DWR Sagebrush Restoration Handplanting

The State of Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is conducting an IFB for sagebrush restoration handplanting services with a proposal due date of September 16, 2026 — a date that has now passed; bid results show the contract has been awarded to Silhouette Farm & Forestry LLC at $219.58 per acre.

The scope requires handplanting of approximately 129,000 bareroot big sagebrush seedlings at 10 feet by 10 feet spacing (436 plants per acre) across 296 acres on BLM-administered lands in Iron County near Cedar City, Utah. Work is estimated to begin October 14, 2026 and continue through December 1, 2026. The contractor must furnish all labor, equipment, supplies, materials, crew supervision, quality control, seedling storage, transportation equipment, and planting tools. The government furnishes bareroot seedlings from Lucky Peak Federal Nursery in Boise, Idaho, which the contractor must transport to the planting site and maintain at temperatures between 33°F and 40°F. The contractor is responsible for all delivery costs on an F.O.B. Destination Freight Prepaid and Allowed basis and must provide a one-year warranty covering performance, fitness for purpose, and freedom from defects.

Pricing is on a per-acre basis extended by actual acres completed; all mobilization, labor, equipment, and material costs must be included in the per-acre bid with no fuel surcharges permitted. Silhouette Farm & Forestry LLC won with a bid of $64,995.68 for the full 296-acre project. The contract term is one year from the effective notice to proceed, with the vendor required to guarantee pricing for the full period. Payment will consist of one lump-sum final payment following final inspection and project completion, though partial payments may be approved at the State's sole discretion with prior written authorization. The contract may be suspended or terminated due to winter conditions, and modifications up to 10 percent of the project area may be implemented as minor change orders at the original per-acre bid price.

The contractor must maintain workers' compensation insurance, commercial general liability insurance of no less than $1 million per occurrence and $3 million aggregate, and commercial automobile liability insurance of $1 million per occurrence if vehicles are used. All contractor personnel must comply with E-Verify employment verification requirements and anti-boycott certification under Utah Code Annotated 63G-27.