RFP PLANTS- BID Specifications.pdf

RFP 2026-15 Plant Material Supply and Delivery Page 1 of 8

City of Lancaster Request for Proposals

RFP 2026-15

Plant Material Supply and Delivery

SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

Legal Notice posted in Rambler Texas Media Saturday, August 22, 2026 Bid Issues Wednesday, August 26, 2026 10:00 a.m.

Legal Notice posted in The Dallas Examiner Thursday, August 27, 2026 Legal Notice posted in Rambler Texas Media Saturday, August 29, 2026 Pre-Submittal Conference (Virtual) Wednesday, September 2, 2026 10:00 a.m.

Questions Deadline Wednesday, September 23, 2026 2:00 p.m.

Bid Closes Wednesday, September 30, 2026 2:00 p.m.

Bid Opening (Virtual see link below) Wednesday, September 30, 2026 2:01 p.m.

Proposed Bid Evaluations week of October 1-9, 2026 Proposed City Council Consideration Monday, October 26, 2026 7:00 p.m.

PRE-SUBMITTAL MEETING:

Wednesday, September 2, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Central

Link to virtual pre-submittal conference:

https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/214576990297459?

p=ALPUYGEp5RYNNWBn1Y

SUBMITTALS DUE PRIOR TO:

Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. Central

Electronic Bid Opening (Virtual) https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/277542211270544?

p=LNUZIf3b7EzPH2q34W

RFP SHALL BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY TO:

https://ltxebid.ionwave.net/Login.aspx

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INTRODUCTION

The City of Lancaster is soliciting competitive bids from qualified and reputable plant material suppliers for the furnishing and delivery of landscape plant material to support upcoming City planting projects.

The successful bidder shall provide healthy, nursery-grown plant material meeting the specifications contained herein and shall be capable of providing plant material on an as-needed basis throughout the contract period.

SCOPE OF WORK AND GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

All estimated plant material shall be furnished in one-gallon container sizes unless otherwise approved in writing by the City.

The quantities listed in this specification represent the City's estimated total requirements and are provided for bidding and planning purposes only. The City does not guarantee the purchase of any minimum quantity or the entire estimated quantity listed.

The City shall only be obligated to pay for plant material actually ordered, delivered, and accepted by the City.

Item Plant Material Estimated Quantity

Container Size

1 Autumn Sage – Red (Salvia greggii) 1,200 1 Gallon 2 Mexican Feather Grass (Nassella tenuissima) 400 1 Gallon 3 Dwarf Hameln Grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln') 5,400 1 Gallon 4 Purple-Leaf Wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei – purple-leaf cultivar) 600 1 Gallon 5 Dwarf Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus – dwarf variety) 700 1 Gallon 6 Elijah Blue Fescue (Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue') 2,500 1 Gallon 7 Andorra Juniper (Juniperus horizontalis 'Andorra') 1,000 1 Gallon

Total Estimated Plant Material 11,800

PLANT MATERIAL QUALITY REQUIREMENTS

All plant material furnished under this solicitation shall:

1. Be healthy, vigorous, and actively growing at the time of delivery.

2. Be true to the species and cultivar specified.

3. Be nursery-grown and suitable for installation in the North Texas climate.

4. Be free from insects, disease, weeds, excessive root circling, root girdling, and other conditions that could adversely affect establishment or long-term growth.

5. Have a well-developed, healthy root system appropriate for the one-gallon container size.

6. Be adequately rooted in the container and shall not be excessively root-bound.

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7. Be free of significant mechanical damage, broken branches, dead material, or other defects.

8. Be reasonably uniform in size and appearance within each plant species or cultivar.

9. Be properly labeled or otherwise identifiable by species and cultivar.

10. Meet all applicable federal, state, and local requirements governing the sale, transportation, and delivery of nursery stock.

Plant material that, in the City's determination, does not meet the specified quality requirements may be rejected.

CONTAINER SIZE

All plant material shall be supplied in one-gallon nursery containers.

The container shall be a commercially recognized one-gallon nursery container and shall contain sufficient growing media to support a healthy and established root system.

The City reserves the right to inspect plant material prior to acceptance and reject material that does not reasonably meet the specified container size or quality requirements.

ORDERING AND DELIVERY

Plant material will not be required in a single delivery. The City anticipates placing multiple orders throughout the project based upon the City's planting schedule, weather conditions, site readiness, available labor, funding, and project requirements.

The successful bidder shall:

• Accept orders in varying quantities and combinations of plant species.

