Tree Planting Contract

ROCK ISLAND
ILLINOIS
Tree Planting Contract - 2026
Public Works Department
1309 Mill Street
Rock Island, IL 61201
309-732-2200

INVITATION FOR BIDS
The City of Rock Island requests that contractors interested submit a cost
schedule for the planting of 30 trees in the public right of way and or parks.
Sealed bids will be accepted by the City of Rock Island at the Public Works Department
(1309 Mill Street, Rock Island, IL) until 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 8th 2026 for the
following project:
Tree Planting Contract - 2026
A digital copy of the specifications may be downloaded from the City's website at:
https://rigov.org/bids.aspx
The Contractor shall be responsible for complying with all local, state, and federal
regulations pertaining to this project.
It is the intent of the City of Rock Island to award a contract to the lowest responsible
bidder provided the bid has been submitted in accordance with the bidding
requirements. The City reserves the right to reject any or all bids and to waive
informalities or technicalities.
-----------------------------------------
Andy Tysma
Stormwater Supervisor

BIDS DUE: Wednesday, April 8th, 2026
9:00 a.m. Central Time
Public Works Department
1309 Mill Street
Rock Island, IL 61201
PROJECT: Tree Planting Contract - 2026
OWNER: City of Rock Island
1528 Third Avenue
Rock Island, IL 61201
CONTRACT
QUESTIONS: Andy Tysma
Stormwater Supervisor
tysma.andrew@rigov.org
309-732-2235
Sealed bids will be received, opened at 9:01 a.m. on April 8, 2026
Bids may be hand carried or mailed and will be received at the City of Rock Island Public Works
Facility, 1309 Mill Street, Rock Island, IL 61201 until 9:00 a.m. on April 8, 2026. Bid envelopes
must be sealed and marked "TREE PLANTING CONTRACT BID"
Each Bidder shall accompany the Bid with a Bid security, in a separate envelope, as security
that the successful bidder will enter into a contract for the work bid upon. The bidder's security
shall be in an amount equivalent to five percent (5%) of the bid amount, and shall be in the form
of a cashier's or certified check drawn on a bank in Illinois or a bank chartered under the laws of
the United States of America, or a certified bank share draft drawn on a credit union in Iowa or
chartered under the laws of the United States of America or a bid bond with corporate surety
satisfactory to the Owner.

CITY OF ROCK ISLAND
Mayor
Ashley Harris
Alderman
Ward
Glen Evans Sr 1
Randall Hurt 2
Linda Barnes 3
Jenni Swanson 4
Dylan Parker 5
Mark Poulos 6
Bill Healy 7
City Manager
Todd Thompson
Public Works Director
Michael T. Bartels
City Engineer
Michael J. Kane, P.E.

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy
Federal and State laws prohibit discrimination against any employee or applicant for
employment because of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, political affiliation, age and
physical or mental handicap unrelated to ability. They further require elimination of
discrimination in employment with regards to upgrading, demotion, transfer, recruitment,
advertising, layoff, termination, rates of pay, forms of compensation, selection for training
(including apprenticeship) of employees, as well as any other personnel actions.
The Contractor agrees to post Equal Employment Opportunity notices in conspicuous places
(e.g. at company headquarters, around time clocks, at work sites, on company bulletin boards,
in lunchrooms) available to employees and applicants for employment.
The Contractor shall in all solicitation or advertisements for employees to be hired under this
contract state that all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without
regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, or age.
Insurance
The Contractor shall obtain and keep in force the insurance coverage specified in Article 107.27
of the Standard Specifications. (attached at end of document) Insurance coverage shall name
the City of Rock Island, its officers and employees as additional insured with respect to the
liability coverage. Certified copies of the original policies, or certificate(s) of insurance, by the
insurer(s) issuing the policies and endorsements shall be submitted to the City prior to the
beginning of the work. No additional compensation shall be measured or paid for the insurance
described. All costs for insurance specified in Article 107.27 shall be included in the contract
and not measured or paid separately.
Qualifications:
Minimum/Mandatory Qualifications of the Contractor
The Contractor shall complete the attached Statement of Qualifications Form. Contractors shall
address each of the requirements below.
1. All Contractors shall have an adequate staffing capacity in order to remain on
schedule and to successfully perform the duties as described in the Scope of Work
section of this contract.
2. All Contractors shall possess equipment levels adequate to remain on schedule and
to perform the duties described in the Scope of Work section of this contract.

Safety Standards:
Blocking public streets shall not be permitted unless prior approval has been granted by the
Public Works Director of a designated representative.
The Contractor shall provide adequate barricades, flagmen, signs, and/or warning devices
during the performance of the Contract to protect motorists and pedestrians. The Contractor
shall follow standards outlined in the IDOT Manual Uniform Traffic Control Devices and "Street
and Utility Repairs Work Area Protection Guide", available from Rock Island Public Works.
Questions of sufficiency shall be resolved to the satisfaction of the Public Works Director or a
designated representative.
Any practice determined by the City to be obviously hazardous shall be immediately
discontinued by the Contractor upon receipt of either written and/or verbal notice from the Public
Works Director or his designated representative to discontinue such practice.
Timeline:
All planting will be completed between March 20 through May 15 or September 1, through
November 15, or until soil temperatures fall below 50 degrees F.
The Contractor will perform all work between the hours of 7 a.m. and dusk, Monday through
Saturday unless authorized by the Public Works Director or his representative to do otherwise.
Site Clean-Up:
The Contractor shall clean up the site and remove and dispose of all debris at the end of each
day's operation.
Protection of Property:
The Contractor shall take all necessary precautions to eliminate damage to adjacent trees and
shrubs, lawns, curbs, walks, or other real or personal property.
The Contractor shall be responsible for repairing or replacing any property damaged as the
result of the Contractor's operations at Contractor's sole expense. Should the damage not be
rectified within the time agreed upon, or to the satisfaction of the City Public Works Director or
his representative, the City reserves the right to repair or replace that which was damaged, and
assess the Contractor such costs as may be reasonable and related to damage caused by the
Contractor, or deduct these costs from any payment due the Contractor.
Reporting:
The Contractor shall keep daily records of work completed. The records shall be turned into the
Public Works Department upon request.
Planting Preparation

