Management of Nuisance & Exotic Plants at Solid Waste Properties

Sarasota County, Florida is issuing an Invitation for Bids (IFB #262822FB) to procure management of nuisance and exotic plants at four solid waste properties throughout the county: Central County Solid Waste Disposal Complex (CCSWDC) in Nokomis, Bee Ridge Landfill in Sarasota, Venice Landfill in Venice, and Clark Road Property in Sarasota. The successful contractor will provide both quarterly scheduled services (February, May, August, and November) and as-needed services involving manual and/or chemical treatment of invasive plant species across fence lines, guardrails, structures, ditches, stormwater ponds, borrow pits, and wetlands using herbicides approved under Sarasota County's Integrated Pest Management Guidelines. All herbicide applications must achieve a minimum 95 percent kill rate of target species, with treated vegetation not exceeding twelve inches in height, and work must comply with "Do Not Spray" zones established around groundwater monitoring infrastructure identified in the supporting GIS maps. Qualified bidders must demonstrate verifiable experience within the past seven years providing both commercial and aquatic herbicide application services with a minimum of two references, and all applicators must hold valid Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) licenses in Category 6 (Right-of-Way Pest Control) and Category 21 (Natural Areas Weed Management), with Category 5A (Aquatic Pest Control) required for aquatic applications. Pricing for quarterly services is submitted as a lump sum rate covering all labor, equipment, materials, and chemicals, while as-needed services are billed hourly for on-site time only, with disposal fees for vegetative debris reimbursable as pass-through costs without markup. The anticipated initial contract term is three years, with electronic bid submission through OpenGov Procurement at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/scgov, a posted due date of March 12, 2026, and award to the responsive and responsible bidder submitting the lowest total bid price based on cost evaluation.

No local or American business preferences or set-aside designations apply to this procurement due to grant funding requirements. The contract is subject to comprehensive insurance coverage requirements, including Workers' Compensation, Commercial General Liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence/$2,000,000 aggregate), Business Automobile Liability ($1,000,000 combined single limit), and Pollution Liability coverage ($1,000,000 per claim for pesticide and herbicide applications). Bidders must comply with Sarasota County's workplace compliance policies, including security procedures, identification requirements, employee authorization verification, and substance abuse prohibitions. No incumbent contractor information or existing technology integration requirements are specified in the solicitation documents. The supporting GIS maps identify detailed infrastructure across all four properties, including monitoring wells, gas extraction structures, leachate management systems, and extensive fence lines (with CCSWDC containing 62,584 linear feet of fence, Bee Ridge containing 21,752 linear feet, Venice containing 9,591 linear feet, and Clark Road containing 10,560 linear feet) that provide baseline reference information for bid preparation. No specific budget or award value is disclosed in the solicitation materials, with pricing to be competitively determined through the bidding process.