Vegetation Mastication at La Pine State Park

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) is soliciting bids for a vegetation mastication project at La Pine State Park in Deschutes County, Oregon. The procurement seeks a qualified contractor to perform forest thinning and fuels reduction by mechanically masticating approximately 263 acres of young and overly dense pine conifer. The project's primary objectives include reducing fuels, improving forest health, and increasing individual tree health and vigor, with specific requirements to masticate trees less than 7 inches in diameter at Breast Height, down logs, and brush. Bidders must comply with detailed leave tree specifications and provide comprehensive pricing that includes all service-related costs. The solicitation was issued through OregonBuys with Bid S-63400-00003805, and key dates include a voluntary pre-bid meeting held on August 22, 2022, and final bid submissions due on September 13, 2022, at 3:00 PM via a Microsoft Teams meeting. Evaluation criteria include a pass/fail assessment covering contractual acceptance, bid pricing, contractor experience, resources, equipment, and references. The contract requires work to begin no later than October 1, 2022, with all work to be completed by April 1, 2023.

The contract opportunity does not explicitly indicate specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises, though OPRD notes they will apply preferences for goods manufactured in Oregon or from recycled materials during bid evaluation. The project is funded through the Oregon Department of Forestry's SB 762 grant funds, with a maximum contract compensation of $152,387, which was awarded to URE Outdoors LLC as the lowest responsive bidder. Other bidders for the project included Brink Brothers Inc., Summit Forests, Inc., Kingsborough Atlas Tree Surgery Inc., with several non-responsive bidders such as CB Construction Excavation & Forestry Inc. and White's Tree Service. The contract requires the selected contractor to provide an Operations Plan, liability insurance, a signed contract, and an approved Oregon Department of Forestry permit within 14 calendar days of award. The contract will be governed by Oregon state laws and will be subject to Marion County jurisdiction for any potential claims.