to consult with KDFWR foresters and biologists during all phases of the project to ensure compliance with the terms of our agreement with United States Army Corps of Engineers.

For this proposal, the winning bidder will perform invasive species removal under the following guidelines,

1. All work will be done by mechanical means. Mechanical implies that all invasive species and material will be mulched with a masticator head. Stumps should be even with the ground to allow future management.

2. Equipment specs- Machines will need to be at least 275H.P. with masticator heads that can chip up to 6”-8” DBH material.

3. Be able to provide equipment than can trim on banks and above or below roadways.

4. Work must be able to be completed by July 1, 2024.

5. Provide updates monthly as to progress for approved project areas and practices. Attend a yearly meeting between KDFWR foresters, biologists and upper level administration until the entirety of the contract is completed.

KDFWR reserves the right to conduct discussions/meetings with any offeror to determine their qualifications for further consideration. Discussions shall not disclose any information derived from bid proposal submitted by other offerors.

3.00 Evaluation Criteria

The KDFWR shall conduct a comprehensive, fair, and impartial evaluation of all proposals. The KDFWR may reject any proposal that is incomplete or in which there are significant inconsistencies or inaccuracies. The KDFWR reserves the right to reject all proposals.

The KDFWR has established a Proposal Evaluation Committee to review, evaluate and verify information submitted by the offeror.

Each vendor is responsible for submitting all relevant, factual and correct information with their offer to enable the evaluator(s) to afford each vendor the maximum score based on the available data submitted by the vendor.

The KDFWR shall evaluate the proposals by assigning scores as indicated.

Technical Proposal Evaluation Proposals with a combined technical score less than 50% of the maximum technical points possible will not be considered for award and neither cost proposals nor oral demonstration/presentation evaluations will be evaluated regarding that proposal. A proposal’s combined technical score is the combined total points of all scored criteria in the technical proposal portion of an evaluation.

Mandatory Requirement Requirements that include the words “Shall”, “Will”, “Must” indicate a mandatory requirement Mandatory Requirement means a condition set out in the specifications or statement of work that must be met without exception.

PROPOSALS THAT DO NOT MEET MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS WILL BE DEEMED NON-RESPONSIVE AND WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

Pass/Fail

The offeror must have equipment and knowledge to complete invasive species practices as defined above. Please provide a list of equipment.

Pass/Fail

The offeror must provide operator for all equipment. Please provide the qualifications for operator.

Pass/Fail

The offeror must provide at least 3 references from previous projects

Pass/Fail

Provide documentation or summary of at least three professional projects, which could be on state, federal, or private land. (100) points for 3 listed projects and (10) points for each additional project, or provide documentation of at least three large scale professional projects that were 100+ acres or more per project (150) points, maximum (150) points for either method.

Provide documentation of a minimum of three (3) years’ experience, involving heavy machinery or equipment. One hundred (100) points for 3 years and ten (10) points for each additional year beyond 3 years. Maximum of one hundred and fifty (150) points.

Cost Proposal Evaluation

Total Proposal Evaluation

4.00 Schedule of RFP Activities

The following schedule presents the major activities associated with the RFP distribution, written questions and proposal submission. The KDFWR reserves the right at its sole discretion to change the Schedule of Activities, including the associated dates and times.

*NOTE: ALL TIME REFERENCES ARE TO THE EASTERN TIME ZONE.

5.00 Offeror’s Conference

Not Applicable

6.00 Point of Contact

The Agency Contact named below shall be the sole point of contact throughout the procurement process. All communications, oral and written (regular mail, express mail or electronic mail), concerning this procurement shall be addressed to:

Amy Akers KY Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources #1 Sportsman’s Lane Frankfort, KY 40601

(502) 892-4538 amy.akers@ky.gov

From the issue date of this RFP until a Contractor(s) is selected and the selection is announced, Offerors shall not communicate with any other KDFWR staff concerning this RFP.

7.00 Questions Regarding this RFP

Questions must be submitted in writing to the KDFWR Contact. The KDFWR will respond to salient questions in writing by issuing an Addendum to the Solicitation. The Addendum shall be posted to the Commonwealth’s eProcurement page.

8.00 Proposal Submission

Electronic Proposals Proposals shall be received by electronic submission in the eProcurement system, Kentucky Vendor Self Service System.

An electronic proposal shall be authorized by the proper agent of the firm by the act of submitting it electronically through the eProcurement system.

Proposal information MUST be completed online. Response must contain all required information for the Solicitation. All bidders MUST be registered in the Commonwealth eProcurement System via the Vendor Self Service System at https://vss.ky.gov .

Allow 24 – 48 hours to complete Vendor Registration. Vendors must be logged in to their Vendor Self Service (VSS) account in order to submit a response. Registrations completed the day of bid closing must be completed by the Vendor in the VSS portal. The Customer Resource Center is not able to complete registrations and activate accounts on the same day. Closing dates will not be extended for Vendors not registered by the date/time of the bid closing.

