jefferson parish event 48.pdf

EMERGENCY TREE WORK

FOR THE JEFFERSON PARISH

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS – PARKWAYS

EVENT #48

Two (2) Year Contract to Provide Labor, Materials, and Equipment necessary for Emergency Tree Removal, Stump (Rootball) Removal, Hazardous Limb Removal and Hauling Tree Debris for the Jefferson Parish Department of

Parkways

The Jefferson Parish Department of Public Works – Parkways (Parkways Department) is soliciting qualified Contractors for a two (2) year contract for emergency tree work (tree removal, stump (rootball) removal, hazardous limb removal and hauling tree debris to be performed throughout unincorporated Jefferson Parish.

This is a non-exclusive contract. The contract will be for a period of two (2) years. The contract shall commence when the contract has been fully executed and will expire on second anniversary after.

If Jefferson Parish has not entered into a new contract for the same scope of work prior to May 1st of the year in which the contract is set to expire, then the contract shall be automatically extended until the end of the calendar year of the same year that the contract is set to expire.

It is understood that this contract shall be utilized on an emergency basis only. Under no circumstances should bidders assume that this contract shall be utilized for normal daily activities of Jefferson Parish. There is no minimum or maximum amount of work to be performed under this contract.

BID BOND:

An electronic bid bond in the amount of 5% of the total bid price is due with the bid submission.

PERFORMANCE BOND:

A performance bond in the amount of $1,000,000.00 is required at the signing of the formal contract. The proposer acknowledges and agrees that the Performance Bond may be forfeited for the successful proposer’s failure to fully and faithfully perform its obligations in accordance with the negotiated and executed agreement.

PAYMENT BOND:

A payment bond in the amount of $1,000,000.00 is required at the signing of the formal contract.

NON-MANDATORY PRE-BID CONFERENCE

A NON-MANDATORY Pre-Bid Conference will be held at 9:00 am on August 14, 2026 at the General Government Building, 200 Derbigny Street, Suite 4400, Gretna, La 70053, All prospective bidders are invited to attend the NON- MANDATORY pre-bid conference.

LICENSE REQUIREMENTS:

• Louisiana State Contractors’ Commercial license with the classification of SPECIALTY: LANDSCAPE, GRADING AND BEAUTIFICATION (This license number is required to be on the electronic envelope when submitting the bid and failure to do so will result in automatic rejection and your bid will not be read aloud in accordance with public bid law).

The apparent low bidder shall, within ten (10) calendar days of bid opening, submit copies of the front and back to the

Jefferson Parish Department of Parkways (as applicable) of all Agriculture & Forestry licenses and certifications (listed below) required for performance of the work. Such documentation is not required at the time of bid submission; however, failure of the apparent low bidder to timely provide the required documentation within the ten (10) day period shall render the bid non-responsive and subject to rejection:

• Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry Arborist License

All required licenses shall be in the name of the company bidding and performing the work. Any license held individually, such as Arborist, shall list the bidding company as the individual’s place of business within the Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s licensing records.

All required licenses and certifications shall be valid through the term of the contract. In the case of individually held licenses, such as Arborist, any changes in the individual holding the license shall be submitted to Jefferson Parish Department of Parkways.

The Contractor is solely responsible for abiding by all applicable laws and regulations relating to each required license.

Subcontractors may be utilized to assist the Contractor with this contract. However, all proposed subcontractors must be licensed in accordance with the type of work they will be performing. In addition, the Contractor must submit, in writing, all proposed subcontractors to Jefferson Parish for approval prior to any subcontracted work taking place.

WORK LOCATION:

This as-needed contract will encompass all of unincorporated Jefferson Parish including, but not limited to, rights-of-way, public buildings and parish facilities.

MINIMUM EQUIPMENT:

Tree work must be performed in a safe and professional manner utilizing industry approved equipment and techniques.

The Contractor shall evaluate each work order to determine the type of equipment and labor force required for the work.

The Contractor shall determine the type, size and quantity of labor and equipment to be used at each location to perform each task. Minimum equipment specified is to ensure that the Contractor has the capability to perform work on a Parish wide scale within a reasonable amount of time.

The Contractor, through his own workforce, and through the use of a subcontractor(s) (as needed), must be able to provide up to ten (10) tree crews, upon request from Jefferson Parish. A tree crew shall include the minimum components listed below:

• (4) crew members (tree cutters, equipment operators, etc.) with associated tools and incidentals to provide professional tree work*

• (1) aerial reach bucket truck with a minimum reach of 40

• (1) brush chipper**

• (1) chipper debris truck**

* Prior to issuing the contract, the Contractor (upon request of Jefferson Parish Parkways) shall supply a list of field managers and supervisors displaying all accreditations and years of experience. Each required crew shall be supervised by a Louisiana Department of Agriculture licensed arborist.

