IRSC Appendix A.docx

APPENDIX A

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR SERVICE WORK ITEMS

SECTION I – WORK ITEMS

Mandatory Task 1 – Leave Tree Mark Units (LTM):

Trees meeting the Utilization Standards in Appendix B, Division A.2, listed as LTM on the Contract Area Map and listed below, are designated for cutting, Trees to be left uncut are marked above and below stump height in orange paint.

Mechanized product removal units; may include the use of manual and/or ground-based equipment.

Applies to CLIN 0001

LEAVE TREE MARK (LTM) SPECIFICATIONS

Task 2 – Manual Cut Units:

Hand treatment product removal.

Applies to CLIN 0002.

MANUAL CUT UNIT SPECIFICATIONS

Live

5.0 inches to 8.9 inches DBH for Douglas Fir, Ponderosa Pine, and Limber Pine;

5.0 inches to 6.9 inches DBH for Lodgepole Pine;

5.0 inches to 7.9 inches DBH for Englemann and Blue Spruce;

Excludes Aspen

Non-Sawtimber Dead

5.0 inches to 9.9 inches DBH;

Includes Aspen

Biomass Live

1.0 foot tall to 4.9 inches DBH;

Excludes Ponderosa Pine and Aspen

Biomass

1.0 foot tall to 4.9 inches DBH and;

Includes Aspen

Live

5.0 inches to 9.9 inches DBH for Douglas Fir, Ponderosa Pine, and Limber Pine;

5.0 inches to 9.9 inches DBH for Englemann and Blue Spruce;

Non-Sawtimber

5.0 inches to 9.9 inches DBH;

Biomass

1.0 foot tall to 4.9 inches DBH and;

Task 3 – Road Maintenance:

Applies to CLIN 0003.

Road Maintenance (Post Haul) in accordance with Appendix C.

Optional

UNIT REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY TABLE

SECTION II – CONTROL OF WORK

The Contractor agrees to conduct its operations under this contract and other related business activities in compliance with Federal, State, and local statutes, standards, orders, permits and other regulations.

The Contractor shall meet all State and local environmental quality laws applicable to National Forest system lands.

Work may be done any time during the term of the contract, except under the following conditions:

(1) If new wildlife sites are discovered. All new nesting and denning sites for threatened, endangered, or Forest Service sensitive species observed prior to or during implementation would be reported immediately to the District Wildlife Biologist and appropriate protection measures would be implemented.

(2) When soil moisture conditions create excessive risk of damage to the soil,

(3) When snow depth creates a situation where requirements cannot be met and/or work cannot be inspected, as determined by the COR.

(4) The government reserves the right to prioritize the order in which Units are treated.

(5) If any cultural or archeological sites are discovered during operations of this contract, work will be suspended in the immediate vicinity of the site until a reconnaissance survey is completed by the Forest Archeologist. Areas excluded from treatment shall be deleted from the contract.

SECTION III – INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

At any point during the project, the Contractor and/or Project Manager may request (documented through email, text, or hand-written request) an in the field consultation with the Forest Service to inspect work progress, review contract specifications, or clarify issues. The Forest Service shall respond to Contractor’s request within 5 working days, excluding weekends and federal holidays.

GOVERNMENT QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN

Government Inspection Procedures

The COR, or a designated inspector, will make periodic inspections while work is in progress, usually daily at first, as needed to assure work is proceeding satisfactorily. The Contractor shall notify the COR when units are started, when problems are encountered and when contract work needs government oversight.

The Government will inspect completed units as a basis for acceptance and payments, and to provide recommendations to improve work quality while work is in progress. The government reserves the right to use any inspection method it deems appropriate to assure adequate Quality Control. The Contractor is responsible for providing quality control to assure that work complies with requirements of contract specifications.

All work included in the contract specifications shall be subject to inspections by the Government at periodic intervals during the performance of this contract. Treatment inspections are for the sole benefit of the Government and shall not release the Contractor of the responsibility of providing quality control measures to assure that the work strictly complies with the contract requirements.