All bidders are cautioned to begin their electronic submission in sufficient time to complete before the closing date and time. Delays due to technical difficulties or document upload impediments shall not be justification for acceptance of a late bid or proposal. Vendor attention to this advisory is encouraged. Instructions “How to Submit an Online Response for a Business Opportunity” are posted to Kentucky’s Vendor Self Service, https://vss.ky.gov . If you need assistance, please contact the Customer Resource Center (CRC) by email at Finance.CRCGroup@ky.gov or phone 502-564-9641 or toll-free 877-973-HELP (4357).

Proposals shall be submitted in three (3) parts: The Technical Proposal, the Cost Proposal, and Proprietary Information. Each part shall consist of one document attachment. Do not submit multiple document attachments as Technical, Cost or Proprietary. All files shall be labeled accordingly. Attachments may not exceed 65,000 KB.

Proposals submitted online must be in an “Accepted” status and shall be assigned a date and time stamp from the eProcurement system at the time of final acceptance and formal submission by the vendor. The system will not allow submission of an online proposal after the published date and time for closing.

A proposal may be modified or withdrawn by electronic or written notice ONLY if received prior to the bid closing date and time. An electronic offer may be modified by applying the appropriate electronic signature and following the procedure in the state’s eProcurement signature.

8.10 Format of Response

Electronic Proposals Proposals shall be submitted in three (3) parts: the Technical Proposal, the Cost Proposal, and Proprietary Information. Each part shall consist of one document. Do not submit multiple documents as Technical, Cost or Proprietary.

1. Proposals must be submitted electronically in the eProcurement System, Kentucky Vendor Self Service site.

a. The Technical Proposal shall be submitted on one (1) document marked Technical (in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel or PDF format ONLY). Do not include embedded documents, hyperlinks or hyperlinks to videos. The document should be named in the following manner: Technical – Name of offeror RFP number

b. The Cost Proposal shall be submitted on one (1) document marked Cost (in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel or PDF format ONLY). Do not include embedded documents, hyperlinks or hyperlinks to videos. The document should be named in the following manner: Cost – Name of offeror RFP number

c. Any Proprietary Information shall be submitted on one (1) document marked Proprietary (in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel or PDF format ONLY). Do not include embedded documents, hyperlinks or hyperlinks to videos. The document should be named in the following manner: Proprietary – Name of offeror RFP number

Pricing shall only be provided in the Cost Proposal. DO NOT SUBMIT ANY PRICING INFORMATION IN THE TECHNICAL PROPOSAL.

All submitted Technical and Cost Proposals shall remain valid for a minimum of six (6) months after the proposal due date.

8.20 Format of Technical Proposal

The Technical Proposal must be arranged and labeled in the manner set forth below.

Transmittal Letter – a Transmittal letter shall be submitted on Offeror’s letterhead and signed by an agent authorized to bind the Offeror. The Transmittal letter shall include the following:

Completed and Signed Solicitation and Addenda – An authorized representative MUST complete and sign the Solicitation form and include the following:

a. “Vendor” box and “Payment” box should be completed.

b. Vendor shall indicate ownership type.

c. Vendor shall provide “FEIN” if applicable.

d. Vendor shall provide date the form is completed and signed.

e. Signed face of the most recent Addenda, if applicable.

Signed and Notarized Required Affidavit for Bidders or Offerors - available at the following link:

https://finance.ky.gov/office-of-the-secretary/Pages/finance-forms.aspx.

Signed and Notarized Required Affidavit for Bidders, Offerors and Contractors Claiming Resident Bidder Status – if applicable. Available at the following link:

https://finance.ky.gov/office-of-the-secretary/Pages/finance-forms.aspx.

*Offerors not claiming Resident Bidder Status need not submit this affidavit.

Signed and Notarized Required Affidavit for Bidders, Offerors and Contractors Claiming Qualified Bidder Status – if applicable. Available at the following link:

https://finance.ky.gov/office-of-the-secretary/Pages/finance-forms.aspx.

*Offerors not claiming Qualified Bidder Status need not submit this affidavit.

Response to the Technical Portion of the RFP – Please provide a detailed response to the technical requirements outlined in the Evaluation Criteria. No cost information shall be provided in the technical portion.

8.30 Format of Cost Proposal

The Cost Proposal must be submitted under separate cover from the Technical Proposal and must be arranged and labeled in the manner specified. The proposal with the lowest price receives the maximum score. The remaining proposals with the next lowest price receives points by dividing the lowest price by the next lowest price and multiplying that percentage by the available points.

8.40 Certification Regarding Debarment and Suspension

In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.209-5, the Offeror shall certify, by signing the Solicitation, that to the best of its knowledge and belief, the Offeror and/or its Principals is (are) not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, or declared ineligible for the award of contracts by any state or federal agency.

