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

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Town of Garner ("Town") invites submittals of bids for the Town of Garner Right-of-Way Mowing and Landscape Maintenance Services. The Contract period shall be for three years beginning on January 1, 2025, with one optional two-year renewal thereafter as mutually agreed with no cost increases. FORM OF BID. All bids shall be prepared and submitted in accordance with the following requirements. Failure to comply with any requirement shall cause the bid to be considered irregular and may be grounds for rejection of the bid. The bid form furnished by Town of Garner shall be used and shall not be altered in any manner. For the Base Bid, the Bidder shall submit a "Unit Price" for every item on the bid form. The unit prices for the various contract items shall be written in figures limited to two decimal places. The spreadsheet will automatically calculate the "Extended Price" based on "Unit Price" entered. The total bid amount will be automatically calculated by the spreadsheet by adding the "Extended Price" for each item together. The "Extra Work" section shall be entered in the same manner as the "Base Bid" section of the form. In the "Extra Work, Hourly" section of the form, enter the rate per hour for the service described. QUANTITIES APPROXIMATE. Any quantities shown in the bid form or elsewhere herein shall be considered approximations listed to serve as a general indication of the amount of work or materials to be performed or furnished and as basis for the bid comparison. The Town does not guarantee that the actual amounts required will correspond with those shown. As deemed necessary or convenient, the Town may increase or decrease the amount of any item or portion of work or material to be performed or furnished or omit any such item or portion, in accordance with the contract documents. ADDENDA. The Town may, from time to time, issue addenda to this bid solicitation. Bidders are responsible for ensuring that they have received any and all addenda. Each bidder is responsible for verifying that it has received all addenda issued, if any. Bidders must acknowledge all addenda in their bid receipt, if any. Failure to acknowledge receipt of all addenda may cause a bid to be deemed incomplete and nonresponsive. BIDDER'S EXAMINATION OF SITE AND CONTRACT DOCUMENTS. Each bidder must carefully examine the project site and the entirety of the contract documents. Upon submission of a bid, it will be conclusively presumed that the Bidder has thoroughly investigated the work and is satisfied as to the conditions to be encountered and the character, quality, and quantities of work to be performed and materials to be furnished. Upon bid submission, it also shall be conclusively presumed that the Bidder is familiar with and agrees to the requirements of the contract documents, including all addenda. No information derived from an inspection of records or investigation will in any way relieve the Contractor from its obligations under the contract documents nor entitle the Contractor to any additional compensation. The Contractor shall not make any claim against the Town based upon ignorance or misunderstanding of any condition of the project site or of the requirements set forth in the contract documents. No claim for additional compensation based on a lack of knowledge of the above items will be allowed. Bidders assume all risks in connection with performance of the work in accordance with the contract documents, regardless of actual conditions encountered, and waive and release the Town with respect to any and all claims and liabilities in connection therewith, to the extent permitted by law. The Town will take into account such matters it considers appropriate in selecting the successful Contractor. The Town reserves the right to reject, for any reason, any and all proposals. Evaluation criteria will include the following: o The Contractor's understanding of the assignment and ability to follow proposal instructions. o The experience and qualifications of the Contractor. o References. (Provide a minimum of three account references upon request.) o A review by the Town of the Contractor's response to the RFP to determine if the proposal meets all criteria for consideration. o Relevant experiences, project understanding, project requirements, strength of the proposal, and proposed fees. o The lowest proposal price will not necessarily be accepted. The Town reserves the right to reject all bids, award the Agreement, interview contractors, negotiate the specific terms of the Agreement, and make other adjustments as required in consultation with the successful Contractor(s). INSURANCE. The successful Bidder shall not begin work until it has given the Town evidence of all required insurance coverage (including