Grass Cutting Services - Parks & Recreation

In compliance with this Invitation for Bid (IFB), and subject to all the conditions thereof, the
signatory offers, if this bid is accepted within ninety (90) calendar days from the date of the
opening, to furnish any or all of the items and/or services upon which prices are quoted, at the
price set opposite each item, to be delivered at the time and place specified herein. The above
signature certifies the bidder has read, understands, and agrees to all terms, conditions, and
requirements of this bid, and is authorized to contract on behalf of firm named above.
IF YOU NEED ANY REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION FOR ANY TYPE OF DISABILITY IN
ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROCUREMENT, PLEASE CONTACT THIS DIVISION AS
SOON AS POSSIBLE.
Mandatory Pre-Bid Conference: June 10, 2026 at 10:00 a.m.
Location: Joint Operations Center, 866 Carolina Road, Suffolk, VA 23434
The City will not accept bids from Bidders who do not attend the pre-bid conference.
BID OPENING
Bids shall be publicly opened and read aloud by Purchasing Division staff in Conference Room
#3, in City Hall at 3:00 p.m. (local prevailing time) on the day bids are due.
Addendums, award information, etc. may be downloaded from the City's Purchasing Division's
Bid Board website: https://www.suffolkva.us/Bids.aspx?CatID=17
BIDS MUST BE SUBMITTED IN THE PURCHASING DIVISION, ROOM 1086, PRIOR
TO THE 3:00 OPENING.
SUBMITTALS
Bidder should submit the entire IFB as their bid package.
Bids will be accepted through EVA.
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INVITATION FOR BID
Grass Cutting Services-Parks & Recreation
SECTION/TITLE
1.0 PURPOSE .................................................................................................................... - 4 -
2.0 COMPETITION INTENDED .......................................................................................... - 4 -
3.0 CONTRACT PERIOD ................................................................................................... - 4 -
4.0 GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS ...................................................................................... - 4 -
5.0 ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS ..................................................................................... - 8 -
6.0 CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS ................................................................... - 13 -
BID FORM ........................................................................................................................ - 20 -
LIST OF EQUIPMENT CONTRACTOR USES......................................................... -23-
REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. - 23 -
ANTICOLLUSION/NONDISCRIMINATION/DRUG FREE WORKPLACE CLAUSES ........ - 25 -
PROOF OF AUTHORITY TO TRANSACT BUSINESS IN VIRGINIA ................................ - 26 -
EXCEPTION PAGE .......................................................................................................... - 27 -
INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS ....................................................................................... - 28 -
MAPS................................................................................................................................... -30-
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1.0 PURPOSE
The intent of this Invitation for Bid (IFB) is to hire one or more contractors to provide all labor,
equipment, transportation, and associated insurance required to provide annual grass cutting
services on an as needed basis for the City of Suffolk Parks and Recreation Department in
accordance with all specifications, terms and conditions herein.
2.0 COMPETITION INTENDED
It is the City's intent that this Invitation for Bid (IFB) permits competition. It shall be the bidder's
responsibility to advise the Purchasing Agent in writing if any language requirement, specification,
etc., or any combination thereof, inadvertently restricts or limits the requirements stated in this
IFB to a single source. Such notification must be received by the Purchasing Agent not later than
five (5) business days prior to the date set for bids to close.
3.0 CONTRACT PERIOD
The contract shall take effect upon signing through December 31, 2027.
The City reserves the option to renew this agreement for four (4) additional one-year periods
ending December 31, 2031. Unless notified in writing thirty (30) days prior to the expiration date,
the contract will automatically renew during these periods.
Initial rates and subsequent renewal rates must be guaranteed for a minimum of twelve (12)
months. Any increase in rates shall be limited to the lesser of the Consumer Price Index for all
Urban Consumers (CPI-U) - Other Goods and Services (unadjusted for the current 12 month
period) or 3%. The City does not guarantee approval of any rate increase. The City must be
notified of any rate increases during the contract period.
4.0 GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
Contractor(s) shall provide all labor, materials, transportation, equipment, licenses, permits, etc.
necessary to maintain acceptable grass height as designated by the City.
All work shall be on an AS NEEDED BASIS in accordance with specifications and conditions
herein and as instructed and scheduled with Parks and Recreation department. The City does
not guarantee any minimum amount of work for the Contractor during the contract period. Quantity
of work performed will be determined by the City.
The City reserves the right to add or delete locations at any time during the contract period.
