Town of Arlington Select Board
Request For Proposals
Cemetery Maintenance
Proposal due: 3/10/2023 at 2 pm Eastern time
Proposals must be submitted to the Town Administrator by email to nick.zaiac@arlingtonvermont.org. Alternately, proposals may be placed in the drop box at the front of Arlington Town Hall, 3838 VT Route 7A Arlington VT 05250.
Questions may be submitted to nick.zaiac@arlingtonvermont.org by 3/1/2023.
Qualifications
Proposals will be accepted only from qualified contractors with experience and competency in mowing and grounds maintenance
Length of Contract and Billing
Length of contract for services requested is for three years, beginning April 1, 2023 through March 31, 2026. Contract will be paid by the town through its regular twice monthly warrant cycle. All bills for a calendar year must be submitted before December 1 of the year billed.
Nature of the work
Evergreen Cemetery – Maintain cemetery grounds, including all areas within the property occupied by grave sites, future grave sites, grass roadways and other grassy areas of the property. In total, this includes maintenance of approximately eight (8) acres of area used or reserved for cemetery use. Not included is the wooded bank on the western edge of the property that is not mowable.
West Arlington Cemetery – Maintain cemetery grounds, including all areas within the property occupied by grave sites, future grave sites, grass roadways and other grassy areas of the property. In total, this includes maintenance of approximately 2.5 acres of area used or reserved for cemetery use. Not included is the wooded bank on the southern and eastern edges of the property that are not mowable.
Maintenance provided by the Contractor shall include the following:
A. Mowing of all mowable areas during the growing season to maintain a grass height not to exceed three (3) inches, typical growing season shall be defined as April 1st though October 31st.
B. Trimming around all grave stones and markers within the cemetery so that vegetation around such obstacles does not exceed a height of three (3) inches. Includes removal of any grass clippings from grave stones and markers.
C. Trimming bushes and brush vegetation to allow clear access to all grave sites and roadways, and to prevent the spread of brush and trees within mowed areas of the cemetery.
D. Removing any tree or brush growth from around grave markers or headstones.
E. Removal of old floral arrangements from grave sites.
F. Spring, Fall, and One-Off cleanup. Spring cleanup shall include gathering and removal of fallen limbs and minor tree maintenance so as to allow the cemeteries to be mowed without obstruction. Fall cleanup shall include removal of leaves and similar debris such that mowing may begin without needing to undertake such maintenance in the spring. The Town expects 1-2 instances annually of “one-off” cleanup associated with major storm events that cause substantial amounts of debris to fall so as to complicate or delay mowing.
G. Removal of all trimmings from the cemetery. Trimmings of trees, brush and grass may be mulched at a site within the cemetery only upon approval of the site by the Town Administrator and/or a unanimous vote of the Cemetery Commissioners, and provided such mulch site is properly maintained.
H. In the event the contractor encounters a maintenance problem outside the scope of this contract, including work requiring heavy equipment, that impedes successful completion of contracted tasks, the contractor shall contact the Town Administrator to arrange that the work be done such that contracted tasks may be fulfilled in a timely manner.
The Contractor shall furnish all labor, materials, tools and equipment to perform said cemetery maintenance. The Contractor shall not be considered an agent or employee of the town for any purpose, and shall be deemed an independent contractor. The Contractor shall be solely liable for any injury to persons, employees, property of the Contractor or property of others.
The Contractor shall maintain contractor’s liability insurance in the amount of not less than $500,000 for all services outlined. A certificate of insurance must be submitted to the town for the term of the contract on or before April 1st. Failure to submit a certificate of insurance or cancellation of said insurance without prompt replacement will be cause for immediate termination of contract.
Nature of the proposal
Proposals shall include two parts, “Operating” and “Maintenance”. The “Operating” item should include a price per complete mowing and trimming (items A through E and G) of both cemeteries. The “Maintenance” item should include items under “F” including the flat-fee cost of spring and fall cleanup of both cemeteries (itemized if the prices differ), and either a flat fee for extra one-off maintenance or an hourly rate for these one-off maintenance tasks.
Right to reject bids
The Town of Arlington reserves the right to reject any and all proposal received and accept any bid that, in its judgement, best serves the needs of the Town of Arlington, Vermont.
Disclaimer
Those submitting bids do so entirely at their own expense. There is no express or implied
obligation by the Town of Arlington to reimburse any entity or individual for any costs incurred in
preparing or submitting of proposals.
RFP Dated 2/6/2023
Arlington Select Board