C05c SF-30 1284LM27Q0002 AMD 0002.pdf

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1284LM27Q0002

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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.

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84LM

OGDEN UT 84401-2310

324 25TH ST

USDA-FS CSA INTERMOUNTAIN 2

10/21/20260002

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

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

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AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

10/21/2026

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

Amendment 0002 incorporates Questions and Answers (attached to this document), replaces

C05b Amended Performance Work Statement 1284LM27Q0002 AMD 0001 with C05d Amended

Performance Work Statement AMD 0002, and adds C05e Area Map 1284LM27Q0002 AMD 0002. Change to C05d is highlighted in green.

The due date for quotes remains the same.

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. 1284LM27Q0002 Questions and Answers

1. Can you please provide a summary of acres that require survey?

There are approximately 80,000 acres of National Grasslands within the survey area. See Attachment C05e Area Map 1284LM27Q0002 AMD 0002.

2. Are drones allowed on the LMNG? If so, can they be used to assist in identifying potential DASK habitat and access routes for ground truthing?

No. FS cannot currently allow drones due to specific flight limitations.

3. The Technical Proposal requests similar projects completed by the quoting firm in the past three years. If I submit the quote as the prime contractor and team with others, may I include relevant projects completed by proposed subcontractors or key personnel? Or can I only include projects completed by my firm?

Per 52.212-1(2)(a)(i) of the combined synopsis solicitation, contractors should provide a list of similar projects completed by your firm over the past three years.

However, if a company does not have past performance information available, information may be provided for predecessor companies, key personnel, or subcontractors.

4. The PWS references Table 1 identifying the proposed survey and mapping areas. Could you provide Table 1? If there is no separate table, should we use the eight listed townships to define the survey area?

There is no separate table. Eight listed townships should be used to define the survey area.

5. Should offerors plan to survey all potentially suitable habitat within the designated areas, including road-inaccessible badlands, or are there limits on the areas that need to be surveyed (for example, limit surveys to habitat within 0.5–1 mile of a road and areas that can be accessed without climbing)?

Yes, quoters should plan to survey all potentially suitable habitat within the designated areas, regardless of the distance from the road

6. Could the habitat shapefiles and data dictionary be made available before the October 28 question deadline? This would help develop a more informed proposal and cost.

These areas have generally not been surveyed and mapped, so existing data is not available. The expectation would be layers identified as suitable habitat-yes or no.

7. Can offerors plan on using ATVs where needed, subject to approval, or should we assume access will be limited to existing roads and areas accessible on foot?

Yes, quoters can plan to use ATVs where needed. This would require an off-road permit.

8. Regarding "Record the location of any rare or TES or RFSS pollinators including Dakota Skipper,” is there any requirement or preference for completing habitat mapping during the Dakota Skipper flight period?

It is not required to complete the surveys during the Dakota Skipper flight period. This is just to note any observances should the survey be completed during time periods when the species might be present.

9. The effort required to map habitat across such a large area could vary considerably depending on the level of detail and accuracy. Can you share the expected budget range (this will help us keep our effort/cost scaled appropriately)? Is there an expected number of mapping field days or other estimate of the expected effort?

Government estimates are confidential. There is not an established budget range.

We do not have an expected number of field mapping days.

10.Would preliminary habitat screening using soils data, aerial imagery, and existing data be useful and welcome? Or has this already been done to some extent?

The contractor can use preliminary habitat screening with GIS to narrow the field survey time. Areas would be expected to be field verified to confirm accuracy of the desktop analysis.

11.The Performance Work Statement identifies eight townships encompassing approximately 184,320 acres and references Table 1 as identifying the proposed survey areas. However, Table 1 is removed from the downloaded document. If you cannot provide the table, can you tell us how many survey units are involved and the acreage of each as well as how widely distributed they are? Will the survey-area shapefiles be available to prospective contractors before quotations are due, or only after award?

See response to Question #4. We have not delineated specific survey areas.

The areas to survey are within the FS parcels located in the townships as shown on the area map. There are not any specific shapefiles to be provided. See

Attachment C05e Area Map 1284LM27Q0002 AMD 0002.

