Rye Planting Arenac, Clare and Gladwin Counties

The State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources issued a Request for Proposal on August 8, 2018, for field preparation, fertilizing, and planting services across forest openings in Clare, Gladwin, and Arenac Counties. The procurement encompasses 117.6 total acres divided into three separate units: Unit 1 in Clare County (22.9 acres), Unit 2 in Arenac County (2.4 acres), and Unit 3 in Gladwin County (92.3 acres), with bidders permitted to submit proposals for any combination of units. The scope of work includes field preparation, fertilizing, and rye planting at a seeding rate of 100 pounds per acre across all acreage and fertilizer application of 150 pounds per acre of 19-19-19 formula fertilizer. Contractors must provide all labor, equipment, seed, and fertilizer, including a farm tractor, heavy-duty disk, seed and fertilizer spreader, and cultipacker or grain drill. The evaluation criteria require demonstrated proper equipment, an experienced crew supervisor, three relevant references, and documented ability to complete work within the compressed timeframe. Critical deadlines include August 14, 2018, at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time for submitting questions, August 22, 2018, at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time for proposal submission, with work scheduled to commence on August 28, 2018, and completion required by September 8, 2018. The State answered posted questions on August 15, 2018, and prospective bidders were encouraged to visit the openings prior to proposal submission, with the DNR Project Manager available at (989) 426-9205 for site-specific inquiries.

A qualified disabled veteran-owned business preference of up to 10 percent is available under 1984 PA 431 for businesses meeting applicable evaluation criteria; however, no specific set-asides for disadvantaged enterprises or minority-owned businesses are identified in the solicitation. The RFP does not identify any incumbent contractors or pre-existing service providers. Pricing must be submitted as fixed and firm for the contract duration through the SIGMA-VSS system, email, or fax, with payment terms established at Net 45 days unless a quick payment discount is offered. All invoices must include the date, purchase order number, quantities, work description, performance dates, unit prices, and total price, with payment made exclusively through Electronic Funds Transfer upon completion and DNR inspection and acceptance. Contractors are required to maintain commercial general liability insurance with minimum limits of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 general aggregate, motor vehicle insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence, and workers' compensation coverage. The anticipated contract award date is August 28, 2018, with invoices due by September 15, 2018, and multiple awards may result as each unit is evaluated separately. The RFP does not specify an overall contract value or budget allocation.