Attachment_A_-_Statement_of_Work.docx

Schedule of Items This is a multiple year Common Stand Exam (CSE) IDIQ contract for the Hiawatha National Forest. This schedule of items is for evaluation purposes only. It includes the most common sample design that will be on the task orders. Multiple contractors will be selected.

Quick Plot Sample Design 1:

Form Type

The Technical contacts are:

INTRODUCTION PROJECT LOCATION AND STATEMENT OF WORK

The objective of this contract is to collect data from plots in stands on the Hiawatha National Forest using the Common Stand Exam (CSE) protocols. The Hiawatha National Forest is divided into two Zones, the East and West. Each Zone is composed of multiple Ranger Districts. Task Orders may include one or more Ranger Districts, but will not include more than one Zone. Contractors will submit the data in either the Exams PC or Exams PDR file format. Referenced documents in this solicitation are the Hiawatha National Forest Field Guide for Common Stand Exams (Hiawatha Field Guide), and the NRM NRIS FSVeg Field Guide. Please contact one of the technical experts for a copy of either or both of those documents. Contractors will use navigation techniques to either install plots on a systematic grid or to locate and install plots in pre-determined locations. Each Request for Quotation (RFQ) will list the compartments, stands, number of acres, number of plots per stand, sample design, what data is to be collected and other pertinent information that will allow the contractor to identify all requirements of the order.

The collection of data will occur in locations throughout the Hiawatha National Forest, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Access to much of the Forest can occur by highways and National Forest System roads found throughout the forest. Access to specific plot locations and stands to be surveyed will require foot travel from the nearest access point. Use of any off road vehicle will be in conformance with the Forest OHV Policy. Potential contractors for specific projects are urged and expected to inspect the site where services are to be performed and to satisfy themselves regarding all general and local conditions that may affect the costs of contract performance, to the extent that the information is reasonably obtainable. In no event shall failure to inspect the site constitute grounds for a claim after contract award.

Scope of Work

1. The Contractor shall furnish all labor, services, materials, equipment, transportation, supervision, supplies (except those designated as Government-furnished), incidentals, and facilities necessary to conduct Common Stand Exam (CSE) in compliance with terms, specifications, conditions, and provisions of this contract.

2. Field work shall consist of: locating, establishing and marking plots and/or transects; measuring and recording data.

3. Non-field work in support of field examinations includes recommendations for adjustments to the compartment base map, including stand boundaries, roads, streams, ponds, lakes and other feature locations; review and verification of electronic data prior to submission (quality control). The work performed and the data collected shall be in compliance with the terms, specifications, conditions and provisions of this solicitation and the current Hiawatha Field Guide.

4. This contract is a performance-based, fixed-price contract.

DEFINITIONS

Plot Types

1. Fixed-Radius Plot—best suited for obtaining estimates on a per acre basis. This type is most often used for understory composition and regeneration surveys. The size of the plot is dependent upon the survey objectives.

2. Variable-Radius Plot—best suited for getting estimates of trees with a DBH or forest attributes associated with trees. These plots are quick to install and work well for volume estimates, but is not suited for regeneration surveys or for finding occurrences of rare plants. This is most often used for overstory plots.

3. Line Transect —best suited for collection of down woody debris data. Generally only items that cross the set line are tallied and measured. The most common method used is the Brown’s Transect.

Plot Types on Task Orders may be simple, singularly as described above, or complex, mixing any combination of them. The sample design will specify what is to be collected. Plots requiring understory data, typically fixed-radius plots, must be taken in snow-off conditions.

Quick Plot A quick plot exam may group trees by species, diameter, heights, and/or damage classes. Measurement tolerances are relaxed to allow for ocular estimation of many parameters. Limiting the information gathered and reducing measurement accuracy standards. This is the most common type of plot collected. Please see NRM NRIS FSVeg Field Guide for definitions of the other types of plots.

GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED PROPERTY AND SERVICES

The Government shall provide the Contractor the following listed materials, supplies, property or services, for use in the performance of this contract, hereinafter referred to as Government-Furnished Property. This property shall be used and maintained by the Contractor in accordance with the provisions of the “Government Property” FAR clause, (Reference Clause 52.245-4). If the Government fails to make timely delivery of such Government-furnished property suitable for its intended use, and upon written request from the Contractor, the contracting officer shall make an equitable adjustment of contract delivery or performance dates or contract price, or both, pursuant to the "Changes" clause of the general provisions of this contract.

Government-furnished Property

Software for ExamsPC and ExamsPDR

Templates

Shapefiles and files compatible with GPS, google earth, ArcMap Provided Upon Request

Government-furnished Services

1. Review of the inspection procedures at the Contractor’s request, or the Government Contracting Officer’s Representative (hereafter referred to as “COR”) request, the COR shall provide one review of the inspection procedures. This review shall be performed on a minimum of one plot.

2. Review data collection procedures at the Contractor’s request, the COR shall accompany the Contractor on one plot to review data collection procedures.

3. Review the Exams software at the Contractor’s request, the COR shall review the ExamsPC and ExamsPDR software, and provide initial assistance in familiarization with programs and use.

4. Notification of updates of program versions as needed. The COR will coordinate with Contractor(s) regarding upload of data from current program version, prior to updating to new program version.

5. As needed, COR will supply Contractor(s) with appropriate e-mail and/or web addresses for information, technical assistance, program updates and electronic copies of appropriate sections of the user guides.

6. Final uploads of Contractor’s data. The COR will upload data files to the FSVeg database using a Government PC. Load errors resultant of data entry errors require correction(s) and resubmission of data files by Contractor. No adjustments will be made due to personnel or program errors that result in data errors or loss of data. (Contractor is advised to keep back-up copies of all data submitted.) Discs/thumb drives etc. become the property of the Government after upload. (Data may also be submitted via e-mail.)

7. Access behind locked gates. Some stands are behind Forest Service locked gates. Access to some stands behind locked gates may be possible during the period the stand is being examined, if a closure order or law would not be violated.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

The Contractor shall adhere to the data-collection procedures in this Section and in the Hiawatha Field Guide. Each stand will be treated as an entity and pertinent data will be entered in the ExamsPC/PDR program. All measurements shall be made in accordance with the Hiawatha Field Guide and NRIS FSVeg Field Guide, which describe measurement procedures as specified in this contract. Where discrepancies between the contract and the Hiawatha Field Guide occur, the contract shall have precedence.

Examination Level and Plot Information Stands shall be examined using a Quick, Extensive, or Intensive Plot examination level as defined within the specific issued task orders. What information is to be collected is listed below by type of form. It is specified by either required or optional. Individual task orders will specify which if any optional data is to be collected.

1) Plot Type—the types of plots include fixed radius, variable radius, or line intersect as defined in the Sample Design within the issued Task Order (s).

2) Sample Design—In general, the size of each plot, BAF, or length of transect is part of the sample design provided by the Government, but they may be changed by the contractor if agreed upon by the COR and the changes are reflected in the Sample Design form. In task orders requiring the Sample Design is determined by the contractor, the guidelines for determining plot types and specifications in the Hiawatha Field Guide shall be followed. The desired number of trees per plots is 7-9.

3) Number of Plots—In general, the number of plots to be installed will be provided by the government for each stand, but not the plot locations. In cases where the number of plots have not been determined, refer to the COR or specific task order for guidelines.

