12443924Q0045 Roadside Mowing Contract - Statement of Work.pdf

DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATION/STATEMENT OF WORK

SCOPE OF WORK

The Contractor shall furnish all labor, materials, equipment, transportation, supervision, and incidentals necessary to mow Forest Service roadsides and in accordance with these specifications and the provisions of the Contract. Requirements contract(s) is expected to result from this solicitation. The contract has a base year (2025) with options for two additional years (2026 and 2027).

LOCATION

The work areas are located within the four Ranger Districts of the Daniel Boone National Forest.

Maps or descriptions of District specific roads to be mowed will be provided with each task order issued. Actual miles to be mowed will be based on awarded price per mile and money available at times of need. The following internet link provides maps of the roads in each Ranger District Daniel Boone National Forest - Maps & Publications (usda.gov).

PRE-OFFER TOURS

Offerors are urged to inspect the contract area due to the variability of the roads involved. A formal pre-offer meeting is not planned. The Contracting Officer (CO) should be contacted for questions concerning submission of offers at david.easter@usda.gov. All technical questions should be directed to sunday.street@usda.gov.

BASIS OF AWARD

Award(s) will be made to the most highly ranked offeror(s) whose past performance and technical/cost relationship presents the BEST VALUE and is the most advantageous to the Government.

Please Note: Award could be made to more than one offeror. Contractors may bid on one line item or all line items. However, offerors must bid on both base and option years of the line item they wish to be considered. There will be one award per District.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers:

Experience (Technical Capability) * Past Performance** Price https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/dbnf/maps-pubs/?cid=stelprdb5276511 mailto:david.easter@usda.gov mailto:sunday.street@usda.gov

Experience and Past Performance, when combined, are approximately equal to, cost or price for evaluation purposes.

*Experience: Experience is the opportunity to learn by doing. Experience is relevant when the offeror has been confronted with the kinds of challenges that will be present under the contract contemplated by the request for quotation. The quote will be assessed by relevant experience based on its breadth and its depth. Each offeror shall provide a written summary of recent (past 3 years) experience in similar efforts outlined in the specifications.

**Past Performance: Past Performance is a measure of the degree to which the offeror has satisfied customers in the past, and complied with Federal, state, and local laws and regulations. The assessment of Past Performance will be subjective and based mainly on the offeror’s reputation with customers and others. The offeror shall provide specific information of recent relevant contracts, which support past and present performance in the past three years. For each relevant contract, the offeror is requested to provide (at least three):

1. Company name, contact name, address, and phone number.

2. Period of Performance

3. Dollar Value of contract

4. Contract type

5. A description of the project

When assessing past performance other sources of information may be contacted including but not limited to the following: Federal, state, and local government agencies, better business bureaus, published media, and electronic databases.

An Experience and Past Performance Questionnaire is included as an attachment. Failure to submit a completed questionnaire by the date set for receipt of quotes will cause for rejection of the quote.

SCHEDULE OF WORK

Task orders may be placed throughout the contract period. However, primary orders for services will be placed immediately upon award continuing through the fall. Task orders issued by the Government will detail the roads to be mowed, the order of mowing, and the contract time for performance. Actual mileage of services ordered will depend upon existing conditions at the time the request is made.

PRE-WORK MEETING

Prior to commencement of work, the CO or Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) will arrange a meeting with the Contractor to discuss the contract terms and work performance requirements. A work progress schedule will be developed at this meeting. The schedule will list the roads in the order in which they will be mowed and the approximate mowing dates.

Prior to commencement of work, preferably at the pre-work meeting, the Contractor shall designate in writing a person to act for him in his absence. The Contractor or the designated representative shall be on the job whenever work is in progress. In the absence of the Contractor, the authorized representative will act as required to keep the job progressing under the terms of the contract. The presence of the Contractor's Representative or Contracting Officer's Representative on the job will not relieve the Contractor of responsibility for satisfactory performance.

WORK REQUIREMENTS

GENERAL

The Contractor shall provide all labor, supervision, equipment, tools, materials, and incidental supplies necessary to mow Forest Service roadsides in accordance with these specifications and the provisions of the Contract.

LOCATION

The work areas are located within the four Ranger Districts of the Daniel Boone National Forest.

