Field and Grass Seed

The North Carolina Department of Transportation is seeking bids to supply field and grass seed for its 2026 needs under Solicitation Number 54-CA-PR35712, with responses due by July 31, 2026. The solicitation requires vendors to provide tall fescue, bermudagrass, centipede, Kentucky bluegrass, and fine fescue in specified quantities, with all deliveries made FOB destination to designated locations across North Carolina including Burgaw, Carthage, Graham, Greenville, and Wilson. Contract performance is limited to a term ending January 31, 2027, and all deliveries must be completed within fifteen calendar days after purchase order issuance. The State reserves the right to adjust order quantities by up to 50% and may award individual line items to separate vendors. All seed must meet North Carolina Seed Law Rules, including accurate labeling with restricted noxious weed seed counts per pound and compliance with approved variety lists, with each container subject to a two-cent inspection fee paid by the vendor. Packaging must ensure protection from moisture, rodent damage, and physical compromise, and all shipments must include a complete packing list and the buyer’s purchase order number. Vendors must submit required attachments including pricing details, instructions to vendors, North Carolina general terms and conditions, worker location data, and a request for Executive Order 50 price-matching eligibility if applicable. Failure to return Attachments F or H results in automatic disqualification. Vendors must be registered with the North Carolina Secretary of State and certified as not being debarred, not involved in collusion or securities fraud, and compliant with E-Verify if employing more than 25 people in the state. Bids must be submitted electronically via the eVP portal, and no oral or alternative submissions are permitted. All proposals are evaluated based on total cost to the State, quality, performance capability, information security risks, and jurisdictional enforcement considerations, with award expected to follow a Lowest Price Technically Acceptable model unless non-cost factors suggest a best-value trade-off is warranted. No federal contracting clauses from the FAR apply; instead, state statutes govern contract administration, inspection, acceptance, and dispute resolution. Invoices are only payable after State inspection and acceptance at the delivery site, and no federal accounting codes or electronic invoicing systems like WAWF are referenced. Vendors must designate a contract manager and customer service contact, and subcontracting requires prior written approval by the State.