Road Right-Of-Way Landscape Bed Maintenance

Sarasota County is seeking bids for a road right-of-way landscape bed maintenance contract through an Invitation for Bids (IFB) covering North and South Zones within the county, including Siesta Key CDP. The procurement aims to select a vendor to perform 24 maintenance cycles per calendar year, with two cycles per month on each asset. Bidders must demonstrate landscape bed maintenance experience through at least two governmental, industrial, or commercial references from the past seven years. Specific contractor qualifications include having at least one employee licensed by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in Category 6 Right-of-way Pest Control and holding a Florida Department of Transportation Intermediate Maintenance of Traffic certification. Required submittal documents include an Equipment Plan, Staffing Plan, and Maintenance Cycle Schedule Plan. The contract will involve maintaining shrubs, hedges, ground covers, ornamental trees, palms, and annual/perennial plants within right-of-way landscape beds, along with weed and sod control in adjacent paver/concrete border areas. The initial contract term is three years, with bids due on March 17, 2025, and the county planning to award contracts to the lowest responsive and responsible bidders for each zone.

While no specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises are mentioned, the county will require successful bidders to provide performance and payment bonds of $50,000 and maintain comprehensive insurance coverages including Workers' Compensation, Commercial General Liability, Business Automobile Liability, and Pollution Liability. The solicitation follows Sarasota County's Integrated Pest Management (IPM) guidelines, which mandate using least-toxic pest management methods and an approved list of pesticides. The contract will prioritize cultural and biological control tactics before chemical interventions. Though specific budget ranges are not explicitly stated, the solicitation suggests the potential for multiple awards per zone, indicating a significant scope of work. Contractors must adhere to strict environmental and pest management protocols outlined in the county's IPM Procedural Guidelines, which are grounded in the Board of County Commissioners Resolution No. 2005-110. The county will evaluate bids based on price and the contractor's ability to meet technical requirements, with a focus on sustainable and environmentally responsible landscape maintenance practices.