Line Clearing and Tree Trimming

Agency:	City of Escanaba
State:	Michigan
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	F - Natural Resources and Conservation Services S - Utilities and Training Services
Posted:	Dec 7, 2023
Due:	Jan 3, 2024
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

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12/7/2023

INVITATION TO BID

Request for Proposal – Line Clearing and Tree Trimming Services

Sealed bids will be received by the City of Escanaba at the office of the City Clerk, on or

before 2:00 p.m. - local time - on January 3, 2024. The bids will be publicly opened and

read in the City Clerk’s Office at said time and date.

Bidder’s proposals and/or specifications may be obtained from the office of the City

Clerk, located at 410 Ludington Street, Escanaba, Michigan 49829. No bid will be

considered unless the proposal is enclosed in a sealed envelope marked:

Request for Proposal – Line Clearing and Tree Trimming

In addition, the City of Escanaba, Michigan, will not consider any proposal which has not

been received prior to the published time, date, and year of bid opening. FAX

transmittals will not be accepted.

The City of Escanaba, Michigan, reserves the right to reject any or all bids, or any part

thereof, at its discretion and to waive any irregularities in the bidding. The City of

Escanaba, Michigan, may also split bids at its discretion. The City further reserves the

right to negotiate directly with any and all bidders concerning any matter related to any

bid.

All City of Escanaba, Michigan, bids are prepared so as to afford all vendors the equal

opportunity for fair and equitable competition. The City of Escanaba, Michigan,

assumes no liability or responsibility for any errors or oversights in the preparation

and/or publication of bids.

Any questions concerning this bid should be directed to the City of Escanaba Electric

Utility Director, Gerald Pirkola at (906) 786-0061 or gpirkola@escanaba.org.

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Instructions to Bidders

1. Scope of the Bid

1.1 The City of Escanaba, Michigan invites bids for Line Clearing and Tree Trimming Services hereto

referred as “Work”. The Work is specified in greater detail later in this document.

2. Eligible Bidders

2.1 This Invitation for Bids is open to both local and national (United States of America) bidders.

2.2 All City of Escanaba, Michigan bids are prepared to afford all vendors the equal opportunity for

fair and equitable competition.

2.3 Bidders must submit, as an integral part of their Official Bid, any and all applicable required

documents or forms contained within the bid request.

2.4 The City of Escanaba, Michigan reserves the right to ask the Bidders to submit additional

documents to enable The City of Escanaba, Michigan to fully evaluate the eligibility of the bidder.

3. Corrupt, Fraudulent, Collusive, and Coercive Practices

3.1 The City of Escanaba, Michigan requires that all bidders, manufacturers, contractors, or

distributors observe the highest standard of ethics during procurement and execution of all

contracts. The City of Escanaba, Michigan shall reject any Bids put forward by Bidders or, where

applicable, terminate their contract if it is determined that they have engaged in corrupt,

fraudulent, collusive, or coercive practices. In pursuance of this document, the City of Escanaba,

Michigan, defines, for the purposes of this provision, the terms set forth below as follows:

a. “corrupt practice” means the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting directly or indirectly any

thing of value to influence the action of the Procuring/Contracting Entity in the procurement

process or in contract execution;

b. “fraudulent practice” is any acts or omission, including a misrepresentation, that knowingly

or recklessly misleads, or attempts to mislead, the Procuring/Contracting Entity in the

procurement process or the execution of a contract, to obtain a financial gain or other

benefit to avoid obligation;

c. “collusive practice” is an undisclosed arrangement between two or more Bidders designed

to artificially alter the results of the tender procedure to obtain a financial gain or benefit;

d. “coercive practice” is impairing or harming, or threatening to impair or harm, directly or

indirectly, any participant in the tender process to influence improperly its activities in a

procurement process, or after the execution of a contract.

3.2 The City of Escanaba, Michigan will reject a proposal for award if it determines that the Bidder

recommended for award has engaged in corrupt, fraudulent, collusive, or coercive practices in

competing for the contract in question.

4. Content of the Bidding Document

4.1 The following documents shall comprise the Official Bidding Documents (hereinafter referred to

as the “Documents”)

a. Invitation to Bid

b. Instructions to Bidders

c. Work Specifications

d. Technical Specifications

e. Bid Form & Official Bid Template

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4.2 Bidders are expected to fully read and examine the contents of all the documents comprising the

Official Bidding Documents and must fully comply with all the requirements set forth in the

Documents. The City of Escanaba, Michigan reserves the right to reject any or all bids that do not

comply with any provision in the “Documents”.

5. Clarification of the Bidding Documents

5.1 All clarification regarding any provision/item in the bidding document should be sent by e-mail to

cityelectric@escanaba.org. The City of Escanaba, Michigan will respond by e-mail or phone to

requests for clarification received not later than 2 days before the deadline of the submission to

bids. The City of Escanaba, Michigan may circulate to all bidders, the questions/clarification

request and its answers. Additionally, Bidders should include contact email addresses in the

event that the City of Escanaba wishes to release additional details to clarify the Bidding

Documents further.

6. Amendments to the Bidding Documents

6.1 At any time prior to the deadline for submission of bids, the City of Escanaba, Michigan, for any

reason, whether at its own initiative or in response to a clarification requested by a prospective

Bidder, may modify the bidding documents by amendment.

6.2 All prospective bidders that have received the bidding documents will be notified of the

amendment in writing and will be binding to them.

