PTC grounds maintenance

Piedmont Technical College (PTC) in South Carolina is soliciting competitive bids for comprehensive grounds maintenance services across eight campuses, including its main Greenwood Campus and seven county-based satellite facilities. The Invitation for Bid (IFB 5400020416) requires a contractor to provide complete grounds maintenance encompassing mowing, trimming, edging, pruning, bed maintenance, parking lot sweeping, leaf control, and related services for all grassed areas, ornamental plantings, sidewalks, parking areas, and retention ponds. Contractors must supply all necessary labor, supervision, equipment, and supplies, with PTC providing only fertilizer, winter rye seed, lime, and ground cover. Key qualifications include mandatory background checks, drug testing, and E-Verify clearance for all employees, who must be at least 18 years old with recommended six-month grounds maintenance experience. The solicitation timeline included a non-mandatory pre-bid conference on October 27, 2020, with questions due by October 29, 2020, and initial offers submitted through the SCEIS system by November 18, 2020, at 11:00 AM. The contract term is one year, beginning December 16, 2020, with four optional one-year renewals, potentially extending the contract to five years through December 15, 2025.

Previous bid tabulation revealed significant pricing variance among potential vendors, with historical bids ranging from $119,350 to $308,869 annually. The procurement requires comprehensive general liability insurance with $1,000,000 per-occurrence limits, auto liability coverage, and workers' compensation insurance. Pricing will be submitted on a unit-price basis covering 29 line items, including weekly maintenance services, quarterly parking lot sweeping, and emergency maintenance at specified hourly rates. No specific set-aside designations or restrictions for disadvantaged enterprises were explicitly mentioned in the procurement documents. The solicitation does not list an incumbent vendor or specify integration requirements with existing infrastructure. While previous bid submissions showed potential five-year contract values between $596,750 and $1,544,345, the current solicitation does not include a specific estimated budget value. Vendors must register as South Carolina vendors and be prepared to provide detailed company information including entity type and various address specifications. The procurement is being managed by Stephen Taylor, who can be contacted at 803-737-2772 or staylor@mmo.sc.gov for additional information.