12-0261-20-R-0002 GROUND COVER AND SEEDING APPLICATION 2020 IDIQ.pdf

REGION 4 REGIONAL OFFICE AQUISTION INSTRUCTIONAL COVER SHEET

ISSUING OFFICE:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOREST SERVICE

REGION 4 ACQUISITION

1249 S VINNELL WAY, SUITE 200

BOISE, ID 83709

SOLICITATION NO. 12-0261-20-R-0002

OFFERS ARE SOLICITED FOR: GROUND COVER AND SEEDING APPLICATION 2020 IDIQ

IMPORTANT – NOTICE TO OFFEROR:

AT A MINIMUM, OFFEROR SHALL SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS BACK WITH THEIR RESPONSE TO

THIS SOLICITATION:

1. SF-1449 Request for Proposal (Complete, date, and sign)

2. Schedule of Items (Complete ALL line items)

3.Technical/Business Proposal – (Evaluation Factors Section)

IT IS REQUIRED YOU WRITE THE SOLICITATION NUMBER AND PROJECT TITLE IN THE SUBJECT

LINE OF YOUR EMAIL. DUE TO COVAD-19, NO HARD COPY PROPOSALS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

EMAIL PROPOSAL TO:

Karen Morthland karen.morthland@usda.gov Solicitation No. 12026120R0002

IT IS REQUIRED THAT ALL CONTRACTOR’S BE REGISTERED IN SAM (SYSTEM FOR AWARD

MANAGEMENT) DATABASE PRIOR TO AWARD UNDER THIS SOLICITATION. SEE CLAUSE

52.204-7 CENTRAL CONTRACTOR REGISTRATION FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO APPLY.

NO PAPER SOLICITATIONS SHALL BE ISSUED.

IT IS THE OFFERORS RESPONSIBILITY TO WATCH FOR ANY AND ALL AMENDMENTS TO THE

SOLICITATION.

SOLICITATION/CONTRACT/ORDER FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS

OFFEROR TO COMPLETE BLOCKS 12, 17, 23, 24, & 30

1. REQUISITION NUMBER

98878 PAGE 2 OF 79

2. CONTRACT NO. 3. AWARD/EFFECTIVE

DATE

4. ORDER NUMBER 5. SOLICITATION NUMBE

12-0261-20-R-0002

6. SOLICITATION ISSUE

DATE 03/31/2020

7. FOR SOLICITATION

INFORMATION EMAIL

a. NAME

KAREN MORTHLAND

Karen.morthland@usda.gov

b. TELEPHONE NUMBER

Karen.morthland@usda.gov

8. OFFER DUE

DATE/LOCAL TIME

04/24/2020 1200 MDT

9. ISSUED BY CODE 10. THIS ACQUISITION IS: UNRESTRICTED or SET ASIDE: 100 % FOR:

Karen Morthland

SW Idaho-Nevada Acquisition Service Center

1249 South Vinnell Way, Suite 200 Boise ID 83709

Small Business Women-Owned Small Business

(WOSB) Eligible Under the Women-Owned

Hubzone Small Small Business Program NAICS:115310

115310

Business Economically Disadvantaged Women-

Service-Disabled Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) Size Standard:$20.5 Million

$18 Million

Veteran Owned

Small Business 8(A)

13a. THIS

CONTRACT IS A RATED

ORDER

UNDER DPAS (15 CFR

700)

13b. RATING

11. Delivery for FOB

Destination unless Block is

Marked

See Schedule

12. Discount Terms

14. METHOD OF SOLICITATION

RFQ IFB RFP

CODE 16. ADMINISTERED BY CODE

15. DELIVER TO

See Delivery Schedule

Same as Block 9

17a. CONTRACTOR/

CODE

OFFEROR

FACILIT

Y

CODE

18a. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY CODE

TELEPHONE NO.:_____________________________________

DUNS NO:_____________________ TIN No.

IPP.GOV

INVOICE PROCESSING PLATFORM

17b. CHECK IF REMITTANCE IS DIFFERENT AND PUT

SUCH ADDRESS IN OFFER

18b. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN BLOCK 18a UNLESS

BLOCK BELOW IS CHECKED SEE ADDENDUM

19.

ITEM NO.

20.

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES

21.

QUANTITY

22.

UNIT

23.

UNIT PRICE

24.

AMOUNT

Ground Cover and Seeding Application 2020 IDIQ

Region 1,3 and 4 USDA US Forest Service

PLEASE PLACE YOUR QUOTE IN SECTION B-

SCHEDULE OF ITEMS

(Use Reverse and/or Attach Additional Sheets as Necessary)

25. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA 26. TOTAL AWARD AMOUNT (For Govt. Use Only)

27a. SOLICITATION INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-1, 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-3 AND 52.212-5 ARE ATTACHED. ADDENDA ARE ARE NOT ATTACHED.

27b. CONTRACT/PURCHASE ORDER INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-5 IS ATTACHED. ADDENDA ARE ARE NOT ATTACHED.

28. CONTRACTOR IS REQUIRED TO SIGN THIS DOCUMENT AND RETURN _____

COPIES TO ISSUING OFFICE. CONTRACTOR AGREES TO FURNISH AND DELIVER

ALL ITEMS SET FORTH OR OTHERWISE IDENTIFIED ABOVE AND ON ANY

ADDITIONAL SHEETS SUBJECT TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SPECIFIED

HEREIN.

