Englewood-Hazardous Fuel Reduction

The State of South Dakota's Department of Public Safety Wildland Fire Division is seeking qualified contractors to perform hazardous fuels reduction treatment on approximately 92 acres near Lead, SD, specifically located in Section 16, Township 4N, Range 3E. The primary objective is to mitigate wildfire threats through strategic forest thinning, focusing on ponderosa pine, spruce, cedar, and juniper trees with a diameter at breast height of 10 inches or smaller, with the goal of achieving 25-foot spacing between trees. Proposals are due by December 10, 2025, at 3:00 PM MST, with mandatory site visits scheduled for November 17 and November 24, 2025, requiring a minimum two-day advance request. The evaluation criteria will comprehensively assess proposals based on cost per acre (25%), proposed performance and project management techniques (20%), expertise of personnel (10%), biomass utilization (10%), experience and project familiarity (10% each), project availability and timeline (5% each), and available resources (5%). Contractors must submit an original and three identical proposal copies via email or mail to the Wildland Fire office in Lead.

The procurement appears open to multiple contractors, with the potential for more than one contract to be awarded. Contractors must provide documentation of at least three similar previous contracts and maintain commercial general liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence. The resulting contract will have a three-year term with optional annual renewals at the State's discretion, and payment will be structured based on satisfactory service completion, with invoices approved at 10-acre intervals. Pile burning projects may receive 75% payment upfront, with the remaining 25% paid upon project completion. While no specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises are mentioned, contractors must comply with State of South Dakota certifications regarding debarment, non-discrimination, and prohibited entities. The contract will involve GPS tracking, and contractors will need to submit detailed documentation of work performed. Though a specific budget range is not explicitly stated, the per-acre cost and project scope suggest a potentially significant investment in wildfire mitigation and forest management services.