REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS Department of Public Works & Engineering 2027 Landscape Maintenance an

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

Notice is hereby given that Statements of Qualifications will be received by the Village of Deerfield Department of Public Works and Engineering from qualified landscape maintenance firms interested in providing comprehensive landscape maintenance, seasonal planting, and related horticultural services at Village-owned properties and public spaces.

The Village intends to select a qualified firm based upon its relevant experience, proposed personnel, staffing capacity, supervisory structure, service approach, quality-control procedures, communication practices, responsiveness, references, and demonstrated ability to meet the Village’s expectations.

The selected firm will be expected to maintain highly visible municipal properties, public facing facilities, downtown streetscapes, commuter rail facilities, medians, parking areas, entrance features, planting beds, urns, and other landscaped areas in a consistently clean, healthy, attractive, and professionally maintained condition.

Selection through this Request for Qualifications does not guarantee the award of a contract. The Village reserves the right to reject any or all submittals, request additional information, conduct interviews, negotiate the final scope and compensation, and determine the selection process that is in the best interest of the Village.

SCOPE OF SERVICES:

The selected firm will provide the labor, supervision, equipment, transportation, and horticultural expertise necessary to perform landscape maintenance and seasonal planting services at Village-owned properties and public spaces.

Anticipated services generally include:

1. Landscape design, installation, maintenance, and removal of seasonal flowers and plant material;
2. Maintenance of landscape beds, urns, planters, medians, entrance signs, landscaped beds, parking lots, and other designated areas;
3. Mowing, trimming, edging, and general turf maintenance of the lawn areas surrounding Village Hall and the Police Department;
4. Weeding, pruning, edging, fertilizing, watering, mulching, deadheading, and seasonal cleanup;
5. Weed control within designated landscape beds, tree grates, brickwork, Lake Cook Road medians, and other hardscape areas;
6. Monitoring and reporting plant-health concerns, damage, irrigation issues, and failed plant material;
7. Supplemental watering, landscape restoration, plant replacement, and other related horticultural services when requested; and
8. Coordination with Village staff and other Village vendors.

The Village purchases seasonal flowers and designated plant material through a separate contract. The selected landscape maintenance firm will be responsible for ordering the required plant material under the Village’s contract, coordinating its pickup from the designated supplier, transporting it when required, and completing its installation, maintenance, removal, and disposal. The selected firm will not be responsible for purchasing seasonal plant material from its own funds or outside the Village’s separate contract unless specifically authorized by the Village.

Regular service will be required at Village Hall, the Deerfield train station, municipal parking areas, downtown planters and urns, Village entrance features, landscaped medians and planting beds, and other Village-owned or maintained properties. The final service locations, maintenance frequencies, performance standards, responsibilities, pricing, and other contractual requirements will be established in the contract between the Village and the selected firm.

Respondents shall demonstrate the experience, personnel, equipment, and operational capacity necessary to provide the anticipated services. At a minimum, respondents should demonstrate:

1.        Experience providing comparable landscape design, landscape maintenance and seasonal planting services for municipalities, public agencies, commercial properties, downtown districts, or other highly visible locations;
2.        Experience installing and maintaining seasonal plant material supplied by a client or separate plant-material vendor
3.        Sufficient staffing, supervision, vehicles, tools, watering equipment, and other resources to complete scheduled and supplemental work;
4.        Qualified personnel with appropriate knowledge of horticulture, landscape design, plant identification, planting practices, pruning, weed management, plant designing, and plant health.
5.        Applicable licenses and certifications for pesticide and herbicide applications;
6.        An established process for supervising work, inspecting service locations, and correcting maintenance deficiencies;
7.        The ability to respond promptly and communicate effectively with Village Staff; and
8.        A satisfactory record of performance on comparable contracts.

CONTENTS OF STATEMENT QUALIFICATIONS

Statements of Qualifications should be concise and directly responsive to this Request for Qualifications. Submittals shall be limited to a maximum of 50 pages.

Each Statement of Qualifications shall include the following:

1.        Firm Information
Provide the firm’s legal name, business address, and a brief description of the consulting firm, including its primary areas of practice and relevant experience.
2.        Key Personnel
Provide resumes for the Account Manager, Field Supervisor, and other key personnel proposed perform or oversee the work. Resumes should identify each individual’s anticipated role and responsibilities, relevant education and professional experience, and applicable licenses and certifications.
3.        Interest and Qualifications
Provide a one-page narrative describing the firm’s interest in providing the requested services. The narrative shall identify the firm’s interest in providing landscaping services, and shall identify the firm’s particular abilities, qualifications, and experience related to landscaping services.
4.        Project Vision, Methodologies, and Philosophies
Demonstrate a clear vision of the desired project outcome. Describe the methodologies, technical approaches, management practices, and professional philosophies the firm would use to achieve the desired outcome.
5.        Comparable projects or contracts
Provide descriptions of three similar projects or contracts completed or performed within the last five years. Each project description should identify the client, project location, project dates, scope of services, and the firm’s role and responsibilities. Additionally, provide an explanation of how the work is comparable to the services anticipate by the Village.
6.        Related Knowledge, Expertise, and Experience
Provide examples demonstrating the firm’s knowledge, expertise, and experience with other work related to the requested services. This may include related project types, specialized services, technical capabilities, regulatory experience, innovative approaches, or other qualifications relevant to the Village’s anticipated needs.

Village of Deerfield
Attn: Michael Brumm, Public Works Management Analyst
465 Elm Street
Deerfield, Illinois 60015
Phone: (847) 719.7469
Email: mbrumm@deerfield.il.us

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS*

September 7, 2026        RFQ Available
September 25, 2026        Submittals are due
October 1-5, 2026         Committee selects firms for interviews
October 19-22, 2026        Interviews with qualified firms
October 28, 2026        Committee selects qualified firms
* schedule subject to change

EVALUATION AND SELECTION PROCESS

Village staff will evaluate the Statements of Qualifications based upon the following considerations:

1.        Relevant landscape maintenance experience and past performance;
2.        Qualifications of the firm and proposed personnel;
3.        Staffing, supervision, equipment, and operational capacity
4.        Understanding of the Village’s anticipated services;
5.        Proposed service and quality-control approach
6.        Communication and responsiveness
7.        Experience coordinating with separate plant-material vendors; and
8.        References and overall responsiveness to the RFQ.

The Village may verify submitted information, contact references, request clarification or additional information, and consider the respondent’s performance on other public or private contracts.

Following its review, the Village may invite qualified firms to participate in an interview and tour of representative service locations. The proposed account manager and field supervisor may be required to attend. Following the interview process, the Village may request pricing or other additional information from participating firms prior to identifying a preferred firm and negotiating the final scope of services and compensation. If an acceptable agreement cannot be reached, the Village may discontinue negotiations and proceed with another qualified firm.

GENERAL CONDITIONS

This Request for Qualifications is intended to identify qualified firms and does not constitute a contract or guarantee the award of work. The detailed scope of work, service frequencies, performance standards, compensation, insurance requirements, and other contractual provisions will be included in the final contract. The selected firm will be required to satisfy all applicable Village insurance, licensing, certification, and contractual requirements before beginning work. All costs associated with preparing a Statement of Qualifications and participating in the selection process shall be the responsibility of the respondent.

NONDISCRIMINATION

The Village of Deerfield, in accordance with applicable federal and State of Illinois laws, hereby notifies all firms submitting Statements of Qualifications that any contract entered into pursuant to this Request for Qualifications will be awarded without discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, or any other status protected by applicable law.