Ground Maintenance/Landscaping Services

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Request for Proposals
THIS IS
Valley
Mississippi State University NOT AN
ORDER
MVSU #7244 / 14000 Hwy 82-W
Itta Bena MS 38941-1400
Web Address: www.mvsu.edu/purchasing/ Phone No: (662) 254-3319 Fax (662) 254-3314
Proposal Title: Date: 12/02/2020
Lalllllllll Proposals No. V SRP# 1000691
Requesting Department: Number of Pages
12
Business and Finance
Machelle Stockstill Change Order:
Term - End of Month Mississippi Valley State University is considering the purchase of the
following item (s). We ask that you submit your Bids/Proposals in
Bids/Proposals - Do not include State or Federal Taxes
three copies. Rights are reserved to accept, or reject any and all parts
in your bids/proposals. The University is exempted
of your bid/proposals. Your bid/proposals will be given consideration
from these taxes. All order will be placed with
if received in this Office on or before the date and time below.
successful bidder by Official Purchase Order.
This bid/proposal will be awarded on a line by line
basis
Bid/Proposal opening {Date and Time}
J anuary 27, 2021 @2:00pm
This bid/proposal will be awarded on a all or none
basis
Mississippi Valley State University
However, the University reserves the rights to award any and
all bids/proposals in the best interest of the University.
By: B il ly D. Scott/ Interim Director of Purchasing
Email: bCBTssWccoIoLttI@AtMtm@Sv@smMu.VeSvdUus.EuD.Uedu
NOTE: If you cannot quote on the exact material shown, please indicate any exceptions, giving brand names and complete specifications on
any alternate. Mississippi Valley State University reserves the rights to accept any alternate of equal or greater quality or performance. We
also reserve the rights to waiver any irregularities that may appear in the Bids/Proposals specifications.
ITEM QUANTITY DESCRIPTIONS UNIT PRICE TOTAL NET PRICE
Banking Services
General Operating Account
Please show Bid/Proposals No. on outside of Envelope
If checked, Mississippi Valley State University reserves the rights for an additional 60 days to purchase and additional 20% of
this bid/proposal at the same cost.
We quote you as above F.O.B - Mississippi Valley State University. Shipment can be made within ________days from
receipt of the order.
Company Quoting
Terms:
Date:
Phone/Fax:
Official Signature:

MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
Request for Proposals (RFP)
Grounds Maintenance / Landscape Services
Issue Date: May 11, 2026
Issuing Agency: Department of Facilities Management
Mississippi Valley State University
14000 Highway 82 West
Itta Bena, Mississippi
Proposals are to be received by Thursday, June 2, 2026, before 2:00pm at the office of Procurement on the
Mississippi Valley State University Campus.
Please refer back Three (3) to Five (5) days prior to proposal opening date for any changes or addendums to
the proposal on the MVSU Website: www.mvsu.edu/purchasing click current bids then stroll down to the
proposal.
Direct all inquiries concerning this RFP to:
Michael Switzer, P.E.
MVSU Facilities Management
michael.switzer@mvsu.edu
A pre-proposal conference will be held in the office of Facilities Management on May 13, 2026, at 9:00am.
OVERVIEW:
Mississippi Valley State University seeking proposals from qualified, licensed, and insured
landscape contractors to provide comprehensive, year-round lawn care and grounds maintenance
services for approximately 235 acres of campus, including, but not limited to academic quads,
housing areas, athletic fields, parking lot perimeters, and administrative building landscapes.
Our goal is to maintain a safe, highly aesthetic, and sustainable environment that enhances the
campus experience for students, faculty, staff, and visitors. The contract will be for an initial period
of 3 year(s), with the option to renew for 2 additional one-year periods.
The initial term of this agreement will be August 1, 2026 (Estimated), through July 31, 2029
(Estimated) The award of this RFP initial term and subsequent renewals are contingent upon
securing funding.
PURPOSE
Respondents have read and understand the following general terms and conditions related
To this solicitation:

1. Awarded vendor will be expected to sign a Contract for Services for a term of 3 years
with option to renew for additional 1 year terms up to a total of 5 years that
contains the provisions set herein.
2. MVSU reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and MVSU has the right to
waive minor defects or variations of a proposal from the exact requirements of the
specifications that do not affect the price, quality, quantity, delivery, or performance
time of the services being procured. If insufficient information is submitted by a
respondent with the proposal for MVSU to properly evaluate, MVSU has the right to
require such additional information as it may deem necessary after the time set for
receipt of proposals, provided that the information requested does not change the
price, quality, quantity, delivery, or performance time of the services being
procured.
3. In case of default of contractor, MVSU reserves the right to purchase any or all items
and/or services in default in open market, charging contractor with all costs of
default.
4. All materials, products and/or services offered must be guaranteed to meet the
requirements of the specifications indicated, given, or referred to in this solicitation.
5. MVSU reserves the right to make an award which is determined to be to the best
interest of the State of Mississippi. The award does not have to be awarded to the
lowest respondent. This is not an advertisement for bids. This is a request for
proposals for a prospective service contract.
6. MVSU reserves the right to reject any proposal which does not conform to the
requirements set forth in this RFP. Proposals may be rejected for reasons which
include, but not limited to, the following:
a. The proposal contains unauthorized amendments to the requirements of the
RFP;
b. The proposal is conditional;
c. The proposal is incomplete or contains irregularities which make the proposal
indefinite or ambiguous;
d. The proposal is received late;
e. The proposal is not signed by an authorized representative of the party;
f. The proposal contains false or misleading statements of references; and,
g. The proposal does not offer to provide all services required by the RFP.
7. Respondent represents that he/she has not retained a person to solicit or secure a
state contract upon an agreement or understanding for a commission, percentage,
brokerage, or contingent fee, except as disclosed in the proposal.
8. The right of vendor to proceed may be terminated after notice and hearing if MVSU
determines that vendor or any agent or other representative of vendor gave or
agreed to give an inducement to any MVSU employee or official or to the spouse of
same in connection with any decision, approval, disapproval, recommendation,

preparation or any part of a program requirement or a purchase request associated
with this prospective agreement, as listed in Miss. Code Ann. 97-11-53
9. The respondent's signature on the RFP is a guarantee that the prices quoted have
been arrived at without collusion with other eligible respondents and without effort
to preclude MVSU from obtaining the lowest possible competitive price.
10. From the date of release of this RFP, until a Letter of Intent is issued, all contact with
MVSU shall be made through Facilities Management unless otherwise noted in the
RFP. Violation of this condition may be considered sufficient cause for rejection of a
proposal, irrespective of any other consideration.
11. The contract may be renewed at the discretion of MVSU upon written notice to
contractor at least (60) days prior to the contract anniversary date for a period of
one (1) year. Pricing may be adjusted based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for
these types of services at the time of renewal and scope may be revised as needed
for changes in the project. The total number of years permitted shall not exceed 5.
12. The procurement method to be used is that of competitive negotiation from which
MVSU is seeking the best combination of price, experience and quality of service.
Discussions may be conducted with vendors who submit proposals. Likewise, MVSU
also reserves the right to accept any proposal as submitted for contract award,
without substantive negotiation of offered terms, services or prices. For these
reasons, all parties are advised to propose their most favorable terms initially.
13. The respondent should mark any and all pages of the proposal considered to be
proprietary information which may remain confidential in accordance with
Mississippi Code Annotated 25-61-9 and 79-23-1 (1972, as amended). Any pages not
marked accordingly will be subject to review by the general public after award of the
contract. Requests to review the proprietary information will be handled in
accordance with applicable legal procedures.
14. The MVSU reserves the right to consult with outside parties in evaluation of
proposals. All proposals become the property of the MVSU upon receipt and will not
be returned to the bidder.
CONTRACT TYPE AND PRICE
It is anticipated that any contract negotiated subsequent to this solicitation will be awarded on a cost
reimbursement basis of prices provided as Attachment B. A Schedule of Professional Fees and
Expenses should be submitted with the proposal. In showing your calculations for the bid scenario,
please present the amounts proposed for the first year separately in Attachment B.
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
1. Proposals must be received, in writing, by MVSU by the date and time specified.
MVSU is not responsible for any delays in delivery or expenses for the development