29. AWARD OF CONTRACT: REF. ___________________ OFFER

DATED _________________. YOUR OFFER ON SOLICITATION

(BLOCK 5), INCLUDING ANY ADDITIONS OR CHANGES WHICH

ARE SET FORTH HEREIN, IS ACCEPTED AS TO ITEMS:

30a. SIGNATURE OF OFFEROR/CONTRACTOR 31a. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (SIGNATURE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER)

30b. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (TYPE OR PRINT) 30c. DATE SIGNED 31b. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (TYPE OR

PRINT)

KAREN L. MORTHLAND

31c. DATE SIGNED

AUHORIZED FOR LOCAL REPRODUCTION STANDARD FORM 1449 (REV. 5/2011)

PREVIOUS EDITION IS NOT USABLE Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.212

Standard Form 1449 (REV. 5/2011) Bac

19.

ITEM NO.

20.

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES

21.

QUANTITY

22.

UNIT

23.

UNIT PRICE

24.

AMOUNT

32a. 10QUANTITY IN COLUMN 21 HAS BEEN

12 RECEIVED INSPECTED ACCEPTED, AND CONFORMS TO THE CONTRACT, EXCEPT AS NOTED: ___________________________________________

32b. 13SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT

RE14PRESENTATIVE

32c. DATE 32d. PRINTED NAME AND TITLE OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT

REPRESENTATIVE

32e. MAILING ADDRESS OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE 32f. TELEPHONE NUMBER OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE

32g. E-MAIL OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE

33. SHIP NUMBER 34. VOUCHER NUMBER 35. AMOUNT

VERIFIED CORRECT

FOR

36. PAYMENT

COMPLETE PARTIAL FINAL

37. CHECK NUMBER

PARTIAL FINAL

38. S/R ACCOUNT NUMBER 39. S/R VOUCHER NUMBER 40. PAID BY

41a. I CERTIFY THIS ACCOUNT IS CORRECT AND PROPER FOR PAYMENT 42a. RECEIVED BY (Print)

41b. SIGNATURE AND TITLE OF CERIFYING OFFICER 41c. DATE

42.b. RECEIVED AT (Location)

42.c DATE REC’D (YY/MM/DD) 42d. TOTAL CONTAINERS

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GROUND COVER AND SEEDING APPLICATION

2020 IDIQ

SUPPLIES/SERVICES SCHEDULE OF ITEMS

Base Year

Item

Nos.

Description Unit Size Acres Unit Price

Application1 of agricultural straw, 90% ground cover across unit, elevation up to 12,000 feet, mountainous terrain, staging area up to six (6) miles from application site, application rate2 of 100 acres per day

10-200

Application1 of wood mulch, 80% ground cover across unit, elevation up to 12,000 feet, mountainous terrain, staging area up to 6 miles from application site, application rate2 of 100 acres per day

Application1 of wood straw, 80% ground cover across unit, elevation up to 12,000 feet, mountainous terrain, staging area up to 6 miles

Application1 of seed, rate of 50lbs per acre spread evenly across unit, elevation up to 12,000 feet, mountainous terrain, staging area up to 50 miles from application site, application rate2 of 500 acres

100-1000

1Do not include costs of mobilization or materials. Only include costs for aerial application from staging area.

2Application rate assumes full 12-hour day without delays due to weather or equipment.

Contractor shall bid line items 1-3, line item 4, or all bid items. Line items bid shall be consistent with the base year.

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Option Year 1 cover across unit, elevation up to 12,000 feet, mountainous terrain, staging area up to six (6) miles from application site, application rate2 of 100 acres per day across unit, elevation up to 12,000 feet, mountainous terrain, staging area up to 6 miles across unit, elevation up to 12,000 feet, mountainous terrain, staging area up to 6 miles evenly across unit, elevation up to 12,000 feet, mountainous terrain, staging area up to 50 miles

1Do not include costs of mobilization or materials. Only include costs for aerial application from staging area.

Contractor shall bid line items 1-3, line item 4, or all bid items. Line items bid shall be consistent with the base year.

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Option Year 2

Application1 of agricultural straw, 90% ground cover across unit, elevation up to 12,000 feet, mountainous terrain, staging area up to six (6) miles from application site, application rate2 of 100 acres per day

Application1 of wood mulch, 80% ground cover across unit, elevation up to 12,000 feet, mountainous terrain, staging area up to 6 miles from application site, application rate2 of

100 acres per day

Application1 of wood straw, 80% ground cover across unit, elevation up to 12,000 feet, mountainous terrain, staging area up to 6 miles from application site, application rate2 of

100 acres per day

Application1 of seed, rate of 50lbs per acre spread evenly across unit, elevation up to 12,000 feet, mountainous terrain, staging area up to 50 miles from application site, application rate2 of 500 acres per day

1Do not include costs of mobilization or materials. Only include costs for aerial application from staging

Contractor shall bid line items 1-3, line item 4, or all bid items. Line items bid shall be consistent with the base year.

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Option Year 3 cover across unit, elevation up to 12,000 feet, mountainous terrain, staging area up to six (6) miles across unit, elevation up to 12,000 feet, mountainous terrain, staging area up to 6 miles across unit, elevation up to 12,000 feet, mountainous terrain, staging area up to 6 miles evenly across unit, elevation up to 12,000 feet, mountainous terrain, staging area up to 50 miles

1Do not include costs of mobilization or materials. Only include costs for aerial application from staging

Contractor shall bid line items 1-3, line item 4, or all bid items. Line items bid shall be consistent with the base year.

