RFB01082026 For License Salvage Timber Sale

The Commonwealth of Kentucky, Finance and Administration Cabinet, Division of Real Properties, is soliciting sealed bids for a salvage timber harvesting license at the Frances Johnson Palk State Nature Preserve in Pulaski County, Kentucky. This Request for Bids (RFB 785 2600000285) seeks a qualified timber harvesting contractor to remove downed timber and timber debris from approximately 168.63 acres, with a two-year operational window to complete all timber removal activities upon execution of the resulting license agreement. The forestry data indicates a timber stand inventory of 3,445 board feet per acre with a proposed harvest of 338 board feet per acre, dominated by sawtimber species including Red Oak (37.5% of volume), White Oak (27.6% of volume), and Hickory (20.9% of volume). The successful bidder must attend a mandatory site visit on either November 10 or 12, 2025, and must submit a sealed bid by 3:00 PM ET on January 8, 2026, at the Division of Real Properties, Bush Building, 3rd Floor, 403 Wapping Street, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601-2607, with public bid opening and reading scheduled for the same date. Evaluation criteria include revenue payable to the Commonwealth (55 points) and evaluation of prior work quality based on three landowner references from timber harvesting conducted within the past five years or alternative character references (45 points); failure to provide required references will result in bid rejection. The successful bidder must provide a performance bond of $5,000 within five days of contract signing, followed by an additional $10,000 bond payment, with the total bond and full lump sum price due before operations commence, and must maintain Commercial General Liability insurance with a minimum $1,000,000 combined single limit per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate, naming the Commonwealth as an additional insured. All operations must comply with Kentucky Forest Conservation Act best management practices, employ a Kentucky Master Logger on site at all times during harvesting, account for all road improvement costs, and complete equipment and materials removal and site restoration within 15 days of contract expiration.

The solicitation does not specify any set-aside designations or restrictions limiting the types of organizations that may respond, and no incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the procurement documents. No specific award value or budget range is disclosed in the bid package; instead, bidders submit lump sum offers for the timber products, with the Commonwealth selecting the bid offering the highest revenue payable. The contract resulting from this procurement will commence upon execution by the Secretary of the Finance and Administration Cabinet and may be renewed for an additional term if the successful bidder demonstrates reasonable progress during the initial two-year period. Prospective bidders requiring additional information should contact Kelly Hawkins at 502-229-4366, and interested parties may observe the bid opening via conference call at 502-782-CONF (2663) or 502-564-9110, entering code 77330. Online bidding is prohibited, and all bids must be submitted in sealed form according to the terms and conditions outlined in the complete solicitation package.