ITB-SH25-021 Tree and Stump Removal.pdf

Official bid specifications are available only at www.mitn.info.

INVITATION TO BID

ITB-SH25-021

The City of Sterling Heights, Michigan is accepting sealed bids for TREE AND STUMP

REMOVAL until TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2025 AT 2:30 P.M. Please refer to the attached for instructions, specifications, and bid submission procedures.

Erik Skurda Purchasing Manager

Office of Purchasing 586-446-2740 http://www.mitn.info/

Official bid specifications are available only at www.mitn.info. Page 1 of 28

INVITATION TO BID

TREE AND STUMP REMOVAL

CITY OF STERLING HEIGHTS

40555 UTICA ROAD

STERLING HEIGHTS, MI 48313

CONTACT PERSON: ERIK SKURDA, PURCHASING MANAGER

PHONE: 586-446-2741, FAX: 586-276-4062, E-MAIL: shpurchasing@sterlingheights.gov

INDEX

I. GENERAL CONDITIONS

II. CHECK LIST FOR BIDDERS

III. BID SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

IV. INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

V. BOND REQUIREMENTS

VI. SPECIFICATIONS

VII. BID FORM

VIII. QUALIFICATION QUESTIONNAIRE

IX. COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT

X. HOLD HARMLESS AND INDEMNITY

XI. NON-IRAN LINKED BUSINESS CERTIFICATION

XII. REFERENCES

XIII. EQUIPMENT LISTING

XIV. BID SUBMISSION LABEL

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I. GENERAL CONDITIONS

All information requested of the vendor shall be entered in the appropriate space on the form. Failure to do so may result in your bid being deemed non-responsive.

All information shall be entered in ink or typewritten. Mistakes may be crossed out and corrections inserted before submission of your bid. Corrections shall be initialed in ink by the person signing the bid. Corrections and/or modifications received after the closing time specified will not be accepted.

Time of delivery/installation shall be stated as the number of calendar days following receipt of the purchase order by the vendor to receipt of the goods or services by the City. Time of delivery/installation may be a consideration in the award.

Prices shall be stated in units of quantity specified in the bid document. In case of a discrepancy in computing the amount of the bid, the unit price shall govern. All quantities stated, unless indicated otherwise, are estimates and the City reserves the right to increase or decrease the quantity at the unit price bid as best fits its needs.

All prices will be bid F.O.B. Destination and remain in effect for at least 90 days to allow for approval by City Council. The successful bidder's prices will remain firm through the length of the contract as designated within these bid specifications.

Bids shall include all charges for delivery, packing, crating, etc. unless otherwise stated in the bid document. General delivery hours are 7:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Monday – Friday. The City is not to be held responsible for, and will not pay, any fuel surcharges during the term of the contract. Unit prices bid shall include delivery.

Prices will be considered net if no cash discount is shown.

All bids shall be signed by an authorized officer or employee of the bidder.

Bid Submission Options: Please refer to Section III Bid Submission Instructions for directions on submitting a bid electronically. Hard paper copy, email or fax submission of bids / proposals is not an option.

To be considered, your bid must be submitted to the City as instructed prior to the Date and Time specified. No late bids will be accepted. Bids may be withdrawn by a bidder, or authorized representative, provided their identity is made known and an email, phone call or fax is made to the City and the City can verify via return email or phone call the identity of the bidder and the intention to withdraw the bid, and if withdrawal is made prior to the stated bid deadline. On the mitn.info portal, electronic bids may be withdrawn by placing the bid into “storage” through the Edit option prior to the stated bid deadline.

The City of Sterling Heights reserves the right to postpone the bid opening for its own convenience.

Municipalities are exempt from Michigan State Sales and Federal Excise taxes. Do not include such taxes in your bid price. The City will furnish the successful contractor with tax

Official bid specifications are available only at www.mitn.info. Page 3 of 28 exemption certificates when requested. The following exception shall apply to installation projects. When sales tax is charged to the successful contractor for materials to be installed during the project, that cost shall be included in the bid cost and not charged as a separate item. The City is not tax exempt in this case and cannot issue an exemption certificate. If you are unfamiliar with your sales and use tax obligations, please contact the Michigan Department of Treasury for directions, including any applicable Revenue Administrative Bulletins (i.e. 1999-2 and any subsequent replacements / updates).

The City's normal payment terms are 30 days in connection with any cash discounts specified on this bid. Time will be computed from the date of complete delivery of supplies or equipment as specified, or from the date correct invoices are received in the City's Finance Department, if the latter date is later than the date of delivery.

The City reserves the right: (1) To award bids received on the basis of individual items, or groups of items, or on the entire list of items, (2) To reject any or all bids, or any part thereof,

(3) To waive any irregularity in the bids, (4) To accept the bid that is in the best interest of the City, (5) To accept an alternate to the product or service being bid out if deemed equivalent in the sole discretion of the city, except where alternates are prohibited by the terms of the invitation to bid (6) To reduce or eliminate this purchase without prior notice, (7) To split the award to realize the greatest cost savings, (8) To issue Post-Bid Addendums to clarify or request additional information, including pricing, (9) To require one or more selected bidders to perform the requested service on a trial basis, at the unit prices bid, as evidence of a bidders ability to satisfactorily perform the requested service, prior to a formal recommendation and approval by City Administration / City Council.

