SUWANNEE RIVER WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT INVITATION TO BID NO. 15/ AO SWIFT CREEK ROLLER CHOPPING SERVICES.

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1 SUWANNEE RIVER WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT INVITATION TO BID NO. 15/ AO SWIFT CREEK ROLLER CHOPPING SERVICES Table of Contents Section Title Page 1 Introduction 2 2 Proposed Schedule 2 3 Instructions to Bidders 2 4 Key Points 3 5 Scope of Work 6 6 Bid Response Form 9 Suwannee River Water Management District 9225 CR 49 Live Oak, FL (Fax) (Florida only) ITB 15/ AO Page 1

2 SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION The Suwannee River Water Management District (District) is requesting bids for roller chopping work on the Swift Creek tract in Hamilton County. Roller chopping will be the first tool used to facilitate the overall vegetation restoration work on this tract. Additional tools to be used include prescribed fire, herbicide application to control hardwood re-sprouts and reforestation with longleaf pine. The roller chopping process will help reduce and consolidate woody fuels and will facilitate the more effective and safe use of prescribed fire. SECTION 2 - PROPOSED SCHEDULE July 28, 2016 August 10, 2016 August 17, 2016 Release of Invitation to Bid Bids due prior to 10:15 a.m. at District Headquarters. Opening will occur at this time.* Anticipated Start Date *Denotes a public meeting. All meetings will be held at District Headquarters located at the corner of U.S. 90 and C.R. 49 in Live Oak, Florida. All times denote Eastern Standard Time (EST). SECTION 3 - INSTRUCTION TO BIDDERS 1. Delivery of Bids: Bidders, also referred to as respondents, are required to complete and submit one (1) original and one (1) copy of the Bid Response Form included in Section 6. Bid forms shall be sent in one envelope to: Penny Flickinger, Business Resource Specialist II Suwannee River Water Management District 9225 County Road 49 Live Oak, Florida Phone: All Bid forms shall be submitted in sealed envelopes with the following clearly marked in large, bold and/or colored lettering. FY16 Swift Creek Vegetation Restoration Roller Chopping Services Bid Opening August 10, :15 a.m. Bids delivered in an envelope not properly marked with the ITB number and opening date and time that are inadvertently opened by District personnel will not be considered. The Bids shall be hand-delivered or mailed, preferably by registered mail. 3. Bids are due at the above address by 10:15 a.m. on August 10, Bids received after this time, for any reason, will be rejected. 4. Bids must be hard copy. FAX transmittals will not be accepted. 5. Additional Information: Bidders can contact Project Manager Scott Gregor at for additional information about the project. Additional Bid packages may be obtained by logging on to ITB 15/ AO Page 2

3 SECTION 4 KEY POINTS Challenge of Solicitation Process: If a potential respondent protests any provisions of this ITB, a notice of intent to protest shall be filed with the District in writing within 72 hours after the posting of the ITB on the District s website and the respondent shall file a formal written protest within ten (10) days after filing of notice of intent to protest. Any respondent who files a formal written protest pursuant to Chapter , Florida Administrative Code, and Section (3), Florida Statutes, shall post with the District at the time of filing the formal written protest, a bond pursuant to Section (2)(c), Florida Statutes (2011). Failure to file a notice of intent to protest or failure to file a formal written protest within the time prescribed in Chapter , Florida Administrative Code and Section (3), Florida Statutes, or failure to post the bond or other security required by law within the time allowed for filing a bond shall constitute a waiver of proceedings under Chapter 120, Florida Statutes. More specifically, Failure to file a protest within the time prescribed in Section (3), Florida Statutes, shall constitute a waiver of proceedings under Chapter 120 of Florida Statutes. Challenge of District s Intent to Award Contract: If a respondent intends to protest District s intent to award contract, the notice of intent to protest must be filed in writing within 72 hours after posting of a notice of intent to award contract and the respondent shall file a formal written protest within ten (10) days after filing of notice of intent to protest. Any respondent who files a formal written protest pursuant to Chapter , Florida Administrative Code, and Section (3), Florida Statutes shall post with the District at the time of filing the formal written protest a bond pursuant to Section (2)(c), Florida Statutes (2011). Failure to file a notice of intent to protest or failure to file a formal written protest within the time prescribed in Chapter , Florida Administrative Code and Section (3), Florida Statutes, or failure to post the bond or other security required by law within the time allowed for filing a bond shall constitute a waiver of proceedings under Chapter 120, Florida Statutes. More specifically, Failure to file a protest within the time prescribed in Section (3) Florida Statutes shall constitute a waiver of proceedings under Chapter 120 of Florida Statutes. Americans with Disabilities Act: The District does not discriminate upon the basis of any individual s disability status. This nondiscrimination policy involves every aspect of the District s functions including one s access to, participation, employment, or treatment in its programs or activities. Anyone requiring reasonable accommodation as provided for in the Americans with Disabilities Act should contact the District at or (Florida only). The District s fax number is Minority Business Enterprises: The District recognizes fair and open competition as a basic tenet of public procurement. Respondents doing business with the District are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, handicap, age, or sex. The District encourages participation by minority business enterprises. Whenever two or more service providers are ranked equally, a minority business enterprise shall be given preference in the award process. Veteran s Preference: In the absence of minority business enterprise, whenever two or more service providers are ranked equally, a veteran-owned business enterprise shall be given preference in the award process. ITB 15/ AO Page 3

