The County of Cheshire is requesting a detailed proposal from qualified contractors for the ditch clearing, culvert clearing, grading and surfacing of sections of the Cheshire Rail Trail through the Town of Troy.

Submissions and Timeline

1. RFP release date: Aug 18, 2025.
2. To receive RFP addendums, questions and answers, and any available additional documents to assist in preparing the proposals, please submit intent to apply notice by email containing name and email address to the grants specialist jenrobinson@co.cheshire.nh.us. Intent to apply notice is not required to apply.
3. Questions must be submitted in writing no later than 12:00pm on September 3, 2025 via email to the grants specialist at jenrobinson@co.cheshire.nh.us. Responses will be made available to all bidders within three business days.
4. Project proposals are due by 12:00pm on September 17, 2025. Proposals must be sent via PDF attachment to an email sent to jenrobinson@co.cheshire.nh.us.
5. Interviews of bidders may be scheduled, should Cheshire County and the Monadnock Rail Trail Collaborative determine interview are necessary for bidder selection, between Thursday, September 18, 2025 and Tuesday, September 23, 2025.
6. The estimated date for selection of contract awardee is September 24, 2025.
7. The estimated start date for contract is October 1, 2025.

Scope of Work and Technical Requirements

1. Item or service needed: rehabilitate Cheshire Rail Trail between the Troy/Marlborough town line and High Street, Troy (approximately 2.0 miles). Work will primarily consist of clearing the drainage ditches, ensuring all current culverts are functional, and applying hardpack material. GPS coordinates, surface material specifications, and other details available in: Appendix A: Project and Site Detail and Appendix B: Surface Material Specification.
2. Project proposals must include ability to conduct work between October 1, 2025 and November 30, 2025. All invoicing must be submitted by close of business on December 1, 2025.
3. All work must be done in accordance with relevant State and Federal guidelines, including but not limited to: Best Management Practices for Erosion Control During Trail Maintenance and Construction (https://www.nhstateparks.org/find-parks-trails/find-trails-maps-clubs/grants/recreational-trails-program), included as Appendix C for reference.

Proposal Requirements

1. Signed and dated copy of Appendix D: Contractor Assurances.
2. Price Proposal and Timeframe:
   1. Price shall be a fixed all-inclusive price needed to complete the entire project according to the scope of services, including, but not limited to the cost of all labor, materials, equipment, supplies, guarantees, warrantees, setup, and clean up. Fixed firm price proposal shall:
      1. Be broken into cost categories including at a minimum: labor (rate and number of hours), materials/supplies (rate and quantity), equipment (cost per equipment hour or another basis).
      2. Include a proposed cost share (i.e. discount or contractor match) to the project. Up to 20% total project costs (or 25% of the reimbursed amount).
   2. Timeframe for project shall be between October 1,2025 and November 30, 2025 and contractor shall provide dates and timeframes in which they anticipate conducting work, and note specific dates they are not available and/or any scheduling conflicts.
3. Approach: Describe how your firm will approach this project and conduct work in terms of preparation, work organization or delegation, procedures and process, communication with the County, the Rail Trail Collaborative, and their partners, and assurances that the work will result in a high-quality product a service and meet the specifications outlined in the appendices. Specifically, contractor shall address or describe to the extent necessary to understand the contractors approach:
   1. Methodologies around material laying that leads to a well-controlled width and depth of the trail; water runoff, and erosion prevention and control.
   2. Laborers to be used (title/role) and number of days and hours each.
   3. Materials needed that will be permanently left in place (e.g. culverts, gravel).
   4. Culverts, if specifically proposed, quantity, its material composition (e.g. plastic/metal), dimensions, and the exactly location it will be installed.
   5. Supplies, if any additional supplies will be needed.
   6. Equipment, type and number of, the number of hours needed.
   7. Other items included in the cost proposal, included warrantees/guarantees, insurance, permits, etc.
4. Organizational type: Indicate if the organization is a qualified disadvantaged business (DBE), women-owned, veteran-owned, or minority-owned.
5. Warranties/guarantees: Describe warranties and/or guarantees offered for the work, materials, and/or services, if any. 
6. Example work: Provide one or more examples of work similar to the scope of work in this RFP either as an attachment to the proposal or as a web link to the source.
7. Submit 1 electronic file of the proposal in a single PDF file; all fonts shall be Times New Roman or Ariel, 12-point font, and in sentenced case.

Eligibility Requirements and Selection Criteria

Before making its award or issuing a contract, the County shall consider the project proposal, work, and/or services or products delivered that best serves the needs and financial interests of the County. The County reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, to award any proposal, to waive as an informality any irregularities on proposals received, and to omit any item or items as it may deem to be in the best interest of the County. The decision of the County shall be final and not subject to review or appeal. Preference shall be extended to firms that are known minority businesses, veteran-owned, women’s business enterprises, and labor surplus area firms. Contractors whose proposals meet the minimum requirements specified below will be evaluated by lowest cost and availability/capacity.