This invitation to bid and the acceptance of a bid by the City is not a contract for the purchase of services or products. The City will issue a Purchase Order, which will define, make reference to, and incorporate the bid specifications and the pricing bid as accepted by the City. Winning bidder is not to commence with any service or product order without receiving a Purchase Order signed by the Purchasing Manager. Unless otherwise stated, all contracts for services are subject to additions, reductions and/or termination at the sole discretion of the City and without prior notice by the City. Please forward any questions you may have regarding this solicitation to the Purchasing Manager via email at shpurchasing@sterlingheights.gov.

Bid prices submitted by the successful bidder should remain firm for the length of the contract from date of award by City Council.

ALL BIDS MUST INCLUDE MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEETS FOR MATERIALS AS

REQUIRED BY M.I.O.S.H.A.

The City of Sterling Heights is now part of an organization called the Michigan Inter-governmental Trade Network (MITN), a group of agencies that joined forces to create a Regional Bid Notification System to notify companies of new bid opportunities. All bids, quotations and proposals are now being posted online. All vendors are encouraged to visit http://www.mitn.info to register their company and gain access to new bids and proposals.

If you do not have internet access, please call 1-800-835-4603 to speak to a representative at BidNet®, the technical support group that handles the MITN system.

mailto:shpurchasing@sterlingheights.gov

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II. CHECK LIST FOR BIDDERS

All information required by the terms of the bid documents must be furnished.

MISTAKES OR OMISSIONS CAN RESULT IN THE REJECTION OF YOUR BID.

Important items for you to check are included in, but not limited to, those listed below. This checklist is furnished only to assist you in submitting a proper bid.

_____ Is your bid properly signed? (refer to bid documents)

_____ If required, have you entered a unit price or lump sum for each bid item?

_____ Are decimals in unit price in the proper places? Are your figures legible?

_____ Are any bid bonds or bid deposits, if required, included in your bid package?

Include a copy of any bid bond or a copy of a certified check to show compliance with this requirement

_____ Did you complete and include the Qualification Questionnaire, Hold

Harmless, Non-Iran Linked Business Certification, References and Equipment Listing forms as well as include Exhibits A & B?

_____ Bid Submission – Bids are to be submitted via the mitn.info bid submittal system. Bids submitted by email, fax, hard copy drop off, US Mail and delivery service are not options at this time. Please use the bid submission label provided (See section XIV) as the cover page of your submittal via mitn.info. Include in your bid submittal package all required forms / documents, but please do not include the specifications and instructions.

Return only the forms requiring completion.

_____ Will your bid arrive on time? Late bids will not be considered. Bids must be received by the City via mitn.info no later than 2:30 p.m. by the date specified.

_____ Did you submit your original bid form (no additional copies are required)?

PLEASE DO NOT RETURN COPIES OF OUR

SPECIFICATIONS/INSTRUCTIONS. RETURN ONLY THE FORMS

REQUIRING YOUR COMPLETION (Pages 17-28) AS WELL AS EXHIBITS A (Insurance Requirements) and B (Bond Requirements).

Failure to include all pages may result in your bid being deemed non-responsive.

_____ Did you check the MITN website (or email the Purchasing Department) for any addendums which may have been posted? Addendums may be posted at any time and must be submitted to the MITN website no later than 2:30 p.m.

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III. BID SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Please read these instructions carefully. Your bid / proposal may be deemed non-responsive if it is not submitted as detailed below. Bids / proposals are considered received when downloaded into the mitn.info system before the submission deadline date and time, late bids / proposals will not be considered.

Bid / Proposal Submission Deadline: Tuesday, AUGUST 26, 2025 before 2:30 P.M.

Electronic Bid Submission via the MITN system as described below is the only bid submittal option.

Call the Purchasing Office at 586-446-2740 if you have any questions and we will assist.

Electronic Bid Submission Only The vendor / Contractor will need to complete, scan and upload your entire bid package through the MITN system. All electronic bids / proposals will be submitted directly into a secured MITN “vault” that cannot be opened until the bid / proposal submission deadline date and time.

Vendor / Contractor Submittal Procedure:

Login to the MITN website using your previously registered credentials at http://www.mitn.info.

Locate and enter the Sterling Heights Solicitation you have prepared a bid for.

Click on the “Place Bid” button on the upper right side of the page.

In the “Place a Bid” window, select “Place a new Bid” or “Place a No Bid”

(Depending on your response). Select the “Continue” button .

On the next page, in the “Documents” tab, select “Add File” or “Import

Zip file” (Depending on your file type). Complete all required actions and click the “Next” button.

This will bring you to the “Pricing” tab. There you will see a reminder to “Don’t forget to attach your pricing in the ‘Documents’ section”. Select the “Next” button.