or delivery of proposal. Any proposal received after proposal opening time will be
rejected and returned unopened.
2. Vendors must submit an original, marked as such, and five (5) copies of all materials
required for acceptance of their proposal by the proposal due date.
3. To prevent opening of proposals by unauthorized individuals, all copies of the
proposals that are delivered must be sealed in a package clearly marked DO NOT
OPEN with RFP number and project information as on Cover Sheet.
4. Proposals or alterations by phone will not be accepted.
5. Legibility, clarity and completeness of proposal are important and essential.
6. Proposal must be signed by individual(s) legally authorized to bind the firm. All
information requested should be submitted. Failure to submit all information
requested may result in receiving a lowered evaluation of the proposal. Proposals
which are
substantially incomplete or lack key information will be found nonresponsive and
rejected.
7. Proposal must contain a statement that the proposal and the prices(s) contained
therein shall remain firm for a period of one hundred twenty (120) days.
SOLICITATION SCHEDULE
Date of Issuance May 11, 2026
Site Tour of Campus May 13, 2026
Questions from Respondents Due May 15, 2026
Answers to Respondents Questions Due May 21, 2026
Proposals Due June 2, 2026
Notice of Award (Estimated) June 15, 2026
Contract Start Date (Estimated) August 1, 2026
*Contact the Office of Facilities Management at 662-254-3628 for call-in information and
location.
PROPOSAL PREPARATION EXPENSES
The MVSU will not pay any costs incurred in the preparation and submission of proposals.
WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSALS
Proposals may be withdrawn by written notice received at any time before award.

PROPOSAL MODIFICATIONS
Any requests to modify proposals must be submitted in writing by the Primary respondent. All
requests for modifications must be submitted prior to the proposal submission deadline. The MVSU
reserves the right to deny any requests for proposal modification.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
Contracts, purchases and other financial transactions are administered by the MVSU equally,
without regard to race, color, creed, sex, national origin, disability or age.
AMENDMENTS TO PROPOSAL SPECIFICATIONS
1. Respondents shall be notified in writing of any changes in the specifications
contained in this Request for Proposal.
2. All addenda, amendments, and interpretations to this solicitation shall be in writing.
Any amendment or interpretation that is not in writing shall not legally bind MVSU.
3. Respondents shall acknowledge receipt of any amendment to the solicitation by
signing and returning the amendment(s) with the proposal. The acknowledgement
must be received by the MVSU by the time and at the place specified for receipt of
proposals.
4. Should an amendment to the RFP be issued, it will be posted on the MVSU website.
Further, respondents must acknowledge receipt of any amendment to the
solicitation by signing and returning the amendment with the proposal, by
identifying the amendment number and date in the space provided for this purpose
on the proposal form, or by letter. The acknowledgment must be received by MVSU
in the time and at the place specified for receipt of RFPs. It is the respondent's sole
responsibility to monitor the website for amendments to the RFP.
QUESTIONS CONCERNING PROPOSALS
1. Request for additional information and questions should be emailed to Michael
Switzer at Michael.switzer@mvsu.edu no later than the date listed in the Solicitation
Schedule.
2. MVSU shall provide written responses to all questions received in writing on or
before the written question submittal deadline.
3. Questions received in relation to this RFP shall be answered and sent to all
Respondents who are listed as having obtained the RFP.

WORK STATEMENT
SCOPE OF WORK
Guidelines are provided below which highlight unique conditions and recommendations for the
site. Landscape maintenance areas shall include but are not limited to the following: turf areas,
comprehensive landscape maintenance of bedded areas, trees, shrubs, perennials and other plant
materials, and hardscaping (parking, curbing and walkway areas etc.). A map is included to identify
the areas to be cut weekly and the areas to be cut bi-weekly.
Services shall include - but are not limited to - turf mowing, edging, leaf blowing, weed control,
cleanup, shrubs, hedges, small trees, turf renovations, debris disposal, pine straw and/or mulch.
Site visits are expected:
January 1
February 1
March 3
April 4
May 4
June 4
July 4
August 4
September 4
October 3
November 2
December 2
Site visits to include (but not limited to) mowing, weed eating, edging, blowing of leaves or as
required by climatic conditions. The Contractor will be responsible for mowing, trimming, edging,
debris cleanup, leaf removal etc. in the areas shown below:

Referring to the map on the prior page: Areas shown in red outline are to be maintained on a weekly
basis. Areas between the red lines and the blue lines will be maintained on a bi-weekly basis.
STANDARDS: The Contractor shall adhere to the following standards related to this RFP:
a. The Contractor shall provide all labor, supervision, equipment, supplies, tools, materials,
warranties, and all other necessary incidentals required to perform complete lawn
maintenance and management of the landscaping and debris in the MVSU Campus.
b. The Contractor shall be properly insured to do business with the State of Mississippi.
The Contractor shall have adequate numbers of properly trained and supervised staff
and equipment to maintain the schedule of lawn mowing established by the MVSU.
c. The equipment furnished by the Contractor must be in good condition and shall be
maintained to produce a clean, sharp cut to the grass at all times. Equipment which in
any way pulls or rips grass or damages the turf shall not be allowed to operate under
this contract.