** Size shall be determined by the Contractor. The Contractor shall have the means to remove any debris from the site that is too large for a chipper.

SPECIALTY EQUIPMENT:

At the Contractor’s discretion, specialty equipment such as cranes, long reach aerial trucks or other equipment not specified above (see MINIMUM EQUIPMENT) may be utilized to complete work orders. It is not a requirement that specialty equipment be owned or leased by the Contractor. However, the Contractor shall take full responsibility for this equipment and its operation.

SUBCONTRACTORS:

The use of any subcontractors on this contract must be approved by the Parkways Department. The Contractor shall be responsible for all actions of his subcontractor(s). Jefferson Parish will only communicate with the Contractor and will not communicate with any subcontractors.

The prime contractor shall independently possess all licenses required to perform the scope of work and may not rely upon a subcontractor’s license to satisfy licensing requirements for work constituting more than fifty-one percent (51%) of the total contract value. Subcontractors shall hold all licenses and certifications applicable to the specific portion of work they perform, but such licenses shall not substitute for the prime contractor’s required licensure.

GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS:

The contractor shall submit unit prices for a typical, unspecified tree varieties, within each of the categories of trees listed on the bid form based on DBH (diameter at breast height measured at 4.5’ above grade).

Contractor agrees to be bound to all applicable provisions of State and Parish laws concerning tree work, as well as policy decisions of the Parkways Department.

Unless permission is granted from the Director of Parkways, and with the proper documentation, the Contractor shall not access private property for any tree work. However, in certain situations, the Contractor may be required to remove a right-of-way tree off of a private structure and/or private property. In these cases, a Right of Entry form must be filled out and submitted to the Parkways Department prior to accessing private property.

The Contractor’s field supervisors shall have knowledge of the natural habits of all applicable tree species so that their natural crown shapes will be preserved when removing any of the wood (branches, leaders, etc.).

All traffic control, signs, barricades and signals are the responsibility of the Contractor. Unless prior approval is given from the Parkways Department, the Contractor shall not block more than one lane of traffic when performing his work. The Contractor shall be allowed to block a lane of travel and/or sidewalk along residential streets as needed for his work. The Contractor must provide a minimum of 24 hours’ notice to the Parkways Department prior to blocking any lanes and/or sidewalks along commercial corridors.

All removed wood, brush and debris shall be hauled away on the same day that it is cut. No material resulting from tree work operations may be deposited on Jefferson Parish property. Dump fees, if applicable, are the responsibility of the Contractor.

All loads of debris must be covered and tied down with tarpaulins, or equal, when transported on public streets in accordance to the applicable State and Parish laws and Paragraph 5.6.2 of the ANSI Standard.

Spurs or climbing irons cannot be used on any Parish trees unless approved, in writing, by the Director of Parkways, or his representative.

Denatured alcohol or anti-freeze can be used for the sterilization of cutting tools. Any other sterilization methods must be approved, in writing, by the Director of Parkways or his representative.

The Contractor shall be responsible to repair any damage to the right-of-way and/or private property as a result of his operations. The Contractor shall fill any holes, indentions and/or ruts with batture sand (The Contractor shall provide documentation identifying the exact location of the material source in accordance with FEMA) provide leaving a smooth surface with positive drainage toward the roadway.

The use of brand names and/or manufacturers within these specifications is to establish a baseline of expected quality.

As-equal products shall be presented to the Parkways Department for prior approval prior to use.

EMERGENCY WORK:

Emergency work will be required in the event of a natural disaster such as tornados, tropical storms, hurricanes and other unplanned conditions requiring short-notice tree work.

For emergency work situations, and based on the severity of the emergency, the Contractor must be able to provide a workforce as designated by the Parkways Department. For emergency tree work, the Parkways Department may request up to ten (10) crews to be deployed. The minimum equipment list (see MINIMUM EQUIPMENT), per crew, shall apply to all emergency work.

Emergency work may be required at any time. In non-named storm situations, or named storms not requiring mandatory evacuation of Jefferson Parish, the Contractor shall be able to provide a minimum of two (2) tree removal crews and associated equipment to the emergency work site address within four (4) hours of notification from the Parkways Department, with the ability to deploy additional crews, as needed, within twelve (12) hours of notification.

During named storms requiring mandatory evacuation of Jefferson Parish, the Contractor shall be capable of deploying up to ten (10) tree removal crews and equipment within forty-eight (48) hours of notice by the Parkways Department. The severity of the storm will dictate when notice will be given from the Parkways Department. During mandatory evacuations, the Parkways Department will provide the Contractor with his notice to return at the same time that the Parkways Department begins returning to Jefferson Parish.

