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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRFP - Parks & Trails District Landscape Maintenance Services Zone 1Page 1 of 13 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) PARKS & TRAILS DISTRICT LANDSCAPE MAINTENACE SERVICES ZONE: 1 CITY OF BOZEMAN Bozeman, MT City of Bozeman PO Box 1230 Bozeman, MT 59771-1230 October 2025 NOTICE IS HEREBY given that the City of Bozeman (City) is seeking proposals from proposals from qualified contractors for professional services to maintain parks grounds, trails and landscape areas within the City of Bozeman Parks and Trails Special District. Copies of the Request for Proposals are available on the City’s website. All proposals must be provided as a single, searchable PDF document file and be submitted digitally as an email attachment to the RFP Recipient email address below. Respondents are advised that Recipient’s email attachment size limit is 25MB and that only one PDF file will be allowed per response. The subject line of the transmittal email shall clearly identify the RFP title, company name and due date/time. File sizes greater than 25MB in size may be uploaded to bzncloud.bozeman.net upon special arrangement of the Recipient; however, it is the respondent’s sole responsibility to ensure the file upload is completed, and that the Recipient is separately notified via email of same, prior to the given deadline. Deliver RFPs via email to the City Clerk by Thursday, October 30th, 2025 at 3:00PM MST. It is the sole responsibility of the proposing party to ensure that proposals are received prior to the closing time as late submittals will not be accepted and will be returned unopened. The email address for submission is: procurement@bozeman.net NON-DISCRIMINATION AND EQUAL PAY The City of Bozeman is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Discrimination in the performance of any agreement awarded under this RFP on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, or actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or disability is prohibited. This prohibition shall apply to the hiring and treatment of the awarded entity’s employees and to all subcontracts. As such, each entity submitting under this notice shall include a provision wherein the submitting entity, or entities, affirms in writing it will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, or because of actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or disability and which also recognizes the eventual contract will contain a provision prohibiting discrimination as described above and that this prohibition on discrimination shall apply to the hiring and treatment of the submitting entity’s employees and to all subcontracts. In addition, pursuant to City Commission Resolution 5169, the entity awarded a contract under this RFP and any subcontractors must abide by the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Section 39-3-104, MCA (the Montana Equal Pay Act), and affirm it will abide by the above and that it has visited the State of Montana Equal Pay for Equal Work “best practices” website, or equivalent “best practices publication and has read the material. Any administrative questions regarding proposal procedures should be directed to: Mike Maas, City Clerk (406) 582-2321, procurement@bozeman.net. Questions relating to the RFP should be directed to: Katie Canter, Contracts and Sports Parks Coordinator, (406) 582- 2365, kcanter@bozeman.net. DATED at Bozeman, Montana, this Friday, September 26th. Mike Maas City Clerk City of Bozeman For publication on: Saturday, October 4th, 2025 Saturday, October 18th, 2025 I. INTRODUCTION The City of Bozeman (Owner), is seeking proposals from from qualified contractors to provide landscape and grounds maintenance services on parks, trails and landscape areas within the City of Bozeman Parks and Trails District. The Owner intends to enter into a contract with the selected contractor to perform grounds and landscape maintenance services throughout City of Bozeman Parks System. Routine maintenance operations will be conducted primarily in City parks spaces located in subdivision parks previously maintained by property management companies and owners associations. The selected contractor will complete the services as defined in the RFP scope of services to begin the spring of 2026. This RFP shall not commit the Owner to enter into an agreement, to pay any expenses incurred in preparation of any response to this request, or to procure or contract for any supplies, goods or services. The Owner reserves the right to accept or reject all responses received as a result of this RFP if it is in the Owner’s best interest to do so. This procurement is governed by the laws of the State of Montana and venue for all legal proceedings shall be in the 18th Judicial District Court, Gallatin County. By offering to perform services under this RFP, all Submitters agree to be bound by the laws of the State of Montana and of the Owner, including, but not limited to, applicable wage rates, payments, gross receipts taxes, building codes, equal opportunity employment practices, safety, non-discrimination, etc. II. PROJECT BACKGROUND AND DESCRIPTION On May 5, 2020, the City of Bozeman approved the Bozeman Parks and Trails Special District (District). With the endorsement of Bozeman resident’s the District granted the City authorization to conduct annual levy assessments for funding to maintain and operate all of the City owned parks and trails. To accomplish the District objectives the City has developed a multi-year Parks and Trails District implementation plan designed to achieve steady calculated increases in level of service standards and sustainable maintenance practices in all City Parks. Beginning July 1, 2020 City’s Parks and Recreation Department assumed full responsibility for all of the District’s designated park properties