12444524Q0095 SF 18 Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Targeted Grazing using Goats.pdf

1 Total Cost/Price______

Service Contract Act WD #:

2015-5019

Statement of Work (SOW)

Contracting Officer Representative (COR)

Name: Grace Budde

Phone: (815) 423-6370

Email: grace.budde@usda.gov

C.1. Introduction

One of the goals of the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie is to reduce noxious weeds and exotic or invasive plant infestations as well as prevent new invaders from becoming established.

Species to be controlled include both native and non-native plant species. Invasive plant species control is covered under the Prairie-Wide Habitat Maintenance Environmental Assessment

(http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5160298.pdf).

C.2. Background

Midewin is in Will County approximately 40 miles southwest of Chicago and approximately 10 miles south of the town of Joliet. Midewin is the largest portion of the conversion of the former Joliet Army

Ammunition Plant. Midewin represents the largest prairie restoration attempted in the United States east of the Mississippi River. Due to its size and history, Midewin has been a refuge for over 100 species of birds that breed on site and countless more migrants, many of which are dependent on varying stature grassland for breeding habitat. Removing Army infrastructure is a long-term process and some areas, especially bunker fields, are notoriously difficult to manage due to the unique topography of the bunkers. Shrub encroachment and NNIS have been expanding in the bunker areas since they are not easily mowed or treated with heavy equipment, decreasing the amount and quality of grassland bird habitat. One possibility for managing these areas would be to use targeted grazing by goats in these areas to control NNIS and shrub encroachment. Midewin has an additional 500+ acres of bunker fields with bunkers still present so this project is scalable and could be increased in acreage of treatment if successful in the primary target area.

The goal is to decrease the size of invasive plant populations through repeated treatments using an integrated pest management (IPM) strategy to a point where staff and volunteers can take over the invasive species control. Work under this contract would involve the biological control portion of the IPM strategy. Contracted goat ranchers and/or rental companies would be used to decrease the amount of brush and NNIS present, improving the fuel structure for prescribed burns and improving habitat for grazing-dependent grassland birds through heavy grazing atop and around bunkers using temporary fences. Additionally, the proposed areas are already managed using prescribed fire and mowing, but mowing is limited to around the bunkers where tractors can access.

C.3. Scope of Work

Work will be accomplished through, task orders (TO), issued against an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract. The Government anticipates awarding multiple contracts from this solicitation to the responsible offerors whose quote, conforms to the solicitation, represents the best value to the Government, price and non-price factors considered for an mailto:grace.budde@usda.gov http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5160298.pdf ordering period of five-years. Work will include grazing by goats to defoliate invasive shrubs, trees, and forbs from spring through fall. The Contractor shall provide all goats, expertise, labor, supervision, services, materials, equipment, supplies, transportation, water, and incidentals necessary to perform the required work, for which the desired outcome is in strict accordance with the standards of the contract. Site maps will be provided with each specific TO. The PBSC-

Statement of Work (SOW) shall consist of completing the ordered tasks to the Acceptable

Quality Level (AQL) required in the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP).

The awarded contract and TOs shall constitute the entire agreement including all terms and conditions applicable to the contract. TOs may or may not be further competed among the awarded IDIQ contractors. The TOs will involve work that includes goat livestock grazing of woody vegetation through the targeted grazing method.

C.4. General Project Description and General Herbicide Specifications

C.4.1. General Project Description and Specifications

The Contractor shall provide all goats, expertise, labor, supervision, services, materials, equipment, supplies, transportation, water, and incidentals necessary to perform the required work, for which the desired outcome is in strict accordance with the standards of the contract. In addition, the goats shall have gone through a quarantine period to ensure invasive species seeds have passed through their digestive tract and will not spread to Midewin. The Contractor shall perform and accomplish the work in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and ordinances.

