As Needed Contract for Vegetation Crew on Various Interstate Routes and Toll Facilities in Cabarrus, Mecklenburg and Union Counties

The North Carolina Department of Transportation Division 10 is requesting sealed bids for an as-needed vegetation crew contract on various Interstate routes and toll facilities in Cabarrus, Mecklenburg, and Union Counties, with bids due August 5, 2026 at 2:00 PM. Attendance at a mandatory pre-bid conference on July 22, 2026 at 10:00 AM at the NCDOT ITP Conference Room in Matthews, North Carolina is required for bidder prequalification.

The contract encompasses mowing, trimming, brush cutting, herbicide application, weed eating, hand seeding, mulching, and tree pruning and cutting on state-maintained roadways. The contractor must provide vegetation maintenance crews with four laborers and one crew truck equipped with emergency flashers and strobe lights for herbicide application, weed eating, and hand seeding/mulching operations, and two laborers with one crew truck for tree pruning/cutting operations. All personnel must wear OSHA-compliant reflective vests. The contractor must mobilize to each location at no additional cost.

The contract term runs from September 14, 2026 through September 13, 2027, with NCDOT holding an option to extend for two additional one-year periods, not to exceed three years total. Each year is limited to $5 million in work assignments. Compensation is based on hourly rates for each service type, with crews guaranteed a minimum of four hours per work order and additional time billed to the nearest quarter-hour for productive operations only. No payment is provided for downtime due to meals, equipment failure, unsatisfactory weather, or crew idling. The contractor is responsible for all toll facility costs incurred during performance.

NCDOT reserves the right to make multiple awards to the lowest responsible bidders. The contract carries no MBE/WBE goal and is non-exclusive. Liquidated damages are assessed daily based on work order value, ranging from $100 per day for orders valued $0–$100,000 to $850 per day for orders valued $1 million–$2 million. The contract is state-funded with no federal aid participation and must comply with the 2024 NCDOT Standard Specifications for Roads and Structures.