23. Seral G-Z presolicitation Q&As.pdf

Seral G-Z IRSC Pre-Solicitation Q&A Meeting

Tuesday, July 11th, 2023

Q1. The pre-solicitation is no longer available on SAM.gov?

A. We will look into it and see why it is no longer showing up on SAM. After the meeting it was found that it was unavailable for a time, but is now showing available and was updated with

Amendment 003 to include anticipated dates for the final solicitation posting and RFQ due date.

Q2. Will the transcript and/or recording be available after the meeting?

A. The recording is unavailable for sharing outside of the USFS; however, the transcript will be cleaned up and all questions and answers will be posted to SAM.gov.

Q3. Have there been any G-Z contracts awarded in R5?

A. There has not been a G-Z contract awarded in R5. The first G-Z contract to be potentially awarded is in R6 on the Fremont-Winema NF. Proposals are due 7/11/2023.

Q4. Does the potential awardee doing the leg work of all digital data to complete the road plans?

A. Yes, the requirements for road analysis plans require the contractor to prepare all digital data and design the plans to USFS standards.

Q5. Does this contract require certified engineer for road design? Or does the design get submitted to the USFS engineer to sign off?

A. certified engineer is required only for signature on the road designs. The certified engineer isn’t required for development of the plans. The plans would then be submitted to the USFS engineer for approval.

Q6. What are the requirements for the Cultural and Botany requirements? Do they need to be an RPF? Certified? Are their qualifications for the Logging/Service Treatment Supervisor?

A. The minimum requirements are that a qualified archeologist and Botanist perform the specifications for Items 4a, 4b, and 5. The minimum qualifications for an archeologists can be found in Appendix A – Item 5. There are no minimum qualifications for a Botanist. Include in your proposal the experience the Botanist as a Key Personnel has performing similar work. Key

Personnel listed in the solicitation unless otherwise specified do not need to have special qualifications. Include in your proposal key personnel experience and length of experience as specified personnel position.

Q7. Will sub-contractors need to be vetted through SAM?

A. No. Sub-contractors do not need to be registered through SAM.gov in order to do work on this contract.

Q8. Can a survey crew not qualified work under the professional Archeologist, Botanist, and/or Surveyor’s supervision?

A. Yes.

Q9. Is the Arch requirement for Item 5 just re-flagging or a whole new report?

A. No just reflagging and documenting. And arch monitoring within hand treatment areas

Q10. Are the Botanical requirements the same as arch? Will known sites be provided?

A. Botanical is actual botany surveying and report. Yes, known sites will be provided.

Q11. I don’t see Wildlife. Is Wildlife survey part of the contract? Can that be coordinated with ongoing implementation to not slow down operations?

A. No, the Forest is covering the Wildlife surveys. Yes, there are ongoing surveys with the new Owl regulations to show new nest sites. This may lessen LOPs or change LOPs. Like any other contract known nest sites may change during the course of the contract, and there are clauses included in the contract to handle those situations if they arise.

Q12. Are there records of corners and known areas(historical) for the land survey requirements? What is the minimum qualification for the key personnel?

A. Yes, the quantities and map show what will need to be established and what will need refreshing.

Item 2 is described as re-marking and posting of known lines, and Item 3 is establishing new survey line and blazing. A certified surveyor is required for key personnel and explained in

Appendix A Items 2 and 3.

Q13. How accurate is the data for lines not posted? Could the private property landowners have done it?

A. Our records come from the regional surveyor. There could be minor changes once ground truthing has occurred and changes will happen through contract modification.

Q14. Is there a specific reason the unit of measure per/acre is in CCF instead of mbf and/or tons?

A. It is the best way to quantify actual volume to be cut, skid and decked instead of using a weight.

There is no board in nonsaw so that is why mbf is not used.

Q15. What is the accuracy for GPSing?

A. The sale prep item for layout and gpsing shall meet FS standards. Handbook doesn’t say what type of machine to use, but the settings and accuracies to meet.

Q16. Will Avenza meet the standards?

A. No, avenza does not meet standards.

Q17. Does ArcGIS Field Map meet standards?

A. It isn’t the software that matters it is the hardware and the deliverables need to be in the form of a shp file with a record showing the accuracy.

Q18. Does a cruise tree need to be using the same accuracy as GPSing?

A. Handbook direction does not state there is a standard for identifying a cruise tree or plot. A pin drop is fine.

Q19. Appraisal will be done by FS after the mandatory items. What if the product appraises as deficit?

