TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS 2026

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INTENT

It is the intent of the County of Sussex ("County") to award a Contract for Landscaping Materials and Planting Services. The Successful Bidder (“Bidder”) shall furnish all labor, materials, equipment, transportation, supervision, and incidentals necessary to provide landscaping materials and related planting services at various County locations.

The County may purchase landscaping materials on a materials-only basis or may elect to have such materials furnished and installed by the Bidder. The Bidder shall maintain the capability to provide both services throughout the Contract term. No minimum quantity of work is guaranteed under this Contract.

Landscaping materials may include, but are not limited to, deciduous trees, evergreen trees, ornamental trees, shrubs, bushes, hedges, perennials, annuals, ornamental grass, groundcover, topsoil, planting soil, compost, mulch, soil amendments, erosion control planting, and related products.

CONTRACT TYPE

This Contract shall be an as-need, unit price contract. Quantities are estimated for bidding purposes only and are not guaranteed. The County makes no representation as to the actual quantities that may be required. The County shall not be obligated to order any minimum amount under this contract. The County shall reserve the right to order more or less than the estimated quantities, or no quantities at all, depending upon operational needs and available funding.

The County may purchase materials only, materials furnished and delivered, materials furnished and installed, or any combination thereof under this Contract.

ESTIMATED QUANTITIES

The following estimated quantities are provided for bid evaluation purposes only and are not guaranteed. Actual quantities vary based up on the County’s needs, available funding, and field conditions. The County reserves the right to increase, decrease, omit, or add items throughout the Contract term as operational need dictates.

The County anticipates the following estimated quantities.

Item Description Estimated Quantity Deciduous Trees (2” Caliper) 25 Each Deciduous Trees (3” Caliper) 25 Each Evergreen Trees (6’ – 8’) 25 Each Evergreen Trees (8’ – 10’) 25 Each Ornamental Trees (1 ½” – 2” Caliper) 25 Each Shrubs (3 Gallon) 200 Each Shrubs (5 Gallon) 150 Each Perennials 200 Each Ornamental Grass 150 Each Groundcover Plantings 500 Each Topsoil 250 CY Planting Soil 150 CY Compost 100 CY Hardwood Mulch 250 CY Dyed Mulch 100 CY

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Deciduous Trees shall include, but are not limited to, maples, oaks, beech, tulip trees, sycamores, honey locusts, and other approved deciduous species suitable for planting in Northern New Jersey.

Evergreen Trees shall include, but are not limited to, Eastern White Pine, Eastern Hemlock, spruce, fir, arborvitae, and other approved evergreen species suitable for planting in Northern New Jersey.

BIDDER’S RESPONSIBILITY

The Bidder shall provide sufficient personnel, equipment, and resources to perform the work and meet all required schedules.

The County shall reserve the right to require proof of staffing levels, equipment availability, production capability, and overall capacity at any time during the contract term.

The Bidder shall maintain sufficient staffing and equipment to perform multiple projects simultaneously, if required by the County.

SCHEDULING AND PERFORMANCE

The Bidder shall coordinate all work with the County and shall perform work in accordance with schedules established by the County.

Work shall be completed within the timeframes specified in each work order as otherwise directed by the County.

Work shall be performed during regular working hours unless otherwise authorized by the County. No additional compensation shall be provided for overtime work unless expressly approved in advance by the County.

The Bidder shall perform all work in a manner that minimizes disruption to traffic and inconvenience to the public.

Failure to meet required schedules may result in cancellation of work orders, procurement from alternate sources, termination of the Contract, and/or assessment of damages incurred by the County.

The Bidder shall notify the County a minimum of forty-eight (48) hours prior to commencing scheduled work unless otherwise directed by the County.

ORDERING PROCEDURES

The County may purchase:

• Materials only;

• Materials furnished and delivered;

• Materials furnished and installed; or

• Any combination thereof.

The County reserves the right to determine whether installation services are required for each individual purchase.

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MATERIALS

The Bidder shall furnish nursery stock, landscaping materials, soils, mulches, and related horticultural products that meet or exceed current American Standard for Nursery Stock (ANSI Z60.1) requirements and all applicable industry standards.

Materials available under this Contract shall include, but not be limited to:

• Deciduous Trees

• Evergreen Trees

• Ornamental Trees

• Shrubs

• Bushes

• Hedges

• Native Plantings

• Perennials

• Annuals

• Ornamental Grasses

• Groundcover

• Topsoil

• Planting Soil

• Compost

• Hardwood Mulch

• Dyed Mulch

• Soil Amendments

• Erosion Control Plantings

• Other landscaping materials customarily supplied by a commercial nursery.

CERTIFICATION OF MATERIALS

The County shall reserve the right to visually inspect or test materials at any time. Materials found not to be in compliance with Contract requirements shall be rejected and replaced at the cost of the Bidder.

The acceptability of all materials and work shall be determined solely by the County. The County’s decision shall be final.