The contractor shall identify any underground impediments prior to beginning planting by
contacting JULIE.
Contractor shall make certain that trees are properly maintained and watered.
The Public Works Director or his designated agent shall have the right to refuse any plant
following inspection.
Planting sites shall be designated by a representative of Rock Island Public Works.
Planting operations shall stop when soil is frozen or when topsoil is muddy.
Tree Planting Balled and Bur lapped:
If not readily apparent, locate root collar by removing twine, burlap, and excess soil.
Dig tree hole at least two times wider than the root ball, with sides sloped to an unexcavated or
firm base. Dig hole to a depth so the located root collar, at the first order lateral root, will be at
finished grade.
Lifting only from the bottom of the root ball, position tree on firm pad so that it is straight and top
of root collar is level with the surrounding soil.
Remove all twine from the root ball. If present, remove and discard at least the top one half of
the wire basket. Burlap shall be removed from the top to a point halfway down the root ball and
discarded. Ideally, all burlap and wire basket should be removed from the root ball.
With clean, sharp pruning tools, prune off any secondary/adventitious, girdling, and potential
girdling roots.
Backfill planting hole with existing unamended soil, and thoroughly water.
Mulch the entire planting surface with composted bark applied no less than two inches (2") deep
and no more than four inches (4") deep, leaving three inches (3") adjacent to the tree trunk free
of mulch.
Tree Planting Containerized or Grow Bags:
If not readily apparent, locate root collar by removing excess soil.
Dig tree hole at least two times wider than the root ball with sloping sides. Dig hole to a depth so
the located root collar, at the first order lateral root, will be at finished grade.
Create a firm soil mound at the bottom of the planting hole.
Remove tree from container or grow bag and select from option a or b
a. Completely tease apart root system, repositioning any girdling or potentially
girdling roots. Spread roots over soil mound so that root collar is at finished grade
and the tree is straight.

b. With a sharp saw, shave off the entire outer 1 inch (1") of the root ball. Place in
planting hole so that root collar is at finished grade and the tree is straight.
With clean, sharp pruning tools, prune off any secondary/adventitious, girdling, and potential
girdling roots.
Backfill planting hole with existing unamended soil and thoroughly water.
Mulch the entire planting surface with composted bark applied no less than two inches (2") deep
and no more than four inches (4") deep, leaving three inches (3") adjacent to the tree trunk free
of mulch.
Tree Planting Bare Root Trees:
Dig tree hole at least two times wider than the root ball with sloping sides. Dig hole to a depth so
the located root collar, at the first order lateral root, will be at finished grade.
Create a firm soil mound at the bottom of the planting hole.
Spread roots over soil mound so that root collar is at finished grade and the tree is straight.
With clean, sharp pruning tools, prune off any secondary/adventitious, girdling, and potential
girdling roots.
Backfill planting hole with existing unamended soil and thoroughly water.
Mulch the entire planting surface with composted bark applied no less than two inches (2") deep
and no more than four inches (4") deep, leaving three inches (3") adjacent to the tree trunk free
of mulch.
Planting and Care
After the soil around the root ball has been tamped into place, all excess soil shall be removed.
Tree shall be immediately watered after planting with a slow, saturating watering equal to 5
gallons per caliper inch plus 5 gallons.
The entire planting surface shall be mulched with hardwood bark mulch applied no less than two
inches (2") deep and no more than 4 inches (4") deep, leaving three inches (3") adjacent to the
tree trunk free of mulch.
Damaged or broken branches shall be pruned off by the contractor per latest revision of ANSI
A300 Pruning Standards.
Staking is only to be done if determined by the Public Works Director or his representative and
may be requested any time during the guarantee period after installation. Staking shall be done
per attached detail.
Contractor shall repair any damage to surrounding area, including seeding of grass areas.

All tags, tree wrap, etc. shall be removed from the trees.
Guarantee:
The Public Works Director or his representative shall have the right to final inspection of the
plantings. All trees subject to this contract shall be guaranteed for two years from the date of
installation. Trees will be replaced once and replacements will not be guaranteed.
Payment:
The contractor is eligible for a single lump sum payment upon the successful completion of the
work. Upon receipt of an invoice, the City will promptly process payment within 30 days.

INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS
The City of Rock Island requests that contractors interested submit a cost
schedule for the planting of 30 trees in the public right of way and or parks.
Proposal Items to be Signed and/or filled in:
1. Proposal Form
2. Proposal Guaranty (Bid Bond, Bank Draft, Bank Cashier's Check, Certified Check or
Local Agency Proposal Bid Bond)
3. Statement of Qualifications Form
4. Non-Collusion Affidavit
5. Cost Schedule
Performance, Labor, Material and Maintenance Bond
The successful bidder shall be required to provide a Performance, Labor, Material and
Maintenance Bond.