SANDY LOOP BAR, BIG CYPRESS NATIONAL PRESERVE SOLICITATION NO. 140P5126Q0058

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PRICE SCHEDULE

Item no.

Item Description QTY*

Unit of

Measure

Unit

Price** Total***

Survey and Treat – Accepted Acre

Treated 1,987 Acre $ $

GRAND TOTAL FOR EVALUATION $

* Evaluation Quantity for quote evaluation purposes only.

** The unit price per Accepted Acre Treated includes (a) survey/inspection within the 6,667-acre project footprint to locate Melaleuca, and (b) treatment of identified Melaleuca using methods that do not cause ground disturbance, with all labor, equipment, materials, and supervision. Acceptance is per “Accepted Acre Treated” as defined in the Definitions section of this statement of work.

*** For Evaluation Purposes Only. Total amount will depend on Accepted Acre Treated and must not exceed $428,576.00.

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STATEMENT OF WORK

Project Description: As shown on the accompanying map: 1) Grid survey the entire contract area for presence of Melaleuca; 2) Visually inspect each 250m grid for the presence of Melaleuca; 3) Treat all

Melaleuca observed using spot-spray herbicide techniques; 4) Treatment method must be suitable for remote locations that may not be easily accessible by foot or off-road vehicle; 5) Treatment methods may not cause any ground disturbance. The contractor must furnish all labor, equipment, materials, and supervision necessary to achieve the end-result.

CONFIDENTIALITY: The information developed under this contract is the property of the U.S.

government and must be kept in strict confidence.

PERFORMANCE PERIOD: January 11, 2027 to September 1, 2027. However, once contract work begins all work must be completed within a 3-month window. Additionally, while the POP is for 9 months, it is understood that the optimal time to spot-spray herbicide is during the winter, dry period. Work should commence as soon as environmental conditions allow.

PROJECT IDENTIFICATION: The work of this contract consists of the services described below for the project referenced. In this document, the project must be referred to as:

Sandy Loop BAR - Burned Area Rehabilitation Project

I. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF WORK

Project Size: Total acres of the project area: 6,667 acres that may contain Melaleuca.

Habitat description and information: Big Cypress National Preserve (BICY) is a 729,000 acre unit of the National Park Service. The area is generally roadless with very limited access available only by use of an off-road vehicle where permitted. Terrain where invasive species persist may be remote and difficult to cross and access on foot. A variety of vegetation communities are represented within the contract area.

Vegetation communities include open prairie, pineland, hammock, cypress forests and mangrove systems.

This SOW requires spot-spraying herbicide treatment of Melaleuca within the areas depicted on the accompanying map. Big Cypress is home to several federally-listed endangered wildlife species including the Florida panther, red-cockaded woodpecker and the Eastern indigo snake, along with federally-listed plant species.

A geo-file with general infestation data will be made available to each quoter. The data provided in the geo-file is for general information only. The data collected was collected during 2020-2021 surveys.

Thus, species densities are NOT to be relied upon for quoting, but rather a guide to which species were observed, general species densities and locations. The 250m squares depicted on the map indicate the presence of invasive plants. They are not dense areas of infestation and simply serve as a guide to where infestations have been observed. Understand that an additional visual inspection by the applicator is necessary prior to any application of herbicide.

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Definitions

Accepted Acre Treated (AAT). GIS-verified sum of acreage of treated Melaleuca patches, to the nearest

0.5 acre (AC), supported by daily submissions: spray-on/off event logs tied to treatment activity; centroid locations with acres treated per centroid; product, rate, and diluent by date; and ArcGIS shapefiles in

UTM-17/NAD-83, discernible by date.

Contract Footprint. The geospatial boundary of the project area within which survey-and-treat may occur, as depicted on the SOW treatment area map.

Contracting Officer (CO). The U.S. government’s authorized agent for all contractual matters, holding the sole legal authority to bind the government to a contract.

Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). Federal employee formally designated in writing by the

Contracting Officer (CO) at the time of award, or as necessary, to assist in the technical monitoring and/or administration. Additional information will be provided in the COR designation letter at time of award.

Daily Spatial Data Deliverables. The daily geospatial and tabular submissions required by the SOW

(spray-on/off events; centroid locations with acres treated per centroid; product/rate/diluent by date;

ArcGIS shapefiles in UTM-17/NAD-83, discernible by date).

Evaluation Quantity. The Government’s estimated quantity used solely to compute the evaluated price at award (e.g., 1,987 AC). See VII. ACCEPTANCE AND PAYMENT for payment information.

Integrated Operations (Survey-and-Treat). Survey and treatment may occur as a single workflow; upon identification of Melaleuca, treat immediately when label and conditions allow. If conditions prevent immediate treatment, flag and re-treat within ten (10) calendar days, maintaining daily data submissions.

Invoice Package. Monthly progress invoices must bill only Accepted Acre Treated for the period and include the daily spatial data and tables specified in the SOW; final consolidated shapefiles/tables are required at closeout. In addition, invoices must be submitted in accordance with FAR clause 52.212-4 and local DOI clause Electronic Invoicing and Payment Requirements – Invoice Processing Platform (IPP).

Label & Weather Compliance. Application must comply with product labels, including spray drift management statements (e.g., release height, wind limits, inversions). Work pauses when conditions fail;

no compensation unless otherwise directed.

Licensing & Credentials. The Contractor must ensure all applicators hold appropriate Florida pesticide applicator credentials applicable to the chosen method(s) as required by the SOW.

