Masterpiece Cattle Lease

RFP 26-352, Masterpiece Cattle Lease
RFP NOTICE
Polk County, a political subdivision of the State of Florida, requests the submittal of
proposals from vendors that are interested in providing assistance in the stewardship
and maintenance for the Friedlander Property as described herein. Sealed proposals
must be received in the Procurement Division, prior to the due date and time listed
below.
RFP Number and Title: 26-352, Masterpiece Cattle Lease
Description: Assist in the stewardship and maintenance of these land parcels not
currently being utilized for recreational purposes and provide revenue for the
maintenance and management of the County environmental land.
Receiving Period: Prior to 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Bid Opening: Wednesday, September 23, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. or as soon as possible
thereafter.
This form is for RFP registration only. Please scroll down for additional information.
Special Instructions: A MANDATORY pre-proposal and site visit will be held
Wednesday, September 2, 2026, 10:00 a.m. at 68 Mammoth Grove Road, Lake Wales,
FL 33898. An authorized representative or agent of the Proposer must be present at the
meeting and site visit as evidenced by their signature on the meeting's sign-in sheet, or
the Proposers Proposal will be considered non-responsive.
To receive a copy of Exhibit A and Exhibit B, please go the following FTP site:
https://ftp3.polk-county.net, you will be prompted for a User ID and Password. The User
ID is procurevendor and the password is solicitation. After you have logged in to the
FTP site, double click on the file folder "RFP 26-352, Masterpiece Cattle Lease.zip",
select "Open" or "Save As" to download the RFP document. If you need assistance
accessing this website due to ADA or any other reason, please email Jason Flucker-
Williams at jasonfluckerwilliams@polkfl.gov.
Questions regarding this RFP must be in writing and must be sent to Jason Flucker-
Williams, Procurement Analyst, via email at jasonfluckerwilliams@polkfl.gov. All
questions must be received by Friday, September 4, 2026, 2:00 p.m.
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RFP 26-352, Masterpiece Cattle Lease
RFP REGISTRATION
You must register using this form to receive notice of any addenda to these documents.
Please fax the completed form to the Procurement Division as soon as possible. It is the
vendor's responsibility to verify if addenda have been issued.
RFP Number: 26-352
RFP Title: Masterpiece Cattle Lease
This form is for bid registration only. Please scroll down for additional information.
Carefully complete this form and return it to the Procurement Division via e-mail to
procurement@polkfl.gov or fax (863) 534-6789. You must submit one form for each solicitation
that you are registering for.
Company Name: __________________________________________________
Contact Name: ____________________________________________________
Mailing Address: ___________________________________________________
City: _____________________________________________________________
State: ____________________________________________________________
Zip Code: _________________________________________________________
Phone Number: ____________________________________________________
Email: ____________________________________________________________
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RFP 26-352, Masterpiece Cattle Lease
PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS
Proposers must submit their proposal prior to 2:00 p.m. on the receiving date. Proposals
must be submitted in a "sealed" parcel or electronically through Polk County's secure
website, Kiteworks. Proposals will be publicly opened at 2:00 p.m. on the receiving date.
Sealed Parcel Submittal:
If you are submitting a sealed parcel proposal submit one (1) original marked
ORIGINAL and five (5) copies marked COPY of the proposal in a sealed parcel to the
Procurement Division. The parcel should be labeled "RFP #26-352, Masterpiece Cattle
Lease" and marked with the proposer's name and address. The Proposals may be
mailed or delivered to:
Polk County Procurement Division
330 West Church Street, Room 150
Bartow, FL 33830
To assist with labeling the sealed parcel, please cut along the outer border and affix this
label. Be sure to include the name of the company submitting the proposal where
requested.
Sealed Proposal. DO NOT OPEN
RFP Number 26-352
RFP Title Masterpiece Cattle Lease
Due Date/Time: September 23, 2026, prior to 2:00 pm
Submitted by:
Deliver To: Polk County Procurement Division
330 West Church Street, Room 150, Bartow,
Florida 33830
Proposals may be mailed, express mailed or hand delivered. It is the Proposers
responsibility to ensure their package is delivered to the Procurement Division prior to
2:00 p.m. on the Receiving date and time referenced above. Proposals delivered at 2:00
p.m. or later will not be accepted.
