Landscape Services

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
Appalachian State University
Request for Proposal #: RFP55-063026
Landscape Services
Date of Issue: June 30, 2026
Proposal Opening Date: July 15, 2026
At 2:00 PM ET
Prebid Meeting: July 7, 2026 10:00 AM
Direct all inquiries concerning this RFP to:
Jeff Talbot
Email: talbotjd@appstate.edu
Phone: (828) 262-8773

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
Request for Proposal #
RFP55-063026
______________________________________________________
For internal State agency processing, including tabulation of proposals in the Interactive Purchasing
System (IPS), please provide your company's Federal Employer Identification Number or alternate
identification number (e.g. Social Security Number). Pursuant to G.S. 132-1.10(b) this identification number
shall not be released to the public. This page will be removed and shredded, or otherwise kept
confidential, before the procurement file is made available for public inspection.
This page is to be filled out and returned with your proposal.
Failure to do so may subject your proposal to rejection.
ID Number:
______________________________________________________
Federal ID Number or Social Security Number
___________________________________________________
Vendor Name

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
Appalachian State University
Refer ALL Inquiries regarding this RFP to: Request for Proposal # RFP55-063026
Proposals will be publicly opened: July 15, 2026
Jeff Talbot
Email: talbotjd@appstate.edu Contract Type: Open Market
Commodity No. and Description: Landscape Services
Telephone #: (828) 262-8773
Using Agency: Appalachian State University Boone, NC
Requisition No.:
EXECUTION
In compliance with this Request for Proposals, and subject to all the conditions herein, the undersigned Vendor offers and agrees to
furnish and deliver any or all items upon which prices are bid, at the prices set opposite each item within the time specified herein. By
executing this proposal, the undersigned Vendor certifies that this proposal is submitted competitively and without collusion (G.S.
143-54), that none of its officers, directors, or owners of an unincorporated business entity has been convicted of any violations of
Chapter 78A of the General Statutes, the Securities Act of 1933, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (G.S. 143-59.2), and that it
is not an ineligible Vendor as set forth in G.S. 143-59.1. False certification is a Class I felony. Furthermore, by executing this proposal,
the undersigned certifies to the best of Vendor's knowledge and belief, that it and its principals are not presently debarred, suspended,
proposed for debarment, declared ineligible or voluntarily excluded from covered transactions by any Federal or State department or
agency. As required by G.S. 143-48.5, the undersigned Vendor certifies that it, and each of its sub-Contractors for any Contract
awarded as a result of this RFP, complies with the requirements of Article 2 of Chapter 64 of the NC General Statutes, including the
requirement for each employer with more than 25 employees in North Carolina to verify the work authorization of its employees
through the federal E-Verify system. G.S. 133-32 and Executive Order 24 (2009) prohibit the offer to, or acceptance by, any State
Employee associated with the preparing plans, specifications, estimates for public Contract; or awarding or administering public
Contracts; or inspecting or supervising delivery of the public Contract of any gift from anyone with a Contract with the State, or from
any person seeking to do business with the State. By execution of this response to the RFP, the undersigned certifies, for your entire
organization and its employees or agents, that you are not aware that any such gift has been offered, accepted, or promised by any
employees of your organization.
Failure to execute/sign proposal prior to submittal shall render proposal invalid and it WILL BE REJECTED. Late
proposals cannot be accepted.
VENDOR:
STREET ADDRESS: P.O. BOX: ZIP:
CITY & STATE & ZIP: TELEPHONE NUMBER: TOLL FREE TEL. NO:
PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS ADDRESS IF DIFFERENT FROM ABOVE (SEE INSTRUCTIONS TO VENDORS ITEM #10):
PRINT NAME & TITLE OF PERSON SIGNING ON BEHALF OF VENDOR: FAX NUMBER:
VENDOR'S AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE: DATE: EMAIL:
Offer valid for at least 60 days from date of proposal opening, unless otherwise stated here: ______ days. After this time, any
withdrawal of offer shall be made in writing, effective upon receipt by the agency issuing this RFP.
ACCEPTANCE OF PROPOSAL
If any or all parts of this proposal are accepted by the State of North Carolina, an authorized representative of the Appalachian State
University shall affix his/her signature hereto and this document and all provisions of this Request For Proposal along with the
Vendor proposal response and the written results of any negotiations shall then constitute the written agreement between the
parties. A copy of this acceptance will be forwarded to the successful Vendor(s).