4) Plot Location and Establishment— If the plot locations are not predetermined by the Government, plots will be established using a systematic grid approach. No boundary edge plots should sample trees from the adjacent stand. If plot locations are predetermined and plots fall close enough to the stand boundary to sample trees from the adjacent stand, the plot shall be randomly moved to create such distance. Plot locations will be established at regular intervals along a sample line. Distance between plots should not be less than 3 chains or greater than 15 chains, unless stand size or shape of the stand limits this requirement.

a) Data collected on a plot shall be completely within the stand being inventoried and shall not overlap another plot. Plots should be taken wherever they fall, not moved to other locations to avoid thick patches of brush, downfall, slash piles, or other unpleasant conditions. The only exception to this rule occurs when a plot would otherwise fall within 66 feet from open boundaries, such as roads and power lines. All plots should be kept at least 66 feet from these areas, unless stand size or shape limits this requirement.

b) The Contractor shall mark each plot center on the ground with flagging, minimum of 12 inches long, attached to a stake, wire, or piece of wood that is at least 24 inches in length and firmly monumented in the ground. The knot tied on this piece of flagging will be used as the plot center for re-measurement purposes. Another flag, minimum of 12 inches long, shall be hung 6 to 8 feet above the ground over or near plot center. Both flags will have the stand number and plot number.

c) Once plot center is established, the Contractor shall start at True North and rotate clockwise when tallying trees. Plot center will be used when inspecting the Contractor’s work. The first tree measured off True North will be flagged. Variations in this scheme can be made if agreed upon by the COR.

5) Data—All plot data shall be recorded at each plot using the Common Stand Exam (CSE) software or on a data sheets then entered by the contractor into the CSE software. Completed exams shall be delivered to the Forest Service as electronic files with the “CSE” or “PDR” file extensions as created by the CSE software.

6) Conflicts Between Assigned Plot Type and Data—Occasionally the prescribed Plot Type specified in a Task Order may be inappropriate for the vegetation found within an entire stand. In the event this happens, the Contractor shall adjust the sample design and the tree data collection to a more appropriate combination for the stand-as-a-whole. A common situation will be request for BAF change where, instead of using a BAF 10 to use a BAF 20 to attain the desired number of measure trees per plot (7 to 9). This is especially applicable in pine plantations where there is a high BA.

Setting Data Form (The Exams program in which data is collected refers to stands as “settings”.) The Setting Form shall be used to record stand information, level of exam, exam purpose, etc. Many of these fields populate automatically, if the PDR has been set up with templates (provided by COR) by the contractor. Only a few actually have to be completed by the examiner.

Setting Form Fields (and associated forms/documents)

If the Setting Form is changed in Exams PC/PDR, some of the information currently recorded in remarks may have their own field. When this happens, that data needs to shift from Remarks to the new Setting field, an example of this would be year of origin. If this happens, the COR will inform the contractor and only data collected with the new program will change where the information is recorded.

Existing Vegetation, structure and size density at the setting level should be entered after all plots have been completed, so as to reflect the examiner’s opinion of the averages for the entire stand.

Within Stand Features, for inspection purposes only those features that can be seen from the plot center will be considered. This does not relieve the Contractor of noting additional features spotted while walking through the stand.

Sketch Map and Traverse Notes can be either a GIS layer (readable in ArcMap) or a paper map. It shall show any proposed stand realignments, within stand features (if required) and the location of species of management interest (if required). It may also show traverse notes. The Contractor will notify the COR if an update is needed to the compartment base maps to reflect changed conditions or errors found during examination. Updates shall be based on results of field examination.

Sample Design Form Sample designs will be unique to specific Task Orders. The Sample Design Form shall be used to record design parameters. The Government shall provide the Sample Design(s) required for each task order. Expansion factors may or may not be provided by the Government. Any variations as described under Examination Level and Plot Information point 6 will be recorded on this form.

Plot Data Form The Plot Data Form shall be used to record information relevant to the plot.

A GPS unit is required to obtain latitude & longitude (plot location) within + 3-meter accuracy, using the UTM - NAD 1983 coordinate system. The Exams data collection program requires lat/long format.

The Size-density field is described in the Hiawatha Field Guide (see page 10.) Size-density at the plot level should reflect a combination of basal area at the plot and surrounding conditions.

Tree Data Form The Tree Data Form shall be used to record tree measurement information in all exam levels.