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Option Year 4 cover across unit, elevation up to 12,000 feet, mountainous terrain, staging area up to six (6) miles across unit, elevation up to 12,000 feet, mountainous terrain, staging area up to 6 miles across unit, elevation up to 12,000 feet, mountainous terrain, staging area up to 6 miles evenly across unit, elevation up to 12,000 feet, mountainous terrain, staging area up to 50 miles

1Do not include costs of mobilization or materials. Only include costs for aerial application from staging

Contractor shall bid line items 1-3, line item 4, or all bid items. Line items bid shall be consistent with the base year.

BID BASE YEAR AND ALL OPTIONS YEARS

Offeror’s shall submit a price proposal for all base and option years. Failure to comply with the instructions may render your proposal incomplete and ineligible for possible contract award.

AGAR 452.216-73 MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM CONTRACT AMOUNTS (FEB 1988)

During the period specified in FAR clause 52.216-18, ORDERING, the Government shall place orders totaling a minimum of $1,000.00 but not in excess of $5,000,000.00

AGAR 452.216-74 CEILING PRICE (FEB 1988)

The ceiling price of this contract is $40,000,000.00 for base and any exercised option years.

The contractor shall not make any expenditures over this amount, except at the Contractor’s own risk.

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DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

Scope of Contract

Forest Service management direction includes emergency response, and rehabilitation/restoration of resources.

More specifically, management includes the implementation of emergency and non-emergency land treatments to meet the objectives of protecting important values within watersheds. This emergency response, rehabilitation, and restoration contract includes the use of proven effective land treatments to meet agency objectives. The land treatments that are part of this contract are applications of seed, wood straw, agricultural straw, and/or wood mulch. These are common treatments that are used for the Burned Area Emergency

Response (BAER) and other rehabilitation and restoration projects. These applications have been found to be effective at reducing erosion, runoff and expediting vegetation recovery on burned areas, disturbed areas due to fire suppression activities, construction sites, and other areas where protective soil surface cover may have been removed.

The success of emergency response, rehabilitation and restoration of watersheds relies on the ability to mobilize and implement expeditiously. The intent of this contract is to meet objectives of protecting, rehabilitating, and/or restoring watersheds and other land resources.

(A) The intent of this solicitation and any resultant contract(s) is to obtain the services described herein.

All services procured shall be accomplished in a safe, effective, environmentally aware manner and in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

(B) The Contractor shall keep and maintain programs necessary to assure safety of ground and flight operations. The development and maintenance of these programs are a material part of the performance of the contract. When, in the sole judgment of the Contracting Officer, the safety programs do not adequately promote the safety of operations, the Government may terminate the contract for default.

Examples of such programs include but are not limited to: 1) Personnel Activities, 2) Maintenance, 3)

Safety and 4) Compliance with Regulations.

(C) Contract personnel shall conduct themselves in a professional and cooperative manner in fulfilling this Contract.

Equipment Requirements

(A) The contractor shall comply with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations and directives pertaining to safety, maintenance, and performance of all aircraft proposed for use under this contract.

Additionally, aircraft shall be maintained in accordance with all manufacturer’s guidelines and bulletins.

(B) Condition of Equipment

(1) Contractor-furnished aircraft and equipment shall be operable, free of damage, and in good repair. Equipment shall be free of weed seed and dirt. Aircraft systems and components shall be free of leaks except within limitations specified by the manufacturer.

Contractor’s Environmental Responsibilities

(A) The Contractor is responsible to ensure that all maintenance, fueling, and flight activities do not cause environmental damage to property or facilities.

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(B) The Contractor shall be responsible for all cleanups of fuel, and oil on airport ramps, staging areas, parking areas, landing areas, etc., when caused by Contractor aircraft or personnel. When cleaning paved areas, the contractor shall utilize cleaning agents that are biodegradable and non-toxic.

Contaminated soils shall be removed to appropriate containers and disposed of as hazardous waste.

(C) The Government may, at its option, provide a designated area to be utilized by the Contractor for storage of equipment used in support of contract performance. Oil, solvents, parts, engines, etc. shall be stored and utilized in a manner consistent with acceptable safety, health and environmental concerns.

(D) The contractor shall ensure that they are in compliance with 40 CFR Part 112: Oil Pollution

Prevention; Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Plan Requirements (SPCC).

(E) An SPCC plan is required for each mobile fueler used on this contract regardless of bulk storage container (tank) size.

Location and Description

The work may occur within Regions 1, 3 and 4 of the Forest Service. More specifically National Forest Lands administered within the boundaries of Forest Service Regions 1, 3 and 4 and, in some instances, lands bordering

National Forest Lands such as State, other Federal Land, or private. Please see attached map for Forest Service

Regional boundaries that are within the scope of this contract.

Work under this contract may include applications of wood mulch, wood straw, agricultural straw, and/or seed on land areas that are tens to thousands of acres in size depending on project needs. It may also include purchase and delivery of mulch, straw, and seed material that are to be used for emergency response, rehabilitation and restoration projects. In some cases, the scope of work may include onsite harvesting of timber and production of wood mulch material.

The work may occur during any time of the year. Most work will occur during the months of April-November.

All work shall be done in compliance with contract terms, specifications, and provisions that are established in this contract and at the time of work order.

