02162021 west KY wildlife management area HAY lease

The Commonwealth of Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, in coordination with the Finance and Administration Cabinet's Division of Real Property, is soliciting bids for a five-year hay lease of approximately 207 acres located at the West Kentucky Wildlife Management Area in McCracken County, Kentucky. The procurement seeks a qualified lessee to cultivate hay crops on the specified acreage with the primary objectives of maintaining open lands, enhancing public recreational opportunities, and supporting fish and wildlife management programs. The successful bidder must demonstrate capacity for crop management, equipment operation, and labor provision while assuming all responsibilities for crop maintenance, equipment costs, labor expenses, and risk from flooding or natural disasters. The lessee must comply with conservation practices, soil testing requirements, and restrictions on herbicide use and noxious weed control. Bids are due on February 23, 2021, at 3:00 PM, with physical submission required to the Division of Real Properties at The Bush Building, 403 Wapping Street, 3rd Floor, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601. The bid solicitation originally closed on February 16, 2021; however, a first addendum rescheduled the opening to February 23, 2021, due to weather-related circumstances. Bidders must inspect the property prior to submission and include a $100 good faith deposit with their bids.

The solicitation contains no identified set-aside designations or restrictions limiting the types of organizations eligible to respond, nor does it identify any incumbent vendors or current contractors. The lease structure provides for an initial one-year term renewable for four successive one-year periods, with the crop year running from March 15 to November 15 annually. Rather than monetary rental payments, the successful lessee agrees to provide white gravel (either "KY #610" or "#3 rock") annually to improve WMA roads, with the amount calculated by multiplying the bid price per bale by the total number of bales produced that year, minus haulage costs of $7.15 per ton if the lessee transports the gravel. Bids must be submitted on a per-bale basis with a minimum bid of $1 per bale, and bids remain firm for the entire five-year lease period. The Commonwealth retains all hunting, trapping, fishing, and public access rights and reserves the unqualified right to reject any or all bids, while either party may terminate the lease with 30 days' written notice.