# How to bid government grounds maintenance contracts

URL: https://us.falkview.com/guides/government-grounds-maintenance-contracts/
Updated: 2026-11-04

> **How do I bid on government grounds maintenance and mowing contracts?**
>
> Find them on SAM.gov under NAICS 561730 and PSC S208 and on state and local portals. Walk the site, measure the acres by type and frequency, price the crew hours and equipment from the wage determination, and show in your proposal how you'll handle the season, weather and quality inspections.

## Key facts

- Federal grounds work is usually NAICS 561730 Landscaping Services with PSC S208 Landscaping/groundskeeping.
- The Army (including Corps of Engineers lakes), the Forest Service and the National Park Service buy much of the federal mowing and grounds work.
- Grounds contracts often price per acre per mowing cycle or as a firm monthly price, with optional extra services as separate line items.
- Service Contract Act wage determinations apply to grounds crews on federal contracts over $2,500.

## What do grounds contracts usually include?

Mowing and trimming to a set height, edging, litter pickup, leaf removal, shrub and tree care, irrigation checks and sometimes snow removal, each with its own frequency and standard.

The performance work statement divides the site into areas, such as improved, semi-improved and unimproved grounds, each with its own mowing height and frequency. Some contracts pay a fixed monthly price; others pay per mowing cycle so the agency can add or skip cycles as the season goes.

## How do you measure the work?

Acres by area type and frequency, from the solicitation's maps, checked against your own site visit or aerial imagery, then crew hours per acre for your equipment.

1. List each area type with its acres, mowing height and number of cycles a year.
2. Check the acres on the maps against aerial imagery and the site visit.
3. Pick equipment per area (wide-area mowers, zero-turns, trimmers) and its production rate in acres per hour.
4. Add travel between sites, trimming, litter pickup and cleanup time.

## How do you price it?

Crew hours times the wage determination's rates plus fringe benefits, then equipment, fuel, disposal, insurance, overhead and profit, spread across the line items in the price schedule.

Check which wage determination occupations the crew falls under, such as grounds maintenance laborers and equipment operators, and use the rates for the county of the work. Equipment is a larger share of cost than in cleaning, so price ownership, repairs and fuel per hour. If the schedule prices per cycle, make sure each cycle covers its own share of fixed costs.

- [How to price from an SCA wage determination](https://us.falkview.com/guides/sca-wage-determinations/)

## What should the proposal show?

That you understand the site and the season: crew and equipment by area, a schedule for each cycle, how you handle rain delays, and how you inspect and fix work.

- A site-specific work plan with crews, equipment and the order of areas.
- A schedule that shows every required cycle and how weather delays are made up.
- A quality control plan with inspections after each cycle and a way to fix complaints fast.
- Safety: equipment training, traffic control near roads and protection of the public.
- Past performance on similar acreage and terrain.

## Questions

### Do I need special equipment to bid on federal mowing?

You need the equipment the acres and terrain call for, ready by the start date. Many small firms lease or buy once they win; price that in, and say in the proposal how equipment will be ready.

### Is snow removal part of grounds contracts?

Sometimes, as a separate line item or option, coded PSC S218. Read the price schedule to see whether it is priced per event, per inch or as a monthly standby fee.

## Sources

- [SAM.gov Contract Opportunities](https://sam.gov/content/opportunities)
- [SAM.gov wage determinations](https://sam.gov/content/wage-determinations)
- [U.S. Department of Labor, Service Contract Act](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/government-contracts/service-contracts)
- [FAR 52.246-4, Inspection of Services, Fixed-Price](https://www.acquisition.gov/far/52.246-4)

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Falkview US finds federal, state and local solicitations, scores them, builds the compliance matrix and price build-up, and drafts proposals from a company's own documents. People review and submit. Book a demo: https://us.falkview.com/contact/