Active SLED Opportunity · FLORIDA · GAINSE VILLE
AI Summary
City of Gainesville seeks a contractor for year-round grounds maintenance at Evergreen Cemetery, including mowing, pruning, fertilizing, and debris removal. Contract term is two years with possible extensions. Mandatory pre-proposal meeting on April 20, 2026; proposals due May 7, 2026.
Furnish supervision, labor, equipment, and materials to provide year-round landscape maintenance (debris removal, mowing, edging, raking, pruning, fertilizing, and blowing) at Evergreen Cemetery, located at 401 SE 21st Avenue in
Gainesville, Florida.
Gainesville is the largest city and also the county seat of Alachua County. It serves as the cultural, educational and commercial center for the north central Florida region.
The city provides a full range of municipal services, including police and fire protection; comprehensive land use planning and zoning services; code enforcement and neighborhood improvement; streets and drainage construction and maintenance; traffic engineering services; refuse and recycling services through a franchised operator; recreation and parks; cultural and nature services; and necessary administrative services to support these activities. Additionally, the city owns a regional transit system, a municipal airport, a 72-par championship golf course and a utility.
Gainesville is home to Florida's largest and oldest university, and is one of the State’s centers for education, medicine, cultural events and athletics. The University of Florida and UF Health Hospital at UF are the leading employers in Gainesville and provide jobs for many residents of surrounding counties. Known for its preservation of historic buildings and the beauty of its natural surroundings, Gainesville's numerous parks, museums and lakes provide entertainment to thousands of visitors. Because of its beautiful landscape and urban "forest," Gainesville is one of the most attractive cities in Florida.
Prior solicitation bid tab: Collins Lawn Care awardee
Evergreen Cemetery lawn maintenance map
Pre Bid Sign In Sheets
Respondents must submit all inquiries regarding this bid via the City Procurement Portal ("eProcurement Portal") at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/CityofGainesville. Please note the deadline for submitting questions. All answers to questions will be posted in the eProcurement Portal. To receive notifications when answers are posted, respondents should select "Follow" on the bid title. It is the respondent's responsibility to monitor the website for answers to inquiries.
Must provide 3 reachable references from past 2 years (NOT PRCA)
Minimum 5 years' experience in landscape maintenance. Supervisor must have 5 years' supervisory exp in same.
Must own adequate equipment and staffing to do the job correctly and consistently.
Whenever two or more bids which are equal with respect to price, quality and service are received, preference shall be given in the following order: (1) Bidders submitting the attached Drug-Free Workplace form with their bid/proposal certifying they have a drug free workplace in accordance with Section 287.087, Florida Statutes; (2) Bidders located within the CITY of Gainesville, if not subject to the Local Preference Ordinance; (3) Bidders located within Alachua County; (4) Bidders located within the State of Florida; and (5) coin toss.
Furnish supervision, labor, equipment, and materials to provide year-round landscape maintenance (debris removal, mowing, edging, raking, pruning, fertilizing, and blowing) at Evergreen Cemetery, located at 401 SE 21st Avenue in
Gainesville, Florida.
If travel is involved in the execution of an awarded contract, should any air travel be required the City’s travel policy allows for Coach air travel only. All other travel will be billed in accordance with the Federal General Services Administration rates which can be found at: https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates. In addition, long distance phone calls, printing, and other administrative costs may be billed at cost only -no mark-up. Evidence of these expenditures will be submitted when invoicing the City. Travel and administrative costs should be identified in the Price Proposal.
Attendance at the pre-solicitation meeting is strongly recommended as it provides an opportunity to discuss the project's scope of work, procedures, and specifications directly with the Project Manager. This meeting is the only time during the bid process when bidders can ask questions directly.
If special accommodations are required to attend a pre-solicitation meeting or bid opening, please contact the Procurement Representative at least 72 hours in advance.
NOTE: Failure of bidder to attend a mandatory pre-solicitation meeting will result in disqualification of a submitted response.
