Attachment_3_SOW_Specifications.docx

12455019R0010 Cheoah RD Site Prep Attachment 3 SOW/Specs

STATEMENT OF WORK

SPECIFICATIONS

TIMBER STAND IMPROVEMENT ACTIVITIES

SPECIFICATIONS

This specification is for furnishing all equipment, materials, supervision, transportation, labor, and supplies for manual and chemical site preparation work on National Forest land. No materials, labor, or equipment will be furnished by the Government unless specifically identified in the Government Furnished Property clause.

All field crews shall be supervised by individuals licensed by North Carolina as commercial pesticide applicators.

The specifications for this contract include various timber stand improvement activities across 12 timber sales units on 222.5 acres. Activities may include one or more of the following activities on each unit as identified in section 120 of this contract.

· Manually slash all unmarked trees between 2-8” DBH and immediately treat with chemical the cut stump including Rhododendron, Mountain Laurel, and vine species

· Basal-bark application of chemical on stump sprouts, trees, and vines up to 8”

· Manually cut or treat with a basal bark application all white pine stems up to 8” DBH The contract areas are in Graham County, NC. Please review the specifications in Section 120 to better understand access and work specifications.

Herbicide handling and application shall be performed under direct supervision of a licensed North Carolina Applicator. The contractor is required to employ crew members with sufficient knowledge to accurately identify vegetation species named for treatment and any species added to the list by the COR. The contractor will be responsible for the necessary training for crew members to accurately perform their duties.

The contractor must attach a copy of their valid North Carolina Applicator’s License in the bid package.

Work must be completed within 1 year of issuance of this contract.

DIVISION 100: GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

100 Scope of Contract The contractor shall furnish all labor, equipment, materials, transportation, supervision, and all other necessary items to perform site preparation activities on 222.5 acres of National Forest Land. The work may consists of strenuous walking on rough terrain greater than 50% slope.

120 Description and Location The contract area is located on the Nantahala National Forest, Cheoah Ranger District, North Carolina. (See attached maps) There are 12 project areas identified for this contract. The project area description and contract action are identified in the following table:

3. Manually cut and immediately treat vine species with a provided chemical solution.

4. Complete a Basal bark application on all undesirable species up to 2” DBH with a provided chemical solution. Healthy Serviceberry and Dogwood >4" DBH should not be cut or treated.

Access by Truck

2. Manually cut all white pine > 1” DBH.

3. Manually cut and immediately treat vine species with a provided chemical solution.

4. Complete a Basal bark application on all undesirable species up to 2” DBH with a provided chemical solution. Healthy Serviceberry and Dogwood >4" DBH should not be cut or treated.

Access by Truck

2. Manually cut all white pine > 1” DBH.

3. Manually cut and immediately treat vine species with a provided chemical solution.

4. Complete a Basal bark application on all undesirable species up to 2” DBH with a provided chemical solution. Healthy Serviceberry and Dogwood >4" DBH should not be cut or treated.

Access by Truck

**The Forest Service reserves the right to specify the order in which areas will be treated** 130 Government Furnished Property The Government shall deliver to the contractor the following listed materials, supplies, and property, here-in-after referred to as “Government furnished property”, at the place and time specified below. The contractor shall be liable for all damage or loss of such delivered Government furnished property, until completion and final acceptance of work required under this contract. If the Government fails to make timely delivery of Government furnished property suitable for its intended use, and upon written request by the contractor, the Contracting Officer shall make an equitable adjustment of contract delivery performance dates, contract price, or both, pursuant to the “Changes” clause of the General Provisions of this contract.

The Forest Service will furnish the chemical mixture selected for each project area in 15 gallon plastic containers or other suitable containers. The contractor will be responsible for transporting this mixture from the Cheoah Ranger District Work Center to the work sites. The contractor will also be responsible for security of the material until the contract is completed and accepted. The contractor will return all unused chemical and containers to the pickup point at the Ranger District daily, for the purpose of this clause 130. Herbicide shall be considered delivered by the Government upon contractor’s loading onto their vehicle for transporting to the contract area. No herbicide mixture or containers will be left in the woods overnight.

The Contractor will give the COR a minimum of 48 hour notice before chemical is needed to complete work.