For the purposes of this certification, “Principals”, means officers, directors, owners, partners, and persons having primary management or supervisory responsibilities within a business entity (e.g., general manager, plant manager, head of subsidiary, division, or business segment, and similar positions.

9.00 Rules of Procurement

To facilitate this procurement, various rules have been established. These are described in the following paragraphs.

Offerors should review and comply with the General Conditions and Instructions for Solicitation/Contract listed under “Response to Solicitation” located on the eProcurement web page at https://finance.ky.gov/eProcurement/Pages/doing-business-with-the-commonwealth.aspx

The procurement process will provide for the evaluation of proposals and selection of the winning proposal in accordance with state law and regulations. KRS Chapter 45A of the Kentucky Model Procurement Code provides the regulatory framework for the procurement of services by state agencies.

9.10 Technical Proposal Evaluation

The KDFWR will evaluate the proposal based on the technical portion of the Evaluation Criteria. Each Offeror is responsible for submitting all relevant, factual and correct information with their offer to enable the evaluator(s) to afford each vendor the maximum score based on the available data submitted by the Offeror. Past Offeror Performance may be considered in the award of this Contract. Offerors with a record of poor performance in the last twelve (12) months may be found non-responsible and ineligible for award.

9.20 Cost Proposal Evaluation

The KDFWR will evaluate the proposal based on the cost portion of the Evaluation Criteria

Offeror shall only provide cost on the attached Cost Proposal Form; otherwise, the proposal may be deemed non-responsive.

9.30 Right to Reject/Waiver of Minor Irregularities

The KDFWR reserves the right at its discretion to reject any and all offers. The KDFWR also reserves the right at its discretion to waive informalities and minor irregularities in offers received.

9.40 Clarification of Proposals

The KDFWR reserves the right at its discretion to request additional information as may reasonably be required for selection and to reject any proposals for failure to provide additional information on a timely basis.

The KDFWR reserves the right to conduct discussions with any Offeror who has submitted a proposal to determine the Offeror’s qualifications for further consideration. Such discussions shall not disclose any information derived from proposals submitted by other Offerors.

9.50 Best and Final Offers

The KDFWR reserves the right at its discretion to request a Best and Final Offer (BAFO) for technical and/or cost proposals. Offerors are cautioned to propose their best possible offers at the outset of the process, as there is no guarantee that any Offeror will be allowed an opportunity to submit a Best and Final technical and/or cost offer.

9.60 Vendor Response and Public Inspection

This RFP specifies the format, required information and general content of proposals to be submitted in response to the RFP. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources shall not disclose any portions of the proposals prior to contract award to anyone outside the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, representatives of the agency for whose benefit the contract is proposed, representatives of the federal government, if required, and the members of the evaluation committee. After a contract is awarded in whole or in part, the KDFWR shall have the right to duplicate, use, or disclose all proposal data submitted by Offerors in response to this RFP as a matter of public record.

Any and all documents submitted by an Offeror in response to the RP shall be available for public inspection after contract award pursuant to the Kentucky Open Records Act, KRS 61.870 to 61.884 (“the Act”). When responding to a request to inspect records submitted in response to this RFP, the KDFWR will not redact or withhold any information or documents unless the records sought are exempt from disclosure pursuant to KRS 61.878 or other applicable law. Similarly, no such documents shall be exempt from public disclosure, regardless of the Offeror’s designation of the information contained therein as “proprietary,” “confidential,” or otherwise, except in cases where the requested documents (or information contained therein) would be excluded from application of the Act under KRS 61.878(1)(c).

The KDFWR shall have the right to use all system ideas, or adaptations of those ideas, contained in any proposal received in response to this RFP. Selection or rejections of the proposal will not affect this right.

9.70 Reciprocal Preference for Kentucky Resident Bidders and Preferences for a Qualified Bidder The scoring of bids/proposals is subject to the reciprocal preference for Kentucky resident bidders and preferences for a Qualified Bidder or the Department of Corrections, Division of Prison Industries (See KRS 45A.490(1), (2), 45A.492, 45A.494 and KAR 200 5:410).

Vendors not claiming resident bidder or qualified bidder status need not submit the corresponding affidavit.

Determining the residency of a bidder for purposes of applying a reciprocal preference

Any individual, partnership, association, corporation, or other business entity claiming resident bidder status shall submit the attached Required Affidavit for Bidders, Offerors and Contractors Claiming Resident Bidder Status as part of its response. The KDFWR reserves the right to request documentation supporting a bidder’s claim of resident bidder status. Failure to provide such documentation upon request shall result in disqualification of the bidder or contract termination.

