A04_SOW.docx

IN REPLY REFER TO:

United States Department of the Interior

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

St. Croix National Scenic Riverway

401 Hamilton Street

St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin 54024

SCOPE OF WORK

OVERVIEW: Tree maintenance is needed near the St. Croix Visitor Center which also serves as the park’s headquarters building. Three (3) trees have the potential to fall on the building. The 3 trees are located along the north and west sides of the building and are not easily accessible with even the smallest sizes of equipment. Specialized equipment, tree climbing, or additional labor may be necessary to conduct the required tree work due to the difficulty to access the tree locations.

SCOPE OF WORK:

A. The Contractor shall furnish all supervision, equipment and sufficient personnel for selected maintenance (ie: tree pruning, tree removal, and debris removal) and all related incidental work as in accordance with specifications stated herein.

B. The work locations are located adjacent to the St. Croix Visitor Center Building, a U.S. National Park. Park facilities and resources that are near and adjacent to tree work locations must be protected before and during the work taking place to prevent damage.

C. The contractor shall not subcontract any work required by this contract without the express written approval of the Contracting Officer (CO). If the CO approves the Contractor to subcontract any part of the work required under this contract, a copy of any such subcontract shall be provided to the CO.

D. All work shall be under the direction and general supervision of an Arborist(s) certified by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) or state equivalent certification who possess verifiable experience as a full time direct supervisor of shade tree maintenance, climbing work crews, and current tree care and safety practices in accordance with accepted industry standards.

E. All tree workers shall, through related training and on the job experience, be familiar with the technical aspects and hazards of tree maintenance work and equipment used in such operations. All tree workers shall abide by any industry code of ethics or professional conduct established by the International Society of Arboriculture.

F. Work near all facilities including power lines shall be performed by Certified Line Clearance Tree Trimmers in accordance with OSHA 229 CF 1910.269, 1910.331 and ANSI Z133.1-1994.

G. All equipment must meet all federal OSHA, state and local safety requirements and must be properly licensed. This includes equipment such as bucket trucks, aerial lifts, chipper trucks, wood trucks, stump grinders etc., which may be needed to correctly perform tree pruning and removal in accordance with the specifications stated herein.

SCHEDULING AND COORDINATION:

A. All affected trees will be identified with a numbered tag or as otherwise required by the NPS prior to the contractor commencing work.

B. Prior to commencing work at any tree work location, the contractor is responsible for inspecting all affected trees and stump areas to ensure that the prescribed work is in accordance with the scope of the specifications stated herein.

C. The Contracting Officer's Representative will be responsible for acting on behalf of the Contracting Officer on all matters of work within the scope of the contract. Approval of work beyond the scope of the contract (ie: cabling and bracing, wound treatment, technical removals requiring the use of a crane etc.) is reserved for the Contracting Officer. The contractor is responsible for notifying the COR in writing all work that is beyond the scope of the contract and include a proposal for performing the prescribed work that includes a breakdown with unit prices for labor, materials, and equipment required to ensure that the tree can be safely removed and/or the hazards corrected. The COR will evaluate the proposal and if valid will seek approval from the Contracting Officer. Failure of the contractor to obtain the approval of the Contracting Officer for work beyond the scope of the contract will release the government from any obligation to pay for services claimed.

D. The contractor shall notify the COR 48 hours prior to beginning any work on said contract. Work shall be performed between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, Federal holidays excluded, unless authorized in writing by the COR.

E. Once work begins the contractor is expected to be on the job site each day in which weather conditions are favorable as determined by the COR or designated park representative.

SAFETY:

A. All operations shall be conducted in accordance with ANSI Z133 - 2012 Safety Requirements for Arboricultural Operations and all federal OSHA, state and local safety requirements.

B. The contractor shall submit a written safety plan submittal for review and approval by the government. This safety plan shall outline all safety precautions the contractor plans to implement before starting the project.

C. If, at any time, the COR determines that the work is unsatisfactory or being conducted in an unsafe manner, the contractor will be notified and shall immediately cease all work activities.

WORK AREA:

Contractor shall confine the work, the storage of materials and equipment, the parking of vehicles, and all other operations in connection with this contract to the specified hours and work areas approved by the COR. The Contractor shall not permit heavy equipment or vehicles or the stock piling of heavy materials off hard surface roads without the expressed permission of the COR.

A. The contractor will be held responsible for any damages to, and for maintenance and protection of existing structures. Contractor shall patch, repair or replace portions of sidewalks, boardwalks, curbs, gutters, streets, manholes, and the like that are damaged in connection with work under this contract or as a result of operations thereunder. Materials and methods shall conform to the current standards for the area damaged, match existing on-site materials, shall meet the approval of all cognizant officials and the COR. All damaged areas shall make smooth, satisfactory, and imperceptible transitions to existing adjacent work, and shall be performed without additional expense to the NPS.

B. The contractor will be held responsible for any damages to, and for maintenance and protection of existing utilities. The existence and location of under ground utilities shall be investigated and verified in the field by the contractor before starting work.

C. The contractor shall preserve and protect all existing vegetation such as trees, shrubs, and grass areas on or adjacent to trees being pruned or removed which do not reasonably interfere with work. The contractor shall be responsible for all unauthorized cutting or damage to trees and shrubs, including damage due to careless operation of equipment, stockpiling of materials or tracking of grass and other surfaced areas by equipment. Such damaged areas or materials shall be restored, repaired or replaced by the contractor, as directed by the COR, at no additional cost to the Government.

CLEANUP AND RESTORATION:

The contractor will be required to furnish all labor, materials, and equipment for daily cleanup and restoration of all disturbed areas or features, which have been damaged during the course of this contract. If so directed by the COR, the contractor shall be prepared to sweep and clean paved surfaces daily or as needed.

TREE MAINTENANCE WORK TABLE:

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