Is Required for site index tree Contractor

*For dead trees (snags), give an ocular estimate of the tree height. For Site Trees, total height should be measured to the nearest foot.

Specific task orders may also include down woody (fixed area, transect or Brown’s Protocol), vegetation composition, or ground surface forms. These types of plots are rare, and which field are to be collected would be spelled out in the task order. Many of the items to be recorded in the Tree Form (and other forms) have drop-down lists with codes and descriptions to select from.

Contractor Work Requirements and Standards Performance period Award of multiple items shall not change the required performance period for each item. If multiple items are awarded to one contractor, the respective performance times shall run concurrently, not consecutively, unless mutually agreed upon in advance. Work may be performed on each item in succession, provided the required rate of progress is maintained. The Government shall issue a Notice to Proceed as soon as the weather and ground conditions are favorable for work. Termination date will be noted in the solicitaion.

Rate of progress The Contractor shall maintain the rate of progress that completes the work on time. The minimum acceptable rate of progress shall be when the percentage of work accepted is within 10% of the percentage of time used.

Access The Forest Service assumes no obligation to plow snow or do special maintenance to keep roads open. Stands are accessible by some combination of 2-wheel or 4-wheel drive vehicle, snowmobile and foot travel. Forest Service roads open to vehicular access are printed on the Motor Vehicle Use Maps. FS roads not shown on the MVUM are closed to vehicular use; contractor shall not be permitted to drive on closed roads. There may also be seasonal restrictions on some FS roads. The Contractor shall be responsible for obtaining necessary permission to gain access to stand locations through privately owned land.

Locked gates In cases where stands are behind locked gates, authorization for limited motorized use may be granted. All requests for motorized travel of closed roads must be submitted in writing to the COR for specific roads and specific periods of time. If access is granted behind a gate, the Contractor will be responsible to ensure that gates remain closed and locked at all times and will be subject to all other restrictions of administrative use. The Contractor shall be permitted to drive from the locked gate to the stand with only the minimum number of vehicles necessary for efficient transport of the crew. No firearms are permitted behind locked gates. No motorized access will be allowed behind locked gates after periods of work. Motorized access will not be permitted behind locked gates during hunting season of turkey, deer, or bear. Contractor shall adjust work schedule to take the closure time into consideration. No Suspend Work Orders will be issued; contract time will run during this period. Any misuse of gates may constitute loss of privileges.

Contractor-furnished Property The Contractor shall furnish transportation, supervision, materials, supplies, equipment and labor to successfully complete the contract.

Performance Summary Requirements The following standards and tolerances are established for accepting the recorded data.

Accuracy Standards For purposes of evaluating the accuracy of data collected by the contractor, a pass-fail system and a point value system have been established for the various items to be measured.

Failure to recognize and/or report substantial stand boundary changes or inclusions may result in an Unacceptable Stand. A stand will be ruled as an Unacceptable Stand if the minimum number of plots specified is not taken.

All data entries must be recorded accurately and all applicable fields must be completed. All maps, sketches, flags and other hand-written items must be legible. Failure to complete required fields, inaccurate entries or illegible information will constitute an error and the appropriate point loss will be assessed.

Major Items for Data Delivery The following describes the major items for data delivery with the incentives and deductions for the work described.

Work Plan and Schedule

Work not completed on schedule is subject to Default and may result in assessment of penalties or actual costs.

Common Stand Exam Data Collection

If Contractor achieves < 5.00% error for Form Score and < 10.00% for Total Score, work is acceptable and the Contractor will receive full pay.

If Contractor achieves > 5.00% on any Form Score, the entire inspection block for that form is unacceptable and shall be returned for rework.

Inspection, Acceptance and Rework Basis of Acceptance Acceptance will be determined based on compliance with the contract specifications on the basis of an inspection by the COR or the designated inspector. Noncompliance will result in non-acceptance of the work. If the Contractor’s work is determined to be unacceptable, including data that exceeds tolerance standards, the Government may initiate any remedies described in FAR 52.246-4 Inspection of Services. Payment will be made only on completed and accepted compartments unless otherwise agreed upon by the Contracting Officer.