Standard weekly grass cuttings for the majority of locations shall include cutting and trimming
grass to maintain a grass height not to exceed 3" with reasonable uniformity. Based on
programming needs, some locations will be cut on a limited basis, at which time height of grass
to be cut may exceed the 4" length specified. The City reserves the right to amend the cutting
height requirements, thereby reducing the frequency of cuttings, if required, due to budget
restrictions.
In addition to cutting and trimming grass, the Contractor shall be required to remove any heavy
accumulation of turf clippings; sweep clippings from sidewalks, curbs and building entrances; trim
grass next to foundations, fences, light poles, fire hydrants, street sign posts, trees, and other
permanent objects; edge curbs, sidewalks, driveways and planting beds; and provide weed
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control in cracks and expansion joints.
Scope of work shall include mowing of ditches and drainage basins, and wet weather
conveyances.
Contractor shall complete work on each location at one cutting, unless otherwise approved by the
City.
Contractor shall use commercial grade OPEI/UL approved equipment maintained in good working
condition and appropriately equipped with safety devices. Contractor shall have adequate
equipment and manpower necessary to complete the job in the time allotted. Equipment and
available manpower must be listed on the BID FORM.
Mechanical edger with blades must be used anywhere sidewalk edging is required. Line
trimmers will not be acceptable. Contractor may use Roundup or other non-selective post-
emergent herbicide to edge posts, fence lines, and under bleachers
Herbicides shall be environmentally safe and comply with all federal, state and local regulations.
Contractor shall only use equipment with safety guards and shall practice safe operating
procedures to properly protect the operator, bystanders and adjacent property from
injury/damage. Contractor shall furnish and maintain insurance coverage and shall indemnify and
hold harmless the City of Suffolk in substantial accordance with the attached.
Contractor shall be responsible for removing obvious litter prior to mowing and shall remove
excess grass cuttings if such would detract from the appearance of the area.
It shall be the Bidder's responsibility to examine and understand the requirements of the
bid documents and visit the job site(s) to familiarize himself with boundaries and/or local
conditions that may in any manner affect cost, progress or performance of the work.
Contractor shall submit weekly bill for the past week's services. The bill shall identify the site, day
of the week it was mowed, starting time, and stopping time; weather related delays and herbicide
applications shall also be noted. Consult with the City's representative for further billing details.
Contractor will be required to verify when each location was serviced before payment will be
made. A form will be provided by the City that needs to be completed no more than 24-hrs after
completion and emailed to the Parks Manager or designee. Parks and Recreation staff will
confirm completion of site after an inspection. A weekly cutting schedule must be provided to
P&R prior to beginning of season.
OTHER INFORMATION
Some grass cutting locations may also require snow removal during the winter season.
The price for snow removal will be optional on the bid form and will not be part of the total
bid amount or award.
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GRASS CUTTING LOCATIONS
Boston Park
Brady's Boat Ramp
Carolina Road Property (once a month)
Downtown Overpass
Elephant's Fork Triangle
Holland Ball Park and Triangles
Huntersville Neighborhood Entrance area and sign
John F. Kennedy Athletic Complex
John Yeates Athletic Complex
King's Fork Athletic Complex
Lake Kennedy Park
Lake Kennedy Power Line Property (once a month)
Lee and Wilson Street Lot
Liberty Street Lot
Magnolia Park
Monogram Ball Field
Pughsville Park
Southwestern Property (once a month)
Wellon's Park (Ballfield)
Whaleyville Recreation Annex & Ball Field
Whaleyville Square
Downtown Vacant Lots
SPECIFICATIONS:
The majority of locations will be serviced on a seven to ten day cycle during the warmer months
of the growing season or as directed by the Department of Parks and Recreation. Based on
programming needs, parks will be cut on an "on call" basis only, and the grass height prior to
cutting may exceed normal cutting requirements. Cutting requirements for all locations may
decline or stop altogether during the late fall and winter months at the discretion of Parks and
Recreation. Contractor is required to manually remove all trash and debris from site prior to
cutting. Running over trash with mowers is prohibited.
Desired regularity of cuttings is outlined on the attached maps. Quantity of cuttings, regularity of
cutting schedule, grass height requirements, etc. are entirely at the discretion of the Parks and
Recreation Department. Cutting locations may be deleted (and re-started again) at any time
during the contract period.
Ball fields: During softball season, playing fields shall be cut weekly or as frequently as necessary
to maintain a height of 1" for a 300' radius from home plate toward the outfield. Spectator and
concession areas shall be cut and trimmed as necessary to maintain a maximum grass height of
2" during season play. Bleachers must be maintained with grass heights to be consistent with
that of the surrounding field. Contractor shall maintain the area beneath bleachers through the
use of mowing, trimming and chemical means. A non-selective post-emergent glyphosate based
herbicide shall be used. Fence and backstop areas shall be maintained through the use of
mechanical/chemical means as noted above.
