SLED Opportunity · FLORIDA · GAINSE VILLE

    Tree Debris Removal

    Issued by Gainse Ville
    cityRFPGainse VilleSol. 240156
    Closed
    STATUS
    Closed
    due Apr 22, 2026
    PUBLISHED
    Mar 20, 2026
    Posting date
    JURISDICTION
    Gainse Ville
    city
    NAICS CODE
    562219
    AI-classified industry

    AI Summary

    City of Gainesville seeks contractor for tree debris removal including loading, hauling, and disposal from Public Works yard. Requires grapple trucks and approved dumpsite. Contract term one year with extensions. Submission deadline April 22, 2026.

    Opportunity details

    Solicitation No.
    240156
    Type / RFx
    RFP
    Status
    open
    Level
    city
    Published Date
    March 20, 2026
    Due Date
    April 22, 2026
    NAICS Code
    562219AI guide
    Jurisdiction
    Gainse Ville
    State
    Florida
    Agency
    Gainse Ville

    Description

    The City of Gainesville Public Works Department, Operations Division, requests a supplier to provide tree debris removal from 6033 NW 16th Street Gainesville Florida, 32653 on an as needed basis.

     

    Awarded contractor shall be responsible for loading, hauling and disposing of the tree debris located at the City of Gainesville’s Public Works material storage yard. This will include all tree debris in the material storage yard, examples of debris to be removed are; brush, logs of all sizes, and stumps.

    Background

    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.

     

    Project Details

    • Reference ID: PWDA-260031-SM
    • Department: GG_Public Works: Urban Forestry Program
    • Department Head: David Conser (City Arborist)

    Important Dates

    • Questions Due: 2026-04-14T03:59:00.000Z

    Addenda

    • Addendum #1 (released 2026-04-21T12:23:50.357Z) —

      Addendum NO. 1

      The Proposal due date has been extended from Wednesday April 22, 2026 to Wednesday April 29, 2026 at 3:00PM..

    • Addendum #2 (released 2026-04-22T18:39:44.448Z) —

      Addendum 2

    Evaluation Criteria

    • MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
      • Contractor must own at least three grapple trucks with the ability to haul large tree debris with a body size of at least 20 cubic yards in size.
      • Contractor must have an approved dumpsite for tree debris within the City of Gainesville Florida city limits.
    •  DISTRIBUTION OF INFORMATION

      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.

       

    • TIE BIDS

      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.

    • REIMBURSABLES

      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.

       

    • CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS

      The CITY may award the initial contract on the basis of initial offers received from respondent, without discussions.  A draft contract is attached.  Therefore, each initial offer should contain the Respondent’s best terms from a cost or price and technical standpoint and any changes to the draft contract. 

       

      The CITY reserves the right to enter into contract negotiations with the selected Respondent regarding the terms and conditions of the draft contract and technical terms.  Price is non-negotiable.  If the CITY and the selected Respondent cannot negotiate a successful contract, the CITY may terminate said negotiations and begin negotiations with the next selected Respondent.  This process will continue until a contract has been executed or all Respondents have been exhausted.  No Respondent shall have any rights against the CITY arising from such negotiations.

       

    • Summary

      The City of Gainesville Public Works Department, Operations Division, requests a supplier to provide tree debris removal from 6033 NW 16th Street Gainesville Florida, 32653 on an as needed basis.

       

      Awarded contractor shall be responsible for loading, hauling and disposing of the tree debris located at the City of Gainesville’s Public Works material storage yard. This will include all tree debris in the material storage yard, examples of debris to be removed are; brush, logs of all sizes, and stumps.

    • DEFINITION OF TERMS
      1. Addendum/Addenda: Written or graphic document(s) issued prior to the Response due date, which make additions, deletions, or revisions to the solicitation or contract documents.
      2. Agreement: A written Contract between two or more Parties. “Contract” and “Agreement” are synonymous.
      3. Bid: The written response to a Solicitation.
      4. CITY: City of Gainesville
      5. Cone of Silence:  The period between the issue date of the solicitation and the time CITY Officials and Employees award the contract.
      6. Due Date: The date the response is due.
      7. Lobbying:  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 CITY officials and employees, except as authorized by procurement documents.
      8. Non–Responsive: A response that does not meet the material requirements of the solicitation.
      9. Redacted: means that the confidential/proprietary information in the proposal has been obscured so that it cannot be read.
      10. Respondent: An individual or business entity that submits a response to a Solicitation.
      11. Response: A written document submitted by a Respondent in reply to Solicitation.
      12. Responsive: A response that conforms in all material respects to the requirements set forth in the Solicitation.
      13. Solicitation: A written document issued by an agency to obtain information or pricing for goods and/or services. May also be referred to as an Invitation to Bid (ITB), Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Quotation Quote), Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) or Request for Statement of Qualifications (RFSQ).
      14. Work: Activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result requested in the scope.
      15. Unredacted: means that the entire document, including the confidential/proprietary information, has not be obscured and is visible for the evaluation team to use in their evaluation process.
    • TIE BIDS-SPECIAL FUNDS

      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.

