CITY OF THREE RIVERS, MICHIGAN Specifications for Quotes Tree Planting Request for quotes The City of Three Rivers is committed to the concept of performance quotes. All vendors are encouraged to submit quotes which conform to the stated specifications, as well as, suggest deviations from the specifications, which in the vendor's opinion would be beneficial to the City in terms of price and performance. The City reserves the right to accept or reject any quotes under these terms. I. Instructions A. Quotes must be typewritten or clearly printed in ink and signed by a duly-authorized representative of the firm submitting the quote. B. Quotes must be submitted in sealed envelopes, clearly marked on the outside, "Quote for Tree Planting". C. Quotes will be received by the City of Three Rivers, Department of Public Services, 1015 S Lincoln Ave., Three Rivers, Michigan 49093, until 11:00 a.m. local time, Tuesday, August 12, 2014. Faxed quotes shall not be accepted. II. Conditions Applicable to Quotes A. Taxes: The City of Three Rivers is generally exempt from Federal Excise and Michigan State Sales Tax. Prices should not include tax. B. If the company elects to deviate from the specifications stated, all exceptions or other changes must be clearly noted. C. The City reserves the right to reject any and all quotes, waive informalities or defects in quotes, or accept such quotes as it shall deem to be in the best interest of the City of Three Rivers. D. The quote shall state a guaranteed completion date of no later than October 31, 2014. III. Description Trees shall be a minimum of 1 1/2" caliper, balled and burlapped, process balled, or container grown, single stem tree form. They shall have a single leader a minimum of 5 feet above the ground and must be able to be eventually pruned to a single leader to a minimum height of 9 feet above the ground. The location of the tree planting will be established by the City and require that the Contractor shall call MISS DIG (1-800-482-7171) at least 72 hours before beginning to plant. Coordination with City staff will be required regarding the location of private sanitary sewer laterals as they are not typically marked as a part of the Miss Dig marking. The trees shall be planted according to the attached specification. All trees shall be planted in the tree lawns along City of Three Rivers streets rights-of-way, in
Riverside Cemetery and in the City parks. The City reserves the right to increase or decrease the number of trees to be planted depending on price per tree. If you have any questions, please contact Amy Roth at 269-273-1845. For City of Three Rivers the total budget is $5,000. The number of trees shall be evenly split between ornamental and shade trees. Ornamentals: (Number of Trees) Shade Trees: (Number of Trees) Provide a list of available species and the City shall select from that list. Provide a completed W-9 and certificate of liability/proof of workers compensation insurance. If a sole proprietor, appropriate City form shall be completed and submitted with the quote. NAME OF CONTRACTOR ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP CODE SIGNATURE DATE TITLE GUARANTEED COMPLETION DATE
TREE PLANTING GENERAL SCOPE The work of this section consists of furnishing all materials, equipment, and labor necessary for the treatment of sub-grade established for planted areas, existing tree protection, maintenance, and replacement of trees during the guarantee period, and all related items required to complete the work as specified. DESCRIPTION OF WORK The trees shall be planted in accordance with the included tree planting detail. The intent of this section is to insure that all trees are correctly planted. QUALITY ASSURANCE Only a firm which has had a minimum of five (5) years successful experience in tree planting work will be acceptable. The contractor must have a sufficient work force and equipment to complete the work without undue delay and by the guaranteed completion date. Design modifications may be made only as necessary to meet field conditions. Planting shall be located on the tree lawn where designated by the City except where obstructions below ground or overhead are encountered. Necessary adjustments shall be made only after approval by the City representative. The contractor shall be responsible for all certificates of inspection of plant materials that are required by Federal, State or other authorities to accompany shipments of plants, and these shall be filed with the City Forester prior to acceptance of the material. New trees shall be of single stem form and a single leader to a height of 5 feet above ground and in the case of shade trees must be able to be pruned to a single stem to a height of 9 feet above ground, and shall have a habit of growth that is normal for the species and shall be sound, healthy, vigorous and free from insect pests, plant diseases, and injury. All new trees shall equal or exceed the measurements specified in the plant list, which are minimum acceptable sizes. They shall be measured before pruning, with branches in normal position. Any necessary pruning shall be done at time of planting. Requirements for the measurement, branching, grading, quality, balling, and burlapping of plants in the tree list generally follow the code of standards currently recommended by the American Association of Nurserymen, Inc., in the American Standard for Nursery Stock. The names of plants required under this contract conform to those given in "Standardized Plant Names", 1942 Edition, prepared by the American Joint Committee of Horticultural Nomenclature. Names of varieties not included therein conform generally with names accepted in the nursery trade. Plants shall be in accordance with "Horticultural Standards" (1949 Edition and revised April 15,
