How to bid on collecting and planting willow cuttings for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

What the agency is buying

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, needs a contractor to collect and plant sandbar willow cuttings. This work will take place in Mississippi River Pools 3, 5, and 5A.

At each site, the contractor will plant 750 willow stakes. This involves creating three 1,000-foot rows, with 250 stakes in each row. The work will be on USACE-owned land, which is also part of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. This is a firm-fixed-price request for quotes.

Key dates and deadlines

The solicitation was published on August 24, 2026. All quotes must be submitted by September 17, 2026, at 12:00 PM ET. It is the vendor's responsibility to check the Contract Opportunities website for any updates to the solicitation.

Who this opportunity suits

This opportunity is a total small business set-aside. It is suitable for firms specializing in landscaping services, under NAICS code 561730, which has a size standard of $9.5 million. Bidders must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) before any award can be made.

How to respond

To access the solicitation, click “View original source” on the portal. If the first click takes you to the portal’s homepage, click it again to go directly to the bid. You may need a free account to view all documents, though this is not always required.

No CDs or hard copies of the solicitation are available. Vendors are responsible for checking the Contract Opportunities website for any updates. To view the interested vendors list, you will need to sign into your SAM account.

Tips for a competitive response

Ensure your SAM registration is active and that the Representations and Certifications sections (FAR and DFARS) are completed before submitting your quote. This is a mandatory requirement for doing business with the Department of Defense and for receiving an award.

Carefully review the product requirements detailed in the solicitation to ensure your quote accurately reflects the scope of work for collecting and planting the sandbar willow cuttings. Since this is a firm-fixed-price contract, your pricing should be comprehensive and account for all aspects of the project across all three sites.