Loudon City seeks contractor for right-of-way mapping; bids due March 6

Loudon City’s Electric Department asked contractors to bid on a one-year right-of-way mapping and vegetation-management contract that uses LiDAR mapping and a mobile app to identify and document trees for trimming, department staff said at a utility workshop.

The project is intended to target cuts more precisely and reduce unnecessary work: the vendor’s survey of about 127 miles produced a recommended trimming total of 98 miles for the coming year, the department said.

“This will give you the circuits, and you can go out and evaluate that,” said Aubrey Cagle, director of electric for Loudon City. “It’ll have an address on our 102 Mulberry, and it’ll have a picture to pull up with that tree. Once you all ride away that tree and cut that tree, you take your device, you take a picture of that, you submit it back.”

Why it matters: the department said more-accurate mapping should reduce contractor hours and overall costs by focusing work where it’s needed, and it will create a dashboard to track completed cuts. Staff emphasized limits on monthly mileage, invoicing deadlines, and contractor responsibilities to avoid customer outages and property damage.

Key contract and procurement details

- Contract length and award: The contract is written as a one-year agreement with options to renew for years two and three; city staff will present bids to the utility board and the board will vote on the winning bidder at its monthly meeting. Staff said contractors may begin work with the city’s permission before the contract is formally signed.

- Bid submission and opening: Bids are due March 6 at 2 p.m.; the department will open sealed bids and read totals aloud. Staff said they plan to notify the apparent winner on Friday or Monday before the board meeting, but final award is contingent on board approval.

- Work estimate and pacing: The LiDAR review reported about 98 miles to be trimmed over 12 months. The department said it does not want contractors to exceed 20 miles per month without prior approval from the electric department supervisor.

- Invoicing and payment: Contractors are asked to submit invoices by the seventh of each month. The city pays bills on the 10th and the 25th; staff warned invoices submitted after the seventh may not be paid until the 25th of the month.

- Evaluation criteria: The department described bid evaluation weights in the packet: price per mile 60 percent, references/experience 10 percent, equipment 10 percent, and emergency/response time 12 percent (document reference: packet, evaluation section). Staff said the price-per-mile metric is the principal factor because it covers the bulk of the work.

Contractor performance expectations and limitations

- Safety and outages: Staff said contractors should avoid de-energizing lines when possible. The department acknowledged there may be limited circumstances requiring de-energizing but said those will be handled case-by-case.

- Cleanup and customer interactions: The department told bidders to avoid leaving debris in customers’ yards overnight in residential or business areas; if work in wooded or field areas requires staging, crews may stack brush to return the next day. Staff directed contractors not to engage in arguments with customers; if a refusal or dispute occurs, supervisors will handle the situation.

- Property damage and equipment leaks: The contract holds contractors responsible for driveway and property damage and for cleanup of oil or fluid leaks from equipment. “You bust the driveway, you’re gonna pay to fix it,” Cagle said.

Emergency response and overtime

The department said emergency response times are part of the evaluation and that they expect contractors to respond quickly to major outages; a contractor’s ability to provide a crew within roughly 30–60 minutes after notification was discussed as important. Staff said overtime and after-hours procedures will be limited by budget and that the department will not routinely pay overtime beyond documented agreements.

Next steps and contacts

Bids must be delivered or received by March 6 at 2 p.m.; the department will open sealed bids and then bring the results to the utility board for a vote on the final award. Department staff provided thumb-drive copies of the mapping files at the workshop and said they can email materials on request. For clarification, contact information was distributed at the meeting.

Ending

The department urged prospective bidders to review the packet’s specifications, the evaluation criteria, and the invoicing schedule carefully before submitting bids and said staff will walk the winning contractor through invoicing and quality checks during the contract year.