Union County Disaster Debris Removal and Disposal Services

Union County, Kentucky seeks a qualified disaster debris removal and disposal contractor through this Request for Proposals to address debris resulting from an ice storm that occurred in January 2026. The contractor will be responsible for removing and disposing of all FEMA-eligible debris from County-maintained rights of way, including clearing, separating, loading, hauling, and disposing of fallen trees, hazardous limbs, and vegetation. Additional scope includes operating debris reduction sites with segregation, storage, and maintenance capabilities; performing vegetative debris reduction through grinding, chipping, or burning; removing trees by diameter category; removing stumps; and preparing and restoring sites. The contract will initially be awarded for 120 days with the possibility of extension to one year from execution, plus three additional one-year renewal options at the County's discretion, with a maximum allowable completion time of 180 calendar days from the incident date. Pricing will be evaluated on a comparative basis with the lowest responsive bid receiving full cost points, and contract award will be determined by an evaluation committee scoring proposals against criteria including contractor experience and past performance (20 points), proposal and work plan quality (25 points), Kentucky residency proximity (5 points), cost proposal (35 points), references (15 points), and optional interviews (20 points) for a total of 100-120 possible points. Proposals must be submitted electronically to the DFS Procurement Portal at dfs.bonfirehub.com no later than April 6, 2026 at 10:00 AM CST, with questions to be submitted within the Portal by April 4, 2026 at 10:00 AM CST to allow time for responses prior to the submission deadline.

All companies, including women, minority, and veteran-owned businesses, are encouraged to submit proposals, and the contractor must demonstrate compliance with affirmative action requirements for subcontracting with disadvantaged and women-owned business enterprises. The contractor must maintain comprehensive general liability insurance of $2,000,000 aggregate/$1,000,000 per occurrence, automobile liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence, and workers' compensation with employer's liability limits of $1,000,000 per occurrence. Additionally, bidders must submit a bid bond or certified check equal to not less than 5 percent of the contract amount prior to the submission deadline, and the awarded contractor must provide a performance bond equal to 100 percent of the contract award amount prior to work commencement. The contractor must comply with FEMA Public Assistance Program guidelines, federal compliance requirements including Davis-Bacon Act applicability determination, OSHA standards, environmental permitting, and equal employment opportunity provisions. The estimated project cost is approximately $4,000,000, with payment made monthly based on reconciled load tickets submitted by the County's debris monitor and invoices processed within 45 days of County approval, with the County retaining the right to retain up to 10 percent of payment for reasonable cause or unsatisfactory progress.