Revis Hill Prairie NP Invasive Species Control

The State of Illinois Department of Natural Resources is seeking a qualified vendor to perform invasive species control services at Revis Hill Prairie Nature Preserve in Mason County through a service contract with a term running from execution through December 31, 2026. The primary objective is to expand the hill prairie by removing woody encroachment species (small oaks, black walnuts, honey locust) and reducing invasive shrub species (gray dogwood, smooth sumac, sassafras) and exotic invasive species (blackberry lily, tree of heaven, black locust) using hand tools, power tools, backpack sprayers, and hand-held sprayers. Work will be performed across two phases: dormant season 2025-2026 focusing on priority work in the west half and Rubus control (approximately 65% of contract hours), and August through December 2026 for center unit and east half follow-up work (approximately 35% of contract hours). The contract budgets 706 initial hours with additional hours available beyond that threshold, and all work must achieve 70% control rates for sassafras, smooth sumac, tree of heaven, and black locust, with 90% control rates expected for all other species. Required qualifications include a valid Illinois Department of Agriculture Commercial Herbicide Applicators License, and the owner or primary field contact must demonstrate a minimum of two years of professional herbicide and natural area management experience in Illinois, with at least 50% of on-site herbicide applicators meeting the same experience requirement. Vendors must submit documentation of relevant experience on projects involving natural communities with endangered and threatened species, areas on the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory with high floristic quality, dedicated Nature Preserves, or registered Land and Water Reserves. The proposal due date is November 28, 2025, with posting date of November 18, 2025.

No set-aside designations are specified for small business, minority-owned business, women-owned business, persons with disabilities-owned business, or veteran-owned small business entities, allowing any qualified vendor to respond. Subcontracting is permitted with prior written approval, provided subcontractors meet all vendor qualifications and the prime contractor performs a minimum of 51% of the work. The contract utilizes firm pricing based on an hourly rate structure to be determined by the vendor, with the total contract value not to exceed an amount to be established by the State prior to execution; specific budget information is not provided in the solicitation documents. Vendors must maintain General Commercial Liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate, Auto Liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence, and Workers' Compensation insurance as required by law, with the State named as additionally insured. All vendors and subcontractors must comply with Standard Illinois Certifications requirements, including verification of valid business entity status, tax compliance, labor law adherence, environmental protections, and other procurement compliance standards. Payment will follow the State Prompt Payment Act, with monthly invoices required to include work logs documenting daily activities and herbicide usage.