ITB# 2160 – Windermere Fields #4 Page 1 of 10 v06.16.2026

PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE ANY SHEETS FROM THIS DOCUMENT

TOWN OF VERNON

Invitation to Bid (ITB) #2160

Windermere Fields Complex – Completion of field #4

Submittal Due: July 22, 2026 at 10:00 AM

LATE SUBMITTALS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED

TOWN OF VERNON, CT

ITB #2160 - WINDERMERE FIELDS COMPLEX – COMPLETION OF FIELD #4

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LEGAL NOTICE

The Town of Vernon, Connecticut is seeking sealed bids from qualified firms for the completion of field #4 within the Windermere Fields Complex at 60 Windermere Avenue, Ellington, Connecticut. The field of Play’ shall be 300’ x 225’ soccer field and the associated margins, for a total of 330’ x 265’. While this project is located within the corporate limits of the Town of Ellington, it is a Vernon Funded and Directed effort. A responding firm must have demonstrated experience in providing such service and adhere to standards and requirements typical for such service.

Questions about this ITB should be directed to Martin Sitler, Director of Parks and Recreation, by email only to msitler@vernon-ct.gov, no later than Wednesday, July 8, 2026, at 3:30 pm. Answers to questions received will be posted by Wednesday, July 15, 2026, on the Town’s website at https://www.vernon-ct.gov/o/tov/page/bids-and-rfps and at the Connecticut State Department of Administrative Services (DAS) at https://portal.ct.gov/das by referencing Contract #2160. It is the sole responsibility of the respondent to review any or all addendum or question responses related to this ITB.

Two (2) copies of the proposal should be submitted in a sealed envelope marked “BID DOCUMENT- DO NOT OPEN – CONTRACT #2160” clearly marked on the outside of the envelope to John W.

Kleinhans, Town Administrator, Town of Vernon, Memorial Building, 14 Park Place, 3rd Floor, Vernon, Connecticut 06066 no later than Wednesday, July 22, 2026, at 10:00 AM. Emailed, faxed or late bids will not be accepted.

Received bids will be opened publicly in person on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, at 10:00 AM. Bid results will be posted on the Town website.

The selected firm must meet all municipal, state, and federal AA and EEO practices and requirements.

MBE's, WBE's, SBE's are encouraged to apply. The Town reserves the right to reject any or all proposals in whole or part, to award any one service or group of services or all services, to negotiate with any or all companies submitting proposals, and to enter into an agreement with any contractor for any services mentioned in this ITB; if it is deemed to be in the best interest of the Town.

Confidentiality - If Respondent believes that any information in its proposal should be treated as confidential that material shall be clearly marked. The Town shall endeavor to protect confidential material from disclosure to non-Town employees to the extent permitted by State or Federal law. In no event will the Town be responsible for the inadvertent disclosure of your response to this ITB.

John W. Kleinhans, Town Administrator mailto:msitler@vernon-ct.gov, https://www.vernon-ct.gov/o/tov/page/bids-and-rfps

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INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS

These instructions are standard for all proposals issued by the Town of Vernon, Connecticut for the purchase of all supplies, materials, equipment and the furnishing of certain services.

1. Questions about this ITB should be directed to Martin Sitler, Director of Parks and Recreation, by email only to msitler@vernon-ct.gov, no later than Wednesday, July 8, 2026, at 3:30 pm. Answers to questions received will be posted by Wednesday, July 15, 2026, on the Town’s website at https://www.vernon-ct.gov/o/tov/page/bids-and-rfps and at the Connecticut State Department of Administrative Services (DAS) at https://portal.ct.gov/das by referencing Contract #2160. It is the sole responsibility of the respondent to review any or all addendum or question responses related to this ITB.

2. Deviations: Any and all deletions, variations and exceptions to the specifications must be stated in writing at time of bidding and must be attached to the “Proposal” section of contract. The Director of Parks and Recreation will notify the contractor, in writing, of these changes. Terms and conditions of any additions or deletions will be subject to negotiation by both parties.

3. ITB at any time prior to the time proposals are opened. All proposers or prospective proposers will be informed of said clarifications, corrections, or changes.

4. This project is a prevailing wage job and shall be paid in accordance with the wage schedules appropriate for their trade Professional services related to design development, supervision and administration are typically not included in these categories. Certified payrolls on the approved forms shall be required prior to each pay requisition being approved for processing.

5. The attached proposal is signed by the bidder with full knowledge of, and agreement with, the general specifications, conditions and requirements of this bid.

