Explanation
The Department of Public Utilities entered into a contract with Watershed Organic Lawn Care and Landscape for the purpose of inspecting the performance of and maintaining the City’s biorentention basins. The City of Columbus is committed to investing in green infrastructure. As part of this commitment, the City has built a number of bioretention basins in the right-of-way and/or on City owned property.
Bioretention basins are engineered, shallow depressions that treat stormwater runoff using pollutant removal mechanisms that function in natural ecosystems: settling, filtration, absorption, microbial breakdown and nutrient assimilation. Surface runoff is directed into the bioretention area where it temporarily ponds before infiltrating through mulch and a soil media planted with vegetation. The infiltrated water percolates into soils and, if necessary, enters a perforated underdrain that discharges into a water body or storm drain system.
The City is currently responsible for the maintenance of 50 basins located in the River South area of downtown and 38 basins located at Griggs, O’Shaughnessy and Hoover reservoirs. The contractor, will work with Watershed Maintenance staff when performing maintenance at the basins located at the reservoirs.
The Department of Public Utilities advertised Request for Proposals (RFP’s) for the subject services in the City Bulletin in accordance with the provisions of Sections 329.25, Columbus City Codes, 1959. Two hundred twenty-six (226) vendors (19 MBE, 3 FBE, 204 MAJ) were solicited (SA004768), and five (5) proposals (1 MBE, 4 MAJ) were received and opened on February 13, 2013. The evaluation and final ranking of the firm was based upon the criteria specified in the RFP and Watershed Organic Lawn Care and Landscape was determined to be the most qualified responder to provide the services for the Bioretention Basin and Maintenance Services project. This contract was for a period of one (1) year from the ...
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