Wetland Tree Planting

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) issued Request for Proposal No. 200000000749 for Wetland Tree Planting services across multiple regions in Michigan, with Saginaw County serving as the primary jurisdiction. This procurement seeks qualified contractors to install approximately 1,500 containerized tree and shrub species across three wetland mitigation sites located in the Grand Region (Ottawa County), Superior Region (Marquette County), and Macatawa River Watershed Bank Site (Ottawa County). The scope of work includes site preparation, installation of trees with a minimum 1/4-inch caliper and shrubs in minimum 3-gallon containers, provision of tree guards, establishment period services extending through the first full growing season (June through August), and plant replacement as needed, with planting activities occurring during spring (April 15 to May 31) or fall (October 1 to November 15) windows, with spring 2020 being the preferred timeframe. Contractors must assign qualified key personnel with a minimum of five years of specialized experience in native wetland plant material installation and provide three current client references documenting similar project experience. The RFP evaluation process follows a three-step approach: Pass/Fail verification of required documentation, Pass/Fail review of key personnel qualifications and experience, and pricing evaluation for qualifying responsive bidders, with contract award to the responsible bidder offering the lowest evaluated bid. Critical deadlines included a pre-proposal teleconference meeting on January 29, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern, written question submission deadline of January 27, 2020, answers posted by February 3, 2020, and proposal submission deadline of February 24, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern via the Michigan SIGMA VSS system.

This procurement does not include Michigan's Qualified Service-Disabled Veteran preference as it is federally funded by the Federal Highway Administration and therefore subject to Davis-Bacon Act prevailing wage requirements for contracts exceeding $2,000. Bidders must be currently registered as MDOT Pre-Qualified contractors in the Landscaping work type classification and comply with applicable state and federal provisions including Clean Air Act compliance, Byrd Anti-Lobbying certifications, and nondiscrimination laws. The contract incorporates the State of Michigan Standard Contract Terms and includes comprehensive insurance requirements, with contractors required to maintain commercial general liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence with a $2,000,000 aggregate limit, automobile liability insurance of $1,000,000 per accident, and workers' compensation insurance. Compensation is structured on a unit price basis per tree or shrub planted, with provisional acceptance at 80 percent of the contract price upon completion of initial planting and final payment of the remaining 20 percent upon Notice of Final Acceptance, with additional compensation available for watering and cultivation activities when ordered by the MDOT Program Manager at a per-site-visit rate. Liquidated damages of $1,000 plus $100 per day apply for late or improper completion, and the contractor assumes full responsibility for all personnel, equipment, transportation, material costs, and site restoration for any damage caused during contract performance. Specific budget amounts and award values are not disclosed in the solicitation documents, though the contract is estimated to commence on April 1, 2020, with completion dates varying by location (May 31, 2021 for Macatawa site and March 31, 2021 for Grand and Superior Region sites).