Otter Tail County Seeks Quotes for 2026 Spring Road Sweeping

The Otter Tail County Highway Department solicited quotes for two related spring maintenance contracts covering the 2026 season: sweeping of all county roads and bridges, and right-of-way weed control spanning more than 1,056 centerline miles of rural highway.

The weed control solicitation, formally titled "County Highway Right of Way Weed Control," set a submission deadline of March 13, 2026, at the Highway Department office at 505 South Court Street, Suite 1, in Fergus Falls. The spring sweeping request for quotes included an RFQ packet and sweeping maps outlining scope and geographic coverage, though the county's public posting did not confirm whether the two solicitations shared a single deadline or constituted separate procurement processes.

The weed control contract covered an estimated 2,500 acres of county highway right-of-way requiring spot or complete roadside spraying across 1,056.2 centerline highway miles. The scope included all rural County State Aid Highways and County Highways within Otter Tail County. Segments running through municipalities were excluded unless specifically directed by the Maintenance Superintendent or Coordinator during spray season.

Contractors bidding on the weed control work were required to provide all labor and equipment and to identify an hourly breakdown for each road. Pricing was structured around two alternates: under Quote Alternate No. 1, the contractor purchases and supplies all chemicals at a per-acre rate; under Quote Alternate No. 2, the county furnishes the chemicals and the contractor prices labor and equipment separately.

The governing standard for the weed control contract was the Minnesota Department of Transportation Standard Specifications for Construction, 2025 Edition, applied with modifications outlined in the county's special provisions. The county also referenced modifications to Mn/DOT specification 1714, which governs responsibility for damage claims and insurance, though the full text of those modifications was not included in the public excerpt.

Quotes were required to be written in ink or typewritten on forms furnished by the county, with submitters providing their name, title, signature, date, telephone number, and email address. The complete RFQ packet and sweeping maps for the spring sweeping solicitation were available through the official county posting.