DELIVERY

Materials shall be delivered within ten (10) calendar days after receipt of a Purchase Order unless otherwise directed by the County.

Installed work shall commence within ten (10) calendar days after notification by the County.

Items shall be F.O.B. Destination, delivered to the location specified by the County.

PLANTING SERVICES

When installation is requested, the unit price shall include all labor, equipment, supervision, transportation, excavation, backfilling, planting, staking, guying, watering, mulch, cleanup, disposal of

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS p. 4 of 8 excess material, restoration of disturbed areas, overhead, profit, and all incidentals necessary to provide a complete installation.

APPLICATION OF PLANTING

The Bidder shall perform all work necessary to provide a complete installation, including but not limited to:

• Verification of planting locations with the County prior to installation.

• Delivery and handling of all plant materials in a manner that prevents damage to trunks, branches, foliage, and root systems.

• Excavation of planting pits of sufficient size to accommodate the root ball or root system.

• Removal of unsuitable soils, debris, and obstructions as necessary.

• Installation of approved topsoil, planting soil, compost, or soil amendments when specified.

• Installation of nursery stock at the proper depth and orientation.

• Backfilling and firming of soil to eliminate air pockets.

• Initial watering immediately following installation.

• Installation of mulch to the depth specified by the County.

• Installation of stakes, guying, tree protection, watering bags, edging, or other accessories when specified.

• Cleanup and restoration of disturbed lawn areas, planting beds, sidewalks, and surrounding property.

• Removal and lawful disposal of all excess materials and debris.

Unless otherwise specified by the County, the furnished and installed unit price shall include excavation, planting, backfilling, soil amendments, mulch, initial watering, cleanup, restoration, labor, equipment, transportation, supervision, overhead, profit, and all incidentals necessary to complete the installation.

PLANT QUALITY

• Plant materials shall not be installed when frozen, excessively dry, or otherwise unsuitable for planting.

• Broken or damaged branches shall be pruned using accepted arboricultural practices.

• Root balls shall remain intact until placement within the planting pit.

• Container-grown plants exhibiting severe root circling may be rejected by the County

• The County reserves the right to reject any nursery stock that does not conform to ANSI Z60.1 or that, in the County's judgment, is not of acceptable quality.

TRAFFIC CONTROL

If the County determines a project requires traffic control, the Bidder shall provide all labor, equipment, traffic control devices, warning signs, barricades, flaggers, and other personnel or equipment necessary to safely perform the Work. All traffic control shall be performed in accordance with the latest edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and all applicable federal, State of New Jersey, county, and local laws, regulations, and requirements.

The Bidder shall be responsible for the proper installation, maintenance, relocation, and removal of all traffic control devices required for the duration of the Work.

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Unless otherwise specified by the County, the cost of traffic control shall be included in the applicable furnished and installed unit price and no additional compensation shall be provided.

REQUIREMENTS

The Bidder shall have a minimum of three (3) years’ experience in supplying nursery stock and/or performing commercial planting services of similar scope and size.

The Bidder shall maintain an established place of business and possess sufficient inventory, supplier relationships, personnel, and equipment to perform the work required under this Contract.

The Bidder shall provide three (3) references for similar governmental, commercial, institutional, or municipal contracts performed within the past five (5) years.

Include:

• Organization

• Contact Person

• Telephone Number

• Description of Work

• Contract Amount

• Duration Time of Project

SAFETY ENFORCEMENT

The County shall reserve the right to suspend work for unsafe operations.

No additional compensation or contract time shall be granted for any suspension resulting from unsafe conditions or Bidder noncompliance.

REJECTION OF WORK

The County shall reserve the right to reject any materials or work that do not conform to the requirements of the Contract Documents.

Rejected work or materials shall be corrected, removed, and replaced by the Bidder at no additional cost to the County.

FIRM PRICING

All prices shall remain firm for the full term of the Contract with no exceptions.

No fuel surcharges, delivery charges, mobilization charges, escalation costs, or additional fees shall be permitted unless expressly authorized in writing by the County.

WARRANTY

All nursery stock furnished and installed shall be warranted for one (1) year from the date of acceptance by the County. Materials purchased on a furnished-only basis shall be accepted upon delivery and shall not be subject to the installation warranty.

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MEASUREMENT AND PAYMENT

Materials Only shall be paid on a per-unit basis.

Furnished and Installed items shall be paid at the unit prices submitted in the Pricing Proposal, which shall include all labor, materials, equipment, overhead, profit, and incidentals necessary to complete the work.

PREVAILING WAGE

The Bidder shall comply with all provisions of the New Jersey Prevailing Wage Act, N.J.S.A.

34:11-56.25 et seq., where applicable.

PUBLIC WORK CERTIFICATE

The Bidder shall have a valid Public Work’s Certificate.

CONTRACT PERIOD

The Contract resulting from this proposal will be in effect from date of Contract award, or date indicated on Contract award, for a twelve (12) month consecutive period, with the County reserving the right to renew for one (1) additional and consecutive one (1) year period at the rates submitted in the Proposal.

