District-Wide General Landscape Services Northern Counties

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), District One, is issuing an Invitation to Bid (ITB) for district-wide general landscape services spanning seven northern counties: DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, Manatee, Okeechobee, Polk, and Sarasota. The procurement seeks comprehensive landscape improvements including site preparation, plant material acquisition and installation, irrigation installation and repair, tree relocation and removal, and landscape establishment period maintenance activities. Prospective vendors must be certified landscape contractors with a minimum of five years of experience and must employ an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist on staff. The contract will operate on a unit-rate basis with work authorized through Letters of Authorization (LOAs) issued on an as-needed basis. Technical questions must be submitted by February 9, 2026, at 2:00 PM, with bids due on February 26, 2026, at 10:00 AM via electronic submission to MyFloridaMarketPlace. The public bid opening will occur on February 26, 2026, at 2:00 PM at FDOT's office in Bartow, Florida, with the award decision posted on February 27, 2026. Evaluation will be based on lowest responsive bid from a responsive and responsible bidder, with FDOT reserving the right to reject any or all bids.

Payment for plant material installation will be structured with 76 percent paid upon completion and written acceptance of the installation, with the remaining 24 percent distributed monthly during a one-year establishment period at up to 3.33 percent per month upon approval of monthly inspection reports. All unit prices, plant material costs, irrigation components, labor classifications, equipment rental rates, and miscellaneous landscape activities are detailed in Exhibit C of the ITB. The initial contract term is three years from the date of execution, with renewal possible for up to an additional three years contingent upon satisfactory performance and fund availability. The budgetary ceiling is set at $1,500,000 for the initial contract year and an additional $750,000 for each subsequent year. Vendors must maintain general liability insurance with combined bodily injury limits of at least $200,000 per person and $300,000 per occurrence, plus property damage coverage of at least $200,000 per occurrence, and must register with MyFloridaMarketPlace prior to bid opening. No specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises or restrictions limiting respondent types were identified in the solicitation materials provided.