REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
COUNTY OF AROOSTOOK
The Aroostook County Commissioners are soliciting bids from qualified contractors to perform
mowing and related maintenance work for a three (3) year period at the Connor Recreation Park
located on the Van Buren Road in Connor.
For information and bid packages, please contact:
John Gibson
Community Services Director
County Commissioners’ Office
144 Sweden Street, Suite 1
Caribou, ME 04736
(207) 493-6306
Bids should be sealed and marked “CONNOR RECREATION FACILITY MAINTENANCE – DO NOT
OPEN” and must be received at the County Commissioners Office no later than 12:30 p.m., on
Friday, April 3, 2026, at which time they will be opened, read aloud and recorded.
The County Commissioners reserve the right to accept and/or reject any and all bids.
AROOSTOOK COUNTY GOVERNMENT
CONNOR RECREATION FACILITY MAINTENANCE PROJECT
CONTENTS:
SECTION 1
SECTION 2
SECTION 3
SECTION 4
Instruction to Bidders
Scope of Work
General Conditions
Bid Proposal
SECTION 1
Instruction to Bidders
The Aroostook County Commissioners are requesting bids for mowing and related maintenance work
at the Connor Park Recreation Facility, adjacent to the Connor School on the Van Buren Road in the
Unorganized Township of Connor in Aroostook County
1. All bids must be submitted on the attached bid proposal form prior to the bid acceptance date
indicated. It is the responsibility of the prospective bidder to inspect the contract general
conditions, and technical specifications to ensure that they fully understand the construction
and equipment requirements. Any questions regarding the work requested should be directed
to the Aroostook County Community Services Director at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to
the bid due date and time.
2. The contract award shall be based on the weekly cost for the work, but not necessarily the
lowest bid price. The County Commissioners will be the sole judge of the acceptability of the
bids, and may reject any and all bids, if it is judged to be in the best interest of the County of
Aroostook. Interested contractors may be required to produce evidence of their ability to
adequately perform the work before the bids are accepted.
3. Any errors or omissions detected by the prospective bidders should be brought to the attention
of the Aroostook County Community Services Director at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to
the bid due date and time.
SECTION 2
Scope of Work
The maintenance contract shall include the following:
1. Weekly mowing of the grassed areas between the Van Buren Road and the tennis courts
located on the property.
2. The Contractor, using a string trimmer or other device, shall also mow an area ten (10) feet
wide around the tennis and basketball courts, as well as the drainage ditch along the northwest
portion of the property. This work shall be completed once per month, and shall be inclusive
to the mowing of the facility, with no separate payment made for this work.
The height of the grass shall be maintained at between 2.5 – 3 inches on a weekly basis.
Mowing of the site shall start on or about May 15th, and end on or about September 15th, for
the contract period. This is approximately a 19-week period per year for the term of the
contract.
Once per year, prior to the commencement of mowing on or about May 15th, the Contractor
shall rake, by a variety of means, the roadside ditch between the pavement (Van Buren Road),
and approximately twenty (20) feet of the grassed area, beyond to the property corner to
remove accumulated sand and salt from that area. This work shall be identified as a separate
item of the bid proposal document.
The Contractor shall not be responsible for the application of lime and/or fertilizer under this
contract.
SECTION 3
General Conditions
ARTICLE 1. Definitions
Bidder: Any Individual, Partnership, or Corporation submitting a proposal for the performance of
the work under the terms of the contract, and acting directly, or through a Duly Authorized
Representative.
Condition, Care & Safety: The Contractor will be responsible for the safety of employees, as well
as the traveling public; to ensure that proper signage and/or traffic control is maintained at the work
place. The Contractor shall be responsible for implementation and compliance with all applicable
OSHA requirements and regulations.
Contractor: The Individual, Partnership, or Corporation undertaking the execution of the work
under the terms of the Contract with the Owner, and acting directly, or through a Duly Authorized
Representative.
Correction of Work: The Contractor shall remedy any defects due to faulty materials or
workmanship, and pay for any damage to other work resulting therefrom. The Owner shall give notice
of observed defects with reasonable promptness. All questions arising as a result of findings shall be
decided by the Aroostook County Commissioners, or their Representative.
DEP: The Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
Inspection of Work: The Aroostook County Commissioners, or their Representative, may visit the
site during or after the site has been mowed.
Labor: The Aroostook County Commissioners will be responsible for completing the layout of any
work.
LURC: Maine Land Use Regulatory Commission.
MSDS: The Aroostook County Commissioners shall provide to the Contractor two (2) copies of
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for all materials purchased for use by the Contractor. The
Contractor shall provide to the Aroostook County Commissioners one (1) copy of the MSDS for all
materials purchased by the Contractor for use in work on property owned by the Aroostook County
Commissioners.
OSHA: Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Owner: The Aroostook County Commissioners.
Payments: Will be in accordance with the Warrant Schedule developed by the Aroostook County
Commissioners; generally, every second Wednesday. Invoices for payment must be received by noon
of the Monday preceding the warrant date.
Resident Inspector: The Authorized Representative of the Aroostook County Commissioners.