On the following screen, in the “Exceptions” section, select “No” or “Yes”

(depending on your response). In the “Bidder Compliance & Authentication” section, you will enter your full name and password where prompted. Click the

“Submit Bid” button.

In the “Bid Submission Confirmation” window, select “No” or “Yes” (depending on your response).

Finally, the next screen will confirm your bid submission. Here you will receive a confirmation number and will be able to download a PDF version of the confirmation for your records.

Important: The mitn.info system locks at 2:30 pm (Sterling Heights, Michigan Time) on the due date, and no bids / proposals can be downloaded after that time. No exceptions.

Bids / proposals must be downloaded and accepted by the mitn.info downloading portal before 2:30 pm. Do not wait until the last minute to submit your bid / proposal, internet

Official bid specifications are available only at www.mitn.info. Page 6 of 28 connections, computer systems failures on the submitter’s part could cause a bid / proposal to be denied from downloading into mitn.info system. The system locks at 2:30 p.m. Late bids / proposals will not be considered.

If you have questions with the electronic bid submission procedures, please contact the MITN Vendor Support Department at (800) 835-4603, option #2 or email:

e-procurementsupport@bidnet.com

The City of Sterling Heights officially distributes bid and RFP documents through the Michigan Inter-governmental Trade Network (MITN). Copies of bid and RFP documents obtained from any other source are not considered official copies. Bids or notification of bids issued by members of MITN are to be posted, in whole or in part, ONLY on the MITN system. Any other use is prohibited. Only those vendors who obtain bid documents from the MITN system are guaranteed access to receive addendum information, if such information is issued. The City of Sterling Heights cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information not obtained from the MITN website and is not responsible for any errors contained by information received from alternate sources.

The City reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to allow a bidder to resubmit a copy of a bid that was otherwise submitted via the mitn.info system before the bid due date and time, when the bid document submitted via the mitn.info system is corrupt or otherwise not readable / downloadable by the City, and when in the opinion of the City, the fault was not that of the bidder.

If you received this document from a source other than the sources indicated, please notify us. It is recommended that all vendors register on the MITN website at www.mitn.info to obtain an official copy. All future bids, proposals, quotes and any addenda and tabulations will be posted on the MITN website.

BID BOND SUBMITTAL:: Please refer to the specifications and forms for bid bond requirements and additional information. When bid bonds are required, all bidders must submit a photocopy of the Bid Bond (surety, cashier check, certified check) as part of the electronic bid submission. The photocopy must be of sufficient resolution to show a valid stamp, seal, signatures, names, dates, etc. The original Bid Bond must be provided upon request of the City. Failure to submit the original Bid Bond, upon request by the City, may result in the bid being deemed unresponsive and the bid rejected without further evaluation

PUBLIC BID OPENING: A public bid opening will be accessible 30 minutes after the posted due date and time via three simultaneous formats:

1. Microsoft Teams live stream - Join the meeting here

2. Conference call, participants must call 586-446-2663, (enter Conference ID Code

4462740 when prompted).

3. In person at the City of Sterling Heights City Council Chambers located at: 40555

Utica Road, Sterling Heights MI, 48313.

A Purchasing Department representative will read the bids / name of firms submitting proposals as they are downloaded and made available.

http://www.mitn.info/ mailto:e-procurementsupport@bidnet.com https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ODVkMDYwZjAtZjIyOS00MDE3LTk3OTYtZWVjOGJkNjU5ZjI1%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22b4d6f201-96e3-4465-b7a5-0a89b7d16abb%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22c409637a-761b-428b-b134-24fd1a9caff3%22%7d

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IV. INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor, and any and all of their subcontractors, shall not commence work under this contract until required insurance within this contract has been obtained and shall keep such insurance in force during the entire life of this contract. All insurance coverages shall be with insurance carriers licensed and admitted to do business in the State of Michigan and acceptable to the City of Sterling Heights. The requirements below should not be interpreted to limit the liability of the Contractor. If any insurance is written with a deductible or self-insured retention, the Contractor shall be solely responsible for said deductible or self-insured retention. The purchase of insurance and the furnishing of a certificate of insurance shall not be a satisfaction of the Contractor's indemnification to the City of Sterling Heights.

The Contractor is responsible to meet all MIOSHA requirements for on-the-job safety.

The Contractor shall procure and maintain during the life of this contract the following coverages:

Workers Compensation Insurance including Employers Liability Coverage, in accordance with all applicable Statutes of the State of Michigan.

Commercial General Liability Insurance on an “Occurrence Basis” with limits of liability not less than $1,000,000.00 per occurrence and aggregate, Personal Injury, Bodily Injury and Property Damage. Coverage shall include the following extensions:

(1) Contractual Liability Coverage

(2) Products and Completed Operations Coverage.

(3) Independent Contractors Coverage.

(4) Broad Form General Liability Extensions.

(5) Explosion, Collapse, and Underground, if applicable.

Automobile Liability including Michigan No-Fault Coverages, with limits of liability of not less than $1,000,000.00 per occurrence combined single limit Bodily Injury and Property Damage. Coverage shall include all owned vehicles, all non-owned vehicles and all hired vehicles.

