Landscape Maintenance Bullitt Co Rest Area

The Commonwealth of Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Purchases, is issuing a Request for Bid (RFB) for landscape maintenance services at the Bullitt County Welcome Center and Rest Area located on I-65 Southbound in KYTC District Five. The procurement seeks comprehensive grounds maintenance services including mowing and trimming of approximately 21 acres per cycle (estimated 30 cycles per season), mulching of 3,000 square feet of landscape plantings, pre- and post-emergence weed control applications, landscape insect control, pruning of individual shrubs (approximately 12) and mass landscape plantings (approximately 1,000 square feet), tree pruning (approximately 12 trees), removal of dead trees and shrubs (approximately 5), landscape and turf grass fertilization, leaf removal from approximately 3 acres, weeding of landscape beds (1,000 square feet on a bi-weekly basis), seeding and planting services (approximately 40 man hours), and installation of mulch provided by KYTC (3,000 square feet). All pesticide applicators must be certified and licensed by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture as commercial applicators in Category 3 (Turf and Ornamentals), and contractors must comply with the KPDES Pesticide General Permit and Pesticide Discharge Management Plan requirements. The successful bidder must maintain a complete crew of at least two laborers/equipment operators and a vehicle available during the contract term and guarantee response time measured in calendar days after receipt of a delivery order. Evaluation will be conducted on a best value basis with 95 points allocated to price (lowest bidder receives maximum points) and 5 points allocated to response time (fastest response receives maximum points). The bid deadline is March 15, 2024, at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time, with a tentative award date of March 13, 2024, and all bids must be submitted electronically through the Kentucky Vendor Self Service (VSS) portal at https://vss.ky.gov.

The initial contract period runs from award through February 28, 2025, with four optional one-year renewal periods available, and price adjustments are not permitted during the first twelve months, with only one price increase allowed during the contract period subject to justification and approval. The Commonwealth reserves the right to apply reciprocal resident bidder preferences under KRS 45A.494 and qualified bidder preferences under 200 KAR 5:410, with Kentucky Industries for the Blind and certain nonprofit organizations serving individuals with severe disabilities receiving a fifteen percent preference on maximum points, while the Department of Corrections Division of Prison Industries receives a twenty percent preference. Insurance requirements include contractor's general liability coverage of $1,000,000 per occurrence and Kentucky workers' compensation insurance, with an ACORD Certificate required within ten days of notice of intent to award. All contractors must submit a notarized Annual Affidavit for Bidders, Offerors, and Contractors confirming compliance with Kentucky campaign finance laws. The solicitation documents specify detailed pesticide product specifications revised as of January 2016, with the most recent update on February 23, 2024, establishing requirements for pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicides, insecticides, and fertilization products. No specific budget range or award value is detailed in the solicitation materials provided, as all quantities listed are estimates only with actual usage determined by the needs of the Kentucky Department of Highways.