Furnish supervision, labor, equipment, and materials to provide year-round landscape maintenance (debris removal, mowing, edging, raking, pruning, fertilizing, and blowing) at Evergreen Cemetery, located at 401 SE 21st Avenue in Gainesville, Florida. Consistent communication with Cemetery staff is critical to doing the job well.
This is intended to be a two-year contract with up to three (3) 12-month extensions available, if the awarded Contractor and City wish to continue for that time.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK
Mowing. Mow grass (approximately 56 acres), maintaining a height of approximately 2-1/2 inches. The entire property must be mowed at each interval listed below, depending on the month.
October – November 1st and 3rd weeks of the month
December – February 2nd week of the month only
March – April 1st and 3rd weeks of the month
May – September Every week
All grass areas including right of way in front of Evergreen shall be neatly "trim mowed" around, along, and under all obstructions including fences, shrubbery, hedges, flower beds, posts, poles, sign stanchions, grave markers, curbing and other objects. Trimmed grass shall be no taller than the surrounding mowed turf. Care should also be taken to trim around flat markers so that grass does not encroach and eventually cover the markers. Clippings shall be removed from gravestones, markers, coping, landscaping, irrigation equipment, and from the mowed turf if unsightly or damaging to grass areas.
Equipment. The equipment used by the Contractor must be in good repair and shall be maintained to produce a clean, sharp cut and uniform distribution of the cuttings at all times.
Edging. Mechanically edge grassed area along the public sidewalk on SE 2lst Avenue adjacent to Evergreen Cemetery every two weeks March through October to maintain a neat, trimmed appearance with no vegetation growing over the walk more than four inches. Pay special attention to the area around the flag pole and the Veterans Monument (grass and weeds should NOT cover the bricks!).
Trimming. All "trim mowing" shall be accomplished by string trimmers and shall be done at every mowing visit. Caution shall be taken to not damage trees, shrubbery, or markers.
Maintenance of Shrubs. Prune all shrubbery two times per year in May and September. However, flowering shrubbery shall be pruned after flowering. Shrubbery maintenance includes weeding, trimming, thinning and removal of all volunteer growth, cut back even with ground level. Volunteer growth must be removed prior to the pruning. Pruning shall be done under the supervision of personnel knowledgeable and experienced in horticultural practices. All pruning and trimming shall be done using appropriate horticultural techniques to maintain shrubbery health and "natural" shape.
Raking. Rake entire cemetery grounds removing all fallen leaves and debris in April just prior to fertilizing. Maintain grounds free of any accumulation of fallen leaves and debris.
Debris Removal. Prior to each mowing or fertilizing cycle, remove all debris including, but not limited to, paper, bottles, cans, small branches. City will provide dumpsters for trash collected on cemetery grounds exclusively. Yard debris shall be placed in designated area.
Fertilizing. Fertilize the entire cemetery grounds during April with an appropriate application of l0-l0-l0 slow release fertilizer at a rate of 400 pounds per acre. After fertilizing, blow off all gravestones, markers and coping. This work is to be completed under the general supervision of Cemetery Coordinator or their designee. Contractor must be in compliance with Alachua County’s Code Chapter 78 – Fertilizer Standards and Management Practices (ORD NO 09-06). The plants and turf are to be fertilized in accordance with the standards and limitations provided by Alachua County for fertilization of public property. It is the Contractor’s responsibility to maintain compliance with the ordinance. Documentation must be provided to verify that the ordinance is being followed. Contractor must notify the Cemetery Coordinator and Park Operations Division one week prior to fertilizing and provide required documentation upon completion.
Herbicide Application. Herbicides shall not be used.
Privately Maintained Lots. From time to time Cemetery lot owners notify the Cemetery management of their desire to privately maintain their lot and request the City desist its maintenance. A list of such requests will be provided. The Contractor shall familiarize itself and its personnel with this list and the lots listed and shall not perform any maintenance task on the listed lots without the prior specific direction of the Cemetery Coordinator.