Commercial General Liability and Automobile Liability limits may be obtained by using an Excess/Umbrella Liability policy in addition to the primary liability policy(ies). If coverage limits are satisfied by an Excess and/or Umbrella policy, coverage must follow form of the primary liability policy(ies), including but not limited to additional insured and primary/non-contributory coverage.

Additional Insured: Following the official award of bid by City Council, the Commercial General Liability Insurance as described above shall include an Additional Insured endorsement as follows:

"The City of Sterling Heights, including all elected and appointed officials, all employees and volunteers, all boards, commissions and/or authorities and board members, including employees and volunteers thereof. It is understood and agreed by naming the City of Sterling Heights as additional insured, coverage afforded is considered to be primary and

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Cancellation Notice: Policies as described above, shall include an endorsement stating the following: It is understood and agreed thirty (30) days, ten (10) days for non-payment of premium, Advance Written Notice of Cancellation or Non-Renewal shall be sent to the Certificate Holder:

City of Sterling Heights Reference: Bid ITB-SH25-021 Purchasing Manager 40555 Utica Road Sterling Heights, MI 48313

Proof of Insurance Coverage: The contractor shall provide the City of Sterling Heights at the time the contracts are returned by him/her for execution a Certificate of Insurance as well as the required endorsements. In lieu of required endorsements, if applicable, a copy of the policy sections where coverage is provided for additional insured and cancellation notice would be acceptable. Copies or certified copies of all policies mentioned above shall be furnished, if so requested.

If any of the above coverages expire during the term of this Contract, the Contractor shall deliver renewal certificates, endorsements and/or policies to the City of Sterling Heights at least ten (10) days prior to the expiration date.

If the required insurance (with the exception of the Additional Insured endorsement) is already in place, please include a copy of the Certificate of Liability Insurance with your bid.

However, if required insurance is not already in place when submitting bid, contractors shall include a letter from their insurance agent indicating that they will be able to secure a Certificate of Liability Insurance upon award of the contract.

Please label that letter Exhibit A.

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V. BOND REQUIREMENTS

Bid Bond

Bids must be accompanied by a Bid Bond, Bank Issued Money Order, or Cashier's Check in the amount of five percent (5%) of the total bid which will be returned to the unsuccessful bidders after the award of the bid. The Bid Bond submitted by the successful bidder will be returned upon receipt of the required Performance Bond. No bid shall be considered unless it is accompanied by the required guaranty. Corporate checks will not be accepted as bid security.

Performance Bond (Surety or Cash Performance Bond)

Surety Performance Bond - The Contractor whose bid is accepted shall furnish a performance bond at their own expense with a company acceptable to the City in the full amount of ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00). The Performance Bond shall serve as security for the faithful performance of this Contract including any maintenance or warranty provisions and for the payment of all persons performing labor or furnishing materials in connection with this Contract. Premiums for the Performance Bond shall be paid by the Contractor. If at any time the City shall be dissatisfied with any surety or surety bond or Performance Bond, or if for any other reason such bond shall cease to be adequate security for the City, the Contractor shall within ten (10) days after notice from the City to do so, substitute an acceptable bond in performance and sum and signed by other sureties which are acceptable to the City. The premiums on such substitute bond shall be paid by the Contractor. The Performance Bond shall remain in full force and effect during the life of the Contract and during the term of any warranty or maintenance required by the specifications.

Cash Performance Bond - Contractor shall be allowed to provide a cash performance bond in lieu of the surety performance bond listed above.

The City reserves the right to proportionately reduce the amount of the Performance Bond if a split award is made.

The Contractor may not commence work and bid bonds or checks will not be returned until the performance bond has been received and approved by the City.

All bidders shall include a letter from their bonding agent indicating that upon award of the contract, they will be able to secure a Performance Bond.

Please label that letter Exhibit B.

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VI. SPECIFICATIONS

Estimated Quantities

All quantities are estimated and may vary substantially during the course of the Contract.

The estimated quantities are used for assisting in the determination of the lowest responsible bidder. Measurements for tree removal are taken at diameter breast height (DBH). Diameter measurements for stump grinding are taken at ground level. The measurements will be rounded to the nearest full inch. Exposed surface roots shall be ground, however, will not be calculated in the diameter measurement of the stump.

Term of Contract

The contract period shall be two years from date of award by City Council with the option to extend one additional year upon mutual agreement. Contractor shall not be permitted to assign or transfer this Contract to another party, company, partnership, or corporation or sublet any part of the work embraced by it without specific consent and approval in writing from the Council of the City of Sterling Heights.

Qualification of Contractors

A. Tree contractors shall be limited to individuals, partnerships and corporations actively engaged in the field of arboriculture. Contractors shall demonstrate competence, experience and financial capability to carry out the terms of these specifications. The City may require proof of these qualifications.

B. All contractors must have in their possession trucks, log loaders, chippers, stump grinders, hand tools, aerial and other equipment and supplies which are necessary to perform the work as outlined in these specifications.

C. The successful bidder must be readily available to carry out terms of the Contract, have available equipment, and the experience to perform the project properly.

