2021 Wetland Tree Planting

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Environmental Services Section is procuring horticultural support services for wetland tree and shrub replanting across multiple mitigation sites located in Clinton County and surrounding regions, including sites in Delta, Livingston, Gratiot, Cass, and Ottawa Counties. This Request for Proposal involves the provision and installation of container-grown tree species at a density of approximately 100 stems per acre, with a total of 500 tree and shrub species to be planted at each of six specified wetland mitigation sites: Isabella, Jacks Fish Farm, Maple Ola Camp, Maple Stoneman, Musson Road, and St. Joseph River Watershed Bank Site. The contractor must provide all site preparation, material costs, labor, equipment, layout, tree guards, establishment period services, and plant replacements, with specified tree species including Acer saccharinum, Platanus occidentalis, Quercus bicolor, Quercus macrocarpa, Quercus palustris, and additional species at the Isabella location. The contract will commence September 1, 2021, and extend through November 15, 2022, with planting activities occurring between October 1 and November 15 each year, with an optional one-year renewal at the State's discretion. Qualified bidders must maintain current MDOT Pre-Qualified Contractor status in the H-Landscaping work type, demonstrate a minimum of five years of specialized experience in wetland plant material installation, provide three current references, submit a Confidential Treatment Form, Vendor Questions Worksheet, Byrd Anti-Lobbying Certification, completed Location Specification Sheets with detailed pricing, and a Statement of Work. An optional pre-proposal meeting is scheduled for July 12, 2021, with a deadline for submitting bidder questions by July 21, 2021 (answers posted July 22, 2021), and proposals must be submitted by July 26, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

No subcontractors are permitted under this contract; the contractor must provide all personnel, equipment, and materials directly. The procurement is federally funded through the Federal Highway Administration and is subject to Davis-Bacon Act prevailing wage requirements, which establishes a compliance framework for wage and labor standards. Performance bonds are required for individual work orders exceeding $50,000. Pricing must be submitted in a modifiable format and should include itemized line-item costs for each specified tree and shrub species, a lump-sum installation cost for all 500 species, and unit costs for wetland watering and cultivation services on an as-needed basis ordered by the MDOT Program Manager; contractors are encouraged to offer quick payment discount terms. Payment will be made via Electronic Funds Transfer, with provisional acceptance payment of 80 percent of the total contract price released upon notice of provisional acceptance and the remaining 20 percent released at final acceptance. The specific budget or award value is not explicitly stated in the available documentation, though the contract encompasses multiple planting sites with 500 trees per location at firm fixed unit pricing for the entire contract term. No incumbent vendors or existing contractors are identified in the procurement documents, and no set-asides for disadvantaged enterprises or small businesses are noted.