    • Background

      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.

       

    • LOCAL PREFERENCE

      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.

    • SCOPE OF WORK

      The City of Gainesville Public Works Department, Operations Division, requests a supplier to provide tree debris removal from 6033 NW 16th Street Gainesville Florida, 32653 on an as needed basis.

       

      Awarded contractor shall be responsible for loading, hauling and disposing of the tree debris located at the City of Gainesville’s Public Works material storage yard. This will include all tree debris in the material storage yard, examples of debris to be removed are; brush, logs of all sizes, and stumps.

       

      The weekly cubic yardage of tree debris will vary depending on weather and work cycles. We will contact the awarded contractor on an as needed basis to haul off the tree debris. City staff at the material storage yard will verify that loads are full when leaving the material storage yard and will not assist in the loading of tree debris.

       

      The loading of tree debris will require the use of a grapple truck to grasp and load the debris.

       

      Please provide a price in your solicitation response for the removal of tree debris from 6033 NW 16th Street Gainesville Florida, 32653 on an as needed basis. The quote needs to be priced as requested below.

       

      1. Please provide a price by the cubic yard for removal and disposal as well as an approximate cubic yards per week your company can remove and dispose of.
      2. Please provide a per ton price for our city-owned trucks to dump tree debris, at an approved dumpsite, in the City of Gainesville city limits.
      3. Please provide your business hours for the approved dumpsite in which the City will be able to dump loads of tree debris.

       

      Fill out the Bid Price Form found in the attachments titled "Attachment - B Bid price Form - Tree Debris" and submit it along with your bid documents. Please note that no bids will be accepted via email, hard copy or after the specified deadline.

       

      Proposal pricing shall be an all-inclusive by ton price and cubic yard price for all services performed under this contract. Said pricing shall be firm for price by ton and by cubic yard price for the first year of the contract.  This contract is subject to a percentage increase annually beginning with first extension of the contract, not to exceed 3%.  The increase shall be in accordance with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics National Consumer Price Index (CPI), “All Urban Consumers”, “U.S. All Items, 1982-84=100 – CUUR0000SA0”, “Not Seasonally Adjusted” , “U.S. city average” as measured for the previous 12 month period ending in May of each year.  Beginning with first extension of the contract, the Contractor will consult the aforesaid index for the month of May and send written notice of the percentage increase by August 15th, unless the data is not yet available.  Should the index indicate a percentage decrease the by ton will remain unchanged for that extension year of the contract. The allowable increases per contract will follow the afore mentioned CPI and shall not exceed 3% annually or, decrease total contractual pricing.

       

       

    • PRE-SOLICITATION MEETING

      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.  

       

    • CONTRACT AWARD

      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.

       

    • SMALL AND SERVICE DISABLED VETERAN BUSINSS PARTICPATION

      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.

    • CONTRACT

      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.

       

    • PROHIBITION OF LOBBYING

      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.

       

    • Procurement Representative

      Sheri Manning

      Procurement Specialist II

      mannings1@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.

       

    • CONE OF SILENCE

      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.

       

    • LIVING WAGE REQUIREMENTS

      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.

      1. The following are requirements of each service contractor/subcontractor:
        1. A service contract or/subcontractor shall pay a living wage to each of its covered employees during the time they are providing the covered services.
        2. A copy of the living wage rate shall be posted by the service contractor/subcontractor in a prominent place where it can easily be seen by the covered employees and shall be supplied to any covered employee upon request.
        3. Each service contractor shall make all of its service subcontractors aware of the requirements of this division and shall include the contract provisions listed in the Sample Contract under the Living Wage paragraph in each of its service subcontracts to ensure compliance with this article.  The city shall not be deemed a necessary or indispensable party in any litigation between the service contractor and a subcontractor.
        4. A service contractor/subcontractor shall not discharge, reduce the compensation of, or otherwise retaliate  against any covered employee for filing a complaint, participating in any proceedings or otherwise asserting the requirement to pay a living wage under this division.  A covered employee who claims their employer has not paid them a living wage as required by this division may file a written com plaint with the city.
        5. Each service contractor/subcontractor shall produce payroll records, and any other requested documentation to the city as necessary for the city to audit or investigate compliance with or a reported violation of this division.