4 Drug Free Workplace Act: The selected respondent shall represent that it has established a drug free workplace. Public Entity Crime: Section (2)(a), Florida Statutes, states A person or affiliate who has been placed on the convicted vendor list following a conviction for a public entity crime may not submit a bid on a contract to provide any goods or services to a public entity, may not submit a bid on a contract with a public entity for the construction or repair of a public building or public work, may not submit bids on leases of real property to a public entity, may not be awarded or perform work as a contractor, supplier, subcontractor, or consultant under a contract with any public entity, and may not transact business with any public entity in excess of the threshold amount provided in s for CATEGORY TWO for a period of 36 months from the date of being placed on the convicted vendor list. Insurance Requirements: If awarded, the Contractor shall provide insurance as follows: (a) Contractor will purchase and maintain all insurance necessary to protect it from claims under workers' compensation laws, disability benefit laws or other similar employee benefit laws; from claims for damages because of bodily injury, occupational sickness or disease, or death of its employees, including claims insured by usual personal injury liability coverage; from claims for damages because of bodily injury, sickness or disease, or death of any person other than its employees including claims insured by usual personal injury liability coverage; and from claims for injury to or destruction of tangible property, including loss of use resulting therefrom any or all of which may arise out of or result from Contractor s operations under this Contract, whether those operations be by the Contractor or by any subcontractor or anyone directly or indirectly employed by any of them or for whose acts any of them may be legally liable. (b) This insurance shall be written for not less than any limits of liability specified in this Contract or required by law, whichever is greater, and shall include contractual liability insurance. The limits of liability for insurance shall be as follows: (i) For workers compensation insurance, the limits shall be as required by law; (ii) For motor vehicular liability insurance, the limits shall be for not less than $500,000 combined single limit; (iii) For general liability insurance, the limits shall be a minimum of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $1,000,000 general aggregate. (c) Before starting the work, Contractor will file with the District certificate(s) of insurance, acceptable to the District, providing evidence that Contractor has in full force and effect the insurance required herein with insurers authorized to do business in the State of Florida. These certificate(s) shall contain provision(s) that provide, without limitation, the following: (i) Name the District as a named or additional insured without waiving any defense of sovereign immunity or increasing the limits of District s liability in excess of the statutory cap provided under Section , Florida Statutes. (ii) The coverage afforded under the policies will not be cancelled or materially changed until at least 30 days prior written notice has been given to the District. Rejection of Responses: The District reserves the right to reject any and all bids or other proposals submitted in response to District invitation. District also reserves the right to waive any minor deviations in an otherwise valid proposal. Renewal of Contract: The initial contract shall be for a period of one year with the potential for two subsequent one-year renewals based upon the prior year s performance by the Contractor, the same terms and conditions or terms more favorable to the District, and mutual agreement of the District and the contractor. ITB 15/ AO Page 4

