2023-006 CBWI knapweed-SweetClover specs.docx

bidder must hold a pre-qualified contract in the areas of HERBACEOUS control AND HERBICIDE for the department of natural resources to be awarded this project

HERBACEOUS PLANT CONTROL

SPOTTED KNAPWEED, SWEET-CLOVER , Baby’s breadth and REED CANARY GRASS

CHEBOYGAN AND WILDERNESS STATE PARKS

BID # 230000002367

BID DUE DATE: Friday June 9, 2023 – 9:30 AM Eastern

WORK STATEMENT

A BACKGROUND/PROBLEM STATEMENT

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Parks & Recreation Division, Stewardship Unit is seeking bids for control of the invasive herbaceous plants spotted knapweed (Centaurea spp.) and sweet-clover (Melilotus spp.) at Wilderness State Park (Emmet County) and Cheboygan State Park (Cheboygan County). Additionally, baby’s breadth (Gypsophila paniculata) at Wilderness State Park. Additionally, reed canary grass at isolated locations at Cheboygan SP. The shoreline of these parks consists of a variable-width sand and cobble beach that provides critical habitat for the federally-endangered piping plover, the federally-threatened Pitcher’s thistle and Houghton’s goldenrod, the state-threatened Lake Huron tansy, and many other native shoreline plants and animals. The shoreline also supports a large Great Lakes marsh/interdunal wetland/coastal fen complex. The general goal of this project is to control the invasive spotted knapweed and sweet-clover plants that have colonized portions of the shoreline and negatively impacted the native species. This work will be accomplished by a combination of hand pulling the plants and targeted herbicide application. This is the ninth year of treatment. The work will be bid as lump sum price for each park. What is awarded is dependent upon bid prices. Bidders may bid on one or both parks and offer discounts as desired. There will be no pre-bid meeting scheduled for this project.

All knapweed, sweet clover and baby’s breadth treatments must be completed between June and August 31, with the second treatments of reed canary grass completed by Sept 16, 2023. Two complete treatments of all zones and points of all four species are required. See Task Description for specific treatment windows for each species.

B OBJECTIVE

The first objective of this project is to substantially reduce the presence of spotted knapweed (Centaurea spp.) and sweet-clover (Melilotus spp.) in the designated shoreline areas of Wilderness and Cheboygan State Parks, thereby further favoring the presence of native vegetation. This will be accomplished by targeted herbicide application and hand pulling plants within the designated treatment areas. The second objective of this project is to substantially reduce the presence of baby’s breadth (Gypsophila paniculata) at the mapped locations at Wilderness SP and within all zones (if found) at Wilderness State Park. The third objective of this project is to substantially reduce the presence of reed canary grass within Cheboygan State Park at the mapped locations.

C TASK DESCRIPTION

1. TREATMENT

a. Within all treatment areas, control all spotted knapweed and all sweet-clover using the techniques specified below. Two complete treatments of each area are required: one before July 16 and a second on or before August 31. Two weeks must pass between initial and follow-up treatments.

b. Within all treatment areas at Wilderness SP, control all baby’s breadth (Gypsophila paniculata) using techniques specified below. Two complete treatment of each area where this species is found are required: one in June before buds open (preferably before they form) and a second on or before August 31.

c. Within all treatment areas at Cheboygan SP, control all non-native reed canary grass using the techniques specified below. Two complete treatments of reed canary grass area are required: one in early June, and a second on or before September 16.

d. In all Treatment Areas at both parks, all small patches of spotted knapweed, sweet-clover and baby’s breadth (less than approximately 1,000 square feet) shall be hand pulled if the substrate allows effective removal of roots (such as in sandy areas). Larger patches of spotted knapweed, sweet-clover and baby’s breadth and plants growing in hard substrate may be foliar sprayed with herbicide as specified below, as long as damage to any rare non-target plants can be avoided and as long as the plants are in an appropriate growth stage for herbicide to be effective. Hand pulling must be used in close proximity to rare and protected non-target plants to avoid herbicide damage to those species. The first round of treatments to knapweed, sweet-clover and baby’s breadth should occur before buds open. Second round should occur at least two weeks post chemical treatment.

