OakGrovePreSolicitationSiteVisitQuestionsList.pdf

Oak Grove IRSC Pre-Solicitation Field Review - November 30, 2022 Question and Answer Documentation

1. How will payments be made?

a. Payments will be made based on the completion of required items under the contract. Appendix A summarizes the description of work. Payments will be separated as follows, and may be sub-separated into the units shown on the Contract Area Map. In other words, the entire road system does not require the identification and cutting of danger trees prior to payment. Instead, this will be split and tracked by unit on the Contract Area Map. Road reconstruction and maintenance, however would be paid by the completion of the segment. For this project, there are three segments: 57, 5710, and 46.

1. Identifying and cutting standing fire killed/damaged danger trees.

2. Removing and/or decking cut danger trees.

3. Piling, scattering, chipping, and/or removing operationally generated slash and fuels.

4. Maintaining roads within the contract area.

5. Reconstructing roads within the contract area.

6. Relocating decked trees from along NFS Road 4600000 to a designated location. (Optional: removing the decked material).

2. Will the work be broken out into line items?

a. Yes. See 1.a. above.

3. Are hardwoods included?

a. Yes. Species description is provided in Appendix B, Division A, Volume Estimate and Utilization Standards.

4. What kind of road work is required for NFS Road 46?

a. Road maintenance requirements are provided in Appendix C. There is only one

Pre-Haul specification associated with NFS Road 46; T-842 described as cutting all vegetative growth on roadway surfaces and roadsides, including trees and other vegetation less than 4 inches in diameter measured 6 inches above the ground, and removing debris.

5. Will “cut and leave” units be separate payment items from “cut and remove” units?

a. The units are identified as separate on the Contract Area Map.

b. Payments are made by completion of work item in a unit. See 1.a. above.

6. Will each work element be a separate payment item (cutting, removing, slash work...)?

a. Cutting will be separate from removal. See 1.a. above.

7. Will the closure for NFS Road 57 remain in place during contract operations (i.e., will flaggers be required on NFS Road 57 if it’s closed by Forest Order)?

a. Flaggers will not be required on NFS Road 57, but traffic safety signs will be required. Contractors will be required to close the gates during operations to minimize conflicts with Forest visitors. PGE and other permit holders would also have authorized access behind the closure. Operators would not be the only authorized individuals behind the closure. The Forest Service will work closely with Contractors and special use permit holders (i.e., PGE) to ensure minimal conflicts. Flaggers will be required for operations on NFS Road 46.

8. Are there YUUM (yarding unmerchantable material) specifications? If so, what are they?

a. Skidding and yarding specifications are in Appendix B, provisions B6.42, C6.42.

Slash management is described in provision C6.74. The contract requires the treatment of fuel/slash that exceeds the specified Fuel Loading minimum requirements (C6.74 and C6.41).

i. Fuel/slash loading: When fuel/slash loading exceeds7 tons/acre, pieces between 1 and 4 inches in diameter at the large end, and longer than 24 inches in length may be placed in landing piles, machine piles, hand piles, or chipped. When fuels do not exceed 7 tons/acre, slash/fuels may remain un-piled but would be lopped down to within 18 inches from mineral soil.

ii. Within “Fuel Loading” areas on the Contract Area Map, cut trees shall be left in place unless the following down woody debris requirements have been met:

1. 8-14 down trees per acre with pieces that measure approximately 20 inches or greater in diameter and a minimum of 16 feet in length.

9. How will danger tree cutting and yarding along exceptionally steep slopes be addressed (i.e., rock faces)?

a. These areas are identified on the Contract Area Map as “Cut and Leave” and “No Ground Based Equipment”.

10. What kind of volume measure will be required load count or certified weight scale?

a. Load Count, which still requires third-party scaling. See Appendix B, Division A.

11. How will volume be tracked as its removed?

a. Tracked by load count. All loads require ticket. Tracked and billed through traditional Timber Sale Administration practices. Refer to Appendix B, provision C6.83#.

12. How will the Solicitation proposals be graded?

a. Proposals will be evaluated against the criteria set forth in solicitation section 55.

FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation – Commercial Products and Commercial Services.

13. Will it be required to weight scale chipped material/slash being removed off site?

a. See question 11 above. If this material is removed, it would be tracked similarly.

14. Will it be required to complete a certain road or section of road first, second, third, etc.?

a. No. However, the end goal is to reopen the 57 road as soon as possible. The 57 road is a primary route through the forest.

