Gunflint Ranger District Snowplowing

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service is soliciting snowplowing and sanding services for the Gunflint Ranger District Administrative Site located at 2020 West Highway 61 in Grand Marais, Minnesota. The contractor must remove snow from all parking lots, roadways, and drives to garages and employee housing units, with snow removal required by 6:00 am on weekdays when snowfall exceeds one inch, and must perform immediate sanding of paved areas when ice is present. Key requirements include pushing snow fully outside shoulder lines, maintaining clear parking spots, and maintaining no more than two deficiencies per month to meet the acceptable quality level. Evaluation will consider price, experience, and past performance, with technical capability and past performance weighted equally against pricing. The Request for Quotation (RFQ) was posted on November 13, 2025, with proposals due via email by 1800 EST on November 23, 2025 (note: the posted document references November 30, 2025 as the due date, indicating a potential discrepancy that should be clarified with the government point of contact, Mikaela Laney at mikaela.laney@usda.gov).

This opportunity is set aside as a total small business contract under NAICS code 561730 (Landscaping Services) with a small business size standard of $8 million. The base contract period runs from November 1, 2025 through May 31, 2026, with four additional one-year option periods extending through May 31, 2030, providing a potential five-year contract term for seasonal snow removal services. The solicitation estimates approximately 15 snowplowing events and 15 sanding events annually, with the contract structured as a firm fixed-price agreement and monthly invoicing through the Invoice Processing Platform. No incumbent contractor is identified in the available documentation. The place of performance is listed as Duluth, Minnesota 55808, though the actual work site is the administrative facility in Grand Marais, Minnesota, located within St. Louis County where applicable wage determinations require minimum hourly rates of $17.75 for general labor and specified benefits including health and welfare provisions.