2026-2027 V-Blade Planting – Blackwater River State Forest

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is soliciting sealed bids under ITB FFS 26 27 51 for V-blade planting of containerized longleaf pine on approximately 529 acres across four areas of Blackwater River State Forest in Santa Rosa and Okaloosa Counties, with vendor questions due October 27, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. Sealed bids are due November 4, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. at the Mayo Building in Tallahassee.

The contractor uses V-blade equipment to clear debris and create planting strips, then plants seedlings at roughly five by twelve feet to reach 726 trees per acre. The Florida Forest Service supplies the seedlings, and the contractor handles their storage and delivery to individual planting sites. Personnel and equipment must sustain an average planting rate of at least 40 acres per day, a competent foreman must be designated, and work must follow best management practices, resource protection requirements, and environmental regulations. Planting may not begin before November 30, 2026 and must finish by January 30, 2027, within a contract period running from purchase order execution through February 15, 2027.

Award goes to the responsive and responsible vendor with the lowest grand total price on Attachment D, which requires a unit price per acre. Bidders must submit three references from similar projects completed within the last five years, proof of required licenses and certifications, a completed acknowledgment form, vendor certification forms, and lobbying and debarment certifications. Required insurance includes general liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate, automobile liability of $300,000, and workers' compensation with employer's liability of $100,000 per accident. A one percent MyFloridaMarketPlace transaction fee applies to all payments.

The public bid opening is November 5, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. by teleconference or in person. The recommended site visit ran October 19–23, 2026 at Blackwater Forestry Center in Milton, Florida. Appendix I and Appendix II contain area maps of the four treatment sites.