Leasing Opportunity - Machine Shed and Farmland

LEASING OPPORTUNITY
Herbert Hoover National Historical Site
West Branch, Iowa
Machine Shed and Farmland Lease

REQUEST FOR BIDS
(Term: 5 years)

Link to REQUEST FOR BIDS TO LEASE ONE STORAGE FACILITY AND NPS LANDS FOR
FARMING/HAYING PURPOSES WITHIN HERBERT HOOVER NATIONAL HISTORICAL SITE: SAM.gov

DETAILS FOR BID IN TABLE HERE:

Request for Bids Issued:	February 14, 2025
Questions Due Date:	February 28, 2025
Bids Due Date:	March 17, 2025
Opening of Submitted Bids:	March 18, 2025

Bids must be received by the National Park Service no later than 4PM Central Time on the due date listed above.
Send bids to:
National Park Service Interior Regions 3, 4, and 5
601 Riverfront Drive
Omaha, NE 68102
ATTN: Tracy Simmons, Chief of Commercial Services

A. THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE AND HERBERT HOOVER NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

1. The National Park Service and its Mission

America’s National Park Service (NPS) was created by Congress to “conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein, and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such a manger and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.” Additionally, the Congress has declared the National Park System should be “...preserved and managed for the benefit and inspiration of all the people of the United States.” The National Park Service has its overall mission the preservation and public enjoyment of significant aspects of the nation’s natural and cultural heritage. To learn more about the National Park Service, visit our website at www.nps.gov. This site includes information on who we are, our mission, NPS policies and individual parks.

1. Herbert Hoover National Historical Site

Herbert Hoover National Historical Site (Herbert Hoover NHS) is near the city of West Branch, Iowa, and 10 miles east of Iowa City, Iowa. In August of 1874, Herbert Hoover was born in the small town of West Branch. Though little known at the time, his experiences with family, community members, and members of his family’s Quaker Church would be strong influences on him as he embarked on a life of public service that saw him go from a small cottage in Iowa all the way to the White House. Herbert Hoover NHS was established on August 12^th, 1965, to preserve the life and history of Herbert Hoover in West Branch, Iowa. This 186-acre park preserves the Birthplace Cottage, Gravesite, and other historically significant properties. The site offers a variety of resources that includes historic homes, structures, cultural landscapes, a prairie, and historic farms that are associated with the life of Herbert Hoover as a child.

B. REQUEST FOR BID SUMMARY

This Request for Bids (RFB) provides the opportunity for interested individuals and organizations to submit bids to the National Park Service (NPS) to lease one machine shed and NPS lands for haying purposes within Herbert Hoover NHS under the following general terms and conditions.

See the attached “Offered Lease” for complete terms. Site visits can be made by appointment only through the Administrative Division at Herbert Hoover NHS by calling Shannon Calabro, Administrative Officer, at [phone].

1. Property Offered for Lease

The facility and property for lease are located at Herbert Hoover NHS at 110 Parkside Drive, West Branch, IA 52358. The land and machine shed are within the park, adjacent to West Main Street in West Branch, IA 52358. The premises includes a Machine Shed (720 square feet) and approximately 36.5 acres of land. See Exhibit C to the Offered Lease - “Description of Premises” - for complete details.

2. Uses of the Leased Property The Offered Lease will authorize the use of one machine shed to be used for storing supplies, materials, or machines/equipment, during the term of the lease. The Lessee will also have access to approximately 36.5 acres of alfalfa hay at a minimum of one time per year with additional cuttings depending upon environmental and management practices. Lessee’s activities on the Premises shall be subject to the general supervision and inspection of the NPS and to such rules and regulations regarding ingress, egress, safety, sanitation, and security as may be prescribed by the Park Are Superintendent. The Lessee should be responsible for the maintenance and repair of the Premises that may be necessary during the term of the Offered Lease.The NPS will provide lime amendments during the lease term (3 years) as able each year during the Fall season. Nothing in this lease shall require the NPS to expend funds that are unavailable due to budget restrictions.The Lessee may provide granular potassium amendments coordinating with the Lessor prior to application. Lessee is responsible for any additional soil amendments and must be approved by Lessor.

3. Term of LeaseThe Offered Lease will have a term of five (5) years and is not renewable.

4. Rent and Other Financial Obligations Rent required by the Offered Lease (see Section in Lease) is as follows: A. Annual storage facility Rent of $600; and B. Revenue Percentage equal to bid starting at 30% of the Lessee’s Gross Revenues, of fair market value of the type and quality of hay, at time of harvesting. The NPS will use the most current USDA Direct Hay Report for the State of Iowa to make the fair market value determination. This determination will be the average of the published price range. The NPS on site representative will determine the type and quality of hay at the time of cutting.

5. Other Terms and ConditionsAmong other conditions, the Offered Lease includes provisions addressing compliance with applicable laws; repair and maintenance obligations; termination; default; and insurance.

6. Competitive Process This lease opportunity is open to all interested persons on a competitive basis. The bidder submitting a responsive bid offering the highest Annual Revenue Percentage will be selected for award of the lease subject to a determination of financial capability. A responsive bid is a bid that meets the material terms and conditions of this Request for Bids. If two or more bids are equal, an evaluation of a bidder’s experience, technical ability, equipment quality and references shall be used to make the lease award between the equal bids.

7. Bid Submission Date Bids under this RFB must be received on the due date identified on the front page, and at the address on the front page. For further details, see Section C below.

