Grounds Maintenance for Regional Transit System Facilities

The City of Gainesville is soliciting bids for comprehensive grounds maintenance services at Regional Transit System (RTS) facilities under an Invitation to Bid (ITB) issued on April 1, 2026, with responses due by May 6, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. through the City's eProcurement Portal. The procurement covers four RTS locations: the Main RTS Maintenance Facility (34 SE 13th Road), Rosa Parks Transfer Station (700 SE 3rd Avenue), Butler Plaza (4231 SW 30th Avenue), and RTS Park and Ride Station (5700 NW 23rd Street), all located in Gainesville, Florida. Required services include mowing, edging, trimming, tree and ornamental care, shrub and hedge pruning, debris removal, fertilizing, weeding, fence line maintenance, and irrigation inspection at all designated facilities. The one-year contract term runs from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027, with potential extension for up to three additional one-year periods through mutual agreement. Minimum qualifications require supervisory personnel to possess five years of commercial landscape maintenance experience, field and labor staff to have one year of such experience, and all equipment to be commercial grade with a maximum age of 15 years (hand-held equipment not exceeding 10 years). Pricing must be submitted on a monthly basis for each of the four locations across twelve months, with pricing remaining firm throughout the contract term. Key deadlines include a non-mandatory pre-proposal meeting on April 21, 2026, at 8:30 a.m., a question submission deadline of April 27, 2026, at 11:59 p.m., and proposal submission by May 6, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. Evaluation criteria include responsiveness to specifications, experience and qualifications of personnel, equipment suitability, pricing competitiveness, and adherence to compliance requirements including E-Verify, living wage provisions, non-discrimination policies, and drug-free workplace certification.

The City of Gainesville offers a local preference for vendors holding a valid occupational license issued by the City of Gainesville at least six months prior to bid opening and maintaining a physical business address within city limits, with a five percent preference applied to evaluation points. Living wage requirements apply under City Ordinance 020663, with rates subject to annual updates on October 1. All contractors must maintain specified insurance coverage including workers' compensation, professional liability, public liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence, and automobile liability of $500,000 per occurrence, with the City named as additional insured. The contract compensation will be established on either a fixed-fee or not-to-exceed basis, with payment terms of net forty-five days from receipt of complete and correct invoices via electronic funds transfer. No incumbent vendor or budget range has been specified in the solicitation documents. The City reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, negotiate contract terms with the selected respondent excluding price, and award the contract to the responsive bidder deemed in the City's best interest.