1305M326Q0236__ATTACHMENT_1_Statement_of_Work.pdf

STATEMENT OF WORK

1. PURPOSE

The National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecast Office (WFO) located in Upton, NY, requires groundskeeping and landscaping services in order to maintain a clean and safe external work environment.

2. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The NWS WFO is located on the campus of the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) campus at the following address:

National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office-New York 175 Brookhaven Ave. Bldg. NWS-1 Upton, NY 11973

3. SCOPE OF WORK

A. NOTE FOR 2026: The season for providing groundskeeping and landscaping services is April 1 through November 30 each year. In 2026, prior to Date of Award, only the grass was mowed during the months of April through June. The Contractor shall provide all services, with the exception of mowing, that were to have been performed in April, May or June 2026 within two (2) weeks of award or as negotiated by the Government Point of Contact. A site visit is recommended to develop an accurate quote.

B. The project site is approximately two (2) acres which includes buildings, walks, and other paved surfaces, therefore, the area requiring groundskeeping or landscaping services is less than two (2) acres. See Attachment 2 Site Photo for to see the site and the areas designated for groundskeeping or landscaping services.

C. All work performed under this contract is required to meet the quality and performance standards as identified. The Contractor shall provide all supervision, personnel, equipment, tools, materials, and other items and services necessary to perform Landscape Maintenance from April 1 through November 30 each year. Work shall be in a manner that will maintain healthy grass, shrubs, and plants, and present a neat and professional appearance.

D. If services cannot be performed due to inclement weather, the Contractor shall perform any and all scheduled services the next duty day with no degradation to existing scheduled services.

E. This Statement of Work describes WHAT is to be accomplished, not HOW to accomplish it, and states a basis for determining whether finished work meets the Government quality requirements. The Contractor shall develop procedures for accomplishing all requirements including safety, security and communication requirements and processes for identifying and correcting deficiencies in the quality of services before performance becomes unacceptable.

4. SUPPLIES, MATERIALS, EQUIPMENT AND UTILITIES

A. Government Furnished:

Electrical power will be provided at existing exterior receptacles for the Contractor to operate their equipment, as necessary, in the performance of this contract.

B. Contractor Furnished:

(1) The Contractor shall furnish all supervision, personnel, equipment, tools, materials, and employee training necessary to achieve the quality performance standards of the work in this contract, unless otherwise specified herein.

(a) Training shall include all applicable OSHA and other related standards.

The Contractor shall submit all Safety Data Sheets for any materials or products containing “dangerous” or “warning” labels used under this contract to the Government Point of Contact within ten (10) days after contract Date of Award.

(2) The Contractor shall furnish all equipment necessary to accomplish the work under this contract. All equipment must meet all applicable OSHA standards. The Contractor shall not use any unsafe equipment or any equipment in need of repair.

5. CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL

A. Within five (5) days of contract Date of Award, the Contractor shall submit, in writing, the name of the Site Manager. The Contractor shall supply cell phone and email address to the Government Point of Contact for use in contacting the Site Manager. The Site Manager shall conduct overall management coordination and shall be the central point of contact with the Government for performance of all work under this contract. The Site Manager shall be authorized to receive any notices of deficiency in contract performance. The notices may include, but not be limited to, the following: non-performance of work, deficiencies in work performed and notices of proposed payment deductions due to the above. The Site Manager shall be available weekdays, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., and be physically located within 30 minutes of the work site in order to be able to meet to discuss problem areas.

B. All personnel employed by the Contractor shall be experienced in the type of work involved and familiar with the specifications of this contract.

C. All Contractor personnel must undergo Contractor/Vendor Orientation (CVO) training, which is required by the BNL security office. The Government Point of Contact will provide information as to how to complete the CVO training and any other training required by the work site.

D. Additionally, all personnel must be a U.S. citizen, must be 18 years of age prior to beginning work or the individual’s start date, and must provide identification that is REAL Identification compliant and/or a New York State enhanced license. Lawful permanent residents of the United States must bring their Green Card (the Green Card or the I-551 stamp must be valid and also base on country of origin). Non-U.S. citizens who have not been granted a U.S. green card or permanent residency are not eligible for a site access security clearance (no exception). The Contractor is responsible to ensure their employees are in compliance with identification requirements (no exception). BNL is a highly secured site.