Reed canary grass treatments should occur prior to seed heads forming. The second round of treatments should occur when its cooler and plants are again actively growing.

e. HERBICIDE APPLICATION specifications: Where knapweed or sweet-clover or baby’s breadth form large patches (greater than approximately 1,000 square feet), or where ground is hard or rocky, apply herbicide to the foliage of all live spotted knapweed and sweet-clover plants, while minimizing drift onto non-target native plants. All herbicide must be applied while the plants are from the rosette to the budding stage of growth. Once plants reach the flowering stage or later they must be hand-pulled. The contractor must be extra careful to prevent any impacts to endangered or threatened plants such as Pitcher’s thistle, Houghton’s goldenrod, Lake Huron tansy, and dwarf lake iris. If any individuals of these species could be damaged by herbicide (directly or indirectly through drift or belowground translocation), then hand pulling must be used instead.

f. The required herbicide for knapweed and sweet-clover is either Amine 400® (2,4-D amine), Garlon 3A (triclopyr) or Rodeo® (glyphosate) at a mix concentration of 3% by volume. Rodeo® or Garlon 3A are required in all wetlands or below the ordinary high water mark (i.e., whenever operating under ANC and/or NPDES permits). While glyphosate may be used in uplands. 2,4-D or Garlon 3A are likely more effective than glyphosate on knapweed, thus they are preferred in uplands. The non-ionic surfactant Cygnet Plus® shall be used at a rate of 0.8 percent of the mix volume in all chemical mixes.

g. The required herbicide for baby’s breath is metsulfuron (Escort) at 1% by volume provided the application is above the ordinary high-water mark. 2, 4-D can be tank mixed with metsulfuron if desired. Rodeo® or Garlon 3A are required in all wetlands or below the ordinary high-water mark (i.e., whenever operating under ANC and/or NPDES permits).

The required herbicide Reed canary grass treatments at Cheboygan is Rodeo® at a mix concentration of 1.5% mixed with Habitat® at a mix concentration of 1.5% by volume. A mix concentration of 5% Rodeo® and 5% Habitat® by volume shall be used for wicking or hand application methods. The non-ionic surfactant Cygnet Plus® shall be used at a rate of 0.8 percent of the mix volume in all chemical mixes.

h. HAND PULLING specifications: Any spotted knapweed and sweet-clover plant within a treatment zone that is not treated or killed by herbicide (including small first-year plants) must be pulled out of the ground by hand. A hand-held tool such as a small shovel or other weed pulling device may be used as needed to help extract the tap root. Remove as much of the root system as possible; the root collar and the majority of the tap root must be removed. After pulling the plant, compact the disturbed soil to reduce the exposure of the site to new seedlings. Sweet-clover plants that are clearly second-year plants (budding/flowering/fruiting) may be cut at ground level instead of pulling out the root system if desired.

All pulled or cut plants knapweed and sweet-clover plants must be immediately placed in a container (such as a plastic garbage bag, paper bag, fabric bag, or hard plastic container) to reduce the possibility of seed dispersal. When a bag/container is full it must be hauled to a forested, shaded location just off the shoreline and dumped into a pile to be naturally composted. Only plants may be left in the pile (no bags or containers), and the pile must be constructed in a compact manner similar to a compost pile. Piles must not be placed on top of any endangered, threatened, or special concern plants; and piling on any native vegetation should be avoided as much as possible. Old compost piles shall be used wherever they exist nearby to minimize creation of new piles. The contractor must minimize the number of piles along the shoreline (i.e., dump more than one full bag per pile) and must record the location of every compost pile created with a handheld GPS unit. The GPS pile location data must be sent to the DNR project manager with the final report upon completion of the project. Alternatively, bags may be put in park dumpsters.

When removing baby's breath, a small spade (shovel) can be used to dig up the plant. The extremely long tap root must be severed below the caudex. This is the area where the stem joins the root as is generally 8 inches below the surface). An angled cut below the surface that results in 12 inches of tap root being removed should be sufficient to prevent resprouting. All flowering heads must be bagged and removed from the site. The bottom of the plants can be composted with knapweed or removed with flower heads.

No hand pulling of reed canary grass will be permitted.

A final bag count of all species harvested shall be recorded on the final report form.