CONTRACT AWARD

Award shall be made to the lowest responsive and responsible Respondent based upon the total evaluated price for Year 1, consisting of Sections A, B, and C, utilizing the estimated quantities and evaluation amounts set forth in the Pricing Proposal. The County reserves the right to reject any proposal determined to contain materially unbalanced pricing, including but not limited to proposals where Year 2 pricing is disproportionately weighted or otherwise structured in a manner that is not in the best interest of the County.

CERTIFICATE OF INSURANCE

Bidder’s Insurance Requirements: The successful Bidder shall procure and maintain, at its own expense, for the duration of the Contract the following minimum levels of insurance:

The successful Bidder shall continuously maintain insurance or other security for adequate protection for all work from liability and shall protect the County for damages, liability or loss arising in connection with the contract.

The successful Bidder shall ensure coverage for damages, liability or loss arising in connection with the contract and services:

1. WORKER'S COMPENSATION AND EMPLOYER'S LIABILITY INSURANCE with limits of not less than $1,000,000.00 shall be maintained in full force during the life of this contract by the successful Bidder covering all employees engaged in performance of this contract pursuant to N.J.S.A. 34:15-12(a) and N.J.A.C. 12-235-1.6

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2. GENERAL LIABILITY INSURANCE with limits of not less than $1,000,000.00 for Bodily Injury and Property Damage Liability each occurrence and $3,000,000.00 General Aggregate shall be maintained in full force during the life of the contract by the successful Bidder. The policy shall include successful Bidder's protective liability insurance (which protects against liability for injury or damage caused by independent Successful Bidders doing work on his behalf) with the same limits. The successful Bidder shall be responsible for securing and maintaining certificates from all sub-Successful Bidders used in relation to this contract. These shall be supplied to the County upon request. In the event more than one insured is named in the policy, a CROSS LIABILITY endorsement shall be included which provides that the employees of each of the named insureds are not excluded under the policy as respect to claims that are made against the other named insured.

3. AUTOMOBILE LIABILITY INSURANCE with limits of not less than $3,000,000.00 Liability and Property Damage Liability Combined Single Limit, $1,000,000.00 Uninsured Motorist and Underinsured Motorist, $3,000,000.00 Owned, Hired and Non-owned Automobile, shall be maintained in full force during the life of this contract by the successful Bidder.

4. UMBRELLA LIABILITY INSURANCE may be used to support the required limits as long as the County is provided in writing that the coverage shall apply over the underlying policy.

5. PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY INSURANCE with the limits of not less than $2,000,000.00 maintained in full force during the life of the contract by the Bidder, if applicable.

The insurance policies shall be provided by insurance companies authorized to do business in the State of New Jersey.

All insurance required herein shall be maintained in full force and effect during the term of the successful Bidder’s Contract with the County and shall constitute primary coverage over any other applicable insurance.

The County may from time to time dependent on the “scope” of services require coverage, limits and conditions unique to the type of work, scope and size of the contract. Approval and terms shall be reviewed/proposed by the County Risk Manager and the Administration.

The successful Bidder shall furnish a Certificate or Certificates of Insurance in compliance with these requirements and upon request a certified copy of each policy to the County, including the provisions establishing premiums. All insurance policies required hereunder shall include an endorsement naming the County and its officers, agents, engineer, attorney, employees, and servants as additional insured’s, which insurance shall provide primary and non-contributory insurance coverage to the County of Sussex, its departments, agencies, boards, commissions, officers, agents, servants, administrators and employees.

In addition, the additional insurance shall include but not be limited to coverage for the additional insured for bodily or personal injury, property damage or other loss for which the successful Bidder’s insurance policy provides coverage for the successful Bidder’s work and for coverage, which is included in the successful Bidder’s “products-completed operations hazard” coverage. An endorsement shall be provided that the policies shall not be changed or canceled prior to thirty (30) days after written notice has been provided by the insurance carrier directly to the County.

During the term of its Contract with the County, the successful Bidder shall be obligated to renew each and every insurance policy which may expire and provide updated renewal insurance certificates. In cases where a required insurance policy is cancelled or terminated during its term, the successful Bidder shall immediately procure insurance to replace such policy(ies) and shall immediately provide all insurance information required by the County as proof that the cancelled or terminated policy has been restored or replaced. In the event the successful Bidder fails or refuses to renew its insurance

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS p. 8 of 8 policies, or the coverage is canceled, terminated, or modified so that the insurance does not meet the requirements of the successful Bidder’s Contract with the County, such failure shall constitute default of the successful Bidder’s Contract with the County.

Insurance coverage having policy limits in the amounts required by the County shall not be construed to relieve the successful Bidder from liability in excess of such coverage, nor shall it preclude the County from taking such other actions as are available to it under the provisions of this Contract or otherwise in the law.