Tree Seedling Services J. W. Toumey Nursery Ottawa National Forest

The U.S. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, is soliciting tree seedling services at the J.W. Toumey Nursery located on the Ottawa National Forest in Michigan. The procurement covers comprehensive seedling lifting and packing services for approximately 6,415,000 bareroot seedlings and 625,000 containerized seedlings during the 2025/2026 season. Contractors must provide labor, supervision, and equipment to handle seedling lifting, grading, root pruning, packaging, and quality control operations across four estimated stages between September 2025 and June 2026. The government will evaluate quotes based on past performance, experience, project management capabilities, quality control plans, and work progress schedules to determine the most advantageous offer. All quotes must be submitted via email to Scott Beeman at scott.beeman@usda.gov by September 1, 2025, at 5:00 PM Central Standard Time.

This solicitation is set aside exclusively for small businesses under NAICS code 111421 (Nursery and Tree Production) with a size standard of $3.25 million. The contract work will be performed in Watersmeet, Michigan, with operations spanning from early September 2025 through June 30, 2026. The pricing schedule includes 10 line items for different seedling types and processing services, with estimated quantities ranging from 8,000 to 36,000 lineal feet or thousands of seedlings. Contractors must comply with Department of Labor wage determinations that establish minimum wage rates of $17.75 per hour for contracts entered into on or after January 30, 2022, along with specific rates for 12 forestry-related job classifications ranging from $16.01 to $29.19 per hour. The government will provide most equipment and materials, while the contractor is responsible for labor and operational execution, including English-speaking supervisors and adherence to detailed technical specifications for seedling processing.