Excursion Boat Tours for Eagle Watch Field Trips

The Commonwealth of Kentucky Department of Parks issued a Request for Bid (RFB) on October 27, 2021, seeking a vendor to provide commercial excursion boat tour services for eagle watch field trips and special cruises at three state resort parks: Kentucky Dam Village, Lake Barkley, and Kenlake. The procurement encompasses four distinct service lines totaling approximately 769 estimated tours annually: 679 Eagle Watch trips without meals (minimum 25 participants per tour), 60 school group/teacher tours with a 2-hour duration and 60-person minimum requirement, 10 sunset cruises, 10 luncheon cruises, and 10 Valentine's Day cruises. Tours will operate on weekends (Saturday morning and afternoon, Sunday morning) with a duration of approximately 2.5 to 3 hours, featuring USCG-licensed operators and crew. The vendor must operate a vessel capable of carrying a minimum of 50 people legally, equipped with upper and lower decks, climate-controlled enclosed areas, restrooms, full galley service, PA systems, and capacity to navigate waters as shallow as five feet on 20-mile round trips. Pricing shall be submitted on a per-person, per-tour basis with all gratuities included and no taxes (Kentucky State Parks are tax-exempt). A minimum five years of documented experience in similar boat tour operations within the United States is a pass/fail qualification requirement. The evaluation will employ a best value approach with price valued at 90 points (lowest bidder receiving maximum points) and the required experience qualification as pass/fail. Written questions were due by November 3, 2021 at 10:00 AM ET, with bids due by November 10, 2021 at 1:30 PM ET. The contract is established for an initial one-year period beginning March 2, 2022, with optional renewal for four additional one-year periods subject to written approval and potential renegotiation.

Kentucky resident bidder preferences and qualified bidder preferences per KAR 200 5:410 apply to this procurement, as do preferences for the Department of Corrections Division of Prison Industries. All bidders must submit a notarized Annual Affidavit certifying compliance with Kentucky campaign finance laws, current registration with the Kentucky Department of Revenue, non-delinquency on state taxes and fees, non-participation in trade boycotts, and adherence to contribution prohibition restrictions. Bidders must provide proof of required USCG and Commonwealth permits within ten days of award notification and maintain minimum public liability insurance of five million dollars. The solicitation documents do not reference any incumbent vendors or existing infrastructure requiring integration. No specific award value or budget range is provided in the procurement documents; pricing and award value will be determined through the competitive bidding process based on vendor proposals and estimated tour volumes. Bidders must be registered in the Kentucky Vendor Self Service System prior to submission and may submit bids electronically through the Commonwealth's eProcurement platform at https://emars311.ky.gov/webapp/vssprdonline3111d/AltSelfService.