1977) rules and grading adopted by the American Association of Nurserymen. All plants shall be vigorous and healthy and free from insects, their eggs and larvae, and diseases. All plants shall also be set free from mechanical injury, cultural injury, injury by animals, and free of noticeable after effects of insect attack or blight. To certify that all plant stock is in conformance with these specifications, invoices and/or written statements from suppliers showing the size and grade of materials received or shipped shall be presented to the City prior to the final acceptance. All necessary State, Federal, and other inspection certificates shall also accompany the invoices showing the source of origin and the health of the plant materials. SUBMITTALS The contractor shall notify the City of the delivery date of the plant material to the site at least two (2) working days before delivery. Delivery shall not be on Saturday, Sunday, or Cityrecognized Holiday. DELIVERY, STORAGE AND HANDLING The contractor shall deliver materials to the project site in such quantities and at such times as to insure the continuity of the installation. Reasonable care shall be exercised to have pits dug and soil prepared prior to delivery of trees to the site and to their respective locations for planting to ensure that they will not be unnecessarily exposed to drying elements or to physical damage. The balls of balled and burlapped plants which cannot be planted immediately upon delivery shall be covered with moist soil or mulch or other protection from drying winds and sun. All plants shall be watered as necessary until planted. The City will supply mulch upon prior request, as available. JOB CONDITIONS The contractor shall make, at his own expense, whatever arrangements may be necessary to ensure an adequate supply of water to meet the needs of this contract. He shall also furnish all necessary hose, equipment, attachments, and accessories for the adequate irrigation of planted areas as may be required to complete the work as specified. The contractor may utilize the hydrant located at the Department of Public Services at no charge but he/she shall not utilize other hydrants found throughout the City. INSPECTION The City representative shall have free access to the site during the planting operations to inspect the equipment, materials and planting methods to ensure compliance with the specifications. All new trees must be inspected and approved before they are planted. Each tree, when delivered to the site, shall be tagged or have an identification label from the nursery source which clearly shows either or both the botanical name and/or the common name as well as the plant size. Inspection and approval by the City of the trees upon delivery shall be for quality, size and variety only, and shall not in any way impair the right of rejection for failure to meet other
requirements during progress of the work. All new trees shall be equal to well-formed No. 1 grade or better nursery stock in accordance with requirements of applicable standards referenced for nursery stock subject to the City's approval. Trees remain the property of the contractor until final acceptance. To certify that all stock is true to name, the Contractor shall specify which materials he will furnish from his own stock and guarantee this to be true to name. All materials that he may obtain from other growers will be specified along with the source. All separate plants shall have securely attached labels. It is further required that upon completion of the work and prior to the final acceptance, that invoices or written statements from the outside suppliers showing the name of materials received or shipped be presented to the City for a final check as to conformance to these specifications. PROTECTION AND EQUIPMENT The contractor shall protect all finished surfaces from marring, cracking, cutting, or scratching. He shall place plastic or plywood over finished exterior architectural surfaces at the time of planting and cleanup. The contractor shall move all plants and materials by wheelbarrows, dollies, or other small pneumatic tired vehicles, subject to approval of the City. The contractor shall be responsible for any damage to lawn areas caused by his equipment. LAYOUT OF TREE STOCK The City s representative shall stake the locations of all planting pits prior to start of planting operations. Necessary adjustments due to obstructions below grade shall be approved by the City. The planting contractor shall call the City seven (7) working days in advance of commencement of planting operations. This will allow the City adequate time to complete marking and staking locations, the contractor adequate time for Miss Dig markings, and the City make adjustments as necessary due to conflicting underground utilities. PRODUCTS PLANTING MIX Soil used in the planting mix shall be 2 parts native soil mixed with 1 part compost. Contractor can retrieve City compost from the Department of Public Services as available. Before the planting soil is placed in the planting pits, it shall be thoroughly mixed with five pounds of 10-10-10 commercial fertilizer per cubic yard. PLANTING MIX CONDITIONS Fertilizer shall be a complete commercial fertilizer containing, in available form, equal parts by weight of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potash (example: 10-10-10). It shall be free-flowing, delivered to the site in bags or other convenient containers each fully labeled conforming to State