During emergency situations, and if requested, the Contractor may store his equipment at one or both Parkways Department equipment yards. The east bank facility is located at 200 Shrewsbury Road, Jefferson, LA 70121. The west bank facility is located at 1901 Ames Boulevard, Marrero, LA 70072. Jefferson Parish is not responsible for any damage or theft of any equipment left at a Parkways Department facility.

In a typical named storm situation, once parish-wide tree removal work is nearing completion, hazardous limb removal will begin. The Parkways Department shall determine the number of hazardous limb removal crews shall be required each day. The Contractor shall be given a minimum of forty-eight (48) hours of prior notice to assemble the required number of crews. The Contractor shall be prepared to deploy up to ten (10) crews to perform hazardous limb removal operations each day. Additionally, the Parkways Department shall provide the Contractor with a minimum of twenty-four (24) hours’ notice of when hazardous limb removal operations shall be reduced or stopped completely.

Refer to Attachment A for a list of FEMA provisions associated with this contract.

HAZARDOUS LIMB REMOVAL:

Hazardous limb removal shall typically refer to the removal of an individual limb or branch overhanging the right-of-way that is 2” in diameter or larger (measured at the point of break) that has been determined to pose a danger of falling out of a tree and causing injury and/or damage. There shall be no hazardous limb removal performed on private property trees unless the hazardous limb(s) is extending over the right-of-way. All cuts for hazardous limb removal shall be made at the closest main branch junction; not necessarily at the trunk. Pricing for hazardous limb removal shall be made per tree and shall include all hazardous limb removal for that tree.

Documentation for hazardous limb removal shall be made per location via notes, photographs and color coding of the removed limbs. Every tree that the Contractor works on shall be documented. Prior to performing work on a tree, the Contractor shall document the tree species, DBH, nearest physical address, GPS coordinates and take ‘before’ pictures of the tree. As hazardous limb removal work progresses, the Contractor shall document the number and size of the limbs removed. Additionally, the Contractor shall paint the end of each removed limb in accordance with the below chart and then take additional photographs of the painted limbs. The Contractor shall ensure that his written documents are aligned with the photographs of the completed work. Failure to document hazardous limb removal, as specified, may result in non-payment for the work.

Diameter of Removed Limb Paint Color 2” – 4” Green 5” – 7” Blue 8+” Orange

When removing hazardous limbs, the Contractor shall make a clean, proper, cuts at the point of connection from where the hazardous limb was growing on the tree. When removing hanging limbs not attached to the tree, the Contractor shall determine where on the tree the limb was growing and make a clean cut at that point. Hazardous limb removal shall include disposal of all debris generated from the work.

TREE REMOVAL:

All tree removal shall include stump removal (see STUMP REMOVAL). Tree removal shall occur on right-of-way trees 6” DBH or larger with a split trunk, a broken canopy or a lean of 30 degrees or greater. The Contractor shall determine the type, size and quantity of equipment required for a safe removal. All tree debris shall be removed from the job site the same day in which it is cut. The Contractor shall immediately notify the Parkways Department of any instance where the work cannot be complete once started (weather delays, equipment malfunction, etc.).

Documentation for tree removal shall be made per location via notes and photographs. Every tree that the Contractor performs works on shall be documented. Prior to performing work on a tree, the Contractor shall document the tree species, DBH, nearest physical address, GPS coordinates and take ‘before’ pictures of the tree. As tree removal work is completed, the Contractor shall take photographs of the completed work. The Contractor shall ensure that his written documents are aligned with the photographs of the completed work. Failure to document tree removal, as specified, may result in non-payment for the work.

STUMP (ROOTBALL) REMOVAL:

Stump removal shall be included with each tree removal. For trees with 50% or more of the root-ball exposed, the Contractor shall completely remove the root-ball and backfill the hole. For trees with less than 50% of the root-ball exposed, the Contractor shall grind the stump flush with the surrounding grade and dispose of the shavings off site.

Additionally, the Contractor shall remove all surface roots to ensure a smooth and level surrounding grade adjacent to the main stump that is to be ground. Upon conclusion of the stump removal, all resulting holes, indentations and ruts shall be back filled with batture sand by the Contractor so that the work site conforms in elevation to the surrounding existing grade. Moreover, any wood chips, sawdust, etc. shall be removed from the work site by the Contractor immediately upon conclusion of his work and the street/sidewalk shall be broom swept clean.

Stump removal shall take place within four (4) weeks of removal of any tree.

The Contractor shall be responsible for having both private and public utilities located prior to performing stump removal.

Any damage resulting from stump removal shall be the responsibility of the Contractor.