E. The Contractor is responsible to have their employees registered, trained and issued a badge within ten (10) days of the Contractor employee beginning work. Please see the Government Point of Contact with any questions that pertains to the BNL security guidelines. The badging process is a requirement by BNL to securely access the ground which NOAA staff and contractors must adhere to.

F. The Contractor is required to provide necessary and on-going tenant relations or customer service training for their employees.

G. Contractor personnel shall conduct all operations in such a manner as to minimize any inconvenience in the use of the facilities to the occupants.

6. SCHEDULING WORK AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

A. Within five (5) work days of the contract Date of Award, and annually thereafter for renewal periods, the Contractor shall submit to the Government Point of Contact schedules and plans to accomplish required services throughout the year.

B. If changes need to be made to reduce conflicts with Government operations, special events, or other occurrences, the Contractor shall meet with the Government Point of Contact and revise the schedule as necessary.

C. The Government Point of Contact may request changes to the monthly work schedule so spacing of services is distributed to meet the needs of the Government. The Contractor shall not deviate from this schedule without prior approval from the Government Point of Contact.

D. The Contractor must provide a minimum of three (3) hours notification if services cannot be performed for any reason on that day. The Contractor shall then perform any and all scheduled services the next duty day with no degradation to existing scheduled services.

E. If the Contractor fails to provide a minimum of three (3) hours notification and does not arrive the day of service, they will not be paid for the service that is not rendered or accepted that includes all additional day(s) that follows.

7. PERFORMANCE STANDARDS AND GUIDELINE REQUIREMENTS

A. The Contractor shall provide all labor, equipment, materials, supplies, and supervision to perform grounds maintenance and landscape services as identified in the Statement of Work.

B. The Contractor shall utilize innovation, technology or other means, in order to complete the following tasks and meet the quality and performance standards.

1) Mowing and Trimming Operations: The Contractor shall cut grass on a weekly basis from April 1 through November 30; however, shall adjust the frequency of mowing depending on weather conditions, maintaining the height of grass between 2” and 2 ½”. The Contractor shall monitor the growth of the grass and schedule cutting/mowing operations as required. The Contractor shall prevent scalping, uneven mowing, rutting by equipment, damage to trees and shrubs during contractor operations. The Contractor shall replace shrubs and trees damaged during mowing operations. The Contractor shall take precautions including remove or repair its equipment causing unnecessary damage or establishing procedures resulting in satisfactory mowing results. The Government is not responsible for damage to Contractor’s equipment due to trash, debris, or uneven terrain. Contractor shall maintain all open drainage systems, open culverts under driveways, and ensure roads are free of debris, trash, limbs, leaves and grass clippings. Contractor shall trim grass and weed around trees, shrubs, buildings, fences, poles, posts, fire hydrants, parking lot bumper blocks, and rocks in the surrounding building. UIAB site including the shed to provide clearance to the entrance about ten (10) feet to doorway and two (2) feet of the surroundings (each side) and other fixed obstacles.

Trimming height shall match surrounding area grass height. Grass clippings shall be removed to provide a uniform appearance after mowing. All improved grounds shall look well-manicured at all times. All areas shall be trimmed concurrent with mowing. It is the Contractor’s responsibility to ensure their trimming or mowing services does not damage trees. If grass seeding is needed to repair damaged areas, use a compatible grass seed mixture. Damage to trees and shrubs from trimming, caused by Contractor shall be repaired by the Contractor at no additional cost to the Government. If a plant should die or become unhealthy due to damage caused by the Contractor, the Contractor will be responsible for replacing the damaged plant or tree with a plant or tree of the same species, and size. Plant or tree replacement or repair shall occur within fifteen (15) days of noticed damage.

2) Fertilize Grounds. The Contractor shall fertilize all turf areas four (4) times annually, with the timing evenly spaced April 1 through November 30, with a balanced lawn food. All shrubs, ground covers and trees will be fertilized as needed to maintain a healthy condition. Apply herbicides and pesticides to turf, shrubs, trees and ground cover as needed to control weed and insect infestation. Herbicides and pesticides used shall not injure plantings. Fertilizers shall be standard commercial grade of organic or inorganic fertilizer of the kind and quality specified per results of soil testing by the Contractor and appropriate to industry standards.