Anticipated chemical mixtures include:

Cut stump application: 50% Garlon3, water, dye Basal bark application: 20% Garlon4, oil, dye

DIVISION 200: TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

210 Treatment Methods Slashing and cutting of vines shall be done with hand cutting tools, such as brush axes or chainsaws. IF cut stump treatment is indicated, chemical application should be applied immediately after the stump is severed. The cambium edge of the cut stump shall be treated in its entirety and to the point of saturation. Basal bark treatments should occur from the ground level up to 15” and to the extent which saturation begins to occur.

Rhododendron, Mountain laurel, and vines are include to be cut in this contract based on specifications in section 120.

All precautions shall be taken to prevent any unnecessary damage to tree vegetation surrounding treated stems.

The designation of desirable vs undesirable trees will be determined by the COR and may change based on the project areas management objectives. Unless indicated by the COR the following will be considered undesirable species:

Red Maple Silverbell Black gum Sourwood Sweetgum Striped maple Black locust Fire cherry Fraser magnolia (Wahoo) Wahoo Sassafras Rhododendron Mountain. laurel Paulownia Ailanthus White pine Clumped Yellow Poplar Grape Vine Smoke Vine Bittersweet Vine

250 Resource Protection During the handling, transporting, and use of the herbicide, the contractor will use every precaution necessary to prevent herbicide pollution of any streams, lakes, and reservoirs. No stems will be treated within 30 feet, horizontal distance, of any live stream, lake, or reservoir. Under no circumstances will sprayers, containers, or other contaminated materials be washed in any stream, lake, or reservoir.

252 Spill Protection Contractor shall use every precaution necessary to prevent herbicide spillage in loading, transporting, pouring, and applying the herbicide. Contractor will provide a spill kit containing 25 pounds of cat litter, two large polyethylene garbage bags with ties and a square point shovel for each vehicle transporting herbicide. If a spill occurs, contractor will immediately contain the spill, using the cat litter to absorb it, and seal the material in the polyethylene bags. Contractor will notify the COR of any spill in excess of one gallon, as soon as possible, after following the above procedures. Contractor will not transport more than a two-day supply of herbicide, at one time.

253 Access The contractor shall have approval to access gated Forest Service roads as is necessary for the project area. The contractor is required to protect all roads, ditches, fences, and other improvements in the project area. Roads and trails shall be kept free of logs, slash, and debris caused by the contractor. Forest Service gates shall remain locked at all times.

The Contractor will give the COR a minimum of 48 hour notice before access is needed to complete work.

254 Protection of Trees The contractor will use every precaution necessary to prevent herbicide from drifting onto species not identified as target species.

255 Final Cleanup Before final acceptance, all trash, rubbish, and debris generated by the contractor’s operation will be removed from National Forest Land.

256 Protection of Archaeological and Historical Resources The contractor will cease work upon discovery of suspected archaeological or historical materials and immediately notify the COR.

257 Protection of Workers Each crew member should be properly clothed including leather boots or shoes, eye protection, long sleeve shirts, long pants, and gloves. Fresh water for washing should be kept with the crew at all times. The contractor or his representative will be responsible for the health and safety of his crew members.

DIVISION 300: INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

310 Inspection Procedures Inspection of the work performed under this contract shall be made by the Contracting Officer’s Representative or the designated inspector as the work progresses at such intervals as are necessary to ensure compliance with the contract specifications and provisions.

Upon completion of work on an area, the contractor shall notify the COR that work on the area is completed. If the work completed is accepted, the contractor shall proceed with work on the next area. If the work is not accepted by the COR, the contractor shall complete any remedial work required for acceptance prior to commencing work on the next area.

DIVISION 400: MEASUREMENT AND PAYMENT

410 Method of Measurement The acreage of each area has been determined by GPS unit system for purposes of this contract is considered actual acreage and not an estimate.

420 Basis of Payment Payment will be made at the unit price bid for the total number of acres completed and accepted.

QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN (QASP)

RFP/RFQ/CONTRACT FOR 222.5 ACRES TIMBER STAND IMPROVEMENT

This Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) has been developed pursuant to the requirements of the Performance Work Statement (PWS) in the Contract for 222.5 acres timber stand improvement. This plan sets forth procedures and guidelines that will be used in evaluating the technical performance of the contractor.