2. Bidders must propose specific mechanical and chemical treatment technique(s), specific herbicide(s), and surfactant(s) in their bid. Specific brand name chemical products must be listed in the bid and are subject to approval by the DNR project manager. Herbicides or surfactants other than those specified in #1.c. above will be considered if requested by the bidder, but the bidder must include such information in the bid with a brief written justification of why they wish to make the change. Any herbicide or concentration other than those specified above must be approved by the DNR Project Manager prior to use. The contractor shall not apply herbicide at a concentration outside the range recommended by label directions. All herbicide concentrations must be mutually agreed upon by the contractor and the DNR project manager prior to treatment.

3. All herbicide treatments must be according to label specifications and performed by a certified commercial pesticide applicator. Proof of certification in appropriate categories will be required. Overspray onto non-target vegetation and/or soil as well as runoff of the herbicide into the ground or water must not occur.

4. SURVEY/MAPPING

a. For all treatment areas at Wilderness SP, thoroughly survey the entire area for spotted knapweed and sweet-clover and baby’s breath. At Cheboygan State Park thoroughly survey for spotted knapweed, sweet-clover and reed canary grass. In order to thoroughly survey the entire zone, it is required that surveyors systematically walk transects through the zone at a tight spacing (approximately 50–75 feet apart). Each person surveying must have a GPS unit recording track logs. The bidder’s proposed survey methodology and type of GPS equipment should be described in their bid response. Alternate survey methods besides tightly-spaced transects will be considered if proposed in the bid response. Maps of known locations of knapweed and sweet-clover will be provided (posted online with bid documents). However, identification/location of all spotted knapweed, sweet-clover and reed canary grass within the defined treatment areas is the responsibility of the contractor, regardless of what is currently shown on the maps. GPS coordinates are available for known infestation point locations, but portions of the areas may not have been surveyed.

b. Each knapweed or sweet-clover population (point location) treated and each point location visited but not treated shall be recorded using the Invasive Plant Mapping protocol and form (included in the bid documents). The protocol requires recording an estimate of the size and density of each population on a form. All point locations provided by DNR must be navigated to and updated with the current population size and density (based on condition at the time of initial treatment for the season). In addition, new GPS point locations shall be mapped to the nearest 50-feet or better only for newly-discovered infestations not on the original map provided to the contractor, and per the Invasive Plant Mapping protocol. As stated in the protocol, populations of knapweed or sweet-clover greater than one acre shall also have a GPS track recorded around the perimeter of the population. All new points shall be labeled as specified in the protocol with the unique 2-letter code for your company provided by DNR, and no two points can have the same ID number.

c. Alternatively, contractor may utilize web map (see link below) and live editing features provided by DNR through ESRI Field Maps App. All requirements are the same but location data, walking transects and updating existing points and mapping new points can be done live through the Field Maps App. Further instructions will be provided upon request.

https://midnr.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=aba6125967b245e7ab2cbf8cf9c35bc0

5. Signs must be posted by the contractor in areas being treated with herbicides wherever chemical treatment occurs within 50 feet of a trail or developed area or anywhere else where there is a reasonable expectation of public exposure to the herbicide. Signage shall remain in place for the minimum length of time as determined by the herbicide label and for a maximum amount of time as agreed between the contractor and the DNR project manager. The contractor is responsible for removing all signage.

6. Additionally, notice must be given to individuals renting shoreline cabins. It is best is the park manager provided renters with general notification of treatment window and the contractor provides notice to renters the day before or day of treatments. Notice is preferred to be verbal communication. If that is not possible notice should be left on cabin door.

7. An EGLE Aquatic Nuisance Control (ANC) Permit Certificate of Coverage has been obtained by DNR for all treatment areas over standing water or in Great Lakes Bottomlands. A copy of the COC will be provided to the contractor prior to the start of treatment. The herbicides specified on the permit are consistent with #1.e. above. If the bidder wishes to use different herbicides, they will be responsible for obtaining a modification to the ANC permit if needed.

