Eq Rental w/Operator D-1 FHWA ER Eligible

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Purchases, issued a Request for Bid (RFB) on April 25, 2025, on behalf of Highway District 1 seeking equipment rental with operator services for Jessamine County. The procurement encompasses 15 line items of heavy equipment, including excavators with various attachments, dump trucks, dozers, skid steer loaders, light plants, grinding and cutting attachments, motor graders, escort trucks, wheeled loaders, and articulating trucks, with all equipment to be provided fully operated and maintained by the vendor. Equipment specifications detail quantities ranging from 25 to 2,000 hours depending on equipment type, with vendors required to provide equipment delivery within guaranteed response times and maintain both general liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence and Kentucky workers' compensation insurance. The procurement is evaluated using a best-value ranking approach allocating 95 points to price and 5 points to response time, with the lowest-priced bid receiving maximum points. Bid submissions must be made electronically through the Kentucky Vendor Self Service portal at vss.ky.gov by May 16, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time, with written questions due by April 30, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. and Commonwealth responses issued by May 2, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. Tentative award is scheduled for May 31, 2025, with the resulting master agreement having an initial contract period beginning upon award and expiring May 31, 2026, followed by optional renewal periods for four additional one-year periods subject to written approval by both parties.

This procurement is funded with Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) dollars under FHWA ER Eligible status and includes a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) goal of 0% for this contract. The contract requires full compliance with federal wage determinations, Buy America provisions, and mandatory FHWA Form 1273 contract provisions encompassing Davis-Bacon wage standards, nondiscrimination requirements, equal employment opportunity provisions, and compliance with various federal labor and environmental regulations. Female and minority participation goals have been established per the Goals for Female and Minority Participation document, with minority participation targets varying by geographic area; Lexington SMSA counties, which include Jessamine County, have a minority participation goal of 10.8%, and the nationwide goal for female participation is 6.9%. Vendors must guarantee a minimum of eight hours per work order, provide equipment delivery within specified response times with penalties of $1,000 per day for routine work delays and emergency work response failures, and include emergency mobilization compensation at $750 per piece of equipment delivered within 24 hours of emergency notification. No specific budget range or award value is disclosed in the solicitation documents, with pricing to be determined through competitive bidding. The contract requires vendors to submit an ACORD Certificate of Insurance within ten days of notice of award and mandates that rental rates be paid only during actual equipment use on the job.