fertilizer laws, and bearing the name, trade name, or trademark and warranty of the producer. Mulch shall be shredded wood fiber or Chias and shall be available at the Department of Public Services yard for installation by the contractor. MATERIALS WRAPPING Wrapping materials for tree trunks shall be standard burlap, heavy crepe paper, or other suitable materials, in strips four to six inches wide. It shall be free of breaks or tears. Wrapping materials shall be securely tied on using biodegradable rope. Plastic, nylon or other synthetic rope shall not be acceptable! PLANT MATERIALS Tree List: A list of trees is included in the Proposal. This list is for the contractor's convenience only. He shall be responsible for planting the quantities and sizes as specified. All trees shall be of 1 1/2" caliper or larger. Trees designated "B&B" in the tree list shall be balled and burlapped. They shall be dug with firm natural balls of earth of sufficient diameter and depth to encompass the fibrous and feeding root system necessary for full recovery of the plant. Balls shall be firmly wrapped with burlap or similar material and bound with twine, cord or steel baskets. Where necessary to prevent breaking or cracking of the ball during the process of planting, the ball may be secured to a platform. No trees moved with a ball will be acceptable if the ball is cracked or broken before or during planting operations. Wire baskets may be left in the hole but shall be cut a minimum of 4 places and pushed into the bottom 1/2 of the hole. Twine or other tie material shall be untied from around the trunk and pushed down into the hole. For weed control around trees, shrubs and mulched areas, when required, use "Treflan, "Round- Up" or approved equal. Follow label directions carefully. EXECUTION TIME OF PLANTING Planting operations shall be conducted under favorable weather conditions. All planting shall be completed by October 31, 2014. LAYOUT AND SPACING The City representative shall stake locations of trees to be planted. The City reserves the right to interchange or shift tree locations prior to planting. PLANTING PROCEDURE Circular pits with vertical sides shall be hand dug for all trees. The depths of pits for trees, shall be enough to accommodate the ball or roots when the plant is set to finished grade allowing for a minimum of twelve (12") of prepared soil at the sides of the pit.
Unless otherwise specified, all trees shall be planted in pits, centered, and set on a minimum of six inches (6") of prepared soil compacted to such a depth that the finished grade level at the tree after settlement, will be the same as that at which the tree was grown. They shall be planted upright and faced to give the best appearance or relationship to the street. No burlap shall be pulled out from under balls. Platform, wire and surplus binding from top and sides of the balls shall be removed. All broken or frayed roots shall be cut off cleanly. Prepared soil shall be placed and compacted carefully to avoid injury to roots and to fill all voids. When the hole is nearly filled, add water as necessary to allow it to soak away. Fill the hole to finished grade, and form a shallow saucer around each tree by placing a ridge of topsoil around the edge of each pit. After the ground settles, additional soil shall be filled in to the level of the finished grade. Promptly after planting, the trunks of all trees shall be wrapped spirally from the ground line to the height of the first branch. All wrapping shall be neat and snug and the material shall be held in place by a suitable biodegradable cord. All plants shall be mulched with a four-inch (4") layer of shredded wood fiber. This mulch shall entirely cover the area of the planting pit, bed, or saucer around each tree. PRUNING AND REPAIR Upon completion of the work under this contract, all trees and shrubs shall have been pruned and any injuries repaired. The amount of pruning shall be limited to the minimum necessary to remove dead or injured twigs and branches and to compensate for the loss of roots as a result of transplanting operations. Pruning shall be done in such a manner so as not to change the natural habit of the plant. All cuts shall be made flush, leaving no stubs. On all cuts over three-quarters of an inch (3/4") in diameter and bruises or scars on the bark, the injured cambium shall be traced back to living tissue and removed, wounds shall be smoothed and shaped so as not to retain water. CLEAN UP Any soil, mulch, peat or similar material which has been brought onto paved area by hauling operations shall be removed promptly, keeping these areas clean at all times. Upon completion of the planting, all excess soil, stones, and debris which has not previously been cleaned up shall be removed from the site. All planting areas shall be prepared for final inspection. All cleanup and staking operations for all trees shall occur on the same day they are planted. INSPECTION Inspection of the work to determine completion of contract work, exclusive of the possible replacement of plants, will be made by the City representative at the conclusion of the maintenance period upon written notice requesting such inspection submitted by the contractor at least ten (10) days prior to the anticipated date. The condition of plants will be noted and determination made by the City whether maintenance shall continue in any part. After inspection, the contractor will be notified in writing by the City of acceptance of all work of this division; exclusive of the possible replacement of plants subject to guarantee, or, if there
