C05a SF-30 1284LM27Q0001 AMD 0001.pdf

(x)

1284LM27Q0001

x x

1 copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted ; or (c) By separate letter or electronic communication which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BE

RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR

OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted , such change may be made by letter or electronic communication, provided each letter or electronic communication makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

x

84LM

OGDEN UT 84401-2310

324 25TH ST

USDA-FS CSA INTERMOUNTAIN 2

10/06/20260001

13. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO MODIFICATION OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS. IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required) is not extended.is extended, Items 8 and 15, and returning

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended , by one of the following methods: (a) By completing

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

FACILITY CODE CODE

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

CODE

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No., street, county, State and ZIP Code)

7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 6)CODE 6. ISSUED BY

PAGE OF PAGES

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO.3. EFFECTIVE DATE2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO. 5. PROJECT NO. (If applicable)

1. CONTRACT ID CODE

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

10/06/2026

CHECK ONE A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority) appropriation data, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not is required to sign this document and return __________________ copies to the issuing office.

ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

Amendment 0001 incorporates Q&As (attached to this SF-30), amends the SF-1449 (C05b) to correct block 10, amends the Performance Work Statement (C05c). Changes to C05b and C05c are highlighted in green.

Quotes due date : 20-OCT-26 changed to 27-OCT-26

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

15C. DATE SIGNED 16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR 16C. DATE SIGNED

(Signature of person authorized to sign) (Signature of Contracting Officer)

JOANNE MEIERS

STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 11/2016)

Prescribed by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

Previous edition unusable

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9 A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect .

Solicitation No. 1284LM27Q0001 Questions and Answers

1. Is December 15th a very firm deadline, assuming the other reporting deadlines can still be met? A weather event such as snow could delay field work, as it would make identification of the cairn sites very difficult or impossible.

Please see the Amended Performance Work Statement (C05c) for a revised project schedule and delivery deadlines.

2. The PWS states that shaded sites are excluded from the contract. Please confirm that the 25 unshaded Table 1 sites constitute the complete contract scope, including 32MZ734 (“Not eligible but never tested”) and 32MZ2048 (“Not Eligible”).

The scope of the contract does not include the shaded sites, only the 25 unshaded sites.

3. Will the awardee be furnished the current site forms, existing mapped site boundaries/polygons, prior site documentation and other available records for the 25 in-scope sites before fieldwork? If those materials are available to quoters before award, please advise how they may be obtained.

Site specific information is considered confidential and therefore cannot be disclosed prior to award. Qualified researchers can conduct research on these sites at the ND SHPO. After the contract is awarded, the existing information for the sites will be provided to the awardee or will be available from the ND State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO).

4. The combined solicitation states that questions are due October 14, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. MT, while the SAM.gov notice states October 15, 2026. Please confirm the controlling question deadline.

The latter is the deadline - October 15, 2026, COB. Solicitation Amendment 0001 (C05b) corrects this error.

5. Will questions and answers for RFQ 1284LM27Q0001 (Sand Creek Road Cultural Site Evaluation) be posted publicly?

Amendment 0001 incorporates questions and answers (C05a).

6. Can testing focus on evaluating the potential for subsurface deposits and not on confirming existing site boundaries?

Testing should be for subsurface deposits and site boundaries if needed. The testing needs to be complete enough to make an eligibility determination.

7. Should testing be limited to the 50-ft road ROW?

Testing may be needed beyond the 50ft ROW to fully test the site and determine eligibility.

8. The contract will likely be awarded late in the field season, and fieldwork may be delayed by weather. Is December 15, 2026, a hard deadline for fieldwork, or could it be completed in Spring of 2027?

See response to question #1.

9. The PWS establishes shovel-testing restrictions near cairns and stone circles and states that the Forest Service is responsible for consultation. Will a tribal cultural specialist be required for fieldwork? If so, will the Government coordinate that participation, or should contractors include it in their pricing? Are alternative evaluation methods permitted for culturally sensitive stone features?

