Williston North and Southbound Information Center Horticultural Maintenance

Buildings and General Services Operations and Maintenance
133 State Street, 5th Floor | Montpelier VT 05633-8000
802-828-2211 phone |802-828-2222 fax
http://bgs.vermont.gov/purchasing
SEALED BID
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
Williston North and Southbound Information Center
Horticultural Maintenance
ISSUE DATE July 16, 2026
QUESTIONS DUE July 28, 2026 at 4:30 PM (EST)
RFP RESPONSES DUE BY August 12, 2026 at 4:30PM (EST)
PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT ALL NOTIFICATIONS, RELEASES, AND ADDENDUMS ASSOCIATED
WITH THIS RFP WILL BE POSTED AT:
http://www.bgs.state.vt.us/pca/bids/bids.php
THE STATE WILL MAKE NO ATTEMPT TO CONTACT INTERESTED PARTIES WITH UPDATED
INFORMATION. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH BIDDER TO PERIODICALLY CHECK THE
ABOVE WEBPAGEFOR ANY AND ALL NOTIFICATIONS, RELEASES AND ADDENDUMS
ASSOCIATED WITH THIS RFP.
STATE CONTACT: James Meyers, State Senior Purchaisng Agent
E-MAIL: BGS.OPCVendorDocs@vermont.gov
1

1. OVERVIEW:
1.1. SCOPE AND BACKGROUND: Through this Request for Proposal (RFP) Buildings and General Services
Operations and Maintenance Division (hereinafter the "State") is seeking to establish contracts with one
or more companies that can provide horticultural maintenance at the Williston North and Southbound
Information Centers.
1.2. CONTRACT PERIOD: Contracts arising from this RFP will be for a period of 12 Months with an option to
renew for up to two additional twelve-month periods. The State anticipates the start date for such
contract(s) will be September 1, 2026.
1.3. SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT: All communications concerning this RFP are to be addressed in writing
to the State Contact listed on the front page of this RFP. Actual or attempted contact with any other
individual from the State concerning this RFP is strictly prohibited and may result in disqualification.
1.4. BIDDERS' CONFERENCE: A bidders' conference will not be held. The site is open to the public, any
contractor or bidder wishing to visit the site may do so at their convenience to assess the grounds and
garden beds.
1.5. QUESTION AND ANSWER PERIOD: Any bidder requiring clarification of any section of this RFP or
wishing to comment on any requirement of the RFP must submit specific questions in writing no later than
the deadline for question indicated on the first page of this RFP. Questions may be e-mailed to the point
of contact on the front page of this RFP. Questions or comments not raised in writing on or before the last
day of the question period are thereafter waived. At the close of the question period a copy of all
questions or comments and the State's responses will be posted on the State's web site
http://www.bgs.state.vt.us/pca/bids/bids.php . Every effort will be made to post this information as soon as
possible after the question period ends, contingent on the number and complexity of the questions. All
information provided by vendors during this process will be public and bidders shall not provide
confidential information, except as described in 4.1 below.
1.6. CHANGES TO THIS RFP: Any modifications to this RFP will be made in writing by the State through the
issuance of an Addendum to this RFP and posted online at http://www.bgs.state.vt.us/pca/bids/bids.php .
Modifications from any other source are not to be considered.
2. DETAILED REQUIREMENTS/DESIRED OUTCOMES:
2.1. The State of Vermont is interested in obtaining bids to meet the following business need(s): Routine
horticultural maintenance on established perennial and shrub / ornamentals beds at Williston North and
Southbound Information Centers in Williston Vermont. This includes routine horticultural care throughout
the year, clean ups and garden maintenance in preparation for specific holiday programming like Memorial
Day and July 4th, and long-term maintenance strategies to ensure the garden thrives like compost top
dressing and pruning and mulching.
2.2. This scope of work covers the horticultural maintenance of ornamental perennial gardens at both
information centers and includes but is not limited to routine and seasonal horticultural care for all garden
beds at Williston North and Southbound Information Centers.
