Forestry Branch

Manitoba Conservation delivers its tree planting program via tendered contracts, administered by Forestry Branch, 200 Saulteaux Crescent, Winnipeg.

These contracts are advertised usually in mid October and mid January, through the Winnipeg Free Press and sometimes in rural Manitoba newspapers. The contracts are also listed in the MERX on-line purchasing system.

Part of the contract process includes mandatory site viewing conferences where potential bidders visit all sites to be planted and can discuss site and logistics issues with Regional Operations staff.

Information and schedules are included in the advertisements. These site viewings normally occur in late October and mid February. Contracts are awarded in January and March with planting scheduled from May to July.

Contract Levels

Contracts are organized in levels based on the number of trees to be planted. Contractors must establish their contract level status based on the following criteria before they will be allowed to bid.

First time contractors are limited to Level 1 contracts unless the following conditions are met:

Level 1

• 150,000 trees
• no restrictions to bidding

Level 2

• 151,001- 300,000 trees
• last Level 1 Contract successfully completed

Note: Level 2 contractors are restricted to a maximum of 700,000 trees in total. Once a Level 2 contractor reaches this maximum number of trees for contracts awarded in consecutive order, the remaining contract's bid deposits will be returned. This condition does not apply to Level 3 or Level 4 contractors bidding on Level 2 contracts.

Level 3

• 300,001 - 600,000 trees
• last Level 2 Contract in Manitoba was successfully completed

Note: Contractors with only out-of-province experience must have their last two Level 2 or higher contracts successfully completed.

Level 4

• Greater than 600,000 trees
• last two Level 3 Contracts were successfully completed. Contractors with only out-of-province experience must have their last three Level 3 or higher contracts successfully completed.

Upon completion of any contract, the project is assessed and the contractor will have his status reviewed for future contracts. Successful completion will allow for the continued participation in our programs and advancement to larger contracts.

For more information, please contact:

Glenn Peterson, Silviculture Forester
Manitoba Conservation Forestry Branch
Winnipeg, MB R3J 3W3
Phone: (204) 945-7981