The purpose of this bid packet is to establish a contract for aerial herbicide application and seeding by drone for Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks on the following locations: Byron Walker Wildlife Area-9 miles West of Kingman McPherson Valley Wetlands- West of McPherson and Southeast of Inman Cheney Wildlife Area-North of Cheney, Marion Wildlife Area-North of Marion Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area-Norh of Great Bend Other locations may be added to the contract if agreed upon by all parties These 5 wildlife areas comprise almost 40,000 acres of land in Kingman, McPherson, Reno, Marion, and Barton counties. Targeted species to be controlled with herbicide applications are Cattail, Phragmites, Reed Canary Grass, Fescue, Smooth Brome, Lotus, as well as any of the Kansas noxious weeds, brush species, and agricultural weed pests. Various chemicals will be used, and their actual trade names may vary. Application rates must follow product labels for rate and application methods. Bid price to be cost per acre of application, except phragmites. Phragmites spraying will be in scattered clumps in wetlands and sprayed during mid-July through early October. Phragmites spraying will be bid out on a per hour basis. Must have ability to capture and process imagery that aids in site specific applications for but not limited to Phragmites with mapping capabilities. This ability will provide for efficient flight time during herbicide application. In most cases, due to the expansive area with scattered clumps, the contractor may have to map out clumps with a drone prior to herbicide application. A separate mapping fee per acre will be bid out. Areas to be treated may be in wetland environments and may also be in or near standing water. Contractor will be required to fly and spray over different types of terrain and next to or within crop fields, woodlands, grasslands, and wetlands. Areas could vary in size from less than an acre up to 100 acres or more per tract. Contractor must have all required licensing and insurance for commercial applications in wetland systems. Proof of licensing and $1,000,000 Liability insurance shall be provided to the 5 Area Managers once the contract has been awarded. Seeding will include, but is not limited to, the spreading of Japanese millet and other wetland species seeds in various wetlands during the months of May-July. Aerial seeding may also include broadcasting cover crop seeds. Aerial seeding will be bid out on a per acre basis. Most seeding rates will be at 20-40 lbs/acre. Payment will be made within 30 days of satisfactory completion of work and submittal of an approved itemized invoice. • Detailed maps for targeted herbicide treatment will be provided prior to application. • Herbicides and surfactant will be provided by the Manager and delivered to agreed site. • All restrictions to aerial application of herbicides with regards to weather will apply. • Seeds for aerial seeding will be provided • Contractor must have experience and capabilities to spot spray manually and/or from a boundary file (kmz, kml, or shp). Must be able to provide a shapefile of treated areas post application. • Must have ability to capture and process imagery that aids in site specific applications for the species listed. • Contractor shall respond to requests for service within fourteen (14) days of notification. • Notice, phragmites spraying is being bid as an hourly rate.
