GROUNDS MAINTENANCE-DILLON WELCOME CENTE

The South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism (SCPRT) is soliciting bids for comprehensive grounds maintenance services at the Dillon Welcome Center, located at I-95 South in Hamer, South Carolina. The procurement is an Invitation for Bid for monthly grounds maintenance and as-needed clear zone area mowing services. Specific deliverables include bi-monthly irrigation system inspections, vegetation management, mowing, landscaping, debris removal, fence maintenance, mulching, edging, and soil maintenance across the entire Welcome Center Complex property. Contractors must provide all necessary equipment, materials, and personnel, with a mandatory requirement that the supervisor have a minimum of five years of applicable landscaping experience. Herbicide applicators must possess valid South Carolina Certified Pesticide Applicator Licenses in Category 3. The solicitation was issued on August 6, 2020, with a mandatory pre-bid conference held on August 19, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. at the Dillon Welcome Center. Offers were required to be submitted online by September 1, 2020, at 2:00 p.m., with award posting scheduled for September 4, 2020.

The contract allows for South Carolina Resident Contractor or Resident Subcontractor preferences for vendors meeting statutory requirements. A mandatory bid bond of $5,000 is required from all vendors at the time of bid submission. The contract will be awarded to the lowest responsible and responsive bidder, with an initial term of one year beginning October 1, 2020, and an automatic renewal option for one additional year, with a maximum contract period extending through September 30, 2025. Bidders must provide unit pricing for each of the five contract years as separate line items. Insurance requirements include commercial general liability with minimum limits of $1,000,000 per occurrence. Vendors must comply with South Carolina procurement regulations, drug-free workplace certifications, and debarment certifications. The contract includes provisions for landscaping improvements up to $100,000 per location for the contract's duration, with potential reimbursement for detailed expenditures. Failure to resolve issues identified during unscheduled SCPRT inspections within two business days may result in default or liquidated damages.