FOR STATE USE ONLY: Offer accept and Contract awarded this day of , 2026, as indicated on the attached certification,
by ____________________________________________________________________
(Authorized Representative of Appalachian State University)
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Proposal Number: RFP55-063026 Vendor: __________________________________________
Table of Contents
1.0 PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND ............................................................................................. 4
2.0 GENERAL INFORMATION ....................................................................................................... 4
2.1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL DOCUMENT ............................................................................. 4
2.2 NOTICE TO VENDORS REGARDING RFP TERMS AND CONDITIONS ............................... 4
2.3 RFP SCHEDULE ..................................................................................................................... 5
2.4 MANDATORY SITE VISIT AND PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCEError! Bookmark not defined.
2.5 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS ....................................................................................................... 5
2.6 PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL ....................................................................................................... 5
2.7 PROPOSAL CONTENTS ........................................................................................................ 6
2.8 ALTERNATE PROPOSALS .................................................................................................... 6
2.9 DEFINITIONS, ACRONYMS, AND ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................ 6
3.0 METHOD OF AWARD AND PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCESS ....................................... 7
3.1 METHOD OF AWARD ............................................................................................................. 7
3.2 CONFIDENTIALITY AND PROHIBITED COMMUNICATIONS DURING EVALUATION......... 8
3.3 PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCESS ................................................................................... 8
3.4 EVALUATION CRITERIA ........................................................................................................ 9
3.5 PERFORMANCE OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES ............................................................... 9
3.6 INTERPRETATION OF TERMS AND PHRASES .................................................................... 9
4.0 REQUIREMENTS ..................................................................................................................... 9
4.1 IRAN DIVESTMENT ACT ........................................................................................................ 9
4.2 CONTRACT TERM ................................................................................................................ 10
4.3 PRICING ................................................................................................................................ 10
4.4 INVOICES .............................................................................................................................. 10
4.5 PAYMENT TERMS ................................................................................................................ 10
4.6 FINANCIAL STABILITY ........................................................................................................ 10
4.7 VENDOR EXPERIENCE ........................................................................................................ 10
4.8 REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................... 11
4.9 BACKGROUND CHECKS ..................................................................................................... 11
4.10 PERSONNEL ......................................................................................................................... 12
4.11 VENDOR'S REPRESENTATIONS ........................................................................................ 12
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Proposal Number: RFP55-063026 Vendor: __________________________________________
5.0 SCOPE OF WORK ................................................................................................................. 12
5.4 TECHNICAL APPROACH ..................................................................................................... 14
5.6 ACCEPTANCE OF WORK .................................................................................................... 14
5.7 LIQUIDATED DAMAGES ...................................................................................................... 15
5.8 WARRANTIES ....................................................................................................................... 15
5.9 CERTIFICATION AND SAFETY LABELS ............................................................................. 15
5.10 TRANSITION ASSISTANCE ................................................................................................. 15
6.0 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION............................................................................................. 15
6.1 PROJECT MANAGER AND CUSTOMER SERVICE ............................................................ 15
6.2 POST AWARD MANAGEMENT REVIEW MEETINGS ......................................................... 16
6.3 CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT ............................................................................................ 16
6.4 CONTRACT CHANGES ........................................................................................................ 16
ATTACHMENT A: PRICING ........................................................................................................ 17-19
ATTACHMENT A-I ................................................................................ 20Error! Bookmark not defined.
Ver: 11/2025 Page 3 of 18

Proposal Number: RFP55-063026 Vendor: __________________________________________
1.0 PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND
Appalachian State University (ASU) is soliciting cost proposals from qualified contractors for Landscape Services as
describe herein.
Proposals shall be submitted in accordance with the terms and conditions of this RFP and any addenda issued hereto.
2.0 GENERAL INFORMATION
2.1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL DOCUMENT
The RFP is comprised of the base RFP document, any attachments, and any addenda released before Contract award.
All attachments and addenda released for this RFP in advance of any Contract award are incorporated herein by
reference.
2.2 NOTICE TO VENDORS REGARDING RFP TERMS AND CONDITIONS
It shall be the Vendor's responsibility to read the Instructions, the State's terms and conditions, all relevant exhibits and
attachments, and any other components made a part of this RFP, and comply with all requirements and specifications
herein. Vendors also are responsible for obtaining and complying with all Addenda and other changes that may be
issued in connection with this RFP.
