Call 402 4292161429SB

This contract, identified as Call 402 with solicitation number 4292161429SB, is an open-ended, on-call procurement issued by the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration for brush and tree cutting and stump removal services at various locations within Washington County, Maryland. The contract is part of a State Small Business Reserve Procurement and requires bidders to qualify as certified Small Businesses under Maryland law, with failure to meet this requirement resulting in automatic bid rejection. The bid submission deadline is August 13, 2026, at 12:00 PM Eastern Time, and all bids must be submitted electronically through the Bid Express portal using AASHTOWare Project Bids™ software; paper submissions are not accepted. Bidders must hold a valid Info Tech Digital ID, maintain a paid subscription to the Internet Bidding Service, and have registered with Bid Express under Maryland DOT as the referring agency. The contract will be awarded to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder, with mandatory pass/fail gates including full compliance with MBE participation goals, submission of a certified MBE Utilization Affidavit and Participation Schedule, approval of an Affirmative Action Plan, and adherence to all bonding and insurance requirements—specifically, bids under $100,000 require no bonds, while bids at or above this threshold require a 5% bid security and, if awarded, annual-renewable performance and payment bonds calculated as the contract amount divided by the number of contract years. The contract is subject to a 2% MBE participation goal and mandates submission of a comprehensive MBE Participation Packet, including Forms A through E, a completed MBE Goal Worksheet in Excel, and detailed information on all subcontractors including their MBE status, annual gross receipts, and business age. Contractors must also comply with Maryland’s living wage laws, paying the higher of the state minimum wage or the established living wage rate, and adhere to the Standard Specifications for Construction and Materials (July 1, 2025 edition), the Maryland Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (11th Edition), and NCHRP Report 350 or MASH 2016 standards for all highway safety features. All work must follow the High Visibility Safety Apparel Policy, implement erosion and sediment control measures, and conduct daily inspections of ESC systems, stormwater flows, sediment tracking, and material storage. Hazardous and toxic waste must be meticulously segregated, stored in sealed, labeled containers per