Stormwater Facility Vegetation Management

The City of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, has issued Request for Qualifications (RFQ) #26-SWU06 to establish a pre-qualified bidding list of ecological land management contractors for stormwater facility vegetation management services. The procurement seeks qualified vendors to manage vegetation across 180 city-owned stormwater facilities containing 190 stormwater outlots, including wet detention basins, wetlands, infiltration basins, dry basins, and bioretention systems. Services include native vegetation management, invasive and noxious weed control, prescribed fire operations, erosion control, seed and plug installation, and mowing operations, with work invoiced by specific site and detailed documentation of hours, equipment, and herbicide usage. Qualified contractors must demonstrate strong backgrounds in stormwater management, ecology, biology, and plant science specializing in native and invasive species; possess licensed certified pesticide applicator credentials; and maintain GIS/Survey 123 capacity. The initial contract term is three years with an option for one two-year extension, with compensation structured through hourly rates for various staff position levels including Senior Scientist/Director, Senior Biologist/Scientist II, Staff Biologist/Scientist, Environmental Scientist, Crew Leader, and Technician. Evaluation criteria allocate 45 points for qualifications of firm, 40 points for relevant experience, 5 points for sustainability, 5 points for DBE/WBE/DVB certification status, and 5 points for local preference, with scores ranging from 0-100% across five quality levels. Critical deadlines include April 3, 2026, for submission of questions, April 10, 2026, for posted answers, and April 22, 2026, at 2:00 PM, for qualifications submittal to the City of Sun Prairie Finance Office, with pre-qualification notification expected by May 4, 2026.

Responding vendors must demonstrate compliance with local preference criteria, which award points to businesses meeting at least two of three requirements: at least 50% of employees working in Sun Prairie, at least 50% ownership by Sun Prairie residents, or at least 15% of sourcing within the Sun Prairie area. The procurement includes a five-point preference for Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), Women Business Enterprise (WBE), and Disabled Veteran Business (DVB) certified organizations. Required submissions include Forms A through G, a completed W-9 Form, references detailing contracts completed within the past five years, 2026 rate forms with escalators for the three-year term, and a technical proposal addressing approach and qualifications of key staff. All contractors must maintain comprehensive insurance coverage prior to commencing work, including workers' compensation with statutory limits, commercial general liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence, automobile liability of $1,000,000, professional liability of $1,000,000, and umbrella liability of $5,000,000, with the City named as additional insured on all liability policies. The contract is governed by Wisconsin state law and includes requirements for compliance with non-discrimination provisions, public records disclosure, living wage standards for contracts exceeding $5,000, and weapons prohibition during work performance. No incumbent vendor information or specific budget ranges are identified in the procurement documents, with the number of contractors selected dependent on the number and quality of respondents; following selection, bid packages will be created and awarded to the lowest responsive bidder for individual projects.