Revised: March 18, 2025

2.3. Landscape beds are those beds on the site at the building entrances and flagpole areas outlined in the
diagram below:
2.4. Routine landscape care shall be comprised of the following tasks:
2.4.1. Weeding
2.4.2. Replacement of plants as necessary
2.4.3. Deadheading perennials and pruning of dead or dying shrubs or other plants
2.4.4. Managing growth of shrubs and grasses with twine, stakes, or other means
2.4.5. Contractor shall remove and lawfully dispose of all wastes generated
2.4.6. Maintenance of edges and walkways as necessary (sweeping, cutting, clearing, etc)
Revised: March 18, 2025

2.5. Seasonal Landscape Care (Spring)
2.5.1. Weeding
2.5.2. Deadheading perennials and pruning of dead or dying shrubs or other plants
2.5.3. Managing growth of shrubs and grasses with twine, stakes, or other means
2.5.4. Cutting back of overwintered plants
2.5.5. Remove fallen branches, leaves, and winter debris from all garden areas
2.5.6. Define and refresh bed edges
2.5.7. Application of mulch across entire bed when previous years mulch needs to be replenished
2.5.7.1. Mulch shall be a depth of 2-3"
2.5.7.2. Mulch shall be triple ground
2.5.7.3. Mulch shall be dye free
2.5.7.4. Mulch shall not crowd the base or crown of plantings
2.5.8. Routine spring clean-up tasks as necessary. Contractor shall remove and lawfully dispose of all
wastes generated
2.6. Seasonal Landscape Care (Fall)
2.6.1. Weeding
2.6.2. Top dressing of aged high quality aged compost at root zone of perennials, shrubs
2.6.3. Deadheading perennials and pruning of dead or dying shrubs or other plants
2.6.4. Clipping seed heads of ornamental grasses to prevent seeding if necessary
2.6.5. Managing growth of shrubs and grasses with twine, stakes, or other means
2.6.6. Cutting back of plants that will not overwinter (perennials and shrubs blooming on new growth)
2.6.7. Remove fallen branches, leaves, and winter debris from all garden areas
2.6.8. Routine fall clean up tasks as necessary. Contractor shall remove and lawfully dispose of all wastes
generated
2.7. Landscape Care Schedule
2.7.1. Routine landscape care shall be on an interval of 2 weeks from May to October, weather dependent,
with the contractor scheduling missed care appointments to the next available day.
2.7.2. Routine Landscape Care shall also take place on the following special occasions - months of May,
July, and September may have two scheduled visits or a check-in visit to assess the need for weeding
and other horticultural care for these occasions
2.7.2.1. Within one week prior to Memorial Day
2.7.2.2. Within one week prior to the 4th of July
2.7.2.3. Within one week prior to Labor Day
2.7.2.4. Within one week prior to Columbus Day
2.7.3. Seasonal Landscape Care (Spring) shall be in the Month of April when ground conditions and snow
cover allow for spring clean ups and all associated tasks without creating adverse conditions where
the site is damaged from soft or saturated ground.
2.7.4. Seasonal Landscape Care (Fall) shall be in November and be scheduled prior to the Thanksgiving
Holiday
2.7.5. The total number of site visits is 18
2.7.5.1. 12 Routine landscape visits from May to October
Revised: March 18, 2025

2.7.5.2. 4 holiday specific visits as mentioned above for Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, and
Indigenous Peoples Day.
2.7.5.3. 2 seasonal clean up visits, one in fall and one in spring
3. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:
3.1. PRICING: Bidders must price the terms of this solicitation at their best pricing. Any and all costs that
Bidder wishes the State to consider must be submitted for consideration. If applicable, all equipment
pricing is to include F.O.B. delivery to the ordering facility. No request for extra delivery cost will be
honored. All equipment shall be delivered assembled, serviced, and ready for immediate use, unless
otherwise requested by the State.
