Rye Planting Clare and Gladwin Counties

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issued Request for Proposal (RFP) #190000002968 on August 8, 2019, seeking contractors to perform fall rye planting services across 77.4 acres in Clare and Gladwin Counties. The project requires vendors to supply all farming equipment, labor, seed, and fertilizer necessary to cultivate wildlife food sources for deer and other forest species. Specific deliverables include thoroughly disking openings to expose mineral soil, broadcasting 100 lbs./acre of annual rye seed and 150 lbs./acre of 19-19-19 fertilizer mixture, and operating a cultipacker over each field following disking. All work must be completed during the mandatory fall planting window from August 19 through September 8, 2019, with a contract start date of August 20, 2019. The proposal submission deadline is 3:00 p.m. Eastern on August 15, 2019, with bidders required to submit questions by 3:00 p.m. Eastern on August 12, 2019 (answers posted August 13, 2019). Proposals will be evaluated on a 100-point scale, consisting of 50 points for the Vendor Questions Worksheet and 50 points for the Statement of Work, with a minimum threshold of 80 points required to advance to pricing evaluation. The State reserves the right to conduct on-site facility visits, oral presentations, interviews, and reference checks. Contractors must appoint a dedicated Contractor Representative, maintain weekly progress reports, provide 24-hour advance notification before work begins, and comply with equipment powerwashing requirements before and after each project. Upon completion, the DNR Project Manager will conduct field inspections to verify compliance with all specifications.

No specific set-asides are designated for disadvantaged enterprises; however, the State will consider qualified disabled veteran/service-disabled veteran-owned business (QDV/SDVOB) status under MCL 18.1261(8) as an evaluation factor. Pricing must be submitted on a firm, fixed per-acre basis through the SIGMA VSS electronic system as a separate submission, covering all equipment, labor, seed, fertilizer, and transportation costs with no additional charges permitted. Contractors must provide purchase receipts for all seed and fertilizer to verify specified volumes and mixtures, and all proposals must be submitted in modifiable native formats with a 6 MB file size limit per document. The State will award the contract to the responsive and responsible bidder offering the best value, considering technical scores, pricing, prior performance, economic impact to Michigan, and total-cost-of-ownership factors. The State reserves the right to assess liquidated damages of $500 plus $100 per day for late or improper completion of contract activities. Contract awards equal to or greater than $250,000 require approval by the State Administrative Board, and the State will post an Award Recommendation and Evaluation Synopsis on the SIGMA VSS website, allowing bidders to request a debrief meeting or submit a written protest within three calendar days of posting.