GROUNDS MAINTENANCE SERVICES

Project Overview Minnesota State, on behalf of Century College, is requesting proposals to furnish all labor, materials, equipment, supplies, and supervision necessary for the comprehensive maintenance of campus grounds on both the East and West Campuses. While Century College intends to hire a contractor to perform these services, the College will continue to utilize its in-house grounds team in essential roles, including providing full maintenance for the athletic fields, managing daily operational needs, overseeing the campuses irrigation systems, and performing or overseeing daily and seasonal landscape bed renovations or other campus services. This approach reflects a hybrid model designed to combine contractor expertise with the ongoing contributions and institutional knowledge of our internal team. The goal is to ensure a collaborative partnership that maintains and enhances our high standards of campus appearance and functionality. The contractor is responsible for maintaining the campus grounds in a safe, attractive, and environmentally responsible manner, consistent with the operational needs of an occupied educational facility and in full compliance with all applicable codes, regulations, and standards. BASE SERVICES: General Grounds Maintenance 1. Spring Clean-Up a. Remove leaves, branches, and debris from lawns. Complete by May 1st or as soon as conditions allow. De-thatch turf areas where necessary. b. Clear lawns using power vacuuming, blowing, mulching, or hand raking; use power mulching where feasible to recycle nutrients. c. Clean shrub beds, building edges, and obstacles by power blowing or hand raking. d. Sweep or blow sidewalks and curbs to remove sand from winter operations. e. Contractor may utilize the Century College compost/debris site for disposal of any leave’s, branches, and lawn debris. 2 2. General Summer Grounds Maintenance (Mowing, Trimming, and Edging) a. Mow the site up to 24 mowings from early May through the end of October with the frequency adjusted for weather as illustrated in Exhibit A – Turf Areas: highlighted in purple. b. Maintain mowing height of approximately 3 to 3.5 inches and adjust as needed for conditions. c. After each mowing, blow sidewalks, driveways, patios, and steps to remove clippings. d. Trimming and edging around trees, signage, curbs, buildings, walkways, plantings, and other obstacles shall be performed during each mowing cycle; contractor is responsible for any equipment-related damage. e. Disperse or remove excessive clippings using blowing, vacuuming, or sweeping for a clean appearance. f. Collect and remove trash and debris (branches under 2”’s) from lawn areas during each visit. Dispose of trash in Century College approved dumpsters and place landscape debris in the designated collection area approved by the College g. Mechanical edging of sidewalks and curbs to maintain a well-kept appearance. Weed control on sidewalks and curb lines that adjoin sidewalks throughout the season using herbicide and/or mechanical removal. h. Remove any basal tree sprouts (suckers) to maintain a neat, well-kept appearance and promote healthy tree growth. i. Contractor shall use professional-grade commercial mowing equipment and provide a crew(s) large enough to complete both campuses in a single day of service on a consistent schedule. Mowing adjacent to buildings must begin at 7:00 a.m., with work progressing away from structures to minimize disruption to classes and campus operations. j. Performance Expectation: Turf must be evenly cut, free of clippings and trash; mowing schedule must maintain a neat appearance and minimize disruption to classes or operations. Contractor must be respectful and cognizant of the college community using outdoors spaces and sidewalks while mowing/trimming is occurring (e.g., over the lunch hour, not directing mowing discharge in their direction). 3 3. Fall Clean-Up a. Perform fall cleanup over multiple visits as needed to maintain a clean, well-kept appearance, accounting for leaves falling at different times due to weather conditions. b. Complete all fall cleanup activities before November 15th, unless unusual weather requires adjustment (to be communicated to the Owner). c. Remove fallen leaves and debris from turf, landscaped areas, shrub beds, building foundations, obstacles, and parking spaces using power sweeping, blowing, vacuuming, or hand raking. d. Lawn cleanup may include power mulching where it is feasible to recycle nutrients and organic matter. e. Performance Expectation: Grounds must remain neat throughout leaf drop season, and building entryways remain clear; contractor responsible for monitoring and scheduling accordingly. OPTIONAL SERVICES: 4 4. Fertilization & Weed Control a. Provide a detailed fertilization and weed control schedule (minimum of two applications per season). b. Identify all products used, including formulation, application rate, and environmental safety data. c. Only products approved by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture may be used. 5 5. Bed Maintenance (Perennial, Shrub, Hedge) a. Remove leaves, branches, and debris from planting beds and landscape areas in the spring. Prepare landscaped beds for mulch and the growing season. b. Weed control in shrub beds throughout the season using preemergent herbicide, spot post emergent herbicide applications and/or manual cultivation c. Trim shrubs, hedges, and ornamental plantings at horticulturally appropriate times to maintain a well-kept appearance. d. Pruning debris shall be collected and moved to the college compost site. e. In the fall, cut back perennials and prepare landscaped beds for winter. 