Upper Applegate Habitat Enhancement 2024/2025 Slash & Pile

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) is soliciting bids for the Upper Applegate Habitat Enhancement 2024/2025 Slash & Pile project, located in Jackson County near Cinnabar Peak. The procurement seeks a contractor to treat up to 49 acres of mixed oak/conifer forest and decadent brush thickets using hand tools, with specific objectives including removing small diameter conifer encroachment, protecting mature ponderosa and sugar pine trees, and reducing decadent ceanothus stands. Bidders must demonstrate experience with similar habitat enhancement projects and provide three references from work completed within the past five years. The project requires attendance at a mandatory kick-off meeting within 15 business days of contract execution, and all work must be completed by June 30, 2025, with invoices submitted by July 31, 2025. Evaluation will focus on selecting the lowest responsive and responsible bidder, with payment structured on a per-acre basis for completed work. The bid submission deadline is October 10, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. PST, and bidders must comply with Industrial Fire Precaution Levels and communicate effectively with ODFW throughout the project.

The solicitation includes provisions for Certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, requiring bidders to demonstrate outreach to minority-owned, woman-owned, service-disabled veteran-owned, and emerging small businesses. Bidders must indicate if they are a Certified Firm through the Oregon Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity (COBID) and provide a list of Certified Firms they have previously contracted with in the past two years. The bid tally sheet reveals a wide range of submitted bids, with the lowest bid at $39,200.00 from Prairie Forestry, Inc. and the highest at $406,700.00 from Benchmark Construction, LLC. The procurement allows for multiple award possibilities if beneficial for availability, delivery, service, competition, or pricing. Oregon has reciprocal preferences for goods and services, and the agency may reject any or all bids at its discretion. The contract does not provide upfront funding, and contractors will be paid only for completed work that meets technical specifications after ODFW inspection and invoice approval.