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RFP 26-352, Masterpiece Cattle Lease
Electronic Proposals Submittal:
All prospective Proposers that are interested in submitting their proposals electronically
can do so via the County's secure electronic submittal website, Kiteworks. Proposers
must email jasonfluckerwilliams@polkfl.gov at least 48 hours prior to opening to receive
a link to upload their submittal. Please only upload your documents as a PDF or Excel
file for the Cost Tab, if applicable. Please use the name convention of your files as
follow:
"RFP 26-352 Tab 1"
"RFP 26-352 Tab 2"
"RFP 26-352 Tab 3"
"RFP 26-352 Tab 4"
"RFP 26-352 Tab 5"
For more instructions, a video tutorial has been produced to further explain the
electronic solicitation submittal process. It can be found by clicking here for RFP
Submittals: https://youtu.be/vkn_7AHgioE. If you need assistance accessing this
website due to ADA or any other reason, please email Jason Flucker-Williams at
jasonfluckerwilliams@polkfl.gov.
Procurement recommends that Proposers submitting electronically double check the
documents submitted into Kiteworks to ensure all requested tab information has been
uploaded. Failure to upload the requested tab information may result in the proposal
being deemed nonresponsive.
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RFP 26-352, Masterpiece Cattle Lease
POLK COUNTY
Procurement Division
Fran McAskill
Procurement Director
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL 26-352
Masterpiece Cattle Lease
Sealed proposals will be received in the Procurement Division, Wednesday, September 23,
2026, prior to 2:00 p.m.
Attached are important instructions and specifications regarding responses to this Request for
Proposal (the "RFP"). The failure of a responding proposer (a "Proposer") to follow these
instructions could result in Proposer disqualification from consideration for a contract to be
awarded pursuant to this RFP.
This document is issued by Polk County (the "County") which is the sole distributor of this RFP
and all addenda and changes to the RFP documents. The County shall record its responses to
inquiries and provide any supplemental instructions or additional documents pertaining to this
RFP in the form of written addenda to the RFP. The County shall post all such addenda,
together with any other information pertaining to this RFP, on the County's website at
https://www.polkfl.gov/business/procurement/. It is the sole responsibility of each Proposer to
review the website prior to submitting a responsive proposal (a "Proposal") to this RFP to
ensure that that the Proposer has obtained all available instructions, addenda, changes,
supporting documents, and any other information pertaining to this RFP.
The County is not responsible for any solicitations issued through subscribers, publications, or
other sources not connected with the County and the Proposer should not rely on such sources
for information regarding the RFP solicitation.
Questions regarding this RFP must be in writing and must be sent to Jason Flucker-Williams,
Procurement Analyst, via email at jasonfluckerwilliams@polkfl.gov. All questions must be
received by Friday, September 4, 2026, 2:00 pm.
Proposers and any prospective proposers shall not contact, communicate with or
discuss any matter relating in any way to this RFP with any member of the Polk County
Board of County Commissioners or any employee of Polk County other than the County
Procurement Director or the individual designated above. This prohibition begins with
the issuance of the Request for Proposal and ends upon execution of the final contract.
Any such communication initiated by a Proposer or prospective proposer shall be
grounds for disqualifying the offender from consideration for a contract to be awarded
pursuant to this RFP and for contracts to be awarded pursuant to RFPs or Requests for
Bid that the County may issue in the future.
A Proposer's responsive Proposal to this RFP may be mailed, express mailed, or hand
delivered to:
Polk County Procurement Division
330 West Church Street, Room 150
Bartow, Florida 33830
(863)534-6757
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RFP 26-352, Masterpiece Cattle Lease
Introduction/Background
The Polk County Environmental Lands Program was voter approved in November of
1994. In 2022, a referendum to continue the Environmental Lands Program was voter
approved. The purpose of the program is to acquire, preserve, protect, manage, and
restore environmentally sensitive lands, water resources and important wildlife.
Properties purchased may be used for nature-based recreation, provided such uses will
not disturb or degrade the environmental quality of the site and is compatible with the
purpose of the program.
