Attachment9_Almanor_Zoombug_Site Visit Notes.docx

Almanor Deck Removal and Zoombug IRSC Site Visits Written by: Rebecca Holdowsky and Nicole Buckley Site visit from 9:00am-1:00pm, August 30 2022

Attendees:

Almanor Deck Removal Contract Area First stop-Unit 27

1) “Do you have to bid on both the Almanor Deck Removal and Zoombug contracts under the same solicitation?”

a) CO answer: yes, both Items 1 and 2 are Mandatory work and must be priced; one contract award will be made from the solicitation. This solicitation was not written to allow for multiple contract awards.

2) “In regard to taking the log decks, is there going to be some sort of accountability or tickets?”

a) There’ll be load counts, but nothing needs to be weighed.

3) “Do the other units have slash piles and are the other units the same removal prescriptions?”

a) Yes to both, but the Mineral work station area requires that the green marked trees be felled, processed, and removed and the area may require cranes because of the amount of infrastructure there.

4) “What’s the difference between the requirements for removing the smaller sized piles and the slash piles vs the log decks?”

a) Contract states remove all decked and piled material, but method of removal up to contractor’s discretion.

5) “Is there a minimum log piece size required for hauling?”

a) Minimum piece size is 3ft length and no minimum diameter.

6) “Are all the campgrounds open for viewing?”

a) All campgrounds are open except Gurnsey (you can park at the gate and walk in)

7) Are there trees to be felled within Almanor Deck Removal?

a) Yes, at the Mineral Work Station area, also some trees at Gurnsey might need to be felled and removed to get trucks/chip vans into the landings.

8) **“Is there a possibility the bid process will take extra time because of the submitted bid prices?”

a) CO answer: as stated on page 2 of the solicitation, proposals shall be valid for 60 days after the date of receipt for proposal. This is standard for IRSC solicitations. It is the government’s intent to award the contract quickly to allow for mobilization and completion of Item 1 – Almanor Decks Units 21 and 27 by 12/31/2022.

9) Page 4 of the contract states: “PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE IS FROM DATE OF AWARD THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2022, FOR ALMANOR UNITS 21 AND 27. ALL OTHER WORK ITEMS HAVE A COMPLETION DATE OF NOVEMBER 30, 2023”.

10) “Are there any Limited Operation Periods within this contract?”

a) No.

11) “Will unit 27, the Almanor boat launch area, remain open during operations?”

a) We will coordinate with recreation and close the area to the public during active operations.

12) “Is the log deck located at Canyon Dam boat lunch included in this contract?”

a) No that deck is part of Boardwalk Timber Sale and in the process of being awarded.

13) Are the contract maps georeferenced?

a) Yes, however the Gurnsey Campground and Mineral Work Center close-ups are not.

Miller Creek first stop in Zoombug Contract Area

1) “Are we skidding the logs down the county road?”

a) Skidding across road is permitted, but repairing damage is required.

2) “Who coordinates closing the county road during operations?”

a) In Units 1A, 1B, 40A and 40B when trees are being felled and skidded across the county road, forest service will coordinate closure with county and an alternate route will be provided for the public.

3) “Is the operator required to replace any aggregate surfacing on the county road post-skidding?”

a) No, if aggregate needs replaced, it’s up to the Forest Service.

4) “Is every size tree being brought to the landing?”

a) Within the end-ling units as well as units 40B and 10, only the green ITM (Individual Tree Mark) trees will be cut and skidded to the landings. Within the designation by damage class (DxDAM) units, the minimum diameter for skidding to landings is 4”; the smaller dead trees can be run over in all units.

5) “Within the EEZ (Equipment Exclusion Zone) areas, will we have to repair the furrows by hand?”

a) Yes, because equipment is prohibited.

6) “How should the furrows be filled?”

a) Filled with dirt and covered with slash and/or chips is preferred.

7) Are there areas with overlapping contracts to be aware of?

a) Yes, Unit 6 has hand piles scheduled for burning this fall. Also, Units 6-7 have an overlapping contract. For this reason, no work is permitted in Units 6-7 operations until after November 15, 2022.