There is no requirement to have a tribal cultural specialist present during the testing. The FS will do the consultation on the stone features separately. The stone features are not the focus of this testing, which is why there are stipulations to keep testing away from the stone features. The focus of this shovel testing is for presence or absence of subsurface cultural deposits. The few sites that have been tested in this area have proven to have intact deposits that vary from 20 cm bpgs to 60 cm bpgs. We are trying to determine which of these 25 unevaluated sites have buried cultural deposits. The results of this shovel testing will determine which of these sites will require formal test units to fully assess eligibility. All of this data will aid the FS in making an informed decision on future development of this road.

10.The PWS identifies December 15, 2026, as the estimated fieldwork completion date, with NTP still TBD. If late issuance of the NTP or frozen-ground conditions prevent completion, would the Government consider a written schedule adjustment? How should contractors account for this possibility in their proposed schedules?

See response to question #1.

11.The SAM.gov notice describes this requirement as a total small-business set-aside, while Block 10 of the SF-1449 appears to indicate unrestricted competition. Could you confirm the intended set-aside designation and applicable limitations on subcontracting?

This acquisition is a total small business set-aside. Amendment 0001 incorporates the corrected SF-1449 (C05b).

12.Government responses to questions could have an impact on teaming strategy and approach. Would the Government consider a five (5) calendar day extension of the proposal due date of following issuance of Gov’t responses to Industry Q&A?

Amendment 0001 extends the due dates for quotes through October 27, 2026.

13.The PWS states that evaluation of 25 sites will be evaluated, but the acreage is not provided. Can you please provide acreage so that we can evaluate the level of effort needed to complete the fieldwork portion of this project?

A list of sites is provided in the Amended Performance Work Statement (C05c). Acreage information can be obtained from the ND SHPO.

14.SF 1449 Block 10 marks the acquisition as unrestricted, while the solicitation incorporates FAR 52.219-6 and the SAM description identifies a total small-business set-aside. Please confirm the intended status and whether a corrected form will be issued.

See response to question #11.

15.May CLIN 0001 be invoiced and paid after the fieldwork is completed and accepted, separately from CLIN 0002 for the final report and site documentation?

If so, what deliverables and acceptance criteria are required for that payment?

Invoicing shall be upon inspection/acceptance of deliverables identified in the Amended Performance Work Statement (C05c). In the alternative, invoicing may also be submitted monthly with a progress report detailing work that has been completed for the month prior.

16.May the proposed archaeological subcontractor's annual ARPA permit cover the fieldwork under Ellis Innovations as prime, or must Ellis Innovations obtain a separate permit? Please identify any required documentation for the proposed prime/subcontractor arrangement.

If the subcontractor has an existing permit, that will cover the fieldwork. However, the person(s) on the permit and running the crew will need to submit a resume that demonstrates they are qualified. A permit to conduct archaeological investigations in North Dakota must also be obtained through the ND SHPO.

17. Is there a prescribed minimum number or spacing of shovel tests for each of the 25 included sites, or should the proposed methodology establish those quantities? Please clarify the intended excavation depth or stopping criteria; the PWS wording states that tests are to be “excavated bedrock soils or sediments that are not conducive to having cultural material.”

This requirement is for determining the presence or absence of buried cultural deposits. This data will drive the need for 1x1’s to fully assess the status of these sites. The soils will be different from one site to the next. The contractor will need to identify and interpret these soils. On some sites the shovel tests may only go down 30 cm while on other sites the tests could go as deep as 60

cm. Each of these sites vary in size so the number of tests will vary based on the size of the site. Spacing should be no more than 10 meters; some sites might require less/shorter spacing.

18.Can you please provide site forms so that the contractor is fully informed on the components and size of each of the 25 cultural resources that need documentation and evaluation?

