How and Why does PAS Hire Professional Trail Builders?

Written By Natalie Narburgh

According to trail counter data in 2023, we estimate our adopted trails in the Pisgah Ranger District welcome approximately 120,000 individuals annually per trail. While we are thrilled to support this use in the forest, delivering this service to the public comes with its own set of costs.

In addition to weeks of labor and high levels of expertise, the cost of constructing backcountry single-track trails could soar as high as $90,000 per mile, while maintenance costs can be upwards of $40,000 per mile. In order to keep up with the growing demand in our region, we enlist the assistance of trail-building contractors for larger-scale endeavors. Over the years, we have worked with many different contractors on both the local and national level. As our organization continues to grow, tackling larger and more complex projects each year, so does our process for selecting our trail contractors. To ensure transparency and consistency in our selection of contractors, we have created the following guidelines. While these guidelines may change with our needs, they will continue to serve as the basis for our organizational decisions. And, most importantly, if you want to continue to see high quality trails, donate your time or money today! 

  • Project Type A:

    • Estimated project cost of $100k or above

    • RFP required

    • Publish bid opening to the PTBA 

    • Conduct a Pre-bid walk through with interested contractors and land managers

    • Establish an extensive selection committee 

    • Rubric used to evaluate each bid with objective scoring.

    • BoD Votes on builder selection suggested by Selection Committee 

  • Project Type B:

    • Estimated project cost of $50-99K 

    • RFP required

    • Invite a minimum of (2) qualified builders to bid 

    • Conduct a Pre-bid walk through with interested contractors and land managers

    • Small Selection Committee 

    • Rubric used to evaluate each bid with objective scoring.

    • BoD Votes on builder selection suggested by Selection Committee 

  • Project Type C:

    • Estimated project cost of under $50K 

    • RFP required 

    • Direct select a contractor or invite minimum of (2) qualified builders to bid

    • Conduct a Pre-bid walk through with interested contractor(s) and land managers

    • Small Selection Committee 

      • BoD is not required to vote on builder selection

Natalie Narburgh
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Field Notes From Will & Soleil: PAS Volunteers, Trail Builders, Mountain Bikers