Mulch, Sand, Other Ground Surfacing

The State of Delaware, Office of Management and Budget, Government Support Services, is issuing a Request for Proposals (GSS26583-MULCH) to award multiple vendors for the supply of mulch, sand, and other ground surfacing materials to serve all state agencies, school districts, political subdivisions, municipalities, volunteer fire companies, and higher education institutions receiving state funds. The procurement seeks vendors to provide eight primary product categories: Engineered Wood Fiber, #1 Grade Landscaping Mulch, #3 Grade Landscaping Mulch, Color Enhanced Mulch, Natural Washed Sand, Crushed Gravel, Crushed Stone, and Crushed Concrete, along with specialty items including drainage fabric and wear mats in various sizes and delivery formats (bag, scoop, or truck load). Deliveries will be distributed across three counties—New Castle, Kent, and Sussex—with vendors responsible for providing all equipment, materials, labor, transportation, fuel, and associated costs for delivery and installation services as specified by ordering agencies. Vendors must submit proposals through the online bid submission portal at https://gss.bonfirehub.com/ by April 28, 2026, at 3:00 PM local time, with written questions due by April 6, 2026, at 4:00 PM and responses posted by April 13, 2026. Evaluation will be based on vendor qualifications and experience with similar contracts (20 points), capacity to meet scope of work requirements (25 points), product offering (25 points), price competitiveness (20 points), and a minimum of three business references (10 points), for a total of 100 points. The resulting contract will be valid for two years from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2028, with the option for three additional one-year renewal periods through negotiation, with renewal discussions to begin no later than ninety days prior to contract termination. Vendors must provide detailed product specifications, material source information, and compliance certifications such as IPEMA certificates for playground surfacing products, maintain primary and secondary points of contact for customer service during business hours, and provide accurate load tickets for billing verification.

The solicitation does not identify any specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises, though vendors may self-certify diverse vendor status at the state and federal levels during the proposal submission process. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the available procurement documents. The State reserves the right to award the contract to multiple vendors and to make partial awards by item type or on a zone-by-zone basis as determined to be most advantageous; upon award, the contract will be loaded into the State's eMarketplace solution as a Request for Quote contract, requiring vendors to accept the marketplace invitation within fourteen days of notification or face potential corrective action including contract termination. Vendors proposing the use of subcontractors must complete subcontractor disclosure forms and ensure that subcontractors provide their own three business references and meet all contractual requirements. No specific budget range or award value is disclosed in the available solicitation documents; however, contract awards are anticipated within ninety days of the bid opening on April 28, 2026.