3.1.1. Prices and/or rates shall remain firm for the initial term of the contract. The pricing policy submitted by
Bidder must (i) be clearly structured, accountable, and auditable and (ii) cover the full spectrum of
materials and/or services required.
3.1.2. Cooperative Agreements. Bidders that have been awarded similar contracts through a competitive
bidding process with another state and/or cooperative are welcome to submit the pricing in response
to this solicitation.
3.2. STATEMENT OF RIGHTS: The State shall have the authority to evaluate Responses and select the
Bidder(s) as may be determined to be in the best interest of the State and consistent with the goals and
performance requirements outlined in this RFP. The State of Vermont reserves the right to obtain
clarification or additional information necessary to properly evaluate a proposal. Failure of bidder to
respond to a request for additional information or clarification could result in rejection of that bidder's
proposal. To secure a project that is deemed to be in the best interest of the State, the State reserves the
right to accept or reject any and all bids, in whole or in part, with or without cause, and to waive
technicalities in submissions. The State also reserves the right to make purchases outside of the awarded
contracts where it is deemed in the best interest of the State.
3.2.1. Best and Final Offer (BAFO). At any time after submission of Responses and prior to the final
selection of Bidder(s) for Contract negotiation or execution, the State may invite Bidder(s) to provide a
BAFO. The state reserves the right to request BAFOs from only those Bidders that meet the minimum
qualification requirements and/or have not been eliminated from consideration during the evaluation
process.
3.2.2. Presentation. An in-person or webinar presentation by the Bidder may be required by the State if it
will help the State's evaluation process. The State will factor information presented during
presentations into the evaluation. Bidders will be responsible for all costs associated with providing
the presentation.
3.3. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST:
3.3.1. Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCOI): An OCOI arises when a bidder as a business entity has
interests (for example, customers, partners, contracts) that could undermine, or reasonably be
perceived to undermine, its faithful and unbiased performance of a contract with the State that may
result from this solicitation.
3.3.2. Personal Conflict of Interest (PCOI): A PCOI arises when an interest held by an individual, agent or
employee of a bidder could undermine, or reasonably be perceived to undermine, its faithful and
unbiased performance of a contract with the State that may result from this solicitation.
3.3.3. Requirements: The State does not seek to contract with any individual or business entity having a
conflict of interest which cannot be mitigated to the State's satisfaction. To ensure the State's
awareness of actual, potential, or reasonably perceived PCOIs and OCOIs, bidders shall:
a) Prior to submitting a proposal, conduct an internal review of its current affiliations and activities and
identify actual, potential, or reasonably perceived PCOIs or OCOIs relative to a contract with the
State that may result from this solicitation.
b) Disclose in your proposal any actual or potential PCOI or OCOI or the existence of any facts that
may cause a reasonably prudent person to perceive a PCOI or OCOI with respect to a contract with
Revised: March 18, 2025

the State that may result from this solicitation. Disclose, also, any actions proposed to mitigate the
PCOI or OCOI.
3.3.4. The State shall have sole discretion to determine whether a PCOI or OCOI can be mitigated to the
State's satisfaction and may discuss the conflict with the bidder if and to the extent the State deems
discussion necessary to its determination. The State reserves the right to (a) reject from further
consideration any proposal having a PCOI or OCIO that cannot be mitigated to the State's full
satisfaction and (b) terminate a contract upon discovery that a contractor failed to disclose facts
pertaining to a PCOI or OCOI in its proposal, or otherwise misrepresented relevant information to the
State.
3.4. WORKER CLASSIFICATION COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS: In accordance with Section 32 of The
Vermont Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Act No. 54), Bidders must comply with the following
provisions and requirements.
3.4.1. Self Reporting: For bid amounts exceeding $250,000.00, Bidder shall complete the appropriate
section in the attached Certificate of Compliance for purposes of self-reporting information relating to
past violations, convictions, suspensions, and any other information related to past performance
relative to coding and classification of workers. The State is requiring information on any violations
that occurred in the previous 12 months.
