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

The Bidder has carefully examined the location of the proposed work to be known as BID NO. 54-SM-01-12046311; 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, labour, 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 BID NO. 54-SM-01-12046311 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 contain ed 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. MANDATORY PRE-BID 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. BID QUESTIONS Purpose: 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. Instructions: Written questions shall be emailed to Sharon Mc Calop stmccalop@ncdot.gov by the date and time specified above. Bidders will enter "54-SM-01-12046311 - 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. 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. A contract awarded pursuant to this RFP shall have an effective date of March 1, 2023. No work will be permitted and no purchase order will be issued until all required bonds (if applicable) and prerequisite conditions and certifications have been satisfied. The completion date shall be February 29, 2024. At its discretion, NCDOT may offer extension of the contract for an additional term up to a maximum of five (5) total terms (original term and four (4) renewals). Extensions for additional term(s) are not guaranteed and are at the sole discretion of NCDOT. The Engineer will notify the Contractor in writing by September 1 of each available term if the contract may be extended or not extended. The Engineer must receive a signed response from the Contractor within two calendar weeks of the date of the offer letter. Failure by the Contractor to reply may be received as a rejection of contract extension. For each contract renewal, each unit bid will be adjusted by the Bureau of Labour Statistics' Consumer Price Index, using the unadjusted percent change from July (previous term) to July (current term) for the "Services" category of the "Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers" table. This data can be found. PERFORMANCE GUARANTEE 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. Option 1: Performance and Payment Bonds: A Performance Bond in the amount of one hundred percent (100%) of the contract amount, conditioned upon the faithful performance of the contract in accordance with specifications and conditions of the contract. Such bond shall be solely for the protection of the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the State of North Carolina. The bond will remain in force for the duration of the contract, including extension(s). In addition, a Payment Bond in the amount of one hundred percent (100%) of the contract amount, conditioned upon the prompt payment for all labour or materials for which the Contractor, or his subcontractors, are liable. Such bond shall be solely for the protection of persons or firms furnishing materials or performing labour for this contract for which the Contractor is liable. The bond will remain in force for the duration of the contract, including extension(s). The Performance Bond and the Payment Bond shall be executed by one or more Surety Companies legally authorized to do business in the State of North Carolina and shall become effective upon awarding of the contract. The required bonds, 100% Performance Bond and 100% Payment Bond, shall be submitted to the Department's Purchasing Section within fourteen (14) days after notice of award. If not received, the Department reserves the right to cancel the award and consider other bids. Option 2: Retainage Fee: For the initial term and any extensions, the NCDOT shall retain six percent (6%) from the amount of each invoice as a performance guarantee. This amount will be refunded without interest pending the project site review by NCDOT at the end of each term. In the event of default, this amount may be used by NCDOT to obtain services from another source. DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK Work includes mowing/trimming of vegetation, and litter/debris removal along State Highway System routes within Martin County. The furnishing of all equipment, tools, materials, transportation, and labor shall be incidental to completion of the work.