all additional insured endorsements), and the Town has issued a formal Notice to Proceed. DESCRIPTION OF WORK The selected Contractor will be responsible to provide mowing, landscaping services, and annual bed planting maintenance services to the Town of Garner for the following specified areas: Right-of-Way areas on U.S. Highway 70 through and adjacent to the Town of Garner These areas are shown on the attached aerial photos and include from the "Welcome" sign location at the Raynor Road intersection westward up to and including the "Welcome" sign location at the intersection of Mechanical Boulevard. Areas include the medians, interchanges, "Welcome" sign sites, shoulders, and islands. These areas are shown linearly and outlined in green on the map (The center median is to be included) - see Attachment I. It is recommended that bidders visit the site to become familiar with the terrain and extent of the work in the areas as noted. Utilize methods and means as required to accomplish the work specified. Refer to the maps: ATTACHMENT I. US 70 Mowing. Landscaping Beds with Annuals locations for the Town of Garner The following landscaping beds are included in the twice yearly change-out of annual plantings. Please note that the size and shape of the beds vary. The annuals are to be installed in the pre-existing annual bedding portion of the landscape beds. Refer to map: ATTACHMENT II. Powell Bill Flower Beds; Beds are marked with "star" symbol (14 locations). o Eastbound US 70 at Vandora Springs Road o Westbound US 70 at Vandora Springs Road o Westbound US 70 at Benson Road o Eastbound US 70 at Benson Road o Westbound US 70 at Yeargan Road o Eastbound US 70 at Yeargan Road o Creech Road Elementary School Park Sign 450 Creech Rd o Welcome Sign Bed at New Rand Road and East Main Street o Welcome Sign Bed at Benson Road and West Main Street o Welcome Sign Bed at Benson Road and New Bethel Church Road o NW corner of Timber Drive and US 70 o NE corner of Old Stage Road and US 401 o "Welcome" Sign Bed at US 70 and Mechanical Boulevard o "Welcome" Sign Bed at US 70 and Auburn-Knightdale Road Refer to map: ATTACHMENT II. Powell Bill Flower Beds Right-of-Way Mowing and Landscape Services The work includes bi-weekly mowing and landscaping maintenance of all established grasses and vegetation within the designated area in a neat and professional manner. Grass and weedy vegetation shall be mowed to maintain a neat appearance, as well as string trimmed to a uniform height where mowing is not practical (ditches, around tree rings, light poles, signs, other stationary obstacles, et cetera). The Contractor shall mow grass and vegetation to a height specified below. All trash and debris in the mowing area shall be removed from the area before and after mowing by the Contractor. Vegetation clippings shall not be blown into or deposited onto the highway or paved surfaces. Trash, debris, and litter along the designated area shall be removed bi-weekly, yearround, including during the non-mowing season. Pricing is also requested for periodic, unscheduled work to be performed upon request. The chosen Contractor must be able to respond to and comply with all the elements listed in this section. Failure to comply can and will result in termination of a bid proposal or service contract. Elements include: o The areas to be maintained as shown on the attached map representing the Highway 70 Right-of-Way. It is the responsibility of the Contractor to mow all grasses and weeds within the right-of-way in the areas highlighted on the map. Additionally, it is the responsibility of the Contractor to remove all litter within the right-of-way, including areas where trash may accumulate along tree lines, brush, overgrown areas, or embankments that are not regularly mowed. o Contractor shall notify the Town of Garner Public Works Department at the beginning of the season when mowing will commence. o Mowing height shall be two to three inches (2"-3"), based on conditions, and not to exceed three inches (3"). o Grass clippings shall not be mowed or blown onto the streets or pavement or into storm drains. o The Contractor must pick up and dispose of all trash and litter. Mowing over trash and litter is prohibited. o The area immediately around sign posts, utility poles, guard rails, median cable barriers, structures, and similar locations within the work areas shall be mowed or trimmed to the specified mowing height. Damage to trees, light posts, sign posts, and the like by mowers or string trimmers is prohibited. o Mulched areas shall receive routine maintenance to maintain a uniform appearance, repair ruts or washouts, and to keep free of litter and weeds. o Horticultural care, pruning trees, and shrubs: Contractor must schedule pruning and hedge trimming two times per year to maintain neat appearance and shape. Contractor shall remove