Madison County Eradication of Noxious Weeds

Madison County, Iowa is issuing a Request for Bid (RFB) for private property weed eradication enforcement services targeting noxious weeds on non-compliant properties under Iowa Code Chapter 317. The procurement seeks qualified contractors to provide hand cutting, brush removal, mowing for seed suppression, and spot herbicide application on private properties where landowners have failed to comply with weed eradication requirements. Deliverables include on-call services directed by the County Weed Commissioner with comprehensive daily logs documenting parcel location, GPS coordinates, methods employed, herbicide details, weather conditions, and timing, along with weekly summaries submitted to the Weed Commissioner. Key objectives require 90% weed reduction within 30 to 45 days with zero off-target damage. Contractors must hold IDALS Commercial Applicator Certification (Core and Category 6) and a Company License in compliance with IAC 21-45.22 standards. Pricing is structured on a unit basis including hourly rates for hand cutting and brush removal per crew, acreage or hourly rates for mowing, per-acre pricing for spot-spray herbicide application, cost-plus markup for herbicide materials, and a fixed mobilization fee per order. The bid due date is May 1, 2026, with a posting date of April 2, 2026; however, no specific response dates, site visits, or bidder conferences are detailed in the available documentation.

The RFB does not specify set-aside designations or restrictions on organizational types eligible to respond, nor does the available documentation identify incumbent vendors, current contractors, or existing infrastructure requiring integration. Bidders are required to submit performance bonds and payment bonds, along with documentation of IDALS Commercial Applicators Certification (Core and Category 6) and pesticide licenses from both the company and individual applicators. Madison County reserves the right to refuse any and all bids submitted. Possible award values or budget ranges are not disclosed in the available documentation. The procurement is authorized under Iowa Code 317.6, which permits county entry onto private land to destroy weeds following notice, with Iowa Code 317.21 authorizing cost recovery from non-compliant landowners, establishing the legal framework for this enforcement initiative.