This is a service / maintenance or supply contract in Camden, North Carolina. Contact the soliciting agency for additional information.

The Contractor shall perform string/blade trimming of vegetation around and under stationary objects including but not limited to guardrail/guiderail signs, post reflectors along the median and shoulder. All vegetation shall be trimmed cleanly and evenly to the height required by the Engineer without damaging the grass, existing surface, or adjacent fixtures. The Contractor shall perform trimming such that the Contractor shall cut all vegetation accessible by foot. The Contractor shall cut undesirable weeds, vine, shrubs, and any other herbaceous and woody growth. The remaining cut vegetation shall be a maximum height of three (3") for grass and weedy vegetation and a maximum height of one inch (1") for woody vegetation. For any cut woody vegetation, the Contractor shall both remove the cut woody vegetation from the right-of-way and dispose of it properly. Vegetation Removal at Stationary Objects includes any guardrail/guiderail running linear footage up to and including any guardrail attachment to a bridge. The scope of trimming around guardrail will extend from the guardrail face to the edge of pavement, underneath the guardrail, and from the back of guardrail to the shoulder point, or to the extent of grass left uncut by standard mowers during each cycle in which guardrail trimming occurs. Where guardrail is on a slope that mowers cannot traverse, vegetative trimming shall extend down the slope for five feet (5') along the surface of the ground. The scope of trimming around cable guiderail will extend to the extent of grass left uncut by standard mowers during each cycle in which guiderail trimming occurs. The running linear footage includes trimming of both sides and under the guardrail/guiderail. Vegetation surrounding other fixed objects, including but not limited to signs, post reflectors, etc. within the mowing limits shall be trimmed from the base of the object to the extent of regular mowing. Measurement will be made converting these areas into linear feet. Vegetation shall be removed from edge of pavement up to and around guardrail when vegetated shoulder is four foot (4') or less and one foot (1') past the toe of existing slope. The extent of trimming at ramps shall include the side road starting a minimum of 150 feet before the ramp connection carrying across the main roadway facility. Vegetation trimming and mowing at bridges shall be performed on each side and underneath the bridge deck. At a point along the travel lane that is 25' from the bridge deck, following a horizontal line to the travel lane, to 20 feet beyond the toe of the slope or the established mowing line, whichever is the shorter distance, and from that point to the water's edge or 25' beyond the bridge abutment whichever is the shorter distance. The Contractor or his employees shall not pile dead grass clippings on drainage structures within the right-of-ways. If this condition is found, it will be the Contractor's responsibility to remove said vegetation and clean the interior of the drain that was covered. If the Contractor fails to clean the area in question, then NCDOT will have the area cleaned and deduct the cost from the Contractor's next invoice. The operators must be skilled in the operation of the string trimmer and shall follow all OSHA guidelines. Operators shall wear vision and hearing protection and clothing to provide sufficient protection from flying chips, etc. Operators shall wear an ANSI/ISEA 107-2004 Class 2 safety vest, closed-toe shoes, shirts with sleeves, and long pants. The Contractor must complete one (1) trimming area prior to moving to the next (not to exceed over 5 miles). The Contractor will be notified by the Engineer as to when to begin operations for each cycle or portion thereof and for any additional work, and the Contractor shall begin work and complete the work within the time frame specified in the Project Special Provisions. Any work performed prior to the time of notification by the Engineer will not be included in any payment to the Contractor. The Contractor will be required to prosecute the work in a continuous and uninterrupted manner. Any portion of routes that do not need to be mown in a subject cycle will be designated by the Engineer and deleted from that cycle. No payment will be made for portions of routes that are not mown. One cycle is typically one complete mowing per State Highway System. The Bidder has carefully examined the location of the proposed work to be known as BID NO. 54-SM-01-12046275; has carefully examined the plans and specifications, which are acknowledged to be part of the proposal, the special provisions, the proposal, the form of contract; and thoroughly understands the stipulations, requirements and provisions. The undersigned bidder agrees to bound upon his execution of the bid and subsequent award to him by the Department of Transportation in accordance with this proposal. The undersigned Bidder further agrees to provide all necessary machinery, tools, labor, and other means of construction; and to do all the work and to furnish all materials, except as otherwise noted, necessary to perform and complete the said contract in accordance with the 2018 Standard Specifications for Roads and Structures by the dates(s) specified in the Project Special Provisions and in accordance with the requirements of the Engineer, and at the unit or lump