including the addition of 217 acres of park land located within subdivision parks previously maintained by home owners/community associations. To address the requirements for all maintenance, operations, capital and deferred maintenance needed in the new District the City will establish contracts for professional services with qualified contractors. The City of Bozeman is seeking proposals from contractors to perform grounds and landscape maintenance for parks, trails and amenities within the District. Contractor will provide regularly scheduled services to ensure that City landscapes are effectively and efficiently maintained for the benefit of the city and its residents. The selected contractor will begin work in April of 2026 and continue services through the completion of the summer season at the end of October 2026. The routine services will be conducted for approximately a 30 week period in total or approximately 7 months per year. III. SCOPE OF SERVICES If selected, a contractor will provide the City with professional expertise to successfully implement the proposed scope of services. The City has provided a summary of the basic maintenance components and site locations to assist in understanding the tasks and maintenance services desired. Specifications are general in nature and not intended to encompass all the projects complexity. Contractor shall become familiar with the specified locations and the needs of each facility to best determine their ability to complete the described maintenance specifications. Additional tasks and work elements may be inserted into the scope of services during contract negotiations with the selected firm. It is also possible that tasks or elements could be removed during negotiations or not included in an initial contract because of regulatory uncertainty, budget limitations, contracting strategy or any combination thereof. Proposals must clearly identify any elements of the proposed scope of services that would not be provided by the prime contractor. Any sub-contractors which comprise the respondent team must be identified along with a description of past working history between the firms. The scope of services includes: 1. Contractor shall be responsible for completion of site-specific landscape maintenance and grounds keeping services identified and described in Appendix D: Park location Maps Zone 1. 2. Contractor proposals shall include cost associated with delivery of tasks described in Appendix C: Maintenance Schedule Zone 1 and Additional Services listed to be considered for proposal award. 3. Contractor shall provide a fixed cost per item for all services at the frequency designated/described in Appendix C: Maintenance Schedule Zone 1. Services requested for Maintenance Schedule Zone 1 include: a. Mowing b. Weedeating / Trimming c. Fertilizer Application d. Spraying Application / Weed Control 4. Contractor shall provide a fixed hourly rate for services described in Appendix C: Maintenance Schedule. Additional Services requested include: a. Mowing b. Weedeating / Trimming c. Landscaping d. Clearing, brushing, pruning of vegetation e. Maintenance of native grass/naturalized areas f. Trail maintenance g. Removal of seasonal debris, leaves, litter h. Overseeding turf areas i. Aerating & Thatching 5. The final scope of services may change and will be contained in a professional services agreement to be executed by the City and the selected Contractor. Contractor proposals shall include additional explanation if items costs are excluded from the scope of services provided. Irrigation services/maintenance are not included in this RFP and will be contracted separately. IV. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS Contractors interested in providing the services described above are requested to submit the following information. Responses to each item should appear in the same order as in this RFP and should identify the item to which the responses applies. a) Title Page The title page shall include the firm/individual name, address, contact, telephone number and email address to contact for information regarding the proposal. b) Executive Summary A description of the approach to be taken toward completion of the Scope of Services and understanding of the City’s requests. Emphasis should be placed on the Contractor’s expertise in the subject area of the services requested. This section will describe how the Contractor will complete the tasks identified and provide any other information deemed necessary to address the requests of this RFP. c) Firm/Individual Profile A description of the contractor’s team composition, areas of expertise, and role of each sub-contractor on the team. Clearly indicate the applicant’s designated manager as well as sub-contractors who will be assigned to the work and their respective expertise in such work. d) Price Proposal The price proposal will utilize the provided location maps in Appendix D: Park location Maps and cost schedule in Appendix C: Maintenance Schedule provided to evaluate and describe cost associated with completion of all elements listed for Zone 1 Irrigation and any Additional Services available. Proposal shall include an itemized amount inclusive of all fees and expenses for each task. Proposals should include at a minimum Zone 1 and Additional Services. Contractor proposals are encouraged to include cost for delivery of all services including Additional Services described. e) Staffing and Equipment Levels List your projected spring-fall staffing levels and owned or leased equipment available for deployment under this contract. Include information on available equipment and staff to complete tasks and a plan for accomplishing. f) Recent Work for the City of Bozeman Descriptions detailing completed, similar or relevant project experience that the applicant has executed for the City of Bozeman. g) References Proposal shall provide a minimum 3 client references