Restoration is a component of management for the Environmental Lands Program and
grazing is a tool that can be used as part of this management. The Masterpiece
property is one of the sites under the Environmental Lands Program. This site has areas
that are slated for future restoration. In the interim grazing would be a beneficial tool for
these areas.
Objective
The objective of this grazing lease is to obtain assistance in the stewardship and
maintenance of these land parcels by utilizing domestic cattle grazing as a tool in the
maintenance of pastures and native ranges and provide revenue for the maintenance
and management of the County environmental land. Grazing activities and requirements
should not restrict the movement of wildlife through the leased area. Approximately
404 acres will be included in the grazing lease.
It is the intent of the County to enter into an agreement with one vendor.
Scope of Services
The property is located at 68 Mammoth Grove Road, Lake Wales, FL 33898. A location
map to the property and an aerial map (Exhibit A) outlining the grazing areas are
attached.
The Lessee will be required to accomplish certain management activities for the
Masterpiece property which include grazing management, pasture management, and
invasive exotic plant control. The County supports the utilization of grazing as a tool in
the maintenance of pastures and native ranges until restoration can occur. For more
information, refer to the Lease Agreement (Exhibit B).
Specifications
1. Details can be found in the Grazing Lease Agreement (Exhibit B, Refer to
sections 6 and 8)
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS AND PROHIBITIONS
Please refer to section 8 subsection L.
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RFP 26-352, Masterpiece Cattle Lease
COUNTY PARTNERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES
The Project Manager will be responsible for overseeing this project to ensure that the
partnership is successful, and that implementation is consistent with the terms of the
cattle grazing lease specified within this RFP. Carrying out this responsibility will require
the Project Manager or designee to visit the property to inspect the leased area. The
Project Manager or designee and the Lessee will meet annually, at a minimum, to
review the terms of the lease and maintenance plan. If an agreement on the plan cannot
be reached between the two parties the lease agreement will be terminated and the
Lessee will have 60 days to remove all grazing animals, and portable free-standing
panels / pens, etc. Any animals left after that time frame will become the property of the
County.
PAYMENT
As directed in section 4, subsection C of the Grazing Lease Agreement.
TERM OF THE LEASE
The initial term of the lease will be for a five (5) year period with an option to extend two
(2) additional five (5) year periods.
SUBMITTAL
Submittals should not contain information in excess of that requested, must be concise, and
must specifically address the issues of this RFP. The responses should be in the same order as
the selection and evaluation procedures. Proposals are to be printed double-sided.
Unnecessarily elaborate brochures or other presentations beyond those sufficient to present a
complete and effective submittal to this solicitation are not desired and may be construed as an
indication of the proposer's lack of cost consciousness. Elaborate artwork, expensive visual
aids, and other presentation aids are neither necessary nor desired, unless specifically
requested. The proposal submittals should be contained within a three (3) ring binder (original
and each copy in separate binders). Each submittal should contain:
Tab 1, Introduction:
Introduction letter describing your firm, experience, number of years in business, contact name,
company address, phone number and email address of contact person. (One page, single or
double sided)
Tab 2, Experience and Expertise (50 Points)
* Provide a list of your company's current personnel to include their title/position.
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RFP 26-352, Masterpiece Cattle Lease
* Vendor should be currently working within the cattle industry or veterinarian
occupation for a minimum of 3 years and must provide a resume for the project
manager and all key personnel that will be managing the property demonstrating the
services as outlined in the scope of work. (1 page single or double sided for each
resume)
* Provide five (5) references from clients in which the vendor has provided similar size
and scope services, three (3) of which must be on public lands, demonstrating
experience with invasive plant management, the cattle industry or veterinarian
occupation field as the prime within the last ten (10) years. Must have had a
minimum of one (1) public land lease for at least five (5) years. References must
include:
Company Name/ Client Name
o
Project description
o
To include acreage, number of cattle, invasive plant management
Project address
o
Current contract person
o
To include phone number and email address
Start and end date of lease
o
Demonstration that vendor has experience managing cattle with public
o
access to the property.