If Vendors have questions, issues, or exceptions regarding any term, condition, or other component within this RFP,
those must be submitted as questions in accordance with in the instructions in Section 2.5 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS.
If the State determines that any changes will be made as a result of the questions asked, then such decisions will be
communicated in the form of an RFP addendum. The State may also elect to leave open the possibility for later
negotiation and amendment of specific provisions of the Contract that have been addressed during the question and
answer period. Other than through this process, the State rejects and will not be required to evaluate or consider any
additional or modified terms and conditions submitted with Vendor's proposal. This applies to any language appearing
in or attached to the document as part of the Vendor's proposal that purports to vary any terms and conditions or Vendors'
instructions herein or to render the proposal non-binding or subject to further negotiation. Vendor's proposal shall
constitute a firm offer. By execution and delivery of this RFP Response, the Vendor agrees that any additional or
modified terms and conditions, whether submitted purposely or inadvertently, shall have no force or effect, and
will be disregarded. Noncompliance with, or any attempt to alter or delete, this paragraph shall constitute
sufficient grounds to reject Vendor's proposal as nonresponsive.
If a Vendor desires modification of the terms and conditions of this solicitation, it is urged and cautioned to inquire during
the question period, in accordance with the instructions in this RFP, about whether specific language proposed as a
modification is acceptable to or will be considered by the State. Identification of objections or exceptions to the State's
terms and conditions in the proposal itself shall not be allowed and shall be disregarded or the proposal rejected.
Contact with anyone working for or with the State regarding this RFP other than the State Contract Specialist named on
the face page of this RFP in the manner specified by this RFP shall constitute grounds for rejection of said Vendor's
offer, at the State's election.
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Proposal Number: RFP55-063026 Vendor: __________________________________________
2.3 RFP SCHEDULE
The table below shows the intended schedule for this RFP. The State will make every effort to adhere to this schedule.
Event Responsibility Date and Time
Issue RFP State June 30, 2026
Prebid Meeting State July 7, 2026 10:00 AM
Submit Proposals Vendor July 15, 2026 2:00 PM
Contract Award State ASAP
Contract Effective Date State August 1, 2026
.
There will be a Prebid Meeting on July 7, 2026 at 10:00 AM. Vendors are strongly urged to attend the meeting
to become acquainted with the premises and conditions. The prebid will be at Innovation Ridge Building 1
(Northeast), 159 APP INNOVATION WAY, Boone, NC 28608.
2.4 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS
Upon review of the RFP documents, Vendors may have questions to clarify or interpret the RFP in order to submit the
best proposal possible. To accommodate the Proposal Questions process, Vendors shall submit any such questions by
the above due date.
Written questions shall be emailed to talbotjd@appstate.edu by the date and time specified above. Vendor should enter
"RFP # RFP55-063026: Questions" as the subject for the email. Questions submittals should include a reference to the
applicable RFP section and be submitted in a format shown below:
Reference Vendor Question
RFP Section, Page Number Vendor question ...?
Questions received prior to the submission deadline date, the State's response, and any additional terms deemed
necessary by the State will be posted in the form of an addendum to the Interactive Purchasing System (IPS),
http://www.ips.state.nc.us, and shall become an Addendum to this RFP. No information, instruction or advice provided
orally or informally by any State personnel, whether made in response to a question or otherwise in connection with this
RFP, shall be considered authoritative or binding. Vendors shall rely only on written material contained in an Addendum
to this RFP.
2.5 PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL
Sealed proposals, subject to the conditions made a part hereof and the receipt requirements described below, shall be
received at the address indicated in the table below, for furnishing and delivering those items or services as described
herein.
Mailing address for delivery of proposal Office Address of delivery by any other method
via US Postal Service (special delivery, overnight, or any other carrier)
PROPOSAL NUMBER: RFP55-063026 PROPOSAL NUMBER: RFP55-063026
ASU Facilities Operations ASU Facilities Operations
ASU Box 32105 265 Dale Street
Boone, NC 28608 Boone, NC 28608
IMPORTANT NOTE: All proposals shall be delivered to the office address listed above on or before the proposal deadline
in order to be considered timely, regardless of the method of delivery. This is an absolute requirement. All risk of late
arrival due to unanticipated delay-whether delivered by hand, U.S. Postal Service, courier or other delivery service is
entirely on the Vendor. It is the sole responsibility of the Vendor to have the proposal physically in this Office by the
specified time and date of opening. The time of delivery will be marked on each proposal when received, and any
proposal received after the proposal submission deadline will be rejected. Sealed proposals, subject to the conditions
made a part hereof, will be received at the address indicated in the table in this Section, for furnishing and delivering the
commodity as described herein.