Funeral Services. The Contractor shall take into consideration the location of scheduled funeral services; and will avoid carrying on any operations in close enough proximity to disturb the service. In no case shall contractor carry on an operation closer than 100 yards to the service.
Fence Line. Remove all vegetation growing on or through the fence lines each month and maintain this fence line free of vegetation on the Cemetery side.
Storm Damage. Any large or heavy debris exceeding 4" in diameter and 8’ in length left on the Cemetery site after a storm will be removed by the City. The Contractor will be required to remove light debris, i.e., palm fronds, small branches and trash from the site within 72 hours after a storm.
OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES OF CONTRACTOR
Preservation of Property. The Contractor shall preserve from damage all property associated with, in the vicinity of, or affected by the Work, and shall exercise due care and caution during all operations to avoid damage to public or private property. In the event damage does occur as a result of the Contractor's operations, such damage shall be reported immediately to the Cemetery Coordinator and repaired or replaced by the Contractor at the Contractor's expense. The Contractor is responsible for all damages to property affected by the Work under this Contract. Repairs and/or replacements shall be affected in timely fashion pursuant to the Cemetery management's direction.
Irrigation damaged by the Contractor's operations shall be replaced by the Contractor at the Contractor's expense with same or approved equal as determined by the Cemetery Coordinator prior to the end of the work week.
The Contractor shall exercise due care and caution during his/her operations to avoid damage to grave markers, trees and other growth and irrigation equipment. In the event damage does occur as a result of the Contractor's operations, repair of and/or liability for such damage shall be the responsibility of the Contractor. Damage includes hitting, scarring and moving grave markers, coping, benches, etc.
All grounds maintenance work shall be performed under the supervision of a general foreman. After inspection of work, the foreman is expected to notify cemetery staff of the completion of each week’s work and the projected work schedules for the following week. The City's contact person for work under this contract is the Cemetery Coordinator at 352-393-8535.
The Contractor shall be aware that a high level of care and sensitivity is required at all times work is being performed; and shall at all times enforce strict discipline and good order among employees and shall not employ on the work any unfit person or anyone not skilled in the task assigned. All employees will be required to wear shirts at all times with the company logo clearly marked for identification purposes. All employees shall keep equipment, i.e., gas cans, trimmers, clothing, etc., in a neat and orderly manner. The Contractor shall be responsible to the City of Gainesville for the acts and omissions of all its employees.
Contractor must notify the Cemetery Coordinator at 352-393-8535 one week prior to performing work.
The Contractor shall be responsible for invoicing the City on completion of services on a monthly basis. The invoice must include breakdown of services performed and the day(s) they were completed. If this service record is not included, payment for services will be delayed until documentation is submitted.
Payment may be withheld by the City for failure by the Contractor to comply with these specifications or unsatisfactory performance of work as determined by the City's inspection. The City shall notify the Contractor of any failure to comply or unsatisfactory performance at the time observed so that it can be corrected without delaying payment if possible.
Whenever two or more bids which are equal with respect to price, quality and service are received, preference shall be given in the following order: (1) Bidders submitting the attached Drug-Free Workplace form with their bid/proposal certifying they have a drug free workplace in accordance with Section 287.087, Florida Statutes; and (2) coin toss.
An Intent to Award, if any, shall be made to the Respondent(s) whose proposal(s) shall be deemed by the CITY to be in the best interest of the CITY. The decision of the CITY of whether to make the award(s) and which proposal is in the best interest of the CITY shall be final.
In bidding of, or letting contracts for procurement of, supplies, materials, equipment and services, as described in the purchasing policies, the City Commission, or other purchasing authority, may give a preference to local businesses in making such purchase or awarding such contract in an amount not to exceed five percent of the local business' total bid price, and in any event the cost differential should not exceed $25,000.00. Total bid price shall include not only the base bid price but also all alterations to that base bid price resulting from alternates which were both part of the bid and actually purchased and awarded by the City Commission or other authority. In the case of requests for proposals, letter of interest, best evaluated bids, qualifications or other solicitations and competitive negotiation and selection in which objective factors are used to evaluate the responses. Local Businesses are assigned five (5) percent of the total points of the total evaluation points.