Work under this contract is for applications of plant seed, agricultural straw, wood straw, and/or wood mulch on

National Forest System (NFS) lands. Work may occur on non NFS lands where there is authority to do so.

Work may also include manufacturing wood mulch from suitable wood biomass to be used for wood mulching projects. The contractor shall provide all equipment, supplies, transportation, labor, and supervision necessary to complete the project, except for that which the contract clearly states is to be furnished by the Government.

(A) Mulching/Straw Projects: The contractor is responsible for furnishing suitable material (wood or agricultural mulch and/or wood straw as defined by individual project objectives), locating staging/service/landing areas, applying the material, performing quality control inspections, and providing necessary documentation and reports. When indicated in individual task orders the contractor may have the option to harvest and manufacture wood mulch from specific locations or woody biomass storage areas that are beneficial to the Government and Contractor. Contractor shall provide all labor, equipment, supervision, transportation, operating supplies, clean-up, rehabilitation, and incidentals to complete all facets of the contract. Special precautions shall be made to minimize the spread of mulch materials, including noxious weeds and invasive species, from staging areas. Mulch (wood and/or agricultural straw) and/or wood straw shall be applied to the ground to replace ground cover, to maintain soil moisture, and accelerate recovery of native vegetation.

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(B) Seeding Projects: The contractor is responsible for locating staging/service/landing areas, applying the seed, performing quality control inspections, and providing necessary documentation and reports.

Contractor shall provide all labor, equipment, supervision, transportation, operating supplies, clean-up, rehabilitation, application, storage of seed at staging area and protection of seed for each project, and incidentals to complete all facets of the seeding work order. The contractor may be responsible for furnishing seed material where advantageous to the Government to reduce overall cost and time for implementation.

Site Visit

No site visit is planned for this contract. Site visits may or may not be planned for individual task order requirements.

Technical Specifications

Agricultural (wheat, barley, or oat) straw and wood mulch/wood straw shall be applied and spread in a uniform cover in the designated areas. Seeding shall also be applied to specified amounts in designated areas.

(A) Wood Straw/Mulch

1.1 Supply of Wood Straw/Wood Mulch

(a) Wood Straw Material: Erosion control wood straw is an all wood, long strand material comprised of loose, wood pieces. The length of wood straw shall be 2-8 inches. The diameter shall be 1 inch or less. No more than 2% by volume of the wood straw shall be less than 2 inches in length and/or greater than 1 inch in diameter. Material outside these specifications shall not count towards the required coverage percentage requirement. All wood straw must be free of any additives to preserve product. All wood straw must be free of noxious weeds as identified and required for the area in which to be treated.

(b) Wood Mulch Material: Erosion control wood mulch is an all wood, long strand material comprised of loose, wood pieces. The length of wood mulch shall be 1-10 inches. Material outside these specifications shall not count towards the required coverage percentage requirement. All wood mulch must be free of any additives to preserve product. All wood mulch must be free of noxious weeds as identified and required for the area in which to be treated. Additional, and possibly more stringent, wood mulch specifications may be required at time of task order. The type and size requirements will depend on application rates, slope of treatment sites, and availability of suitable material for wood mulch.

1.2 Wood Straw/Mulch Application

(a) The wood straw/mulch shall be applied to the soil cover rate indicated in the specifications for each treatment unit as indicated in the individual task order. This will vary from 20-80% soil surface cover in a unit. This coverage rate is to be applied over 100% of the unit unless indicated otherwise in the individual task order. The coverage percentage will only include the amount of product that meets material specifications.

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(b) Some treatment units may include exclusion areas which consist of areas with rock outcrop or high surface rock content rock, unburned vegetation, green regrowth, and needle cast and these areas shall not receive treatment. Unless indicated differently in an individual task order, when exclusion acres are encountered the contract will be adjusted by moving wood straw/mulch applications to alternative treatment areas designated by the Contracting Officer. The coverage rate percentage may also be adjusted in units with exclusion areas, and/or the contractor will not be paid for exclusion acres.

(c) Unless indicated differently by an individual task order the contractor shall perform on the ground inspections to determine if the rate of application meets contract requirements. The contractor shall provide their inspection data to the Contracting

Officer indicating the unit is ready for inspection by the Government. The contractor is responsible for quality control of their application. The Government may perform, but is not required to perform, quality assurance inspections to ensure that project specifications are met. There may be instances where the contractor or the Government may not perform inspections due to safety risks (weather, remoteness, soil conditions, significant falling snag risk, etc.) When these risks are encountered, they should be discussed with the CO.

(d) The Contractor shall be responsible for any unused wood straw/mulch material once contract specifications have been attained. In order to utilize any unused wood straw/mulch material, the FS has the discretion to allow the contractor to apply the unused straw/mulch materials to treatment units that have met contract specifications thereby increasing percent ground cover above minimum requirements. The FS may also allow the contractor to apply any unused straw/mulch materials to adjacent burned areas. The FS is under no obligation to pay the contractor for any application or removal of unused straw/mulch material after contract specifications have been met. The contractor is under no obligation to apply or use any unused straw/mulch material beyond contract specifications but is responsible for removal of unused straw/mulch materials.