Failure to comply with standards specified by the City constitutes a breach of the Contract.

Safety Standards

A. All equipment to be used and all work to be performed must be in full compliance with the most current revision of American National Standards Institute Standard, A.N.S.I. A300 Part 1-2017 (Safety Requirements for Pruning, Trimming, Repairing, Maintaining and Removing Trees and for Cutting Brush). These standards are made part of this contract by this reference.

B. The Contractor shall be solely responsible for pedestrian and vehicular safety and control within the work site and shall provide the necessary warning devices, barricades, and ground personnel needed to give safety, protection, and warning to persons and vehicular traffic within the area.

C. Blocking of public streets shall not be permitted unless prior arrangements have been made with the City and is coordinated with appropriate departments. Traffic control is the responsibility of the Contractor and shall meet all State, County and Local highway construction codes.

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Discontinuance of Work

Any practice that is determined hazardous by the City shall be immediately discontinued by the Contractor or upon receipt of either written or oral notice to discontinue such practice.

Observance of Laws, Ordinances and Regulations

The Contractor, at all times, shall observe and abide by all Federal, State, and Local laws which in any way affect the conduct of the work and shall comply with all decrees and orders of court's competent jurisdiction. The Contractor shall comply fully and completely with any and all applicable State and Federal Statutes, rules and regulations as they relate with hiring, wages and any other applicable conditions of employment.

Clean-Up

A. All debris from tree removal and stumping operations shall be cleaned up each day before the work crew leaves the site, unless permission is given by the City to do otherwise. All lawn areas shall be raked, all streets and sidewalks shall be swept, and all brush, branches and logs shall be removed from the site. Areas are to be left in a condition equal to that which existed prior to the commencement of tree removal operations.

B. It shall be the responsibility of the Contractor to remove and dispose, in a proper and acceptable manner, all logs, brush, and debris resulting from the tree maintenance operations. A “chip-dump” site is not available for use.

C. The Contractor guarantees the reimbursement, repair or replacement and restoration of any cultivated area damaged by careless or accidental use of equipment or machinery. Contractor agrees to repair or replace any turf area, fences, signs, poles, and/or appurtenances damaged or destroyed by careless or accidental use of equipment or machinery in the performance of the Contract.

D. The City does not provide equipment storage facilities for the contractor’s equipment.

Sprinkler and Mailbox Damage

Sprinkler damage determined by the City as a result of tree and stump removal shall be the financial responsibility of the Contractor to repair. Sprinkler repairs will be completed by the city’s irrigation contractor and paid directly by the tree removal contractor per payment terms.

Mailboxes should be repaired or replaced within the same day of damage occurrence so as not to interrupt mail service to the resident. The mailbox must be of equal or greater value of existing that was damaged due to tree removal.

Working Hours

The Contractor will schedule work between the hours of 7:00 AM and 6:00 PM, Monday through Friday, unless authorized by the City to do otherwise.

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Work Crew Supervision

The Contractor shall provide qualified supervision of each crew at all times while working under these specifications. Each supervisor shall be authorized by the Contractor to accept and act upon all directives issued by the City.

Contractor shall provide at least one employee in each crew that can effectively speak, write and communicate in the English language. Contractor employees may be approached by property owners/residents and are expected to courteously respond as necessary.

Tree and Stump Removal Specifications

Trees and stumps shall be removed in accordance with accepted industry standards and procedures and in accordance with the following minimum requirements. The Contractor shall remove trees and stumps within two weeks of notification by the City.

A. Limbs and branches larger than four (4) inches in diameter shall be lowered to the ground through the use of ropes or other mechanical devices.

B. Stumps shall not be left higher than three (3) inches above ground level.

C. Debris, logs or stump shall not be left on the public right-of-way overnight. The entire tree will be removed before end of the workday. Only a ground level flush cut stump shall be permitted to remain overnight. It shall be the responsibility of the Contractor to remove and dispose, in a proper and acceptable manner all logs, brush and debris resulting from the tree removal operation unless otherwise directed by the City.

D. Extreme care shall be taken so as to prevent limbs, branches, and trunks from falling and creating damage to adjacent homes, driveways, sidewalks, streets and other property, both public and private.

E. Areas where trees have been removed and stump ground shall be backfilled with topsoil and seeded within 10 business days. In order to prevent accidental injury, the contractor must leave the site level and flush. It is the contractors sole responsibility to protect the site and the City shall in no way serve to release the contractor from general or particular liability for the safety of the public or the work.

F. Final payment will not be made until all areas disturbed are restored with topsoil and seed, and areas are free from debris.

G. The property owner will be responsible for watering all seeded areas.

Topsoil and seed are further defined as follows:

Topsoil: Topsoil shall be screened and free of all rocks, roots, and foreign debris and shall meet the following requirements:

• Shall be fertile, friable, and representative of productive soil, capable of sustaining vigorous plant growth and shall be free of clay lumps, subsoil, weeds, or other foreign matter.