d. The Contractor shall verify the areas, sizes, and quantities of the surfaces to be
maintained in this RFP and it shall remain the Contractor's responsibility to provide all
services required.
e. The Contractor shall provide a point of contact for the Vice President for Facility
Management and Capital Projects and/or his delegate, who will coordinate all work that
requires deviation from the established schedule because of inclement weather.
f. All landscaping and grass cutting services, equipment and materials shall comply with
accepted industry and OSHA safety standards.
g. The Contractor staff shall wear appropriate clothing that clearly identifies the company
name and/or logo while on campus.
h. All vehicles should be clearly marked and identified with the company name and/or
logo. Vehicles shall present a good appearance and shall not obstruct or interfere with
pedestrian or vehicular traffic.
i. Under no circumstance shall the MVSU be held responsible for any loss or damage of
the Contractor equipment, tools, supplies or materials.
NORMAL WORK SCHEDULE: Mowing times shall be between the hours of 7:00AM -
5:00PM Monday - Friday. No mowing shall occur on Sundays or on the following public
holidays: Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve or Christmas
Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, except when prior approval has been secured
from MVSU.
EMERGENCY WORK: The contractor may be requested to perform emergency work during
evening or weekend hours. The contractor must respond to these emergency requests
within six (6) hours of notification by the MVSU. All emergency work schedules must be
approved by the Vice President for Facility Management and Capital Projects.
SITE INSPECTION:
a. The Contractor shall submit a maintenance schedule to the Vice President for
Facility Management and Capital Projects or the designee of the Vice President for
Facility Management and Capital Projects showing the schedule of services and
dates to be serviced. The schedule shall be in accordance with the timeline
established in the scope of work. The Contractor shall contact the Vice President for
Facility Management and Capital Projects or the designee of the Vice President for
Facility Management and Capital Projects to discuss all deviations from the agreed
upon schedule as a result of inclement weather or emergency situations. Failure of
the Contractor to provide an appropriate schedule shall be grounds of default of this
contract.

b. At the end of each maintenance day, all walks, drives, road surfaces, and open space
areas shall be free of any loose materials, trash, and/or debris. No storage or
provision for storage shall be made onsite for maintenance equipment or materials.
c. The MVSU will conduct an inspection of each maintenance service upon completion.
The Contractor may be present during this inspection. The Manager /
Superintendent of Grounds will identify any areas of correction for that service area
and the Contractor shall have 24 hours to correct the maintenance service. If the
Contractor is not present during the inspection, the Superintendent of
Grounds shall notify the Contractor within 24 hours of the corrected items. The
Contractor shall notify the MVSU of any damage or hazardous conditions that may
affect the appearance, condition or safety of the grounds to be serviced. Failure to
correct any deficiencies by the Contractor shall be grounds to withhold payment of
the invoice until services have been corrected. The Contractor shall not be allowed
to continue with the next maintenance services, until all matters have been
resolved. The MVSU reserves the right to procurement services for the maintenance
services and charge the difference to the Contractor.
d. The Contractor shall be responsible for all property damage or personal injury
resulting from its operations. All property damage or personal injury shall be
reported to the MVSU immediately.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Mowing and Trimming
* Grass shall be cut no lower than 2" and left no higher than 3". Any bare ground
areas may become populated with grass or weeds through natural spread, i.e.,
not artificially planted, thus these areas shall be cut also. Grass cutting shall be
done such that it is free of scalping, rutting, bruising, uneven and rough cutting.
The only exception to the height stated above is during extreme heat and little
rainfall. If such conditions occur and only at the direction of the Superintendent
of Buildings and Grounds, the Contractor shall cut the grass not less than 3".
* Prior to mowing, the Contractor shall remove and dispose of all rubbish, debris
and trash, which includes but is not limited to leaves, rocks, paper and other
removable objects on the ground or any tree or shrubbery within the project
limits. All such items shall be removed from the MVSU property before any
mowing occurs. If there is a large amount of trash and debris, the Contractor
shall work with the MVSU personnel to determine the removal of the items.
* In areas where walkways or other paved areas including curb lines are located
within the grass mowing area, they shall be clear of any grass clippings.
* Mow, trim and edge within the parameters of the lawn standards established
above