      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.

       

    • Timeline
      Release Project Date:March 20, 2026
      Question Submission Deadline:April 13, 2026, 11:59pm
      Response Submission Deadline:April 29, 2026, 3:00pm
    • BID PROTEST

      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.

       

    • SOLICITATION POSTPONEMENT/CANCELLATION/WAIVER OF IRREGULARITIES

      The CITY may, at its sole and absolute discretion, reject any and all, or parts of any and all, proposals; re-advertise this RFP; postpone or cancel, at any time, this RFP process; or waive any irregularities in this RFP 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.

       

    • DETERMINATION OF RESPONSIBLE BIDDER

      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).

       

    • TAXES, CHARGES AND FEES

      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.

       

    • CONTRACT TERM

      One (1) year upon contract execution with four (4) optional one (1) year extensions.

    • RESPONSIVENESS OF BID

      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.

       

    • COSTS INCURRED BY RESPONDENTS

      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).

       

    • RULES; REGULATIONS; LICENSING REQUIREMENT

      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.

       

    • RECORDS/AUDIT

      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.

       

    • PUBLIC ENTITY CRIME INFORMATION STATEMENT

      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.

       

    • DEBARMENT, SUSPENSION, OTHERWISE EXCLUDED

      By submitting this proposal, bidder agrees that it:

      • Is not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from covered transactions by any Federal department or agency;
      • Has not within a three-year period preceding this proposal been convicted of or had a civil judgment rendered against it for commission of fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a public (Federal, State, or local) transaction or contract under a public transaction; violation of Federal or State antitrust statutes or commission of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification, or destruction of records, making false statements or receiving stolen property;
      • Is not presently indicted for or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a governmental entity (Federal, State, or local) with commission or any of the offenses enumerated in paragraph (2) of this certification; and
      • Has not within a three-year period preceding this application/proposal had one or more public transactions (Federal, State, or local) terminated for cause or default.

       

    • NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY AND COMMERCIAL NON-DISCRIMIATION REQUIREMENT

      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.

       

    • PROHIBITION AGAINST CONSIDERATION OF SOCIAL, POLITICAL, OR IDEOLOGICAL INTERESTS IN GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING

      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.

       

    • EXAMINATION OF SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS - FULLY INFORMED RESPONDENT
      1. Prior to responding to the Solicitation, Respondents are responsible for the following: (1) examining the Solicitation thoroughly, (2) considering federal, state and local laws and regulations that may impact or affect cost, progress, performance or furnishing of the Work, (3) studying and carefully correlating Respondent’s observations with the Solicitation, and (4) notifying the Procurement Representative of all conflicts, errors or discrepancies in the Solicitation.
      2. Respondents are expected to become fully informed as to the requirements of the Specifications and failure to do so will be at their own risk. Respondents cannot expect to secure relief on the plea of error.
      3. A Respondent who is aggrieved in connection with the specifications of this Solicitation may protest in writing to City of Gainesville Procurement at least within five (5) work days of the solicitation posting date.

       

    • INTERNATIONAL PROPOSER REQUIREMENTS

      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.

       

    • PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

      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.

       

    • INTERPRETATION AND ADDENDA

      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.

       

      1. Addenda may also be issued to modify the Solicitation as deemed advisable by the Procurement Representative.
      2. Addenda issued before the Solicitation due date and time are considered binding and treated as if they were originally written into the Solicitation. It is the responsibility of the Respondents to ensure they have received, signed, and included all addenda(s) with their submittals.

    • ANTI-HUMAN TRAFFICKING CLAUSE

      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.

       

    • USE OF SOLICITATION REPLY IDEAS

      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.

       

    • EXCEPTION TO THE SOLICITATION

      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.

       

    • MODIFICATION OR WITHDRAWAL OF A RESPONSE

      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.

       

    • COLLUSION

      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.

       

      1. Respondent, by signing the Respondent’s Verification Form, declares that the Response is made without any previous understanding, agreement, or connections with any persons, firms, or corporations responding on the same items and that it is in all respects fair and in good faith without any outside control, collusion or fraud. A non-exclusive manufacturer/distributor relationship does not, in and of itself, constitute a prior understanding, agreement, connection or collusion between Responders.
      2. By responding to the Solicitation, the Respondent acknowledges that it has not offered or given any gift or compensation to any CITY officer or employee to secure favorable treatment with respect to being awarded this Contract.

