Attachment_1-_Statement_of_Work_rev1_0001.pdf

Statement of Work Coastal North Carolina NWR Complex Phragmites Aerial Spraying

Introduction This is a turnkey contract to aerially apply herbicide via helicopter to treat phragmites {Phragmites australis) at several National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) in northeastern North Carolina. Refuges participating in this project include: Alligator River NWR, Pea Island NWR, Pocosin Lakes NWR, Mattamuskeet NWR, Swanquarter NWR, Mackay Island NWR, and Currituck NWR (See Appendix A for refuge office locations; not all refuges have treatment acres in Base Year 2023). Phragmites is an entrenched, invasive species that forms monoculture stands that reduce the diversity and quality of the wetlands on the refuges for native wildlife. Phragmites occurs in stands that are large and suitable for aerial application of chemicals to reduce stands and control further spread. Control is difficult to achieve without repeated applications of herbicide.

The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, supplies (water and chemicals), facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to perform aerial herbicide spraying of phragmites as defined in this Performance Work Statement (PWS) except for those items specified as government furnished property and services. The government shall not exercise any supervision or control over the contract service providers performing the services herein. Such contract service providers shall be accountable solely to the contractor who, in turn is responsible to the government. The contractor shall perform to the standards in this contract.

The contractor, its employees, and any subcontractors performing work under this contract shall:

• possess a valid state certified aquatic pesticide applicator's license for the state of North Carolina and Virginia as required, and

• shall comply with all Federal, State, and local laws and regulations applicable to the contract work and to the products and material used by the contractor in performing that work.

Period of Performance The period of performance service schedule shall be for one (1) Base Year from Contract award through September 7, 2023 four (4) option years for the same monthly time period. Option years are subject to availability of funds and agreement of both the government and contractor. Application outside these dates has proven ineffective and is not permitted unless approved by the Refuge Point of Contact (POC) for that station (See Appendix A for POC information for each station). Preferred start dates vary by refuge and herbicides being applied, requiring coordination with each Refuge POC. The Refuge POC will have 60 days from date of application to inspect work.

The Period Service Schedule reads as follows:

Base Year Contract Award - September 7, 2023 Option Year I May 15 - September 7, 2024 Option Year II Option Year Ill Option Year IV

May 15 - September 7, 2025 May 15 - September 7, 2026 May 15 - September 7, 2027

The Period of Performance reads as follow: (Base and option years in the contract will be for one year to allow for administration and invoicing)

The contract will have one (1) base year and up to four (4) option periods

Base Year: Contract award- May 14, 2024

Option Year 1: May 15, 2024- May 14, 2025

Option Year 2: May 15, 2025- May 14, 2026

Option Year 3: May 15, 2026- May 14, 2027

Option Year 4: May 15, 2027- Dec. 31, 2027

Project Scope

Contractor pilots must be proficient at identifying phragmites (Phragmites austra/is) from the air. Areas identified for Base Year 2023 treatment in Appendix B (Maps) are dominated by phragmites but may not be composed of 100% phragmites. Any patches within an identified treatment area that do not contain phragmites must not be treated. Total target project size is approximately 3,614 acres for Base Year 2023 with acres for each refuge identified in Appendix A. Although new areas to treat may be identified, total target project size for the Option Years will likely decrease as the need for retreatment diminishes.

Which refuges are treated and the number of acres to treat will fluctuate between refuges each year and as dictated by funding. The government will provide maps of priority treatment areas by refuge for each Option Year prior to March 31.

Contractor must provide all water needed for the herbicide application. All water provided by the contractor must contain low iron levels. Note: Refuge water is extremely high in iron which reduces the effectiveness of the treatment. Locally sourced water can be used if approved by the individual station Refuge POC (Appendix A).

Contractor will provide all chemicals needed for aerial application. Chemicals approved for use in this contract include glyphosate and imazapyr labeled for aquatic use, and methylated seed oil (MSO).

Refuges must have an approved Pesticide Use Proposal (PUP) in place before any chemicals can be applied on refuge land; therefore, herbicides that the contractor will be allowed to use shall be limited to the following:

• Glyphosate: Roundup Custom, AquaNeat, Glyphosate 5.4, Rodeo

• lmazapyr: Polaris AC Complete, Arsenal Applicators Concentrate, lmazapyr 4SL

• Surfactant - 100% methylated seed oil, not limited by brand

Individual stations may require more than one tank mix to be applied depending on vegetation characteristics at each application site. For example, one station may request areas be treated with a glyphosate/MSO mix and some areas be treated with a glyphosate/imazapyr/MSO mix within the same application year. (See Appendix A for approximate application rates by treatment/mix.)

Contractor will provide herbicides and surfactants to be applied by brand name in the bid proposal.

Application rates shall be no more than the maximum permitted by label for controlling species to be treated or otherwise specified in the approved PUP for that herbicide. The government will provide the contractor with any Best Management Practices (BMP) imposed in the approved PUP for that chemical.

The Contractor must abide by all PUP BMPs and label restrictions. The contractor will verify application rates with each Refuge POC before treatment.

The contractor shall develop and maintain an effective quality control program to ensure services are performed in accordance with this PWS. The contractor shall develop and implement procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure non-recurrence of defective services. The contractor's quality control program is the means by which he assures himself that his work complies with the requirement of the contract.

Handling and Mixing

All herbicides shall be handled and mixed in accordance with the label instructions. The contractor shall be responsible for providing mixing and loading equipment. The contractor must be capable of calibrating equipment to the final application rate specifications. The contractor will ensure that emergency spill containment equipment is at the worksite and said spill equipment can contain all potential herbicide spills from Contractor vehicles/equipment. Should a spill occur, the Refuge POC will be contacted immediately.

Unused, mixed pesticides will be disposed of in accordance with local, state and EPA guidelines. Spray equipment cleaning will also be accomplished in accordance with these guidelines. All spray tanks and mixing tanks must be properly cleaned (triple rinsed) prior to arrival because this will not be allowed on site. Contractor/operator may not flush/rinse out tanks onto the ground after the job is completed.

Prior to leaving the worksite for the day, the contractor shall remove all trash, equipment and materials associated with contract from government property unless approval has been granted by the Refuge POC, and/or a storage site has been identified.

Contract Coordination/Hours of Work The contractor agrees to attend a virtual post award conference meeting, in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 42.5. This meeting will aid coordination of start dates between refuges and the review of pertinent logistic and safety information, such as aerial hazards on each refuge.

The contractor will coordinate with the Refuge POC no less than 72 hours prior to application. Normal operating hours are between the hours of 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM Monday thru Friday or as otherwise arranged with each Refuge POC.

Contract Deliverables Following completion of spraying at each station, the contractor must submit total amount of pesticide applied by pesticide name, total acres sprayed, and estimated efficacy of treatment to the Refuge POC.

Contractor must provide the Refuge POC with shapefiles (WGS 84 or NAD 83) showing all flight paths and polygons where treatment was applied. Delivery should be electronically to Refuge POC within 3 weeks following completion of spraying at a station. This will be an annual requirement.

Evaluation and Acceptance The task shall be considered complete following an inspection of the treatment areas by the Refuge POC utilizing the supplied treatment polygons. At least 75% of treated vegetation located in the treatment areas shall show the effects of herbicide application within one month by showing significant yellowing or decline.

Figure 1 Phragmites treatment areas. Purple = Mix 1 (glyphosate only + MSO); Red = Mix 2 (glyphosate + imazapyr + MSO)