RFB-195-19 Tim Malone & Chirs Johnson & Joe Thornbury Slide

The Commonwealth of Kentucky's Finance and Administration Cabinet, Department for Facilities and Support Services, Division of Engineering and Contract Administration issued Request for Bid (RFB) 785-1900000540, designated RFB-195-19, for abandoned mine lands (AML) reclamation and remediation work across three sites in Pike County: the Tim Malone Seam Fire Site, Chris Johnson Seam Fire Site, and Joe Thornbury Slide Site. The solicitation seeks comprehensive general construction services encompassing approximately 4.0 acres of total disturbance, with work to be completed within 180 calendar days from the effective award date. The scope includes 36 line items spanning mobilization, utility relocation, traffic control, site preparation, tree chipping, stone backfill operations, erosion control measures, earthwork operations including excavation to rock with specified grade restrictions, pipe installation (HDPE and subdrain systems), portal closures and backfilling, seeding and vegetation establishment, roadway materials placement, and ditch restoration with engineered specifications. Key deliverables for the Tim Malone and Chris Johnson sites involve backfilling exposed portals and fractures with on-site materials, final grading and drainage to natural drains, and reconstruction of ditches with minimum two-foot bottom width and 1.5-foot depth under engineer direction. The Joe Thornbury Slide site requires complete excavation of the landslide area to rock, installation of up to 320 linear feet of rock ditch with circular bottom, installation of subdrain systems and HDPE culverts, and temporary stabilization measures including silt barrier and low water crossings. Bidders were required to attend a mandatory pre-bid meeting on March 14, 2019 at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time at the Family Drug Center Store parking lot in Pikeville, Kentucky, with site tours following the meeting. The bid submission deadline was March 22, 2019 at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time, submitted to the Sealed Bid Clerk at 403 Wapping Street, 2nd Floor, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601-2638. A 5 percent bid guarantee (bid bond or certified check) was required, and the successful contractor must furnish separate 100 percent Performance and Payment Bonds within five calendar days of the Intent to Award notice.

Bidders must meet specific qualifications and compliance requirements, including Kentucky resident bidder status if claimed, certification of non-collusion, tax compliance documentation, workers' compensation and unemployment insurance registration, and debarment certifications. Contractors and subcontractors must be in good standing with the Kentucky Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet Department of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, verified through the Applicant Violator System (AVS) check. The solicitation mandates Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) participation at a minimum of five percent of the total estimated contract cost, with bidders required to provide evidence of either meeting this goal or documenting good faith efforts including multiple outreach attempts, advertisements in periodicals, written notices to MBE firms, and negotiation records. The project is federally funded under Title IV of Public Law 95-87 (Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Act) through the U.S. Department of the Interior Office of Surface Mining, with applicable Buy American Act requirements for domestic construction materials. Payment methodology is structured on a lump sum basis with unit prices governing calculations for quantity adjustments, subject to Allowable Price Limit (APL) ranges established for each bid item to prevent unbalanced bidding and front-loading. Retainage is held at 10 percent until 50 percent completion, then reduces to 5 percent thereafter, with monthly progress payments made upon A-E approval and retainage released upon substantial completion. The contractor's warranty obligations extend 12 months from the date of final completion, with liquidated damages assessed for failure to achieve substantial completion and final completion by scheduled dates.