Tree Seedling Bag

The Commonwealth of Kentucky Division of Forestry, on behalf of Morgan County Nursery in Metcalfe County, issued Request for Bid (RFB) 758 2300000353 on December 13, 2022, to procure 12,000 three-ply tree seedling bags across three distinct sizes: 3,000 bags measuring 40.5 inches wide by 11 inches gusset by 25 inches long; 6,000 bags measuring 25 inches wide by 5 inches gusset by 35 inches long; and 3,000 bags measuring 36 inches wide by 11 inches gusset by 40 inches long. All bags must feature three-ply construction with an inside ply of 50-pound white kraft with 10 percent polyethylene, a center ply of 50-pound kraft with bleached white coating, and an outside ply of 50-pound kraft with bleached white coating in natural color, with bottom sewn construction and gusset tape over sewing. The bags must be printed with one-color green branding using the Kentucky Division of Forestry-provided logo design, and production runs must remain within 2 percent over or under specification with preference for zero variance. All bags must be delivered to Morgan County Nursery, 326 Tree Nursery Road, West Liberty, Kentucky 41472, by the preferred delivery date of February 25, 2023, with delivery costs included in the bid price. Bids were due on January 5, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. ET, with written questions due by December 21, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. ET. Award determination will be made on a best value basis scoring 90 points for price and 10 points for delivery performance, with bonus delivery points awarded to vendors delivering sooner than February 25, 2023. Vendors must bid all line items to be considered responsive, and all proposed pricing must remain valid for a minimum of 60 calendar days after the bid due date.

The Commonwealth reserves reciprocal preference for Kentucky resident bidders equal to the preference given by the nonresident bidder's state of registration, and qualified bidders including Kentucky Correctional Industries and Kentucky Industries for the Blind receive preference equal to 20 and 15 percent of maximum points, respectively. Nonprofit corporations and qualified nonprofit agencies serving individuals with severe disabilities may claim qualified bidder status under the affidavit requirements. All bidders must be registered in the Commonwealth's Vendor Self Service System and submit required documentation including the Kentucky Tax Registration Application (Revenue Form 10A100) and, for foreign entities, certificates of authority from the Secretary of State. Bidders must also complete the Annual Affidavit for Bidders, Offerors and Contractors, certifying compliance with Kentucky campaign finance laws, sales and use tax registration, state tax payment status, and non-participation in boycotts of jurisdictions with which Kentucky maintains open trade relations. A previous awarded unit price of $1.92034 per bag is provided as reference for the 36-inch by 11-inch by 40-inch size, though specific budget ranges or award values are not explicitly stated in the solicitation documents. All responses must be submitted electronically through the Kentucky eProcurement system; paper bids are not acceptable. The Commonwealth reserves the right to cancel the RFB if all responses exceed available funding.