Minimum Payable Increment & Rounding. Pay to the nearest 0.5 AC per treated polygon. Invoices may bill only in 0.5-acre increments (i.e., 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, … acres).

Non-Payable Work Items. Reconnaissance/survey, transit, equipment moves, and non-treatment activities are not payable as separate items; payment occurs only for AAT.

Not-to-Exceed (NTE) Amount:. The total amount payable under this instrument must not exceed

$428,576.00; Contractor must notify the CO at 85% of the NTE. Any work performed, obligations

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Page 4 of 7 incurred, or costs arising that would result in cumulative payments exceeding the NTE are at the

Contractor’s sole risk and expense, and the Government has no obligation to reimburse amounts in excess of the NTE absent a prior bilateral modification.

Re-Treatment. If a polygon is rejected, Contractor may be required to re-treat within the performance window. No additional pay for re-treat unless the re-treat is required solely due to Government-directed constraints.

II. SCOPE OF SERVICES

Invasive plants of varying density levels are found throughout BICY. These plants have been actively treated since the late 1970’s. The goal of the BICY invasive plant program is the coordinated and consistent management of invasive plants to maintain their populations at the lowest feasible levels.

In this project BICY intends to contract services to spot-spray herbicide for treatment of invasive plant species. It is understood that the primary species present in the area is Melaleuca. The accompanying map indicating presence and location of invasive plants within the treatment area are from reconnaissance surveys conducted between 2020-2021.

A. Treatment methods must not cause any ground disturbance.

B. Treat identified Melaleuca using spot-spray techniques to meet performance standards.

C. All equipment and herbicide necessary for the execution of this contract will be provided by the vendor.

D. Target species must be treated appropriately and left to naturally decompose.

Herbicide Use:

A. Submit the proposed herbicides to be used on this project to the COR a minimum of six weeks prior to the first field application, along with the EPA registration number, the MSDS and label sheets, method of application, and approximate dates of application. The same applies for any substitutions or formulation changes.

B. All herbicide applications must comply with product labels, including the location where it must be applied, and the plants to which it must be applied.

C. Be familiar with, and adhere to, all Federal, state, territorial or local safety regulations pertaining to natural area weed control operations.

D. Ensure all applicators hold appropriate Florida pesticide applicator credentials applicable to the chosen method of application (e.g., natural areas category). If the contractor elects to use methods that require additional credentials, the contractor must ensure compliance.

Schedule:

Provide a schedule for this project including start date and overall completion date.

Treatment:

A. Melaleuca will be identified and treated using spot-spray herbicide techniques.

B. The contractor must, on a daily basis, electronically record all treatment information for this

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Page 5 of 7 project using a system specifically designed for spot spraying techniques. For treated sites, that includes spatial spray-on and spray-off data, centroid locations with acres treated per centroid, and herbicide use and formulation. All spatial data must be discernable by date.

C. All spatial data submitted in association with application of herbicides will be submitted in

Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system UTM-17/NAD-83 datum.

D. GPS information must be submitted as an ArcGIS shapefile on a daily basis such that the day’s treatments are submitted each night.

E. All herbicide applicators must have appropriate Florida state licensing for treatment method.

F. Project supervisor is responsible for sending two texts daily to COR. One in the morning indicating where they are working and the second in the afternoon upon exiting the field or ending operations.

G. Contractor must coordinate with all NPS/DOI divisions where appropriate.

H. Deliverables required before any payment is processed:

Each invoice submitted must be accompanied by the daily spatial data deliverables for the invoiced period:

(i) spray on/off event logs tied to treatment activity;

(ii) centroid locations with acres treated per centroid;

(iii) herbicide product, rate, and diluent by date; and

(iv) ArcGIS shapefiles in UTM-17/NAD-83, discernible by date. These deliverables support verification of Accepted Acre Treated for that billing period.

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Figure 1 Treatment Area Map

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III. QUALITY STANDARDS

All work performed must comply with applicable laws, regulations, NPS policies and guidelines, and as described in this statement of work.

A. Plant Knowledge: The contractor must have an in-depth knowledge of the treatment area plant community. This includes plant identification skills for both native and invasive plant species.

B. Safety Protocol: Contractor must follow safety protocols to prevent accidents.

Contractor and park must develop accident reporting procedures and contacts.

C. Site Housekeeping: The contractor must keep a clean job site. Dirt clods, trash, and other debris must be removed from the jobsite prior to departure each day, including used herbicide containers and associated materials.

D. Quality Assurance: The contractor and their staff must have knowledge of and experience with current control technologies of invasive plants common to the ecosystem being treated.

The contractor must fully comply with all applicable local, state and Federal regulations.

E. Clean Vehicle and Equipment Standards: All vehicles and equipment must be inspected for mud, weeds, exotic seeds and other unwanted substances before their entry into Big

Cypress National Preserve. The contractor must power-wash all equipment before entry.

The NPS reserves the right to reject equipment that is dirty and could potentially spread unwanted substances within the park. Vehicles may require cleaning upon leaving the site.

IV. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY

N/A

V. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

N/A

VI. DELIVERY SCHEDULE

The contractor must complete all work within three (3) months of the first field application, and not later than September 1, 2027.

VII. ACCEPTANCE AND PAYMENT

Payment will be made only for Accepted Acre Treated (AAT) as verified by the daily spatial data deliverables specified in the SOW section Treatments, 8) Deliverables required before any payment is processed. Monthly progress invoices are permitted and must include only AAT accrued during the billing period, in 1- or 0.5‑acre increments . The Government will accept or reject reported acreage within seven (7) business days of receiving a complete invoice package.