8. In all treatment areas where an ANC permit is required and used, the contractor will be responsible for posting the required advisory signage as specified in the ANC permit for the site. In locations where ANC signage is required, it may be used in place of the other signage previously described above (i.e., it is not necessary to do both). ANC advisory signage must be posted surrounding the landward side of any area where chemicals will be applied over standing water or on Great Lakes bottomlands on the day of treatment (just prior to commencing spraying) at 100-foot intervals. The approved sign may be downloaded from the DEQ aquatic nuisance control web site (www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135-3313_3681_3710-57109--,00.html). The contractor is responsible for printing and duplicating the sign, attaching it to stakes (supplied by the contractor), and posting the signs at the required 100-foot intervals along the landward side of any area where chemicals will be applied over standing water or on Great Lakes bottomlands. Signage shall remain in place for the minimum length of time as determined by the herbicide label and the requirements of the ANC permit and for a maximum amount of time as agreed between the contractor and the DNR project manager. The contractor is responsible for removing all signage.

9. To maintain compliance with the federal Clean Water Act, pesticide treatments under this contract that occur “in, over, or near waters of the state” will fall under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Certificate of Coverage under the EGLE General Permit for Nuisance Plant and Algae Control issued to DNR, Parks and Recreation Division. A copy of this permit will be provided to the contractor prior to the start of treatment.

10. All treatments conducted in areas that fall under this Certificate of Coverage must follow all conditions of the NPDES general permit and the DNR, Parks & Recreation Division Pesticide Discharge Management Plan.

11. If Federally endangered Piping Plovers set up territories or nest along the shoreline at either of these parks (to be determined as the season progresses), areas surrounding the nesting sites (portions of some treatment areas) will be off-limits for work until the plover chicks have fledged. If plovers nest at the park this season, contractors must obtain approval from the Wilderness or Cheboygan State Park manager before entering the nesting areas. These areas will be signed on the ground.

12. All individuals working on this project in the field must be able to accurately identify all four threatened plants (Pitcher’s thistle, Lake Huron tansy, Houghton’s goldenrod, and dwarf lake iris) and must be able to distinguish the target invasive plants from similar-looking native species such as Pitcher’s thistle and wormwood.

13. The contractor will be provided with treatment area boundaries via GPS Exchange format (.gpx) file and will be expected to navigate and find treatment area boundaries in the field using GPS. The DNR project manager will provide clarification, including ground marking if necessary, upon request of the contractor.

14. The contractor is responsible for supplying all equipment needed to complete the job, including pulling tools, bags, herbicide, sprayers, safety equipment, signs, and transportation.

15. The contractor is responsible for re-treatment if rain occurs within six (6) hours of the original treatment for herbicide applications.

16. The contractor is expected to achieve a minimum of 98% treatment (chemical and/or hand removal) of the extant knapweed, sweet-clover baby’s breath, and a minimum of 95% kill of any chemically-treated knapweed or sweet-clover or baby’s breath within the treatment areas. If the contractor does not believe the chemicals specified in 1.e. above can achieve this target, they are responsible for requesting an alternative in their bid that will achieve this result.

17. Equipment Moving and Weed Seed Contamination All equipment, footwear, clothing, and all other materials brought to each park (and in some cases sites within each park) for this project must be completely clean and free of ALL plant material, organisms and soil (seeds, pieces of vegetation, chunks of soil, etc.) prior to arrival at each park location. This shall include both inside and outside of all vehicles. Power washing and/or similar methods shall be used as needed, for all undercarriages, metal and rubber tracks, tires (chained and unchained), and all other parts of vehicles brought to each park to ensure they are clean and free of seed, plant materials and soil. These precautions are critical to preventing the spread of invasive plants, disease causing organisms and vectors as well as contamination of genetic material (seeds) from locations outside of each state park.

All footwear, clothing, and equipment must be checked and cleaned of seeds, other plant fragments, and soil again before moving between work areas of differing ecological quality to prevent the spread of invasive plants between relatively un-infested areas and heavily infested areas. Travel routes and order of work between treatment areas may be dictated by the DNR project manager to further prevent the possible spread of invasive seed and plant material.

18. No off-road vehicles (quads, trucks, etc.) are allowed off of designated roads or parking lots. Any exception to this must be requested in writing and if approved will be provided in writing as and addendum to these specifications. If any ruts or tracks greater than 2 inches deep are created by the contractor for any reason, the DNR project manager must be notified immediately. The contractor may be responsible for repairing damage to site.