• Shall not be contaminated, excessively acidic or excessively alkaline

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• Shall not contain natural underlying soils, subbase materials, or other deleterious material

• Shall consist of natural loam, sandy loam, or clay loam humus-bearing soils adapted to sustain plant life

• Shall be of mineral origin, exclusive of peat or muck

Seed: All seed shall be supplied by the contractor and must consist of:

Name Proportion Purity Germination

Baron Bluegrass 35% 95% 80% Pennlawn Fescue 40% 97% 80% Perennial Rye 25% 97% 90%

All areas to receive seed shall be smooth, uniform and free of surface irregularities. All foreign matters shall be removed. Seed shall be sown at the rate of 6 pounds per thousand square feet.

Sow seeds by means of hydro seeding or broadcasting. Lightly compact or rake areas sown to incorporate the seed into the top ½” of the topsoil. Do not broadcast/hydro seed during windy conditions or conditions that would prevent seed placement as required.

Stump Grinding Specification

Prior to any stump grinding the contractor shall request a MISS DIG inspection. The Contractor shall fully grind stumps until no evidence of stump remains. All protuberant surface and subsurface roots beyond the stump area, noticeable from visible inspection, shall be removed to a depth of twelve inches below grade. The result shall be a uniformly graded generally “flat” area matching existing condition where no evidence of a stump shall remain other than backfilled topsoil. Chip residuals shall be removed to a twelve-inch depth. Following stump grinding, all holes shall be backfilled with screened topsoil and tamped level with existing grade and seeded according to above specifications under tree removal. The Contractor shall remove all excess material and debris from the work site.

Stump Removal Specification All stump material and material as designated from within the work site shall be removed.

Means and methods of removing stumps shall be reviewed by the city designate and approved in writing prior to commencing removal.

All areas where stumps have been removed and areas disturbed by the removal operation shall be backfilled to the level of the adjoining grade with pulverized black dirt (topsoil). This shall occur within 10 business days, and the site shall be properly barricaded to assure public safety. All holes must be backfilled directly following stump and debris removal. It is the contractors sole responsibility to protect the site and the City shall in no way serve to release the contractor from general or particular liability for the safety of the public or the work.

Park Tree Removal Specification

The Contractor may be required to remove limbs, branches or entire trees in City Parks that pose a potential hazard to adjacent residential properties and park goers in common park areas. This item will involve felling, limbing, and bucking specified trees. Trees to be

Official bid specifications are available only at www.mitn.info. Page 14 of 28 removed will be determined by the Director of Parks and Recreation or his designee. In non-active areas of the park, the Contractor will be required to fell, limb, and buck requested tree and leave the stump to be flush cut with grade. The Contractor will be responsible to buck the tree into four-foot sections. In non-active areas all bucked and limbed trees shall remain in place and out of interference with any public path. In active areas, felled trees are required to be removed and stump to be ground or removed and area restored per specifications above. All necessary measures shall be taken to fell trees safely and without damaging surrounding areas or trees. A representative from the City will distinguish between active and non-active areas in City Parks and shall inspect tree removal area prior to payment for approval of payment. The contractor will be responsible for all damages to public or private property determined to be the result of his work. Per a determination by the Parks and Recreation Director or his/her designee, trees damaged beyond repair and not previously scheduled for removal, shall be felled and restored per applicable area at no additional cost to the City. In addition, the contractor will be required to reimburse the City for two new trees to be planted to account for the lost asset (size, species, and cost TBD per specific tree lost).

Workmanship

The specifications herein set forth are intended to cover the prominent phases of tree and stump removal to ensure first-class workmanship. To safeguard the interests of the City, the Contractor will take all measures not specifically enumerated herein, but which conform to good practice to secure an acceptable result. To further guard the City, all essentials of good practice in hiring, working and protecting the work, and the protection of individuals and property, enumerated herein or not, shall be followed.

All work shall be performed in accordance with the best modern practice and workmanship of highest quality. Failure to conform to standards specified by the City shall be considered a breach of Contract.

The Contractor shall designate a supervisor who shall be available at all times to accommodate the City. The supervisor shall have the power to initiate immediate action to resolve disputes and/or complaints.

It is expected that all work will be completed in a timely manner from date of request.

Outside of the emergency procedures highlighted below, requests for removal is to be completed in the following time frames:

• Priority 1- Within 48 hours (business days only)

• Priority 2- Within 5 business days

• Priority 3 (Planned Removals) - Within 30 calendar days.

Penalty Clause Should the City determine that the Contractor has not performed required services in a manner or time frame acceptable to the City (per the time frames listed above), a City representative will notify the Contractor giving them from the date/time delivered:

A. 24 hours to contact the City and discuss problem(s)

B. 48 hours to correct the situation, unless otherwise agreed to by the City

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Should the contractor fail to make correction to City’s satisfaction and/or in the required time frame, City crews or another contractor will correct the situation, and continue corrections until Contractor resumes his responsibilities or the contract is terminated.

Invoiced amounts due Contractor will be reduced at a rate of:

C. If completed by City Crews Cost for labor, equipment (based on MDOT schedule C), and a 50% administration charge.

D. If completed by another contractor:

Invoiced amount plus 50%

Should there be insufficient invoiced amounts to cover penalties, Contractor will be billed.