(e) Special ground support, equipment and documentation needs:

1. Staging area tasks include delivery, unloading, neatly stacking, conditioning

(loosening), and loading material in nets for aerial distribution or into ground-based equipment for ground distribution. Staging areas shall be kept clean of garbage and debris. Upon completion of the project staging areas shall be cleaned up, restored, and prepared for re-seeding. Staging areas on lands that are not administered by the Forest Service may have other requirements.

Potential staging areas that have been reviewed and approved for use may be indicated in task orders. These staging areas have been screened through FS environmental and archaeological reviews. Contractor is not required to use these sites, but they are available for use.

A. At the end of each operational period or prior to the morning briefing, all documentation shall be submitted to the COR or representative for review.

1.3 Wood Straw/Mulch Acceptance: Unless indicated in individual task orders acceptance or rejection of units will be accomplished as indicated in this section.

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(a) Contractor personnel are responsible for inspection and quality control. Individual task orders will indicate how acceptance will be determined for projects. Contractor shall provide enough information so the CO could attempt to duplicate the contractor’s inspection results. This information could include GPS points and/or azimuths.

(b) The contractor’s inspection information provided will be reviewed by the CO or their representative and discussed with the contractor. Percent mulch cover for a unit will be the percentage of ground coverage that meets mulch material specifications. Too fine or too large of material will not count towards the required ground cover percentage. Non-burned areas, needle cast, rock, abundant revegetation will count as exclusion points and there will either be a reduction in treatment acres, an increased target cover percentage for treatable acres, and/or movement of treatment acres outside of the unit.

(c) As part of the government’s quality assurance program the CO may elect to try to duplicate the contractor’s sampling results, use similar sampling methodology but potentially sample in different locations in a unit, or not inspect a unit. The government will not perform their quality assurance inspections or approve a unit for payment until the contractor’s quality control inspection results are submitted to the

CO.

(B) Agricultural Straw

1.1 Supply of Certified Weed Free Wheat, Barley, or Oat Straw Mulch Treatment

(a) Utilize straw mulch and methods of application which have previously demonstrated effectiveness in both distribution during application and erosion control capabilities.

Utilize biodegradable straw mulch materials that are favorable to residual vegetative growth, native species, seed germination and plant recovery. Suitable straw includes, certified wheat, barley, or oat straw. There may be instances when individual task orders may restrict the straw species to be used for mulching. All straw must be certified to be weed free as per specifications mentioned below for the State in which it will be applied to the ground. The straw must be dry to ensure proper dispersal during applications. Straw shaft length shall not exceed 12 inches.

(b) Straw must conform to the applicable State Department of Agriculture, Certified

Noxious Weed Free Standards for Noxious Weed Free Forage and Straw (NWFFS).

All agricultural straw provided shall have been grown during the current or 1-year previous growing season. Any exceptions to the 1-year limitation of straw age must be approved by the Government prior to task order bid and will be included as an option for all contractors.

(c) All straw shall be free of all prohibited and restricted noxious weed species. Testing for prohibited and noxious weed species may be completed by the Forest Service prior to shipping and applying straw mulch material on National Forest Lands. The testing is optional and at the discretion of the FS. The FS will be responsible for the costs of collecting samples and lab testing the mulch for noxious and prohibited species if the quality assurance testing is performed. The FS testing needs and requirements will depend on project type, location of project and source of straw

12-0261-20-R-0002 Ground Cover and Seeding Application 2020 IDIQ Page 9 of 79 materials. Noxious weed species to be tested for can be obtained from the “State

Noxious – Weed Seed Requirements Recognized in the Administration of the Federal

Seed Act”. Also refer to the “North American Weed Free Forage Program” for the noxious weed and undesirable plant species list. Specific straw sources will be rejected when tested samples produce a positive response to noxious weed species.

The FS may also test and reject for invasive plant species such as, but not limited to, cheatgrass, Japanese brome, Russian thistle, yellow bluestem (Bothriochloa ischaemum), Caucasian bluestem (Bothriochloa bladhii), red brome that are not on a state noxious or prohibited list. The list includes weedy species prohibited for introduction or spread as identified in Forest Plans, NEPA decisions, or weed management plans of the National Forest or National Grassland in which mulch application will occur. The FS may specify limits of invasive species seeds or plant material within the agricultural straw. The limits will be provided to the contractor within a task order prior to contractor acceptance of the terms of the individual project. If a suitable source of mulch material cannot be found to meet the time frames and limitations of costs, the FS may alter the mulch requirements for invasive plant species or cancel the order.

(d) For each truckload of straw mulch material, contractor shall submit a copy of each

“Certificate of Inspection” for field(s) that produced the straw mulch material. Such certificate shall be fully completed to include the name of straw mulch grower and the name of the inspector(s). Additional documentation shall consist of the field location, bale tag numbers if available, bale size, and “Transit Certificate” if applicable.

(e) Optional: Forest Service testing and mulch material acceptance procedure for noxious weed species and other invasive species such as cheatgrass, Japanese brome, Russian thistle, yellow bluestem (Bothriochloa ischaemum), Caucasian bluestem

(Bothriochloa bladhii), red brome:

1. All testing of agricultural straw mulch material will be completed by a third party and current member of the Association of Official Seed Analysts

(AOSA). Testing procedures will follow AOSA protocol with samples mailed or hand delivered to lab.

2. In addition to providing the documentation proving compliance with the

ISDA-NWFFS criteria above, the Contractor shall provide the location(s) for the stacks or lots where the mulch material to be used is currently stored.

Government personnel will go to the storage sites to verify bale tag numbers match the associated Inspection Certificates and to collect samples for testing.