A. Low volume/value/quality treatment units should not be analyzed as commercial timber removal units and should be proposed for service only units. Commercial material will not be removed from Service Only areas, unless proposed by the Contractor as Timber Subject to Agreement. If after appraisal is conducted and there is indication of deficit conditions, it will either prompt a reassessment of treatment units (move uneconomical unit acres from Timber Removal Item to

Service Only treatment) for the Treatment Area to bring appraised rates above deficit rates. This explanation will be added to the Final Solicitation.

Q20. Can the contractor change the units while doing layout and come to the COR to recommend treatment type change?

A. Yes, this is what the harvest cards are for with clear communication and approval with the COR.

We don’t want to drop any treatment areas but can change from commercial harvesting to low value product removal or another service type treatment.

Q21. Will forest service check cruise?

A. Yes, FS Check cruise is required to ensure the volumes are accurate and within handbook standards.

Q22. Is a cruise design required?

A. Yes

Q23. Was it discussed to do step-ladder pricing for sawtimber like was done for the non-saw?

A. The G-Z contracting model is set up that the sawtimber will pay its way out of the woods.

Q24. Is this all DxP?

A. Yes, examples are included and once stand exams are completed, final prescriptions will be written and provided through contract modification.

Q25. Is the contractor responsible for identifying the openings in the prescription?

A. Yes, this requirement is identified in the DxP prescriptions.

Q26. What will the FS provide for prep activities?

A. Sale Area Boundary Tags, Tree Marking Paint, and all signs required for Items 2 and 3. See

Appendix A – Section II – Government Furnished Property.

Q27. Administrating and acceptance timeline. How long for acceptance and payment to the contractor? What about actual payment?

A. See Appendix A inspections and acceptance for acceptance timeline for the FS to accept

Contractor Deliverables. Standard 30 days once invoice is issued.

Q28. How about staff? Does the FS have enough staff to do so?

A. Yes, we have the staff to support this contract. We will have CORs, and GTMs with technical expertise for inspecting and accepting.

Q29. Can we invoice for partial completion of items?

A. We want a clear line of completion before payment. This question is relative and is a case-by-case situation that can be negotiated. Clear delignated areas and can be discussed with COR and CO.

Q30. What will be used for appraising? Residual, or TEA?

A. It is required per Forest Service Handbook direction to use a TEA appraisal system, and we will also be using residual appraisal methods in order to use the most current data for appraising timber. This is why we are asking for additional pricing info that the Forest Service will use, from all contractors that bid, for residual and log cost appraisals. This information will not be shared publicly and will not be a factor on award but is required with bids. Only FS employees who sign a non-disclosure agreement will be able to see this information. In scoping with industry, it was identified as a need to be open and transparent with contractors by asking industry on all cost data to determine appropriate timber rates for each treatment area and product. The final Forest

Service appraisal will not be shared, and this additional data will be helpful to ensure proper rates are in place when timber is awarded. Only the biomass costs for removal will be evaluated in bids for award. Any costs associated with the removal and logging costs for sawtimber being requested will only be used for appraisal purposes and timber rate determinations, not for evaluation to award.

Q31. Can the FS call mills directly for this information?

A. The Forests should be do call mills directly, but we want to see what the contractors have been seeing as a source of Market Research and to give another source of developing a fair appraisal.

Q32. What if we can’t get this info from a mill?

A. State that or use what their average pricing is from past delivered product. This does not mean there is a purchase agreement in place.

Q33. How is the award process going to work with these higher prices? Will the FS go with the closest to the IGCE and then negotiate?

A. We will stick with the evaluation factors and decide the trade offs that is the best value to the government. Pricing at first will not be evaluated. First just the technical proposal without price based only on what is in the evaluation factors. Contractors will not be compared to each other’s proposal. Each contractor’s technical proposal will be evaluated individually based on the evaluation factors.

Q34. What if all proposals come in way above the funding that the FS has?

A. The CO evaluates if proposals are a fair and reasonable offer. If the majority of proposals are close and comparable this info shows that our IGCE may be out of whack. And we will reassess and make a best fair and reasonable award based on CO determination.

Q35. Can all service work be paid up front and not with stewardship credits?

A. Yes, all the prep work and survey items will be paid up front after completion and won’t use stewardship credits. Stewardship credits only come into effect when timber product items are executed, and any stewardship credits earned for cutting and removing included product will be put towards other service-related items.

Q36. When is the final solicitation going to be posted?

A. Final Solicitation will be posted to SAM.gov by July 21st, 2023. Due date for proposals submission will be on or around the end of August in order to award by mid-September.