Steve Powell (Swan Island) WMA Brush Mulching Project

The State of Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Office of State Procurement Services, on behalf of the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, is issuing a Request for Quotations (RFQ) for comprehensive brush mulching services at the Steve Powell (Swan Island) Wildlife Management Area. The project encompasses approximately 21.46 acres and 3,598 linear feet across six zones on Swan Island in the Kennebec River, with work including mulching woody vegetation in drainage ditches, removing brush and trees from grassland fields and water impoundments, mulching white pine limbs adjacent to fields, and field reclamation to restore mowable landscapes. Contractors must provide an excavator and/or tracked carrier equipped with a hydraulically- or PTO-driven forestry mulching head, with equipment limited to 30,000 pounds per trip to accommodate MDIFW's barge transport capabilities; bidders are required to submit detailed equipment specifications including make and model on the Equipment Eligibility Form. Work must commence as close to June 8, 2026, as possible and be completed by September 30, 2026. A mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held on May 1, 2026, at 10:00 AM at 7 Swan Island Landing, Richmond, Maine, with MDIFW staff providing transportation via departmental barge to the island. Quotations are due no later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Friday, May 8, 2026, through the State of Maine's Advantage Vendor Self Service (VSS) electronic procurement system, and must include estimated start and end dates, a description of services to be provided, and a total bid price. The contract will be awarded on a best value basis to the lowest-priced qualified bidder meeting all specifications and requirements, with the State not conducting best and final offer negotiations and expecting all bidders to provide their best value pricing with their initial submission.

No set-aside designations or restrictions targeting disadvantaged enterprises or specific organization types are identified in this procurement. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are referenced in the available documentation. The proposal validity must remain firm for 180 days from bid opening, and successful bidders will receive compensation on net 30 payment terms upon receipt of accurate invoices referencing the State of Maine contract number and correct pricing information. The State is exempt from federal, state, and local taxes, and quotations should not include these taxes. No specific budget range or award value is disclosed in the RFQ materials; however, interested contractors should note that all submissions become public records following award notification pursuant to Maine's Freedom of Access Act, though bidders may mark information as confidential with appropriate legal citations to support such claims.