2026 Spray Field Vegetation Improvements

The City of Helen, Georgia is soliciting sealed bids for the 2026 Spray Field Vegetation Improvements project, a vegetation management and reforestation initiative across the city's land application system spray fields. The project scope encompasses reforestation and supplemental planting of 3,100 native trees and shrubs across 26 acres of rugged terrain, select cutting of approximately 350 existing trees (175 trees sized 20-25 inches diameter at breast height and 175 trees sized 15-19.9 inches DBH), removal of invasive species including kudzu and privet across approximately 21.4 acres, installation of 500 linear feet of silt fence for erosion control, and all necessary debris removal and disposal. The project is necessary due to historical extreme weather damage that has prevented vegetation from fully reestablishing in the five spray fields. Planting work includes reforestation with bare root stock (1,140 trees), reforestation with 1-gallon containerized stock (210 trees), and supplemental planting with bare root stock (1,830 trees). All bid pricing must include labor, equipment, materials, delivery, removal and disposal costs, erosion control measures, and applicable taxes, with mobilization and de-mobilization combined not to exceed 3 percent of total bid price. A non-mandatory pre-bid conference was held on November 20, 2025, at Helen City Hall; technical questions were due December 4, 2025; sealed bids must be received by 10:00 a.m. on December 11, 2025, at City Hall, 25 Alpenrosen Strasse, Helen, Georgia 30545; and contract award is anticipated within 60 days of bid opening. All work must be completed within 150 consecutive calendar days from the Notice to Proceed. Bidders must obtain contract documents and specifications from Engineering Management, Inc., available in hard copy for $150.00 or as digital copies at no cost, and must submit bids with a bid bond or certified cashier's check equal to five percent of the total bid amount. The successful prime contractor must perform a minimum of 30 percent of the contract value directly, and all surety and insurance companies must maintain an AM Best rating of A-7 or greater and be listed in the Federal Registry of Companies holding Certificates of Authority.

No specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises or restrictions limiting eligible bidder types are identified in the procurement documents. The solicitation does not identify any incumbent vendors, current contractors, or existing contractual relationships requiring consideration. Contractors are responsible for their own erosion and sedimentation control measures during tree removal, must use existing access roads as-is and repair any damage they cause at their expense (with natural damage excluded from contractor responsibility), and must coordinate offsite disposal of vegetation clippings and mulch except for hardwood mulch, which may be stored at a designated laydown area if coordinated with the owner. A previous requirement for a Georgia Utility Contractor's License has been removed per Addendum No. 2. The total project budget or award value has not been disclosed in the available documents; however, the base bid includes a $25,000 allowance for unforeseen issues at the owner's discretion, and performance and payment bonds are capped at 2 percent of the total bid price. The successful bidder will be required to furnish comprehensive insurance, workers' compensation insurance, and performance and payment bonds in the amount of 100 percent of the total bid upon contract award.