AM26-52 Big Springs Fire Aerial Seeding

The State of Utah Division of Purchasing, on behalf of the Division of Wildlife Resources, has issued a Request for Quotes (RFQ) for aerial seeding services in Tooele County. The procurement seeks a vendor to perform aerial seeding on 370 acres affected by the Big Springs Fire, specifically 340 acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands and 30 acres of State of Utah property. The project requires precise GPS-guided aerial application of a specified seed mix, with grass, forb, and shrub seeds to be applied at rates of 14.75 lbs per acre on BLM lands and 23.7 lbs per acre on State lands. Seeding operations are scheduled between December 12, 2025, and January 10, 2026, with daily work beginning at 8:00 a.m. and contingent on wind speeds not exceeding 10 miles per hour. The evaluation criteria focus on responsiveness to specifications and lowest cost, with vendors required to submit only one primary bid; multiple or alternate quotes will be rejected. The RFQ closing date is December 11, 2025, and any exceptions to specifications must be protested in writing to the Division of Purchasing prior to this date.

No specific set-aside designations or restrictions for disadvantaged enterprises were explicitly detailed in the procurement documents. The contractor must provide their own aircraft equipped with GPS technology capable of handling approximately 6,947 lbs of seed material, with the government supplying pre-mixed seeds in bulk totes at agreed-upon project site locations. Contractors will be required to maintain workers' compensation insurance, commercial general liability insurance of at least $1 million per occurrence/$3 million aggregate, and commercial automobile liability insurance of $1 million per occurrence if vehicles are used. The nearest operational base will be Tooele Valley Airport, located approximately 17 air miles southeast of the project site. While no specific award value or budget range was provided in the documents, the procurement will be awarded to the lowest-cost responsive and responsible vendor. The purchase order will be governed by Utah law, with the State reserving the right to solicit additional quotes through various communication methods permitted under the Utah Procurement Code.