B09_Attachment_0009_Questions_and_Answers_140P5126Q0057__0002.pdf

Amendment 0002; Attachment 0009 RFQ # 140P5126Q0057

Provide Tree Thinning Services - Hazardous Tree Pruning and Removal Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park

Solicitation #140P5126Q0057

Questions and Answers

Question 1. The Abatement Plan restricts removal to November through March. The period of performance begins 28 September. On what date can cutting begin?

Answer: September 28, 2026 or whenever the POP is established (if its delayed).

Question 2. The line item includes trimming the roadsides and the price schedule is titled "Hazardous Tree Pruning and Removal," but no pruning quantity is given. How many trees, or how many linear feet of roadside?

Answer: There will be no pruning under this contract.

Question 3. Can the Government provide a list of the identified trees with species, DBH and location?

Answer: No list is available, please review the dbh's listed on the statement of work, all locations are within 25 miles of Fredericksburg, Virginia 22407.

Question 4. SOW 5.2 requires stumps cut to 4 inches above grade. The Abatement Plan requires grinding to 3–6 inches below grade with backfill in developed and historic areas. Which applies, and at how many locations?

Answer: No Grinding or backfill only need stumps cut 4" or shorter.

Question 5. SOW 4.4 and 5.3 require all debris removed from the job sites. The Abatement Plan permits leaving material scattered on site or chipping into adjacent forest. Which do we price?

Answer: Price complete removal however there will be situations where you will be able to chip/leave felled debris.

Question 6. Does the price include the straw, mulch and seed restoration in the Abatement Plan? And SOW

7.1 states 90 days while the cover page shows 28 September to 26 February — which is correct?

Answer: No straw mulch or seed unless unnecessary damage is done by contractor. And 90 days from start of performance (POP).

Question 7. Pricing format. Attachment 0003 (Price Schedule) provides three lump-sum line items (Base, Option 1, Option 2). The solicitation separately states the price shall include a breakdown of supervision, management, labor, transportation, equipment, materials, other direct incidental costs, overhead, and profit. Is a cost breakdown required in addition to the three lump-sum figures? If so, in what format and volume, and to what level of detail?

Answer: Lump-sum figures for the base line item, optional line-item 1, and optional line-item 2 is all that’s required. Please disregard the following statement in the Request for Quote (RFQ) document, as this information is not required: “The price shall include a breakdown of all necessary supervision, management, labor, transportation, equipment, materials, any other direct incidental costs, overhead, and profit.” Offerors are not required to provide a detailed cost breakdown for these items.

Question 8. Evaluation methodology. Please confirm whether award will be made on a Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) basis or a best-value tradeoff, and the relative importance of price versus the technical / non-price factors.

Answer: Award will be made using Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) source selection procedures.

Question 9. Completion documentation. What evidence of completion does the Government require at the end of the performance period? Is a COR inspection and acceptance the sole basis, or is any documentation deliverable required (e.g., photographic log, per-tree records, or GPS coordinates)?

Answer: COR inspection along with the specified GPS coordinates / tree species list.

Question 10. Traffic control. For work along public park roadways, must the contractor follow a park-specific traffic control plan, or provide its own certified traffic control (flaggers) per applicable state DOT / MUTCD standards? Please identify any park-specific traffic-control requirements.

Answer: Must follow VDOT (Virginia Department of Transportation) Standards - we do not have any park specific requirements.

Question 11. Days and hours of performance. The solicitation and SOW do not appear to specify any restriction on the days or hours during which work may be performed. Please confirm whether there are any park-imposed restrictions on days or hours of performance (for example, work limited to certain hours of the day, weekend or holiday limitations, or event / closure blackout dates at specific battlefields), or whether the contractor may set its own schedule within the 90-day performance period, subject to COR coordination.

Answer: Work permitted from 6am - 5pm M-F . Any afterhours, weekends, or holidays to be worked must be approved by COR in advance. No other specific blackout dates anticipated at this time.

Question 12. Given that responses to the above may affect offerors' pricing approach, will the Government consider extending the proposal due date to allow time to incorporate the answers?

Answer: The request for quote due date for receipt of all quotes has been extended through September 10, 2026, 1:00pm ET.

Question 13. Could you provide more specific information on the trees identified for removal, such as species, DBH in inches, and approximate height?

