COUNTY OF SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA
PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT
PARKS MAINTENANCE DIVISION
Request for Proposals:
PARK SYSTEM ROUTINE TREE SERVICES
Bids Due:
October 2, 2025 by 2:00 pm
by email to [email protected]
Questions about this RFP may be addressed to
Garrett Gotthardt, Parks Supervisor
650. 286-3549
[email protected]
CITY OF FOSTER CITY
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
PARK SYSTEM ROUTINE TREE SERVICES
Scope of Work Overview:
Pruning, trimming, removing, chipping, stump grinding and h aul off debris in City parks and medians. Total contract n ot to exceed $50,000 for year one, $51,500 for year two, and $53,045 for year three of a three (3) year term ending on June 30, 2028. The contract term may be renewed at the CITY’s sole discretion for up to two (2) one-year (12 months) increments with a not to exceed amount of $53,045 for each increment.
New or unforeseen additional work outside the scope of work will be classified as extra work and will be performed only upon approval by the Parks Manager, unless a condition exists wherein it appears that there is danger of injury to persons or damage of property.
In seeking extra work approval, Contractor shall delineate costs related to how much of the job shall be labor/supervision and materials/parts, if any.
Scope of Work Details:
PRUNING may consist of any or all of the following activities:
1) Pruning for Structure:
Structural pruning is the removal of live branches and stems to influence the orientation, spacing, growth rate, strength of attachment and ultimate size of branches and stems. It is used on young and medium aged trees to help engineer a sustainable trunk and branch arrangement. It is used on large maturing trees to reduce certain defects and space main branches along one dominant trunk. This pruning type can be summed up in the phrase: subordinate or remove codominant stems. This practice can limit the failure potential of included branch attachments. The maximum diameter of reduction cuts will be specified. Structural pruning is also the foundation for the following pruning types.
2) Pruning to Raise:
Raising is the selective removal of branches to provide vertical clearance. Crown raising shortens or removes lower branches of a tree to provide clearance for buildings, signs, vehicles, pedestrians and views. Live crown ratio should be no less than 66% when raising is completed and some structural pruning is considered by the City to be part of this pruning.
3) Pruning to Clean:
Crown Cleaning or cleaning out is the removal of dead, diseased, detached and broken branches ½” or larger. This type of pruning is done to reduce the risk of falling branches and to reduce the risk of decay spreading into the tree from dead or dying branches. Cleaning is the preferred pruning method for mature trees. Cleaning removes branches with cracks that may be prone to fail. Care must be used to avoid stripping branches of too foliage at the interior of the tree crown. This practice which is known as "lion tailing'' is unacceptable. The location and diameter of branches to be removed may be specified.
4) Pruning to Reduce:
Crown Reduction is the selective removal of branches and stems to decrease the height and/or spread of a tree. This is done to minimize risk of failure, to reduce height or spread, to clear vegetation form buildings, structures or utilities. Crown reduction should be accomplished with reduction cuts, not heading cuts. While reducing a crown, tree workers should take precautions not to damage Bark or Cambium layer due to ripping.
5) Pruning to Restore:
Crown Restoration is the selective removal of branches, sprouts and stubs from trees that have been previously topped, severely headed, lion tailed or otherwise damaged.
One to three sprouts are selected for retention on trees with many sprouts originating at the tips of branches. Location and percentage of sprouts are specified must adhere to basic tree trimming practices involving limb/branch size relationships and use of the branch bark collar to avoid the onset of decay at cut sites.
6) Grid Pruning:
Grid Pruning consists of pruning 7 or more trees located at the same or at consecutive street addresses. The term is used to reflect an economy of scale when pruning trees in one location and shall be reflected with bid pricing reduced from the single tree pruning bid price.
TREE REMOVAL consists of the removal of the above ground portion of a hardwood tree or palm tree.
STUMP REMOVAL consists of the removal of the tree root crown and tree roots to a depth of 18” or until roots are no longer encountered and distances of at least 24” from the outer circumference of the tree stump or until roots are no longer encountered.
General Specifications:
The Contractor shall comply with all general specifications standards described herein.
1) The Contractor shall be required to enter into an agreement with the City, a draft of which is included as an attachment to this Request for Proposals.
2) The price given by the Contractor for tree removals shall be inclusive of all staff, materials and equipment necessary to remove trees as described herein.
3) The City is responsible for marking trees for removal so that they are easily identified for Underground Service Alert (USA) and the Contractor. The Contractor shall be required to contact USA at least 2 working days prior to stump grinding. The Contractor is hereby made aware that trees may be located adjacent to street lighting or other utilities that are within 12” of finished grade.
4) The Contractor shall notify the City Representative in writing of any condition that prevents the removal of a tree and /or its root system. The Contractor shall take all responsibility for any damage that occurs once the process of removing a tree and/or associated root removal begins.
5) The Contractor shall not remove any tree without first confirming that the tree being considered is indeed the tree to be removed. Any confusion should be resolved by contacting the City for confirmation. The City may consult with an Arborist to confirm removal is necessary or appropriate Removal of trees without City confirmation shall result in the Contractor paying the cost of the tree replacement.
6) During a tree removal, the Contractor shall maintain control of the tree and its parts at all times, which shall include the selection and use of proper techniques and equipment. At no time shall branches, limbs or tree trunks be allowed to freefall and create damage of any type. The Contractor will be held liable for loss of control incidents and shall pay for all damages and associated costs.
