Mississippi Lowlands East District Aerial Herbicide Qualified Vendor List

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is issuing an Invitation for Bid (IFB) to establish a Qualified Vendor List for aerial herbicide application services in the Mississippi Lowlands East District. The procurement seeks qualified contractors to provide fixed-wing and rotor-wing aerial herbicide application services across four line items, each encompassing approximately 1,000 acres of treatment area at conservation areas located in Scott, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, and Dunklin Counties, including Black Island, Ten Mile Pond, and Little River Conservation Areas. Qualified contractors must possess appropriate Missouri Department of Agriculture Pesticide Applicator Licenses and coordinate with MDC staff regarding scheduling, treatment boundaries, and equipment use. All bid responses must include firm, fixed unit prices per acre for each of the four service lines, with all associated costs including equipment, labor, materials, and supervision incorporated into the quoted price. Contractors must maintain liability insurance with minimum limits of $2,000,000 per occurrence and designate the Department as an additional insured. The bid response deadline is February 13, 2026, at 2:00 PM Central Time, with electronic submission preferred through MissouriBUYS (MOVERS platform), though hard copy submissions are accepted. The contract award will be made to three contractors designated as primary, secondary, and tertiary vendors based on lowest responsive cost, with an original contract period extending one year from the date of award and no renewal periods specified.

This procurement includes mandatory set-aside requirements for disadvantaged enterprises, specifically requiring Organization for the Blind/Sheltered Workshop participation of minimum 2% or $5,000 of contract value and Service-Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise participation of minimum 3% of contract value. Successful bidders must comply with Missouri tax compliance requirements, Secretary of State registration, E-Verify requirements for authorized work personnel, and anti-discrimination provisions. The contract may involve federal funding, potentially subject to OMB requirements and National Defense Authorization Act prohibitions on certain telecommunications equipment. Payment terms are established at Net 45 days following invoice submission and Department acceptance of completed work. No specific award values or budget ranges are provided in the solicitation; however, pricing will be evaluated on a per-acre basis across the four service lines totaling approximately 4,000 acres. The Department reserves the right to add or remove service areas and modify work priorities throughout the contract period at the stated pricing.