Palm Pruning and Maintenance Services

The City of Clearwater is soliciting proposals for Palm Pruning and Maintenance Services across three distinct service areas: Clearwater Beach, Memorial Causeway and Downtown Clearwater, and Athletic Sports Fields. The procurement covers approximately 2,025 palms of various species including Canariensis, Chinese Fan, Indian Date, Medjool Date, Queen, Foxtail, Washingtonian, and Royal palms, categorized by height ranges of 10-35 feet and over 35 feet. Vendors must provide comprehensive services including labor, equipment, materials, transportation, and insurance for annual pruning. All work must be performed under the direct supervision of an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist, adhering to ANSI Z133 and OSHA safety standards. Proposals are due by 10:00 AM on January 6, 2026, with the initial contract term running from February 2026 through January 2027 and potential for two one-year renewals. The City will evaluate proposals based on five criteria: Experience and Qualifications (25 points), Staffing and Resources (25 points), Safety Program and Compliance (20 points), Pricing Proposal (20 points), and Environmental and Sustainability Practices (10 points).

No specific set-aside designations were mentioned in the procurement documents. The City allows multiple vendors to bid but restricts any single vendor from being awarded more than one service area unless they can demonstrate adequate capacity for simultaneous operations. Two vendors, TreesForYou.com and Tip Top Experts LLC, submitted bids in a previous similar solicitation, with unit pricing varying by tree species and height. Vendors must provide proof of ISA Certification, maintain Commercial General Liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence, Commercial Automobile Liability of $1,000,000 combined single limit, and Workers' Compensation insurance. The City prefers vendors with a regional office in the Tampa Bay area and encourages sustainable debris disposal methods like composting and mulching. While specific budget ranges were not explicitly stated, the bid tabulation suggests significant variation in unit pricing, with individual tree pruning costs ranging from $65 to $250 depending on species and height, and a total estimated tree count of approximately 2,025 palms across the three service areas.