Answer: The DBH's are listed in the contract, all species, height varies from 10-110 feet.

Question 14. Could you provide additional details on equipment access at each work site, including any access restrictions or limitations?

Answer: This is spelled out in Tree Plan (Attachment 0006 of the solicitation) - No vehicles will travel over or park within the area generally defined by the canopy of a tree, except if the tree is to be removed and/or if a bucket truck is the only safe means to treat a tree. The root zone of neighboring trees which are not being treated will not be traveled over. Load distribution matting may be used. COR or Park POC will oversee operations. • Stage equipment and vehicles on paved surfaces when possible. To stabilize any exposed soil caused by off-pavement work, apply straw/mulch and/or seed with a NPS-approved soil mix.

Question 15. Could you provide information on the hazards at each work site and whether the trees can be felled conventionally or would require piece-by-piece removal and rigging?

Answer: Main hazards identified at some, or all sites will be traffic, utilities, pedestrians, earthworks, signs, gates, and other privately owned properties. Some trees will be able to be felled conventionally where there will not be damage to other trees, earthworks, etc., some will require piece by piece.

Question 16. Any available photos, maps, or other site information would also be very helpful.

Answer: No photos or maps are available at this time.

Question 17. Solicitation page 8 states that Davis-Bacon prevailing wages apply and references Attachment 0005, Wage Determination 2015-4287, Revision 37. Attachment 0005, however, is a Service Contract Act wage determination. Please identify the governing labor standard and wage determination.

Please identify the applicable labor classifications for Certified Arborists, climbing arborists/tree climbers, ground workers/tree workers, equipment operators, and other hazardous tree-removal personnel. If an applicable occupation is not listed, please confirm whether the contractor must submit an SF 1444 conformance request.

Answer: The reference to the Davis-Bacon prevailing wage rates was included in error. Attachment 0005, Service Contract Act (SCA) Wage Determination, is the correct and applicable wage determination for this solicitation. Offerors shall follow the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) occupational classifications applicable to the work being performed. For assistance in determining the appropriate labor classification, please contact the Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, toll-free help line at 866-487-9243. If a class of service employee required for contract performance is not listed in the applicable SCA wage determination, the Government will determine post-award whether an additional classification and wage rate must be established through the conformance process using SF-1444, Request for Authorization of Additional Classification and Wage Rate..

Question 18. Please reconcile the SOW’s 90-day performance period with Amendment 0001’s September 28, 2026 through February 26, 2027 period of performance. Does this period cover the base requirement and all exercised options collectively, or will additional time be granted when an option is exercised?

Answer: We would like everything completed as stated in POP however, if an extension is required, a request for an extension can be submitted for consideration.

Question 19. Does the project-specific SOW requirement limiting stump height to four inches above grade govern all trees, or must stumps in developed or historic areas also be ground three to six inches below grade under the Hazardous Tree Abatement Plan?

Answer: Everything will need to be 4 inches or lower above grade, no grinding required.

Question 20. Approximately how many, or what percentage, of the trees are expected to permit conventional felling versus climbing, aerial-lift removal, dismantling, crane/rigging, or another specialized method?

Answer: The park does not have a percentage at this time; however it will solely depend on the ability to fell the trees without damaging other trees, resources, etc. If the contractor can't accomplish this with traditional felling techniques, piece by piece removal will have to take place.

Question 21. Is a tree inventory, marked-tree list or map, photographic record, GIS-coordinate/species/DBH inventory, site-visit field notes, attendance record, or site-visit Q&A available to offerors?

Answer: These items are not available at this time.

Question 22. Must all logs, brush, chips, and other wood debris be hauled off-site as required by the SOW, or may the alternative NPS-approved disposal methods described in the Hazardous Tree Abatement Plan be used?

Answer: There will be times when the alternative methods will be used, solely directed by the

COR.

Question 23. What work hours and roadway-closure restrictions will apply? Will NPS personnel coordinate or assist with road closures, or must the contractor provide all traffic-control coordination, personnel, devices, permits, and related services?

Answer: Normal operating hours will be from 06:00am to 4:00pm. Offeror’s will provide all traffic-control coordination, personnel, devices, permits, and related service and must follow local VDOT standards.