Local business means the vendor has a valid business tax receipt, issued by the City of Gainesville at least six months prior to bid or proposal opening date, to do business in said locality that authorizes the business to provide the goods, services, or construction to be purchased, and a physical business address located within the limits of said locality, in an area zoned for the conduct of such business, from which the vendor operates or performs business on a day-to-day basis. Post office boxes are not verifiable and shall not be used for the purpose of establishing said physical address. In order to be eligible for local preference, in the Bid or RFQ evaluation, the vendor must provide a copy of the business tax receipt and Zoning Compliance Permit. For more information on City’s Local Preference Policy: Municipal Code Article X Local Preference Policy.
Gainesville is the largest city and also the county seat of Alachua County. It serves as the cultural, educational and commercial center for the north central Florida region.
The city provides a full range of municipal services, including police and fire protection; comprehensive land use planning and zoning services; code enforcement and neighborhood improvement; streets and drainage construction and maintenance; traffic engineering services; refuse and recycling services through a franchised operator; recreation and parks; cultural and nature services; and necessary administrative services to support these activities. Additionally, the city owns a regional transit system, a municipal airport, a 72-par championship golf course and a utility.
Gainesville is home to Florida's largest and oldest university, and is one of the State’s centers for education, medicine, cultural events and athletics. The University of Florida and UF Health Hospital at UF are the leading employers in Gainesville and provide jobs for many residents of surrounding counties. Known for its preservation of historic buildings and the beauty of its natural surroundings, Gainesville's numerous parks, museums and lakes provide entertainment to thousands of visitors. Because of its beautiful landscape and urban "forest," Gainesville is one of the most attractive cities in Florida.
The Contract entered into will designate the successful Respondent as the CITY’s Contractor. The successful Respondent will be required to execute an agreement with the CITY in substantially the same format as found in the DRAFT.
To ensure fair consideration, consistent and accurate dissemination of information for all respondents, the CITY prohibits communication to or with any department, employee, or agent evaluating or considering proposals during the submission process, except as authorized by the Procurement Division representative. Additionally, the CITY prohibits communication initiated by a respondent to any CITY official or employee evaluating or considering the proposals (up to and including the City Commissioners) before the time an award decision has been made. Any communication between proposer and the CITY required to obtain information or clarification for preparing a bid or to enable a proper, accurate evaluation of a proposal will be handled solely through the Procurement Division staff. Any communications initiated between the respondent and the CITY outside these parameters may be grounds for disqualifying the offending respondent from consideration for award of the proposal and/or any future proposal.
Lobbying means when any natural person, for compensation, seeks to influence the governmental decision-making, to encourage the passage, defeat or modification of any proposal, recommendation or decision by the CITY officials and employees, except as authorized by procurement documents.
Wendy Byrne
Procurement Specialist 3
byrnewm@cityofgainesville.org
Respondents shall submit all inquiries regarding this bid via the City of Gainesville Procurement Portal, located at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/cityofgainesville
Please note the deadline for submitting inquiries. All answers to inquiries will be posted via Addendum on the City of Gainesville Procurement Portal. Respondents shall click “Follow” on this bid to receive an email notification when Addenda are posted. It is the responsibility of the respondent to check the website for answers to inquiries.
Small or Service-Disabled Veteran’s Business Enterprise Definition: A Small Business or a Service-Disabled Veteran’s Business, which is duly licensed and authorized to engage in business and maintains a permanent principal place of operation with full time personnel within Alachua, Bradford, Columbia, Gilchrist, Levy, Putnam, or Union County and possess a current City business tax receipt as required, and is so certified by the Small and Service-Disabled Veteran’s Business Program Coordinator.
It is the policy of the City of Gainesville that small and service-disabled veteran businesses as defined in the Small and Service-Disabled Veteran Business Program, have the maximum practical opportunity to participate in contracting opportunities provided by the City. In keeping with this policy, each bidder is asked to state whether it will utilize small and service-disabled veteran businesses that are eligible for assistance to perform work on the project(s) being advertised.
