Town of Norwich Hazardous Tree RFP, FINAL 10-26-26.pdf

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

ROADSIDE HAZARDOUS TREE REMOVAL PROJECT

TOWN OF NORWICH, VERMONT

Issue Date: October 26, 2026

QUESTIONS DUE BY: November 9, 2026 4:00 pm

DUE DATE and TIME: November 23, 2026 1:00 pm

Project Location

Town of Norwich, Vermont. Hazardous trees located in ROW along town roadways.

Project Description

To remove potentially hazardous trees, as identified by the Town of Norwich Tree Warden, along Norwich roadways. The work is anticipated to be limited to felling and removal of 14 trees. The Town has a finite amount of funds available for this work. The work should begin as soon as possible after bid is awarded and be completed before 1/31/27.

Project Work to be Completed

Fell and remove 14 trees within the Town ROW on various Town roadways.

To facilitate accurate estimation of costs, the trees to be cut have been marked with an X with green paint. Please see the RFP addendum for specific detail and location coordinates.

The Contractor shall be responsible for any required traffic control and should follow the requirements of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), latest edition, the plan for which shall be developed in coordination with Town Manager, Brennan Duffy.

Stumps shall be cut as close to the ground as feasible without damaging equipment, but none shall be more than six inches high.

The contractor must ensure that no debris is left on site where it might block driveways, field access, stormwater ditches or in any way impede road crews from regular maintenance practices such as snow removal, ditch clearing or grading of gravel roads at any time. Logs should ideally not be left for any period, but if left on site temporarily, must not impede winter snow removal or passage of motorists and must be staged adjacent to the road surface and not in any road, ditch, or stream.

Bidding Notification

If you are considering entering a bid for this work, please notify Brennan Duffy at the following email address: BDuffy@norwich.vt.us. The Town will use this notification to mailto:%20BDuffy@norwich.vt.us.

Town of Norwich - Request for Bids – Roadside Hazardous Tree Removal Project contact you or your firm in the event that there is an addendum or bid schedule change.

Site Visit

Although a site visit is not mandatory, it is recommended due to the nature of the work.

Please reach out to Brennan Duffy directly to schedule a site visit with a Norwich tree warden or deputy tree warden.

Questions Due Date

Questions may be submitted by email to Brennan Duffy at the following address:

BDuffy@norwich.vt.us. The due date for questions November 9, 2026 at 4pm.

Bid Submission and Due Date

Bids are due by November 23, 2026 at 1pm. Bids shall be submitted in a sealed envelope addressed to the Town Manager, Town of Norwich at PO Box 376, Norwich VT, 05055 or can be hand delivered to the Town of Norwich at 300 Main St, Norwich, VT 05055. The envelope should be plainly marked with the name of the bid. Bid proposals will be date stamped on the outside of the envelope immediately upon receipt by the Town. Any bid may be withdrawn in writing prior to the scheduled time for the opening of the bids. Any bid received after the date and time specified will not be considered and will be returned to the bidder unopened. Any exceptions to the bid specifications or proposed work as described must be noted by the bidder. A bidder submitting a bid certifies that the bid was made in good faith without fraud, collusion, or connection of any kind with any other bidder for the same work, and that the bidder is competing solely on his/her behalf with connection with or obligation to any undisclosed person or firm.

Project Schedule

The Town intends to open bids on or around November 23, 2026, at the Town Office;

and intends to select a contractor by November 25, 2026. The project should be completed by January 31, 2027.

Bid Information

Please provide:

• A description of proposed approach to the project, including the equipment to be used

• Completed bid tabulation

• A list with descriptions of similar work performed

• Two references, with contact information, who are familiar with similar work performed by bidder

Bid Opening

Every bid received prior to the bid submission deadline will be publicly opened and read aloud and recorded by the Town Manager, who is serving as the project manager.

mailto:ckaufman@norwich.vt.us mailto:ckaufman@norwich.vt.us

Criteria for Bid Selection

In evaluating bids, the Town will consider the following criteria:

• Price

• Bidders’ ability to perform the work

• Bidders experience and reputation, including past performance for the Town

• Quality of the equipment and services specified in the bid

• Bidder’s ability to meet other terms and conditions, including insurance and/or bond requirements

• Bidder’s financial responsibility

• Contract provisions that are acceptable to the Town

• Bidder is not on any debarment list related to goods and services the bidder provides

• Any other factors that the Town determines relevant and appropriate in connection with the project

A low bid does not guarantee award of the contract.

Town Rights

The Town reserves the right to negotiate the terms with any and all companies that submit a proposal.