6 6. Mulching (Landscape Beds) a. Provide pricing for installation of a thin (1.5” – 2”) application of shredded hardwood mulch in designated beds as illustrated on Exhibit B – Mulching: circled in green. b. Provide a preemergent herbicide. c. Include cost for mulch delivery and installation. d. Mulch color to match existing campus standard which is dark brown. 7 7. Mulching (Per Yard Price) a. Provide price per yard for delivery and installation of dark brown mulch as identified by Century College. 8 8. Additional Grounds Summer Maintenance a. Provide per time pricing for #2 above if the number of service-related visits exceeds 25 times in a season. 9 9. Weed Control in Parking Lots and Roads a. Provide a per-service price for weed spraying in all parking lots and along curb lines as shown in Exhibit C – Non-Turf Areas: highlighted in teal. b. Provide an hourly rate for spot treatments in these areas when a full-campus application is not required. 10. Design & Consulting Services a. Provide an hourly rate for landscape bed design services, with the understanding that the Owner may use the design for installation by Century College staff or hire the contractor to install. OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS 1 11. Fuel Surcharge a. If fuel prices increase by more than 20% from the baseline price at contract start (based on EIA data), the contractor may request a surcharge. The surcharge shall not exceed 2% of the monthly invoice and requires written approval from the Owner. No retroactive adjustments will be allowed. 1 12. Communication & Reporting a. Contractor will communicate with Century College in circumstances that impact the schedule of services, services not completed on their regularly scheduled day, issues observed on site, anytime herbicides are applied, etc. b. Contractor will meet with Century College at the start and end of the contract season and during the season when needed to document site conditions and review performance. 1 13. Minimum Qualifications a. Minimum of three (3) years experience providing commercial grounds maintenance services. Pre-award Informational Meeting Minnesota State will hold a mandatory site visit pre-award informational meeting on Wednesday, 1/28/2026 @ 9:30 am, Century College: EAST Campus-Door E2-Conference Room E1421. It is required for all potential or interested respondents attend this meeting. Selection Process The selection process includes: Facilities. This group will evaluate the proposals and make the final decision. Evaluation Factor The following factors and their identified weight will be used to evaluate the responses: Number Factor Weight #1 Adherence to Minnesota State Terms and Conditions: A statement of the objectives, goals, and tasks to show or demonstrate its view and understanding of the nature of the contract 10% #2 Cost 30% #3 Equipment 10% #4 Experience 15% #5 Scenario Answers 15% #6 Completeness, thoroughness and detail of the response as reflected by the proposal's discussions and coverage of all elements of work listed above 20% Total: 100 Contract Terms Minnesota State desires to enter into a contract with the successful Respondent(s) effective April 1, 2026 or on the date the last recognized signature is obtained, whichever occurs later. The length of such contract(s) will be three (3) years. If Minnesota State and Respondent are unable to negotiate and sign a contract by April 1, 2026, then Minnesota State reserves the right to seek an alternative Respondent(s). Minnesota State reserves the right to select and notify respondents to participate in interviews and/or demonstrations on a date determined by Minnesota State. Minnesota State does not gaurantee a contract award by any specific date and reserves the right to make no award as a result of this RFP. However, it is anticipated that the evaluation and selection process will be completed by contract terms date identified. Inquiries and Submission Instructions Minnesota State accepts all questions and bid submissions exclusively through Minnesota State's e-procurement system. Hard copy submissions, emails, or submissions through any other medium will not be considered. Each Respondent is solely responsible for the timely delivery of its questions and bids by the RFx date and time deadlines. Failure to meet the deadlines shall be grounds for rejection.