Street Tree Planting

1 Request for Proposals # 274-2022 Street Tree Planting Title: Street Tree Planting Issue Date: September 19, 2022 Due Date: October 3, 2022 not later than 4:00 p.m. ET LATE PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED Issuing Department: Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Direct all inquiries concerning this RFP to: Chris Crum Natural Resources and Parks Supervisor Senior Email: Christopher.Crum@raleighnc.gov 2 Table of Contents 1. Introduction ...............................................................................................3 1.1 Purpose ..............................................................................................3 1.2 Background ........................................................................................3 1.3 Request for Proposal (RFP) Timeline ...................................................... 4 1.4 Pre-Proposal Conference

...................................................................4 1.5 Proposal Question ..............................................................................4 1.6 Proposal Submission Requirements & Contact Information ...............5 1.7 Rights to Submitted Material ..............................................................5 1.8 Communications .................................................................................5 1.9 Lobbying .............................................................................................6 1.10 Conflicts of Interest .............................................................................6 1.11 Proposer Expenses ............................................................................8 1.12 Proposer Acceptance .........................................................................8 2. Proposals ..................................................................................................9 2.1 Request for Proposals Required Document Format ...........................9 2.2 RFP Documents ............................................................................... 11 3. Proposal Evaluation ............................................................................... 11 3.1 Proposal Evaluation Criteria (Stage 1) ............................................. 11 3.2 Interview/Demonstration (Stage 2) ................................................... 12 3.3 Final Selection .................................................................................. 12 3.4 Notice to Proposers Regarding RFP Terms & Conditions ................ 13 4. Contract Terms ....................................................................................... 13 5. Scope of Services ................................................................................... 13 Appendix I – Proposal Cost Form .................................................................... 28 Appendix II – Proposer Questionnaire ............................................................ 29 Appendix III – Reference Questionnaire .......................................................... 30 Appendix IV – Contract Standard Terms & Conditions ................................. 33 Appendix V – Exceptions to RFP ..................................................................... 40 Appendix VI – Proposed Cost Worksheet ............................................................. 42 Appendix VII – City of Raleigh Tree Planting Detail ........................................... 44 Appendix VIII – Map of Example Street Tree Planting Locations ................... 45 Appendix IX – Handling and Planting Instructions ............................................. 46 Appendix X – Maintenance Form Report Template ............................................ 51 Appendix XI – Approved List of Pesticides .......................................................... 52 3 1 Introduction 1.1 Purpose The City of Raleigh (COR) is solicitating proposals from one or more firm(s) with which to contract for the following services: A detailed scope of services is provided in Section 5 of this solicitation. The proposal is for 3 consecutive years of installation of up to 350 trees per year on City of Raleigh street rights-of-ways in the City of Raleigh. The contract will include a one-year maintenance period following each planting and an optional second year maintenance period. Tree sizes, based on availability, are 50% 2” caliper and 50% 3” caliper. Most, to all, trees will be planted within a 4 sq mile area per planting season. Please refer to Appendix VIII Map of Example Street Tree Locations. The successful proposer shall provide all labor, materials, and equipment necessary to perform the requested work. The City of Raleigh will purchase and pay for transport of the trees from one or more tree nurseries. The City of Raleigh will provide the tree, nursery, and staging information to the successful proposer. The successful proposer will be responsible for coordinating transport from the selected nurseries to the tree storage area. This procurement is being conducted in accordance with the provision of North Carolina General Statute 143-129.8. All information related to this solicitation, including any addenda, will be posted to the North Carolina Interactive Purchasing System (IPS) at: https://www.ips.state.nc.us/IPS/. 1.2 Background The City of Raleigh, the Capital City of North Carolina, remains one of the fastest growing areas in the country. A great economy, top educational institutions, and exceptional health care facilities are some of the characteristics that attract people to the triangle area. The mild climate, diverse work force and proximity to Research Triangle Park combine to make Raleigh a great place to live. Raleigh is a 21st Century City of Innovation focusing on environmental, cultural, and economic sustainability. The City conserves and protects our environmental resources through best practice and cutting-edge conservation and stewardship, land use, infrastructure and building technologies. The City welcomes growth and diversity through policies and programs that will protect and enhance Raleigh’s existing neighborhoods, natural amenities, history, and cultural and human resources for future generations. The City leads to improve quality of life for neighborhoods and standard of living for all citizens. The City works with universities, colleges, citizens, and local partners to promote new technology, create new job opportunities, and encourage local businesses and entrepreneurs. https://www.ips.state.nc.us/IPS/ 4 The City enlists and prepares 21st Century staff with the skill sets to carry out the duties of the City through transparent civic engagement and by providing the very best customer service to our citizens. 