Should the contractor fail to pay the penalties the City will seek appropriate action for reimbursement, including forfeiture of contractor’s surety or cash performance bond.

Each deficiency will be reviewed for possible termination of contract. The City of Sterling

Heights reserves the right to terminate the contract upon 30 days written notice due to poor performance or for any reason deemed in its best interest.

Invoice and Basis of Payment

The Contractor shall submit invoices to the appropriate department no more than semi-monthly. Invoices shall include but not limited to a list of each tree, the address of each individual tree, the species and the DBH measurement.

The City shall pay and Contractor receive the prices bid in the proposal, or agreed upon, less any deduction based upon final inspection by the City. Partial payments of invoices may occur based on final inspection and determination of deficiencies.

The City shall notify the Contractor of any deficiencies prior to processing invoices. The contractor shall re-invoice on future semi-monthly cycles for items rejected for payment once those items are corrected.

Storm Damage Removal Services Optional Bid Contractors are being asked to separately provide pricing for storm damage removal services on an emergency basis.

Contractors shall provide pricing per hour as noted on the attached Optional Bid Form - Storm Damage Removal Services.

It is the intent of the City to review contractors’ bids for storm damage removal services and designate up to three contractors to be selected for this service. If the City accepts one or more bids for this service, the first call will be to the lowest bidder, if a contractor is unable to respond, the City will proceed to the next lowest bidder. Prices bid shall remain firm for a period of two (2) years.

Contractor crew(s) must be on-site within 4 hours of call-out by the City. Hourly fee shall be based on a minimum of a three (3) worker crew that includes an aerial device sufficient to handle street and park trees within the City, chipper with a minimum capacity of six inches (6”), and all saws, rigging, and other related equipment including signage and safety

Official bid specifications are available only at www.mitn.info. Page 16 of 28 equipment to outfit said crew for storm damage removal services on an emergency basis.

Hourly fee bid shall include any and all additional equipment to support the work of the crew(s), including dump trucks, skid steers, end loaders, etc. No additional payment will be provided if additional equipment is needed to perform the necessary work.

Storm damage removal services shall include, but not be limited to, removal of damaged limbs and trees. Tree stumps shall be cut to within three inches (3”) of ground level; however services will not involve stump grinding.

Stump grinding or removal shall be coordinated by the City Designate and the Contractor at a later date to include prices bid under normal stump removal conditions.

Legal disposal of storm related debris will be the responsibility of the selected contractor(s).

The City at any time may request the contractor to terminate work. There are no guaranteed minimum hours of work.

Contractors selected for this service are required to supply a Performance Bond and also will be required to maintain evidence of insurance as outlined in bid specifications.

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VII. BID FORM

The undersigned hereby declares that the instructions and specifications and will furnish all equipment, labor and such other incidentals as are necessary to satisfactorily perform TREE AND STUMP REMOVAL for the prices set forth in this bid. It is understood and agreed that all bids are F.O.B. DESTINATION and shall remain in effect for at least ninety (90) days from the date of the bid opening to allow for the award of the bid and that, if chosen the successful vendor, the prices will remain firm for two (2) years from date of contract with the option to extend the bid for one (1) additional year, upon mutual agreement, under the same terms and conditions.

All quantities indicated are estimated amounts for one (1) year and may vary during the course of the contract. The estimated quantities are used for assisting in the determination of the lowest responsible bidder. It is the intent of the City to purchase the services in the quantity and frequency as listed in this bid, however, the City reserves the right to reduce or eliminate this purchase without prior notice. The City reserves the right to split and/or reject all bids to realize the greatest cost savings.

Section A. Total: $

Section B. Total: $

Section C. Total: $

BID GRAND TOTAL: $

I hereby state that I have read, understand and agree to be bound by all the terms of this bid document. The undersigned certifies that he has downloaded all documents/addendums associated with this bid from the MITN website.

Company

Address

City/State/Zip

Representative/Title

Telephone/Fax

Terms

E-Mail Address/Website

Signature/Date

VII. BID FORM (CONT’D)

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A. Street Trees

Tree Removal Diameter at Breast Height

Estimated Qty.

Unit Price Extended Total

6" - 12" 50 $___________ $___________

13" - 18" 50 $___________ $___________

19" - 24" 50 $___________ $___________

25" - 30" 30 $___________ $___________

31" - 36" 5 $___________ $___________

37" and above 5 $___________ $___________

Stump Grinding

Diameter at Ground Level Estimated

Qty.

Unit Price Extended Total

6" - 12" 50 $___________ $___________

13" - 18" 50 $___________ $___________

19" - 24" 50 $___________ $___________

25" - 30" 30 $___________ $___________

31" - 36" 5 $___________ $___________

Section A. Total: $___________

B. Non-Active Park Area

Diameter at Breast Height

Estimated Qty.

