DNR RFB Yawkey Road Improvement

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issued Request for Bids (RFB) 2026-712 for road improvements to Yawkey Road within the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area near Ironton, Minnesota, located in Dakota County. The procurement seeks a single contractor to provide labor, equipment, materials, tools, transportation, and incidentals necessary to improve approximately one mile of road and a parking area. The primary scope of work includes delivering, spreading, and compacting approximately 1,150 cubic yards of Class 5 aggregate to Yawkey Road (22 feet wide with a 3-inch lift) and the Yawkey Yurt parking area (100 feet by 200 feet with a 3-inch lift). Prospective bidders must demonstrate substantial completion of at least two similar scope projects since January 2022, with one contract valued at $10,000 or greater, supported by verifiable references including property owner contact information and completion dates; additionally, contractors must certify they have not been found in default, had a contract terminated for cause within the last 36 months, or received willful or repeated OSHA safety citations with final orders issued in that timeframe. All bids must be submitted electronically through the Swift Portal by April 21, 2026, at 2:00 PM, with project completion required by June 30, 2026 and a contract term running from May 1, 2026 through June 30, 2026. Interested contractors may arrange site visits prior to bid submission by contacting Project Supervisor Barry Osborne at 612-283-5271 or barry.osborne@state.mn.us, and the State will award to the lowest responsible vendor meeting all specifications and terms and conditions.

The procurement does not contain specific set-aside designations, but the First-Tier Subcontractors List form requires prime contractors to identify all subcontractors and suppliers and indicate whether they are certified Targeted Group Businesses, Economically Disadvantaged Businesses, or Veteran-Owned Businesses. Contractors must comply with Minnesota prevailing wage statutes (Minn. Stat. 177.30-32, 177.41-44, 16B, and 16C), with rates established by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry for Highway and Heavy construction in Region 3 (Crow Wing County). All bids must include a single lump-sum price covering all associated costs including labor, materials, tools, transportation, equipment, sales tax, use tax, and all other expenses necessary for completion; responses exceeding $50,000 must be accompanied by a 5 percent surety bond, and projects estimated at $175,000 or greater require payment and performance bonds equal to 100 percent of the contract amount. Contractors must maintain workers' compensation insurance, automobile liability insurance of $1,500,000 per occurrence, and commercial general liability insurance of $1,500,000 per occurrence, and must comply with all building construction contractor registration requirements per Minnesota Statute 326B.701. No specific budget range or award value is stated in the procurement documents; however, the bid price must reflect all costs associated with the road improvement project, and the State reserves the right to award items separately, by grouping, or by total as deemed most advantageous.