sucker growth and dead limbs as needed and remove and dispose of all pruned and trimmed material removed by Contractor. o Fertilization: Fertilizer should be applied to the turf areas twice per year, in May and July, at a rate of one (1) pound of Nitrogen per one thousand (1,000) square feet, utilizing a "complete" fertilizer (containing N, P, and K). o Weed control: Bahia grass present in the center medians should be treated annually with a product such as metsulfuron methyl (MSM) or a product that meets or exceeds labeled results for MSM, with the first application in June followed by a repeat application four (4) to eight (8) weeks after the initial application. Contractor must follow all local, state, and federal laws as applicable. o Concrete medians and islands shall be kept clean and free of weeds. Debris and excess accumulations of gravel, dirt, silt, or trash are to be removed as needed. All concrete islands shall be completely swept free of debris, rocks, silt, and the like at least one time per year at minimum. Debris from islands or medians shall not be blown into the roadways. o Equipment operators must wear high visibility reflective safety vests, jackets, or shirts while operating equipment in the right-of-way and adhere to OSHA regulations pertaining to the duties performed at all times. o To maintain clear visibility by motorists, Contractor's mowing equipment must have caution strobe lights and slow-moving vehicle plaques affixed to them as appropriate. o Temporary Traffic Control: Forty-eight inches by forty-eight inches (48" x 48") "Mowing Ahead" work zone signs shall be placed in both directions in advance of the work and at a minimum of one mile apart throughout the work zone. Signage must be removed when the work zone is not active. No signage may be left up after work hours or overnight. This requirement does not supersede any additional requirements of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and the North Carolina Department of Transportation. Failure to set up proper work zones will result in immediate suspension of work. o Replacement and repair of landscaping damaged by others will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Landscaping Maintenance of Beds Containing Annuals o Annuals must be changed out twice yearly. o A designee of the Town must pre-approve annual plant selections prior to each semi-annual installation. o Annuals are to be mulched at the time of planting, utilizing ground pine fines or other standard industry methods. o Annuals are to be watered in immediately following installation. o Annuals must be watered twice weekly upon planting, throughout an establishment period of thirty (30) days. o Any annuals that die during the establishment period must be replaced. o Annuals must be fertilized with a complete and balanced fertilizer (such as 1010-10) at the time of installation and again six (6) to eight (8) weeks after installation. o Annuals beds should be weeded monthly, through chemical or mechanical means. o Litter must be removed from all beds on a monthly basis. o Horticultural care, pruning trees, and shrubs: Contractor must schedule pruning and hedge trimming two times per year to maintain neat appearance and shape. Contractors shall remove sucker growth and dead limbs as needed and dispose of pruned and trimmed material removed by Contractor. Extra Work Elements o Mowing and trimming: The full route to be mowed and trimmed, as in a normal cycle, will be considered extra work when required outside of the regular maintenance schedule. Extra mowing and trimming must not interfere with the completion of the regular maintenance schedule. o Annual mulching of center median beds and tree rings: The annual replenishment of mulch along the center median beds and tree rings will be defined as extra work and billed separately from the monthly maintenance. Mulch should be triple ground hardwood, with a minimum depth of two inches (2") and not to exceed three inches (3"). o Horticultural care of trees and shrubs (pruning): Contractor shall prune all trees and shrubs to maintain neat appearance and shape. Contractor should remove sucker growth and dead limbs as needed and dispose of pruned and trimmed material removed by Contractor. o Litter pickup: Response to requests for litter removal along the Highway 70 Right-of-Way outside of the normal bi-weekly schedule will be considered extra work. Litter must be collected and removed as described in the previous section. Contractor must comply with all state, local, and federal laws and safety regulations. Contractor must not interfere with completion of regular maintenance schedule. o Turf Fertilization: Apply a full cycle of fertilizer along the entire route at a rate of one (1) pound of Nitrogen per one thousand (1000) square feet, utilizing a "complete" fertilizer (containing N, P, and K)