Prescribed burning hand crews

The South Carolina Forestry Commission is requesting bids for prescribed burning hand crew services to conduct controlled burns on private lands throughout South Carolina between January 1 and September 30, 2027, under IFB, with sealed offers due October 7, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. and questions due by September 28, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. Award notification will be posted October 12, 2026.

The crew boss must hold Firefighter Type 1 certification and Certified Prescribed Fire Manager designation; crew members must hold Firefighter Type 2 red-card certification plus one Faller 2 certified sawyer. The contractor must provide a minimum of two ATVs with water tanks, a water pump, four radios, three drip torches, two chainsaws, a weather kit, and hand tools. Contractor liability insurance with limits of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence is mandatory.

Compensation is unit-priced per acre actually burned, invoiced upon completion of each individual burn and SCFC approval. The contractor bears all costs for labor, equipment, materials, supplies, and transportation; the state will not reimburse expenses beyond those specified in the contract. The scope includes pre-ignition preparations, test fires, ignition procedures, personnel safety protocols, contingency planning, mop-up work, and post-burn reporting within 30 days. The contract term runs through September 30, 2027, with no renewal options.

The SCFC will provide a Prescribed Fire Coordinator, weekly quality audits, a designated burn boss to develop burn plans, and standby bulldozer equipment if needed. No pre-bid conference or site visit is scheduled.