Higher EducationSC
Posted
Nov 5, 2026
Nov 19, 2026
Solicitation: YTC-27-009 - Grounds Maintenance at YTC York Technical College
DESCRIPTION: Grounds Maintenance @ YTC West USING GOVERNMENTAL UNIT: York Technical College I. SCOPE OF SOLICITATION ACQUIRE SERVICES (MODIFIED) The purpose of this solicitation is to acquire services complying with the enclosed description and/or specifications and conditions. The College is soliciting an Invitation for Bid for Offsite Grounds Maintenance for York Technical College's West Location. The specifications in this solicitation cover provisions for complete and efficient grounds maintenance services. MAXIMUM CONTRACT PERIOD - ESTIMATED (JAN 2006) Start date: 01/01/2027 End date: 12/31/2031. Dates provided are estimates only. Any resulting contract will begin on the date specified in the notice of award. See clause entitled "Term of Contract - Effective Date/Initial Contract Period". The four (4) year maximum contract period consists of an initial one (1) year plus three (3) additional one (1) year renewal options. III. SCOPE OF WORK/SPECIFICATIONS Scope of Work The Contractor shall provide such services as required to maintain The York Technical College West campus property at one (1) Rock Hill, SC location listed as Lot 1. York Tech West Property is located at Business Technology Center (BTC) Building at 454 South Anderson Road, Rock Hill, SC 29730. The successful bidder will be required to perform all work in compliance with OSHA and York Technical College safety standards. This includes, but is not limited to, personal protective equipment such as eye & hearing protection, proper footwear, proper equipment and fall protection for working overhead, proper pedestrian safety measures such as barricades & signage, etc. The awarded contractor shall perform all work. Subcontracting must be pre-approved by the College. Contract performance will be evaluated at a minimum of every month by Facilities Management personnel. 1. GROUNDS SERVICES REQUIRED AND FREQUENCY INTERVALS a) MOW and TRIM: Mow and trim all turf (grassed) areas at least once per week during growing season (except inclement weather periods). Mowing shall be conducted more often if needed during growing season. A neat, well-groomed appearance must be maintained during the remainder of the year. For areas requiring the extermination of weeds, the contractor must have a working knowledge of weed control. Grass shall be mowed on a day agreed to by the Contractor and the Grounds Manager. b) CUT HEIGHT and CLIPPINGS: All lawn grasses shall be cut to a height no less than 2 inches and not allowed to exceed 3 inches in height (exception: extended periods of inclement weather). Clippings will be left on the lawn as long as no readily visible clumps remain on the grass surface 24 hours after mowing. Otherwise, clippings will be collected and removed by the Contractor. All debris, including clippings from shrubbery and grass, shall be disposed of at Contractor's location. York Technical College will determine the acceptability standards for campus appearance. String trim any embankments including any detention ponds on the premises. NOTE: No debris shall be placed in York Technical College's dumpsters. c) EDGING: Tree rings and plant beds and all sidewalks, fences, driveways, buildings, curbs, parking lots and around all objects or structures weekly. Edging will be executed by machine or by hand. (No weed killer will be used for edging without approval of Ground Manager). Dirt and clippings will be swept or blown from sidewalks immediately after completion of edging. d) PRUNING: All pruning will be completed as part of this contract. Pruning shall be in a manner appropriate to the natural character and growth (size and shape) of each plant. All plants (shrubbery) of any size or shape, will be pruned at least 3 times per year. All trees will be pruned for low hanging limbs to a minimum height of 7-10 feet dependent on maturity of the tree. All dead plants and shrubbery will be removed and replaced by Contractor in a timely manner. York Technical College will be responsible for cost of replacement plant if the plant death or decline was caused due to improper selection, placement, planting, or maintenance before the time of this contract. The contractor will remove normal debris (limbs, branches, pine cones, etc.) that fall from natural causes. NOTE: No debris shall be placed in York Technical College's dumpsters. e) BEDS: All mulch beds and tree rings shall be kept weed free and all mulch beds and tree rings shall have a minimum of 3 inches of mulch maintained for each bed. All shrub beds and mulched areas shall be weeded weekly to maintain a fresh appearance. Mulch (double hammered hardwood) shall be provided by the contractor and shall be applied between November through March of each year. Any existing flower beds shall be changed out in the spring and fall with like plants unless the existing plants are perennials. The Contractor will be responsible for the cost of materials. The Contractor shall be responsible for spreading mulch and planting flowers. Apply minimum of 3 inches of double hammered hardwood mulch to all annual flower bedded areas 2 times per year February and August. f) WEATHER DAMAGE: The Contractor