A list of sites is provided in the Amended Performance Work Statement (C05c). From this list of sites, the contractor can go to the ND SHPO and obtain this information.

19.Can you please provide copies of the cultural resource inventory report/s that first identified these 25 sites that need documentation and evaluation?

This information can be obtained from the ND SHPO.

20.Can you please provide shapefiles of each of the 25 cultural resources that need documentation and evaluation?

See response to question #19.

21.What if any weather contingencies are allowed for in this contract timeline? As it is expected that it will snow in October and November in North Dakota and it is likely the ground will freeze. If weather and frozen ground are encountered will the contract be extended so that fieldwork can be completed in the spring of 2027?

Please see response to question #1.

22.Can you please provide curation standards and regulations for ND Heritage Center and please provide curation fee rates?

See response to question #19.

23.Does a file search of the records housed with ND Heritage Center need to be completed prior to the conduction of fieldwork?

No. The work is focused on the 25 sites identified in the package. However, a Class I records search will need to be included in the report.

24. It has been CRA's experience that there can be significant lag times in approving ARPA permits. Can the contract be extended if the ARPA permit is not approved within a reasonable amount of time say 1 week from NTP?

FS can get an ARPA permit out within a week, provided the contractor is quick to respond to the emails requesting information, signing the documents, and paying the fee. With the ARPA permit, the contractor will need to provide resumes of the principle investigator and the crew lead overseeing the field work. The contractor will also need to get a permit to work in North Dakota from ND SHPO.

25.Will a USFS Special Use Permit be required in addition to an ARPA permit to complete this work? What is the expected time of approval for these permits?

Can the contract be extended if the USFS permit is not approved within a reasonable amount of time say 1 week from NTP?

FS does not require a special use permit to conduct archaeological investigations.

26. Is there a standard grid pattern distance that the USFS would like employed for the shovel testing of each of the sites?

Each site is different and will need to be assessed differently. Generally speaking, the shovel tests should be no more than 10 m apart.

27. Is the excavation of 1-x-1 m units or larger expected for this project?

No, the purpose of this shovel testing is to determine which sites will require 1x1 units for full evaluation.

28. Is Sand Creek Road a publicly accessible road?

Yes.

29. Is Sand Creek Road an all-weather road?

Yes.

30.Will surrounding private landowners be contacted by the USFS or is that the responsibility of the contractor?

No. Sand Creek Road is a public road. All sites are on public land administered by the FS land and are fully accessible from this road. There is no need to contact private landowners.

31.Will privately owned lands need to be crossed for this project or is it all within public ROW?

See response to question #30.

32.What role, if any, does the contractor have in tribal coordination? The PWS says the Forest Service handles consultation and report distribution, so can we assume no contractor-led tribal coordination or consultation?

Tribal liaisons are not required to be present during testing. Tribal consultation is government to government. Contractors are not authorized to conduct tribal consultation.

33. Is there expected to be Tribal involvement regarding the interpretation and evaluation of known precontact sites and cairns?

The focus of this project is to determine if there are subsurface cultural deposits. The FS will consult on the stone features separately.

34.Can the Forest Service clarify the expected extent of shovel testing within each site, including whether testing may be limited to within the 50-foot road right-of-way and areas of proposed construction/disturbance, rather than distributed across the entire previously recorded site?

Ideally, the entire site area needs to be evaluated.

35.Does the Forest Service have required shovel-test intervals or a minimum number of tests per site, or may the contractor propose a site-specific testing strategy?

These sites vary in size and soils so a site-specific testing strategy would be ideal. At a minimum, testing should be no more than 10 m apart.

36.Can the forest service share whether any of the sites that have been unevaluated have been previously subjected to subsurface testing at all, and if so, how many?

None of these sites have been previously tested, that is why they are all unevaluated.

37.Can you provide the APE maps or any previous survey maps/GIS for the areas within the boundaries of the solicitation so we can provide the most accurate response?

See response to question #19.