19. Specific dates may be unavailable for work due to special events at one or more of the parks. The contractor will be notified of any such dates a minimum of two weeks in advance.

20. All equipment must be removed from the site within one (1) week following completion of work under this contract.

21. The contractor shall make known to the public its presence through signage, vehicle logos, uniforms, or some other means of identifying the ongoing work whenever workers are present on site. Visitors using the shoreline cabins at both parks must be provided proper notice of all contractor activity within 200 yards of either side of the cabin. This should be verbal notification by knocking on cabin door by contractor or park manager. Written notice should be left at the cabin if no one answers.

22. The contractor shall leave the background GPS “track log” turned on during their entire time surveying as part of this project. The track log shall be saved and submitted with the GPS mapping data as documentation of the areas covered. Each employee surveying shall have their own GPS unit.

23. All GPS data must be submitted to the DNR electronically at the conclusion of the project as either GPS Exchange format (gpx) files or ArcGIS shapefiles in the Michigan Georef (meters) coordinate system. (1) New invasive plant waypoints, (2) tracks/polygons around large populations, (3) compost pile waypoints, and (4) the “track logs” for surveying must be submitted as separate files, with exactly ONE gpx file or shapefile for each of these four items. If track logs are submitted in gpx format, they may be split into multiple files if necessary to reduce file size. See task item 4.c. for alternatives to items 22 and 23.

D DESCRIPTION OF TREATMENT AREAS

The work site within Cheboygan State Park is located in Cheboygan, Michigan in Cheboygan County. Work will be focused in 8 treatment areas, as shown on the web map. The work site within Wilderness State Park is located in Carp Lake, Michigan along 26 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline in Emmet County. Work will be focused in 11 treatment areas, as shown on the web map. The approximate size of each treatment area is indicated on the bid sheet. Distance and acreage can also be measured on the web map. The treatment areas are all along the Lake Huron or Lake Michigan shoreline, with some areas consisting of sand or cobble beach and other areas consisting of shallow marsh and interdunal wetland.

The treatment areas can be viewed within the following web application.

https://midnr.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=aba6125967b245e7ab2cbf8cf9c35bc0

No pre-bid meetings are scheduled for this bid project.

GPS data and detailed 11x17 maps with knapweed and sweet-clover survey data forms will be provided upon request.

Contractors may choose to visit these sites/treatment zones on their own prior to submitting their bids. will be provided upon request.

E PROJECT CONTROL AND REPORTS

l. Project Control

a. The Contractor will carry out this project under the direction and control of the DNR project manager, who will be a representative of the Parks & Recreation Division, Stewardship Unit.

b. The Contractor must contact the DNR project manager within five (5) business days after the contract is awarded to provide an approximate schedule of work start and end dates.

c. The Contractor will notify both the DNR project manager and the Wilderness or Cheboygan State Park supervisor a minimum of 24 hours prior to beginning on-site work at the park, and within 24 hours following final completion of all on-site work at the park under this contract.

d. Once work begins on site, the Contractor will keep the DNR project manager informed of the progress of the work at least weekly and any real or anticipated problems (such as chemical spills, injuries, etc.) as they arise. The Contractor will also inform the DNR project manager of any long-term breaks in work (longer than one week) during the course of the project.

e. The contractor will also notify the DNR project manager when they believe they are approximately 48 hours away from expected completion at each park for both chemical application and hand pulling so that final field inspections can be scheduled.

f. All follow-up procedures and deadlines specified in pre-qualification Exhibit A, Section 1.04 apply.

2. Reports

Within two weeks following the completion of the project, the contractor shall submit one electronic copy of a brief report using the templates provided. All information must be filled in completely on the report templates.

In addition to the final report template and associated pesticide information, the contractor must provide a) GPS data for all newly mapped knapweed and sweet-clover points, b) completed invasive mapping forms showing updates to all existing invasive points and data for all new points (even if data are included electronically within shapefiles), c) GPS data for all compost pile locations, and d) a GPS track log of all areas surveyed and treated.

