KDFWR - F1 Hybrid Largemouth Bass / Florida Bass Stocking

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) issued a Request for Bid (RFB) to procure fish transportation and stocking services for Hart County and Johnson County, Kentucky. The solicitation seeks qualified vendors to transport and deliver 5,000 live F1 Hybrid Largemouth Bass fingerlings (4-8 inches in length) to Paintsville Lake in Johnson County, with delivery preferred during October 1-15, 2025, on a weekday. The fish must be first-generation hybrids resulting from a cross between Largemouth Bass (Micropterus nigricans) and Florida Bass (Micropterus salmoides), with vendors required to provide a minimum 48-hour advance notice prior to delivery and notify the KDFWR Eastern Fisheries District upon establishing a delivery schedule. The RFB closed on July 11, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time, with a bid reading scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the same date via conference line. Award determination will utilize a best-value ranking approach allocating 85 points to pricing (lowest bidder receives maximum points), 10 points for delivery timing within the preferred October 1-15 window (with half points for September 15-30 or October 16-31 delivery dates), and 5 points for vendor experience in fish transportation and stocking operations. Vendors must possess all applicable state and federal permits, allow KDFWR to collect a subsample confirming at least 95 percent of delivered fish meet F1 Hybrid specifications, and provide proof of Commercial General Liability Insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate, plus Automobile Liability Insurance of $1,000,000 combined single limit. The initial contract period is one year from the date of award, with options for four additional one-year renewal periods and a potential 90-day extension thereafter, and pricing must remain firm for 60 days after bid submission with no price increases permitted during the first twelve months.

Kentucky resident bidders are eligible to receive reciprocal preference, and qualified bidders including Kentucky Correctional Industries, Kentucky Industries for the Blind, and certain nonprofit organizations receive additional preference points under the state's procurement regulations. All vendors must be registered in Kentucky's eProcurement system to submit electronic bids and must submit responses through the Kentucky Vendor Self Service (VSS) portal in compliance with all submission requirements, including delivery timeframes, years of experience, contact information, required affidavits, proof of insurance, and compliance documentation. Pricing shall be quoted F.O.B. Destination Freight Prepaid and Allowed, exclusive of federal excise and Kentucky sales taxes, and late deliveries incur a 1 percent per-day deduction from invoices. The specific award value or budget allocation for this procurement has not been disclosed in the solicitation documents; however, pricing will be evaluated as the primary criterion with 85 of 100 available points allocated to the lowest bid submitted. Vendors must submit annual affidavits attesting to campaign finance law compliance, resident bidder status verification (if applicable), and qualified bidder status certification (if applicable) in accordance with Commonwealth of Kentucky requirements, with all supporting documentation subject to verification by KDFWR at any time.