Summary of Specifications:
INTENT It is the intent of the City of Albany Department of General Services to solicit bids for tree removal, tree pruning, stump removal, tree emergency service, and other tree maintenance work such as repair and treatment for disease and insects on trees. QUALIFICATIONS: EQUIPMENT: Bidders shall attach proof of ownership, lease of, or other access to the following tree removal equipment, on a daily and routine basis: aerial lift bucket (minimum 50’ height), brush chipper, log loader or crane, stump grinder. EXPERIENCE: Bidders must have at least 5 years experience as a “tree care/ tree maintenance” business and submit proof of same including but not limited to: invoices; references from jobs done in last 5 years, especially from pruning and removal work on trees greater than 30 inches diameter; list of professional accreditation such as Arborist Certification, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation commercial pesticide applicator certification, education, and professional affiliations; etc. GENERAL: All tree trimming and removal work shall be performed in accordance with the pruning standards of the National Arborists Association. All pruning shall provide adequate clearance under normal growth conditions for a minimum period of three (3) years, unless otherwise specified. Trimming and tree removal services as described herein shall be performed in accordance with the Bidder’s quoted rates. The quantity and scheduling of said services shall be fully flexible in accordance with City requirements. Minimum service requirements are neither guaranteed nor inferred herein. The contractor shall be responsible for insuring that no damage is done to utilities while conducting these operations. INSPECTION & PERFORMANCE: All work shall be subject to continuous inspection and evaluation by the City Forester. The Contractor shall be notified in writing of any performance shortcomings, so that corrective action can be made as soon as possible. The City reserves the right to request crew changes should this action be deemed necessary. WORK SCHEDULE: Both the Contractor and the City shall determine the day- to-day work schedule. In case of an emergency, work shall be performed on an “emergency call” basis. All scheduled work assigned to the Contractor shall be completed within one (1) month of assignment or by a date agreed upon with the City Forester. EMERGENCY CALL: Services as required herein shall be provided on a twenty-four (24) hour call basis. The Contractor shall supply the City with both normal and after hour contact telephone numbers. Response time for all emergency service calls shall not exceed one (1) hour from time of call placement to crews, or crews arrival at the reported site. In the event of predicted localized natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, or ice storms, the Contractor shall provide at least one (1) full working crew on “standby alert” at no cost to the City. The City Forester will make notification of this “standby” condition at least two (2) hours in advance. WORK JURISDICTION/ ROUTES: The contractor shall have the ability to follow maps or directions as provided by the City. Reasonable effort shall be made by the Contractor to familiarize himself/herself with the City of Albany street system. TRAFFIC MAINTENANCE AND PROTECTION: The Contractor shall be responsible for maintaining adequate safety precautions commensurate with traffic conditions while conducting operations. Flagmen shall be used when operations could interfere with traffic safety or flow. Where parked vehicles may interfere with work locations, the contractor shall be responsible for having sites posted “no parking” by contacting the City of Albany Traffic Safety Division, 458-5628. The police shall also be notified in advance when interference with traffic is excessive. No street shall be closed to traffic without the permission of the Albany Police Department. EQUIPMENT/ CREW SIZE: Work shall be performed in an efficient manner utilizing only high quality, dependable equipment. All crewmembers shall be properly trained, experienced and, if necessary, certified for each aspect of this contract. INVOICING PROCEDURES: A City voucher shall be accompanied by associated invoices submitted, and shall be prepared and submitted in duplicate by contractor once a month. BILLING FOR EMERGENCY WORK: Contractor shall provide an itemized list of personnel and equipment per location. When submitting billing, contractor shall bill the City only for the equipment and personnel used during emergency work hours. TREE REMOVAL: All trees to be removed will be measured by the City Forester, or Assistant Forester, at diameter at breast height (d.b.h.), using a standard forestry D tape, (fraction of inch to nearest inch). The Contractor shall check measurements and discrepancies shall be clarified before the work is started. All trees shall be removed in a “Safe” manner. Where locations permit, trees may be “felled” intact and cut into sections on the ground. All others must be “limbed” in the standing position until tree has been reduced enough to be “felled” safely. All tree trunks shall be cut at ground level. TREE PRUNING: All trees to be pruned/trimmed will be measured by the Forester or Assistant Forester at d.b.h. Standards approved by the International Society of Arboriculture shall apply. All dead limbs, broken limbs, hanging limbs, limbs that interfere with the safe and normal flow of vehicle, and pedestrian traffic shall be trimmed unless otherwise specified by the City. STUMP REMOVAL: Each stump to be removed will be measured by the City Forester, or Assistant Forester, using standard tape measure, and measuring at the widest point of the stump (fraction of inch to the nearest inch); the Contractor shall check measurements and discrepancies shall be clarified before work is started. Stump removal shall be by machine-powered stump grinder, with the stump removed 12 inches below the surrounding surface. All loose material shall be removed from the hole and disposed of by the Contractor. All excavated stump holes shall be back-filled, using clean, sandy material free from large rocks and/or organic material, topped with a layer of topsoil 2"- 4"(inches) thick and seeded with grass seed. OTHER TREE MAINTENANCE WORK: Repair such as cabling/bracing using accepted methods and material will be invoiced by personnel time and materials used. Treatment with pesticides will follow all applicable laws and regulations put forth by the Environmental Protection Agency, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Pesticide Regulation Bureau and all local county and City of Albany laws. Application of pesticides to control insect or disease will be calculated and invoiced by tree diameter measured in inches by the City of Albany. DISPOSAL OF CUTTINGS: The Contractor is solely responsible for the disposal of all cuttings. CLEAN-UP: Upon completion of the cutting and removal of each tree or stump, the Contractor shall broom clean and remove all cuttings from the affected area, to the satisfaction of the City.
