Provide landscaping services-ATC

The South Carolina Technical College System, acting on behalf of Aiken Technical College in Richland County, issued a solicitation (No. 5400021490) for comprehensive landscaping services for the college's 88-acre campus containing 11 buildings. The procurement sought a qualified vendor to provide bi-weekly mowing from March 1 through September 30, with specific height requirements ranging from 2-3.5 inches depending on the season, along with additional services including weeding, debris removal, hard surface blowing, and preventative weed control treatments. Vendors were required to demonstrate a minimum of three years of experience with similarly sized locations and possess current pesticide application licensure. The solicitation was originally released on July 19, 2021, with a non-mandatory pre-bid conference held on August 2, 2021, at 10:00 AM in the ESC Conference Room 152. Offerors were instructed to submit their bids online through www.procurement.sc.gov by August 19, 2021, at 11:00 AM, with the requirement to hold their offers open for 90 calendar days following the opening date.

No specific set-aside designations were mentioned in the solicitation documents. The contract was ultimately awarded to US Lawns Augusta, located in Augusta, Georgia, with a total potential contract value of $337,501.20. The contract term is structured for five years, from November 1, 2021, through October 31, 2026, with escalating annual pricing: Year 1 at $55,296.00, Year 2 at $60,816.00, Year 3 at $66,888.00, Year 4 at $73,572.00, and Year 5 at $80,929.20. The awarded contractor must maintain commercial general liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence, with Aiken Technical College listed as an additional insured, and comply with workers' compensation and auto liability coverage requirements. The incumbent contractor was noted to have previously performed lawn maintenance in-house. Monthly invoices will be paid via electronic funds transfer within 30 days of receipt, and the contractor's personnel must wear company uniforms and adhere to the campus tobacco-free policy.