Statement of Work_0001.pdf

Bureau of Land Management, High Plains District, Wyoming

Field Office: Buffalo

C.1 General and Site Specific Specifications

Project Name Billy Creek Mechanical Thinning and Piling FY20

Scope of Contract This contract requires hand thinning and machine piling up to 218 acres in the Billy Creek area of the southern Big Horn Mountains. Base acres that will be awarded are 181 acres, with 37 additional acres that may be awarded.

This is a request for quote and proposal from bidders eligible to receive awards for Forestry contracts and/or contractors eligible to quote on the National Hazardous Fuels Reduction IDIQ for cut, pile and cover. Prices for the following bid items should be based on the Description provided below. Please use this Statement of Work to assist with quotes.

The project area is publicly accessible. No pre-bid meeting is scheduled but bidders are highly encouraged to visit the project area prior to bid submission.

Location Johnson County, Wyoming Township 48 North, Range 83 West, Sections 18, 19, 28, 33, 34 30 miles southwest of Buffalo Wyoming via Highway 16, then south on County Road 3 (Hazelton Road) to Billy Creek Road. Refer to the vicinity map on the last page.

Performance Period

Work may occur from June 15 through September 29 and must be completed by September 29, 2021.

Description The project will thin Douglas-fir, spruce, limber pine, and ponderosa pine as per specifications below. Material will be cut and piled, and later burned by BLM. In Unit 6 and Unit 8, downed dead will be piled

Work sites are accessible from Billy Creek Road which is a public road. Vehicle access to Unit 8 will be authorized during operations but is otherwise closed to motorized vehicles.

Unit boundaries are flagged in blue and/or pink.

Detailed Unit Information

Specifications are on the next page.

Hand Cutting and Mechanical Piling Crown closure of material to be cut is estimated to be less than 45% cover, slopes less than 35%. For IDIQ bidders this is Line Item 0011AA or 0013AA Downed dead in these units will be piled when not embedded or too rotten to move.

Base acres that will be awarded Unit 6 = 27 acres

Additional acres that may be awarded Unit 8 = 37 acres

Hand Cutting and Mechanical Piling Crown closure of material to be severed is estimated to be greater than 45% cover, slopes greater than 35%. For IDIQ bidders this is Line Item 0011AB or 0013AB.

Base acres that will be awarded Unit 7 = 154

Specifications Thinning

Cut live and dead trees less than 7” DBH (diameter breast height) on a 20-foot bole spacing (20’ X 20’). Trees greater than 7” DBH shall be included in leave tree spacing.

The following species, in order of priority, shall be selected for retention where spacing is applied:

1. Ponderosa Pine

2. Limber Pine

3. Spruce

4. Douglas-fir

When selecting leave trees less than 7” DBH, the healthiest and best formed trees shall be retained. Characteristics for leave trees include the following:

• No apparent damage to the main bole

• Not chlorotic

• Demonstrates good vigor and is disease/bug free

• Has at least 30% percent crown ratio

• Pine species including limber pine are preferred over all other species

Stump shall be cut flat (no punji sticks) and heights must be within 4” to the ground on the uphill side.

Leave any tree flagged or painted in any color.

Slash Piling

Slash shall l be de-limbed adequately and cut to length to make compact piles.

Piles must be larger than 8x8x8 feet and a large as the site can accommodate.

Slash piles shall be located as far as possible from selected leave trees and outside the dripline of large trees.

Slash piles shall not block roads or 2-track trails.

Fire Prevention State and local fire prevention laws may exist and must be followed unless written direction is provided by the Contracting Officer. At a minimum:

1. Operate all internal and external combustion engines on federally managed lands per 36 CFR 261.52, which requires all such engines to be equipped with a qualified spark arrester that is maintained and not modified.

2. Carry shovels, water, and fire extinguishers that are rated at a minimum as ABC - 10 pound on all equipment and vehicles.

3. Have means of communications with Contracting Officer Representative (COR) or Project Inspector (PI).

4. Initiate fire suppression actions in the work area to prevent fire spread to or on federally administered lands.

5. Notify the appropriate dispatch center or 911 immediately of the location and status of any unplanned ignition.

6. Notify the COR and Contracting Officer immediately of the incident.

Noxious Weeds Ensure that all equipment and vehicles are cleaned off prior to operating on Government lands. Remove all dirt, grease, and plant parts that carry noxious weed seeds or vegetative parts. This may be accomplished with a pressure hose. In addition, if equipment is found operating in a noxious weed area, the equipment must be cleaned before leaving project or moving to another area in location identified by COR.

