Amend0001_Attachment14_Pre-proposal_SiteVisit_Notes_063025.pdf

RFP: 12363N25R4001 - Amendment 0001 Solicitation Attachment 14: Pre-proposal Meeting/Site Visit Notes

BCLH Stewardship IRSC Phase 1

Prepared by Karen Ruklic, Heidi Andersen and Erick Larkin Site Visit was held on 06/30/2025 at 10:00 a.m.

Attendance List:

Name Company Email Address Phone Karen Ruklic USFS – Stewardship Contracting

Officer karen.ruklic@usda.gov 208-702-3519

Heidi Andersen USFS – Disaster Recovery Program Manager heidi.andersen@usda.gov

Danny Matthews USFS - Engineer daniel.matthews@usda.gov

Erick Larkin USFS – Contracting Officer’s Representative erick.larkin@usda.gov

Chris Rau North Santiam Paving quotes@nspor.com 503-769-3436 Name Not Provided Summitt Forests summittforests@gmail.com 541-941-4074 Gibson Kuenzi Siegmund Excavation gibson@siegmundcompanies.com 503-769-6280 Chase Kinion Siegmund Excavation &

Construction chasek@siegmundcompanies.com 541-829-1362

Joel Zeni & Jed Smith Brinks Land Improvement joel@brinkslandimprovment.com 541-510-0505

Notes:

The meeting started in the front parking lot of the Detroit Ranger Station.

Contracting Officer, Karen Ruklic, had attendees introduce themselves and then proceeded to explain how one large project was broken down into three smaller projects by geography. Phase 3 was solicited first due to priority restoration of access to the Opal Creek Scenic Recreation Area. This phase was awarded 5/27/25. Phase 1 was solicited next because it is the largest of the three phases. Phase 2 is in the planning stage now. The government intends on awarding all three phases by 9/30/25. Due to new processes, the time to solicit and award is significantly longer than it used to be. Phase 1 was delayed in the planning stage due to these new processes. For these reasons, Phase 2 solicitation will have to be issued prior to award of Phase 1 in order to ensure it gets awarded by 9/30/25.

CO then provided a handout with key excerpts of from the solicitation and particular emphasis placed on the requirements highlighted in yellow. This handout has been provided as an attachment to the notes.

The CO proceeded to review the handout with all attendees. Supplemental information provided or information stressed is as follows. Handout page numbers have been given to correlate the information provided with the solicitation excerpt.

Section B Excerpts:

• Schedule of Items was reviewed. Required cost data associated with Items 1 and 8 was reviewed. It was stressed that this information is proprietary and will not be incorporated into the awarded contract. Item 1 total price shall equal the Total Logging Cost minus the Total Delivered Value (i.e. mill purchase price). The key reason for mailto:karen.ruklic@usda.gov mailto:heidi.andersen@usda.gov mailto:daniel.matthews@usda.gov mailto:erick.larkin@usda.gov mailto:quotes@nspor.com mailto:summittforests@gmail.com mailto:gibson@siegmundcompanies.com mailto:chasek@siegmundcompanies.com mailto:joel@brinkslandimprovment.com collecting this information is to prove, if asked, that the value of the timber is less than the cost to fall and remove the product. The cost data supports that Items 1 and 8 Cut and Remove Included Fire Killed Timber are appropriately priced as a service items.

• Road construction work is being done to increase culvert sizes to handle increased run-off, stabilize roads where failures have been found and recondition the road following hazard tree treatment. There is a significant amount of mandatory MSE wall, reinforced soil slope and culverts to be installed. The optional construction work is much smaller in scope.

• Spoke briefly about Item 7. Simple work to yard and deliver logs for fish habitat improvements.

Coordination between the Phase 3 contractor operations will be required since the same delivery locations are being used for the Phase 1 work.

• Spoke briefly about Item 15. Requires removing product fallen under a previous contract. Per Erick Larkin, this material was left in a way to make later removal easy. CO noted that while this is shown as an optional item, this work is important for the District and has a high potential for award. The estimated volume of this product is included in the 26,043 tons of Optional Work Product – Timber Subject to Agreement.

• Note B.2 Timber/Product Removal Price Schedules – Mandatory Work Product aligns with estimated product volume required for removal under Item 1 Cut and Remove. Optional Work Product – Timber Subject to Agreement aligns with estimated product volume required for removal under Optional Items 8 and 15 if awarded. The Un-estimated Optional Work Product – Timber Subject to Agreement aligns with removal performed under Items 2 and 9 Hazard Tree Felling. Removal of this product must meet special resource protection requirements and shall only be done if the contractor elects to take the material. All prices offered for timber must meet or exceed $0.40/Ton Minimum Acceptable Offer.