6.3 In order to allow prospective bidders reasonable time in which to take the amendment into

account in preparing their bids, the City of Escanaba, Michigan, at its discretion, may extend the

deadline for the submission of bids.

7. Cost of the Bidding

7.1 Bidders shall bear all costs associated with the preparation and submission of their bid. The City

of Escanaba, Michigan shall not bear any responsibility and shall not be held liable for any cost

the Bidders may incur while preparing their bid, regardless of the final outcome of the bidding

process.

8. Period of Validity of the Bids

8.1 Bids shall remain valid for a period of at least 30 days from the date of bid opening prescribed in

this document. The City of Escanaba, Michigan reserves the right to reject any or all bids that do

not comply with this requirement.

8.2 In exceptional circumstances, prior to expiry of the bid validity, the City of Escanaba, Michigan

may request that the bidders extend the period of validity for a specified additional period of 15

days. The request and the bidders’ responses shall be made via e-mail or in writing.

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9. Submission of the Bids & Use of Official Bid Template

9.1 Bidders shall be provided with a hard copy of the Official Bid Template of this project.

Additionally, a soft copy will be made available on the City of Escanaba website,

www.escanaba.org. Bidders should use the Official Bid Template when preparing their bids in

order to avoid errors or miscalculations.

9.2 Bidders should submit their official bids using the official bid template, and must be signed by

their authorized representative or stamped by the company’s official seal. Additional submission

information shall be included as an attachment to the Documents.

10. Clarification of the Bids

10.1 During the evaluation of the bids, the City of Escanaba, Michigan may, at its discretion, ask the

Bidder for a clarification of its bid. The request for clarification and the response shall be in

writing or e-mail.

10.2 Any effort by a bidder to influence the City of Escanaba, Michigan in its decisions on bid

evaluation, bid comparison, or contract award may result in the rejection of the Bidder’s bid.

11. Bids Evaluation

11.1 The City of Escanaba, Michigan shall conduct a technical evaluation of the bids received.

11.2 Bids shall be evaluated using the following factors:

• Prices offered

• Schedule

• Payment Terms

• Technical Compliance of the Work

• Verification that the contractor meets the Safety Requirements to perform

utility line clearance tree trimming

11.3 The City of Escanaba, Michigan reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, and to annul

the bidding process any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to

the affected bidders or any obligation to inform the affected bidders of the grounds for the City

of Escanaba, Michigan’s action.

12. Notification of Award and Performance Guarantee

12.1 The City of Escanaba, Michigan shall contact winning Bidder via phone and e-mail which will

serve as the confirmation for the Bidder to start working on fulfilling his contractual obligation

under the agreement.

12.2 The winning Bidder may be required to provide the City of Escanaba, Michigan a performance

security/bond. The details of any bond are included with the Documents of the Bid. The City of

Escanaba, Michigan reserves the right to reject the Bid in the case that the Bidder fails to submit

the required performance security/bond.

13. Purchaser’s Right to Alter the Quantity of the Requirement

13.1 The City of Escanaba, Michigan reserves the right at any time of the time of contract award, to

increase or decrease the quantity of materials in the bid.

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Work Specifications

The purpose of these specifications is to provide requirements for the trimming and removal of

trees and brush in close proximity to energized distribution power lines owned by the City of

Escanaba, located on both public right-of-way and private property. All work performed by the

Contractor is subject to inspection and approval by the City of Escanaba Electric Department.

The contractor will be responsible for all damages to private property.

We are requesting hourly rates for this bid. These prices are to be all-inclusive and include

supervisory costs. Further detail pertaining to the Contractor’s responsibilities and scope of

Work are contained in the Technical Specifications section and attached appendices.

Safety Requirements

The Contractor shall comply with all pertinent federal, state, and local laws, rules, and

regulations regarding work performed for the City of Escanaba. All lifts and other equipment

used near energized lines must have passed a dielectric test within the previous 12 months of

work being performed. All tools used near energized lines must be insulated. The Contractor’s

employees must be certified, qualified, and trained to perform Utility Line Clearance Tree

Trimming. The City of Escanaba may ask for proof of recent dielectric tests and employee

certifications.

The Contractor must notify the City of Escanaba Electric Department immediately of any and all

contacts with primary conductors so that the Utility can inspect for any damage that could

potentially lead to problems in the future.

Technical Specifications

The Work shall include furnishing of all labor, materials, and construction equipment necessary

for the following details unless otherwise noted.

In general, the Contractor is to trim or remove (if possible) only tall growing tree species, unless

otherwise specified in the defined areas. Shrubs and low growing trees or dwarf tree species

should not be cut. Most fruit trees, mountain ash, etc., are examples of tree species that are

exempt from cutting. Viburnum, sumac, dogwood, autumn olive, thorn apple, etc., are

examples of shrubs which should not be cut.

All tall growing trees and brush shall be cut or trimmed to give a ten (10) foot minimum

clearance from all primary wires on three phase, two phase, and single phase circuits, 20’ above

primary circuits, and a 7’ minimum clearance from secondary wires. Trimming shall eliminate

any growth that is capable of hanging down and contacting the primary conductor for several

years’ growth. The stumps of all trees cut down shall be cut flush with the surrounding ground.

For some defined areas, increased minimum clearances may be defined.

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Title	Bid/RFP Closing Date	Bid/RF Status	Files	View
Line Clearing and Tree Trimming	01/03/2024 - 2:00pm	Open - accepting bids and proposals	Line Clearing and Tree Trimming	View Details

Line Clearing and Tree Trimming

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