All proposals become the property of the Town upon submission. The cost of preparing, submitting, and presenting a proposal is the sole expense of the proposer. Revisions to the request for proposal will be posted on the Town’s website. The Town of Norwich reserves the right to modify any technical and submission requirements associated with this request for proposals.

The Town of Norwich reserves the right to reject any or all proposals or to award contracts in whole or in part, if this is held to be in the Town's best interest.

All plans, data, reports, and materials, in digital and hard copy form, used or created for this project will be delivered to and become the property of the Town upon completion.

Insurance

Prior to starting work the selected bidder will be required to provide a Certificate of Liability Insurance with commercial general liability coverage of no less than $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 per aggregate, naming the Town of Norwich as an additional insured. The Certificate must also include Workers Compensation Insurance.

Payment Schedule

Monthly invoices are to be submitted at the end of each month. Invoices will be reviewed and approved by Brennan Duffy. Payment is made upon final approval by the Town Selectboard that meets twice monthly.

Town Contact

Questions may be directed to Brennan Duffy at the following address:

BDuffy@norwich.vt.us mailto:%20BDuffy@norwich.vt.us%20.

mailto:%20BDuffy@norwich.vt.us%20.

BID FORM

Roadside Hazardous Tree Removal Project, Town of Norwich

Proposal of (hereinafter called Bidder), organized and existing under the laws of the State of ______, doing business as

(a corporation, a partnership, of an individual)

To the Town of Norwich, Vermont (hereinafter called Owner)

The Bidder represents that this bid is genuine and not made in the interest of or on behalf of any undisclosed person, firm or corporation and is not submitted in conformity with any agreement or rules of any group, association, organization, or corporation. The bidder has not directly or indirectly induced or solicited any other bidder to submit a false bid. Bidder has not solicited or induced any person, firm, or corporation to refrain from bidding and the bidder has not sought by collusion to obtain for himself any advantage over any other bidder or Owner.

The undersigned bidder proposed and agreed, if this bid is accepted, to enter into an agreement with Owner to furnish all materials and to complete all work as specified or indicated in the Contract Documents for the contract price and within the contract time indicated in this bid and in accordance with the Contract Documents.

Bidder hereby agrees to commence Work under this contract on the date of issuance of the Notice to Proceed and that the Final Completion date for this contract is January 31, 2027.

Bidder’s relevant equipment for project (owned or leased):

Please provide the name and phone number for two job references:

1. ______________________________________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________________________________

The Bidder agrees to perform all the Work described in the Contract Documents for the following schedule of prices. Material, labor, or construction operations not otherwise specified, are to be included in the bid item most appropriate to the work involved and otherwise considered incidental to the Contract. Unqualified bids will not be accepted.

Total lump sum $_______________________________

Price in words ______________________________________________

Total Bid

The Town reserves the right to select any bid for any reason, and to reject any or all bids.

The Town also reserves the right to award any portion of the work, and amend the contract length as listed in the Project Description and Bid Form.

The above unit prices shall include all labor, materials, removal, overhead, profit, insurance, etc.

to cover the finished work of the several kinds called for on the drawings and specifications.

THE ABOVE PROPOSAL IS HEREBY RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED BY:

Contractor

By

Title

Business Address

City State

Phone Number

Email Address

Date

ATTEST (Signature)

Species Location # trees ROW? GMP ROW? Lat-long DBH (in) Status Comments

Poplar Jct Bragg Hill-Cossingham 1 Y N 43.71961 N, 72.33954 W >24" dead second smaller dead poplar behind it

White Pine 417 Turnpike 4 Y N 43.73735 N, 72.31766 W >36 dead cluster of 4 stems; biggest >36"

Poplar 239 Hopson 1 Y N 43.70736 N, 72.31862 W 11 dead right on road

White Pine 914 Turnpike 1 Y N 43.75837 N, 72.32978 W 10, 15 dead

White Pine 419 Beaver Meadow 4 Y N 43.73268 N, 72.33374 W 20+,10, 26, 15 1 dying, 3 dead Across from fenced FAA box; n=4 trees w/4 green lines edge of rd

White Pine, Poplaropp. ~1475 Beaver Meadow 2 Y N 43.76008 N, 72.36427 W 22, 11 dead only one 1.5' green line edge of road, small poplar leans (no X)

White Pine opp. ~1470 Beaver Meadow 1 Y N 43.75950 N, 72.36424 W 30 dead 1.5' green line edge of road; big, dead, but not strong lean tree marked with green X (town ROW)

Norwich Roadside Hazardous Tree Removal Project - RFP ADDENDUM 1