Additional Questions and Answers.docx

Additional Questions and Answers

· Estimated Area for Cattle Pens/Holding Areas: SOW Section 3 identifies "Cattle Pens/Holding Areas" as a performance location for comprehensive weed control. While other locations (e.g., Building 998, Building 997, and common areas) provide specific square footage, the Cattle Pens do not. To ensure accurate Firm-Fixed Price (FFP) quotes across the five-year period of performance, can the Government provide the estimated square footage or acreage for these specific areas?

The area for treatment for weed control is ever changing. What needs to be sprayed one time might need nothing the next. The attachment labeled “weed control areas” shows the approximate parts of the property that are usually serviced. The yellow areas total about 11.5 acres and usually need only a walk over and spot spray of thistles. But not necessarily all areas every time.

The orange areas total about 1.25 acres and these are spots that usually have heavier growth of thistles, cockle burrs or other weeds needing control.

Weed Control Areas

· Clarification of "As Needed" Herbicide Frequency: The Technical Requirements specify three applications per year for herbicide treatments. However, Section 3 of the SOW describes weed control for Cattle Pens/Holding Areas as "as needed". Does the Government intend for the Contractor to treat these areas during the three scheduled seasonal visits, or should Offerors factor in additional, unscheduled mobilizations for "as needed" requests?

Three applications per year is correct. The “as needed” term refers to the fact that all of the areas might not need spraying on all three treatment visits. Facility staff will identify which areas will need treatment prior to each of the three visits and will relay this information to the contractor upon arrival.

· Restrictions Related to Livestock Research: The Contractor is responsible for ensuring herbicides do not interfere with ongoing livestock research. To mitigate the risk of research contamination or animal harm, can the Government provide a list of prohibited active ingredients or specific herbicides that are known to be incompatible with current laboratory protocols?

This is mainly intended to prohibit the use of products in cattle pasture areas that have grazing restrictions. We can’t have a product used that requires us to keep animals out of pastures for longer than 24 hours. It is normally acceptable to return animals to pasture after the application has had time to dry when using products with zero-day restrictions. See the below chart labeled “grazing restrictions” for a small example of products and their restriction times. The contractor is responsible for using products that have zero-day grazing restrictions. This product requirement is only intended for possible cattle pen/holding areas and not necessary for the highlighted areas below.

Grazing Restrictions

· Government Approval Lead Time for SDS: The solicitation requires the submission of Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for all chemicals to the POC prior to application. What is the Government’s required minimum lead time for the review and approval of these technical submittals before the Contractor is authorized to begin on-site applications?

We don’t require time to review the product information before application. We would like copies of product labels and SDS for products used for each treatment visit, at the time of application. These items are necessary to refer to if an abnormal chemical shows up in blood or tissue samples and to consult if an animal shows signs of poisoning or distress after after spraying.

Biosecurity and Site Access Protocols: Given the facility's mission as a Livestock Insects Research Laboratory, are there specific biosecurity requirements (e.g., vehicle wash-down, boot decontamination, or specialized PPE) required for personnel entering the cattle pen and holding areas? [Not identified in the provided documents].

There are no biosecurity requirements in any area being sprayed for this application.

· Incumbent Pricing and Service Level: The Government provided the historical annual expenditure of $7,404.00 for these services. Can the Government confirm if this historical cost included any "as needed" herbicide call-outs beyond the baseline triannual and quarterly visits described in the current SOW?

There were no call-outs or any service beyond the baseline. The “as needed” term was explained in the second bullet point.

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