For bidders not yet certified by the City, a small and service-disabled veteran application may be accessed via the Diversity Business Management System website. To be considered as a certified small and/or service-disabled veteran business, a bidder must have a current certificate at the time of the solicitation submittal due date. For more information on certified small and service-disabled veteran businesses, please visit the Office of Equity and Inclusion website.
During the Cone of Silence, except as pursuant to an authorized appeal, no person may lobby on behalf of a competing party in a particular procurement process, no person may lobby CITY officials or employees except the Procurement Division designated staff. Violation of this provision shall result in disqualification of the party on whose behalf the lobbying occurred.
The Cone of Silence is the period between the issue date of the solicitation and the time the CITY Officials and Employees award the contract.
| Release Project Date: | April 2, 2026 |
| Pre-Proposal Meeting (Mandatory): | April 20, 2026, 9:30am Evergreen Cemetery, 401 SE 21st Avenue, Gainesville, FL |
| Question Submission Deadline: | April 27, 2026, 3:00pm |
| Response Submission Deadline: | May 7, 2026, 3:00pm |
Participants in this solicitation may protest the solicitation specifications or award in accordance with Section 5. Bid Protests of the PRO-01 Procurement Administrative Guidelines.
Living Wage requirements, Ordinance 020663, as amended in Ordinance 030168, and in Ordinance 180999, and as shown on the City’s web page, applies to contracts solicited by the City after midnight on March 31, 2021.
Section 2-619. – Living Wage Requirements.
The City’s current adjusted Living Wage Rates (Wage with Health Benefits OR Wage without Health Benefits) are available here. The living wage for this contract will increase annually on the anniversary date of the contract at the City’s prevailing living wage rate, which is updated October 1 each year.
The Proposer agrees that any applicable Federal, State and Local sales and use taxes, which are to be paid by City of Gainesville, are included in the stated bid prices. Since the City of Gainesville is often exempt from taxes for equipment, materials and services, it is the responsibility of the Contractor to determine whether sales taxes are applicable. The Contractor is liable for any applicable taxes which are not included in the stated bid prices.
The CITY may, at its sole and absolute discretion, reject any and all, or parts of any and all, proposals; re-advertise this ITB; postpone or cancel, at any time, this ITB process; or waive any irregularities in this ITB or in the proposals received as a result of this RFP. See Section B. The Bid Process, 9. viii. of the PRO-01 Procurement Administrative Guidelines.
As a part of the proposal evaluation process, the CITY reserves the right to conduct a background investigation of bidder, including a record check by the Gainesville Police Department if the qualifications require it. Bidder’s submission of a proposal constitutes acknowledgment of the process and consent to such investigation.
No contract will be awarded to any respondent who is in arrears to the CITY for any debt, fee, tax, or contract, or who is a defaulter as surety or in any other capacity, upon any obligation to the City. Additionally, any respondent determined to be not responsible by the CITY pursuant to Pro-01 Procurement Administrative Guidelines, C.2.ii., will not be awarded a contract.
Respondent must demonstrate that it is responsible as defined in the City of Gainesville’s Pro-01 Procurement Administrative Guidelines, C.2.ii., as may be amended.
These criteria assess the respondent's capability to perform.
A. The ability of the bidder to successfully carry out a proposed contract.
B. Past performance (including reference check), experience, business and financial capabilities, skills, technical organization, legal eligibility and reliability.
If it is determined that the respondent is not responsible, the CITY may notify respondent of its finding, including evidence used, and allow respondent the opportunity to come into compliance within three (3) business days of notification.
If selected, respondent must either update or complete CITY’s vendor application, pay business tax (if applicable), and register with the State of Florida (if required by law).
All expenses involved with the preparation and submission of proposals to the City, or any work performed in connection therewith shall be borne by the proposer(s). No payment will be made for any responses received, nor for any other effort required of or made by the proposer(s) prior to commencement of work as defined by a contract approved by the City Commission (if so required).
