FAC120 Request for Quote-Herbicide Treatment at the Winimusset WMA (New Braintree, MA)

The contract involves herbicide treatment of up to 26 acres at the Winimusset Wildlife Management Area in New Braintree, Massachusetts, under the Massachusetts Statewide Contract FAC120, Category 4: Invasive and Exotic Plant Control Services. The primary objective is to reduce non-native foxtail cover to no more than 5% to enable the successful establishment of native warm-season grasses, with all work required to be completed by June 30, 2026. Treatment must comply strictly with Massachusetts pesticide regulations (333 CMR), the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, and other applicable environmental laws, using only wetland-approved herbicides to avoid contamination of jurisdictional wetland soils. Contractors are responsible for preventing damage to non-target vegetation and must restore any damaged habitat at their own expense, in addition to power-washing all equipment before site entry and removing all non-biodegradable signage post-treatment. Vehicles are subject to inspection upon arrival to prevent the spread of invasive species. Responses must be submitted electronically via the COMMBUYS system by May 7, 2026, using the mandatory Bid Response Sheet (Appendix A), which requires detailed information on proposed treatment methods, herbicide mixtures, crew leader credentials including license number and certification duration, contractor experience, and a per-acre cost quote for the full 26-acre area. The evaluation is based on a best value trade-off approach, weighing qualifications and experience (up to 15 points total), proposed methods and equipment adequacy, cost competitiveness, and crucially, participation in the Massachusetts Small Business Purchasing Program (SBPP). Only SBPP-certified small businesses—defined as Massachusetts-based firms with ≤50 full-time employees and ≤$15 million average annual revenue—are eligible for contract award, and if such a bidder meets the best value criteria, they will be selected over all others. Payment is processed through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, with invoicing following state policies and without sales tax, and the project is administered by Cynthia Pratt as the procurement point of contact, with Chris Buelow serving as the technical oversight contact. Final acceptance is determined by stratified random monitoring on-site to verify performance against the ≤5% foxtail threshold, with mandatory retreatment at no extra cost if standards are not met.