Nuisance Plant Management Services

Sarasota County, Florida is issuing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ #262843FB) to establish a pre-qualified pool of contractors to provide invasive plant management services on an as-needed basis for the Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Department over an anticipated three-year contract term. The procurement encompasses three primary service categories: upland invasive plant treatment and removal, wetland and aquatic invasive plant treatment and removal, and invasive vegetation mulching across County parks, natural areas, trails, and water access sites. Proposers must demonstrate seven years of prior experience in invasive plant management services and hold current Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services pesticide applicator licenses in the appropriate categories (Category 5 for aquatic pest control, Category 6 for right-of-way pest control, and Category 21 for natural areas weed management). Each contractor crew must include at least one licensed supervisor and staff capable of identifying Florida Invasive Species Council Category I and II species. All work must comply with the County's Integrated Pest Management practices and utilize only herbicides from the County's approved list, with contractors responsible for providing all labor, equipment, materials, supervision, decontamination procedures, environmental protection measures, temporary signage, and geographic location data collection as required. The RFQ was posted on March 10, 2026, with a proposal due date of April 9, 2026, and all solicitation documents, specific response dates, site visit requirements, and award dates are available through the OpenGov Procurement portal. The County intends to award contracts to all responsive and responsible proposers, with each individual project subsequently awarded to the contractor submitting the lowest lump sum quote.

The solicitation documents do not identify any set-aside designations or restrictions limiting responses to specific enterprise types, including disadvantaged business enterprises, women-owned businesses, or other specialized categories. No incumbent vendor or current contractor information is provided in the available solicitation materials. There is no indication of existing infrastructure or technology requiring integration, though contractors must be capable of collecting and managing geographic location data when required by the County. The solicitation documents do not disclose a specific contract award value or budget range; instead, individual projects will be awarded based on competitive lump sum quotes submitted by pre-qualified contractors. Contractors must maintain comprehensive insurance coverage including workers' compensation, commercial general liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence, business automobile liability, pollution liability for pesticides and herbicides, and marine liability if applicable, with the County named as an additional insured. Contractors who fail to respond to more than three project quote requests within a 12-month period may face contract termination.