Contract Term: October 1, 2026 through September 30, : 2028 with the possibility of up to three 12-month extensions
A responsive proposal is one which follows the requirements of the solicitation, includes all required documentation, is submitted in the format outlined in the solicitation, is of timely submission through the eProcurement Portal, and has the appropriate signatures as required on each document. Failure to comply with these requirements may deem the proposal non-responsive (Pro-01 Procurement Administrative Guidelines , C.2.i.)
Each proposal shall be reviewed to determine if the proposal is responsive to the submission requirements outlined in the solicitation.
The bidder shall comply with all laws, ordinances and regulations applicable to the services contemplated herein, including those applicable to conflict of interest and collusion. Bidders are presumed to be familiar with all Federal, State and local laws, ordinances, codes and regulations that may in any way affect the services offered.
Contractor shall maintain records sufficient to document their completion of the scope of services established by this Contract. These records shall be subject at all reasonable time to review, inspect, copy and audit by persons duly authorized by the City. These records shall be kept for a minimum of three (3) years after completion of the Contract. Records which relate to any litigation, appeals or settlements of claims arising from performance under this Order shall be made available until a final disposition has been made of such litigation, appeals, or claims.
Section 287.133 (2)(a), Florida Statutes, contains the following provisions: “A person or affiliate who has been placed on the convicted vendor list following a conviction for public entity crime may not submit a bid on a contract to provide any goods or services to a public entity, may not submit a bid on a contract with a public entity for the construction or repair of a public building or public work, may not submit bids on leases of real property to a public entity, may not be awarded or perform work as a contractor, supplier, subcontractor, or consultant under a contract with any public entity, and may not transact business with any public entity, in excess of the threshold amount provided in Section 287.017, for CATEGORY TWO for a period of 36 months from the date of being placed on the convicted vendor list.
By submitting this proposal, bidder agrees that it:
As a condition of entering into this agreement, the company represents and warrants that it will comply with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and all other federal, state or local laws prohibiting discrimination. The company shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, age, disability or gender identity, or other unlawful forms of discrimination in the solicitation, selection, hiring, commercial treatment of subcontractors, vendors, suppliers or commercial customers, nor shall the company retaliate against any person for reporting instances of such discrimination.
The City reserves the right to investigate any claims of illegal discrimination by the Contractor and in the event a finding of discrimination is made and upon written notification thereof, the Contractor shall take all necessary steps to cure and rectify such action to the reasonable satisfaction of the City. The company understands and agrees that a violation of this clause shall be considered a material breach of this agreement and may result in termination of this agreement, disqualification of the company from participating in City contracts, or other sanctions. This clause is not enforceable by or for the benefit of, and creates no obligation to, any third party.
For more information on this policy and requirement, please visit the Office of Equity and Inclusion.
In accordance with Section 287.05701(2)(a), F.S. (2023), the City may not request documentation of or consider a vendor's social, political, or ideological interests when determining if the vendor is a responsible vendor, and may not give preference to a vendor based on the vendor's social, political, or ideological interests.
The City is unable to send ACH payments to international banks. Therefore, ACH payments will only be made to U.S.A. banks. Additionally, the international company must be from a country that has a tax treaty with the U.S.A. International proposers must agree to these requirements and provide proof of same should they receive an award recommendation.
The bid response, containing all required documents, with authorized signatures, must be submitted in OpenGov by 3:00 p.m. on the due date indicated on the Solicitation Cover Page. OpenGov will reject late proposals, and the City will not accept proposals submitted in any other manner that through OpenGov.
Both the response and the price proposal, if required to be submitted as a separate document, must be signed by an officer of the business who is legally authorized to enter into a contractual relationship in the name of the bidder. An authorized representative who is not an officer may sign the proposal, but must attach a corporate resolution granting authorization to the representative to execute on behalf of the business.
The submittal of a response by a respondent will be considered by the City as constituting an offer by the respondent to perform the required services at the stated fees.
