54-TJK-13-PR33769 custodial operations and maintenance of rest area

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Division 13 is soliciting bids for custodial operations and maintenance services at the McDowell County Rest Area/Visitor Information Center located on US 221 Marion Bypass at Tate Street, SR 1195, near Marion. This procurement encompasses two distinct service components: comprehensive janitorial services and professional lawn and grounds maintenance. The janitorial services require an attendant on-site during operational hours with seasonal staffing variations—summer hours (April 1-October 31) from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM Sunday-Thursday and 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM Friday-Saturday, and winter hours (November 1-March 31) from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM Sunday-Thursday and 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM Friday-Saturday, with an alternate bid option for reduced hours due to potential budget constraints. The grounds maintenance component requires 32 man-hours per week during March through November and 8 man-hours per week during December through February, with an on-site supervisor present at all times, encompassing lawn mowing, landscaping, plant bed maintenance, pesticide application, fertilization, mulching, edging, trimming, weed control, and debris removal. Contractors must maintain commercial general liability insurance with limits of $5,000,000 per occurrence and $5,000,000 general aggregate, with the State named as additional insured, and a performance guarantee of five percent of monthly compensation is required for the first contract year. The contract term is one year, effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, with optional one-year extensions (up to four additional one-year extensions for grounds maintenance, and two additional for janitorial). Mandatory wage rates are $15.34 per hour for custodial attendants and $18.34 per hour for supervisors, effective July 1, 2026. Bid questions must be submitted by March 19, 2026, at 5:00 PM, and sealed bids are due April 8, 2026, at 2:00 PM, with public bid opening immediately following.

This procurement is designated as a Small Business Enterprise (SBE) set-aside, requiring all bidders to possess current SBE certification from NCDOT's Office of Civil Rights SBE Program Manager with annual gross income (exclusive of materials) not exceeding $1,500,000. For the grounds maintenance component, bidders must hold a current and valid North Carolina Ground Applicator Pesticide License with Ornamental and Turf Pest Control sub-classification issued by the NCDA in the bidder's name, and bids from unlicensed applicators will be rejected as irregular. The North Carolina General Contractor's license requirement is waived for this SBE project, and contract payment and performance bonds are not required. The janitorial services contract has an estimated award value based on annual visitation of 145,944 people with estimated water usage of 2.34 gallons per person, with compensation structured as a lump-sum annual bid divided into twelve equal monthly payments. The grounds maintenance compensation is structured as a monthly lump-sum fee for professional lawn and grounds maintenance services plus unit pricing for landscape materials (mulch, fertilizer, limestone, seed, and repair seeding). Standard compensation reduction schedules apply to both contracts for non-compliance with contract specifications, with deductions ranging from $50 to $2,000 per instance for grounds maintenance depending on the nature of violation, and daily compensation reduction percentages applied for various deficiencies in the janitorial services contract. No incumbent contractors are identified in the documentation provided.