3. Using a forage bore instrument or other sampling methods, Government personnel will obtain samples from 10 randomly selected bales from each 30 bale stack or lot prior to loading and shipping. The 10 collected samples will be pooled and mixed. The samples will be analyzed first for noxious weed seed. All mulch from any 30-bale stack or lot will be rejected if the respective sample tests positive for noxious weeds. When lab testing determines a core sample to be certified noxious weed free, the sample will be analyzed for other invasive species as required by the project. The government reserves the right to inspect one lot or multiple lots.

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4. Acceptance: No agricultural straw mulch material will be accepted until test results have been accounted for by the Forest Service.

(f) Optional: Forest Service procedure for acceptance of non-certified straw mulch material:

1. In situations where a sufficient supply of certified straw is unavailable for mulch, uncertified straw may be used after thorough inspection and testing for noxious and other types of weeds. Testing of uncertified straw is particularly necessary due to the possible presence of jointed goatgrass, brome grasses, Russian thistle, or other weeds commonly found in grain-producing fields.

Inspection and testing should be arranged by the Contractor and/or Forest

Service prior to loading and shipment. Should testing of uncertified straw be required when a sufficient supply of certified straw is unavailable, the testing of the straw shall generally be the responsibility of the Contractor unless the

Forest Service, at its discretion, assumes this responsibility.

2. Uncertified straw used for project mulching must be analyzed by a seed lab that follows standards of the Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA).

The seed lab must be capable of testing bulky samples such as straw mulch.

This should be determined beforehand since not all seed labs may be capable of processing and testing bulky samples. The Contractor or CO must consult the seed lab on appropriate procedures necessary for testing of samples and the time required for analysis. Ten bales (typically large round or rectangular, approx. 4-6 ft. width) out of every 30 bales in a stack or lot must be randomly selected for sampling prior to loading and shipping. For stacks or lots with fewer than 30 bales, the sampling percentage should still be 33% of the total number of bales. A coring instrument or hay knife should be used to obtain subsurface samples of equal size by coring or thrusting into the bale. The

Contractor must use an independent third-party contractor who is responsible for pulling straw samples from bales and then sending the samples to the seed lab in accordance with standard chain-of-custody procedures. Individual samples obtained from bales in the 30-bale lot (or smaller lots) should be (1) thoroughly mixed in a 5-gal. bucket into a composite sample, (2) divided down to an amount (usually 2 lb.) required by the seed lab, and (3) put into a securely sealed container (paper bag, cloth bag, etc.) for shipment to the seed lab.

3. Uncertified straw samples sent to a seed lab must be tested for presence of weeds according to (1) noxious weed lists of the States of origin and destination and (2) noxious weed listings for all 50 States found in USDA’s

State Noxious – Weed Seed Requirements Recognized in the Administration of the Federal Seed Act. The Contractor must inform the seed lab of all States whose noxious weed lists should be considered during the analyses. The straw should also be tested for cheatgrass, Japanese brome, Russian thistle, yellow bluestem, Caucasian bluestem or any other common weed species that is not on a particular noxious weed list but may be prohibited by the forest.

4. Prior to final purchase of uncertified straw, the purchase must be approved by the Forest Service. No agricultural straw mulch material will be accepted until test results have been accounted for by the Forest Service. All mulch from any

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30-bale lot (or smaller lot if less than 30 bales) at the point source for the straw will be rejected if the respective sample tests positive for noxious or forest-prohibited weed species. In addition, Forest Service personnel may conduct an inspection of each incoming truckload for presence of weeds in bales and reject any truckload with these weeds present. The Forest Service reserves the right to conduct testing of straw mulch for seed from noxious, prohibited, restricted, or forest-prohibited weeds prior to application

1.2 Agricultural Straw Mulch Mulching Application

(a) The agricultural straw mulch shall be applied to the soil cover rate indicated in the specifications for each treatment unit in the individual task order. This will vary from

40-90% soil surface cover in a unit. This coverage rate is to be applied over 100% of the unit unless indicated otherwise in the individual task order. The coverage percentage will only include the amount of product that meets material specifications.

(b) Some treatment units may include exclusion areas greater than one acre which consist of rock, unburned vegetation, green regrowth, and needle cast and these areas shall not receive treatment. Unless indicated differently in an individual task order, when exclusion acres are encountered the contract will be adjusted by moving to alternative treatment areas designated by the Contracting Officer. The coverage rate percentage may also be adjusted in units with exclusion areas, and/or the contractor will not be paid for exclusion acres.

(c) The contractor shall perform on the ground inspections to determine if the rate of application meets contract requirements. The contractor shall provide their inspection data to the Contracting Officer indicating the unit is ready for inspection by the

Government. The contractor is responsible for quality control of their application.

The Government may perform, but is not required to perform, quality assurance inspections to ensure that project specifications are met. There may be instances where the contractor or the Government may not perform inspections due to safety risks (weather, remoteness, soil conditions, significant falling snag risk, etc.) When these risks are encountered, they should be discussed with the CO.

(d) The Contractor shall be responsible for any unused straw mulch material once contract specifications have been attained. In order to utilize any unused straw/mulch material, the FS has the discretion to allow the contractor to apply the unused straw/mulch materials to treatment units that have met contract specifications thereby increasing percent ground cover above minimum requirements. The FS may also allow the contractor to apply any unused straw/mulch materials to adjacent burned areas. The FS is under no obligation to pay the contractor for any application or removal of unused straw/mulch material after contract specifications have been met.