Documentation for stump removal shall be made per location via notes and photographs. Prior to performing work on a stump, the Contractor shall document the nearest physical address, GPS coordinates and take ‘before’ pictures of the stump. As stump removal is completed, the Contractor shall take photographs of the completed work. The Contractor shall ensure that his written documents are aligned with the photographs of the completed work. Failure to document stump removal, as specified, may result in non-payment for the work.

Separate bid items for Emergency Stump Removal are included with this bid. These line items shall be used in the event that a right-of-way tree is removed by an agency other than the Contractor or any of his Sub-contractors. Pricing shall correlate to the top diameter of the exposed stump. Only stumps 2’ diameter and larger shall qualify for stand-alone stump removal. Extraction, disposal and backfill, as needed, shall be included in the unit pricing.

WORK ASSIGNMENTS:

All work orders shall be provided to the Contractor in writing. Work orders shall include the date, location(s), tree size, work description, the unit price per tree and total dollar amount for all work. All work orders submitted to the Contractor shall be referenced using a municipal address unless special instructions state otherwise on the work order. If the Contractor is not certain which tree(s) the work order is referring to, he should contact the Director of Parkways or his representative prior to beginning any work at that address. The Contractor will not be paid for any tree the work that is not specified on the work order. Work orders will be sent via e-mail and/or hand delivered to the Contractor by a Parkways Department representative. The Contractor shall review each work order and then contact the Parkways Department with any questions prior to the start of work. Once the Contractor reviews all work orders, he shall sign and date them as acknowledgement of his receipt and understanding of the specified work.

Multiple works orders may be submitted to the Contractor at one time. If multiple work orders are provided, The Parkways Department will note the order of priority for the assigned addresses. The Contractor shall complete the work orders within a timely fashion. The allowable working days shall begin on the date that the work order is issued to the Contractor.

See the below chart for expected work order completion schedules:

Number of Work Orders Issues Allowable Working Days 1 – 5 Works Orders 1 Calendar Day 6 – 10 Work Orders 2 Calendar Days 11 – 15 Work Orders 3 Calendar Days 16 – 20 Works Orders 4 Calendar Days

Failure to complete work orders within the allowable working days may result in liquidated damages of $250.00 per work order, per day, in which the work is not complete.

WORKING HOURS:

When notified by the Parkways Department, Emergency work may be performed on any day and at any time.

PHOTOGRAPHS:

Digital photographs associated with this contract shall be e-mailed and/or submitted via a flash drive to the Parkways Department. Each digital photograph must be named in accordance with the address where it was taken. Digital photographs shall be submitted at the same time as invoices are submitted.

MONITORING:

All work under this contract will be monitored by the Jefferson Parish Parkways Department and/or a contract monitoring consultant. The Contractor shall only adhere to directives given by Jefferson Parish personnel and not by any contract monitoring consultants.

INVOICING:

The contractor shall only submit invoices for completed work. Invoicing for incomplete, or partially complete will not be acceptable. Invoices shall be submitted to the Department of Parkways, 1901 Ames Blvd., Marrero, LA 70072, attn. Heta Babin. If upon inspection, any property damages are discovered as a direct result of the contractor’s work, all remediation shall be complete before the invoice will be processed. Vendors submitting payment requests for services in connection with pre-placed emergency contracts shall provide a list of all subcontractors used in the performance of the pre-placed emergency contracts prior to payment on the contract.

SAFETY:

The contractor shall be responsible for ensuring that his operations are performed in a safe manner. This includes, but is not limited to, pedestrian and vehicular access, equipment operation and employee and site safety. All work shall conform to the latest guidelines of OSHA, Louisiana DOTD, Jefferson Parish and any other applicable agency.

The Contractor shall ensure that all vehicles and equipment have the company name and/or logo clearly displayed. All field employees shall wear high visibility clothing that clearly displays the company name and/or logo.

The Contractor must have a system in place to handle any public claims for damage against his work. The Contractor shall notify the Parkways Department, in writing, of any damage that occurs as a result of his tree work. Notification shall include the date, time, location, description of the damage, person(s) notified of the damage. All costs associated with repair and/or replacement shall be borne by the Contractor.

The contractor shall notify all public service utilities to resolve conflicts concerning their property. Paragraph 4.1.2 of the ANSI Standards shall apply specifically.

The Contractor shall maintain a professional work zone at all times. The use of drugs or alcohol is prohibited while working on parish property. Confrontation with citizens and/or Jefferson Parish personnel will not be tolerated. Soliciting and performing private work while working on Jefferson Parish trees is prohibited. Failure to maintain a professional work zone, or fraudulent activities, may result in the termination of the contract and possible legal ramifications.