Professional Forestry Consultant Services FY2019 - FY2020

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, operating under the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for professional forestry consultant services for fiscal years 2019-2020, specifically targeting Elliott County. The procurement seeks a qualified forestry consultant to conduct a comprehensive forest inventory across approximately 7,300 acres, including 2,300 acres of Yatesville Lake Wildlife Management Area and 5,000 acres of Grayson Lake Wildlife Management Area in northeast Kentucky. Deliverables include five hard copies of a forest inventory report in 3-ring binders, one electronic PDF copy, and one Geographic Information Systems geodatabase in ESRI ArcGIS compatible format containing stand and sampling point data. Proposal evaluation will be based on qualifications and experience (350 points maximum) and cost proposal (200 points maximum), with mandatory requirements including vendor possession of large-scale forest inventory equipment and documentation of at least three professional projects exceeding 500 acres. The RFP was issued on May 21, 2019, with proposals due by May 31, 2019, at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time, to be submitted to Rachel Bertucci at the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Purchasing Section.

The contract term runs from April 1, 2019, through June 30, 2020, with potential renewal for two additional two-year terms, subject to approval by the Secretary of the Finance and Administration Cabinet and the Legislative Research Commission Government Contract Review Committee. Kentucky provides preferences for resident bidders and qualified bidders under state law. Vendors must demonstrate a minimum of five years of consulting forestry experience and may optionally provide proof of Association of Consulting Foresters certification for additional points. The cost proposal requires vendors to submit a per-plot cost for conducting forest inventory at a density of one plot per five acres. The Commonwealth reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, request best and final offers, conduct oral presentations, and negotiate fair and reasonable compensation. While no specific set-aside designations or disadvantaged enterprise requirements were mentioned, the proposal evaluation heavily weights vendor qualifications and past project experience. No incumbent vendors were identified in the documentation, and no specific budget range or award value was explicitly stated in the RFP.