The contractor is under no obligation to apply or use any unused straw/mulch material beyond contract specifications but is responsible for removal of unused straw/mulch materials

(e) Special ground support, equipment and documentation needs:

1. Staging area tasks include delivery, unloading, neatly stacking, and loading straw in nets for aerial distribution or into ground-based equipment for ground distribution. Staging areas shall be kept clean of garbage and debris. Upon

12-0261-20-R-0002 Ground Cover and Seeding Application 2020 IDIQ Page 12 of 79 completion of the project staging areas shall be cleaned up, restored, and prepared for re-seeding. Weather conditions may require covering the mulch material to within two feet of the ground on all sides using canvas tarps or plastic covers to keep the straw dry. Staging areas on lands that are not administered by the Forest Service may have other requirements.

2. If the supplying state has a bale tag certification program, then five tags per load shall be pulled from each truck and attached to a separate sheet of paper and submitted. The NWFFS Certification Program Inspection Certificate

(Transit Certificate) if required by the state shall be used to verify the bales tags from the shipped straw mulch material originated from a stack or lot complying the noxious weed and other identified testing specifications. Bale tags that do not correspond with applicable Transit Certificate will be rejected.

3. At the end of each operational period, or prior to the morning briefing all documentation shall be submitted to the COR or representative for review.

No work shall commence that day without documentation submitted.

(f) Utilize methods of application which have previously demonstrated effectiveness in both distribution during application and erosion control capabilities.

1.3 Agricultural Straw Acceptance: Unless indicated in individual task orders acceptance or rejection of units will be accomplished as indicated in wood straw/mulch acceptance section

6. (A) 1.3 of this statement of work.

(C) Seeding

1.1 Supply of Certified Seed.

(a) The contractor is responsible for locating staging/service/landing areas, labor, equipment, supervision, transportation, operating supplies, clean-up, rehabilitation, application, storage of seed at staging area, protection of seed for each project, and incidentals to complete all facets of the seeding work order. The contractor may also be responsible for furnishing seed material where advantageous to the Government to reduce overall cost and time for implementation.

(b) Contractor-Furnished Seed: The Contractor shall supply seed to meet project specifications in individual task orders. All seed furnished by the Contractor shall meet the following requirements as a minimum. Other requirements may apply depending on project needs.

1. Supplied seed must be in compliance with seed laws for the State of origin of the seed and the State where the seed will be applied. The certification process of the State serving as the seed source must be met unless the seed is tested according to the certification process of the State where the wholesaler is located. Seed must be tested and certified to be free of noxious weed seed according to (1) the noxious weed lists of the States of origin and destination and (2) noxious weed listings for all 50 States found in USDA’s State

Noxious–Weed Seed Requirements Recognized in the Administration of the

Federal Seed Act. Seed must also be free from prohibited and restricted weed species as determined by seed laws of the States of origin and destination

12-0261-20-R-0002 Ground Cover and Seeding Application 2020 IDIQ Page 13 of 79 unless the CO specifically authorizes seed lots with restricted seed to meet or exceed minimum standards for those States. This information will be a part of the task order. In addition, seed lots should not contain seed from cheatgrass

(Bromus tectorum), Japanese brome (Bromus japonicus), Russian thistle (any

Salsola species) or any other weeds specifically prohibited by a National Forest unless authorized by the CO. The Forest Service is especially concerned about cheatgrass, Japanese brome, Russian thistle, or other weed species such as yellow bluestem or Caucasian bluestem that are adapted to arid conditions but are not addressed in State noxious weed laws but have the potential to be injurious when seeded on National Forest System (NFS)-administered land.

The combined total weight of seed from all other weed species (apart from noxious, prohibited, restricted, and forest-prohibited species) should not exceed

0.5% in a seed lot. Also, the seed lot should contain no more than 2% by weight (total) of non-weedy types of seed which includes seed from agronomic crops and native, non-weedy plant species other than those specified in the contracted seed mix. Seed test certification sheets shall be provided as part of the certification process. The CO may reject seed lots that exceed the requirements listed above.

2. Seed Testing: Test results must be satisfactory to the Forest Service before final acceptance of the seed is made. The Forest Service may conduct separate seed tests where needed to ensure adequate seed quality. Should third party seed testing be required in the task order, the seed tests shall be the responsibility of the Contractor unless stated in the task order that it is the Forest Service responsibility. Specific requirements for seed testing include:

A. If commercially possible and dependent upon certain circumstances

(scheduling, fire activity, monsoonal weather, etc.), testing of representative seed samples of individual seed lots may be performed before receiving a task order for a seeding project or else pulled after the task order is received. Seed testing prior to receipt of a task order may be needed particularly if there is a time-sensitive requirement

(e.g., scheduling to meet BAER actions). The Contractor shall consult the seed laboratory beforehand on time required for sampling as well as sample quantities and procedures necessary for testing. If required by the CO, Contractors must use an independent third party contractor who will be responsible for pulling seed samples from seed lots of individual species to be used in the mix and then sending the samples to the seed laboratory in accordance with standard chain-of-custody procedures. Seed must be stored securely after samples are pulled.

