54-TJK-02-PR40715, custodial operations and maintenance of rest area

The North Carolina Department of Transportation is soliciting proposals under RFP 54-TJK-02-PR40715 for custodial operations and maintenance of a single rest area on US 70 at Exit 409 near Clarks in Craven County, with bid questions due November 12, 2026 at 5:00 PM and proposals due December 2, 2026 at 2:00 PM. This is a Small Business Enterprise (SBE) contract limited to firms with annual gross income of $1.5 million or less, exclusive of materials, and currently certified by NCDOT's Office of Civil Rights SBE Program Manager.

The contractor provides labor, supervision, equipment, and supplies to keep the service building, utility and storage buildings, vending machine building, outside lighting, picnic facilities, water distribution system, and sewer system safe, clean, sanitary, and operable. Summer staffing (April 1 to September 30) requires one attendant per ten staffing hours Monday through Thursday, 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and one per eleven staffing hours Friday through Sunday, 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Winter staffing (October 1 to March 31) requires one attendant per nine staffing hours daily, 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, with reduced Thanksgiving and Christmas hours. An alternate bid item for reduced staffing from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM, seven days per week, during budget restrictions is mandatory. Estimated annual visitation is 263,833 people.

Bidders must carry commercial general liability insurance of $5 million per occurrence and $5 million general aggregate naming the State of North Carolina as additional insured, and pay mandatory wage rates of $15.51 per hour for attendants and $18.51 per hour for supervisors. General contractor licenses and payment/performance bonds are waived, but a performance guarantee of five percent of monthly compensation is required for the first year.

The maximum contract limit is $1 million per year under General Statute 136-28.10. The initial term runs February 1, 2027 through January 31, 2028, with up to two one-year extensions at NCDOT's sole discretion, each raising prices by two percent of the current price. Award goes to the lowest responsible bidder within thirty days after bid opening. No pre-bid conference will be held; NCDOT will answer questions through addenda posted on Connect NCDOT and the electronic Vendor Portal.