Medians: These are to be cut on a weekly basis and landscaped as requested by Parks and
Recreation.
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Flower beds: Wherever flower beds are a part of the site being cut for Department of Parks and
Recreation, the Contractor will be required to weed and maintain the flower beds and edge around
the borders. When new mulch is required, it will be supplied by the City of Suffolk and coordinated
with contractor. Consult with Parks and Recreation for further details and delivery schedules.
Tree trimming and shrubbery maintenance: Wherever there are trees and shrubs at the
locations, Contractor shall be required to prune the trees and cut the shrubbery and remove all
debris from the property after work is complete. Consult Parks and Recreation for further details
and maintenance schedules.
Fall and winter season: During the months that grass cutting is not required; the Contractor
shall be required to remove leaves and debris from any and/or all locations upon request by the
City. This service will be on an as need basis and is solely at the discretion of the City.
Lake Kennedy Neighborhood Power Line Property: Cutting will include over brush,
in and around woods, and wood line.
Elephants Fork Triangle and Downtown Overpass: These locations will require
traffic control. Contractor shall follow the Virginia Work Area Protection Manual, Standards and
Guidelines for Temporary Traffic Control when cutting grass at these locations.
Bid Evaluation and Award
If awarded, the bid shall be awarded to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. In
determining the responsible bidder, the following factors shall be considered:
* Ability, capability, and skill of the bidder to perform the contract within the time frame(s)
specified.
* The character, integrity, reputation, judgment, experience and efficiency of the bidder.
* The quality of performance of previous contracts.
* The financial resources and ability of the bidder to perform the contract.
The City reserves the right to award by location or in total to one vendor.
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5.0 ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS
1. Use of Form: All bids shall be submitted on and in accordance with this form. If more
space is required to furnish a description of the goods and/or services bid, or delivery
terms, the bidder may attach a letter hereto that will be made a part of the bid. In case of
conflict, the bid may be considered non-responsive. The City's published specifications
for this IFB shall supersede any additional writings submitted with the bid. Such writings
shall be clearly marked and noted as an exception.
2. Submittals: All bids shall be submitted sealed, plainly marked showing the bid number,
date and time. The entire solicitation document is to be returned when submitting a bid
unless otherwise directed by the bid document. Failure to return all pages may result in a
determination that the submittal is non-responsive.
3. Late Bids: Bids and amendments thereto, if received by the City's Purchasing Division
("Purchasing") after the date and time specified for bid opening, will not be considered. It
will be the responsibility of the bidder to see that their bid is received by Purchasing as
specified. There will be no exceptions. Date of postmark will not be considered.
Telephone, facsimile, electronic and verbal bids will not be accepted. Prices or changes
shown on the outside of an envelope will not be considered in determination of low bid.
4. City Hall Closure: If City Hall is closed for business at the time scheduled for the bid
opening, for whatever reasons, sealed bids will be accepted and opened on the next
business day of the City, at the original scheduled hour.
5. Competition Intended: It is the City's intent that the Invitation for Bid (IFB) permits
competition. It shall be the bidder's responsibility to advise the Contract Officer in writing
if any language requirement, specification, etc., or any combination thereof, inadvertently
restricts or limits the requirements stated in the IFB to a single source. Such notifications
must be received by the Contract Officer five (5) days prior to the date set for the bids to
close.
6. Contract Quantities: The quantities specified in the Invitation for Bid are estimates only
unless otherwise clearly noted, and are given for the information of bidders and for the
purpose of bid evaluation. They do not indicate the actual quantity that will be required,
since such volume will depend upon requirements that may develop during the contract
period. Quantities shown shall not be construed to represent any amount which the City
shall be obligated to purchase under the contract, or relieve the bidder of his obligation to
fill all orders placed by the City, except as clearly noted.
7. Delivery: The time of delivery must be stated in definite terms. If time of delivery for
different goods and/or services varies, the bidder shall so state.
8. Faith-based Organizations: The City of Suffolk does not discriminate against faith-based
organizations.
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9. Bidder Qualifications: Only bids from established Bidders for work similar in scope to
work herein shall be considered; the City reserves the right to request specific reference
information prior to award. Bidder shall demonstrate that he has adequate and appropriate
manpower, tools and equipment to respond and perform in accordance with the provisions
herein. The City may, at its option, disqualify a bidder and reject his bid for cause. Reasons
deemed to be sufficient for this action shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
Evidence of collusion among bidders.