3.4.2. Subcontractor Reporting: For bid amounts exceeding $250,000.00, Bidders are hereby notified that
upon award of contract, and prior to contract execution, the State shall be provided with a list of all
proposed subcontractors and subcontractors' subcontractors, together with the identity of those
subcontractors' workers compensation insurance providers, and additional required or requested
information, as applicable, in accordance with Section 32 of The Vermont Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Act No. 54). This requirement does not apply to subcontractors providing
supplies only and no labor to the overall contract or project. This list MUST be updated and provided
to the State as additional subcontractors are hired. A sample form is available online at
http://bgs.vermont.gov/purchasing-contracting/forms. The subcontractor reporting form is not
required to be submitted with the bid response.
3.5. EXECUTIVE ORDER 05-16: CLIMATE CHANGE CONSIDERATIONS IN STATE PROCUREMENTS:
For bid amounts exceeding $25,000.00 Bidders are requested to complete the Climate Change
Considerations in State Procurements Certification, which is included in the Certificate of Compliance for
this RFP.
After consideration of all relevant factors, a bidder that demonstrates business practices that promote
clean energy and address climate change as identified in the Certification, shall be given favorable
consideration in the competitive bidding process. Such favorable consideration shall be consistent with
and not supersede any preference given to resident bidders of the State and/or products raised or
manufactured in the State, as explained in the Method of Award section. But, such favorable consideration
shall not be employed if prohibited by law or other relevant authority or agreement.
3.6. METHOD OF AWARD: Awards will be made in the best interest of the State. The State may award one
or more contracts and reserves the right to make additional awards to other compliant bidders at any time
if such award is deemed to be in the best interest of the State. All other considerations being equal,
preference will be given first to resident bidders of the state and/or to products raised or manufactured in
the state, and then to bidders who have practices that promote clean energy and address climate change,
as identified in the applicable Certificate of Compliance.
3.6.1. Evaluation Criteria: Consideration shall be given to the Bidder's project approach and methodology,
qualifications and experience, ability to provide the services within the defined timeline, cost, and/or
success in completing similar projects, as applicable, and to the extent specified below.
3.6.1.1. Prior experience with this type of horticultural maintenance
3.6.1.2. Ability to meet the project schedule
3.6.1.3. Price
Revised: March 18, 2025

3.7. CONTRACT NEGOTIATION: Upon completion of the evaluation process, the State may select one or
more bidders with which to negotiate a contract, based on the evaluation findings and other criteria
deemed relevant for ensuring that the decision made is in the best interest of the State. In the event State
is not successful in negotiating a contract with a selected bidder, the State reserves the option of
negotiating with another bidder, or to end the proposal process entirely.
3.8. COST OF PREPARATION: Bidder shall be solely responsible for all expenses incurred in the preparation
of a response to this RFP and shall be responsible for all expenses associated with any presentations or
demonstrations associated with this request and/or any proposals made.
3.9. CONTRACT TERMS: The selected bidder(s) will be expected to sign a contract with the State, including
the Standard Contract Form and Attachment C as attached to this RFP for reference. If IT Attachment D is
included in this RFP, terms may be modified based upon the solution proposed by the Bidder, subject to
approval by the Agency of Digital Services.
3.9.1. Business Registration. To be awarded a contract by the State of Vermont a bidder (except an
individual doing business in his/her own name) must be registered with the Vermont Secretary of
State's office https://sos.vermont.gov/corporations/registration/ and must obtain a Contractor's
Business Account Number issued by the Vermont Department of Taxes http://tax.vermont.gov/ .
3.9.2. The contract will obligate the bidder to provide the services and/or products identified in its bid, at the
prices listed.
3.9.3. Payment Terms. Percentage discounts may be offered for prompt payments of invoices; however,
such discounts must be in effect for a period of 30 days or more in order to be considered in making
awards.