6. Not responsible for defects to electronically-mailed contracts.

7. Bids shall be submitted in sealed envelopes which shall be addressed to the Town Administrator, 14 Park Place, Vernon, Connecticut 06066, and shall be clearly marked "BID DOCUMENT - DO NOT OPEN". The bid envelope shall indicate the contract number as shown on the "Invitation to Bid".

Emailed, faxed or late bids will not be accepted.

8. Bids received later than the time and date specified in the "Invitation to Bid" will not be considered.

Withdrawal of bids received later than the time and date set for the bid opening, will not be considered.

9. Bids received prior to the advertised hour of opening will be securely kept sealed. The officer whose duty it is to open them will decide when the specified time has arrived and no bid received thereafter will be considered.

mailto:msitler@vernon-ct.gov, https://www.vernon-ct.gov/o/tov/page/bids-and-rfps

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Town of Vernon office hours:

Monday – 8:00 am – 4:30 pm Tuesday – 8:00 am – 7:00 pm Wednesday - 8:00 am – 5:00 pm Thursday – 8:00 am – 4:30 pm Friday - closed

10. All deliveries of commodities hereunder shall comply in every respect with all applicable laws of the

Federal Government and the State of Connecticut. Unless otherwise stated herein, all deliveries made under this contract must consist of new merchandise.

11. The bidder shall insert the price per stated unit and extend a total price for each item. IN THE EVENT

THAT THERE IS A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN THE UNIT PRICE AND THE TOTAL PRICE

EXTENSION, THE UNIT PRICE WILL GOVERN.

12. In accordance with the provisions of Section 12-412 (a) of the Connecticut General Statutes, the

Town of Vernon is exempt from the payment of Federal or State tax and such tax or taxes shall not be included in bid prices.

13. The Town reserves the right to reject any and all bids, wholly or in part; to waive technical defects, and to make awards in the manner deemed to be in the best interests of the Town.

14. The Town will not accept any additional charges for freight or shipping.

15. Vendor shall agree to maintain in force at all times during the contract the following minimum coverages and shall name the Town of Vernon & Vernon Board of Education as an Additional Insured on a primary and non-contributory basis to all policies except Workers Compensation & Professional Liability. All policies should also include a Waiver of Subrogation. Insurance shall be written with Carriers approved in the State of Connecticut and with a minimum AM Best's Rating of "A-" VIII. In addition, all Carriers are subject to approval by the Town of Vernon & Vernon Board of Education.

(Minimum Limits)

General Liability Each Occurrence $1,000,000 General Aggregate $2,000,000 Products/Completed Operations Aggregate $2,000,000 Auto Liability (Incl. Hired/Non Owned)

Combined Single Limit Each Accident

$1,000,000

Umbrella Each Occurrence $1,000,000 (Excess Liability) Aggregate $1,000,000 Professional Liability Each Wrongful Act

Aggregate

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If any policy is written on a "Claims Made" basis, the policy must be continually renewed for a minimum of two (2) years from the completion date of this contract. If the policy is replaced and/or the retroactive date is changed, then the expiring policy must be endorsed to extend the reporting period for claims for the policy in effect during the contract for two (2) years from the completion date.

Workers' Compensation and WC Statutory Limits Employers' Liability EL Each Accident $1,000,000 EL Disease Each Employee $1,000,000 EL Disease Policy Limit $1,000,000

Original, completed Certificates of Insurance must be presented to the Town of Vernon & Vernon Board of Education prior to contract issuance. Vendor agrees to provide replacement/renewal certificates at least 30 days prior to the expiration date of the policies.

15. All bids must be accompanied by bid security in the sum of not less than five percent (5%) of the total bid and shall be in the form of a bid bond, a certified check, a treasurer's or cashier's check drawn on a National or State bank or trust company and shall be made payable to the "Town of Vernon".

The bid security shall secure the execution of the contract by the successful bidder.

Should any bidder to whom an award is made fail to enter into a contract within ten (10) days, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays, after notice of the award has been mailed to the bidder, the amount so received from the bidder through his/her bond shall become the property of the Town of Vernon, Connecticut as liquidated damages for failure to enter into a contract.

The bid security, exclusive of the successful bidder, will be returned upon execution of the contract, but in no case later than forty-five (45) days after the opening of the bids. The bid security of the successful bidder shall be held until such time as all conditions of the proposal have been met.