High Density Woody Invasion – These treatment areas have thick infestations of invasive shrubs, tree, and forb species including osage orange, black locust, willows, multiflora rose, honeysuckle and autumn olive in addition to “invasive-like” native species such as cottonwoods, honey locust, cherry, blackberry, and ash species. High density woody invasion is determined using Will County aerial imagery from 2024 within the Florence, W. Wilton, E. Wilmington block (2024 Aerial Imagery (willcounty.gov)) where woody invasives can be observed using this image. The treatment area is considered to have a high density of shrubs and NNIS if 50% of the bunker and target area is covered with woody species. The woody species are identified by the bushy round green shape compared with the short green and tan carpet of grasses and forbs. The site map shows an example of a high density woody invasion highlighted in red (see included map). Each treatment area is up to 2.5 acres and will require electric fencing and water. The individual task order will identify the exact treatment area. The Contractor would be responsible for determining the number of goats required to reduce target specie(s) within the task order time frame. Areas delineated as High Density Woody Invasions shall take a minimum of five weeks to treat and adhere to the Performance Requirement Summary. Treatment area may require more than one defoliation within a growing season.

Low Density Woody Invasion - These treatment areas are thick infestations of invasive shrubs, tree, and forb species including osage orange, black locust, willows, multiflora rose, honeysuckle and autumn olive in addition to “invasive-like” native species such as cottonwoods, honey locust, cherry, blackberry, and ash species. Low density woody invasion is determined using

Will County aerial imagery from 2024 within the Florence, W. Wilton, E. Wilmington block https://willcounty.gov/County-Offices/Administration/GIS-Division/Data/Aerial-Imagery/2024

(2024 Aerial Imagery (willcounty.gov) where woody invasives can be observed using this image.

The treatment area is considered low density if less than 50% of the bunker is covered with woody species. The woody species are identified by the bushy round green shape compared with the short green and tan carpet of grasses and forbs. The site map shows an example of a low density woody invasion highlighted in blue (see included map). Each treatment area is up to 2.5 acres and will require electric fencing and water. The contractor will be responsible for keeping goats in the project area. The individual task order will identify the treatment area. The

Contractor would be responsible for determining the number of goats required to reduce target specie(s) within the task order time frame. Areas delineated as High density Woody Invasions shall take a minimum of three weeks to treat and adhere to the Performance Requirement

Summary. Treatment area may require more than one defoliation within a growing season.

Sensitive areas, cultural resource sites, wetlands, sensitive species habitat and native vegetation may exist within project areas. These areas will be marked by Midewin staff as needed and avoided by the contractor or performed only with an appropriate Midewin staff member on site.

Furthermore, these areas may require special consideration to avoid potential damage to plant communities or other resources within the designated project area.

C.4.4. Recordkeeping

The Contractor will maintain an accurate daily log record and provide to the Forest Service on a biweekly basis.

C.5 Vehicle Use

Wet weather conditions may preclude the use of vehicles and ATV/UTV/OHV in off road areas, along trails or fields for indefinite periods or possibly the entire area at certain times of the year.

The COR will determine those conditions or locations that warrant cession of vehicle or

ATV/UTV/OHV use. In the event that vehicular access is precluded, work must be completed on foot.

Work under this contract will not be performed when ground or access road conditions would result in damage to access roads or to the natural resources. If precipitation makes the ground wet enough to cause rutting, then work will be temporarily suspended, or the contractor can bring in machinery that won’t cause ruts. Soil ruts deeper than 2 inches or covering more than

10% of the designated work area must be avoided or mitigated and reported to COR by the contractor. Mitigation would include filling in the ruts and possibly seeding the area with appropriate plant species.

