Exchequer IRSC - QandA.1.pdf

Exchequer IRSC Stewardship – Notice ID 129JGP20R4008 Question and Answer

1) Where is the bid to be submitted? The Prather High Sierra Ranger District Forest Service Office or the Coyote Street Office in Nevada City?

The address for submitting a proposal by mail or by hand is:

USDA Forest Service R5 Central Cal Acquisition Service Area 631 Coyote Street Nevada City, CA 95959

Proposals will also be accepted by email at craig.ericson@usda.gov.

2) Where are the extra 3.5 miles of falling standing cull hazard trees that are above any beyond the

29.9 miles of road maintenance roads? I assume the extra miles are on the McKinley Grove Road (11S40) however where does the extra work start and where does it terminate?

Yes, the extra miles are on the portion of McKinley Grove Road within the Contract Area Boundary. It begins and ends where the Contract Area Map intersects McKinley Grove Road.

3) Where does the 3.55 miles of road reconstruction start on the Big Fir Road (10S13)? Does it start on the Dinkey Creek entrance on the west or the Brush Meadow entrance on the east?

It starts on the Dinkey Creek side, west entrance.

4) Schedule of Items for Road 10S32A (page 6 of 73) under Item No. 607(03) Remove and Relay CMP Plugged. Should the unit measure be Lump Sum instead of Stations? Just asking?

Typo, 607(03) is lump sum and 1. This has been changed in the schedule of items with solicitation amendment 1.

5) Are performance and payment bond premiums a reimbursable invoice item (See G.6)?

Performance and payment bond premiums are reimbursable under the Mobilization Item of the road reconstruction work. This item has been added in the schedule of items with solicitation amendment 1.

6) The Limited Operating Period for Bark Beetles is listed as November 1 – June 30. Is this correct as in previous IRSC Contracts, this LOP is listed as December 1 – June 30?

The November date is correct and will remain as listed. Previous contracts had the old date.

We will try to be as flexible as possible to allow for variances in the LOP.

7) The Limited Operating Period for Yosemite Toad is listed as October 1 – September 6. One of the constraints of this LOP is no road reconstruction, log hauling or any harvesting activities can take place within these designated LOP areas. The notes state that there could be elasticity in the start and stop of this LOP. Is there any way to offer some Prebid flexibility to this LOP especially regarding hauling and road reconstruction? Offering an editorial opinion if I might. Is it feasible to offer a contract with a 3-year termination period dealing with a perishable commodity when 75% of the project can only be operated, conceivably, within a 3-week period mailto:craig.ericson@usda.gov each year? A review of this LOP constraint might be in order prior to the submission of bids on June 12, 2020. At least some defined flexibility regarding the ability to reconstruct roads as spelled out within Bid Item #3 and the ability to haul logs through Toad LOP zones from timber harvested from outside Toad LOP zones.

We discussed allowing flexibility on this LOP. Attached is a clarifying document from the aquatics biologist to be included in the amendment.

8) Does 6 snags/per acre to be retained on the landscape as spelled out within Appendix A F.4 pertain to the Felling of Cull Hazard Trees as spelled out within Bid Item #4?

No. We do not want to retain any hazard trees.

9) Referring to the Volume Estimate and Utilization Standard Table, specifically under the heading of minimum specifications, should the minimum merchantable log specification be changed from 12% to either 25% or 33%? The traditional requirement is a minimum of 25% merchantable log needs to be sent to the manufacturing facility. Could this 12% requirement be confirmed or changed and modified upward?

It is still the 25% standard. This has been changed in Appendix B with solicitation amendment 1.

10) Could the slash work found under K-G.7# SLASH TREATMENT be clarified as to what type of slash work is desired and in which units? It is not clear, at least to me.

We discussed slash treatments. I showed those on the site visit a map of where the hand pile and grapple pile treatments are. The other areas are to be tractor piled. I am attaching the map to include in solicitation amendment 1.

11) Is a copy of the Avenza Map for this project available shortly after the Prebid tour?

Most people were able to load the map on Avenza. I provided paper copies for those on the site visit.