27AL2395 Iroquois County SFWA Farm Lease

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is seeking bids for agricultural farming services on state-owned property within the Iroquois County State Fish & Wildlife Area under IFB 27AL2395, with bids due November 18, 2026 and a pre-bid conference scheduled for October 20, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. Central Time via Webex.

The scope comprises farming operations on designated state-owned parcels within the wildlife area. Bidders must provide detailed farming plans, equipment specifications, and operational approaches for the designated properties. The solicitation emphasizes that selected contractors must manage farming activities while maintaining habitat conservation and wildlife management objectives aligned with state stewardship requirements. Environmental compliance and annual reporting obligations are mandatory. Vendors must submit evidence of agricultural experience, equipment capability, and insurance coverage as part of bid qualification.

Contractors must maintain liability insurance with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources listed as an additional insured and comply with leasehold tax obligations detailed in the supplementary Leasehold Tax Summary. The pricing structure requires competitive bids based on rental rates or revenue-sharing arrangements for use of state-owned agricultural land; exact financial terms are specified in the complete IFB documentation.

Bidders may claim applicable preferences under the Illinois Procurement Code, including Illinois Business Preference and Domestic Product Preference, with supporting documentation required for each claim. Vendor disclosure forms (formerly Forms A and B-29) are mandatory submissions for all bidders. Bidders may take exceptions to Standard Terms and Conditions by submitting a redlined version with their offer, though the state reserves the right to accept or reject proposed exceptions.

The complete Invitation for Bid, property location maps, acreage breakdowns, detailed specifications, contract term duration, renewal options, and full terms and conditions are contained in the attached IFB document and supporting attachments A through J. The pre-bid conference call-in details: Webex link, meeting number 2861 293 3640, password J4bKwHpHp75, or Chicago toll (+1-312-535-8110) or US toll (+1-415-655-0002).