15. What are the fuel loading requirements/measures (i.e. by ton, piece #, or depth) that need to be met before material can be removed in “cut and remove” areas?

a. Some cut and remove areas have a special “Fuel Loading” requirement as shown on the Contract Area Map. See 8.a.ii above.

b. For regular “Cut and Remove” areas, Slash management is described in provision C6.74. The contract requires the removal of fuel/slash that exceeds the specified Fuel Loading minimum requirements (C6.74).

i. Fuel/slash loading: When fuel/slash loading exceeds7 tons/acre, pieces between 1 and 4 inches in diameter at the large end, and longer than 24 inches in length may be placed in landing piles, machine piles, hand piles, or chipped. When fuels do not exceed 7 tons/acre, slash/fuels may remain un-piled but would be lopped down to no more than 18 inches from mineral soil.

16. Will danger tree cutting along NFS Road 46 be required/allowed?

a. Danger tree cutting along NFS Road 46 is not a component of the contract.

Danger tree cutting along NFS Road 46 was completed in 2021/2022 during fire suppression operations. It is possible that some fire-affected trees have died and could pose a danger to operators. If this is the case, OSHA regulations shall be followed.

b. Options for contract modification may be available if there is more than an occasional instance for danger tree cutting along NFS Road 46.

17. Can a tree that is identified as a hazard to workers but not a danger tree be cut?

a. Yes, following OSHA regulations.

18. How far from the road is it required to cut trees?

a. A description of striking distance is provided in Appendix B, provision C2.355.

b. There is not a set measured distance. Distance is determined on a tree-by-tree basis, dependent on topography, and the condition of the tree. Distance is defined as the “striking distance” which includes the slide and roll area of the tree.

c. Cutting unit boundaries were discussed during the site visit. Boundaries are marked along the road at corners, but a limiting boundary is not marked.

Boundaries are identified following C2.30#. Tree cutting is described following C2.355#, C6.41, C6.24, and C6.42.

19. Why is $0.01/ton a required payment by the contractor (for volume removed)?

a. At the time of the site visit, $0.01/Ton was the minimum payment that FS Forest

Product Financial system allowed. However, since the site visit, recent updates now allow for a $0.00 rate for Stewardship (i.e., this contract).

20. Will there be an option on the contract to cut the danger trees and deck them rather than remove them?

a. During the pre-solicitation meeting, the Forest Service initially planned to have required removal of cut timber in the contract, which is why “cut and remove” units were discussed. Since then, a change has been made. Cut danger trees will be subject to agreement for removal. The Forest Service will require that cut trees be processed and decked at a designated location so long as space remains available. In the absence of space at the designated location, cut trees in the “cut and remove” units will be required to be processed and decked along the road (within the unit, and outside the clearing limits of the road).

b. There is no requirement to remove the decks along NFS 46. There is only a requirement to relocate them to the designated site. The option is available to the contractor remove the decks instead of relocating. Proposals should include that information.

c. The designated sites will be the Memaloose Weigh Station and the Ripplebrook Fire Station (outside the fenced area). Alternate designated sites can be included in the proposal. Additional designated sites can be agreed to between the contractor and the Forest Service during contract operations.

21. How far from the road is slash management required?

a. The same distance that contract operations have generated operational slash.

This will be variable along the road.

22. If chipping is identified as a form of slash disposal, where can chips be spread/to what depth?

a. It is up to the contractor to propose the method of slash disposal. The contract has specifications (Appendix B, provision C6.74) for piling slash and for spreading chips:

i. The waste product (flail), would be spread across landings and skid trails to a maximum depth of 6 inches,

ii. 10-foot buffer of bare ground between the flail and the edges of slash piles will be maintained.

iii. Total spread area of flail is not to exceed 2,500 square feet at each site.

iv. Any chipped material that cannot be spread will be piled and covered with 6 mil black polyethylene plastic, or removed.

v. Where chipped material is spread along roads, it will not exceed a depth of 3 inches.

vi. Where chips are spread along NFS Road 57, they will be scattered downhill from the road.

23. Where are the designated areas for staging/disposal of relocated decks, cut danger trees and/or slash?

a. Memaloose weigh station, Ripplebrook Fire Station.

24. How do we know which decks along NFS Road 46 are included in the contract?

a. All the decks along the road are included. The GPS points on the map are approximate locations of the decks.