The Pennsylvania Department of General Services, Bureau of Procurement (the Issuing Office) is issuing this Invitation for Bid (IFB) on behalf of The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (The Department or DCNR). DCNR requires the services of a contractor for the aerial application of insecticides over certain populated and non-populated forested areas in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to prevent defoliation of high-value trees by the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar. Two projects (FPM 21-02 (Fixed Wing - BTK) ; FPM 21-03 (Tebufenozide)) are listed in the specifications for approximately 176,308 acres. The Department of General Services has designated this contract as a Small Business Procurement to provide DGS-certified small businesses with opportunities to compete against other DGS-certified small businesses for Commonwealth agency and DGS statewide contracts under the Small Business Procurement Initiative (SBPI) set forth in Executive Order 2011-09. Only certified small businesses are eligible to submit a bid and receive an award. The small business requirements and certification process can be found on the following site: https://www.dgs.pa.gov/Small%20Business%20Contracting%20Program/Pages/default.aspx . The Small Business Certification will be provided after a supplier completes the self-certification process on the SBPI website. A valid Department of General Services (DGS) Small Business certificate will be required as part of the bid in order to be deemed a responsive bidder. Bids from suppliers without a valid certificate as of bid due date and time may be rejected as non-responsive. The contract will be awarded to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder for each project. Unless otherwise stated in Section 4 of the Specifications, the contractor is required to provide the insecticide; it's cost must be included in the per acre bid for each project. A Virtual, Non-Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting will be held on January 26, 2021, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Staff will present the suppression program objectives, information on products to be used, and technology interface requirements, as well as the mechanical and support aspects, including safety and security requirements needed for the successful development and conclusion of the program. To register prior to the meeting date by contacting Maurice Kujat at 717-346-2671 or by e-mail at [email protected]. Instructions for the virtual meeting will be e-mailed to those who register for the meeting. This project requires the contractor to furnish bonds and insurance in accordance with Section 12 of the Specifications. Liquidated Damages for this project will be assessed as outlined in Section 13 of the Statement of Work. On March 19, 2020, the Governor’s Office issued a General Purchasing Ban to limit spending of goods or services that are not critical to operations. The issuing agency has determined through its internal approval processes that this solicitation is absolutely critical to operations and does not violate the Governor’s General Purchasing Ban. Additionally, the issuing agency conducted due diligence via positive vendor affirmation that there is sufficient competition due to the prevalence of telework allowing a preponderance of suppliers to have access to respond to the solicitation. The Commonwealth’s electronic bidding systems can be accessed via teleworking by the Commonwealth and suppliers due to the phased reopening of counties across the Commonwealth.

Bid Protests Not Available