C25708004: Aquatic Vegetation Control

The California Department of Parks and Recreation, Division of Boating and Waterways, issued a Request for Proposals (RFP C25708004) for aquatic vegetation control services throughout the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, Suisun Marsh, and associated tributaries spanning Sacramento County, San Joaquin County, and Yolo County. The contractor shall provide mechanical harvesting, herbicide treatment, and physical control actions to remove invasive aquatic plants including water hyacinth, water primrose, spongeplant, alligatorweed, Brazilian waterweed, coontail, curly leaf pondweed, Eurasian watermilfoil, and fanwort from waterways within the Division's jurisdiction. Proposers must demonstrate at least three years of experience with the specified aquatic invasive species treatments and maintain comprehensive insurance coverage including $1,000,000 general liability and $1,000,000 motor vehicle liability, provide payment and performance bonds equal to 100 percent of the contract amount, and hold valid California business licensure. The evaluation process combines technical proposal scores (40 points), cost proposal scores (30 points), and interview scores (30 points), with proposals scoring 85 percent or higher automatically invited to interview. Key deadlines include written questions due by April 10, 2026, proposals due by April 28, 2026 at 2:00 PM Pacific Time, interviews scheduled for the week of May 7, 2026, and a Notice of Proposed Award to be released by May 12, 2026. The contract term spans three years with an option for two additional one-year amendments at the state's discretion, for a potential total of five years, with an anticipated start date of September 1, 2026.

The RFP includes a 5 percent small business preference for certified small businesses and microbusinesses that meet commercially useful function standards, while disabled veteran business enterprise (DVBE) incentive points are available for participation of 0.01 percent or higher, though no minimum DVBE participation is required. The maximum annual expenditure is $5,000,000, with no guarantee of work in any given year, resulting in a potential contract value of up to $25,000,000 over the five-year period. Cost proposals must be submitted on the provided Cost Proposal Worksheet with fully loaded rates including all direct and indirect costs, overhead, and taxes. All equipment procured becomes the sole property of the State of California. The RFP does not identify any incumbent vendors or current contractors, nor does it reference existing infrastructure or technology integration requirements.