       

    • TRADE SECRETS OR CONFIDENTIAL AND EXEMPT INFORMATION

      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:

        1. Upload a pdf version reply of the complete UNREDACTED proposal. Include “UNREDACTED, CONFIDENTIAL” in document title. This is the version that will be used by the evaluators when they are reviewing your proposal. It is essential that the items that will be redacted are highlighted in yellow to prevent the evaluation team from discussing these items after the award. The first page of the document for the unredacted document should provide a general description of the information respondent has designated as confidential and/or exempt, and provide a reference to the appropriate Florida or Federal statute supporting the confidential and/or exempt classification.
        2. The City’s evaluators will be provided with the complete unredacted proposal, including any trade secret or otherwise confidential and exempt information.  The City evaluators will maintain the confidentiality of the information through the evaluation process, including any recorded evaluation team meetings.
        3. Upload a pdf version reply of the REDACTED copy of the proposal.  Include “REDACTED” in the document title. This copy will be used to support any public records requests that may arise from this solicitation.
        4. Provide an affidavit or similar type of evidence that describes and supports the basis for Respondent’s claim that the information is confidential and exempt from public disclosure, referencing all applicable Florida Statutes

       

      B.   Request for Trade Secret or Otherwise Confidential and Exempt Information. 

       

        1. In the event a public record request is made to view the information which respondent claims is confidential and/or exempt, the City will notify the respondent and give the respondent a reasonable opportunity (generally 2 business days) to institute appropriate legal action to prevent the disclosure of the information claimed as confidential and/or exempt.
        2. In the event that the City in its sole discretion finds no basis for respondent’s claim that certain information is Trade Secret or otherwise confidential and exempt under Florida’s Public Records Law, then City shall notify respondent in writing of such conclusion and provide respondent a reasonable amount of time to file for declaratory action requesting a court of law to deem the requested information as Trade Secret or otherwise as confidential and exempt under Florida’s Public Records Law.  If respondent fails to file for declaratory action within the reasonable amount of time provided, then City will disclose the information requested.
        3. If a public records lawsuit is filed against CITY requesting public disclosure of the information labeled by respondent as Trade Secret or otherwise as confidential and exempt, CITY shall notify respondent and respondent shall intervene in the lawsuit to defend the nondisclosure of such information under Florida’s Public Records Law. 
        4. Respondent hereby indemnifies and holds CITY, its officers and employees harmless from any and all liabilities, damages, losses, and costs of any kind and nature, including but not limited to attorney’s fees, that arise from or are in any way connected with respondent’s claim that any information it provided to CITY is Trade Secret or otherwise confidential and exempt from public disclosure under Florida’s Public Records Law.

       

      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.

    • PROTEST OF SOLICITATION SPECIFICATIONS AND/OR AWARD

      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 

       

    • SOLICITATION POSTPONEMENT/CANCELLATION/WAIVER OF IRREGULARITIES

      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.

       

    Submission Requirements

    • RESPONDENT VERIFICATION (required)

      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.

    • SOLICITATION RESPONSE (required)

      Download the Bid Price form - Tree Debris from the Attachments tab, complete and upload your company's proposal for this solicitation here.

    • DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE CERTIFICATION FORM (required)

       

      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.

    • CONSOLIDATED STATE LAW AFFIDAVIT (required)

      Please download the below documents, complete, notarize and upload.

    • REFERENCES (required)

      DOWNLOAD THE BELOW DOCUMENT, COMPLETE AND UPLOAD HERE.

    • NO RESPONSE SURVEY

       

      If you are not bidding, please complete and return the attached form so that we may learn from your comments to improve our solicitations. 

    • WAS THE PRICING BY CUBIC YARD INCLUDED WITH YOUR BID? (required)
    • WAS PRICING PROVIDED FOR PER TON WITH YOUR BID? (required)
    • WERE THE BUSINESS HOURS PROVIDED FOR THE APPROVED DUMP SITE? (required)
    • Will there be a site visit? (required)
    • Insert Meeting Details
    • Is this project using Specialty Funding? (required)
    • Is Local Preference applicable to this solicitation? (required)
    • Investigation of Wrongdoings? (required)
    • Do any of the following pricing variables apply to your solicitation? (required)

    Key dates

    1. March 20, 2026Published
    2. April 22, 2026Responses Due

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    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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