Questions and Govt answers to USFS 12444024Q0088.docx

Questions for USFS 12444024Q0088

Logistics

· Are there specific forests within Region 8? Is there a specific number of facilities to be visited within Region 8 and during the PoP (Oct 2024 to Sept 2025)? There are no set number of facilities to be visited during the PoP. As this contract is to address unknowns within the collections and records, it is not possible to determine the volume of work at any one forest. The location where work will be done may be the SHPO and the Supervisor’s Office for the following forests:

· National Forests in Alabama

· Daniel Boone National Forest

· Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest

· Cherokee National Forest

· National Forests in Florida

· Kisatchie National Forest

· National Forests in Mississippi

· George Washington & Jefferson National Forests

· Ouachita National Forest

· Ozark-St. Francis National Forests

· National Forests in North Carolina

· Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests

· National Forests and Grasslands in Texas

· Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area

· Are multiple contractors being hired to cover certain states? Or is one contractor being hired to cover all states/NF in Region 8? One for all during the PoP.

· Is the scope of work only restricted to the FS lands or does it involve identification of every site in region 8 that contains human remains? Restricted to the lands within the forests identified above.

· How many curation facilities in the Southeast region 8 will we be visiting? Up to 15.

· How many people are allowed to work on this project? A minimum of one qualified bioarchaeologist and one qualified archeologist as defined in section 2.1 of the BPA call order.

· Has the scope been pre-approved by the Southeastern Tribes (and other relevant tribes)? No osteological work will be conducted on forests/collections in which Tribes decline to permit such work. All work is being conducted in accordance with NAGPRA as implemented by the R8 NAGPRA Coordinator.

· Is there a timeline for each action item? Progress reports are monthly, draft report 60 days prior to end of PoP, final report 30 days prior to PoP.

· Is it expected that all of this work will be completed within the PoP, or will extensions be accepted/scheduled? There is no expectation that work at all 15 units be completed during the POP.

· Is the review of state and forest site files limited to Forest Service lands, or does it involve identification of every site in Region 8 that contains human remains? Limited to FS lands.

· What are the contingencies for the potential additional services?

· What is the timeline for the potential additional services?

· Should these be accounted for within the PoP?

· Should the costs for the potential additional services be included in the estimate?

· The additional services would be completed on the unit being worked on and simply mean that more work would be dedicated to that particular unit during the PoP in order to complete the work there and move on to another unit. Initiated upon discovery of previously unknown human remains.

· Are there any specialized classes/degrees/certifications for the personnel that the USFS and/or Tribes require? Do the personnel need to be SOI qualified? See section 2.1 of BPA call order. CVs are required for review. SOI quals required. Tribes may request meeting with bioarchaeologist to convey Indigenous Knowledge.

Finances

· Is the contract by appointment, on call, or full time employment? Once awarded, the contractor would receive additional information and contacts pertaining to the individual forests’ collections. Once work is complete on one forest, work could begin at the next. It is anticipated the work would be conducted on a full-time basis.

· How do we provide a quote? Is it hourly rates? Or is this a fixed fee? A quote using a weekly cost as the unit would be sufficient.

· What are the potential additional services contingent on? Should we include the cost for this? This will not be additional work in terms of length of time, and so could be included in a weekly price estimate. Contingent upon the discovery of newly identified human remains.

Proposal:

· Are there proposal requirements and evaluation criteria? CVs of proposed staff, cost estimate.

· Are there key personnel requirements? See section 2.1 of BPA call order.

· Are there past project experience requirements? No

· Are Subcontractors allowed on this contract? If yes, would it be possible to who was sent an invitation to quote? No preference. Staff qualifications and CVs for project personnel remain requirements.

1. The contractor shall conduct a review of state and forest site files to identify archeological sites where human remains have previously been located.

· How would you differentiate between non-NAGPRA burials versus historic cemeteries if the provenience is the same? Contractor should demonstrate a thorough knowledge of archaeology and applicable regulations in proposal.