Eligibility Requirements

1. Firm and any key employees to work on the project are not debarred, suspended, or otherwise restricted from receiving federal funds.
2. Firm is registered as a licensed business.
3. Firm has the requisite certifications, licenses, degrees, diplomas, etc. required to legally and ethically perform the work.
4. Firm is able to conduct work within the dates provided and meet all agreed upon deadlines.
5. Proposal contains all content required

Selection Criteria

1. Firm has at least three years of cumulative experience in trail rehabilitation, earthwork, grading, and water management (e.g. ditches and culverts).
2. Approach to the project is logical, reasonable, appropriate, and thorough, and addresses and/or acknowledges all aspects of the scope of work and technical requirements.
3. Firm proposes a cost match (i.e. donation) to the project that is up to 20% of the total cost (i.e. 25% of the amount to be reimbursed).

Award

1. Approval and award of a contract is contingent upon the availability of funding to accomplish the project.
2. This project is supported by the US Department of Transportation and New Hampshire Bureau of Trails as part of a grant award of $80,000 plus $20,000 required cost share from non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by the County of Cheshire or the U.S. Government.
3. Type of contract: cost and materials reimbursement up to $80,000 plus up to $20,000 cost match/donation/discount (or 20% of the total value of the contract work or 25% of the amount to be reimbursed) for all contracted work.

Davis Bacon Act

The contractor is familiar with and will comply with the following federal rules, which are expressly applicable to this project. Full details can be found at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/government-contracts/construction.

Summary: The Davis-Bacon Act requires all laborers and mechanics employed by the contractor in the performance of the scope of work of this proposal in excess of $2,000 to be paid wages at a rate not less than those prevailing on similar projects in the locality, as determined by the Secretary of Labor in accordance with subchapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40, United States Code commonly referred to as the “Davis-Bacon Act”. The contractor provides written assurance acknowledging the Davis-Bacon requirements and their compliance, including but not limited to: submitting certified weekly payrolls; the County conducting payroll and job site reviews for construction work, including interviews with employees; cooperating with any authorized representative of the Department of Labor in the inspection of records, interviews with employees, and other actions undertaken as part of a Department of Labor investigation; Posting in a prominent and accessible place the wage determinations and Department of Labor Publication WH-1321, Notice to Employees Working on Federal or Federally Assisted Construction Projects; and preparing and submitting the office of Management and Budget Control number 1910-5165, Davis Bacon semiannual labor compliance report, by April first and October first of each year.

Federal Compliance

Contractor must agree to adhere to all applicable Federal guidelines including but not limited to: 1) Purchase of American-Made Equipment and Products 2) Environmental, Safety and Health Performance of Work 3) Affirmative Action and Pay Transparency Requirements.

Privacy, Confidentiality, and Publicity

Information provided through the application process is the responsibility of each applicant. Applicants agree not to hold Cheshire County, NH, its affiliates, members, partners, and staff liable for any losses, damages, costs, or expenses of any kind relating to the use or the adequacy, accuracy, or completeness of any information appearing in an application. Depending on the individual circumstances of this NOFO and applications, any or all parts of this process and corresponding submissions may be considered public information. Any confidential information, including trade secrets, shall be redacted or removed by the applicant prior to submission. If awarded, be advised that the business/applicant’s application information, name, statements, and other information provided during the award process may be used for promotional purposes in all forms and media and the business/applicant may be contacted by Cheshire County, NH for such purposes. Until notified, applicants must agree not to share any status as a finalist publicly, including but not limited to all social media platforms, news media, or local publications.

Conflict of Interest

Any employee, officer, or agent of Cheshire County participating in the selection, award, or administration of funds must disclose to the Board in writing if they have a real or apparent conflict of interest regarding any applying entities. Such a conflict of interest would arise when the employee, officer, or agent, any member of their immediate family, their partner, or an organization which employs or is about to employ any of the parties indicated herein, has a financial or other interest in or a tangible personal benefit from an entity considered for funding. The officers, employees, and agents of Cheshire County may neither solicit nor accept gratuities, favors, or anything of monetary value from fund recipients. Cheshire County employees, officers, or agents with a conflict of interest must disclose the conflict in writing to the Board, recuse themselves of any vote pertaining to the contract, and dismiss themselves from any conversation(s) relating to a contract or its terms or conditions.

Appendix A Project and Site Detail

Appendix B Surface Material Specification

Appendix C Best-Management-Practices-for-Erosion-Control

Appendix D Contractor Assurances

Agreement Trail Work Contractor DRAFT

Cheshire Rail Trail – North Troy Culvert Locations

Q&A Cheshire Rail Trail – Troy