1. Each unit will be inspected as a separate unit. Unit will not be averaged with other units for acceptance or payment.

2. When units are completed and ready for government inspection, Contractor’s designated Project Manager shall request unit inspection in writing, prior to moving out of the general area.

3. The COR, or designated inspector, will determine compliance with contract specifications through informal visual inspections. In the event visual inspection indicates work to be in non-compliance with specifications, prompt corrective action and/or rework shall be required.

4. The method of inspecting the contractor’s required leave tree mark prior to harvest operations will be completed by visual inspection.

Government Inspection Procedures – Formal (Plots)

1. In the event visual inspection indicates work and /or rework to be in non-compliance with contract specifications, a series of verification plots shall be installed by the Government to determine compliance with specifications and percent of satisfactory work for treatment of each unit not meeting specification as observed with visual inspection.

2. Government verification plots will consist of a series of fixed area plots and variable radius plots along transects to record whether density, basal area, best tree selection, and other requirements are being met and to what extent.

3. Plots and grid will be distributed so that a representative sample is obtained.

4. The COR or designated inspector will mark the center of each plot on the ground using flagging, stakes, or pin flags. Additional flagging will be hung near the plot center so that it may be seen from a distance. The inspector will include the plot number, their initials and date on the flagging.

5. Plots will be numbered to correlate with the inspection form and transects on a unit map.

6. Determination of acceptability of the work performed will be based on Government verification inspections and will be considered conclusive.

Work quality Work quality percentages are derived from data developed from inspection plots. The total number of satisfactory plots divided by the number of plots inspected determines the quality rate. This rate multiplied by 100 provides the work quality percentage.

Acceptance of work will be based on compliance with all Appendix A, B and C requirements. A minimum basic quality of 90 percent is required to meet the Acceptable Quality Level.

Unsatisfactory Work If the work quality falls below 90 percent, the COR will immediately notify the Contractor in writing and direct the Contractor to improve the quality of work. If the quality of work is not raised to an acceptable level within 30 working days after written notification, the Contracting Officer may issue a Suspend Work Order to resolve the problem, during which time contract performance time will continue to run. All work that does not meet contract requirements shall be reworked at no cost to the government until it meets contract specifications. If the contractor does not make the necessary corrections, the Contracting Officer may reduce payment based on the percentage of unacceptable work. Disagreement between the parties will be subject to the clause entitled “Disputes”.

1. When the work quality falls below 90 percent, the Government may elect to do one of the following:

(a) Order rework to be performed and withhold payment until the results of a post-rework Government inspection show work quality to be at least 90 percent or more. No rework shall be performed unless ordered or authorized by the COR.

(b) Order that no rework be performed and payment will either be made at a reduced rate, or not at all, as determined from the Inspection Report.

2. In the event that work is performed that is contrary to the requirements in the task order the Government is not liable for costs incurred by the contractor during negligent performance that is without the fault or negligence of the Government.

Reinspection Upon Contractor Request

1. If Government inspection results are unacceptable to the Contractor, a reinspection may be requested, in writing, within 5 business days after receipt of notice of said inspection results. The same inspection procedure will be used; however, the inspection pattern will be shifted so that new inspection plots will not overlap previously inspected plots.

2. If reinspection results – rounded up to the nearest whole percent – indicate a variance of more than 5 percent from the first inspection, the results of the second inspection will be used to calculate work quality and payment, and the Government will bear the cost of reinspection.

3. If reinspection results – rounded up to the nearest whole percent – are within 5 percent of the first inspection, plots from the initial inspection and the reinspection will be combined and used to calculate work quality and payment, and the Contractor shall bear the cost of reinspection.

Government Formal Inspection Procedures – Mandatory Items 1 and 2

1. The method of inspecting purchaser treatment requirements will be done using 1/50th acre (16.67 feet radius) fixed plots with at least 1 plot per five acres. Each cutting unit will have at least two plots. Plot locations will be random and determined by a non-biased method across each unit.