Receipt of more than one bid on any project from an individual, or from a
corporation. This restriction does not apply to subcontractors.
Default on any previous contract.
For unreasonable failure to complete a previous contract within the
specified time or for being in arrears on an existing contract without
reasonable cause for being in arrears.
Inability to perform as revealed by an investigation of the Bidder's
financial statement, experience and/or plant and equipment.
Bidder does not meet project-specific requirements, as identified in the Contract
Documents
10. Pricing to be F.O.B. Destination - Freight Allowed: Pricing shall be F.O.B. destination-
freight included for all competitive bids. F.O.B. Destination-Freight Included shall include
all shipping costs to the City location(s) at the unit cost. No additional shipping charges
shall be allowed.
11. Samples: Samples, when requested, must be furnished free of expense, and upon
request, if not destroyed, will be returned at the bidder's risk and expense.
12. Silence of Specifications: The apparent silence of these specifications and any
supplemental specifications as to any detail or the omission from the specifications of a
detailed description concerning any point shall be regarded as meaning that only the best
commercial practices are to prevail and correct type, size and design are to be used. All
interpretations of these specifications shall be made on the basis of this statement.
13. Capacity of Bidder: All bids must be signed by a responsible officer or employee having
the authority to bind the firm in contract. The bidder agrees that its contract performance
shall be in strict conformance with the contract documents.
14. Rights to Damages: By signing this bid, the bidder assigns to the City any and all rights
that it may have under the antitrust laws of the United States and the Commonwealth of
Virginia in any way arising from or pertaining to this bid. This provision is remedial in nature
and is to be liberally construed by any court in favor of the City.
15. Anti-collusion: The bidder certifies by signing this Invitation of Bid that this bid is made
without prior understanding, agreement, or accord with any other person or firm submitting
a bid for the same goods and/or services and that this bid is in all respects bona fide, fair,
and not the result of any act of fraud or collusion with another person or firm engaged in
the same line of business or commerce. Any false statement hereunder may constitute a
felony and can result in a fine and imprisonment, as well as civil damages.
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16. Contact Prohibition: Direct contact with City departments other than Purchasing, on the
subject of this bid is expressly forbidden except with the foreknowledge and permission of
the Contract Officer. Violation may result in a determination that your firm is ineligible for
an award.
All questions shall be in writing to the Contract Officer shown on the title page of the bid.
The respondents to this IFB shall not contact, either directly or indirectly, any other
employee or agent of the City regarding this IFB. This prohibition shall also extend to the
Suffolk City Council and locally elected officials. Any such unauthorized contact may
disqualify the bidder from this procurement.
17. Debarment Status: By submitting a bid, bidders certify that they are not currently
debarred by the Commonwealth of Virginia from submitting bids or proposals on contracts
for the type of goods and/or services covered by this solicitation, nor are they an agent of
any person or entity that is currently so debarred.
18. Ethics in Procurement: Bidders, Offerors, Contractors or Consultants must provide
written disclosure with their bid or proposal if one of its officers, directors, trustees,
partners, employees or lenders is an employee or an immediate family member (as
defined by 2.2-4368 of the Virginia Public Procurement Act) of the City who is involved
personally or substantially participates in this procurement transaction or owns or controls
an interest of more than three percent (3%) of the company or received more than $5,000
annually from the Bidder, Offeror, Contractor, or Consultant.
19. Addenda: If issued, addenda to this solicitation will be posted on the Purchasing website
https://www.suffolkva.us/Bids.aspx?CatID=17 It is the bidder's responsibility to check the
website or contact Purchasing prior to the submittal deadline to ensure that the bidder has
a complete, up-to-date package. Acknowledgement of all issued addenda shall be
indicated on the bid form in the appropriate spaces. Failure to acknowledge all addenda
will result in bid being non-responsive.
20. Withdrawal of Bids: Bidder has the right to request withdrawal of their bids from
consideration due to error by giving notice not later than two business days after the bids
are publicly opened. Work papers showing evidence of error(s) may be required.
Bids may be withdrawn any time prior to the bid opening. Withdrawal of bids may be
accomplished by submitting such request in writing on the issuing company's letterhead
either in person, electronically, or by certified mail.
21. Award: Award will be made to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder by Total
Annual Price. The quality of the goods and/or services to be supplied, their conformity with
the specifications, their suitability to the requirements, the delivery, qualifications and
references will be taken into consideration in making the award. The City reserves the
right to refuse all bids. Determination of low bid shall be determined by the audited figure
shown on the pricing page titled 'Total Annual Price'. In case of error in the extension of
prices, the unit price shall govern.
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