1.3 Request for Proposal (RFP) Timeline Provided below is a list of the anticipated schedule of events related to this solicitation. The City of Raleigh reserves the right to modify and/or adjust the following schedule to meet the needs of the service. All times shown are Eastern Time (ET): 1.4 Pre-Proposal Conference If the City of Raleigh elects to conduct a Pre-Proposal Conference or Site Visit, attendance by prospective proposers is strongly encouraged but is not mandatory. Prospective Proposers are encouraged to submit written questions in advance. Date, time, and location of pre-proposal conference is shown above in Section 1.3, entitled Request for Proposal (RFP) Timeline. 1.5 Proposal Question It is the Proposer's responsibility to ensure that all addenda have been reviewed and considered in the preparation of its proposal. Requests for clarification and questions to this RFP must be received by the City not later than the date shown above in Section 1.3, entitled “Request for Proposal (RFP) Timeline” for the submittal of written inquires. The firm’s failure to request clarification and submit questions by the date in the RFP Timeline above shall be considered to constitute the firm’s acceptance of all City’s terms and conditions and requirements. The City shall issue addenda reflecting questions and answers to this RFP, if any, and shall be posted to North Carolina Interactive Purchasing System (IPS). No information, instruction or advice provided orally or informally by any City personnel, whether RFP Process Date Time RFP Advertisement Date September 19, 2022 Pre-Proposal Conference (optional) September 26, 2022 Meeting 1:00-2:00 p.m. City of Raleigh Parks Maintenance Operations Center Marsh Creek conference room 4225 Daly Rd, Raleigh NC 27604 Questions due to City Staff September 29, 2022 12:00 p.m. City Response to questions (anticipated) September 30, 2022 4:00 p.m. Proposal Due Date and Time October 3, 2022 4:00 p.m. Evaluation Meeting (anticipated) October 4-October 7, 2022 Interview/ Demonstrations (if required) October 4-October 7, 2022 Selection Announced at Council Meeting (tentative) November 1, 2022 5 made in response to a question or otherwise in connection with this RFP, shall be considered authoritative or binding. Respondents shall be entitled to rely only on written material contained in an Addendum to this RFP. It is important that all Respondents submitting to this RFP periodically check the North Carolina Interactive Purchasing System (IPS) for any Addenda. It is the Respondents responsibility to ensure that all addenda have been reviewed and, if required signed and returned. All questions related to this solicitation must be submitted in writing (via email) to the following individual: Contact Name Email Address Chris Crum Christopher.Crum@raleighnc.gov Questions submitted via telephone will not be answered. 1.6 Proposal Submission Requirements and Contact Information Proposals must follow the format as defined in Section 2 PROPOSALS, and be addressed and submitted as follows: DELIVERED BY US POSTAL SERVICE DELIVERED BY ALL OTHER MEANS City of Raleigh City of Raleigh ATTN: Chris Crum ATTN: Chris Crum 4225 Daly Rd 4225 Daly Rd Raleigh, NC 27604 Raleigh, NC 27604 Christopher.Crum@raleighnc.gov RFP NO and Title. 274-2022 Street Tree Planting RFP No. & Title RFP NO. 274-2022 Street Tree Planting Proposals must be either hand-delivered on Monday, 10/03/2022 at the physical address or emailed clearly marked with the name of the submitting company, the RFP number and the RFP Title in the subject line. To DELIVER BY EMAIL (Preferred) The electronic version of the Proposal must be submitted electronically as a viewable and printable Adobe Portable Document File (PDF) to Christopher.Crum@raleighnc.gov . To DELIVER IN PERSON The electronic version of the Proposal must be submitted as a viewable and printable Adobe Portable Document File (PDF) stored on a flash drive. All submissions must be received by the City on or before the RFP due date and time provided in Section 1.3. Any requirements in the RFP that cannot be met must be indicated on Appendix V, “Exceptions to the RFP” and submitted with proposal. Proposers must respond to mailto:Anthony.mclamb@raleighnc.gov mailto:christopher.crum@raleighnc.gov 6 the entire Request for Proposals (RFP). Any incomplete proposal may be eliminated from competition at the discretion of the City of Raleigh. The City reserves the right to reject any or all proposals for any reason and to waive any informality it deems in its best interest. Proposals that arrive after the due date and time will not be accepted or considered for any reason whatsoever. If the Firm elects to mail in its response, the Firm must allow sufficient time to ensure the City’s proper receipt of the package by the time specified in Section 1.3, “Request for Proposal (RFP) Timeline”. Regardless of the delivery method, it is the responsibility of the Firm to ensure that their response arrives at the designated location specified in this Section by the due date and time specified in Section 1.3, “Request for Proposal (RFP) Timeline”. 1.7 Rights to Submitted Material All proposals and supporting materials, as well as correspondence relating to this RFP, shall become the property of the City. The content of all submittals will be held confidential until the selection of the firm is made. Proposals will be reviewed by the Evaluation Team, as well as other City staff and members of the general public who submit public record requests. Any proprietary data must be clearly marked. In submitting a Proposal, each Prospective Proposer agrees that the City may reveal any trade secret materials contained in such response to all City staff and City officials involved in the selection process and to any outside consultant or other third party who serves on the Evaluation Team or who is hired by the City to assist in the selection process. The City reserves the right to retain all proposals submitted and to use any ideas in a proposal regardless of whether that proposal is selected. Submission of a proposal indicates acceptance by the Proposer of the conditions contained in this Request for Proposal. Proposals marked entirely as “confidential”, “proprietary”, or “trade secret” will be considered non-responsive and will be removed from the evaluation process. 1.8 Communications All communications of any nature regarding this RFP with any City staff, elected City officials, evaluation committee members, are strictly forbidden from the time the solicitation is publicly posted until award. Questions must be submitted in writing to the individual designated in Section 1.1. prior to the deadline provided in Section 1.3. Violation of this provision may result in the firm’s proposal being removed from consideration. 1.9 Lobbying By responding to this solicitation, the firm certifies that it has not and will not pay any person or firm to influence or attempt to influence an officer or employee of the City or the State of North Carolina, or any elected official in connection with obtaining a contract as a result of this RFP.