As part of its response, a nonresident bidder shall submit its certificate of authority to transact business in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Secretary of State. The location of the principal office identified therein shall be deemed the state of residency for that bidder. If the bidder is not required by law to obtain said certificate, the state of residency for that bidder shall be deemed to be that which is identified in its mailing address as provided in its bid.

Preferences for Qualified Bidder or the Department of Corrections, Division of Prison Industries (200 KAR 5:410)

Pursuant to KRS 45A.470 and 200 KAR 5:410, Kentucky Correctional Industries will receive a preference equal to twenty (20) percent of the maximum points awarded to a bidder in a solicitation. In addition, the following “qualified bidders” will receive a preference equal to fifteen (15) percent of the maximum points awarded to a bidder in a solicitation. New Vision Industries, Inc., any nonprofit corporation that furthers the purposes of KRS Chapter 163 and any qualified nonprofit agencies for individuals with severe disabilities as defined in KRS 45A.465(3). Any bidder claiming “qualified bidder” status, other than New Vision Industries, Inc., shall submit a notarized affidavit affirming that it meets the requirements to be considered a qualified bidder as part of its response to the solicitation (affidavit form included as part of this RFP). If requested, failure to provide documentation proving qualified bidder status to a public agency, if requested, may result in disqualification of the bidder or contract termination.

9.80 Negotiation

After conducting the evaluation to determine the best proposal received, the KDFWR reserves the right to negotiate a fair and reasonable compensation based on the pricing submitted in the Offeror’s proposal. If the negotiations fail to reach an agreement on a fair and reasonable compensation rate, the KDFWR reserves the right to proceed to the next highest ranked proposal. Other terms and conditions relating to the technical and/or cost proposals may be negotiated at the sole discretion of the KDFWR.

9.85 Best Interests of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources The KDFWR will rank all proposals in the manner set forth in the Evaluation Criteria. However, the KDFWR reserves the right to reject any or all proposals in whole or in part before, during, or after negotiation based on the best interests of the KDFWR.

CONTRACT AWARD, TERMS, AND CONDITIONS

10.00 Notification of Award

To view the award of contract(s), including the contractor(s) receiving the award(s) for this solicitation, access the Kentucky Vendor Self Service Site at:

https://vss.ky.gov

Offerors can search for the solicitation title or number in the keyword search field or filter their search for only awarded solicitations by clicking on “Advanced Search” and changing the status to “awarded.” The award(s) information can be accessed by clicking on the details button of the solicitation and clicking the “Notice of Award” tab. It is the Offeror’s responsibility to review this information in a timely fashion. No other notification of the results of an Award of Contract will be provided to unsuccessful Offerors.

10.10 Beginning of Work

This Contract is not effective and binding until approved by the Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and filed with the Legislative Research Commission’s Government Contract Review Committee. The Contractor shall not commence any billable work until a valid Contract has been fully executed. This Contract, including the components referenced in Section 10.20, shall represent the entire agreement between the parties. Prior negotiations, representations, or agreements, either written or oral, between the parties hereto relating to the subject matter hereof shall be of no effect upon this Contract.

10.20 Contract Components and Order of Precedence

The KDFWR’s acceptance of the Contractor’s offer in response to the Solicitation, indicated by the issuance of a Contract Award, shall create a valid contract between the Parties consisting of the following:

1. Procurement Statutes, Regulations and Policies

2. Any written Agreement between the Parties.

3. Any Addenda to the Solicitation.

4. The Solicitation and all attachments

5. Any Best and Final Offer.

6. Any clarifications concerning the Contractor’s proposal in response to the Solicitation.

7. The Contractor’s proposal in response to the Solicitation.

In the event of any conflict between or among the provisions contained in the Contract, the order of precedence shall be as enumerated above.

10.30 Contract Term and Renewal Option

The initial term of the Contract is anticipated to be from May 10, 2024 through June 30, 2024.

This agreement is not effective until the Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources or his authorized designee has approved the Contract and until the Contract has been filed with the Legislative Research Commission, Government Contract Review Committee.

The KDFWR reserves the right to renew this contract for up to four (4) additional one (1) year period.

Renewal shall be subject to prior approval from the Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, or this authorized designee, and the LRC Government Contract Review Committee in accordance with KRS 45A.695 and KRS 45A.705.

10.40 Changes and Modifications to the Contract

Pursuant to 200 KAR 5:311, no modification or change of any provision in the Contract shall be made, or construed to have been made, unless such modification is mutually agreed to in writing by the Contractor and the KDFWR, and incorporated as a written amendment by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Division of Administrative Services prior to the effective date of such modification or change. Memoranda of Understanding, written clarification, and/or other correspondence shall not be construed as amendments to the Contract.

10.50 Notices

Unless otherwise instructed, all notices, consents, and other communications required and/or permitted by the Contract shall be in writing. After the award of the Contract, all communications of a contractual or legal nature are to be made to the Agency Contact.