and York Technical College will mutually agree upon services required as a result of unusual weather phenomenon. Consideration of all factors will help to determine the rate of reimbursement for such occurrences. Small limbs and debris are the responsibility of the contractor. Trees and large limbs (greater than 3" caliper) that are damaged and must be removed/replaced, because of storms or other acts-of-nature, will be the responsibility of York Technical College. g) LEAVES and EXCESSIVE DEBRIS: The Contractor shall rake and vacuum grounds as required to maintain a neat appearance. Raking and vacuuming of grass shall be required if it accumulates or "wind-rows" when cutting. Raking and vacuuming of leaves from grassed areas, shrub beds, walks and parking areas is required on a weekly basis during the fall season. NOTE: No debris shall be placed in York Technical College's dumpsters. h) GRUBBING: All underbrush, dead wood, and small saplings within the first 10 feet of the woods edge should be grubbed and removed as necessary. Tree branches should be limbed up to 10-foot minimum height. Grubbing will normally take place twice per year at the location indicated in Bidding Schedule. i) BOUNDARIES: Boundary fences, ditches, and common areas will be maintained clear of vines, weeds, grass, and underbrush. j) SCHEDULE: Grounds will be available for services during daylight hours, seven days a week. York Technical College reserves the right to change the times for availability based on class schedule changes each semester or for special events that might be occurring during the normal scheduled grounds maintenance work. Cutting frequency shall be weekly March through November and bi-monthly (mostly for leaf pickup) December thru February unless otherwise negotiated. Contractor and York Technical College will agree to a general schedule at the beginning of this contract and at each subsequent annual renewal. Task Months Frequency Mowing March - November Weekly December - February Monthly (mostly for leaf pickup) Weeding March - November Weekly December - February Monthly Edging March - November Weekly December - February Monthly Litter Pickup March - October Weekly November - February Monthly Blowing Parking Lots Every Site Visit Every Site Visit Excessive Debris As Needed As Needed k) IRRIGATION: The Contractor shall maintain and program all irrigation systems and schedules. The Contractor is responsible for notifying York Technical College if irrigations systems have failed or need repairs. Repairs shall be performed by York Technical College once notification is received and in conjunction with the Contractor's advisement. York Technical College will supply replacement heads and controllers once notified by the Contractor. l) TRASH and LITTER: Prior to mowing the contract area or at each site visit, the Contractor shall pick up and dispose of all trash and litter on all improved grounds and paved areas. Trash and litter include paper, plastic, bottles, cans, cardboard, rags, limbs, sticks and other similar solid materials and foreign debris. An acceptably policed area shall be free of such trash and litter. m) WEED CONTROL & FERTILIZATION: All turf and shrubbery beds shall be pre-emerged or treated for broadleaf weeds in late winter (February round one and April round two) in order to set preventative weed and grassy weed control for the growing season. The Contractor shall fertilize all summer grass (Bermuda, Zoysia, etc.) lawn areas in early June and early August. The Contractor shall fertilize all cool season grass (fescue, rye, etc.) lawn areas in February and October. The Contractor shall fertilize shrubbery once each year in the spring. The Contractor shall aerate all lawn areas in the fall. All cool season grass areas will be over seeded once a year in the fall and apply starter fertilizer. Dethatch turf as needed. Weed control products, seed and fertilizer must be approved by the Grounds Manager after award of the bid and prior to application. Logs of when weed control products, seed and fertilizer were applied must be sent to the Grounds Manager for record keeping on a monthly basis. These logs will be updated and provided to the Grounds Manager each month along with the contractor's monthly invoice to insure payment. n) BLOWING: The Contractor will blow all clippings from sidewalks, curbs, and roadways immediately after mowing and trimming or at each site visit. The Contractor will be responsible for blowing parking lots clean. o) ANT and INSECT CONTROL: Fire ant and insect control on the grounds shall be the Contractor's responsibility. Appropriate treatment for these pests is required according to United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) standards. Logs of these applications will also be provided to the Grounds Manager on a monthly basis and must be provided with the contractor's monthly invoice to insure payment. Ant mounds shall be treated on a weekly basis as need and this shall be covered in the contractors bid allowance. Any large infestations of ants or insects creating lawn disease and problems shall be treated by the contractor at a negotiated price with the College. p) SIDEWALK/PARKING AREAS: The Contractor shall control weed growth that may appear in cracks