Cabbage creek #2 timber sale

The Suwannee River Water Management District is soliciting bids for the Cabbage Creek #2 Timber Sale, an Invitation to Bid (ITB) No. 24/25-008 OPS covering 382 acres of timber located in Taylor County, Florida. The procurement involves a timber harvest of 263 acres of 2002 planted slash pine and 119 acres of 2003 planted longleaf pine, utilizing an unmarked third-row logger select method. Bidders must leave 50 square feet of Basal Area per acre of the largest, best-formed trees during the harvest. The bid opening is scheduled for May 15, 2025, at 11:00 AM EDT, with a 12-month contract term requiring the successful bidder to harvest 200 acres by September 26, 2025. Key qualifications include the logger being a Master Logger with a current designation and routinely available on-site during operations. Evaluation criteria will prioritize the highest total sale value, with electronic bid submissions required through DemandStar.

The contract includes specific requirements for bidders, with a mandatory advance payment of $20,000 and a damage deposit of $10,000. The district offers preference to minority and veteran-owned businesses when bid proposals are ranked equally. Access to the timber sale will be via Salt Grade in Western Taylor County, with strict guidelines for environmental preservation, including following Best Management Practices and maintaining equipment cleanliness to prevent invasive species spread. The Suwannee River Water Management District reserves the right to reject any and all bids, providing flexibility in the procurement process. While no specific incumbent vendors are mentioned, the contract emphasizes ecological considerations and professional logging standards. The procurement spans jurisdictions including Sumter County and Clewiston City, with the total sale value to be determined through the competitive bidding process.