B. Seed Sampling Protocol: Samples taken from seed bags, tote containers, or bulk lots must be representative of seed variability. For seed lots consisting of 1 to 5 bags (or totes in some cases), each bag shall be sampled by taking cores, scoops, or handfuls of the same size as necessary. For lots consisting of 6 or more bags, 5 bags must be selected at random across the lot and sampled including at least 10% of the total number of bags in the lot. As an example, 6 bags out of a

10-bag lot should be randomly selected and tested (6 bags = 5 bags +

(0.1 x 10 bags)). However, no more than 30 randomly selected bags or totes will be sampled from the lot regardless of the total number of

12-0261-20-R-0002 Ground Cover and Seeding Application 2020 IDIQ Page 14 of 79 bags or totes. Individual samples of equal size taken from the bags or totes will be (1) thoroughly mixed into a composite sample, (2) divided down to the amount required by the seed lab, and (3) put into a single, securely sealed container (paper bag, zip-lock bag, cloth bag, heavy-stock envelope, etc.) for shipment to the seed lab.

C. For bulk lots of loose seed in a bin or truck bed, samples of the same size must be taken across evenly distributed portions of the bulk lot. A long probe or trier that can reach all depths of seed should be used to sample randomly within each same-sized portion of the bulk lot. If a probe or trier is unavailable or impractical, the samples will be taken manually by thrusting a hand into the seed. To derive the number of samples to be taken, the gross amount of seed in the lot should be divided by the average wt. of a seed bag, which typically is 50 lbs.

(e.g., 1,000 lbs. seed ÷ 50 lbs. seed = 20 samples of seed). However, no more than 30 cores or handfuls will be taken from the bulk lot regardless of the total amount of seed. Individual samples of equal size taken as cores or handfuls will be (1) thoroughly mixed into a composite sample, (2) divided down to the amount required by the seed lab, and (3) put into a single, securely sealed container (zip-lock bag, cloth bag, heavy-stock envelope, etc.) for shipment to the seed lab.

D. Samples sent to the seed laboratory must be analyzed for specified seed mix percentages, purity, germination, moisture, noxious/prohibited/restricted weed seed, and other species that may be indicated in the task order such as cheatgrass/Japanese brome/Russian thistle//yellow bluestem/Caucasian bluestem seed, other weed or crop seed, and inert materials. The seed laboratory must test each sample according to standards of the Association of Official Seed Analysts

(AOSA). Seed lots required to be Source Identified Seed shall also meet AOSA standards when specified by a task order. A tetrazolium test (TZ) may be made in lieu of a germination test for a seed viability test with the approval of the CO. This decision may be based on the species involved or time constraints. Required testing must have been conducted within the last 12 months. The Forest Service may conduct separate seed tests where needed to ensure adequate seed viability.

3. Seed moisture content shall ordinarily not exceed 10 percent by weight unless modified by a task order.

4. All seed must be cleaned so that no stems or debris longer than ¾ inch remain.

5. Harvested and cleaned seed shall be bagged or stored in bulk lots that have been secured. Contracted seed must be stored securely after samples are pulled.

6. All bulk lots or bags shall be tagged and labeled to meet appropriate State seed labeling requirements and marked with the following information:

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A. Name and variety of each seed component in excess of five percent

(5%) of the whole. Hybrids shall be labeled as hybrids.

B. Lot number or other lot identification.

C. Origin (State or County, if known). This includes information on yellow certification tags used for the Source Identified Seed class when requested by a task order. If the origin is unknown, that fact shall be stated.

D. Net weight. Percentage by weight of all Pure Live Seed (PLS).

F. Percentage by weight of inert matter.

G. Percentage by weight of all other crop seeds.

H. The name and rate of occurrence per pound of weed seed present.

I. The name and rate of occurrence per pound of each kind of noxious weed seed present.

J. Percent germination or tetrazolium test for each seed species:

K. The calendar month and year the test was completed.

L. Name and address of the company or person responsible for analysis of seed

M. Name and address of the company selling seed.

N. Additional labeling information may be requested by the CO, such as the Project Name, National Forest or unit, etc.

7. Bags or bulk lots of seed shall be stored in a cool and dry storage facility to assure optimal viability of seed until seed application to treatment units or delivery to the Forest Service. Seed bags must be made of a material that maintains seed viability during storage.

(c) Required Documentation from Contractors: In addition to daily operational reports and a final report, required documents for a contract must include:

1. Written documentation of the total amount (in pounds) of seed delivered.

2. Seed tags or transportation paperwork from each lot of seed delivered

(including any yellow Source Identified Seed tags) that must be attached to a separate sheet.

3. Seed lab test results.

(d) Applicable Laws: Contractor will be responsible for compliance with all laws pertaining to selling and/or transporting of seed or noxious weeds. The Federal Seed

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Act (7 U.S.C. Sections 1551 – 1610) applies to all acquisitions of seed. The State seed laws in which the seed is applied are also applicable.

1.2 Seeding Application

(a) Seeding shall be applied to uniformly distribute the seed over the treatment.

Contractor shall ensure that wind conditions are consistent during the application of a unit. Seed shall be uniformly mixed to ensure even distribution of different species of seeds.

1.3 Seeding Acceptance

(a) Contractor personnel are responsible for inspection and quality control. Individual task orders will indicate how acceptance will be determined for projects. The contractor’s inspection information provided will be reviewed by the CO or their representative and discussed with the contractor.

(b) As part of the government’s quality assurance program the CO may use similar sampling methodology in different locations, or not inspect a unit.