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PROPOSED CONTRACT
Department(s): Department of Resource Management
Vendor: Vega Tree Service, Inc., Northlake, Illinois
Request: Authorization for the Forest Preserves of Cook County (the “Forest Preserves”) to enter into and execute
Good(s) or Service(s): Expansion of the pre-qualified vendor pool for districtwide tree removal and forestry services
Contract Value: Not to exceed $500,000.00 per calendar year (or $1,500,000.00 over the entire term). With the addition of this seventh vendor to the pre-qualified vendor pool, the not-to-exceed amount of the entire pool increases from $15,000,000.00 to $16,500,000.00
Contract Period: 11/30/2025 - 6/30/2028
Estimated Fiscal Impact: FY 2025 $0.00, FY 2026 $500,000.00, FY 2027 $500,000.00, FY 2028 $500,000.00
Accounts: Professional Services 51036.520840; Grant and Mitigation 51010.521314 and 51010.521444; and all future Professional Services accounts
Contract Number(s): #74000017151 issued under RFQ #25-31-106R
Concurrences: The Chief Financial Officer has approved this item. Final contract is subject to legal review and approval.
The vendor has met the Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Ordinance via direct participation.
District(s): Districtwide
Summary: On 6/27/2023 and 6/11/2024, the Forest Preserves Board of Commissioners approved items establishing a pre-qualified contractor pool for the removal and pruning of potentially hazardous trees throughout Forest Preserves holdings (Board Item Nos. 23-0333, 23-0334, 23-0335, and 24-0190). A third Request for Qualifications (“RFQ”) #25-31-106R was posted to allow additional vendors to enter the pool, which will subsequently increase work capacity and promote more competitive pricing. The scope of work also includes general forestry consulting services for the specialized care and maintenance of high value trees, including but not limited to: inspections, cabling and bracing, root pruning, soil decompaction, inoculations for insect and disease management, etc. Work will primarily take place in areas of high public interface, including but not limited to trails, groves, roadsides, and private property interfaces. Task orders will be issued to pre-qualified firms on an as-needed basis, with projects awarded based on price, work plan, specialized skills or equipment, and availability.
Six (6) contractors are currently approved for participation in the vendor pool, with an authority limit of $500,000.00 per vendor, per year or an aggregate amount not to exceed $15,000,000.00. The addition of a seventh vendor to the pool, subject to the same terms, brings the total authorized amount to a maximum of $16,500,000.00.
RFQ #25-31-106 was originally issued under Solicitation #25-31-012778 but was rebid due to limited response. Vega Tree Service, Inc. was the sole respondent for both solicitations and was subsequently determined by an evaluation committee to meet the evaluation criteria in response to a qualifications-based selection process (RFQ #25-31-106R).
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