All questions about the meaning or intent of this Solicitation are to be directed to the Procurement Representative via the CITY's eProcurement Portal, https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/cityofgainesville, unless stated otherwise. Interpretations or clarifications considered necessary in response to such questions will be issued by Addenda posted on the City’s eProcurement Portal.
Respondents must create an account on the City’s eProcurement Portal to receive notifications. Registered Respondents will be notified of all Addenda posted in the City’s eProcurement Portal.
Only questions answered by formal written Addenda will be binding.
Pursuant to section 787.06(13), Fla. Stat., when this contract is executed, renewed, or extended the Contractor and any subcontractors must provide the CITY with an affidavit, signed by an officer or a representative of the Contractor and any subcontractors under penalty of perjury, attesting that the Contractor and subcontractor does not use coercion of labor or services as those terms are defined in this section.
The City has the right to use any or all information presented in any response to this solicitation, whether amended or not, except as prohibited by law. Selection or rejection of the submittal does not affect this right.
Respondents may take exception to any of the terms of this Solicitation unless otherwise stated. Should a respondent take exception where none is permitted, the proposal will be rejected as non-responsive. All exceptions taken must be specific to allow the City a meaningful opportunity to evaluate and rank proposals.
Where exceptions are permitted, the City shall determine the acceptability of the proposed exceptions. The proposals will be evaluated based on the proposals as submitted. The CITY retains the right to accept or reject the exceptions. Where exceptions are rejected, the CITY may request that the respondent furnish the services or goods described herein, or negotiate an acceptable alternative.
Modifications to or withdrawal of a respondent’s submittal can be made until the Response Submission Deadline (See Section 1.4 – Deadline). Modifications or withdrawals must be documented in the City eProcurement Portal https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/cityofgainesville prior to the Response Submission Deadline (See Section 1.4 – Deadline) in order to be recognized by the CITY. Any bid not withdrawn will constitute an irrevocable offer, for a period of one hundred twenty (120) days, to provide the CITY adequate time to award the Contract for the services specified in this solicitation.
Only one (1) response from any individual, firm, corporation, organization or agency under the same or different name will be considered as a response to this Solicitation. Multiple responses from any individual, firm, corporation, organization or agency under the same or different name may result in rejection of all responses from the Respondent.
Florida’s Public Records Law, Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, includes numerous exemptions to the general requirement to disclose information to the public in response to a public record’s request. Exemptions are found in various provisions of the Florida Statutes, including but not limited to Section 119.071, Florida Statutes (General exemptions from inspection or copying of public records), and Section 119.0713, Florida Statutes (Local government agency exemptions from inspection or copying of public records). Section 815.045, Florida Statutes (Trade secret information), provides that trade secret information as defined in Section 812.081, Florida Statutes (Trade secrets; theft, embezzlement; unlawful copying; definitions; penalty) is confidential and exempt from disclosure because it is a felony to disclose such records. The Parties understand and agree that Florida’s Public Records Law is very broad and that documents claimed by a Party to be confidential and exempt from public disclosure pursuant to the Public Records Law may in fact not be deemed such by a court of law. Accordingly, the following provisions shall apply:
A. Identifying Trade Secret or Otherwise Confidential and Exempt Information.
For any records or portions thereof that respondent claims to be Trade Secret or otherwise confidential and exempt from public disclosure under the Public Records Law, respondent shall:
B. Request for Trade Secret or Otherwise Confidential and Exempt Information.
C. How to Designate Trade Secret or Otherwise Confidential and Exempt Information
If a respondent believes that its reply contains Trade Secret or otherwise confidential and exempt information (as defined by Florida or Federal law) and should be withheld from disclosure to the public, in such cases the respondent must provide a redacted copy of the proposal for public access.
D. How the City will Handle Material Identified as Trade Secret or Otherwise Confidential and Exempt Information
All public records submitted to the City, including those claimed as confidential and/or exempt, will be retained by the City and will not be returned to a respondent at the conclusion of the bidding process.
