P-26000 RFP for Natural Area Services

The Chicago Park District (“Park District”) invites experienced firms to submit their proposal for Natural Area Restoration & Stewardship Services and Aquatic Management Services for the Park District.

The Park District may (i) award a single contract for Natural Area Services, or (ii) award multiple contracts. The Park District may also award multiple contracts within the same category. This RFP includes two (2) categories: (i) Natural Area Restoration & Stewardship Services and (ii) Aquatic Management Services.

Natural Area Services comprises 11 sections of work:

• Sections A - B Apply to ongoing maintenance for existing and future Natural Areas and Nature Gardens.
• Sections C - K Apply to additional services needed beyond ongoing maintenance discussed in sections A and B. Work in these sections shall be performed only upon Park District request and will be paid on an individual proposal/as-needed basis where the Awardee will use the unit costs for these sections provided in the Cost Proposal of this RFP.

The Awardee shall furnish all labor, equipment, and materials necessary to perform the scope of work outlined below. The Park District will cover the cost of, or supply fencing materials, double-ground hardwood mulch and other path materials as needed to perform the outlined work.

The Park District may add more sites during the contract term on a cost proposal basis. Unit pricing will apply where applicable.

The Awardee's ongoing maintenance responsibilities include the following:

• Removing and controlling plants that are known to be weedy or are at risk of becoming weedy through herbicide application, hand-pulling, cutting, mowing, etc., using the best management practices in the field of ecological restoration.
• Pruning and rejuvenating of woody plants and shrubs as directed by the specified Park District Natural Areas Manager. Pruning must be done by or under supervision of a certified arborist.
• Removing leaf litter from shrub beds and fence lines.
• Mulching, edging, and top-dressing shrub beds.

Proposal Due Date:** **December 1, 2026, at 3:00 p.m., C.S.T.** via **BONFIRE Portal**. **LATE PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED

The contract or contracts shall be effective from the contract effective date and shall continue in effect for a period of two (2) years, subject to the terms and conditions of the contract. The Director of Purchasing of the Park District may extend each contract for three (3) additional one-year periods, under the same terms and conditions of the original contract period, subject to user department approval.

Evaluation Criteria

• Experience: Weight – 25%
• Implementation Plan: Weight – 20%
• Personnel: Weight - 30%
• Cost Proposal: Weight – 25%

You do not provide a completed and signed Schedule A showing **25% MBE and 5% WBE participation**; Schedule Bs for each MBE and WBE firm named on that Schedule A; and current certification letters for those firms may cause a proposal to be deemed non-responsive and eliminated from consideration.