JH27-107 Fivemile Pasture and Three Creeks Habitat Improvement and Fuels Reduction Mastication project

The State of Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, procuring through the Division of Purchasing, has awarded contract JH27-107 for mechanical thinning and mastication services across up to 2,347 acres to reduce wildfire hazard and improve wildlife habitat. This IFB was limited to prequalified contractors only — a hard eligibility gate. The proposal deadline was September 21, 2026.

Giles Construction LLC was selected as the lowest cost responsive and responsible bidder at a total cost of $1,012,613.15 (per-acre rate of $431.45 for both line items). Six prequalified contractors submitted bids; the next-lowest was Hall's HammerTime Construction LLC at $1,130,494.44.

The scope encompasses mechanical removal and shredding of standing live and dead pinyon and juniper trees and saplings across two line items: Line Item 1 (2,149 acres across Fivemile Pasture and Three Creeks areas) and Line Item 2 (198 acres of tree-spacing thinning in Fivemile Pasture). Work is located in Garfield and Iron counties, Utah, within Dixie National Forest boundaries. The contractor must furnish a minimum of three wheeled or tracked mechanical mulchers (Bullhog or equivalent) capable of processing trees up to 28 inches in diameter on slopes up to 35%. Operational requirements include maximum stump heights of six inches; mulch sizing not exceeding three feet in length with three-inch depth cap; avoidance of soil damage through restrictions on operations during high-moisture conditions; riparian buffer protections extending 150 feet from waterbodies; and sage-grouse protection protocols prohibiting noise-generating activities within 1.2 miles of active leks from February 15 to May 15. Equipment must be high-pressure washed before arrival and departure.

The contractor must commence work as soon as possible following a prework meeting and complete all work by April 1, 2027 — a firm, non-extendable deadline driven by wildlife habitat timing stipulations. Pricing is fixed; no fuel surcharges or adjustments are permitted. No government-provided materials are supplied. The contractor is responsible for all permits and licenses. Commercial general liability insurance of not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence and $3,000,000 aggregate is required. Payment is made within thirty days of invoice receipt upon final inspection and acceptance, as a single lump sum unless prior written authorization permits partial payments. Award notification does not create a binding contract until the purchase order or contract is fully executed.