sum prices, as the case may be, for the various items given on the sheets contained herein. The Bidder shall provide and furnish all the materials, machinery, implements, appliances and tools, and perform the work and required labor to construct and complete State Highway for the unit or lump sum prices, as the case may be, bid by the Bidder in his bid and according to the proposal, plans, and specifications prepared by said Department, which proposal, plans, and specifications show the details covering this project, and hereby become a part of this contract. The published volume entitled North Carolina Department of Transportation, Raleigh, Standard Specifications for Roads and Structures, January 2018 with all amendments and supplements thereto, is by reference incorporated into and made a part of this contract; that, except as herein modified, all the construction and work included in this contract is to be done in accordance with the specifications contained in said volume, and amendments and supplements thereto, under the direction of the Engineer. If the proposal is accepted and the award is made, the contract is valid only when signed either by the Contract Officer or such other person as may be designated by the Secretary to sign for the Department of Transportation. The conditions and provisions herein cannot be changed except over the signature of the said Contract Officer or Division Engineer. The quantities shown in the itemized proposal for the project are considered to be approximate only and are given as the basis for comparison of bids. The Department of Transportation may increase or decrease the quantity of any item or portion of the work as may be deemed necessary or expedient. An increase or decrease in the quantity of an item will not be regarded as sufficient ground for an increase or decrease in the unit prices, nor in the time allowed for the completion of the work, except as provided for the contract. Unless otherwise stated, all work and materials shall be in accordance with the provisions of this contract, the SSRS, the RSD, and the MUTCD. The Contractor shall keep fully informed of all Federal, State, and local laws, ordinances, and regulations; and shall comply with the provisions of Section 107 of the SSRS. These manuals may be found at the following websites. Please be advised that any references in the RFP to pre-bid language will not apply as a pre-bid will not be held for this contract. If bidders have questions, they will be addressed in an addendum. Upon review of the bid documents, bidders may have questions to clarify or interpret the bid in order to submit the best bid possible. To accommodate the Bid Questions process, bidders shall submit by email any such questions no later than November 7, 2022 at 5:00 PM. A response to bidder questions will be in the form of an addendum. Written questions shall be emailed to Sharon McCalop stmccalop@ncdot.gov by the date and time specified above. Bidders will enter "54-SM-01-12046275 - Questions" as the subject for the email. Questions received prior to the submission deadline date, the State's response, and any additional terms deemed necessary by the State will be documented and included in an addendum to be posted on Connect NCDOT website and on the Interactive Purchasing System. No information, instruction or advice provided orally or informally by any State personnel, whether made in response to a question or otherwise in connection with this RFP, shall be considered authoritative or binding. Bidders shall be entitled to rely only on written material contained in an Addendum to this RFP. The Contractor must sign the addendum signature page(s) where indicated and the entire addendum should be returned with the bid package. Please return the entire addendum, but failure to return the executed signature page(s) of the addendum may result in disqualification of bid. Any firm that wishes to perform work on this POC as either the prime contractor or as a subcontractor must be pre-qualified for the type work they wish to perform (including but not necessarily limited to NCDOT Work Code "016607 Mowing"). The Contractor performing the Work Zone Traffic Control (either as the prime contractor or as a subcontractor) will be required to be prequalified for the NCDOT Work Code "001105 Work Zone Traffic Control Devices". Firms that wish to bid on these projects as the prime contractor must be pre-qualified as either a "Bidder" or "Purchase Order Contract (POC) Prime Contractor" prior to submitting the bid. Firms that wish to perform as a subcontractor to the prime contractor must be pre-qualified prior to beginning work on the project. Information regarding the requirements to become pre-qualified as a Bidder or POC Contractor, including the application to become pre-qualified, can be found at the following website. If unsure as to whether a firm is currently pre-qualified by NCDOT through Contractual Services Management, search the Directory of Transportation Firms at the following website. Bids received from firms that are not prequalified as a Bidder or POC Prime Contractor through NCDOT Contractual Services Management will not be opened. Bidders must renew their pre-qualification or re-qualify each year. It is the bidder's responsibility to ensure that their existing pre-qualification status does not lapse prior to bid opening (or beginning work as a subcontractor). Advance notification of pending renewal dates is not guaranteed. Upon award of contract, the