Inspection Rates 10 percent of plots within a compartment or inspection block will be selected for inspection, unless COR determines that a greater % needs to be inspected (primarily during initial phase of contract).

Initial Phase of Contract During the initial phase of the contract, the Contractor and/or their representative may be required to accompany the COR during the inspection of selected plots completed by the Contractor. The Contractor may also request to accompany the COR.

Payment Delay for Correction of Deficiencies When the Contractor’s inspection results fall below the performance standard of < 5% error for Form Score and < 10% for Total Score, based on the Government inspection, acceptance and payment will not be made until the deficiency(s) has been corrected.

Inspection Procedures The Government shall initiate a pass-fail check of certain specified standards and procedures for each inspection block. Inspection blocks deficient in the following specifications will be judged unacceptable. The determination of noncompliance with these items may be made during office inspection or during field inspection. Once an unacceptable error is found the Government will stop inspecting the block and return the block for rework. The following are unacceptable errors.

Unacceptable errors

Electronic data that cannot be read by Government computers.

Forms, maps, or other required documents that are incomplete, inaccurate, illegible or cannot be reproduced. Applies to paper or electronic items. This includes, but is not limited to setting remarks, and sketch maps.

Any stand with plots not evenly distributed throughout the stand.

Any stand in which an unacceptable error occurs in Setting Data Form, Plot Form or Tree Data Form.

Site Index trees not flagged or not findable.

Any stand in which the Contractor fails to recognize and/or report substantial stand boundary changes which have occurred. Substantial changes include, but not limited to the following:

- Any changes in forest type and/or size-density which would subdivide old stands (e.g. beaver activity or blowdown).

Any plot that samples trees from the adjacent stand, any sample plot center falling outside the stand boundary, and/or overlapping data. (i.e. the same vegetation measured on more than one plot)

Sample Design

Setting Data Only items required by the task order will be considered.

±10% >10% 2 Point Unacceptable Required

Plot Data Only fields required by the task order will be considered.

Tree Form Data Only fields required by the task order will be considered.

Unacceptable for Live Required

1/ Tree Count Tolerance Range Accuracy Standards

2/ DBH Tolerance Range Accuracy Standards

REWORK

Upon notification to the Contractor of a failed Form Score of > 5.00% error, of a failed Total Score of >10.00%, or if the block fails one of the pass/fail criteria listed above, the Contractor shall be required to rework the inspection block before beginning work on another inspection block. The Government will inform the Contractor what errors were found during inspection. It is up to the Contractor to determine the level of rework needed in order to pass a re-inspection. This will be at no cost to the Government. Repeated failure to perform work above the 90% minimum level will be considered reason for contract termination and default action.

Error and Discrepancy Trends of Collected Data If the Government determines that a series of continuous errors or discrepancies are occurring that could affect the validity of the stand data at either the plot level or the stand level, the contractor will be required to reexamine all stands within the compartment being inspected to correct the problem. A second inspection by the COR will be made upon completion of the Contractor's rework.

The table below shows items of particular importance and what accuracy is expected. The issue of continuous errors or discrepancies is not limited to these items.

Recurring GPS errors in location of sample plots greater than the acceptable error shall make the stand survey unsatisfactory and relocation of sample plots and re-measurement shall be required.

Rework Flagging Requirement At the Governments option, during a rework the Contractor may be required to use a different colored ribbon at each plot center. The COR shall specify the color of the ribbon. If a different color of flagging is called for it shall be at the Contractor’s expense.

Re-Inspection Limitation The Government is not required to provide more than two inspections on any single inspection block. Results of the last inspection will supersede any prior results for determining acceptability and payment. Failure to pass two inspections on a single inspection block may result in contract default.