3.9.4. Retainage. In the discretion of the State, a contract resulting from this RFP may provide that the State
withhold a percentage of the total amount payable for some or all deliverables, such retainage to be
payable upon satisfactory completion and State acceptance in accordance with the terms and
conditions of the contract.
3.9.5. Quality. If applicable, all products provided under a contract with the State will be new and unused,
unless otherwise stated. Factory seconds or remanufactured products will not be accepted unless
specifically requested by the purchasing agency. All products provided by the contractor must meet
all federal, state, and local standards for quality and safety requirements. Products not meeting these
standards will be deemed unacceptable and returned to the contractor for credit at no charge to the
State.
4. CONTENT AND FORMAT OF RESPONSES: The content and format requirements listed below are the
minimum requirements for State evaluation. These requirements are not intended to limit the content of a
Bidder's proposal. Bidders may include additional information or offer alternative solutions for the State's
consideration. However, the State discourages overly lengthy and costly proposals, and Bidders are advised to
include only such information in their response as may be relevant to the requirements of this solicitation.
4.1. Unsolicited Bidder-Confidential Information Prohibited. Bidders are hereby expressly directed not to
include any confidential information in their proposal submissions, except as specifically permitted below.
By submitting a proposal in response to this RFP, bidders acknowledge and agree to abide by the terms
and conditions outlined in this document, including the prohibition on submitting confidential information.
This prohibition reduces the burden on the State while preventing bidder-confidential information from
entering the public record.
4.2. Disclosure under Public Records Act. All information received by the State in response to this
solicitation will become part of the contract file and subject to public disclosure in accordance with the
State's Public Records Act, 1 V.S.A. 315 et seq. The State may also choose to publicly post responses to
this solicitation and the resulting agreement(s), following conclusion of this procurement process.
4.3. Unsolicited Confidential Materials. This RFP does not solicit bidder confidential information and bidders
are expressly prohibited from providing confidential information in response to this RFP. All materials
furnished by bidders in response to this RFP, including those marked as confidential by bidders, are subject
to disclosure if requested under the Public Records Act, or public posting.
4.4. State Not Responsible for Disclosure of Unmarked Bidder-Confidential Information. It is the
sole responsibility of the bidder to ensure that, other than where specifically directed or permitted by this
Revised: March 18, 2025

RFP and accordingly marked as described below, no information that should not be publicly disclosed is
included in their proposal materials, including any 1) trade secrets or intellectual property, 2) proprietary
financial or business information, 3) personal information, or 4) any other information that should not be
disclosed to the public. For example, bidders should avoid including specific details of their proprietary
technologies or methodologies that they consider confidential, and any references to previous client
engagements should be presented in a manner that does not disclose the client's confidential information.
4.5. The bid should include a Cover Letter and Technical Response and Price Schedule.
4.6. COVER LETTER:
4.6.1. Exceptions to Contract Terms and Conditions. The State will not consider exceptions to contract
terms and conditions included with this RFP.
4.7. TECHNICAL RESPONSE. In response to this RFP, a bidder shall:
4.7.1. Provide details concerning your form of business organization, company size and resources.
4.7.2. Describe your capabilities and particular experience relevant to the RFP requirements.
4.7.3. If you have experience working with the State of Vermont, identify all current or past State projects.
Provide the name of the Vermont department or agency and the project title or a brief description of
the work. Do not include references or statements from State of Vermont agencies or employees.
4.7.4. Identify the names of all subcontractors you intend to use, the portions of the work the subcontractors
will perform, and address the background and experience of the subcontractor(s), in response to the
questions described above in this section.
4.8. REFERENCES. Provide the names, addresses, and phone numbers of at least three companies with
whom you have transacted similar business in the last 12 months. You must include contact names who
can talk knowledgeably about performance. Do not list a State of Vermont agency or employee as a
reference.
4.9. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS: Provide a sample of any reporting documentation that may be applicable
to the Detailed Requirements of this RFP.