2. Each landing will be inspected for slash and obliteration as a separate plot.

Contractor Inspection Procedures – Mandatory Items 1 and 2

To provide quality control to assure that work complies with requirements of contract specifications, the contractor shall maintain a plot system that provides an unbiased sample of thinning and slash treatment quality representing the entire area treated.

The Government may observe or re-inspect the Contractor’s plots at any time. Plots shall be marked and identifiable on the ground. Contractor shall provide written inspection data by unit that meets contract requirements and a sketch map with plot locations. The Contractor may use the form included in Exhibit 2 - Plot Inspection Forms for inspections, unless an alternate form proposed by the Contractor is approved in advance by the CO.

1. The method of inspecting purchaser treatment requirements will be done using 1/50th acre (16.67 feet radius) fixed plots with at least 1 plot per five acres. Each cutting unit will have at least two plots. Plot locations will be random and determined by a non-biased method across each unit.

2. Each landing will be inspected for slash and non-sawtimber decking specifications as a separate plot.

Each plot will be evaluated for compliance with all contract specifications as stated in Appendix A and B.

SECTION IV – PAYMENT METHODS

Method of Measurement for Acreages

Acreages were determined by using Global Positioning Systems (GPS). The acreage for each work item will be rounded to the nearest acre and is final unless:

a. The contract is modified or,

b. The Government makes a determination to remeasure or,

c. The Contractor exercises his/her option under the following Remeasurement provisions:

Remeasurement

1. The Contractor may request, in writing, remeasurement of any units under this contract if he/she feels that acreage stated on the project maps is incorrect. The remeasurement must be within the existing perimeter of the respective unit. No variance of the unit perimeters as laid out on the ground for this contract will be allowed. All requests for remeasurement must be made prior to payment for each completed unit. Remeasurement will be performed by the Government.

2. If remeasurement indicates that a variance of ten percent or less exists on units of 1 to 5 acres, five percent or less exists on units of more than five but less than 20 acres, or if three percent or less exists on units of 20 acres or larger, the Contractor shall pay for the actual costs of the remeasurement. Under this condition, payment will be made on the acreage stated on the project maps. If the remeasurement indicates the actual acreage varies by more than the above factors from that stated on the project maps, the payment will be made on the remeasured acreage and the Forest Service will pay for the cost of the remeasurement.

Acceptance and Payment – Mandatory Items 1, 2 and 3

1. If informal visual inspection indicates acceptable work quality, the Contractor will be paid 100 percent of their bid rate.

2. In the event that formal inspections are used, the rate of payment to the Contractor will be calculated as follows:

(a) For work quality of 90 percent or higher, the Contractor will be paid 100 percent of their bid rate.

(b) For work quality from 80 to 89 percent, the Contractor will be paid 80 percent of their bid rate.

(c) For work quality from 70 to 79 percent, the Contractor will be paid 70 percent of their bid rate.

(d) For work quality 69 percent or less, the Contractor will be paid 25 percent of the unit cost multiplied by the actual level achieved.

Table 1 – Performance Requirements Summary

PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS

· Visual inspection—walk through Units

· Random verification of compliance—Plot Inspections

Appendix B.C6.7#

· Written documentation of visual inspection

· Periodic verification of compliance with the use of walk through inspection and/or Plot Inspections

· Written documentation of visual inspection

· Written documentation of visual inspection

Appendix C

· Written documentation of visual inspection

The Government expects to receive quality services. The minimum AQL is required to achieve a satisfactory performance rating. Full payment will be made for final work meeting at least identified AQL, as identified in the Performance Requirements Summary.

If the work deliverable cannot be reworked to achieve the minimum required AQL, a reduction in payment of the Unit price will be applied as shown below.

