Ski Trail Grooming Services - VASA Pathway-Grand Traverse Co

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources Enterprise Procurement office solicited grooming services for the DNR VASA Trail located in Grand Traverse County through a competitive bidding process posted on SIGMA VSS on September 26, 2018, with proposals due on October 10, 2018, at 3:00 p.m. The procurement sought a qualified contractor to perform comprehensive trail grooming services across multiple loop distances, including the Headwaters Loop, 10km Loop, and 25km Loop, using various grooming methodologies. Deliverables included pre-season grooming services at $125.00 per groom using snowmobile-mounted equipment, complete groom services utilizing a Snow Cat Groomer or equivalent machinery at $375.50 per groom, and complete groom services using snowmobile and pull-behind grooming equipment at $190.00 per groom, with additional pricing structures established for partial grooms across specified loop distances. The contractor was required to maintain responsiveness to published specifications and demonstrate the capability to execute grooming operations throughout the contract term. Evaluation was conducted by the Buyer and Project Managers, including advisory Project Manager Stephanie Rosinski, against established technical specifications and pricing proposals. The contract was structured as a three-year base term with two one-year renewal options.

TART Trails, Inc. (Traverse Area Recreation & Transportation Trails, Inc.) was recommended for award as the sole bidder and lowest qualified responsive bidder, indicating no set-aside designations or restrictions were identified in this procurement. The average annual contract expenditure is expected to remain below $12,000.00, representing a modest budget allocation for the grooming services. No site visits or bidders' conferences were mandated as part of the solicitation process. Bidders not recommended for award were afforded the opportunity to schedule debriefing sessions with the Solicitation Manager, Patrick Avendt, to gain feedback on their proposals. The relatively low contract value and single responsive bid suggest limited market competition for this specialized regional trail grooming service in the Grand Traverse County area.