2026-2027 Vegetation Management - Time and Equipment Contract

Glades Electric Cooperative, Inc. (GEC), a Florida-based distribution cooperative serving over 19,000 accounts across approximately 2,600 miles of distribution lines in Glades, Hendry, Highlands, and Okeechobee counties, is issuing a Request for Proposal for 2026-2027 Vegetation Management Time and Equipment Contract services. This procurement seeks qualified contractors to provide right-of-way maintenance services, including right-of-way clearing, vegetation trimming, tree removal, and debris management under energized power lines. Deliverables include mechanical removal of trees, branches, and shrubbery, with contractors required to load and reasonably compact debris into trucks and trailers using appropriate mechanical equipment. The contractor must furnish all labor, tools, equipment, transportation, materials, and Apple mobile devices (iPad Air or larger and iPhone 11 or larger minimum) for mapping and photo documentation purposes. Work will be performed Monday through Thursday from 6:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., excluding seven specified holidays, with the contract commencing December 31, 2027. Required qualifications include proof of insurance, drug-free workplace certification, debarment certification, a sworn statement on public entity crimes per Florida Statutes Section 287.133, and line clearance tree trimming certification demonstrating compliance with OSHA 1910.269 standards and ANSI A300 and ANSI Z133.1-2000 safety standards. Evaluation will be based on qualifications of the firm and staff (40 points), relevant past performance (30 points), and cost proposal (30 points), for a total of 100 points. Questions are due by April 2, 2026, at 12:00 p.m., with bid submissions due on April 23, 2026, and an anticipated Intent to Award announced on May 4, 2026. All proposals must be submitted electronically through myvendorlink.com and must include a company overview with executive summary and letters of reference, completed Exhibits A through D from the RFP, proof of insurance, and a completed rate sheet in Excel format.

The RFP does not identify any set-aside designations or restrictions limiting responses to disadvantaged enterprises or specific organization types. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the solicitation documents. The contract is structured as a firm fixed price agreement, and work may not be subcontracted; additionally, the contractor must maintain an English-speaking general foreman on-site when workers are present and bears sole responsibility for compliance with all federal, state, and local regulations, OSHA standards, and safety requirements. The contractor is responsible for all property protection and obtaining necessary landowner permissions, and any damage to GEC property or service outages created by contractor operations will be billed at GEC's standard hourly rates plus materials. No specific award value or budget range is disclosed in the available solicitation documents; however, bidders are required to submit hourly labor rates for supervisors, foremen, trimmers, groundmen, safety personnel, mechanics, and operators across standard time, overtime, and double-time categories, along with equipment rates on an hourly basis for an extensive list of vehicles and machinery including various pickup trucks, bucket trucks ranging from 40 to 70 feet, chip trucks, chippers, power saws, hydraulic trimmers, mowers, excavators with mulching heads, and spray equipment.