of sidewalks or paving in parking areas. The Contractor shall visit the sites on a weekly basis throughout the year to inspect the grounds maintenance. The Contractor will sign in on the visitor log for each occasion he/she is on site. EXCEPTIONS: Mulch/stone/brick to be used will be the same as existing mulch/stone/brick currently in plant and flower beds. All other exceptions must be provided in writing to the Grounds Manager who will coordinate with the Contractor a mutual agreement for both parties. BOUNDARIES The grounds to be maintained include those presently being maintained at York Technical College locations and as shown on the aerial map. See Section IX. ATTACHMENTS TO SOLICITATION (Attachment A). MATERIALS, EQUIPMENT, CHEMICALS, AND SUPPLIES The Contractor shall furnish and apply all fertilizer and chemicals required throughout the campus. All chemicals proposed for use in the operation of this contract must be approved by the Grounds Manager. The Contractor, as part of this contract, shall haul and distribute mulch. A list containing the names, quantities, and manufacturers of all equipment, materials, and chemicals used annually in the performance of this contract shall be submitted by the contractor to York Technical College. York Technical College reserves the right to approve this list. Herbicides/Pesticides Used: The Contractor shall use only herbicides/pesticides that are registered with the USEPA for the use intended and which are approved by the Grounds Manager. The Contractor shall furnish to the Grounds Manager within thirty (30) days after award of contract, a quantitative analysis of active ingredients utilized in any standard commercial brand and/or his own firm's preparation. The Contractor will use all herbicides in strict conformance with Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) labels book of all herbicides/pesticides used and have it readily available for reference on site at all times for review. A list of antidotes for each herbicide/pesticide must be submitted to the Grounds Maintenance Supervisor and available on site at all times during the process of the project. The Contractor will also provide a copy of the proper State Certification from Clemson University to the Grounds Manager. The Contractor will provide one certification per year. CONTRACTOR'S STORAGE SPACE York Technical College has no storage area available for the storage of equipment or tools. Gasoline or other flammables will not be stored within 50 feet of any structure owned by York Technical College. CONTRACTOR'S EMPLOYEES Within five (5) working days after the award the contractor shall submit the names, addresses, and phone numbers of all personnel engaged in the work of this contract. If any of the Contractor's employees engaged in the work of this contract has a criminal background, York Technical College should be notified of this and of the crime they were convicted. York Technical College reserves the right to require the Contractor to replace the convicted employee if York Technical College feels this person poses a threat to the operations and well-being of York Technical College. Contractor's personnel shall not allow any unauthorized persons on the College grounds (i.e. children, friends, or any other unauthorized persons). Contractor's personnel must wear uniforms provided by the Contractor or wear some type of identification that they are employees of the Contractor. All personnel shall be dressed in an appropriate manner authorized by the contractor. Each person shall be neat and clean in appearance. Uniforms or badges shall be worn which fully identify the worker as a member of the contractor's workforce. General Conditions to be adhered to: a) The Contractor shall not, under any circumstances, employ anyone at less than the established Federal or State minimum wage. b) The Contractor shall protect York Technical College property from damage, including the building surfaces, finishes, systems, equipment, furniture, supplies, etc. as well as the property of any patron, student, faculty, or employee. The Contractor shall repair or replace, to the owner's satisfaction, any damage to York Technical College or other property within time limits acceptable to York Technical College. c) The Contractor shall be responsible for training, providing safety equipment, and establishing procedures for the use of equipment and the application of any chemicals to safeguard the contractor's employees, and York Technical College's students, staff, faculty, and authorized visitors. The Contractor must possess any licenses or certifications required for chemical applications where necessary. d) The Contractor shall complete normal services in one day and may be recalled if proper cleanup following grounds maintenance was not completed or was not completed to the satisfaction of York Technical College. SEE BIDDING SCHEDULE DELIVERY/PERFORMANCE LOCATION -- SPECIFIED (JAN 2006) After award, all deliveries shall be made and all services provided to the following address, unless otherwise specified. LOT 1: Rock Hill Location: York Technical West Campus - BCT Building (ATTACHMENT A) 454 S Anderson Road, Rock Hill, SC 29730 ATTACHMENT A - YORK TECHNICAL COLLEGE WEST (aerial map and area details)
