Landscape Maintenance Rowan County Rest Areas

The Commonwealth of Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Maintenance, is soliciting bids through a Request for Bid (RFB) for landscape maintenance services at Rowan County Rest Areas located on I-64 in District 9. The procuring jurisdiction is Rowan County, Kentucky. The contractor will provide comprehensive grounds maintenance services including mowing and trimming of approximately 425 acres per season across 25 cycles, mulching of 5,500 square feet of landscape plantings, pre-emergent and post-emergent weed control applications using specified pesticide products (Gallery 75DF, Pendulum AquaCap, Roundup Pro, Dimension, Spoiler, and Mavrik Aquaflow or equal products), landscape insect control, pruning and shearing of shrubs and trees, removal of trees and shrubs, fertilization of landscape plantings and turf grass, leaf removal, weeding of landscape beds, and general seeding and planting operations. The successful contractor must maintain a minimum crew of two laborers/equipment operators and must be capable of initiating work within six calendar days of receiving a delivery order. Required qualifications include Kentucky Department of Agriculture certification and licensure as a commercial applicator in Category 3 (Turf and Ornamental) for all pesticide applicators, maintenance of Contractor's General Liability Insurance with $1,000,000 per occurrence limits, and Kentucky workers' compensation insurance. The evaluation will be conducted on a best value basis with 97 points allocated to price and 3 points to response time, with the lowest bidder receiving maximum points for pricing. Written questions must be submitted by March 24, 2025 at 3:00 PM Eastern Time, and bids are due electronically through the Kentucky Vendor Self Service system by April 2, 2025 at 1:30 PM, with a tentative award date of April 7, 2025. The Master Agreement will commence from the award date through March 31, 2026, with four optional one-year renewal periods available, and prices must remain firm for the initial 12-month contract period.

Kentucky resident bidder preferences are available under KRS 45A.494, and qualified bidder preferences apply under 200 KAR 5:410; vendors must submit required affidavits regarding resident bidder status, campaign finance law compliance, employee eligibility, and subcontractor usage prior to or concurrent with bid submission. No incumbent contractors or current vendors are identified in the solicitation documentation. Prices must be firm for the initial 12-month contract period, after which price increases are permitted only with documented industry-wide justification submitted at least 30 days in advance. Performance failures result in $250 penalties per occurrence, and failure to meet guaranteed response timeframes incurs liquidated damages of $250 per calendar day. The solicitation documents do not specify an overall award value or budget range; pricing will be determined through the competitive bidding process with all quantities noted as estimates subject to the Department's actual needs through delivery orders. Site visits are encouraged to familiarize bidders with the property requirements, and training sessions and pre-work meetings with the Roadside Environment District Administrator will be conducted with the successful contractor.