7) Cranes and other rigging equipment shall be properly certified, with evidence of such available for inspection prior to use of said equipment in the City. Crane operators shall be certified by the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) and shall display current certification prior to operating a crane in the City.
The use of cranes and certified operators shall not result in additional charges to the City beyond the unit price for the work being performed (e.g., the price for t ree removal).
8) While loading and handling debris, the Contractor shall maintain control at all times so as not to result in damage to the public rights of way or private property. In addition, the Contractor shall not drop logs or trunks as to create undue noise or shock impact related damages to public and/or private property.
9) The Contractor shall be responsible for the repair of any private property including any irrigation system components damaged during a tree removal or stump grinding.
Repairs shall be made using components matching those that were damaged
10) Contractor shall clean all job sites when work is completed and/or daily, including the raking of leaves, twigs, etc. from the lawns, street gutters, sidewalks and parkways and the sweeping or blowing of streets. Each day’s scheduled work shall be completed and cleaned up and only under City approved emergency circumstances may any brush, leaves, debris or equipment be left on the street overnight. The City Representative shall be the sole judge as to the adequacy of the cleanup.
11) Wood waste generated from tree removals shall be chipped. Diseased trees shall not be commingled with healthy trees in the creation of wood chips. The disease- free chips shall be dumped and spread in specified locations in the City at the direction of the City Representative. It is the responsibility of the Contractor to appropriately dispose of diseased trees. Wood and branches not suitable for chipping may be dumped at the City Green Waste disposal site. All tree branches produced because of the Contractor’s operations under the Contract will be reduced, reused, recycled, and/or transformed.
12) The Contractor shall NOT perform any work on non- City maintained trees without the direction from the City Representative. The Contractor shall NOT perform work for adjacent homeowners; all inquiries to this effect shall be forwarded to the City Representative.
13) The Contractor shall be responsible, during all phases of the work, to provide for public safety and convenience by use of traffic cones, signs, lighted barricades, lights, and flaggers as described and specified in the State of California, Department of T ransportation MANUAL OF TRAFFIC CONTROLS - For Construction and Maintenance Work Zones, 2014 Edition. (Section 360, California Vehicle Code, defines highways to include streets.) The provisions of this manual will become a part of the requirements of the contract.
14) Construction and maintenance operations shall be conducted in such a manner as to cause as little inconvenience as possible to the abutting property owners or motoring public. Convenient access to driveways, houses and buildings along the line of work shall be maintained unless otherwise approved by the City in advance.
Contractor shall request and obtain approval from City before any lane closures are implemented. Open excavation and ditches across a roadway shall be covered and guarded in such a manner as to permit safe traffic flow during hours when no work is being performed.
15) All work shall be performed in such a manner as to provide maximum safety to the public and where applicable, comply with all safety standards required by CAL- OSHA. The Parks Manager reserves the right to issue restraining or cease and desist orders to the Contractor when unsafe or harmful acts are observed or reported relative to the performance of the work .
16) The Contractor shall maintain all work sites free of hazards to persons and/or property resulting from Contractor’s operations. Any hazardous condition noted by the Contractor, which is not the result of his/her operations, shall be immediately reported to the Parks Manager.
17) The Contractor shall be fully responsible for any and all damage to City property, equipment, or other property on the public premises that result from the Contractor’s operations. This shall include, but not be limited to, the replacement, at Contractor’s expense, of shrubs, trees, vines, turf, groundcover or other landscape items that are lost due to contractor’s negligence.
Contract Term:
a. Term. The initial term of the Agreement shall commence November 1, 2025 and expire on June 30, 2028.
b. Term Extensions. The contract term may be renewed at the CITY’s sole option for up to two (2) one-year (12 months) increments. Within six (6) months of the expiration of the current term of the agreement, but not less than two (2) months before the expiration, CITY may exercise its option to extend the term, should an option remain, by notifying the Contractor in writing.
Attachment:
Attachment 1 - Proposal Response Form
Attachment 2 - Draft Agreement for Services
Proposal Response Form
Fill out the form completely and submit by the due date.
Incomplete or late responses will not be considered.
SECTION 1: Contact Information
Business Name: ______________________________________________________________________ Contact Name: _______________________________________________________________________ Address:_____________________________________________________________________________ Phone #: ____________________________________________________________________________ Email: _______________________________________________________________________________
SECTION 2: Addenda
I acknowledge receipt of the following addenda:
Addenda Number Date
SECTION 3: Applicable Licenses and Certifications
SECTION 4: Proposal
Pruning/Disposal off site
Tree Height Proposed Cost
15-25 feet
25-35 feet
35-45 feet
45 feet or greater
Tree Removal/Disposal off site
Tree Height Proposed Cost
15-25 feet
25-35 feet
35-45 feet
45 feet or greater
Stump Grinding/with disposal off site
Tree Diameter Proposed Cost
12-20 inches
20-40 inches
40-60 inches
60 inches or greater
Section 5: Contract
Please list exceptions to any of the terms of the agreement, including required insurance coverage.
SECTION 6: Submittal Instructions
Proposals are due by email to [email protected] no later than October 2, 2025 at 2:00 PM. There is no formal bid-opening. Proposers are responsible to ensure that submittals have been successfully transmitted and received.
By signing below I attest that the information contained in this proposal is true and correct.
SIGNATURE OF PERSON AUTHORIZED TO SIGN AGREEMENTS DATE
PRINT NAME AND TITLE