with which the applicant has provided similar services within the last three years. Services will be conducted in public park spaces and the City will seeking contractors who have expertise with local, municipal agencies, county, property management companies or home owners associations. Include the name and telephone number and email of the contact person and a description of the role and services provided to that contact. h) Affirmation of Nondiscrimination (see Appendix A) Non-completion of the Affirmation of Nondiscrimination is cause for disqualification of firms. V. TIMELINES, DELIVERY DEADLINE, AND INSTRUCTIONS EVENT DATE/TIME Publication dates of RFP Saturday, October 4th, 2025 Saturday, October 18th, 2025 Deadline for receipt of proposals No later than 3 PM, MST, Thursday, October 30th, 2025 Evaluation of proposals TBD Award of contract TBD With the exception of the advertising dates and advertised due date, the City reserves the right to modify the above timeline. Deliver RFPs via email to the City Clerk (procurement@bozeman.net) by Thursday, October 30th, 2025 at 3:00PM MST. It is the sole responsibility of the proposing party to ensure that proposals are received prior to the closing time as late submittals will not be accepted and will be returned unopened. All proposals must be provided as a single, searchable PDF document file and be submitted digitally as an email attachment to the RFP Recipient email address procurement@bozeman.net. Respondents are advised that Recipient’s email attachment size limit is 25MB and that only one PDF file will be allowed per response. The subject line of the transmittal email shall clearly identify the RFP title, company name and due date/time. File sizes greater than 25MB in size may be uploaded to bzncloud.bozeman.net upon special arrangement of the Recipient; however, it is the respondent’s sole responsibility to ensure the file upload is completed, and that the Recipient is separately notified via email of same, prior to the given deadline. VI. AMENDMENTS TO SOLICITATION Any interpretation or correction of this request will be published on the City’s webpage. The deadline for questions related to this document is 12:00 PM MST on Monday, October 20th, 2025. VII. CONTACT INFORMATION Any administrative questions regarding proposal procedures should be directed to: Mike Maas, City Clerk, (406) 582-2321, procurement@bozeman.net Questions relating to scope of services should be directed to: Katie Canter, Contracts and Sports Parks Coordinator, kcanter@bozeman.net, (406)-582-2365. VIII. SELECTION PROCEDURE A review committee will evaluate all responses to the RFP that meet the submittal requirements and deadline. Submittals that do not meet the requirement or deadline will not be considered. The review committee will rank the proposals and may arrange interviews with the finalist(s) prior to selection. Selection may be made directly based on the written RFP submission. If interviews occur, the selection of finalists to be interviewed will be made by a selection committee representing the City of Bozeman. The selection of interview candidates will be based on an evaluation of the written responses to the RFPs. All submitted proposals must be complete and contain the information required as stated in the "Request for Proposals.” IX. SELECTION CRITERIA Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria: • [15 points] Executive Summary • [15 points] Firm Profile • [20 points] Price Proposal • [15 points] Staffing and Equipment Levels • [25 points] Recent Work for the City of Bozeman • [10 points] References X. FORM OF AGREEMENT The Contractor will be required to enter into a contract with the City in substantially the same form as the professional services agreement attached as Attachment B. XI. CITY RESERVATION OF RIGHTS / LIABILITY WAIVER All proposals submitted in response to this RFP become the property of the City and public records and, as such, may be subject to public review. A SUBMISSION IN RESPONSE TO THIS REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS CONFERS NO RIGHTS UPON ANY RESPONDENTS AND SHALL NOT OBLIGATE THE CITY IN ANY MANNER WHATSOEVER. THE CITY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MAKE NO AWARD AND TO SOLICIT ADDITIONAL REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS AT A LATER DATE. A. This RFP may be canceled or any or all responses may be rejected in whole or in part, as specified herein, when it is in the best interests of the City. If the City cancels or revises this RFP, all Respondents who submitted will be notified using email. B. The City reserves the right to accept or reject any and all proposals; to add or delete items and/or quantities; to amend the RFP; to waive any minor irregularities, informalities, or failure to conform to the RFP; to extend the deadline for submitting proposals; to postpone award for up to 60 days; to award one or more contracts, by item or task, or groups of items or tasks, if so provided in the RFP and if multiple awards or phases are determined by the City to be in the public interest. C. The City of Bozeman reserves the right to reject the proposal of any person/firm who previously failed to perform properly to the satisfaction of the City of Bozeman, or complete on time agreements of similar nature, or to reject the proposal of any person/firm who is not in a position to perform such an agreement satisfactorily as determined by the City of Bozeman. D. The City of Bozeman reserves the right to determine the best qualified Contractor and negotiate a final scope of service and cost, negotiate a contract with another Contractor if an agreement cannot be reached with the first selected Contractor, or reject all proposals. E. The professional services contract between the City of Bozeman and the successful Contractor will incorporate the Contractor's scope of service and work schedule as part of the agreement (see Appendix