Simpson County I-65 Rest Area Landscaping Maintenance

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) Division of Purchases issued a Request for Bid (RFB) for landscaping maintenance services at the Simpson County Welcome Center Rest Area and Simpson County Commercial Vehicle Monitoring Station on I-65 Northbound in District Three, located in Ohio County, Kentucky. The procurement closed on February 9, 2024, at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time, with an anticipated award date of February 16, 2024. The scope of work encompasses comprehensive landscape maintenance including mowing and trimming of turf grass (412.5 acres), mulching landscape plantings (1,000 square feet), pre-emergence and post-emergence weed control in beds and turf areas, landscape insect control, trimming of herbaceous plantings, pruning of individual shrubs (12 units) and mass plantings (1,000 square feet), tree pruning (10 units), removal of trees and shrubs (5 units), fertilization of landscape beds and turf grass, leaf removal (3 acres), landscape bed weeding (1,000 square feet), and seeding and general grounds work (24 man-hours). The initial contract period runs from the award date through January 31, 2025, with four optional one-year renewal periods available. Bidders must guarantee the ability to provide one complete crew with a minimum of two laborers/equipment operators and commit to beginning work within a specified number of calendar days of receiving a Delivery Order. The vendor must possess Pesticide Applicator Certification (Category 3-Turf and Ornamental), provide proof of Contractor's General Liability Insurance with $1,000,000 per occurrence limits and Kentucky Worker's Compensation Insurance, and comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws including OSHA regulations. Pricing is evaluated on a best-value basis with 95 points allocated to price (lowest bidder receives maximum points) and 5 points allocated to response time (fastest response receives maximum points), with failure to meet specified deadlines resulting in 1% daily deductions from invoices. All bids must be submitted electronically through the Kentucky Vendor Self Service eProcurement system, with bidders required to be registered before the closing date and site visits available by contacting the Roadside Environment District Administrator at the KYTC District Three office in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

No specific set-asides for disadvantaged enterprises are designated in this procurement; however, reciprocal preference may apply to Kentucky resident bidders depending on the nonresident bidder's state of origin, and qualified bidders including Kentucky Correctional Industries may receive preferential scoring. All bidders and offerors must submit an executed Annual Affidavit for Bidders, Offerors and Contractors, sworn under penalty of perjury, confirming compliance with Kentucky campaign finance laws. Contractors are required to complete and submit a Pesticide Certification form acknowledging their understanding of and agreement to comply with the KPDES Pesticide General Permit (KYG99) and the project-specific Pesticide Discharge Management Plan (PDMP), with violations subject to substantial penalties or loss of contract. The KYTC has specified particular pesticide products for use, including pre-emergent herbicides (Isoxaben/Gallery 75DF and Pendimethalin/Pendulum AquaCap), post-emergent herbicides (Glyphosate/Roundup Pro, Dithiopyr/Dimension, and 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid/Spoiler), and an insecticide (Fluvalinate/Mavrik Aquaflow), with "or equal product" substitutions permitted provided chemical composition remains consistent. No incumbent vendor or current contractor information is identified in the solicitation documents. The specific contract value or budget range is not stated in the available procurement documents; however, all materials and equipment must be approved by the Department prior to use, and the contractor is responsible for traffic control and compliance with all applicable regulations.