Midewin National Forest Seed Production Invasive Control

The USDA Forest Service is soliciting offers for invasive species control services at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Wilmington, Illinois. The contractor will provide herbicide application services using an integrated pest management strategy to control non-native invasive species across approximately 16 acres of seed production beds, including foliar treatments of herbaceous plants, grasses, vines, and woody vegetation. Key requirements include achieving a minimum 95% kill rate on target invasive species while maintaining no more than 5% mortality to desirable native plants, employing selective application methods such as backpack sprayers, and maintaining daily treatment logs with GPS data and weekly progress maps. All applicators must hold valid Illinois commercial pesticide applicator licenses or reciprocal state licenses prior to contract award. The government will evaluate offers using a lowest-price-technically-acceptable criterion, with past experience, past performance, and ability to perform weighted more heavily than price. Questions regarding the solicitation (RFQ 12444526Q0009) must be submitted by February 24, 2026, and quotations are due by March 6, 2026, at 4:00 PM Eastern Standard Time, with delivery of all services required by September 15, 2026.

This acquisition is designated as a total small business set-aside with a NAICS size standard of $9.5 million under code 115112 (Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating). No incumbent contractor or budget value has been specified in the solicitation documents. The contract period of performance runs from May 11, 2026, through September 15, 2026, with work consisting of two herbicide treatments spaced four weeks apart during the growing season across three seed production bed locations. The work will be performed at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie located at 30239 South State Route 53 in Wilmington, Illinois 60481, with invoicing to be submitted to USDA-FS CSA EAST 6 in Atlanta, Georgia. The contracting officer is Nicole D. Scott, and the Contracting Officer Representative is Amy Martina at (779) 374-0663 or amy.martina@usda.gov.