PAYMENT REDUCTIONS

multiplied by the actual level achieved

SECTION V – DEFINITIONS

(a) Acceptable Quality Level (AQL): The allowable leeway or variance from a standard before the Government will reject the specific service. As long as the percent of defective performance does not exceed the AQL, the service will not be rejected by the Government. The Contractor, however, must re-perform the defective service when possible.

(b) Acceptable Service: A job performed to the standard and within the AQL. The Contractor must do the specific job, and meet the standard, and meet the AQL before one can say that performance has been acceptable and that the Contractor should be paid.

(c) Biomass – Conifer trees > 1 foot in height and < 4.9” DBH.

(d) Cutting Unit: An individual area on the ground in which activities will be performed and which may appear as a separate pay item in the Schedule of Items.

(e) DBH (Diameter at Breast Height) – Outside diameter of the tree stem at a point 4-1/2 feet above the ground, measured from the high side of the base of the tree.

(f) Decking: Stockpiling of trees in a designated area.

(g) DIB (Diameter Inside Bark) - Diameter measurement of a standing tree or log in which the estimated or actual thickness of the bark is discounted.

(h) Erosion control – Activities designed to prevent/reduce the delivery of sediment to area streams as a result of road building and/or timber harvest. Activities typically include grass seeding and/or installation of structures to trap moving sediment.

(i) Hand Pile- A method of piling slash with the use of manual labor.

(j) Hand Treatment – A method of treatment completed using manual labor and equipment such as power saws.

(k) Leave Tree – Any tree that is selected or required to be left standing as provided in the specifications.

(l) Leave Tree Marking – A method of timber designation whereby all conifer trees >5.0” DBH that are not marked with Orange paint above and below stump height are designated for cutting.

(m) Limb and Top Removal – The moving, during yarding/skidding, of cut tree and tops to a designated location at the landing.

(n) Machine Pile – A method of piling slash with the use of mechanized equipment. Piling may also be done by other methods.

(o) Manual Treatment – A method of treatment completed using manual labor and equipment such as power saws.

(p) Mechanical Treatment – A method of treatment using machinery such as feller bunchers, harvesters, processors etc.

(q) NFSR: National Forest Service Road.

(r) Non-sawtimber – Included timber meeting non-sawlog size specifications as defined in Appendix B.

(s) Piling: Material moved to an agreed upon location shall be piled for future treatment by Forest Service.

(t) Plot: A sample plot within a cutting unit that is used to determine the number of desirable trees and other contract specifications.

(u) Slash - Debris created from work under this contract including all cut trees and their tops, trunks, and limbs.

(v) Sawtimber – Included timber meeting the Utilization Specifications as defined in Appendix B, Division A.

(w) Streamcourse - The area along a stream that has riparian vegetation and other riparian characteristics. Streamcourses are noted on the project maps. They typically require special treatment which may include alteration to the tree cutting, slash treatment, vehicle travel, or fueling of saws.

(x) Stump Height – A point on the bole of the tree from the uphill side that is 6” above the ground for Sawlog trees and 6” above the ground for non-saw and biomass strees.

(y) Thinning – The cutting of trees in excess of those to be left for future management

(z) Tree Crown – The total of an individual tree's aboveground parts, including stems, leaves, and reproductive structures.

(aa) Unsatisfactory Work: If work quality falls below the AQL, the COR will issue a work order or notice of noncompliance to the Contractor in writing. Untreated or unsatisfactory treated areas shall be reworked to obtain satisfactory work quality.

West Schubarth Stewardship IRSC Page 8 of 8

Revised 2.16.2021

Exhibit 2 –Example Plot Inspection Forms

Flag plot center – Write on flagging the plot number, date, and initials of inspector. Mark plot number on map.

PLOT FORM FOR THINNING AND SLASH TREATMENT QUALITY

Yes or No Acceptable Plot:

Yes or No

Ex. BA, #trees, irregularities

PLOT FORM FOR LANDINGS

Yes or No

Yes or No

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