Melvern Wildlife Area C13 Crop Production

The Kansas Department of Administration, Office of Procurement and Contracts, on behalf of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, is issuing an Invitation for Bid (IFB) for crop production services on approximately 76.9 acres of Tract 617 at the Melvern Wildlife Area, located approximately 2 miles north and 12 miles east of Reading, Kansas in Leavenworth County. The primary crops to be produced include corn, milo, cover crops, and soybeans, with milo required to be planted annually unless otherwise specified by the Area Manager, and all crops must be harvested by November 15th of each permit year. Qualified bidders must submit bids on a per-acre basis for all 76.9 acres at a uniform rental rate regardless of crop type, with evaluation based on the highest responsible bidder offer of cash rent per acre. Key contract requirements include planting a three-species minimum cover crop mix on at least 25 percent of planted acres, leaving designated rows unharvested on field borders, obtaining manager approval for any deviations from planned agricultural activities, and using only approved herbicides; bidders must account for all associated costs in their proposals. The contract term extends from execution through December 31, 2026, with options to renew for two additional five-year periods, creating a maximum contract length of 11 years, with annual payment structured as 50 percent due by April 1st and 50 percent due by December 1st, plus an additional 50 percent rent payment for double-cropped acres. The bid opening occurred on February 12, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. CST, with a closing date of March 18, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. CDT; written questions must be submitted to Procurement Officer Phillip L. Curtis by February 25, 2026 at 4:30 p.m., no pre-bid conference is scheduled, and all bidders must request official invitation at least 24 hours prior to closing.

Bidders must submit a current Kansas Tax Clearance Certificate, Immigration Reform and Control certification, a Boycott of Israel form, and a Sexual Harassment form with their responses, and the State reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids and waive minor deviations. Eligible bidders may claim preference under the Disabled Veteran Owned Business or Certified Business programs if applicable documentation is provided. The contract does not identify an incumbent vendor or existing contractor relationship. No specific budget range or award value is listed in the procurement documents; rather, the award will be based on the highest cash rent per acre bid submitted by responsible bidders. Payment for contract performance and any additional custom agricultural work requested by the Area Manager will be made via electronic funds transfer within 30 days of invoice submission, with custom work rates based on Kansas State University and Kansas Department of Agriculture recommendations for the east central district. The State indicates that Procurement Card (P-Card) payments are acceptable with no additional charges permitted, and pricing is available to political subdivisions under the same conditions as state purchases.