Ground Maintenance Services - FEMA Region 5

This solicitation, numbered 70FBR526Q00000003, is a Combined Synopsis/Solicitation for commercial ground maintenance services issued by the Department of Homeland Security, Region 5: Emergency Preparedness A, located in Chicago, Illinois, for services to be performed at the FEMA Aurora Annex building in Aurora, Illinois. The requirement is set aside entirely for small business concerns under FAR 19.5 and is scoped under NAICS code 561730. The contract encompasses comprehensive year-round grounds maintenance, including lawn care such as mowing, edging, weeding, aeration, fertilization, seeding, and sodding; hedges, shrubs, and tree maintenance including trimming, pruning, stump grinding, and arbor treatments; general upkeep like power washing, furniture maintenance, and pest control; sanitation through trash and receptacle collection; and winter services involving snow removal and deicing. All work must comply with strict standards, such as confining herbicide applications to 12 inches from target vegetation and removing grass clippings and trimmings from paved surfaces on the same day of cutting. Contractors must demonstrate ability to meet these requirements through technical, management, and past performance evaluations, with price considered as a factor but not the determining criterion in award. The evaluation process includes pass/fail gates, where any low confidence rating on a single factor disqualifies an offeror, and selections will be made using a best value tradeoff approach. The contract structure includes a one-year base period estimated to run from July 20, 2026, to June 30, 2027, with four additional one-year option periods extending through June 30, 2030, subject to government exercise. Option periods are to be exercised by specified dates, with the first option exercisable by May 1, 2027, and the last by May 1, 2031. A six-month extension may also be exercised under FAR 52.217-8, with pricing for this period calculated by dividing the final option year price by two—offerors are explicitly instructed not to propose separate pricing for this option. Proposals must be submitted electronically by July 9, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. ET to Kimberly Coakley, the point of contact, and must include an active SAM registration, UEI, EFT details if