2026004-RFP1313 Disaster Debris Management Services

Columbia County Board of Commissioners in Georgia has issued Request for Proposal 2026004-RFP1313 for comprehensive Disaster Debris Management and Monitoring Services. The County intends to award two separate pre-event contracts—one for Disaster Debris Management Services and another for Disaster Debris Monitoring Services—to serve unincorporated and incorporated areas of Columbia County (approximately 308 square miles with 929 miles of roads), with provision for the Cities of Grovetown and Harlem to independently enter into contracts with the awarded vendor(s) at identical rates and costs. Services include emergency road clearance, removal and disposal of debris from public rights-of-way, hazardous tree abatement, demolition of unsafe structures, temporary debris management site (TDMS) operation, debris reduction through chipping/grinding and air curtain incineration, and disaster recovery technical assistance. Vendors must submit labor classification rates and equipment hourly rates across 38 equipment categories, along with responses demonstrating qualifications and experience, methodology and approach, and cost proposals totaling 1,000 evaluation points (350 points for qualifications and experience, 350 points for methodology and approach, and 300 points for cost). A mandatory pre-proposal conference was held on March 18, 2026, at 10:00 AM ET at the Emergency Operations Center Conference Room in Evans, Georgia; proposals are due April 9, 2026, by 12:00 PM ET via the Columbia County E-Procurement portal (https://columbiacountyga.bonfirehub.com); and the deadline for submitting questions is April 1, 2026, at 5:00 PM ET. The contract will commence July 1, 2026, and terminate June 30, 2027, with the option for up to four additional one-year renewals through June 30, 2031, with all rates guaranteed through the initial one-year term.

The RFP does not specify set-asides for disadvantaged enterprises, minority-owned businesses, or women-owned businesses within the primary documents, though the solicitation references subcontracting provisions related to such entities in the Bonfire portal documentation. The incumbent vendor, Ceres Environmental Services, has provided these services since July 1, 2020, and most recently activated the contract following Hurricane Helene in 2024, managing approximately 5.2 million cubic yards of debris (4.1 million cubic yards mulched or chipped and 1.1 million cubic yards hauled to final debris sites). Vendors must comply with federal regulations including FEMA guidelines and the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, maintain comprehensive insurance coverage including commercial general liability ($2,000,000 per occurrence/$2,000,000 general aggregate), automobile liability ($1,000,000 combined single limits), workers' compensation per statute, cyber liability ($1,000,000), medical liability ($2,000,000), and professional liability ($1,000,000), with Columbia County designated as an Additional Insured (ATIMA). The contract will have no guaranteed minimum payment to the vendor, and Columbia County reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, conduct interviews or presentations within two weeks of the proposal due date, and conduct audits by federal, state, and local agencies. No specific award value or budget range is disclosed in the procurement documents.