· Is the summary of each site a NAGPRA summary? No.

· Have the NAGPRA inventories and/or summaries been completed for all or some of the national forests in Region 8? Some

· Is the review of sites where human remains have been located limited to NAGPRA related burials? Yes

· Can the USFS provide a list of the expenses that it will be covering? This includes site file subscriptions, equipment, curation materials, etc. Travel costs, curation materials, site file subscriptions.

2. The contractor’s bioarchaeologist shall reexamine faunal collections provided by the Forest in order to identify potentially commingled human remains.

· How many and how big are the faunal collections and where are they located? See previous answers.

· Are the collections already analyzed and curated? Some are, some are not.

· There are faunal remains (ex. dogs) that have NAGPRA significance, are there parameters that have been discussed with the Southeastern Tribes that account for the presence of certain faunal remains? This information will be shared upon award and may vary based on the unit.

· What are the parameters for NAGPRA-significant faunal remains recordation and analysis? Contractor should demonstrate a thorough knowledge of archaeology and applicable recording methods and applicable regulations in proposal.

· What is the method or process for differentiating between non-NAGPRA and NAGPRA burials if the provenience is the same? Contractor should demonstrate a thorough knowledge of archaeology and applicable methods in proposal.

· What is the process for historic non-NAGPRA burials?

· Is the pause following identification of human remains in an assemblage due to the need for the USFS to consult with the potentially affiliated Tribes? Given that consultation can take months, will this be taken into consideration for an extension of the PoP? Consultation took place prior to examination. Pause is for Forest and Tribe notification in accordance with NAGPRA. Work can shift to records or other site collections work in order to not incur delays.

· Please clarify “relevant macroscopic observations” MNI was mentioned, what else is included? Contractor should demonstrate a thorough knowledge of bioarchaeology and applicable methods in proposal.

· What is included in “information pertaining to the individuals’ biological profiles” of human remains analyzed? We would like clear instruction based on Tribal approved processes.

· Which of the Buikstra & Ubelaker forms will need to be filled out? Standards includes 58 pages of forms, some of which include analyses that are not permitted from Tribal consultation. We would want clear instructions for which pages are to be completed and the approved SOW to know that is allowed under NAGPRA and approved by the Tribes. Provided upon award.

· Please clarify “The contractor shall also provide a list of the cultural materials located in the same excavation/collection level with the newly identified human remains, as well as one level above and one level below.”

· What about surface collections or features such as large pits or mounds?

· What is the level of analysis for contemporaneous cultural material(s) within, above, and below the relevant level?

· Tabular level of analysis for objects. Surface objects not included.

· Does any of the work include collections that have been loaned to other agencies/facilities/entities? If so, would those collections be returned prior to the PoP commencing? Yes.

· Does the USFS provide ALL the analysis and curation tools/materials? Are we expected to provide any tools/materials? Have the curation materials approved by the Tribes? All consultation is conducted by USFS and all work will be done in accordance with the preference of the 39 Tribes with whom we consult and may vary by unit. Tools for analysis are not provided.

· Is it expected of the contractor to correct any archival information, excavation records, site forms, and/or other records if discrepancies are found? It is expected these will be identified and fully described in the final report so that USFS can pursue revisions to the records as necessary.

3. Potential additional services: NAGPRA Legal Documents

· Have the NAGPRA inventories and/or summaries been completed for all or some of the NFs in Region 8? See above

4. Potential additional services: Reanalysis

· How many and how big are the collections with previously examined human remains and where are they located? Cherokee NF: 2 sites minimum

· See above for “individual biological profiles” and “excavation/collection level”

· Could this task be done concurrently with the required work from above? Would the USFS be able to accommodate this request? Unclear what this question is asking. USFS will require work at one unit (forest) to be completed prior to moving to another unit. How the work is accomplished during the time working on that unit is up to the contractor. Information from all units may be compiled into one final report.