ITB 9609 - Forest Improvement at Silver Falls State Park

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) is soliciting bids for ITB 9609, a forest improvement project at Silver Falls State Park located in Marion County, Oregon. The procurement seeks a contractor to perform forest thinning and restoration services across 77 acres, involving traditional ground-based timber harvest, mastication, and associated restoration activities. Specific work includes commercial clearcuts, commercial thinning, mastication-clearcuts, and mastication-thinning operations within 17 individual project units. Bidders must have a minimum of three years' experience providing comparable forestry services and will be evaluated based on the lowest responsive and responsible bid. The procurement schedule includes a voluntary pre-bid meeting on May 2nd, bid submissions due on May 5th, and anticipated contract award on May 10th, 2023, with a contract performance period from May 30th to November 30th, 2023. Evaluation will be based on completed Bid Forms with pricing proposals, with the estimated combined timber value at $509.14/mbf, estimated operational cost at $466.76/mbf, and agency estimated receipts at $42.27/mbf.

The solicitation does not specify any set-aside designations or restrictions on vendor participation beyond the experience requirement. Three vendors submitted bids: Eugene Drescher, O'Malley Brothers Corporation, and Trees Plus Northwest, with Trees Plus Northwest being the lowest bidder at $61,859.35. The Intent to Award notice indicates OPRD plans to award the contract to Trees Plus Northwest LLC, subject to successful negotiations. Bid prices for timber ranged from $175/mbf to $648.56/mbf, with operational costs between $215,090 and $394,000. The timber sale contract includes provisions for log accountability, scaling, removal, and slash disposal, with the contractor responsible for compliance with environmental regulations including the Endangered Species Act and cultural resource protection. Contractors must also manage road maintenance for project-related activities and adhere to timber export restrictions under the Forest Resources Conservation and Shortage Relief Amendments Act of 1993 and Oregon Forest Practices Act.