42244IFB26-Lake George Timber Sale

The St. Johns River Water Management District is issuing Invitation for Bids (IFB #42244IFB26) for a timber sale operation on approximately 170 acres within the Lake George Conservation Area in Putnam County, Florida. The procurement involves harvesting merchantable timber from mature slash pine stands through both clearcut operations and second thinning activities across the designated sale area located in Section 38; Township 13 South; Range 27 East. The deliverables include approximately 2,484 tons of pine pulpwood, 1,347 tons of chip-n-saw, and 72 tons of sawtimber, though these figures are estimates only. The scope comprises marked thinning on 120.8 acres where only blue-painted trees may be harvested, and logger-select thinning on 27.2 acres designed to achieve a residual stand density of 50 square feet of basal area per acre. Required qualifications include proof of active business registration with E-Verify, a current IRS Form W-9, current certification from an approved logger-training program (such as Georgia's "Master Timber Harvester," Florida's "Master Logger," or Alabama's "Professional Logging Manager" for the logging crew supervisor), and evidence of required insurance coverage including workers' compensation, general liability with $1,000,000 per occurrence/$2,000,000 aggregate limits, and automobile liability of $100,000/$300,000/$100,000. Sealed bids are due by 2:00 P.M. on May 22, 2026, at the St. Johns River Water Management District Headquarters in Palatka, Florida, with bids opened immediately thereafter. The contract term is 12 months from the effective date, with 50 percent of acres required to be harvested within nine months if adequate conditions exist, and compensation is structured on a per-ton basis with respondents bidding prices for each product category.

The procurement does not specify any set-aside designations or restrictions limiting responses to disadvantaged enterprises or specific organization types, and no incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the available documentation. Respondents must submit an advance payment of 20 percent of the estimated timber sale value before agreement execution (non-refundable but credited against weekly payments), and a security deposit of $5,000 is also required before execution. Weekly settlement payments are due to the District's Finance Director based on net load weight, and all respondents must provide a Human Trafficking Attestation and Common Carrier Attestation if applicable. Failure to follow harvest specifications results in liquidated damages, including double compensation for undesignated trees cut and $50 per tree for marked boundary line trees cut, with amounts deductible from the security deposit. The District reserves the right to reject any and all bids and may terminate the agreement for cause or convenience with 20 days' notice. While a specific total contract award value is not provided, the estimated timber volume and per-ton compensation structure will determine the ultimate contract value based on submitted bids.