• Reviewed Special Requirements. Payrolls are required for the construction work only. Upload payrolls into IPP with invoices that include construction work. Offers shall include a Bid Bond and Power of Attorney for the total value of the construction work. Bid Bonds must be submitted by the prime contractor. Electronic submittal is allowed/required. Performance Bonds are required to be submitted by the awardee for 100% of the awarded value of the construction. Bonds must be held by the government for 1-year after final payment for all construction work is completed. Payment Bond ensures payment to workers, subs and suppliers. Performance Bond ensures any 1-year warranty work will be completed. There is no way to release a portion of the bonding once a portion of the construction work is completed. Bullet F is only applicable to large businesses that submit offers. Draft Small Business Subcontracting Plans must be submitted by large businesses only.

Section C Excerpts:

• Supplement NEPA was approved to allow mechanized equipment to operate on slopes generally less than 30% except for acres located within Special Measure Area 1. See technical specifications in Appendix A.

Section F Excerpts:

• Reviewed the deadlines stated in F.2.

• Highlighted that no operation will occur between October 16-May 14. Proceeded to review clause F.4, sections highlighted in yellow.

CONTRACTOR QUESTION: Would it be possible to allow for pickup truck access during the wet season (October 16- May 14) to allow for hand falling below the roads? No falling above the road would be done due to potential for trees striking the road and not snow plowing would be requested. Once the road being treated was closed due to snow, operations would cease.

CO ANSWER: This is a reasonable request, is not prohibited by NEPA, and would provide the contractor valuable time to perform work. See Amendment 1.

• CO stressed the Detailed Operation Schedule to be submitted weekly during contract performance. This will satisfy the 14-day notice required by H.5 for SMAs 1 and 3 and give the government time to flag special features.

• The Service Contract Inventory 10/31 yearly report submission was stressed. Failure to report as required in sam.gov will result in a downgraded CPARS report for that period. This requirement is being audited and emphasized at the National level. By the time the CO gets notified that the report is delinquent, it may be too late for the contractor to submit the report.

Section H Excerpts:

• Stressed no mechanized equipment is allowed to leave the road prism within SMA-1. Riparian reserves must be delineated by the contractor prior to starting work in a unit. Within SMA-2, mechanized equipment is restricted from operating within 100 feet of fish bearing streams, 60 feet of perennial, non-fish bearing streams and 30 feet of intermittent streams. The presence of fish can be determined by the width of the SMA as displayed on the Tree Removal Guideline Maps (344 feet on either side of a stream indicates fish presence). No mechanized equipment is allowed to leave the road prism and operate within SMA-3 buffers unless pre-approved by the COR.

• No cutting of trees in the wilderness is critical. For Units LH-11 and LH-11A, no treatment shall occur beyond 150 feet as measured from the Road Centerline where the Wilderness Boundary is 200 feet from the road edge.

• Highlighted October 1 deadline for erosion control measures. Erosion control required at disturbed landings and roads along which hazard trees are being removed.

CONTRACTOR QUESTION: After October 15th, are contractors required to maintain erosion control structures during the closed period?

ANSWER: The contractor shall be required to perform haul road maintenance prior to demobilizing heavy equipment along with installing erosion control measures by October 1 each year. Once roads have been inspected by the government and equipment is demobilized, the contractor is not expected to monitor the roads during the closed season. Requesting partial acceptance of road construction work performed prior to demobilizing equipment is recommended.

• Directionally fall trees away from system trails and trailheads. If tree is fallen across a trail, buck out the section blocking the trail and roll it away. Coordinate with COR before commencing work in developed recreation areas noted so that we leave the sites in the best condition possible.

Section I Excerpts:

• 14-day construction payments will be made for all types of work. Our contract award system only allows 1 payment term. Coordinate closely with COR regarding payment submittal. Do not submit payments to IPP before work has passed inspection and quantities are agreed upon. Government wants to avoid payments rejections.

Preparation of a spreadsheet to track quantities of work paid will be necessary for this contract due to the large number of items and the numerous partial payments that will be made.

• While the clause included in the contract, the USFS generally does not do Change Orders. Our limited funding requires us to negotiate and agree on modification pricing prior to work implementation. Due to tight budgets, adding work may require dropping work previously awarded.

