NC26-73 Yellowjacket – Oak Flat and Willow Springs Project (7835)

The State of Utah Division of Purchasing, in coordination with the Wildlife Division and Bureau of Land Management, is conducting an Invitation for Bids (IFB) for an intensive archaeological survey of approximately 2,127 acres in Kane County between Hildale, Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, and Mt. Carmel Junction. This procurement is designated as NC26-73 Yellowjacket – Oak Flat and Willow Springs Project (7835) and seeks to identify and evaluate cultural resources prior to ground-disturbing vegetation treatment activities within the larger Yellowjacket Vegetation Enhancement Project landscape. The contractor must complete a comprehensive archaeological survey meeting Bureau of Land Management Utah Fieldwork Guidelines, Utah State Historic Preservation Office Cultural Resource Compliance Guidance, and 36 CFR 60 standards for National Register of Historic Places evaluation, with deliverables including a Utah SHPO Cover Sheet, BLM Summary Report of Cultural Resource Inspection, and all records and data files conforming to Utah SHPO submission structure and BLM Utah Data Standards. Principal Investigators, Field Directors, and Crew Chiefs must hold current BLM Permits for Archaeological Investigation for the Virgin Cultural Area, and draft deliverables are due August 11, 2026, with final deliverables due August 25, 2026. The contract is structured as a lump sum procurement with a required per-acre rate, awarded through a multiple-award evaluation methodology combining a Best Value Score of 300 points from the RFP and SOW with a Cost Point Award of 700 points, with payment structured in milestones: 10% upon completion of pre-field literature review, 50% upon completion of fieldwork, 30% upon delivery of draft deliverables, and 10% upon final acceptance and successful SHPO consultation. The IFB closed on May 15, 2026, with no mandatory site visit or bidders conference required.

This procurement is restricted to vendors appearing on the State of Utah's Approved Vendor List (AVL) for Archaeology; only pre-approved vendors may submit bids for consideration, making this an invitation-only event with mandatory qualifications screening. Vendors must guarantee pricing through project completion, and no incumbent contractor information is provided in the available documentation. All contractors must comply with Department of the Interior Artificial Intelligence Policy when utilizing generative AI platforms and are expressly prohibited from uploading confidential, sacred, or restricted cultural resource data to publicly accessible AI systems. Contractors are required to maintain workers' compensation insurance, commercial general liability insurance of not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence and $3,000,000 aggregate, and commercial automobile liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence if vehicles are used in performance. The contract is governed by Utah law with venue in Salt Lake City's Third Judicial District Court, and all work must comply with applicable federal and state laws, regulations, and licensing requirements. No specific budget or award value is disclosed in the procurement documents; pricing is determined competitively through the vendor list scoring system with the lowest cost bid receiving the full 700 cost points.