The above report shall be sent, preferably by email, to:

Alicia Ihnken and Parks & Recreation Division Michigan Department of Natural Resources PO Box 30257 Lansing, MI 48909 Email: IhnkenA@michigan.gov Fax: 517-241-2273 cc Project Manager Bob Clancy clancyr@michigan.gov

F INFORMATION REQUIRED FROM BIDDERS

Return the “Contractor Bid Response” form with the following information:

1. Work Plan/Task Description Provide a brief technical plan (sequential summary and description of tasks) for accomplishing the work. Describe your proposed specific type of equipment to be used. List all chemicals to be used. Indicate the approximate number of days that are anticipated to complete the fieldwork and the estimated number of personnel expected to be working on site.

2. Project Staffing The contractor must be able to staff a project team (or individual) which possesses the talent and expertise necessary to complete the tasks associated with this project. Include names of each person/employee (grouped by job title) that will be employed in the work. If any people will be working on this project that were not listed in your company’s pre-qualification documents, they must be identified. The project manager must be identified.

3. Subcontractors List all subcontractors; include firm name and address, contact person, complete description of work to be subcontracted. Include descriptive information concerning subcontractor's organization and abilities. Any subcontractors to be used on this project must have been already named in your company’s approved pre-qualification.

4. Prior Experience Provide three references who can verify prior experience of your company directly related to the specific work to be performed in this project. Include sufficient detail in the description of work performed to demonstrate the relevance of the experience to this project.

5. Price Proposal All pricing MUST be submitted through SIGMA. See section G below.

BID DUE DATE: Friday June 9, 2023 – 9:30 am

The successful bidder will be a pre-qualified vendor who has experience controlling invasive species in a manner similar to the specifications of this project, possesses a team (or individual) capable of carrying out the work effectively and with knowledge on the identification of spotted knapweed, sweet-clover, and associated native shoreline plants (especially Pitcher’s thistle, Houghton’s goldenrod, Lake Huron tansy, dwarf lake iris, and wormwood), and use the most cost-efficient technique(s) that are effective but cause the least amount of incidental damage to the surrounding native vegetation.

G PRICE PROPOSAL

All prices/rates quoted in bidder's response to this work statement will be firm for the duration of the Contract. No price changes will be permitted.

This project will be bid on a lump sum basis by park. Pricing should reflect the complete cost of hand pulling and piling or applying herbicide as specified for each area. This includes the cost of all equipment, labor, herbicide, and transportation. NO additional charges (such as equipment repair) beyond the original bid price will be permitted.

A different vendor may be awarded each park if price and overall proposal warrants. Indicate in your bid any price discounts that may apply for completing multiple treatment areas with your business.

Vendors must be prequalified in both the herbaceous control and herbicide categories to bid on this project.

H REQUIRED PRE-BID INFORMATION

NO pre-bid meeting is scheduled for this project.

Detailed maps for each park (including all park boundaries, treatment zones and mapped points) have been provided at the following WebApp link. This web map along with this work statement should provide the information needed for formulating specific bids tailored to the expected amount of work in each treatment area.

All this data can also be viewed within the following web application.

https://midnr.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=aba6125967b245e7ab2cbf8cf9c35bc0

Treatment/mapping data forms, georeferenced PDF maps, and .gpx or .shp data files will be provided to the contractors awarded work. Prospective bidders are also strongly encouraged to visit the parks to view the treatment areas on their own time prior to submitting a bid.

Questions about this project may be submitted to Kip Conley at conleyk1@michigan.gov. Please submit all questions by June 2, 2023, at 12pm. Questions and answers will be posted by 5pm.

BID DUE DATE: FRIDAY JUNE 9, 2023 – 9:30 AM

I EVALUATION/AWARD

The state will review all proposals and information provided by the Bidder in the Bidder Response Form and any additional attachments. Submissions will be evaluated for a technical pass/fail determination based upon proposed work plan for completing this project, personnel qualifications and prior experience. Pricing will be evaluated for only those contractors who pass the technical portion of the evaluation.

J PRE-QUALIFICATION TERMS

All terms and conditions included in the pre-qualification documents apply to this project, unless specific variances are given in this work statement above. This includes review and acceptance of work, performance evaluation, payment, and liquidated damages clauses.