Ground Maintenance and Litter Pickup Services - Detroit Area

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for ground maintenance and litter pickup services at two Detroit-area facilities: the Detroit Operations and Service Center (DOSC) located at 1060 West Fort Street and the Bagley Pedestrian Bridge near 2835 Bagley Avenue in Wayne County. The procurement encompasses comprehensive grounds maintenance services including mowing, edging, grass trimming, litter pickup and disposal, semi-annual spring and fall cleanups, herbicide and insecticide application for broadleaf weeds and crabgrass, tree and shrub pruning, and fertilization across approximately 0.41 acres at DOSC and 1.5 acres at Bagley Bridge. Services are structured as a five-year initial contract term with two optional one-year renewal periods, with an anticipated start date of May 30, 2018, and contract expiration of April 31, 2023. The contractor must complete approximately 26 lawn maintenance cycles annually during the regular mowing season from May 1 through mid-October, perform weekend work at DOSC on Saturdays and Sundays from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., and conduct weekday services at Bagley Bridge Monday through Thursday from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. All herbicide and insecticide applicators must be certified by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in both Category 3A (Pesticide Turfgrass) and Category 6 (Pesticide Right-of-Way) certifications. A mandatory pre-proposal meeting was held on April 17, 2018, at 8:00 a.m. EST at the DOSC facility, with bidder questions due by April 18, 2018, at 3:00 p.m. EST, answers posted by April 20, 2018, and proposals due April 25, 2018, at 3:00 p.m. EST via the SIGMA VSS electronic system. Evaluation criteria include bidder acceptance of all Exhibit A sections (30 points), sample project plan (5 points), equipment list (20 points), vendor questions completion and State of Michigan contract experience (10 points), relevant experience references (15 points), mileage to location with preference for less than 40 miles (30 points), and pricing worth up to 15 adjusted points using a low bid formula applied only to proposals achieving a minimum of 80 technical evaluation points.

The State of Michigan reserves the right to consider qualified disabled veteran status, prior performance, economic impact factors, and total cost of ownership when making award determinations and is not obligated to accept the lowest price proposal, though the RFP does not identify explicit set-asides for disadvantaged enterprises or minority-owned businesses. No incumbent contractor or existing vendor information is identified in the procurement documents. Contractors must provide comprehensive insurance coverage including Commercial General Liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence, Automobile Liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence, and Workers' Compensation coverage, with the State named as additional insured. The contract requires contractors to supply all necessary personnel, equipment, tools, supplies, and materials, with payment structured as a monthly call-out fee based on the number of services performed multiplied by the bid price, payable within 45 days of invoice receipt via Electronic Funds Transfer; specific budget or award value ranges are not disclosed in the available procurement documents. Contractors assume full financial responsibility for any property damage resulting from contract activities and are subject to liquidated damages of $5,000 plus $100 per day for each day the contractor fails to remedy deficiencies. Bid protests must be submitted within three calendar days after posting the Notice of Recommendation for Award on SIGMA VSS.