Special Conditions

SAFETY PLAN

The Contractor shall provide a copy of their safety plan at the pre-work meeting. The Safety Plan should be available to all employees and subcontractors working on the contract. The Safety Plan should cover at a minimum:

1. Safety briefings covering the area working in, equipment being used, and any special considerations for the work under the contract

2. Personal Protective Equipment required for the work under the contract

3. Appropriate OSHA requirements for the type of work under the contract

4. Covid-19 prevention measures.

5. Weather considerations for the time of year of the contract.

6. Communication issues and locations of the nearest medical facilities to the job site.

7. Emergency numbers to contact if an accident happens

ENVIRONMENTAL INTERRUPTION OF WORK:

1. ENVIRONMENTAL - The Contracting Officer, by issuance of a suspend work order, may direct the Contractor to shut down any work that may be subject to damage due to weather conditions or fire danger. The Contractor shall be given a resume work order, which shall document the date the work suspension ends. An allowance has been included in the contract time for short-term environmental delays up to one day at a time. The count of contract time shall therefore continue during work interruptions of one day or less, but the count of contract time shall stop during work interruptions in excess of one day at a time. All periods of interruptions directed by the Government shall be documented. The Contractor shall not be entitled to additional monetary compensation for such suspensions regardless of duration.

2. ENDANGERED SPECIES - The Government may direct the Contractor to discontinue all operations in the event that listed or proposed threatened or endangered plants or animals protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, or Federal candidate (Category 1 and 2), sensitive or state listed species, identified under BLM Manual 6840, are discovered to be present in or adjacent to the project area. Actions taken under this paragraph shall be subject to FAR 52.24214 Suspension of Work.

3. FIRE DANGER SEASON - If the COR allows the Contractor to continue work during periods of declared fire danger or season, the Contractor shall comply with all applicable state laws relating to fire prevention and with all special conditions of work as directed by the COR.

PRESERVATION OF HISTORICAL AND ARCHEOLOGICAL DATA:

1. The Historic and Archeological Data Preservation Act of 1974, provides for the preservation of historical and archeological data that might otherwise be lost as the result of alterations to the terrain caused by a federal or federally licensed activity or program.

2. If, in connection with operations under this contract, the Contractor, subcontractors, or the employees of any of them, discovers, encounters or becomes aware of any possible historical or archeological data, objects or sites of cultural value on the project area, such as historical ruins, graves or grave markers, fossils, or artifacts, the Contractor shall immediately suspend all operations in the vicinity of the cultural value and shall notify the Contracting Officer in writing, giving the location and nature of the findings. No objects of cultural resource value may be removed.

3. Where appropriate by reason of discovery, the Contracting Officer may order delays in the time of performance and/or changes in the work. If such delays and/or changes are ordered, the time of performance and contract price shall be adjusted in accordance with the Changes clause.

4. The Contractor will be responsible for protecting the cultural resources within the affected area from damage. In addition, the contractor will be liable for all damage to the identified cultural resources caused by their actions or the actions of their agents or representatives. The Contractor shall immediately notify the Contracting Officer or his representative if any damage occurs to any cultural resource and immediately suspend work in the area in which damage has occurred until authorized to proceed. Actions taken under this paragraph shall be subject to the FAR 52.242-14 Suspension of Work.

Definitions Calendar Days - Every day shown on the calendar, Sundays and holidays included.

Contract Time - The number of calendar days allowed in the contract for completion of the contract work.

Leave Trees - Any tree that is selected or required to be left standing as provided in the specifications.

Over story Tree- Leave/reserve tree Ponderosa pine >8 inches DBH.

DBH- Diameter at breast height.

Dripline- Extent of over story trees canopy circumference, where rain would drop out of canopy “dripline”.

Slash - Any cut vegetation.

Spacing – The horizontal distance from the trunk of one leave tree to the trunk of the next nearest leave tree.

C.2 Inspection and Acceptance

Thinning Inspection Procedure

The Contracting Officer or designated representative will make periodic inspections. The Contractor or representative is encouraged to observe the inspection and will receive inspection summaries upon request.

Measurement and Payment

The acreage was measured on a horizontal plane within the established boundaries.

Basis of Payment - After inspection of completed acreage, the Contracting Officer or designated representative will calculate the pay rate.

The pay rate will be calculated by multiplying the inspection percentage times the contract unit price per acre. When the percent of satisfactory thinning is 90 percent or greater, payment will be made at the contract unit price.

Shape files available. Please email request to Contracting Officer, Crystal Martinez at crystalm@blm.gov.