5 Section 5 SCOPE OF WORK Roller chopping on the Swift Creek tract will be conducted to help lower and consolidate areas of heavy fuels. This process will help with the overall vegetation restoration process and will facilitate the safe and effective use of prescribed fire. Proposers submitting a bid for roller chopping work on the Swift Creek tract should be aware of the following information: A. The project area is located on the Swift Creek Tract in southern Hamilton County. The work area is identified on the attached map; directions to the Swift Creek Tract can be found online at: B. Approximately 103 acres are scheduled to be roller chopped in 2016 (see attached photos); the area to be chopped is primarily wet and mesic flatwoods with some drier scrubby flatwood inclusions. Main woody vegetation includes palmetto, gallberry, wax myrtle, titi, water oak, and live oak. Bidders are strongly encouraged to visit the site before submitting proposals. C. Work will start on approximately August 17, 2016 and must be completed and invoiced by September 27, D. Roller chopping equipment requirements includes at least one LGP dozer large enough to effectively pull a single drum chopper with a half full water ballast. A skidder can be used as a substitute for one dozer unit when conditions are drier and rutting potential is low. Skidder use must be agreed to by the District Project Manager before being used. E. The size of roller chopper drums must be at least 5-6 foot in diameter and 10 foot in length. F. Individual chopper blades must be at least 5 inches in height and the cutting edge of the blades must be spaced not more than 18 inches apart. G. Water ballast may be required to provide optimum penetration and efficiency of blades. H. All trees less than 8 dbh, brush, woody vegetation and ground debris within treatment units must be chopped. No streaks or stringers should remain. I. Before work is conducted, District will provide Contractor with GIS shapefiles or maps of areas to be roller chopped. After work is complete, Contractor must submit an accurate shapefile or GPS points showing the areas that were actually chopped. These shapefiles must be included with each invoice. To receive payment, the acreage identified in shapefiles must be identical to the acreage listed on the invoice to the nearest 1/10 acre. Shapefiles will be in accordance with the following metadata standards: NAD_1983_HARN_StatePlane_Florida_North, Feet. All work must be coordinated with the District s Project Manager. Once contractors begin work they will be required to keep their equipment on-site and operating until work is complete. Work quality must comply with the Quality Standards listed below and be certified by the District s Project Managers prior to submitting invoices for payment. ITB 15/ AO Page 5

6 Contractor Performance will be evaluated and rated on their ability to complete work by the stated deadline and their ability to successfully follow all the quality standards listed in the scope of work. This performance rating will be used as an additional tool to evaluate contractors who submit bids/proposals on future projects with the District. Equipment Cleaning: COME CLEAN, LEAVE CLEAN: Invasive, exotic plant (IEPP) infestations are found throughout the United States. Contractors working on behalf of the District may unknowingly import noxious weed material from outside areas or take weed material off District lands and infest other locales. All equipment used on District lands, including tractors, ATV, discs, roller-choppers, etc. needs to be free of IEPP material. Project managers are required to inspect each piece of equipment before it enters District managed lands. If contractors are to perform work within 30 meters of an IEPP infestation, the project manager is required to inspect the vehicle before it leaves District property. District staff will designate cleaning areas on each tract for contractors to clean their equipment; staff are responsible for monitoring the cleaning areas for new infestations. Invoicing/Payment: Contractors can invoice the District once work is complete and work has been inspected and certified by the District s Project Manager. Invoices must include the following information: the tract/project name, the day(s) work was conducted, number of acres treated and the rate/acre. QUALITY STANDARDS All work shall be performed in full compliance with any and all applicable laws, rules, and regulations as required by local, state, and federal authorities with jurisdiction concerning the execution of this project. All contractor activities must comply with the 2008 revision of Florida s Best Management Practices for Silvicultural Operations. Minimum Standards: 1. Contractors are required to roller chop all vegetation <8 diameter within the treatment areas. Individual slash pines or pockets of naturally regenerated slash pine may be left untreated; the District s Project Manager will be responsible for identifying these areas and will mark them with flagging tape if needed. No strips, streaks, or pockets of standing vegetation will remain after roller chopping operations are complete. Final payment may be withheld and contractors will be required to re-treat these areas before demobilizing from the site. 2. Culverts and various road signs may be present along road edges and should be avoided. When crossing over culverts, contractors will avoid bending, crushing, or damaging culvert ends. 3. Crossing lime rock roads with roller choppers to move from one treatment area to another must be kept to an absolute minimum. Contractors are required to regrade or repair any damage done to roads during this process. 4. At all times roads and firelines must be kept free of debris that restricts passage such as pushed over trees and brush; debris will not be piled up along the edges of roads or firelines. 5. No piles of debris will be pushed into wetland, ditches or canals where water quality or movement may be adversely affected or restricted. ITB 15/ AO Page 6

7 SECTION 6 Project: 2016 Swift Creek Roller Chopping Bid Response Form ITB 15/16-022AO Roller Chopping Services Bid: Roller Chopping $ / Acre Anticipated Acres/Day/Machine: Acres Please submit a photograph of the equipment that will be used on a daily basis for this project and provide a description on the following Equipment List. References: Required: List names, addresses and phone numbers of three references for which contractor has recently provided similar services ATTACH PROOF OF INSURANCE Contractor s signature: Please Print Name: Company: Address: Phone Number: Date: Title: ITB 15/ AO Page 7

8 Table 1. Equipment List: List all equipment that will be used on a daily basis. EQUIPMENT LIST EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION (make, model, horsepower, etc.) ITB 15/ AO Page 8

9 PHOTO-1 PHOTO-2 PHOTO-3 ITB 15/ AO Page 9

10 PHOTO-4 ITB 15/ AO Page 10

11 ITB 15/ AO Page 11