B for form of professional services agreement. The professional services agreement presented to the Contractor may differ from this form as appropriate for the scope of services). F. This RFP does not commit the City to award a contract. The City assumes no liability or responsibility for costs incurred by firms in responding to this request for proposals or request for interviews, additional data, or other information with respect to the selection process, prior to the issuance of an agreement, contract or purchase order. The Contractor, by submitting a response to this RFP, waives all right to protest or seek any legal remedies whatsoever regarding any aspect of this RFP. G. The City reserves the right to cancel, in part or in its entirety, this RFP including, but not limited to: selection procedures, submittal date, and submittal requirements. If the City cancels or revises this RFP, all Contractors who submitted proposals will be notified using email. H. Projects under any contract are subject to the availability of funds. XII. NONDISCRIMINATION AND EQUAL PAY POLICY The City of Bozeman requires each entity submitting under this notice shall affirm, on a separate form provided, that it will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, or because of actual or perceived sexual orientation, sexual preference, gender identity, or disability in fulfillment of a contract entered into for the services identified herein and that this prohibition on discrimination shall apply to the hiring and treatment of the submitting entity’s employees and to all subcontracts it enters into in the fulfillment of the services identified herein. Failure to comply with this requirement shall be cause for the submittal to be deemed nonresponsive. The City also requires each entity submitting under this notice shall affirm it will abide by the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Section 39-3-104, MCA (the Montana Equal Pay Act), and has visited the State of Montana Equal Pay for Equal Work “best practices” website, https://equalpay.mt.gov/BestPractices/Employers, or equivalent “best practices publication and has read the material. XIII. MISCELLANEOUS A. No Oral Agreements. No conversations or oral agreements with any officer, employee, or agent of the City shall affect or modify any term of this solicitation. Oral communications or any written/email communication between any person and City officer, employee or agent shall not be considered binding. B. No Partnership/Business Organization. Nothing in this solicitation or in any subsequent agreement, or any other contract entered into as a result of this solicitation, shall constitute, create, give rise to or otherwise be recognized as a partnership or formal business organization of any kind between or among the respondent and the City. C. Employment Restriction and Indemnity. No person who is an owner, officer, employee, contractor, or consultant of a respondent shall be an officer or employee of the City. No rights of the City’s retirement or personnel rules accrue to a respondent, its officers, employees, contractors, or consultants. Respondents shall have the responsibility of all salaries, wages, bonuses, retirement, withholdings, worker’s compensation and occupational disease compensation, insurance, unemployment compensation other benefits and taxes and premiums appurtenant thereto concerning its officers, employees, contractors, and consultants. Each Respondent shall save and hold the City harmless with respect to any and all claims for payment, compensation, salary, wages, bonuses, retirement, withholdings, worker’s compensation and occupational disease compensation, insurance, unemployment compensation other benefits and taxes and premiums in any way related to each respondent’s officers, employees, contractors and consultants. D. Accessibility. Upon reasonable notice, the City will provide assistance for those persons with sensory impairments. For further information please contact the ADA Coordinator Mike Gray at 406-582-3232 or the City’s TTY line at 406-582-2301. E. Procurement. When discrepancies occur between words and figures in this solicitation, the words shall govern. No responsibility shall attach to a City employee for the premature opening of an RFP not properly addressed and identified in accordance with these documents. F. Governing Law. This solicitation and any disputes arising hereunder or under any future agreement shall be governed and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of Montana, without reference to principles of choice or conflicts of laws. XIV. ATTACHMENTS The following exhibits are incorporated in this RFP: Appendix A: Non-Discrimination Affirmation Appendix B: Form of Professional Services Agreement Appendix C: Maintenance Schedule Zone 1 Landscape Appendix D: Park Location Maps Zone 1 Landscape END OF RFP Attachment A NONDISCRIMINATION AND EQUAL PAY AFFIRMATION ____________________________________(name of entity submitting) hereby affirms it will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, or because of actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or disability and acknowledges and understands the eventual contract will contain a provision prohibiting discrimination as described above and this prohibition on discrimination shall apply to the hiring and treatments or proposer’s employees and to all subcontracts. In addition, ____________________________________(name of entity submitting) hereby affirms it will abide by the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Section 39-3-104, MCA (the Montana Equal Pay Act), and has visited the State of Montana Equal Pay for Equal Work “best practices” website, https://equalpay.mt.gov/BestPractices/Employers, or equivalent “best practices publication and has read the material. ______________________________________ Name and title of person authorized to sign on behalf of submitter