CERL Grounds Maintenance

The Department of the Army Corps of Engineers Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) is soliciting proposals for grounds maintenance services at the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) facility in Champaign, Illinois. The contractor will provide comprehensive grounds maintenance including mowing, grass trimming, weed removal, debris and clippings removal, leaf pickup and removal, snow and ice removal, and melting material application. The contract will be awarded based on a best value tradeoff analysis considering three evaluation factors: Technical Capability (Factor I), Past Performance (Factor II), and Price (Factor III), with the first two factors being equally important and significantly more important than price. Technical capability evaluation focuses on corporate capacity, key personnel qualifications (including a Chief Executive Officer/President, Project Superintendent, and Lead Grounds Technician), and a comprehensive quality control plan that addresses inspection procedures, work tracking, and project scheduling. The proposal due date is April 29, 2026, at 12:00 PM, and prospective contractors must submit questions no later than ten calendar days before the due date. A mandatory site walk is scheduled for April 22, 2026, at 9:00 AM at the CERL location (2902 Newmark Drive, Champaign, Illinois 61822), and interested parties should contact Harold Jackson at 312-788-4339 to confirm attendance.

This solicitation (W9132T26RA001) is set aside exclusively for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses, though one government file indicates it may also reference Women-Owned Small Business set-aside criteria. The contract includes a base period of 12 months with four optional 12-month renewal periods, totaling a potential five-year duration. Lawn maintenance services are scheduled for April through October (7 months), with fall and spring cleanups running November through March, while snow and ice removal services are required 365 days per year during non-operation hours (1800-0600) when accumulation reaches 2 inches on parking lots and driveways or 0.50 inch on sidewalks. The contractor must maintain insurance coverage including $500,000 general liability, $200,000-$500,000 auto liability, and $100,000 workers' compensation, and must comply with all federal, state, and local laws and safety requirements per the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Safety and Health Requirements Manual EM 385-1-1. Performance will be monitored against a 95-100% compliance standard with incentive/disincentive provisions that include 30% price reductions for non-performance, and the contractor will be responsible for maintaining approximately 5.1 acres of designated snow pile storage areas and all grassed and landscaped areas within the defined service boundaries at Interstate Research Park.