12.Do you intend for the March 2025 Dakota Prairie Grasslands Biological Survey and Reporting Guidelines to govern the habitat assessment and mapping methods under this contract?

The contract Project Work Statement is fashioned after the guidelines as written in the 2026 Dakota Prairie Grasslands Biological Survey and Reporting Guidelines which are very similar to the 2025 version.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/nfs/files/r01/dpg/publication/2026%20Biological%2 0Survey%20and%20Reporting%20Guidelines.pdf

13. Is the contractor expected to conduct pedestrian surveys throughout the entirety of each designated survey area, or will walking the perimeter be the only necessary assessment ? What level of field examination and documentation is required for portions of designated survey areas determined not to contain suitable Dakota skipper habitat?

Reconnaissance of the contract area before the survey season should be conducted to identify locations of potential Dakota skipper habitat.

Reconnaissance should consist of a combination of desktop GIS analysis, including use of the habitat modeling tool developed by the USFWS (https://iris.fws.gov/APPS/ServCat/Reference/Profile/159874), and should be verified by on-the-ground observation. Habitat surveys should be based on ocular field observations collected by walking meandering transects through each identified polygon but do not need to include areas that are not potential habitat.

14.The March 2025 guidelines describe ocular vegetation cover estimates supported by periodic quantitative calibration and recommend a minimum number of transects per survey. For purposes of determining quantitative sampling effort, how is an individual survey defined under this contract— by survey unit, habitat polygon, vegetation community, or another criterion?

Each surveyor would need to complete at least 1 set of 3 calibration transects for each township with additional needed if there are variations in suitable habitat plant communities.

15.Could the Forest Service clarify how the greater-than-50% Type B habitat dominance threshold in the Performance Work Statement should be https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/nfs/files/r01/dpg/publication/2026%20Biological%20Survey%20and%20Reporting%20Guidelines.pdf https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/nfs/files/r01/dpg/publication/2026%20Biological%20Survey%20and%20Reporting%20Guidelines.pdf https://iris.fws.gov/APPS/ServCat/Reference/Profile/159874 calculated and documented?

The percent of species to calculate greater than 50% is based on percent cover of the species listed as requisite species in the Project Work Statement. These should be documented as ocular estimates of percent cover by area for each polygon.

16. Is there a minimum mapping unit or minimum patch size for delineating suitable habitat? Are there equipment standards beyond the specified UTM NAD83 coordinate system?

Mapping should be completed at a fine scale to include patches as small as 1 sq meter. If small patches are in proximity with each other, they should be mapped to show connectivity.

17.We understand that Dakota skipper surveys and habitat assessments have previously been conducted on the McKenzie Ranger District, including work in 2015 and subsequent years. Are the proposed 2027 survey areas intended primarily to evaluate previously unsurveyed areas, update existing habitat delineations, or both? Will previous habitat assessments, vegetation classification data, or existing habitat suitability GIS layers be furnished to the contractor?

The proposed 2027 survey areas are intended to evaluate previously unsurveyed areas and to complete initial habitat delineations. There are not currently any GIS layers available for these areas.

18.Are there substantial areas requiring off-road travel or special access arrangements?

There are 3 non-motorized areas within the survey area. These areas can be accessed by the contractor with motorized vehicles under a site-specific off-road permit issued to the successful bidder if needed. Other areas off of existing roads that are open to motorized travel may also be accessed with an off-road permit.

19. In the SCHEDULE description should "rare plant survey" be changed to "Dakota Skipper Survey and Mapping"?

This was a cut and paste error. These are typographical areas. The reference has been changed to “this project.” See C05e Amended Performance Work Statement 1284LM27Q0002 AMD 0002.

20.For this project, shouldn't the "appropriate phenological window" be defined by a more limited field season? For the habitat this could be limited to the Dakota skipper flight period (~15 days) or a more expanded window including time (perhaps a week or two) before and after the flight. For budgeting purposes, it would be helpful to have an expected number of days that are required for the surveys.

The surveys should be completed in the field season window that allows accurate identification of the requisite plants. Generally, this would be May 19- August 31 depending on the year and the phenology of the plants. The surveys do not need to be completed during the flight period. FS does not have an estimated number of days for the survey.