1. Purpose of the QASP:

1.1 The QASP is intended to accomplish the following:

a. Define the roles and responsibilities of participating government officials and the contractor

b. Define the types of work to be performed

c. Describe the evaluation methods that will be employed by the contractor and the government in assessing the contractor’s inspection program and performance of the tasks

d. Provide copies of the contractors inspection records and Government quality assurance monitoring forms that will be used by the government in documenting and evaluating the contractor’s performance

e. Describe the process of performance documentation

1.2 The contractor is responsible for performing inspection services pursuant to the inspection clause and for providing and maintaining the inspection forms approved by the government to perform the contractor’s inspection services. The prescribed standards in the statement of work.

2. Types of Work to be Performed and Schedule of Inspections This contract calls for the contractor to perform the following tasks and subtasks and to perform inspections at the completion of the tasks/subtasks as a minimum and or for intermediate inspections as determined at contract award by the COR/CO.

· All trash left by the contractor is picked up and disposed of

· All personal equipment is moved out of the area Acceptable Quality Level:

· Inspection plots, on the average, shall be in 95% compliance of treatment specifications outlined in Section 120 of the contract Means of Measurement:

· All Contractors Inspection records are complete and signed Negative Incentives:

· Poor performance on work Documentation:

· All documents are clear and concise in Government approval format and content

· All Contractors Inspections Records are clear and concise

3. Methods of Surveillance

3.1 The Government, through it’s COR, will be monitoring the contractor’s performance on a continuous basis. The method the Government will use is 100% inspection of the contractor’s inspection results. The government COR will perform periodic independent inspections after the contractor has performed their inspection, if questions develop regarding the results of the contractors inspections. Results of the independent inspections that differ from the results noted by the contractor on their inspections the costs thereof for the reinspection costs will be assessed against the contractor. The contractor shall be required to rework the effort until the performance standard is achieved. And the added costs of reinspection charged to the contractor.

3.2 Inspections will be performed to the schedule submitted by the contractor and approved by the government. Variances from the schedule must be preapproved by the CO.

4. Quality Assurance Forms and Report

1. The COR will use one quality assurance monitoring form to document and evaluate the contractor’s performance under the contract. The form when completed will document the COR’s understanding of what the contractor was supposed to do, what was actually done, and the impact or consequences of what was done.

2. The COR will judge each event in accordance with the performance standards and performance requirements stated in the Quality/Performance Requirements within the contract.

3. The COR must substantiate all tasks which he judges to be indicative of “unacceptable” performance. Performance at the “acceptable” level is expected and need not be substantiated.

4. The contractor shall furnish to the COR copies of all inspection forms generated witnessing inspections performed. The COR will forward copies of all completed QA monitoring forms to the CO and contractor inspection records by close of business on the day the forms were prepared. The contractor is required to respond in writing to any negative QA monitoring form(s) within 5 working days after receipt of the form(s).

5. Performance Work Statement Critical Tasks and Subtasks

5.1 The contractor shall perform the work to the Quality and Requirements listed below.

Quality Performance Standards:

· 100% compliance of treatment specifications outlined in section 120 Acceptable Quality Level:

· Inspection plots, on the average, shall be in 95% compliance of treatment specifications outlined in Section 120 of the contract Means of Measurement:

· Verify Contractors Inspection Records for adequacy.

· Periodic Inspection by Government.

Negative Incentives:

· Rework at no cost to the Government.

· Acceptance with a price reduction.

· Poor performance rating.

· 100% Government inspection/Contractor bears cost.

Positive Incentives:

· Not applicable

5.2 Demobilization and cleanup: The contractor shall demobilize and clean up the work areas to the performance requirements below.

Quality Performance Standards:

· All trash left by the contractor must be picked up and disposed of within 24 hours.

· All personnel and equipment must be moved out of the area within 24 hours.

Acceptable Quality Level:

· All unused and empty chemical containers will be returned to the Cheoah Ranger District within 48 hours

· All furnished material including gate keys will be returned to the COR within 48 hours of completing contract requirements.

· All trash left by the contractor must be picked up and disposed of within 24 hours.

· All personnel and equipment must be moved out of the area within 24 hours.

Means of Measurement:

· All Contractors Inspection Records are adequately reviewed.

Negative Incentives:

· Rework at no cost to the Government.

· Poor performance rating.

Positive Incentives:

· Not Applicable

5.3 Documentation: The contractor shall provide the following documentation to the performance requirements below.

5.3.1 Contractor Inspection Records

5.3.2 Safety Plan

5.3.3 Work Plan and Schedule

5.3.4 Quality Control Plan and Schedule

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