END SECTION

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SPECIFICATIONS

1. SCOPE OF WORK

The Town of Vernon, Connecticut is seeking sealed bids from qualified firms for the completion of the last soccer field, field #4 within the Windermere Fields Complex at 60 Windermere Avenue, Ellington, Connecticut. While this project is located within the corporate limits of the Town of Ellington, it is a Vernon Funded and Directed effort. A responding firm must have demonstrated experience in providing such service and adhere to standards and requirements typical for such service. Caution must be used traveling through the active recreation area, particularly when league play is underway.

Field 4 is located in the flood plain of the Hockanum River and has been an agricultural field for a number of years. Due to its location and historic land use, the proposed field and surrounding margins, do not have a uniform depth of top soil and the final grade must be able to sustain the turf surface without the benefit of supplemental irrigation. A uniform depth of screened topsoil is key to this and therefor requires that the natural subgrade be modified to provide the desired final elevation and grading. The Town of Vernon has engaged Johnny’s AG Services to harrow the entire area once in Mid-June and once in Mid-July to break up remnants of the former cover crop.

For the purpose of this contract, the ‘Field of Play’ shall be 300’ x 225’ soccer field and the associated margins, for a total of 330’ x 265’. This are shall be built according to the referenced plans, shall have 10” of topsoil, and the final surface shall be free of any depressions or high spots greater than ½” from the specified grade.

The balance of the disturbed area, shall for the purpose of this contract be know as the ‘Adjacent Area’.

This area shall be prepared to the specified grade and elevation however, portions of this area may be field adjusted to generate material or lose material as needed.

The proposed work includes but is not limited to:

a. Attend a pre-construction meeting on site with principal stake holders.

b. Install siltation barrier as shown.

c. Recover existing control points and develop system for project layout. The selected contractor should seek competent professionals for stake out services if they do not have the expertise to insure accurate layout and control.

d. Removal of topsoil layer, depth ranging from 9” to 20”, from the area shown on Sheet 2 of 6. This includes both the Field of Play and the Adjacent Area.

e. Stake out and formation of subgrade – cut / fill loam layer as needed to subgrade elevations at Finished Grade minus 10”. If needed surplus subgrade material to be spread outside the Field of Play area as directed. Subgrade borrow if required to be taken from adjacent areas as directed.

Confirm that subgrade surface is true to line and grade and at the desired elevation, plus or minus 0.1’.

f. Screening of topsoil to ¾” minus for future placement. Stockpile screened topsoil as shown.

Tailings shall be likewise stockpiled and left on site.

g. Place screened topsoil to a finished depth of 10” on the Field of Play and approximately 8” depth on the Adjacent Area. Surplus Topsoil, if any, shall remain in the stockpile and seeded with Annual Rye grass at 4 lbs./1000 sf. Avoid heavy wheeled vehicle traffic over prepared areas. Provide scarification of any compacted areas as directed by the Town.

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h. Fertilize and seed all disturbed areas as specified.

i. Install the proposed drywell as shown and protect the inlet with a ring of haybales and with a silt sack. Maintain this protection until the surrounding area is stabilized.

It is anticipated that a uniform vigorous stand of grass will be established on or about November 1, 2026.

The contractor shall mow the new grass once at this time. If in the opinion of the Director of Parks and Recreation, the newly seeded area shows evidence of poor germination, bare spots or other defects that Contractor shall be required to remedy these defects using aeration, re-seeding and other actions to address the problem(s). This remedial work may be delayed until the spring of 2027 if in the opinion of the Director of Recreation that will result in a superior product for the Town of Vernon.

2. PLAN SET

Appendix A plan set entitled “Bid Set, Windermere Fields, Field #4” prepared by the Town of Vernon Engineering Department, dated May 5, 2026, sheets 6 of 6.

3. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

General and Subcontract Bids shall consist of but are not limited to site restoration and all other work necessary for or incidental to the full completion of the entire project, including all equipment, labor, material, and incidentals in connection therewith.

4. QUALIFICATIONS OF BIDDERS

The Town is seeking well-qualified and experienced bidders for this project. As part of the bid proposal, please include the following information:

a. Please provide three (3) current or former client references that are applicable to projects of this scope.

b. List the number of currently employed full-time and part-time employees.

c. Briefly describe the project management process.

5. ANTICIPATED TIMELINE AND WORK HOURS

It is the Town’s intent to begin work immediately upon execution of a contract with the selected Vendor.

