District 2 mechanical limb management

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is soliciting fixed-price bids for mechanical limb management services in District 2, covering eight counties: Abbeville, Anderson, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Newberry, and Saluda. The procurement involves on-call services for cutting tree limbs within SCDOT rights-of-way along primary routes, secondary routes, and ramps, with a requirement to maintain 18 feet of clearance above roadway surfaces. Contractors must perform work zone traffic control, manage woody vegetative debris, and adhere to strict operational standards detailed in multiple appendices covering equipment inspection, non-compliance procedures, and traffic control specifications. Bidders were required to submit offers online through the South Carolina Enterprise Information System (SCEIS) by December 20, 2021, at 2:30 PM, with questions due by December 2, 2021. The contract is structured with 19 separate line items organized by county and route type, with estimated quantities of 500 shoulder miles per line item, and will be effective from February 8, 2022, through February 7, 2027, with potential automatic one-year renewals.

The solicitation does not explicitly outline specific set-aside designations or restrictions for disadvantaged enterprises. Pricing for services is capped at $900 per shoulder mile and must include all costs associated with traffic control, debris management, equipment, labor, materials, and transportation. The state will award contracts to the lowest responsible and responsive bidders for each county lot, potentially resulting in multiple vendors per county. Contractors must maintain Commercial General Liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and Worker's Compensation insurance as required by South Carolina. Non-compliance with specifications may result in nonrefundable deductions ranging from $500 to $1,000 per offense, in addition to potential repair costs for SCDOT property damage. The contract includes a minimum requirement of 20 shoulder miles per purchase order, with work to be performed annually from January 1 through December 31. A No Award Notice was issued on January 4, 2022, indicating that the initial solicitation did not result in an award and would be re-solicited at a later date.