AML - Branchland Portals

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Abandoned Mine Lands and Reclamation, is soliciting competitive bids through an Agency Request for Quote (ARFQ DEP26-71) for construction and reclamation services at the Branchland Portals project in Lincoln County, West Virginia. The scope of work encompasses mobilization and demobilization, construction layout, quality control, site preparation, temporary access road construction (375 tons of material), stabilization fabric installation (500 square yards), road crossing construction (50 tons), woven belted silt fence installation (150 linear feet), stabilized construction entrance (25 tons), revegetation work, and installation of one standard bat gate mine seal for mine portal closure. Key project requirements include tree clearing with a March 31st deadline, bat gate installation between May 1st and August 1st, management of temporary access roads, controlled dewatering of the mine portal, and compliance with NPDES stormwater permit requirements. Bidders must attend a mandatory pre-bid meeting scheduled for February 4, 2026, at 12:00 PM at the project site (coordinates LAT. 38.214829, LONG. -82.214976) to maintain bid eligibility. Technical questions must be submitted by 4:00 PM on February 9, 2026, and sealed bids are due electronically through wvOASIS by 11:30 AM on February 13, 2026. Cost allocation restrictions apply, with mobilization and demobilization limited to 10 percent of the total bid, construction layout to 5 percent, quality control to 3 percent, and site preparation to 10 percent of the total bid amount.

Contractors must carry Public Liability Insurance and Comprehensive Vehicle Liability Insurance with minimum coverage of $2,000,000 for bodily injury and property damage per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate, naming three additional insureds: John Dial of Huntington, West Virginia; Steven Dial of Hendersonville, North Carolina; and Thomas Dial of Clarksville, Tennessee. All bids require submission of a 5 percent bid bond, and the successful contractor must provide performance and labor/material payment bonds equal to 100 percent of the contract value. The project is federally funded through Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Abandoned Mine Land funds, requiring compliance with Davis-Bacon wage rates, prevailing wage determinations, and domestic preference requirements for steel, aluminum, glass, and manufactured products. Contractors and subcontractors must submit completed Contractor Information Forms (AVS) for eligibility evaluation by the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) within 30 days of bid submission. The contract term is for one calendar year with potential renewal for up to three successive one-year periods upon mutual written consent of the Agency, Vendor, and Attorney General's office, with liquidated damages of $1,000 per working day assessed for delays beyond the contract completion period unless approved extensions are granted. The engineer's estimate for the project is $68,800.00, with the successful bidder assuming responsibility as Co-Applicant #1 upon contract award.