4.10. PRICE SCHEDULE: Bidders shall submit their pricing information in the Price Schedule attached
to the RFP.
4.11. CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE: This form must be completed and submitted as part of the
response for the proposal to be considered valid.
5. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:
5.1. CLOSING DATE: Bids must be received by the State by the due date specified on the front page of this
RFP. Late bids will not be considered.
5.1.1. The State may, for cause, issue an addendum to change the date and/or time when bids are due. If a
change is made, the State will inform all bidders by posting at the webpage indicated on the front
page of this RFP.
5.1.2. There will not be a public bid opening. However, the State will record the name, city and state for any
and all bids received by the due date.
5.2. ELECTRONIC BIDS ONLY: All bids under this RFP must be submitted electronically in accordance with
the submission requirements herein. Electronic bids will be accepted via email submission to
BGS.VTBids@vermont.gov . The subject line of the email submission must reference the Project Title as
indicated on the front page of this RFP.
5.2.1. Bids must consist of a single email with a single, digitally searchable PDF attachment containing all
components of the bid. Multiple emails and/or multiple attachments will not be accepted.
5.2.2. There is an attachment size limit of 40 MB. It is the Bidder's responsibility to compress the PDF file
containing its bid if necessary in order to meet this size limitation. It is also the Bidder's responsibility
to ensure that their own email system can send and receive messages up to this size.
Revised: March 18, 2025

6. BID SUBMISSION CHECKLIST:
Cover Letter
References - 3 professional references of similar scope projects
Price Schedule
Signed Certificate of Compliance
7. ATTACHMENTS:
7.1. Certificate of Compliance
7.2. Price Schedule
7.3. Worker Classification Compliance Requirement; Subcontractor Reporting Form
7.4. Standard State Contract with its associated attachments, including but not limited to, Attachment C:
Standard State Provisions for Contracts and Grants (October 1, 2024)
Revised: March 18, 2025

RFP/PROJECT: Williston North and Southbound Information Centers Horticultural Maintenance
DATE: July 7, 2026
Page 1 of 4
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE
For your bid to be considered valid, this form must be completed in its entirety, executed by a duly
authorized representative of the bidder, and submitted as part of the response to the proposal.
A. NON COLLUSION: Bidder hereby certifies that the prices quoted have been arrived at without collusion
and that no prior information concerning these prices has been received from or given to a competitive
company. If there is sufficient evidence to warrant investigation of the bid/contract process by the Office of
the Attorney General, bidder understands that this paragraph might be used as a basis for litigation.
B. CONTRACT TERMS: Bidder hereby acknowledges that is has read, understands and agrees to the terms
of this RFP, including Attachment C: Standard State Contract Provisions, and any other contract
attachments included with this RFP.
C. WORKER CLASSIFICATION COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENT: In accordance with Section 32 of The
Vermont Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Act No. 54), the following provisions and requirements
apply to Bidder when the amount of its bid exceeds $250,000.00.
Self-Reporting. Bidder hereby self-reports the following information relating to past violations, convictions,
suspensions, and any other information related to past performance relative to coding and classification of
workers, that occurred in the previous 12 months.
Summary of Detailed Date of Notification Outcome
Information
Subcontractor Reporting. Bidder hereby acknowledges and agrees that if it is a successful bidder, prior to
execution of any contract resulting from this RFP, Bidder will provide to the State a list of all proposed
subcontractors and subcontractors' subcontractors, together with the identity of those subcontractors' workers
compensation insurance providers, and additional required or requested information, as applicable, in
accordance with Section 32 of The Vermont Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Act No. 54), and Bidder
will provide any update of such list to the State as additional subcontractors are hired. Bidder further
acknowledges and agrees that the failure to submit subcontractor reporting in accordance with Section 32 of
The Vermont Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Act No. 54) will constitute non-compliance and may
result in cancellation of contract and/or restriction from bidding on future state contracts.
Revised: March 18, 2025