Alapahoochee #3 timber sale

This Invitation to Bid (ITB 25/26-008 OPS Alapahoochee #3 Timber Sale) is issued by the Suwannee River Water Management District for a timber harvesting contract covering 171 acres in Hamilton County, Florida. The procurement seeks qualified timber contractors to execute a complete clearcut harvest of all merchantable pine and hardwood across four distinct timber stands: 52 acres of 1970s slash pine with hardwood, 48 acres of 1989 slash pine with hardwood, 39 acres of 1993 slash pine with hardwood, and 32 acres of mature hardwood with hurricane damage. Bidders must submit per-unit rates for pine pulpwood, pine chip-n-saw, pine sawtimber, and hardwood chips, with the District calculating total sale value based on estimated product volumes determined during the bid opening. Key requirements include chipping of standing hardwood greater than three inches diameter at breast height, merchantable hurricane-damaged hardwood, hardwood tops, and pine tops; compliance with Florida Silviculture Best Management Practices; implementation of "Come Clean, Leave Clean" invasive species protocols; and maintenance of roads to pre-harvest condition or better. The harvesting logger must hold current Master Logger designation and be routinely available on-site during operations. Bids must be submitted electronically through DemandStar by 10:00 a.m. EST on March 11, 2026, with the bid opening occurring on the same date and time at 9225 CR 49, Live Oak, Florida 32060. The contract term is 12 months from execution, with the winning bidder required to execute the contract within 10 days of award.

The District will select the winning bidder based on the highest total sale value using a pay-as-cut arrangement with weekly settlements. Bidders must demonstrate appropriate insurance coverage, including workers' compensation insurance, motor vehicular liability insurance with $1,000,000 combined single limit, and general liability insurance with $1,000,000 personal and advertising injury coverage and $1,000,000 general aggregate. An advance payment of $15,000 is required at contract closing, with weekly settlements credited against this advance at 100 percent of weekly gross harvest, and a damage and security deposit of $10,000 must be held in escrow by the District. No specific set-aside designations are mandated; however, the District reserves the right to grant preference to minority business enterprises and veteran-owned business enterprises if bidders are ranked equally. The District retains the right to reject any and all bids. No incumbent vendors, current contractors, or integration with existing infrastructure are identified in this procurement. While an explicit budget range is not provided, the award value will be determined by the winning bidder's per-unit rates applied to estimated product volumes established during the bid opening process.