KS MARAIS des CYGNES NWR TREE PLANTING

The Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service seeks tree planting services at Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge in Kansas, with proposals due September 3, 2026. This is a 100% Total Small Business set-aside, firm-fixed price procurement.

Place of performance is the refuge near Pleasanton, Kansas (24141 Kansas Highway 52, Pleasanton KS 66075-8214). The contractor must plant approximately 22,050 native tree seedlings across approximately 48 acres during the performance window of March 1 through May 31, 2027. Nine specified native species are required—Persimmon, Chinkapin, Pecan, Bur oak, Pin oak, White oak, Swamp white oak, Northern red oak, and Shagbark hickory—sourced from refuge-approved suppliers using local native seed stock and planted at 10-foot by 10-foot spacing using tractor-mounted equipment suitable for compacted soils. The contractor must supply all labor, equipment, seedlings, and materials. Seedlings must be maintained for proper moisture, shade, and chilling before and during installation. The work explicitly excludes herbicide and pesticide use, permanent infrastructure construction, mechanical soil disturbance outside previously cultivated areas, and maintenance beyond initial establishment.

Wage Determination No. 2015-5105 (Revision 28, effective May 13, 2026) for Linn County, Kansas applies, establishing prevailing wage rates and fringe benefits including health and welfare, paid vacation, paid holidays (minimum 11 days annually), and uniform allowances where required, with a minimum fringe benefits package of $5.55 per hour. The NAICS code is 115310, Support Activities for Forestry, with a size standard of $11.5 million. Evaluation weighs technical ability to meet specifications most heavily, followed by past performance and prior experience, and price. Offerors must submit two or three examples of prior work; failure to provide examples may render the offer non-responsive.