Work under this ITB consists of furnishing all labor, materials, tools, equipment, means of transportation, and incidentals necessary to perform the services. Contractor must furnish equipment in good operating condition and operated by properly trained and qualified personnel. The Contractor must make a good faith effort to furnish the Department the fully operational equipment needed to perform Landscape Maintenance Services (Project Area) at such time, and at such location(s) as directed by the Engineer. Prior to start of work, Contractor must inspect equipment to ensure the equipment is fully operational for the performance of its intended purpose. The Contractor will also be responsible for any traffic control, licenses, and permits required to satisfy the duties required herein. Terms and Definitions ANSI: – American National Standards Institute current edition. http://ansi.org/ Approval/Acceptance: Inspected and approved by the Engineer for compliance with the requirements of the Specifications included in this Contract. Engineer or his Designee: The Department’s inspector, (hereafter referred to as the “Engineer”). Mainline: The area(s) between interchanges on interstates, limited access routes, and state routes. Limited Access Highway: A Highway or arterial road for high-speed traffic which has many characteristics of a controlled access highway (interstate), including limited or no access to adjacent property. Travel Way: The actual road lanes in which vehicles travel not including paved shoulders MUTCD: The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), current edition. Standard Specifications (Specifications): State of Georgia Standard Specifications for Construction of Transportation Systems, 2013 Edition or latest edition, the Project Special Provisions, the Georgia Department of Transportation, Supplemental Specifications, Standard Drawings and Construction Details. Doing Business with the Georgia Department of Transportation (ga.gov). Right-of-Way (R/W): The entire portion of a highway within the boundaries of access-control fences or access-control lines where no fences exists. Debris: Material associated with the tree cutting and pruning operation including stems, branches, bark, leaves, etc. Litter: Litter may consist of paper, boxes, bottles, cans, tires, recaps, rubber pieces, mattresses, appliances, lumber, metal pieces, hubcaps, vehicle parts, dead animals, memorials and other items not considered normal to the right of way. It is not intended for small objects such as cigarette butts, chewing gum wrappers and similar sized items to be removed under this work. General Routine Maintenance Activities: Litter and debris removal, pest and disease control, edging, insect and fire ant control, chemical and hand weed control, exotic pest plant control, shrub and tree pruning and removal for health safety, sight and signage visibility, fertilizing, swale and inadequate drainage inspection, maintenance and minor repair. Mowing/Line Trimming Cycle: Mowing of lawn grasses and clearing natural areas to within a specified height using mowing, slope mowing and line trimming equipment. It includes areas of lawn or mowable natural areas on 3:1 slopes or flatter, including grassed islands and areas fifteen (15) feet behind guardrail. Mowing consists of completely mowing, edging, miscellaneous mowing and trimming the grounds of a Project area Mowable (turf) Areas: Include all turf areas within the Project Area. All mowing shall conform to previously established mowing limits. Additional maintenance activities include but are not limited to: mowing, aeration, soil test-lime application, weed control/herbicide application at signs and obstacles, fertilizing trees. Mowable /Natural Areas: Include existing tree masses under which understory vegetation has been removed for safety, functional or aesthetic purposes. Pine straw and/or natural leaf litter are allowed to accumulate beneath the tree mass area up to a four (4) inch depth. Additional maintenance activities include but are not limited to: occasional line trimming and/or mowing, weed removal, and fertilizing small caliper trees. No Mow Areas/ Natural Areas: Include existing vegetation areas in which trees and understory plants are left undisturbed except for the routine maintenance activities and pruning. Obstacles: Items located within the Project Area, both natural and man-made, which may include but are not limited to the following: sign posts, delineator posts, light posts, headwalls, catch basins, etc. Vegetation: All woody and herbaceous plants either naturally occurring or planted. Vegetation Masses: Include shrub, ground cover and/or tree masses, bedding plants, hedges, buffer areas, areas between the guardrail and shrub beds and slope plantings. Additional maintenance activities include but are not limited to: selective plant removal, minor planting, re-mulching, weed removal (pre and post emergent herbicide applications) and soil tests to determine fertilization requirements. Equipment All equipment contemplated for use shall be subject to inspection and acceptance for mechanical worthiness and appropriateness for the work intended by the Engineer. Department decisions relevant to mechanical worthiness and appropriateness shall be final. Equipment left on the right of way is the responsibility of the Contractor. Equipment may be parked outside of the clear zone or behind positive barrier property overnight with the approval of the Engineer. Equipment requirements per crew are as follows: Mowing/ Trimming/Edging Equipment: The equipment used for mowing shall be of sufficient type, capacity and quantity to safely and efficiently perform the mowing work specified in this service agreement. Have acceptable guards on all open portions of the mowers to prevent objects from being thrown from under the mower while in operation. Any mower deemed unacceptable by the Engineer will not be allowed to operate until such guards are in place and properly maintained. Properly maintained mower blades, i.e. sharp and straight. Mower with a blade is deemed unacceptable to the Engineer shall be prohibited to operate until such blade is replaced or the deficiencies are corrected. Trim crews shall consist of string or blade type trimmers with acceptable guards. Tree/ Shrub Maintenance Equipment: Use equipment that will not damage the bark and cambium layer on or in the tree or shrub. Use sharp tools to ensure clean cuts are made at all times. Pruning that cannot be performed safely while standing on the ground requires the services of an ISA certified professional. Aerate Equipment: Only use machines specifically designed for these purposes such as plug type aerators and verticut machines Materials Submit a list of all pesticides to be used for the purpose of these specifications. Include lables and Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for each pesticide. The Engineer must approve or disapprove of the intended pesticide to be used prior to any application being performed. Landscape Maintenance Service Basic Requirements Mowing/Line Trimming This work includes mowing, line trimming and edging areas within the limits of the Project Area according to this Service Agreement and the Engineer. Mowing Visually inspect the lawn areas a minimum of once a week for leaves, debris litter and trash. Remove any leaves, debris, litter and trash from the lawn areas minimum of once a week and/or prior to each mowing. Maintain turf height at a height ranging from three (3) inches to four (4) inches Prior to mowing, remove all objects that could become a hazard if struck by mowers such as litter, debris, trash bags, large cardboard boxes, mattresses, pillows, tires and recap pieces, pine cones, etc. Sweep or blow pavement areas after each mowing. Mowing areas that are saturated with water or where standing water is present, is prohibited. Mowing operations are prohibited when conditions are such that turf damage would occur or tire ruts will be left. (See line Trimming) Chemical control of turf is prohibited. Contact the Engineer and receive department approval prior to performing any chemical control of weeds. Slope Mowing Performing slope mowing in areas not accessible with conventional mowing equipment such as beyond concrete ditch paving, slopes greater than 3:1, wet areas, bridge end rolls, behind guardrail, etc. In lieu of slope mowers, blade or string-type trimming equipment is acceptable for use. Miscellaneous Mowing Requirements