Unit Price Extended Total

6" - 12" 20 $___________ $___________

13" - 18" 20 $___________ $___________

19" - 24" 20 $___________ $___________

25" - 30" 20 $___________ $___________

31" - 36" 5 $___________ $___________

Section B. Total: $___________

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C. Active Park Area

Diameter at Breast Height

Estimated Qty.

Unit Price Extended Total

6" - 12" 50 $___________ $___________

13" - 18" 50 $___________ $___________

19" - 24" 50 $___________ $___________

25" - 30" 30 $___________ $___________

Stump Grinding

Estimated

Qty.

Unit Price Extended Total

6" - 12" 50 $___________ $___________

13" - 18" 50 $___________ $___________

19" - 24" 50 $___________ $___________

25" - 30" 30 $___________ $___________

Stump Removal

Estimated Qty.

Unit Price Extended Total

6" - 12" 2 $___________ $___________

13" - 18" 2 $___________ $___________

19" - 24" 2 $___________ $___________

25" - 30" 2 $___________ $___________

31" - 36" 1 $___________ $___________

37" and above 1 $___________ $___________

Section C. Total: $___________

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Section A. Section B. Section C.

TREE REMOVAL $___________ $___________ $___________

STUMP GRINDING $___________ _N/A____ $___________

STUMP REMOVAL _N/A____ _N/A____ $___________

Sub-Total: $___________ $___________ $___________

Sub-Total x 2 years

GRAND TOTAL:

(Carry totals forward to pg. 17)

OPTIONAL – Storm Damage Removal

3 Person Crew with Necessary Equipment Per Specs

$___________/hr

Number of 3 man crews available for Storm Damage Removal

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VIII. QUALIFICATION QUESTIONNAIRE

All bidders must complete the following Questionnaire. This information may be presented on another page if desired.

1. Name of Company submitting a bid:

2. Authorized Representative Name/Title:

3. Office Address:

4. Local Telephone/Fax Numbers:

24-Hour/7-Day Emergency Telephone Number:

E-mail address:

Website:

5. State the legal status of the company submitting the bid. A corporation shall provide the state of incorporation, a partnership shall provide the names of all partners:

6. Name of Owner, President, Managing Partner or CEO:

7. Does your business qualify as any of the below designations: Please circle if appropriate.

a. Black Owned

b. Women Owned

c. Veteran Owned

d. People of Color Owned

e. LGBTQ Owned

f. Native/Indigenous Owned

8. Are any of the employees unionized? Please specify which employees are if applicable.

9. How many full time employees? Part time?

10. Give a brief summary of the history of the business:

11. How long have you been in business of a similar nature for the services contemplated within this bid?

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12. List any licenses / professional certifications of the company or employees assigned to this contract that would be applicable to services contemplated within this bid.

13. How many years’ experience do you have in providing for the services contemplated within this bid? Please list the municipalities, when applicable:

14. How many clients does your company currently serve with the type of work described?

15. Has your company had a similar contract for services terminated for cause within the last three years? If yes, please explain.

16. Please provide information on your hiring practices, employee training and employee safety programs:

17. Provide information relative to the experience and financial capability of your company to carry out the terms of this contract:

18. Do you have any current contracts for similar services in Sterling Heights? If yes, please list location(s):

Questionnaire completed by:

Company Name:

Print Name

Title

Signature

Date:

This form must be completed and returned with your bid.

Official bid specifications are available only at www.mitn.info. Page 23 of 28

IX. COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT

EXTENSION OF AWARD TO MITN PURCHASING COOPERATIVE

The City of Sterling Heights is a member of the MITN Purchasing Cooperative consisting of many cities, townships, counties and other governmental agencies throughout Michigan. If your company is awarded item(s) referenced in the bid, the cooperative governmental entities may wish to use this contract and will use a purchase order for the item(s) awarded in this bid following minimum order requirements set forth in the bid document. Each entity will provide their own purchase order and delivery location(s) and must be invoiced separately to the address indicated on the purchase order. Please check appropriate box and complete information as required.

If an award is made to _____________________________, it is agreed that (Company) the contract will be extended to the MITN Purchasing Cooperative under the same prices, terms, and conditions.

Signature of Company Representative ______________________________________

Our company is NOT interested in extending the contract.

Address

City/State/Zip

Representative/Title

Telephone/Fax

E-Mail Address/Website

Signature

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X. HOLD HARMLESS AND INDEMNITY

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the contractor expressly agrees to indemnify and hold the City of Sterling Heights (City), its elected and appointed officials, employees and volunteer and others working on behalf of the City, harmless from and against all loss, cost, expense, damage, liability or claims, whether groundless or not, arising out of the bodily injury, sickness or disease (including death resulting at any time therefrom) which may be sustained or claimed by any person or persons, or the damage or destruction of any property, including the loss of use thereof, based on any act or omission, negligent or otherwise, of contractor or anyone acting in its behalf in connection with or incident to this contract or the work to be performed hereunder, except that the contractor shall not be responsible to the City on indemnity for damages caused by or resulting from the City's sole negligence; and the Contractor shall, at its own cost and expense, defend any such claim and any suit, action, or proceeding which may be commenced hereunder, and the Contractor shall…