12FPC119Q0036_Amendment_2_ATTACHMENT_3__Tree_planting_site_visit_Q&A.pdf

Question & Answers (Q&A) Sheet Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) Section 1

12FPC119Q0036

Tree Planting in the State of Kentucky

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (SITE VISIT)

WRP Tree Planting Contract Site Visit August 19, 2019 Mayfield, KY USDA Center

10:00 CST

Meeting Notes:

Meeting began at 10:00 am central time.

• Danny Mandell is the CO (Contracting Officer), at danny.mandell@usda.gov, 101 South Main Street Suite 200, Temple, TX 76501; Tel. (254) 742-9923

• Ray Toor is the COR (Contracting Officer’s Representative), at ray.toor@usda.gov, 270-339-2401

• The site visit consisted of four sites in Ballard County

• Corrections to acreage will be released in the amendment.

• This is a hand planting only contract

• This procurement is a TOTAL SMALL BUSINESS SET-ASIDE ACQUISITION and will be released under Solicitation Number 12FPC119Q0036. The small business size standard is based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 115112 Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating with a size standard of $7.5 million average annual income.

• The project calls for 736,750 tree seedling and 283 containerized trees that will be planted on approximately 1,698 acres throughout various counties, in the State of Kentucky.

• PROJECT DURATION. 8 calendar months and 18 calendar days (260 calendar days) after the Notice to Proceed (NTP) is issued. Contract approximate Period of Performance September 15, 2019 through June 1, 2020

• Some of the sites in the western part of the state are subject to flooding from the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers and are advised to be planted first.

• Quotes are due no later than 2:00 pm Central, September 4, 2019

Amendment 2 Attachment 3 Site Visit Questions and Answers (Q&A)

Solicitation 12FPC119F0036 Tree Planting in Various Counties in the State of Kentucky, USDA NRCS mailto:danny.mandell@usda.gov mailto:danny.mandell@usda.gov mailto:ray.toor@usda.gov mailto:ray.toor@usda.gov

• Trees are inspected by sampling plots of 1/20 per acre, 1 per 10 acres.

• If planting is done before March 1st, the contractor must come back to the site and spray. If planting is done after March 1st, planting and spraying can occur together.

• We require a preconstruction meeting with the winning contractor to discuss landowner contacts, locations, sites that have locked gates, etc.

Meeting ending approximately at 10:45 am

Questions and Answers from Meeting

Q: How soon after the trees are planted will they be inspected?

A. Generally, the trees will be inspected at the end of the planting on the site. We don’t want the contractor to leave the site before the trees are inspected.

Q: What do we do if trees are unavailable? Can we make substitutions?

A. We want the tree species and quantities listed for each site. No substitutions.

Q: Could the contractor band spray on the sites?

A. No, spray the entire field.

Q: Do the fields need to be forestry mowed?

A. Yes, although other methods can be used to clean up the sites. If the contractor can use a bush hog without causing damage to the equipment, they are welcome to do so.

Q: What should the contractor do with the trees/ brush that is removed from the site?

A. The contractor should leave it and plant around it.

Site Visits

Started approximately at 11:45 am with Swan Lake WRP (Bid item 25), then Jones WRP

(Bid item 23), then Schroeder WRE (Bid item 10), and last Yancey WRE (Bid item 12).

Questions and Answers

Q: Will these sites be flagged or marked where the contractor can determine the boundary?

A. Yes. The sites will either be flagged or marked with ribbon. The contractor can also be given the shapefiles for the easement boundaries and tree planting boundaries.

Amendment 2 Attachment 3 Site Visit Questions and Answers (Q&A)

Solicitation 12FPC119F0036 Tree Planting in Various Counties in the State of Kentucky, USDA NRCS

Q: Is the Swan Lake site representative of all of the sites?

A. No. Some sites are being cropped, some have been flooded, some look similar to

Swan Lake, some are slightly worse, and Jones is the worst condition of the sites.

Q: Do these sites typically flood before January?

A. No, typically they do not flood before then, but they can.

Q: What does the contractor do if they plant trees and then they get flooded?

A. It is okay for the trees to go under water. It is going to happen.

Q: Can we strip mow at Jones?

A. Yes.

Q: Does is matter how wide of strips the contractor mows?

A. Ray recommended 20ft strips, but contract amendment will say minimum of 10 foot strips where container trees are planted.

Q: Can the sites with seedling trees be strip mowed?

A. No, sites requiring mowing with seedling trees will need to be completely mowed.

Q: Are all the sites easily accessible?

A. All easements will have a legal access. Some easements do have locked gates.

Contractors will be given access to those sites.

Q: What to do with areas of drift deposits?

A. Plant around the drift deposits.

Q: Does the flooding come with notice or is it more flash flooding?

A. In the western part of the state, we are able to follow the river gages, so we typically have plenty of notice before the sites go under water. In the eastern part of the state, the site typically come up and go down within a day.

Q: Can the corrections to the contracts be highlighted, so it is easier for the contractors to detect the changes

A. Yes, we will send the amendments highlighted to the CO.

• Carrigan WRP (Bid item 21) and Scott WRP (Bid item 24) are being deleted/removed from the contract.

Site visit concluded at approximately 1:30 pm CST at the Yancey WRE.

Amendment 2 Attachment 3 Site Visit Questions and Answers (Q&A)

Solicitation 12FPC119F0036 Tree Planting in Various Counties in the State of Kentucky, USDA NRCS