Tree Trimming & Emergency Tree Debris Removal Services

The Savannah Airport Commission (SAC) is issuing Request for Proposal (RFP) 2026-0017 seeking qualified contractors to provide professional tree trimming and emergency tree debris removal services throughout the airport's 3,681-acre campus located in Chatham County, Georgia. The procurement encompasses bi-annual routine trimming during spring and fall seasons, emergency response services with a mandatory two-hour maximum response time available 24/7, and all debris removal and off-campus disposal for 162 palm trees (160 Sabal Palms and 2 Washingtonia Palms) distributed throughout the airport property, with concentrations around the four-story parking deck. Required qualifications include designation of a licensed arborist to supervise all work, compliance with OSHA regulations and ANSI A300 standards, provision of all necessary labor, equipment, and materials (including chainsaws, chippers, loaders, and hauling equipment), ability to use tracked lifts to minimize ground disturbance, and full responsibility for damage repair to airport infrastructure and property resulting from service operations. The contractor must utilize tracked lifts, perform work only when ground conditions are dry and firm, coordinate with the Airport Grounds Manager prior to mobilization, and restore any disturbed turf, soil, irrigation, or landscaping to original condition. The contract award will result in an initial three-year term with options for two additional one-year renewal periods exercisable at SAC's sole discretion, with work authorized from 7:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. on weekdays unless prior SAC approval is obtained for outside-hours scheduling. Evaluation criteria include experience and past performance (30 points), technical approach (25 points), cost (20 points), vendor references (20 points), and local/small/minority business designation (5 points), with selection based on the most responsible and advantageous respondent rather than lowest bidder. A mandatory preproposal meeting and site visit is scheduled for April 29, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. or alternatively April 30, 2026, at 9:00 a.m., both locations at 640 Gulfstream Road, Savannah, Georgia; proposals must be submitted through the Bonfire platform by 5:00 p.m. EST on May 29, 2026, with award notification expected no later than July 15, 2026.

The solicitation includes incentives for Local Small Business Enterprise (LSBE) and Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) designations, with LSBE applicants required to be physically located within the City of Savannah geographic boundaries and registered with the City, while MBE applicants must provide minority business certification documentation. Proposers must submit three vendor references detailing past project experience, a Non-Collusion Affidavit sworn statement certifying independent bidding without collusion or coordination with competitors, a Proposal Certification form authorized by company leadership through proper resolution, and an Addendum Acknowledgement Form confirming receipt of any modifications issued during the procurement process. All pricing proposals must be detailed and itemized by contract year with separate line items for labor rates on a per-tree basis, categorized by tree type (Large Canopy Oaks, Pine Trees, and Small Landscape Trees), with emergency, after-hours, and inclement weather services priced separately from standard services; pricing must remain firm and fixed for each year unless otherwise approved in writing by SAC. Contractors certifying their bids must confirm that all costs are all-inclusive of labor, equipment, materials, overhead, and mobilization, with travel, breaks, and equipment breakdowns not billable, and that any price adjustments during renewal periods cannot exceed the percentage change in the Georgia Consumer Price Index as published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, supported by written documentation submitted no less than 90 days prior to contract expiration. No specific budget allocation or award value has been disclosed in the solicitation materials; contractors must submit their own cost proposals based on the scope requirements and their operational capabilities.