The Contractor shall notify the Government Point of Contact prior to the beginning of each fertilizer, pesticide or herbicide application and post flags indicating the application. The Contractor shall apply fertilizer, herbicides, and pesticides in compliance with instruction and conditions contained on labels and required by the Environmental Protection Agency, state and local regulations. The Contractor shall ensure the Safety Data Sheets are available at all times.

3) Edging. The Contractor shall perform edging weekly, cutting the grass back from all edges 0.5” to 1.5” and not cut deeper than 1.5” to 2”. Edging shall include removal of vegetation from sidewalks (including cracks and expansion joints), driveways, concrete curbs, planting beds and mounds, and rock beds. Grass shall not extend over the edge of any of the above areas.

4) Weed Control. The Contractor shall monitor weeds and perform weeding weekly in order to keep all areas, including rock beds, free of weeds. Lawns shall be maintained so that annual and perennial weeds, including all clover and coarse grass species, are not growing or visible. Parking lots, walkways, rock beds, fences, and all building perimeters, including the Upper Air Inflation Building (UAIB), shall be kept free of weeds, grasses, leaves and debris. Weed killing, herbicidal sprays or granular applications, are permitted. The Contractor shall ensure herbicides used will not injure any existing plantings.

5) Cleanup. The Contractor shall remove all grass clippings, weeds, and pruning from the project site weekly or when work is performed. Walks and driveways shall be kept free of equipment and debris. Exterior walls of building shall be kept free of soil. When on the job site police entire grounds to remove all trash, debris and leaves. This shall include the vehicle parking lots, walkways and lawn areas.

6) Main Building. The Contractor shall perform full Spring and Fall cleanup around the main building. The Contractor shall provide overseeding and aeration of the lawn around the main building during Fall cleanup.

7) No Dumping allowed on Government DOE/BNL Grounds: Under no circumstance is the Contractor allowed to dump weeds, grasses, leaves and debris on DOE/BNL grounds. The Contractor will be heavily fined by the DOE/BNL for dumping on the Government grounds as this property is a governmental Superfund site. The Contractor shall take all weeds, grasses, leaves and debris away from the DOE/BNL site.

8) Mulch Placement. Once a year, at a time agreed to by the Contractor and the

Government Point of Contact, the Contractor shall provide and place hardwood mulch in all planting beds, shrubs, trees and walkways. The Contractor shall provide a quantity sufficient to maintain planting bed areas with a minimum mulch depth of four (4) inches, and tree mounds with a minimum depth of six (6) inches. A sample of mulch shall be submitted to the Government Point of Contact prior to application.

9) Erosion Control. The Contractor shall repair and fill all rivulets, soil slides, and washouts when identified by the Contractor or the Government Point of Contact.

10) Leaf Removal. The Contractor shall remove all leaves and other debris from planting beds and lawn weekly in order to maintain a clean appearance.

11) Pruning. The Contractor shall prune all shrubs to existing form twice during the growing season or as needed as identified by the Contractor or the Government Point of Contact. Trees shall be pruned from ground level to up to 12’ to improve form and remove dead wood and spent blossoms as needed. Tree and shrub suckers, excess shoot growth, and limbs shall be removed as needed. Plantings such as ground cover, perennials, and bulbs, shall be cut back as appropriate for the species.

12) Bed Preparation and Maintenance. The Contractor shall perform general Spring cleanup (in early April 1) to bed areas. Beds shall be edged and cleaned of all debris and weeds before adding mulch. Beds shall be maintained to present a neat appearance throughout the season with use of appropriate herbicides and regular weeding. Insure items in beds are maintained within their boundaries. Rock beds adjacent to main building and parking lots shall be free of mature weeds. Weeds shall be treated with an organic alternative treatment (Go Green is preferable).

Treated weeds shall be removed within one (1) week.

13) Annual Beds: Three (3) times per year, the Contractor shall plant annual flowers in the areas adjacent to the main entry doorway, in 4 beds, in front of the building Island (right center), near the NOAA signage by side road. The first planting shall be April 1 – May 15 and consist of annual and perennial deer resistant plants as available during the season. The second and third planting (Summer/Fall) shall be October - November and consist of a combination of the following plants: hardy mums, cabbage purple doves, white doves, pink doves, other colorful seasonal flowers and bulbs for blooming in the following Spring season. Plants and bulbs shall be approved by the Government Point of Contact prior to planting.