8) Are the end-lining units mandatory?

a) Yes.

9) Can the protected water pipe be shut off?

a) No because permit requests are still in process.

10) Where are the waterholes?

a) Drafting out of Yellow Creek is prohibited, but Contract map highlights three available waterholes with W .

11) Is timber optional for removal for Zoombug IRSC and do we need to process logs and deck them?

a) Yes, timber removal is optional for Zoombug IRSC; however all 18+ inch logs are required to be processed and decked at landings.

Second Zoombug Contract Area stop-Unit 2

1) In DxDAM units, are marginally alive trees marked?

a) Yes, marked with Green bands to remove or White bands for Fall and leave.

2) Statement: Within the flagged, protected Arcsites the white painted timber is to be hand-felled. What lands outside the Arch boundary shall be cut and removed.

3) Is the cultural resources map posted online?

a) No, the awarded bidder receives it at the pre-op meeting.

4) When operating the larger acreage units, can the contractor receive partial completion payments?

a) CO answer: yes, invoices for partial payments may be submitted for larger acreage units so long as all the work associated with those acres has been completed, inspected and approved. This would include erosion control measures and slash treatment if applicable.

5) Do you have acreage per unit?

a) Appendix A Item 2 provides the number of acres per Unit.

6) How should the contractors break down their bid prices?

a) Price/Acre.

CO Input: Price/Ton for Optional Item 3.

7) If the contractor bids on timber subject to agreement, what’s the deadline on removing the decks?

a) Logs can be transported at any time before the contract deadline.

8) How are the evaluated proposal categories weighted?

a) Refer to page 57 in the solicitation: Technical approach, relevant past performance, and benefit to local community are combined first. Then “these technical evaluation factors are approximately equal in importance to price.”

CO Input: Here is the language directly from the solicitation: “(b) The technical factors are listed in descending order of importance whereby each factor is more important than the next: (1) Technical Approach being significantly more important than (2) Relevant Past Performance and (2) Relevant Past Performance being significantly more important than (3) Benefit to Local Community. When combined, these technical evaluation factors are approximately equal in important to price”.

9) Regarding timber subject to agreement, is the contractor required to bid on all decked logs?

a) Contractor can bid on a portion of the tons, but Forest Service will confirm.

CO answer: no, the contractor is not required to bid on all the decked logs via TSA. Here are excerpts taken directly from page 3 of the solicitation:

“Note: An estimated quantity and price quote for Optional Item 3– Remove Timber Subject to Agreement and corresponding quantity/quantities and offer/offers for Timber Subject to Agreement (TSA) Price Schedule are NOT required to receive award.

However, if a viable market for product sale/disposal is found: 1) enter an Estimated Quantity, Unit Price/Ton and Total Price for the total amount of product being proposed for removal under Optional Item 3 and 2) enter a Quantity for one or more Products within the TSA Price Schedule that when totaled equals the total estimated tons entered for Optional Item 3. For each Product, provide an Offer (Flat) that meets or exceeds the minimum acceptable offer amount and a Total Offer. There is an estimated 32,336 tons available for removal. No entry indicates no desire to remove TSA”.

10) Is there cruise or appraisal information available?

a) No cruise was performed because the project is an Integrated Resource Service Contract.

b) No appraisal was given but will discuss with contracting.

CO Comments: It is standard for Timber Cruise Reports to be prepared for Integrated Resource Service Contracts; however, for this contract, a cruise was not done due to the need to move quickly to mitigate the safety hazard posed by the standing dead timber. Because the service cost exceeds the value of the timber on IRSC, timber appraisals can serve as the government’s cost estimate; for this reason, release to bidder’s would compromise the government’s negotiating position. It is FS policy that appraisals are not disclosed on IRSCs due to this issue.

11) Are operations allowed from Christmas Day until Easter?

a) Hard close due to forest order, Dec. 26- April 1.

12) Are the contract maps accessible on Avenza?

a) Yes, the vicinity and contract maps are georeferenced.

13) Are firelines required around log decks?

a) Yes.