Section J Excerpts:

• Appendix D Road Reconstruction Supplemental Specifications supplement the Federal Hwys FP-14 Standard

Specifications. Where the supplemental specifications are silent, the standard specifications apply. Construction contractors should always have a copy of the awarded plans and specifications on site during construction and consult with the COR prior to installation of work if there are any questions about what is required. Rework of completed construction can be extremely expensive.

• Shape files require special GIS software to open/view/use.

Section L Excerpt Notes:

• CO stressed that an extension of the July 25, 2025 offer deadline is not desirable because the award is now subject to a new internal review processe. The award is also subject to a 5-day congressional notification requirement. Interested vendors shall review the solicitation requirements early. If any questions arise related to the site visit, please submit them in writing by Monday, 7/7/25 so answers can be rolled into Amendment 1.

Late questions posed in the last 7-10 days of the solicitation period will not be looked upon favorably as they could result in issuance of a material amendment and force an offer deadline extension. Offers with the required Bid Bond and Power of Attorney must be submitted by the offer deadline date and time. The Bid Bond must be submitted by the prime contractor. Do not wait until the last minute to submit your offer.

The solicitation states clearly that award without discussions is planned. Submit your best offer up front. Work hard to provide a strong technical proposal. The government would rather not negotiate as the process is very time-consuming if done correctly.

• Highlighted requirement to describe what product type/size would be treated with air curtain burners, carbonizers, or biochar production if applicable. Estimated tonnages to be disposed of in these non-traditional methods is also required. Detailing a plan that makes sense given the narrow road prisms and space to operate was recommended.

• For technical criterion “Benefit to Local Community”, local is defined as Lane, Linn and Marion counties.

• Must price all items to be considered for award. The government would like to award all optional work over the life of the contract; therefore, all work must be priced/competed up front to make the process easy and efficient.

Appendix A Excerpts

• The group briefly reviewed the General Felling and Yarding specification along with the Cutting and Removal Specifications for Hazard Trees. Note technical specification for mechanized equipment operating off road. No skidding logs down roadways. Don’t block drainage features. Whole tree yarding is required. Leave 7 trees per acre for downed wood retention. If individual trees are fallen into the unit under Item 14, they can count towards the 7 retained trees.

• Note tables with estimated acres less than 30% slope in each unit. This information was provided by LiDAR.

In total, approximately 40% of mandatory acres to be treated and 48% of optional acres to be treated is on ground less than 30% slope.

• Under Prescription Summary, highlighted that for SMA-2, trees exceeding 16” DBH may only be removed in specific circumstances with COR prior approval.

• Noted that tables in Appendix A provide estimated volumes of product to be removed for each Unit to be treated via Item 1 and 8. Road numbers are along provided in the tables that correspond with each Unit.

• Piling of fuels for burning is not an allowed treatment type for Small Fuels Treatment.

• Due to ampping complexity, special maps detailing item 15a were not drafted. Item 15a work shall be performed in the areas identified on the Tree Removal Guideline Mpas for Unit LH-62 as Cut and Remove Included Timber, shaded light green. No downed trees shall be removed from any SMAs. The 30.3 acre unit size only includes the Cut and Remove area.

• Item 14 Fall and Leave Individual Hazard Trees is paid for based on actual quantity of trees fallen. These trees are outliers located outside of unit boundaries; they are very tall hazard trees that could reach the road if they fall but due to the small number of them, it did not make sense to delineate a separate unit. See special payment requirements.

Appendix B Excerpts

• C5.12# notes restrictions on the use of timber sale roads. Haul is not allowed in the wet season. Pre-haul maintenance is required on all roads before timber haul commences. Only one road has construction that must be completed prior to haul (a culvert must be replaced on Pigeon Prairie Road). Timber haul during the weekends and federal holidays is restricted. Keep roads clear for fire suppression.

• Load count has been approved for this project. 30 tons per load shall be used to calculate tons for payment purposes.

Group then drove up the 4685310 and 4685312 Road to look at Units LH-11B and LH-11BA. Group stopped at the South Breitenbush Gorge Trailhead. Noted the requirement to directionally fell trees away from the trail, buck out sections of trees that fall across the trail and consult with the COR when treating trailheads. Group continued up the 11BA road and stopped to view an area less than 30% slope. This location was on a ridgeline. Group noted how much faster and safer work would be executed with mechanized equipment. Group also noted that the road surface was in good shape. CO noted that reducing prices when minimal pre-haul maintenance was required would help win award. Seeing the site of work is critical prior to offer submittal. See Appendix C for all road maintenance requirements. All roads will need to be driven and assessed to determine if changes have occurred that require reconstruction at site specific locations prior to haul. The roads must be safe for haul. New failures will be addressed via contract modifications.