14) Damage. If the Government determines that damage to shrubs and trees are caused by the Contractor, the Contractor shall repair/replace them at no additional cost to the Government. The Contractor will be responsible for replacing the damaged plants or trees with plants or trees of the same species, and size. Plant or tree replacement, or repair, shall occur within 15 days of noticed damage.

15) Irrigation system – Winterize the irrigation system by October 15 and start up the system by May 15 of each year.

16) Sprinkler alignment and verification of all zones. In the Spring, the Contractor shall activate and program the controller for scheduled watering cycles through the Spring, Summer and Fall as appropriate. Replace failing sprinkler heads as needed. Product Features - Should not leave a visible film or residue and will not change the color of plants or foliage.

17) Final Work. During the last two weeks of the contract, the Contractor shall leave all planting beds, tree mounds, and rock beds in a weed-free condition. Grass shall be mowed, weather conditions permitting, regardless of height.

8. PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES AND THRESHOLDS

The Contractor service requirements are summarized into performance objectives that relate directly to essential services. The stated performance thresholds are the minimum acceptable levels of service for each stated requirement. All aspects of the Contractor performance are subject to Government surveillance, and absence of any contract requirement from the Performance Objectives identified below does not detract from its enforceability nor limit the rights or remedies of the Government under contract clauses.

Performance Objectives

1) Perform all weekly services as required in the Statement of Work Performance Threshold: Not to exceed one (1) valid complaint of unsatisfactory service per week

2) Perform all seasonal-specific services as required in the Statement of Work Performance Threshold: Not to exceed one (1) valid complaint of unsatisfactory service per specified interval

The preferred method of resolving deficiencies is to allow re-performance to correct the deficiencies. The Contractor will be provided with the opportunity to correct substandard performance within one (1) business day. When substandard performance is not corrected within the specified timeframe or the Contractor refuses to re-perform the service, the unsatisfactory service is then logged as an unresolved deficiency.

Deductions for unresolved deficiencies will be calculated as 1/30th of monthly price for each day that the Contractor fails to correct.

9. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE AND SCHEDULE

The base period of performance for this requirement is Date of Award through June 30, 2027. There are four (4) separately-priced option periods as follows:

• Option Year 1: July 1, 2027 through June 30, 2028

• Option Year 2: July 1, 2028 through June 30, 2029

• Option Year 3: July 1, 2029 through June 30, 2030

• Option Year 4: July 1, 2030 through June 30, 2031

The Contractor shall provide groundskeeping and landscaping services within three (3) business days of Date of Award.

The Contractor shall provide services only during business hours Monday through Friday.

Observance of Legal Holidays and Site Closure Information The Contractor shall observe any federal holidays set forth in the Department of Labor Wage Determinations, if the holiday falls within the period of performance of this contract.

When any holiday falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday is observed; when any holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is observed. All personnel assigned to this contract shall limit their observation of holidays to those set forth above.

In each instance, the Contractor agrees to continue to provide sufficient personnel to perform requirements of any critical tasks already in operation or scheduled, and shall be guided by the instructions issued by the Government Point of Contact. In the event of a site dismissal or closure due to weather, emergency or other circumstances, the Contractor is instructed to contact the Government Point of Contact for guidance.

Contractor agrees to observe all Federal Holidays, and any other day off work designated by Federal Statute, Executive Order, or Presidential Proclamation. Federal Holidays include:

New Year's Day, Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.

If a holiday falls on a Saturday, for most Federal employees, the preceding Friday will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes. (See 5 U.S.C. 6103(b).) If a holiday falls on a Sunday, for most Federal employees, the following Monday will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes. (See Section 3(a) of Executive Order 11582, February 11, 1971.) See also our Federal Holidays – "In Lieu Of" Determination Fact Sheet at https://www.opm.gov/policy-dataoversight/pay-leave/work-schedules/fact-sheets/Federal- Holidays-In-Lieu-Of-Determination

10. GOVERNMENT POINT OF CONTACT

This will be provided in the award https://www.opm.gov/policy-dataoversight/pay-leave/work-schedules/fact-sheets/Federal-Holidays-In-Lieu-Of-Determination https://www.opm.gov/policy-dataoversight/pay-leave/work-schedules/fact-sheets/Federal-Holidays-In-Lieu-Of-Determination

STATEMENT OF WORK