Participants may protest the Specifications of the solicitation in accordance with Section C.5.i. of the Pro-01 Procurement Administrative Guidelines
Participants may protest the Solicitation Award in accordance with Section C.5.i. of the Pro-01 Procurement Administrative Guidelines
The City may, at its sole and absolute discretion, reject any and all, or parts of any and all, proposals; re-advertise this solicitation; postpone or cancel, at any time, this solicitation process; or waive any irregularities in this solicitation or in the proposals received as a result of this solicitation.
DOWNLOAD THE BELOW DOCUMENT, COMPLETE AND UPLOAD HERE.
I hereby propose to provide the goods/services requested in this Solicitation. I agree to hold pricing for at least 120 calendar days from the Solicitation due date. I agree that CITY’s terms and conditions herein take precedence over any conflicting terms and conditions submitted for CITY’s consideration, and agree to abide by all conditions of this Solicitation.
I certify that all information contained in this Response is truthful to the best of my knowledge and belief. I further certify that I am duly authorized to execute and submit this Response on behalf of the organization as its agent and that the organization is ready, willing and able to perform if awarded.
To claim "Local Preference" a bidder must have a valid occupational license (business permit) issued by the City of Gainesville, Florida at least six months prior to bid or proposal opening date and have a physical business address located within the corporate limits of the City of Gainesville, Florida.
Download the BID FORM from the Attachments tab, complete and upload your company's proposal for this solicitation here.
DOWNLOAD THE BELOW DOCUMENT, COMPLETE AND UPLOAD HERE.
Whenever two or more bids which are equal with respect to price, quality, and service are received in accordance with Section 287.087, Florida Statutes, preference shall be given to respondents that certify that they have a drug-free workplace.
Please download the below documents, complete, notarize and upload.
If you are not bidding, please complete and return the attached form so that we may learn from your comments to improve our solicitations.
Q (Previous Contract): Can you provide the previous bid tabulation with the winning bidder highlighted or announced?
A: Please see Addendum #1
Q (No subject): Previous bid tab please.
A: Please see Addendum #1
Q (Map): Could a map outlining the required maintenance area be provided?
A: Please see Addendum #2
Q ( Incumbent): Has there been any changes to the scope from the last? Did the previous incumbent complete the project term? Is this solicitation the same length of time? If previous incumbents exist, when is the contract set to end?
A: Current contract is in place until Sept. 31, 2026; we expect current contractor to fulfill the contract. This new contract will begin on Oct. 1, 2026. It’s a two year contract with the possibility of up to three 12-month extensions, which is the same as our last solicitation.
Q (Budget): Is there a set budget for this solicitation?
A: No set budget
Q (Projected start): Is there a projected award and start date?
A: The start date of the contract is Oct. 1. The award date will be at least a month prior, hopefully much sooner.
Q (Winning Bid): Which company was awarded the contract at the last bid?
A: Collins Lawn Care
Q (Budget): What is the budget for this project?
A: No set budget
Q (Fertilization Credentials): May the contractor use a subcontractor for the fertilization?
A: Yes but they need to inform the Cemetery Coordinator in advance and the sub will need to submit a certificate of insurance meeting the same requirements as the awarded contractor.
Q (Irrigation): Under preservation of propety, damage to irrigation is mentioned. The scope of work does NOT mention irrigation as part of the scope of work?
A: Irrigation is NOT part of the scope of work, however if the irrigation equipment is damaged, you will be responsible for repairs.
Q (Week End Work?): Will weekend work be permitted for this solicitation?
A: Yes
Q (Privately Maintained Lots): Approximately how many lots are privately maintained?
A: 6 -8 lots
Q (Sub-Contracting Allowed): Will sub-contracting be allowed for this solicitation?
A: No sub-contractors allowed except for fertilizing. The awarded contractor needs to inform the Cemetery Coordinator in advance and the sub will need to submit a certificate of insurance meeting the same requirements as the awarded contractor.
SLED stands for State, Local, and Education. These are solicitations issued by state governments, counties, cities, school districts, utilities, and higher education institutions — as opposed to federal agencies.
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