8. Authority This RFB is issued under the authority of federal law and regulations. The applicable law is found at 54 U.S.C. § 102102, and leasing regulations may be found in the Code of Federal Regulations at 36 CFR Part 18. This RFB and the Offered Lease are subject to and incorporate all terms and conditions of Part 18 as applicable. In the event of any conflict between the terms of this RFB and Part 18, Part 18 controls.For further information, please contact:Administrative OfficerHerbert Hoover National Historic Site110 Parkside Drive, PO BOX 607West Branch, IA 52358Attn: [e-mail]

C. SUBMISSION OF BID

1. Bid Submission Requirements Bids must be enclosed in a sealed envelope and received by the Chief, Commercial Services, National Park Service, Interior Regions 3, 4, 5 by the date and time identified on the front page of this RFB. The face of the sealed envelope shall show the bidder’s name and address, along with the receiver’s address as follows:

CONTAINS BID -- MAILROOM DO NOT OPEN
Bid on lease of property of the National Park Service

Commercial Services Division
National Park Service
Interior Regions 3, 4, 5
601 Riverfront Drive
Omaha, Nebraska 68102
Attention: Tracy Simmons

Telephonic bids, faxes, e-mail, and other means of transmittal will not be considered. Bid submittals will not be returned.

The bids shall contain the following information:

1. The Revenue Percentage (bid starts at 30%) as outlined in Section 4.

2. Technical Ability: the offeror should provide information on the proposed use of the property and their ability to successfully implement their proposed use.

3. Experience: The offeror should provide information regarding your experience.

4. Equipment: The offeror should provide a list and description of the equipment that the offeror proposes to use on the leased property.

5. References: The offeror should provide a list of references to verify the quality of work of the lesse

2. NPS Selection
NPS will review all responses to this RFB as follows:

1. Bids must refer to the public notice that advertised this business opportunity.

2. Bids must include the dated signature of the bidder.

3. Bids must include the amount of Annual Rent (storage facility) offered. The minimum annual storage facility rent is $50 per month / $600 annually.

4. The bid must unconditionally agree to the terms and conditions of the Offered Lease, including, without limitation, an offer to pay Annual Rent in the specific amount of not less than $600 per year ($50 per month).

5. In addition, the bid must unconditionally offer to:

   1. Pay Percentage Rent equal to or above 30% of the Lessee’s Gross Revenues, of fair market value of the type and quality of hay, at time of harvesting. The highest bid %, above the minimum of 30%, of gross receipts will determine the highest bidder selected for award of the lease. The NPS will use the most current USDA Direct Hay Report for the state of Iowa to make the fair market value determination. This determination will be the average of the published price range. See Exhibit E to the Offered Lease - “Sample USDA Iowa Direct Hay Report” - for complete details. The NPS on site representative will determine type and quality of hay at the time of cutting.

Bids will only be considered if received by the due date and at the location identified on the front page of this Request for Bids.

Bids will be opened publicly at:
National Park Service, Interior Regions 3, 4 & 5, 601 Riverfront Drive, Omaha, NE at 10 a.m. Central Time, on the date identified on the front page of this Request for Bids. Bidders or their representatives may attend the bid opening. The bidder submitting a responsive bid offering the highest bid over 30% will be selected for award of the Offered Lease (subject to the NPS determining the successful bidder has the financial capability to enter into the Offered Lease as explained below). If two or more bids are equal, an evaluation of a bidder’s experience, technical ability, equipment quality and references between the equal bids shall be used to make the lease award.It is anticipated that the new lease will commence on April 15th, 2025.

D. CONFIDENTIALITY OF BIDS

If you believe that a bid package contains financial information that you do not want to be made public, please include the following sentence on the cover page of the bid package:

“This bid package contains trade secrets and/or confidential commercial and financial information that the Bidder believes to be exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. The Bidder requests that this information not be disclosed to the public, except as may be required by law.”

In addition, you must specifically identify what you consider to be trade secret information or confidential financial information on the page of the bid package on which it appears, and you must include the following sentence on each such page:

“This page contains trade secrets or confidential commercial and financial information that the Bidder believes to be exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, and which is subject to the non-disclosure statement on the first page of this bid package.” Information so identified will not be made public by the NPS except in accordance with the requirements of applicable law.

E. DETERMINATION OF FINANCIAL CAPABILITY The bidder submitting the highest responsive bid shall submit to NPS the following documents within ten (10) calendar days following notification:

1. Credit Report - A complete credit report in the name of the successful bidder that includes scores and is dated within thirty (30) days prior to the date of submission to NPS. The report must be from a major credit reporting company such as Equifax, Experian, TRW, or Dun & Bradstreet. If the successful bidder is not yet formed, include a credit report for each the individuals or entities that will have ownership interests or control of the Lessee.

2. Bank Statement(s) – Current bank financial statement(s) that verify the bidder’s ability to pay an amount equal to three (3) months-worth of the Annual Rent offered by the winning bidder. (The bidder that is determined by the NPS to be the highest responsive bidder may also be subject to background investigations to be conducted by the United States and must comply with same.)

The determined highest responsive bidder must execute and return the final Offered Lease within 30 calendar days after delivery by the NPS. If the declared high bidder fails to execute the final lease, the NPS may choose to enter into the Offered Lease with the next responsive highest bidder.

The NPS may reject any and all bids in its discretion and re-solicit or cancel a lease solicitation at any time without liability or obligation to any person.

BID FORM ATTACHMENTS
1. OFFERED LEASE:
a. Exhibit A: Inventory and Condition Report
b. Exhibit B: Insurance Requirements
c. Exhibit C: Maintenance Plan
d. Exhibit D: Description of Premises
e. Exhibit E: Sample USDA Direct Hay Report