Subcontractor: The Individual, Partnership, or Corporation undertaking the execution of a part of
the work under terms of the contract, by virtue of an agreement between himself or herself, and the
Contractor. Meaning any Individual with equipment hired to perform the required tasks.
Submittals: Submittals shall consist of three (3) copies of Certificates of Manufacture and Material
Safety Data Sheets for all herbicides used in the project.
Work In Place: Is expected to be of high quality.
ARTICLE 2. Intent and Correlation of the Contract Documents
It is the intent of the contract documents to describe a complete project. The Contractor shall furnish
all Labor, Materials, Tools, Transportation, Insurance, and Incidentals, which are reasonably required.
The plans including all revisions, Instructions to Bidders, the General Conditions of the Contract,
Executed Contract, General Construction Specifications, and completed Bid Proposal comprise the
contract documents.
Any error, omission, or inconsistency in the contract documents, which would require additional costs
over and above that shown in the bid documents, should be brought to the attention of the Owner prior
to the bids being due. Should errors, omissions, inconsistencies or differing site conditions be
discovered after contract award, then the Owner shall be promptly notified, and affected work
suspended until a resolution is found. In the event that there is a conflict between requirements of the
Plans and Specifications, the more stringent requirements will be followed. Neither the County
Commissioners, nor their agents take responsibility for quantities required to complete the project.
ARTICLE 3. Permits, Laws, and Regulations
It is the responsibility of the Contractor to comply with all laws, regulations, and permit conditions,
including safety regulations. If the Contractor discovers that the contract documents conflict with any
laws, regulations, or permit conditions, the contractor shall promptly notify the Owner. In addition, if
the Contractor's proposed methods require, it shall be the contractor’s responsibility to obtain any
variances or permit modifications required.
ARTICLE 4. Liquidated Damages
If the Contractor is in violation of any of the terms of this contract, or if the County or its
representative is of the opinion that work described in this contract is being performed unsatisfactorily,
the County shall notify the Contractor by certified mail setting forth the basis for the County's
complaint. Upon receipt of such notice, the Contractor shall have ten (10) days to comply with the
terms and conditions of this contract, or rectify the unsatisfactory work. If at the expiration of the ten
(10) day period, the County's representative is dissatisfied with the Contractor's performance, or the
Contractor is not in compliance with the terms of this contract, the County will, by certified mail,
notify the Contractor to discontinue all work to be performed under this contract. The County may
thereupon, by contract or otherwise, complete the work, and the Contractor or its surety shall be liable
for costs, which exceed the rate provided in this contract. Such charges shall be deemed liquidated
damages.
ARTICLE 5. Changes in the Work
The Owner may request changes, increases, or decreases of the work without invalidating the original
agreement. Any changes involving a change in the contract price or time must be authorized by a
Change Order executed by the Contractor and the Owner.
If the Contractor, in performing the work, discovers conditions that could not reasonably have been
anticipated from inspection of the site, and examination of the contract documents, he shall notify the
Owner promptly, and a change order shall be negotiated before proceeding further. The Owner shall
not be held liable for any delay caused by the need to negotiate said change order.
ARTICLE 6. Conditions, Care & Safety
The Contractor will be responsible for the safety of employees, as well as the public using the site, to
ensure that every effort has been made to minimize potential threat of injury to individuals at the site.
ARTICLE 7. Contract Termination
Should the Contractor fail to complete the work within the time frame specified in the contract, and
any time extension change orders, the Owner may, after giving written notice to the Contractor,
terminate the contract and arrange for the work to be completed by others. The cost of any
uncompleted work will be deducted from the contract amount.
ARTICLE 8. Contractors Insurance
The Contractor shall not commence work under this contract until all insurance required has been
obtained. The Contractor agrees to maintain liability insurance to protect it from personal injury, death
or property damage claims which may arise from operations under this contract. The Contractor shall
have and maintain Workers' Compensation Insurance for his employees as required by State Law,
General Liability Insurance, and Vehicle Liability Insurance during the life of the Contract in the
following amounts:
General Liability Insurance:
Bodily Injury
$1,000,000
Property Damage
$1,000,000
Vehicle Liability Insurance:
Single Occurrence
$1,000,000
Workers’ Compensation:
Each Accident
$500,000.00 (or)
Workers’ Compensation State of Maine Approval Predetermination
Status
The Contractor shall furnish the Aroostook County Commissioners with the required Certificates of
Insurance, with a minimum of that amount stated above. SAID CERTIFICATES OF INSURANCE,
IN ADDITION TO THE AMOUNT OF COVERAGE, SHALL CARRY A STATEMENT
WORDED AS FOLLOWS: In the event of Cancellation or Expiration of any of the foregoing
policies, ten (10) days written notice by the Insurance Company shall be mailed to the Aroostook
County Commissioners. Annual renewals of the insurance policies during the life of the Contract shall
be furnished to the Owner.
The Insurance Requirements for the Contractor shall also apply to any and all Subcontractors hired by
the Contractor.
The Contractor further agrees to indemnify, assume the defense of, and save harmless the County, its
agents and employees from liability, actions claims or damage for wrongful death, personal injury or
This page summarizes the opportunity, including an overview and a preview of the attached documents.