Ver: 11/2025 Page 5 of 18

Proposal Number: RFP55-063026 Vendor: __________________________________________
Note that the U.S. Postal Service generally does not deliver mail to specified street address but to the State's Mail Service
Center. Vendors are cautioned that proposals sent via U.S. Mail, including Express Mail, may not be delivered by the
Mail Service Center to the agency's purchasing office on the due date in time to meet the proposal deadline. All Vendors
are urged to take the possibility of delay into account when submitting a proposal. Proposals via facsimile (FAX)
machine, including but not limited to email, in response to this RFP will NOT be accepted.
When submitting proposals:
a) Submit one (1) signed original executed proposal responses, one (1) photocopy.
b) Submit your proposal in a sealed package. Clearly mark each package with: (1) Vendor name, (2) the RFP number,
and (3) the due date. Address the package(s) for delivery as shown in the table above. If Vendor is submitting more
than one (1) proposal, each proposal shall be submitted in separate sealed envelopes and marked accordingly. For
delivery purposes, separate sealed envelopes from a single Vendor may be included in the same outer package.
Proposals are subject to rejection unless submitted with the information above included on the outside of the sealed
proposal package.
2.6 PROPOSAL CONTENTS
Vendors shall populate all attachments of this RFP that require the Vendor to provide information and include an
authorized signature where requested. Vendor RFP responses shall include the following items and those attachments
should be arranged in the following order:
a) Cover Letter
b) Title Page: Include the company name, address, phone number and authorized representative along with the
Proposal Number.
c) Completed and signed version of EXECUTION PAGES, along with the body of the RFP (pages 2-21), and signed
receipt pages of any addenda released in conjunction with this RFP (if required to be returned).
d) ATTACHMENT A: PRICING
e) ATTACHMENT C: NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS
f) Completed version of ATTACHMENT D: HUB CERTIFICATION
g) Completed version of ATTACHMENT E: CUSTOMER REFERENCES
2.8 ALTERNATE PROPOSALS
Vendor may submit alternate proposals for various methods or levels of service(s) or that propose different options.
Alternate proposals must specifically identify the RFP requirements and advantage(s) addressed by the alternate
proposal. Any alternate proposal, in addition to the marking described above, must be clearly marked with the legend:
"Alternate Proposal # RFP55-082421, "Name of Vendor". Each proposal must be for a specific set of services and must
include specific pricing. If a Vendor chooses to respond with various service offerings, each must be offered with a
separate price and be contained in a separate proposal document. Each proposal must be complete and independent
of other proposals offered.
2.9 DEFINITIONS, ACRONYMS, AND ABBREVIATIONS
a) BAFO: Best and Final Offer, submitted by a Vendor to alter its initial offer, made in response to a request by the
issuing agency.
b) BUYER: The employee of the State or Other Eligible Entity that places an order with the Vendor.
c) COMMUNITY COLLEGE: Any of the fifty-eight (58) public North Carolina Community Colleges.
d) CONTRACT LEAD: Representative of the Appalachian State University who corresponds with potential Vendors in
order to identify and contract with that Vendor providing the greatest benefit to the State and who will administer this
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Proposal Number: RFP55-063026 Vendor: __________________________________________
contract for the State.
e) E-PROCUREMENT SERVICES: The program, system, and associated services through which the State conducts
electronic procurement.
f) FOB-DESTINATION: Title changes hand from Vendor to purchaser at the destination point of the shipment; Vendor
owns commodity in transit and files any claims, and Vendor pays all freight and any related transportation charges. A
solicitation may request Vendors to separately identify freight charges in their proposal, but no amount or charge not
included as part of the total proposal price will be paid.
g) LOT: A grouping of similar products within this RFP.
h) ON-TIME DELIVERY: The delivery of all items within a single order to the receiving point designated by the ordering
entity within the delivery time required.
i) QUALIFIED PROPOSAL: A responsive proposal submitted by a responsible Vendor.
j) RFP: Request for Proposal
k) STATE: The State of North Carolina, including any of its sub-units recognized under North Carolina law.
l) STATE AGENCY: Any of the more than 400 sub-units within the executive branch of the State, including its
departments, boards, commissions, institutions of higher education and other institutions.
m) VENDOR: Supplier, bidder, proposer, company, firm, corporation, partnership, individual or other entity submitting
a response to a Request for Proposal.