• Maintain sufficient availability or reliable sourcing of the specified plant material to fulfill City orders throughout the contract period.

• Be capable of fulfilling orders in varying quantities within the delivery schedule established by the City.

• Coordinate delivery dates and quantities with the City's designated representative.

• Deliver plant material to:

700 E. Main Street Lancaster, Texas

• Provide reasonable advance notice to the City prior to each delivery.

• Ensure that quantities and species delivered correspond with the City's purchase order or authorized written order.

• Deliver plant material during mutually agreed-upon business hours unless otherwise authorized by the City.

Order quantities and plant species may vary from order to order. The City will provide the vendor with the requested quantities and desired delivery date when placing each order.

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The successful bidder shall maintain adequate access to the specified plant material to reasonably support the City's planting schedule.

If the vendor is unable to fulfill an order as requested, the vendor shall notify the City as soon as practicable and provide the anticipated availability date.

No substitutions shall be made without prior written approval from the City.

DELIVERY AND HANDLING

The vendor shall be responsible for properly loading, transporting, unloading, and handling all plant material.

Plant material shall be protected during transportation and delivery from:

• Excessive heat;

• Wind;

• Freezing conditions;

• Dehydration;

• Crushing or breakage;

• Improper stacking; and

• Other conditions that could adversely affect plant quality.

Plant material shall arrive at the delivery location in a condition suitable for immediate planting or temporary staging by the City.

The vendor shall take reasonable measures to prevent plant material from becoming damaged, excessively dry, overheated, or otherwise compromised during transportation.

INSPECTION AND REJECTION

The City may inspect all plant material at the time of delivery.

The City may reject any plant material that:

• Does not conform to the specified species or cultivar;

• Is not the specified one-gallon container size;

• Is unhealthy or visibly stressed;

• Shows evidence of disease or significant insect infestation;

• Is excessively root-bound or has severely circling or girdling roots;

• Has significant physical damage;

• Is substantially undersized or otherwise inconsistent with the ordered material; or

• Otherwise fails to meet the requirements of this specification.

Rejected material shall be removed and replaced by the vendor at no additional cost to the City.

Acceptance of plant material at delivery shall not relieve the vendor of responsibility for material that is subsequently determined to have been defective or improperly supplied.

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PRICING

Bidders shall provide a unit price per plant for each specified plant material.

Unit pricing shall include all costs associated with furnishing and delivering the plant material, including, but not limited to:

• Nursery production or acquisition;

• Containers and growing media;

• Loading;

• Handling;

• Transportation;

• Delivery to 700 E. Main Street, Lancaster, Texas; and

• Any other costs necessary to furnish and deliver the specified plant material.

Bidders shall not include separate delivery, fuel, handling, or similar charges unless specifically requested or authorized by the City.

PRICE ADJUSTMENTS

The City recognizes that nursery plant material may be subject to changes in market conditions, production costs, availability, transportation costs, and other factors that may affect pricing during the contract period.

Initial bid prices shall remain in effect for the initial contract period established in the City's solicitation and resulting agreement.

If the contract provides for renewal or extension beyond the initial contract period, the vendor may request an adjustment to unit pricing for a subsequent contract period. Any requested adjustment shall:

1. Be submitted in writing within the timeframe established by the City;

2. Identify the specific plant material for which an adjustment is requested;

3. State the requested percentage or dollar adjustment;

4. Provide supporting documentation demonstrating the basis for the requested adjustment; and

5. Apply only to future orders placed after the effective date of an approved adjustment.

Price adjustments shall not be automatic and shall be subject to review and written approval by the City.

The City may consider documented changes in market conditions, nursery production or acquisition costs, transportation costs, availability, and other factors directly affecting the cost of the specified plant material.

The City reserves the right to approve, modify, or reject any requested price adjustment.

Price decreases may also be requested when market conditions or documented costs have decreased.

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No price adjustment shall apply retroactively to orders previously issued by the City.

QUANTITY ADJUSTMENTS

The quantities identified in this solicitation are estimates based on the City's anticipated planting needs.

The City reserves the right to increase or decrease quantities, modify individual order quantities, or eliminate items based on project requirements, funding, weather, site conditions, plant availability, or other operational considerations.

The City shall only be obligated to pay for plant material actually ordered, delivered, and accepted by the City.

Nothing in this solicitation shall be construed as a guarantee of minimum purchases.

SUBSTITUTIONS

No substitutions shall be permitted without prior written approval from the City.

If a specified plant material becomes unavailable, the vendor shall notify the City and provide the anticipated availability date.