Was lease terminated? If yes, please explain why in further detail.
o
Provide any client complaints or notices of default for each lease.
o
Tab 3, Interaction with Public Agency Grazing Leases (30 points)
* Describe the firm's experience with providing similar size and scope of work as
outlined in this RFP, demonstrating their experience operating cattle on government
owned properties that are open to the public. (One page, single or double sided)
* Must demonstrate a communications plan to respond to emergencies within 4 hours.
Tab 4, Certifications (10 Points)
* There will be a maximum of ten (10) points allocated for this Tab.
If the Proposer's Project Manager is a FL Certified Prescribed Burn Manager, then
o
ten (10) points will be allocated.
* Provide copies of certifications.
Tab 5, Surveys of Past Performance (10 Points)
* Provide reference surveys from past clients and/or public entities for the projects
identified under Tab 2.
* Completed surveys. (See Exhibit 1) Procurement will take the average of all surveys and
score as follows:
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RFP 26-352, Masterpiece Cattle Lease
Average Score between 9-10 (10 Points)
o
Average Score between 7-8 (8 Points)
o
Average Score between 5-6 (6 Points)
o
Average Score between 3-4 (4 Points)
o
Average Score between 1-2 (2 Points)
o
Average Score of 0 (0 Points)
o
EVALUATION CRITERIA AND SELECTION PROCESS
Proposals will be evaluated in accordance with this section and all applicable County
procurement policies and procedures.
The County shall appoint a selection committee (the "Selection Committee") that will be
responsible for evaluating and scoring/ranking the Proposals in accordance with this
Section.
The County will use a competitive selection process based on the Elevation Levels
described in this Section. At Elevation Levels 2 and 3, the Selection Committee will
score and/or rank the Proposals as applicable.
Selection of a final Proposal will be based upon the following steps and factors:
Elevation Level 1 (Procurement Requirements Assessment)
The County Procurement Division shall review all Proposals for conformance with RFP
guidelines and detailed submittal requirements. At the County's discretion, non-
conforming Proposals may be eliminated from further consideration and conforming
Proposals shall be elevated to Elevation Level 2.
Procurement will distribute Proposals and evaluation criteria to the Selection
Committee.
The Selection Committee may convene to review questions that arise during individual
member review of submitted Proposals before Elevation Level 2 to allow for questions,
clarifications, explanations, or other discussion to be held before the review of
Proposals is completed.
Elevation Level 2 (Selection Committee Evaluation)
Procurement shall score each Proposal on the following evaluation criteria:
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RFP 26-352, Masterpiece Cattle Lease
* Certification (Tab 4)-10 points
* Surveys of Past Performance (Tab 5)-10 points
Subtotal Points-20 Points
by the process stated under each corresponding Tab description
Each Selection Committee member shall score each Proposal on the following
evaluation criteria:
* Experience and Expertise (Tab 2)-50 points
* Interaction with Public Agency Grazing Lease (Tab 3)-30 points
Subtotal Points-80 points
by the following process:
Each Selection Committee member shall determine which of the following descriptions
apply to each of the foregoing evaluation criteria:
EXCELLENT (1.0): Of the highest or finest quality; exceptional; superior; superb;
exquisite; peerless. The Proposer provided information for a given criteria that satisfied
the requirements and described specifically how and what will be accomplished in such
a manner that exhibited an exceptional and superior degree of understanding, skill, and
competency, both qualitatively and quantitatively. The facts included in the narrative
(including all supporting documentation, diagrams, drawings, charts, and schedules,
etc.) demonstrate the Proposer's ability to perform and deliver far beyond expectation.
VERY GOOD (0.8): To a high degree; better than or above competent and/or skillful.
The Proposer provided information for a given criteria that satisfied the requirements
and described specifically how and what will be accomplished in such a manner that
exhibited a very high degree of understanding, skill, and competency, both qualitatively
and quantitatively. The facts included in the narrative (including all supporting
documentation, diagrams, drawings, charts, and schedules, etc.) demonstrate the
Proposer's ability to perform and deliver beyond expectation.
GOOD (0.6): Having positive or desirable qualities; competent; skilled; above average.
The Proposer provided information for a given criteria that satisfied the requirements
and described specifically how and what will be accomplished in such a manner that
exhibited a skillful and above-average degree of understanding, skill, and competency,
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