3.0 METHOD OF AWARD AND PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCESS
3.1 METHOD OF AWARD
All qualified proposals will be evaluated and awards will be made to the Vendor(s) meeting the RFP requirements and
achieving the highest and best final evaluation, based on the criteria described below.
AWARD CRITERIA:
A. Vendor's ability to provide all supplies, equipment, staffing, and expertise to meet all requirements of this RFP.
B. Documentation showing that the bidder has the personnel and experience to perform service in accordance with proposal
requirements.
C. Proof of Insurance (Refer to attached General Terms & Conditions.)
D. References submitted.
E. Price.
While the intent of this RFP is to award a Contract(s) to a single Vendor OR multiple Vendors, the State reserves the
right to make separate awards to different Vendors for one or more line items, to not award one or more line items or to
cancel this RFP in its entirety without awarding a Contract, if it is considered to be most advantageous to the State to do
so.
The status of a Vendor's E-Procurement Services account(s) shall be considered a relevant factor in determining whether
to approve the award of a contract under this RFP. Any Vendor with an E-Procurement Services account that is in
arrears by 91 days or more at the time of proposal opening may, at the State's discretion, be disqualified from further
evaluation or consideration.
The State reserves the right to waive any minor informality or technicality in proposals received.
Ver: 11/2025 Page 7 of 18

Proposal Number: RFP55-063026 Vendor: __________________________________________
3.2 CONFIDENTIALITY AND PROHIBITED COMMUNICATIONS DURING EVALUATION
During the evaluation period-from the date proposals are opened through the date the contract is awarded-each
Vendor submitting a proposal (including its representatives, sub-contractors and/or suppliers) is prohibited from having
any communications with any person inside or outside the using agency, issuing agency, other government agency
office, or body (including the purchaser named above, department secretary, agency head, members of the general
assembly and/or governor's office), or private entity, if the communication refers to the content of Vendor's proposal or
qualifications, the contents of another Vendor's proposal, another Vendor's qualifications or ability to perform the
contract, and/or the transmittal of any other communication of information that could be reasonably considered to have
the effect of directly or indirectly influencing the evaluation of proposals and/or the award of the contract. A Vendor not
in compliance with this provision shall be disqualified from contract award, unless it is determined in the State's discretion
that the communication was harmless, that it was made without intent to influence and that the best interest of the State
would not be served by the disqualification. A Vendor's proposal may be disqualified if its sub-contractor and supplier
engage in any of the foregoing communications during the time that the procurement is active (i.e., the issuance date of
the procurement to the date of contract award). Only those discussions, communications or transmittals of information
authorized or initiated by the issuing agency for this RFP or general inquiries directed to the purchaser regarding
requirements of the RFP (prior to proposal submission) or the status of the contract award (after submission) are
excepted from this provision.
3.3 PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCESS
The State shall review all Vendor responses to this RFP to confirm that they meet the specifications and requirements
of the RFP.
The State will conduct a One-Step evaluation of Proposals:
Proposals will be received from each responsive Vendor in a sealed envelope or package.
All proposals must be received by the issuing agency not later than the date and time specified on the cover sheet
of this RFP.
At that date and time, the package containing the proposals from each responding firm will be opened publicly and
the name of the Vendor and total cost offered will be announced. Interested parties are cautioned that these costs
and their components are subject to further evaluation for completeness and correctness and therefore may not be
an exact indicator of a Vendor's pricing position.
At their option, the evaluators may request oral presentations or discussion with any or all Vendors for the purpose
of clarification or to amplify the materials presented in any part of the proposal. Vendors are cautioned, however,
that the evaluators are not required to request presentations or other clarification-and often do not. Therefore, all
proposals should be complete and reflect the most favorable terms available from the Vendor.
Proposals will generally be evaluated according to completeness, content, and experience with similar projects,
ability of the Vendor and its staff, and cost. Specific evaluation criteria are listed in 3.4 EVALUATION CRITERIA,
below.
Vendors are cautioned that this is a request for offers, not an offer or request to contract, and the State reserves the
unqualified right to reject any and all offers at any time if such rejection is deemed to be in the best interest of the
State.
The State reserves the right to reject all original offers and request one or more of the Vendors submitting proposals
to submit best and final offers (BAFOs), prepared in collaboration with the State after the initial responses to the
RFP have been evaluated.
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