54-TJK-04-PR39720, state route shoulder and median mowing including vegetation trimming and litter/debris removal

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is soliciting sealed unit-price bids under solicitation 54-TJK-04-PR39720 for state route shoulder and median mowing, vegetation trimming, and litter and debris removal in Edgecombe County (Division 4), with bids due November 18, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. Bidders must be prequalified with NCDOT for Work Codes 016607 (Mowing) and 001105 (Work Zone Traffic Control Devices) at least two business days before bid submission.

The scope covers routine and cleanup mowing across approximately 595 road miles of Interstate, Primary Divided, Primary Undivided, Secondary Divided Paved, and Secondary Unpaved routes. Work includes trimming vegetation around guardrails and signs, estimated at 245,269 linear feet of guardrail trimming per cycle, and litter and debris removal on primary routes only. Contractors must maintain at least six 60–90 inch mowers, provide equipment for long-arm and zero-turn mowing, and display company identification and contact information on all equipment. Operations are limited to daylight hours and prohibited on Sundays, legal holidays, and holiday weekends, with a mowing moratorium from May 1 through May 31 each year. Provisions reference MBE and WBE subcontractor listing requirements.

Payment is by unit price based on actual shoulder miles mown, linear feet of guardrail trimmed, and cleaned shoulder miles for litter removal. The contract runs from March 1, 2027 through February 29, 2028, with up to four additional one-year extensions at NCDOT's discretion, and unit prices adjust annually by the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index. A fuel price adjustment applies monthly to shoulder miles mown, using a base diesel price of $5.0299 per gallon effective October 1, 2026. The contractor may post a performance bond and a payment bond, each at 100% of contract value, or accept a 6% retainage on invoices, refundable at the end of each term after satisfactory site review. Liquidated damages range from $50 to $500 per occurrence or per day for violations including missed intermediate completion times, prohibited equipment, insufficient mower quantities, turf damage, and work outside prescribed hours.

Addenda clarifying bid questions will be posted by November 5, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. Bidders must return executed addenda signature pages with their bids or face disqualification.