Prior to starting work the Forest Service (FS) will inspect the contractor’s equipment (heavy equipment or off-road equipment) to be sure that it meets fire and safety requirements. All equipment must be cleaned of dirt, clinging vegetation, or other potential reservoirs of invasive plant seeds before arriving on site. Steam cleaning, car wash, or compressed air cleaning may be an adequate cleaning method but must be approved by the Contracting Officers Representative

(COR). The COR will inspect equipment upon being brought onto Midewin for the first time, or subsequent returns if the equipment is taken off site and returned.

https://willcounty.gov/County-Offices/Administration/GIS-Division/Data/Aerial-Imagery/2024

C.6. Task Order Issuance

As mentioned in section C.3, TOs will be issued for each project. The Forest Service will normally compete each TO amongst the group of IDIQ contractors; however, the Forest Service can elect to issue a TO without competition. Reasons for not competing an order include: 1) meeting the contract minimum guarantee (base year only), 2) new work that ties directly with work previously completed by one of the IDIQ contractors, or 3) an emergency situation.

Each TO that is competed will be done as best value, to include price and a technical submission.

The technical submission will include a draft Work Plan and Schedule. The draft Work Plan and

Schedule should include a start date, stocking rate, labor, and equipment list. The Contractor shall demonstrate the ability to complete all tasks for completion of the work required by this

Contract.

If issued the TO, the Contractor will then submit a final site-specific Work Plan and Schedule for approval by the COR. The approved Work Plan and Schedule will indicate how the Contractor intends to meet the required Acceptable Quality Level (AQL) values, as referenced in the

Quality Assurance Plan, as well as the contract specifications.

C.7. Inspections

The Contractor may set up the Work Plan and Schedule to include interim inspections. The

Contractor shall complete the work according to the approved Work Schedule then request an inspection by the COR. Contractors are reminded that some work cannot be immediately inspected, because an appropriate time interval must pass before determining whether the AQL has been met. COR will inspect areas at random using both visual methods and GPS equipment to collect data.

C.8. Invoicing

Invoicing is tied to successful inspection of work. The Contractor may only invoice after the

COR has inspected the line item(s) work and the work is determined to have met the AQL. This applies to both interim and final payments.

C.9. Safety Plan

The Contractor will provide a written safety plan that demonstrates how the contractor will ensure a safe work environment for themselves, their employees. The safety plan should include:

1) documentation to substantiate that the Contractor has an ongoing safety training program, 2) documentation regarding any Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) actions/citations issued against the Contractor within the previous three (3) years, to include follow-up measures or remedies taken by the Contractor.

The same safety plan information is required of subcontractors.

C.12. Definitions:

1. Contracting Officer: A Forest Service employee with the authority to enter into, administer, and terminate contracts, as well as issue determinations regarding such matters as claims.

2. Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR): A Forest Service employee that is appointed and officially designated by the Contracting Officer to assist the Contracting Officer with the technical matters related to contract administration. The COR will assist the Contracting

Officer with surveillance of contractor performance.

3. Forest Service Inspector: A Forest Service employee designated by the Contracting Officer or COR to perform surveillance of contractor performance.

4. Acceptable Quality Level (AQL): A suitable level of conformance based on an established percentage of defects.

5. Task Order (TO): Method by which the FS will order services and supplies necessary to perform the services of the contract.

6. Indefinite Delivery / Indefinite Quantity contract (IDIQ): Contract type that allows for the ordering of supplies or services, based on a minimum and maximum order amount.

PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY

Task Quality/Perfo rmance

Standard

Acceptable

Quality Level

(AQL)

Inspection

Type

Penalty/Disin centive

Incentives

ALL Work performed meets the specifications contained within the Performance

Work Statement

AND the individual Task

Order if applicable

Minimum AQL is 75%

75% of target infestations defoliated per the

Base Contract

AND Task Order

Specifications within the time frame specified in the Task Order

Note: The intent of the SQL is that a total of 75% of the combined target species are defoliated within the treatment area.

1) Verify contractor, records, data & reports

2)Periodically witness contractor inspection

3)Independent

Government verification

1) Rework at no additional cost to

Government until work is performed to

AQL;

2) Acceptance with consideration;

3) Less than satisfactory performance evaluation

4)Non-compliant contractor inspection system:

Contractor bears

100% of government re-inspection cost

5) Poor performance may lead to Option

Periods not being exercised.

Note - These are all remedies available to the

Government.

Contractors do not decide whether to re-work or not

Satisfactory or better performance rating