are any deficiencies or other work remaining to be done shall be subject to inspection before acceptance. MAINTENANCE Maintenance shall begin immediately following the last operation of installation for each tree and shall continue in accordance with the following requirements. After completion and acceptance by the City, the contractor shall maintain the project until acceptance of the entire project by the City. Maintenance shall include watering, weeding, deep root fertilizing, cultivating, mulching, removal of dead materials, resetting plants to proper grades or upright position, and restoration of the planting saucer, and other necessary operations. If planting is done after lawn preparation or after paver installation, proper protection to those areas shall be provided and any damage resulting from planting operations shall be repaired promptly at no cost to anyone other than the tree planting contractor. All due care shall be taken to preserve in good condition any underground sprinkler lines encountered during the planting process! These lines will not be marked with the Miss Dig marking request. The contractor shall provide adequate protection at all times for all plant material against vandalism or acts of negligence on the part of others. Damage to plant material due to vandalism or on the part of others prior to acceptance by the Owner will be the responsibility of the contractor. The contractor will notify the City of the completion of the project so that approval can be made within ten (10) days of notification of completion. PLANT GUARANTEE AND REPLACEMENT Trees shall be guaranteed for the duration of one and one half (1 ½) full growing seasons after acceptance and shall be alive and in satisfactory growth at the end of the guarantee period. The growing season is defined as beginning April 15 and ending October 15. (This assumes completion by October 31, 2014.) At the end of the guarantee period and upon written request from the contractor, the City representative will make final inspection. The City representative will insure that plants are healthy, mature representative of their respective species prior to acceptance. The contractor shall remove and replace promptly any plant material required under this specification that is dead or not showing satisfactory growth as determined by the City representative. The replacement shall be of the same variety, size, and character as specified for original planting. The replacement tree shall have the same guarantee and length of guarantee period as is specified above. Any damage to the site or project incurred during the planting operations, including any removal and/or replacement of architectural materials site improvements, or utilities shall be the financial responsibility of the planting contractor. The contractor shall make replacement immediately and at no additional cost to the City. Upon acceptance by the City, the contractor will receive written notification of final acceptance.
CITY OF THREE RIVERS TREE PLANTING ACCEPTABLE SHADE TREE PLANTING LIST The contractor bidding may elect to bid any number of species from the Acceptable Tree Planting List that he chooses to as long as he bids a minimum of 10 species. However, no more than 10% of the total number of trees bid on this contract may be of one species or its Cultivars. He shall also roughly divide the number of trees being bid in half so that one half comes from the shade tree list and one half comes from the ornamental list. NOTES: Cultivars of listed trees are acceptable but will count toward the 10% maximum count per species. No trees of the genus fraxinus (Ash) may be planted. SHADE TREES Basswood: American Tilia americana European Tilia cordata Beech: American Fagus grandifolia European Fagus sylvatica Cherry: Black Prunus serotina Hackberry Celtus occidentalis Ironwood: American Hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana Maple Saccharinum Acer Spp. Including Rubrum & Sycamore: American Platanus occidentalis Sweet Gum Black Gum Amur Corktree Tulip Poplar Oak (any species) London Plane Tree Delaware Elm Regal Elm Green Vase Zelkova Weeping Willow Liquidambar styraciflua Nyssa sylvatica Phellodendrona,iremse Liriodendron tulipifera Quercus Spp. Platanus acerifolia Ulmus americana Ulmus japonica x pumila Zelkova serrata green vase Zelkova serrata halka Salix Babylonica
ORNAMENTALS Coffeetree: Kentucky Gymnocladus diocus Crab: Flowering Malus Spp. Dogwood: Flowering Cornus florida Hawthorn: Thornless Crataegus inermis Honey Locust Ginkgo Gleditsia triacanthos inermis Ginkgo biloba (Male) Mountain Ash: European Sorbus acuparia Pear: Bradford Pyrus calleryana Bradford Cleveland Select Pyrus calleryana Cleveland Redbud: Eastern Cercis canadensis Magnolia Sargent Cherry Thundercloud Plum Amanogowa Flowering Cherry Magnolia stellata Magnolia virginiana Prunnus sargentii Prunus cerasifera (thundercloud) Prunus serrulata amanogawa