These Ranger Districts are called, the Cumberland (formerly Morehead and Stanton), London, Redbird, and Steams (formerly Somerset and Steams) Ranger Districts. Maps of District specific roads to be mowed will be provided with each task orders issued. Actual miles to be mowed will be based on awarded price per mile and money available at times of need. The following internet link provides maps of the roads in each Ranger District. Daniel Boone National Forest - Maps & Publications (usda.gov)

EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS

All equipment proposed to be used for performance of the work shall be of the type and size to do the work efficiently and effectively. The equipment shall be in good operating condition and have the necessary accessories including safety equipment.

The Contractor's equipment shall be made available for inspection by the Government prior to award of a contract or delivery order. If at any time during the contract any of the Contractor's equipment is deemed unsatisfactory for the work, the CO or COR may order its removal from the work and may require the Contractor to replace the unsatisfactory equipment with equipment meeting the contract requirements at no additional expense to the Government.

This determination will be made using Optional Form 296 Vehicle/Heavy Equipment Safety Inspection Checklist. A copy is available at fseprd894580.pdf (usda.gov).

Tractors must be farm/industrial grade intended for rough use. Tractors may be two-wheel or four-wheel drive. A minimum horsepower rating of 50 horsepower will be required on https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/dbnf/maps-pubs/?cid=stelprdb5276511 https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/dbnf/maps-pubs/?cid=stelprdb5276511 https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd894580.pdf equipment used. Residential type lawn mowers and lawn tractors with mower attachments are not acceptable.

Mowers used on the performance of this work will include both (1) a side and/or rear mounted rotary mowers, including bat-wing type and (2) a side boom mounted rotary mowers. All mowers, regardless of type, must have all teeth/blades attached and must be kept sharp.

PUBLIC SAFETY AND TRAFFIC CONTROL

The Contractor shall exercise caution and care while pursuing the work to prevent any unnecessary conflict with or potential hazard to road users. No mowing shall take place between dusk and dawn. All work shall be scheduled so that at the end of a working period, the road is passable for traffic normally using the road. If traffic hazards are left adjacent to the road after normal work hours, the hazard shall be signed and visibly illuminated at night.

The Contractor shall post warning signs on each end of the section of road being mowed. These signs shall be in place only when equipment and personnel are working and shall be moved as needed to properly delineate the section of road being maintained. All slow-moving equipment shall have a reflectorized "Slow Moving" vehicle emblem properly attached and visible. Traffic control and signs shall conform to the current edition of the "Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices". This manual can be found at MUTCD 11th Edition - 2023 (dot.gov). At a minimum, the signs shall be of the size and color as follows:

a. Warning signs shall have a black legend on an orange background and read MOWING AHEAD or a similar message.

b. All signs shall have a minimum size of 30"x30".

c. For signs mounted on temporary supports, the bottom of the sign shall be a minimum of one foot above the road surface.

d. As a general rule, signs shall be located on the right-hand side of the roadway.

e. Signs shall be placed within one mile of the operating area, and when considered necessary by the COR, may be placed closer to the operating area.

MOWING

Mowing shall consist of cutting grass, weeds, and woody plant growth (one inch in diameter and less measured at the ground level) to a height of 6-inches or less on all areas in the road prism.

The mowing zone shall be the road shoulders, a minimum 8-feet (slope distance) behind the ditch, and a minimum 8-feet (slope distance) over the fill side of the road, unless more has been defined by previous mowing, in which case it shall all be mowed. In some cases, mowing to the top of the cut bank or to the bottom of the fill slope will be required. The mowing zone also includes areas defined by previous mowing's such as pull-offs, islands, sight distance zones and widened areas.

https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/pdfs/11th_Edition/mutcd11thedition.pdf

Areas around traffic signs and road gates shall be brushed, mowed or string trimmed to a minimum of 5-feet diameter to a height of 6-inches or less.

The Contractor shall immediately correct any disturbance to all drainage features and structures caused by Contractor's work at no cost to the government. Ponding water caused by riding tractor tires in ditches and changing the contour of the ditch are not acceptable and must be remedied immediately.

MEASUREMENT AND PAYMENT

Measurement will be made to the nearest 0.1-mile with a vehicle odometer calibrated over a measured mile. Payment shall be made at unit price bid for all work of this activity, completed, inspected, and accepted.

REPORTING

The Contractor will supply, at minimum, two weekly emails to the COR and other designated Forest Service Personnel.

Email 1 - Thursday or Friday. This email should clearly document work accomplished for the prior week (including any unforeseen issues) and it should also provide the plan for the following week (which District, roads, anticipated dates, and time frames). The COR needs this information to plan for inspection and to provide notice to other personnel.

Email 2 - Mon-Wed. This email should document any required changes to the plans (weather related, equipment etc.) for the week in which it is sent.