Equipment Rental w/operator D-7-FHWA ER Eligible

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Purchases, on behalf of District 7 (Lexington District), has issued a Request for Bid (RFB) for a master agreement contract to provide equipment rental with operator services for highway construction and emergency work in Fayette County. The procurement encompasses eleven line items of federal-eligible equipment including loaders, tractors (large and small), excavators in multiple configurations, dump trucks, skid steer loaders, track-type loaders, and motor graders. All equipment must be furnished with qualified operators and maintained in excellent mechanical condition, with compliance to falling object protective structure (FOPS) and rollover protective structure (ROPS) safety standards. Estimated quantities include loader with operator (80 hours), large tractor (100 hours), small tractor (80 hours), excavator with long reach boom (300 hours), standard excavator (80 hours), dump truck (960 hours), small excavator (250 hours), skid steer loader (200 hours), excavator/grapple (200 hours), track loader (150 hours), and motor grader (150 hours). The vendor must guarantee emergency response within 48 hours of notification and provide mobilization/demobilization services at no cost to the Transportation Cabinet. The deadline for written questions is April 16, 2025, at 4:00 PM EST, with the Commonwealth's response due April 18, 2025, and bids are due electronically only by April 30, 2025, at 1:30 PM EST through the Kentucky Vendor Self Service system. Evaluation will be price-based (95 points) and response time-based (5 points), with the contract awarded to the lowest responsive bidder meeting specifications. The initial contract period runs from award through April 30, 2026, with four optional one-year renewal periods available.

This procurement utilizes Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) funds and requires full compliance with all federal-aid construction contract provisions, including Davis-Bacon Act wage determinations, nondiscrimination and Equal Employment Opportunity requirements, Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act provisions, and debarment and suspension certifications. Bidders must comply with federal wage determinations effective ten calendar days prior to bid submission for Kentucky localities and must satisfy female and minority participation goals as established for the Lexington economic area SMSA (10.8% minority participation and 6.9% female participation). A 0% Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) goal applies to this contract. Vendors must maintain general liability insurance with $1,000,000 per occurrence limits, Kentucky workers' compensation insurance, and an ACORD certificate naming the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet as additional insured. Vendors are required to bid all line items to be considered for award and must provide detailed specification information, equipment literature, and multiple affidavits including non-collusion certification, Buy America/Build America compliance, and contractor employee verification regarding illegal immigrant utilization. No specific incumbent vendors or budget ranges are disclosed in the procurement documents; however, the master agreement contract structure with the tentative award date of May 15, 2025, indicates a significant ongoing procurement supporting multiple highway construction and emergency work projects within the district.