Contractor is required to choose one of the following Performance Guarantee Options by indicating his/her selection on the form provided with the award letter. An abundance of non-organic trash in a multitude of forms is deposited daily along the roadsides of the designated highways. These conditions detract from the visual quality and/or safety of the roadside landscape. The work covered by this provision shall include the pickup, removal and recycling of litter/debris and the disposal of same into state approved landfills and single-stream recycling facilities. Litter/debris items may consist of varied sizes of bottles, cans, paper, tires, tire pieces, lumber, vehicle parts, building supplies, metals, household furnishings, cardboard, plastics, ladders, brush and other items not considered normal to the right of way. Designated areas shall include the median and shoulders in the entire right-of-way from fence line to fence line, all interchange ramps, and mowing areas as well as non-mowing areas. The designated area on shoulders is the white edge line to the back of the right of way on outside shoulders, which includes paved shoulders. The designated area in medians is from yellow edge line to yellow edge line, which includes paved shoulders, except for along concrete barrier walls in medians. (Litter crew and vehicles are not allowed against median concrete barrier walls). This item includes all traffic control necessary to provide a safe work area. The work shall include the furnishing of all equipment, tools, materials, transportation and labor necessary for the successful completion of the work. No separate payment will be made for providing, installing, and maintaining traffic control devices, etc., or for any other cost associated with maintaining the control of traffic. Traffic control will be considered incidental to the contract, and will be included in the Bid Items as listed on the Contract Bid Form. The quantity of Routine Mowing, measured as provided above, will be paid for at the contract unit price per shoulder mile for "Mowing - Routine" for the various highway systems. The quantity of Modified Cleanup Mowing, measured as provided above, will be paid for at the contract unit price per shoulder mile for "Mowing - Modified Cleanup" for the various highway systems. The quantity of Additional Mowing, measured as provided above, will be paid for at the contract unit price per acre for "Mowing - Additional". The quantity of Vegetation Removal at Stationary Objects, measured as provided above, will be paid for at the contract unit price per linear foot for "Vegetation Removal at Stationary Objects". The quantity of Vegetation Removal at Bridge Ends measured as provided above, will be paid for at the contract unit price per each for "Bridges - Primary" or "Bridges - Secondary". The quantity of Litter and Debris Removal, measured as provided above, will be paid for at the contract unit price per shoulder mile for "Litter/Debris Removal" for the various highway systems. The quantity of On Call Litter/Debris Removal, measured as provided above, will be paid for at the contract unit price per shoulder miles for "Litter/Debris Removal - On Call". Bid prices and payments will be full compensation for all work, including but not limited to supervision, labor, disposal fees, transportation, fuels, lubricants, repair parts, equipment, machinery, and tools, necessary for the prosecution and completion of the work. Payments will be made to the Contractor on a monthly basis for work accomplished and accepted. The Contractor shall furnish equipment of sufficient type, capacity, and quantity to safely and efficiently perform the work as specified herein. The Contractor's company name, identification number, and telephone number shall be conspicuously and legibly displayed on each tractor, litter removal vehicle, and Service Vehicle. The Contractor shall furnish the minimum quantity of fully-operated mowers shown in the Project Special Provisions dedicated to the work outlined herein. The Contractor must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Engineer that the mowing equipment to be used in the work is in good working condition (i.e. no excessive fluid leaks; blades sharpened and in good condition) and suitable for performing the work required. All tractors shall have sufficient horsepower to operate their mowers per manufacturer recommendations. All tractor tires shall have adequate tread depth to perform the work required. All equipment safety devices as were originally designed/provided by the manufacturer shall be in place. The Engineer may reject any equipment that is not operating in a satisfactory manner. Reasons for rejection shall include but not be limited to excessive leaks, tractors that cannot be operated in both forward and reverse gear, and mower attachments that are not capable of acceptable mowing. Contractor shall make arrangements for equipment replacement/repair as needed to satisfy the contract objective. No extension in contract times will be allowed due to rejected equipment. The Contractor shall be responsible for the equipment provided in this contract at all times and at all locations during the term of the contract. The Contractor shall have no claim against the Department of Transportation for any expense involving damage or loss to the Contractor's equipment (including vandalism, theft, fire and acts of God, etc.) arising out of, or relating to, work performed under this agreement.