Snowmobile Trail Grooming and Maintenance Services South Bighorn Mtn. (Meadowlark Lake, Munkres Pass, Battle Park) Wyoming

The State of Wyoming Department of Administration and Information is soliciting bids for snowmobile trail grooming and maintenance services on approximately 85 miles of designated trails in the South Bighorn Mountain area (Battle Park, Bald Ridge, Tensleep Lakes, Baby Wagon, Canyon Creek, Web Creek, and Munkres Pass near Meadowlark Lake) under IFB 0055-N, with bids due October 1, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. MT. Wyoming residents may receive preference in accordance with W.S. 9-2-3204(b)(iv)(G), conditional on obtaining resident certification by the bid due date.

Contractors must hold a minimum of two years of prior grooming experience and possess or have purchase agreements for a minimum of one self-propelled over-the-snow tracked vehicle meeting specified technical standards and a multi-blade grooming drag by the bid deadline. Attendance at a mandatory one-day Grooming Contractor's Meeting in Lander, Wyoming is required at the contractor's expense. Grooming operations must not exceed 10 miles per hour and will occur primarily at night, four to five nights per week, over a tentative season running December 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027. Work occurs at elevations up to 10,000 feet, spanning approximately 200 to 250 miles per week.

The contract is awarded for one year with optional extensions up to four additional one-year periods at the State's sole discretion. Tentative grooming funds available for the 2026-2027 season range from $90,000 to $130,000, with final budget determined by October 31, 2026. Compensation is on a per-mile groomed basis as the primary method, with optional hourly rates for trail dozing available at the State's discretion. The contractor bears all operating costs including equipment acquisition, depreciation, maintenance, repair, fuel, labor, and insurance. The lowest bid price per mile is the sole selection criterion for qualifying bidders; tiebreakers are lowest hours on the primary tractor and other experience factors. Questions are due September 24, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. MT through the Public Purchase online system. Either party may terminate without cause with thirty days' written notice.