SUBMISSION OF DATA AND INVOICES

1. The unit of measure shall be one plot. Each data submission shall be one compartment, unless agreed upon in advance by Contractor and COR.

2. Invoices must be completed according to FAR 32.905(b)(1). Invoices must be submitted in IPP.

3. The Contractor shall submit completed payment items (compartment data) within 60 days of beginning data collection or 14 days of completing data collection, whichever is sooner. For example, if data collection for a compartment begins on May 1 it must be completed and submitted by June 30 at the latest. If the last data collected for that same compartment is taken on June 3, the data must be completed and submitted by June 17th. (This is to facilitate field inspection.) Payment for compartment data submitted late will be reduced by 2% for each business day that it is late.

The Contractor shall submit with each inspection block the following deliverables:

Complete electronic field data in Exams PC/Exams CE (.cse) file format on a media form compatible with the COR’s computer (or submitted via e-mail). Data must be able to be read from the COR’s Forest Service computer. Submit 1 .cse file for each compartment using a logical naming convention. (Ex: D3_C24.cse) Multiple compartments can be included onto one *.cse file if agreed upon.

Compatible GPS file for plot locations. Submit 1 gps file for each compartment using a logical naming convention. (Ex: D3_C24.gps) Updated stand delineations on aerial photo overlays, compartment maps or GIS maps.

METHOD OF MEASUREMENT/INSPECTION

The Government’s inspection will not be initiated until the Contractor submits all data for the inspection block. Only stands requested for examination by the Government shall be paid for. Data collected by the Contractor in stands that do not meet the collection parameters of this contract shall be rejected for payment. All linear and area measurements under this contract are measured on a horizontal plain within the established boundaries.

Plots selected for field inspection shall be checked for accuracy as specified in the Inspection Procedures section.

If during the office inspection, the COR determines a discrepancy trend is occurring, the COR shall notify the Contractor of the finding. (This includes failure to regularly use Setting Remarks as shown in the example within the Hiawatha Field Guide.)

If during the field inspection, the COR notices a discrepancy trend developing, the Government may visit additional plots, to review the field(s) in question. These plots will be used to determine if a discrepancy trend exist. The COR shall notify the Contractor of the findings. If any discrepancy trend continues in any inspection, the inspection block(s) will be returned for rework.

Re-measurement If the COR’s original inspection results are unacceptable to the Contractor, the Contractor has the option to request, in writing, a re-measurement. Requests for re-measurement shall be made within five (5) calendar days after receipt of non-compliance and shall contain documentation to support the probability that an error exists. Upon the requested re-measurement the Government will conduct a minimum 2% sample. The same inspection procedure will be employed. If the re-inspection confirms the original inspection as not meeting standards, the contractor shall reimburse the Government for actual costs incurred for making the re-inspection. If the re-inspection fails to confirm the original inspection and indicates work meets acceptable standards, the Government assumes the costs of re-inspection. The results of the re-inspection will be the basis for payment. The Contractor may accompany the Contracting Officer’s Representative during the re-measurement.

METHOD OF PAYMENT

Payment Calculation A point deduction is given for each deficient entry or procedure within an inspection block. Acceptable tolerance levels for individual measurements are shown in “Inspection Procedures”. Any item or measurement indicated by inspection to be outside these tolerance levels shall be assigned a point deduction. Point deductions shall be calculated for each form within the inspection block and then added together for a Total Score. An inspection block may fail based on a Form Score or the Total Score.

· Unacceptable items in the Pass/Fail section = Rework entire inspection block (no payment)

· All form scores < 5.00% and Total Score < 10.00% = Full Payment

· Any Form ≥ 5.00% = Rework forms that failed for entire inspection block

· Total Score ≥ 10.00% to ≤ 14.50% = Rework entire inspection block or implement reduced payment schedule

· Total Score > 14.50% = Rework entire inspection block (no payment) Payment may be reduced for data that is not submitted in a timely fashion.

The inspection forms are avaiable upon request. They will be modified to include only those items required by a particular task order.