54-TJK-13-PR33775 professional lawn and grounds maintenance of rest area

The North Carolina Department of Transportation, Division 13, is soliciting bids through a Request for Proposal (RFP) for professional lawn and grounds maintenance services at a rest area facility located on US 221 Marion Bypass at Tate Street (SR 1195) near Marion in McDowell County. The scope of work encompasses comprehensive grounds maintenance including mowing, trimming, edging, fertilization, aeration, overseeding, repair seeding, weed control, pruning, mulching, and debris removal, with specific deliverables of 300 cubic yards of mulch, 3 tons of turfgrass fertilization, 5 tons of limestone, 1,200 pounds of turfgrass overseeding, and 3 acres of repair seeding. Qualified contractors must hold a current and valid North Carolina Ground Applicator Pesticide License with Ornamental and Turf Pest Control sub-classification and must maintain minimum staffing of 32 man-hours per week during March through November and 8 man-hours per week during December through February, with a full-time supervisor on-site at all times. The contract requires commercial general liability insurance with limits of $5,000,000 per occurrence and $5,000,000 general aggregate, and NCDOT will conduct frequent unscheduled inspections at minimum weekly frequency with deductions for non-compliance ranging from $50 to $2,000 per week or instance for violations. The contract period runs one year from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, with options for four additional one-year extensions at NCDOT's discretion with 1 percent annual increases to line item prices. Written questions must be submitted by March 19, 2026 at 5:00 p.m., and sealed bids are due by April 8, 2026 at 2:00 p.m., with contract award anticipated within 30 days of bid opening.

This is a Small Business Enterprise (SBE) set-aside contract with an annual gross income limit of $1,500,000 exclusive of materials, and all bidders must be currently certified as SBE contractors by the NCDOT Office of Civil Rights and listed in the Directory of Transportation Firms at bid opening. The North Carolina General Contractor's license and performance bonds are waived for this SBE contract; however, a performance guarantee equal to 5 percent of the first-year monthly maintenance line item price is required. No incumbent vendor or current contractor information is provided in the procurement documents. The specific award value or budget range is not disclosed in the RFP materials, though the contract value will be determined based on submitted line item prices for labor, supervision, equipment, and supplies necessary to perform the described maintenance services over the one-year contract period.