The City may, at its discretion, consider an alternate species or cultivar that is comparable in size, form, function, and landscape performance.

Approval of any substitution shall be at the sole discretion of the City and shall not constitute a change to the vendor's unit pricing unless specifically authorized in writing.

BIDDER QUALIFICATIONS

The successful bidder shall demonstrate the ability to:

1. Furnish the plant materials specified in this solicitation.

2. Maintain access to sufficient quantities of one-gallon plant material.

3. Fulfill orders of varying sizes and species combinations.

4. Provide consistent plant quality throughout the duration of the project.

5. Deliver plant material to the City's designated location in Lancaster, Texas.

6. Coordinate deliveries with the City's planting schedule.

Upon request, the City may require the successful bidder to identify its primary nursery or wholesale sources and provide reasonable documentation of anticipated availability.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTION

The responding vendor is responsible for ensuring the submission is responsive. Please comply with the instructions in the RFP. An electronic response to this RFP is required. All documents and forms should be named and uploaded separately in the City’s e-bid system. Vendors that do not comply will not be considered.

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INTENT OF SERVICES

“This contract is intended to be a performance-based agreement. Payment is contingent upon verified completion of services and adherence to defined service levels, reporting requirements, and quality standards.”

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

1. Submitted proposal must include the following:

• Cost Proposal: Completed bid form with unit prices matching the scope of services outlined in the bid descriptions.

• Availability and dedication to City of Lancaster projects, with a firm commitment to integrity and excellence.

• Schedule: Proposed draft service schedule consistent with City requirements.

• References: At least (3) municipal or public agency references.

• Required Forms: Insurance certificates, bonding capacity, and any other compliance documentation required by the City as listed under “Response Attachments” in the e-bid site.

PRE-SUBMITTAL CONFERENCE

A virtual pre-submittal conference will be held on Wednesday, September 2, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. for all interested parties to discuss the project scope and requirements. Attendance is optional for all bidders however; this is the time to ask questions regarding the proposal. Link to the pre-submittal conference is shown on page 1 of this document.

QUESTIONS

During the bid process, reaching out to any staff other than the Purchasing Department is prohibited and cause for your bid to be considered non-responsive. Any questions about the project or request for proposal shall be asked during the pre-submittal conference or posted under the questions tab of the bid in Euna Procurement (Ion Wave) by 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, September 23, 2026.

Any questions regarding access to the electronic bid site should be sent to purchasing@lancaster-tx.com. Only questions regarding e-bid site access will be answered by email.

PROPOSAL EVALUATION

All proposals submitted will be evaluated by a Selection Committee. All responses will be reviewed for completeness and may be considered as non-responsive if they fail to provide the requested information or adhere to the guidelines outlined in this RFP. All responses must provide sufficient detail to evaluate the respondent’s ability to perform the services requested. The review of the proposals will be based on the following selection criteria:

Sl. Criterion Points A Vendor’s Overall Qualification 10 B Prior Experience with other Municipalities/Counties 10 C Project Approach and Cost 50 D Availability 30 Total 100

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The City reserves the right to reject any or all bids or waive any irregularities in the bidding process.

SELECTION PROCESS

The City has developed this RFP and will review each response for compliance, responsiveness, relevant experience, technical qualifications, capacity to perform, past performance of the respondent and its team members, and other applicable factors outlined in the evaluation criteria.

The City reserves the right to remove a contractor from the list during the duration of use. Reasons for removal include, but are not limited to, vendor’s inability to meet requirements of City’s Standard Service Agreement, failure to meet deadlines, failure to comply to budget, previous project performance.

If determined to be in the best interest of the City, the City may award work to multiple contractors for this RFP. The City is not liable for any cost incurred by respondents in replying to this RFP. This includes costs to determine the nature of the response, submitting, estimates, negotiating, presentations or any other costs a vendor would incur in responding to the RFP.

WARRANTY OF PLANT MATERIAL

The vendor warrants that all plant material supplied under this solicitation shall be healthy and in suitable condition for planting at the time of delivery.

The vendor shall not be responsible for plant loss resulting from improper planting, irrigation, maintenance, weather, vandalism, or other conditions occurring after delivery and acceptance by the City, unless otherwise provided in the executed contract.

DELIVERY COORDINATION

The successful bidder shall designate a primary point of contact for coordination of orders, availability, and deliveries.

The vendor shall work cooperatively with the City's designated representative to coordinate deliveries with the City's planting schedule and shall make reasonable efforts to accommodate changes in order quantities and delivery schedules.