The Contractor shall substantially complete all site preparation, grading, and related work no later than September 28, 2026. All seeding operations shall be completed by this date unless otherwise approved in writing by the Town. The Contractor shall be responsible for establishing a healthy stand of turf, with the first mowing/cutting completed by November 1, 2026.

Authorized work hours shall be as follows:

• Monday through Friday: 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

• Saturday: 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

• Sunday and Holidays: No work shall be permitted unless prior written authorization is granted by the Town.

The Contractor shall coordinate all work activities with the Town and shall provide adequate notice of any schedule changes or delays. The Town reserves the right to modify work hours or restrict operations as necessary to accommodate public use, special events, safety concerns, or other municipal needs.

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6. SAFETY

All work shall comply with all pertinent OSHA, Federal, State, and Local Regulations. OSHA compliant vests and hard hats (as work tasks dictate), shall be worn by all contractor’s and subcontractor’s employees at all times. The contractor shall maintain safety measures at all times when a hazard or hazards exist in or around the work area. The contractor shall implement additional safety measures as directed by the Town's representative or by other State, Federal, or Local authorities at no additional cost to the Town.

7. CONTRACTOR’S SUPERVISION

The Contractor shall give adequate supervision, satisfactory to the Town of Vernon, to all employees engaged in work under this Contract. The Contractor shall be available by mobile phone with a response time of no greater than 30 minutes.

8. QUALITY OF WORK

All work performed under this contract shall meet the quality standards established by the Town and be subject to the approval of the Director of Parks and Recreation or other authorized Town representative. Any work determined by the Town to be defective, incomplete, or otherwise unsatisfactory shall be repaired, replaced, or corrected by the Contractor at no additional cost to the Town.

The Town reserves the right to withhold payment for any work deemed unsatisfactory until such deficiencies have been fully corrected to the satisfaction of the Town. In addition, the Town shall retain a portion of the contract amount as retainage. Retainage will be held until the first scheduled mowing/cutting has been completed and accepted by the Town, at which time the retainage may be released, provided all work performed to date is satisfactory and in compliance with the contract requirements.

9. RIGHT TO TERMINATE

The Town of Vernon reserves the right to terminate this contract by a five (5) day written notice should the quality of the work/products become inferior or the delivery service becomes poor.

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PROPOSAL

TO: Town of Vernon 14 Park Place Vernon, CT 06066

Sirs:

THE UNDERSIGNED HEREBY DECLARES that:

A. No person or persons other than those named herein are interested in this Proposal or in the Contract proposed to be taken; it is made without any connection with any other person or persons making any proposal for the same work, and is in all respects fair and without collusion or fraud; that no person acting for or employed by the Town of Vernon (the Town) is now or will hereafter be directly or indirectly interested therein, or in any portion of the profits thereof in any manner which is unethical or contrary to law;

B. He has read the information contained herein relating to the work;

C. That in the event a Contract, as contemplated by this Proposal, is awarded to him, he will enter into a written Contract with the Town, and agrees that in case he fails to do so, the Town may determine that the bidder has abandoned the Contract, and thereupon the acceptance of this Proposal and the award shall be null and void, and that the proposal guarantee may be forfeited in whole or in part to the Town as the Town may determine, and he will, by such Contract, agree to furnish all materials herein required, within the time stipulated by the Town, will perform all services and will assume all liabilities and obligations connected therewith, all in accordance with the Contract, Specifications, and Instructions to Bidders, all of which are made a part hereof, and will accept in full payment therefore the following sums, to wit:

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BID PROPOSAL

The undersigned representative of _____________________________________________________ hereby submits the following bid proposal on the equipment and/or work as specified:

1. BASE BID

written figures

3. Tax Exemption - The Town is tax-exempt and will provide appropriate documentation as needed.

4. BID BOND ATTACHED PER SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS:

YES_____ NO_____

5. The undersigned declares that the signer of this proposal is:

(a) INDIVIDUAL doing business as

(b) PARTNERSHIP doing business as

(c) CORPORATION entitled organized under the laws of the State of _______________________________ and having its

Principal offices at

The names of all partners of a partnership or the principal offices of a corporation will be submitted upon request.

Signature of Authorized Representative Name and Title

Firm Name

Street Address City, State and Zip Code

Telephone Number Email Address

I, ____________________________, hereby certify that I do not hold any executive or appointive office in the government of the Town of Vernon; furthermore, I do not anticipate holding or seeking office in the Town of Vernon for the duration of this contract. I further certify that the firm, which I represent, as named above, is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Date Signature