54 North QandA_ITB S.15888.pdf
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- Attached to
- 54 North Botanical Surveys
- Solicitation number
- S-62900-00015888
- Issued by
- Union County, Oregon
About this file
This document is a Question and Answer record from the Oregon Department of Forestry regarding Invitation to Bid S-62900-00015888 for botanical field surveys on the Umatilla National Forest. The procurement requires contractors to conduct vascular plant surveys across five survey units (A-E) totaling 1,891 acres within the 54 North Fuels Reduction and Huckleberry Restoration Project on the North Fork John Day Ranger District. Survey work must detect and document Region 6 Regional Forester Sensitive Species, Oregon Biodiversity Information Center List 1 and 2 species, and culturally significant plants for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Upland units (D and E) require surveys from April through June 2026, while forested units (A-C) require surveys from mid-May through July 2026, with all work to be completed by September 30, 2026. Deliverables include completed Botany Field Evaluation Forms, Plant Element Occurrence Field Forms, Element Occurrence reports with GPS coordinates, voucher specimens, digital photographs, GPS survey route tracks, and comprehensive draft and final reports. Nearly all survey units are accessible within 0.5 miles of existing roads, and the Umatilla National Forest will provide unit shapefiles, georeferenced maps, flagging, pins, and a finalized list of target species prior to field mobilization.
Key survey requirements clarified in the Q&A include that surveys should follow the protocols outlined in the Statement of Work rather than alternative methods, that 1,891 acres of five delineated units require intuitive controlled survey-level coverage with no prior botanical survey data available, that work may extend into a second spring season if necessary to address species phenology issues, and that invasive species GPS documentation is appreciated but not required. Standardized occurrence forms will be provided, and the contractor is not responsible for NRIS/TESP data entry, which will be handled by Forest Service staff. No monumentation is required for culturally significant plants, while flagging and pins for sensitive and ORBIC species will be provided by the Umatilla National Forest. The contractor must employ a botanist with an undergraduate degree in botany, ecology, or equivalent discipline and a minimum of three field seasons of hands-on taxonomic and field identification experience with vascular plants in the inland Pacific Northwest. Contract compensation is based on a per-acre rate for survey work plus separate line items for draft and final reports, with payment contingent upon inspection and acceptance of all deliverables; specific budget amounts are determined through competitive bidding.
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ITB S-62900-00015888 – 54 North GNA Botanical Surveys Q&A
54 North GNA Botanical Surveys
ITB S-62900-00015888
Questions & Answers
1. The ITB references a 40,565-acre project area. Please confirm the total acreage of proposed treatment units within this area that will require botanical survey and the expected survey intensity (e.g., intuitive controlled survey versus reconnaissance-level coverage). Additionally, is a detailed project map currently available, and will the project boundary and treatment unit maps and associated GIS shapefiles be provided to the Contractor prior to field mobilization?
1,891 acres are delineated as units A-E for survey. A vicinity map and detailed unit map series (both with topography and aerial views) are attached. Unit shapefiles and georeferenced Avenza maps will be provided.
2. Are there existing botanical surveys within the project area that may reduce required field effort? If so, will those data be provided to the Contractor?
No previous survey data is available.
3. Will the Agency provide a finalized list of Region 6 Sensitive Species, ORBIC List 1 and 2 species, and CTUIR culturally significant plant species to be included in the
2026 surveys?
Yes.
4. Given the range of target species with differing phenology, does the Agency anticipate that surveys will require multiple seasonal windows within a single field season? Additionally, is the expectation that all surveys be completed within one growing season, or may work extend across two or more growing seasons if needed to adequately address species detectability?
Ideally, work would be completed in one season. However, particularly given the unusual trends in phenology this year, an additional spring season may be permitted to adequately address species detectability.
5. Should surveys follow USFS Region 6 Intuitive Controlled Survey (ICS) standards, or is an alternative protocol acceptable?
Surveys should follow Section 4 as outlined under Task 3 on pgs. 20-21 of
Attachment A (Exhibit A – Statement of Work).
6. Please clarify the required data submission format for documented plant occurrences, including GIS format (e.g., shapefile or geodatabase), coordinate system, metadata requirements, and any standardized occurrence forms.
Standardized occurrence forms can be found in Exhibit F and Field Evaluation Forms in Exhibit E. GIS points, polygons, and tracks are required. Coordinate systems, metadata, etc. will be addressed in the pre-work meeting.
7. Is the Contractor responsible for direct entry into NRIS/TESP, or will occurrence data be provided to the Forest Service for internal entry?
No, the Contractor is not responsible for data entry.
8. Will CTUIR staff participate in field surveys, or is coordination limited to species list provision and management recommendations?
Given staffing limitations, CTUIR staff are not expected to participate in field surveys.
9. Does the scope include establishment of monitoring plots, or is the Contractor only responsible for providing data to inform future plot establishment?
No, but data the Contractor provides will help inform future plot establishment.
10. The bid package includes a noxious weed species list. Please confirm whether noxious weed inventory and mapping are required as part of this contract, or if surveys are limited to Region 6 Sensitive, ORBIC List 1 and 2, and culturally significant plant species.
GPS points and polygons of invasive species are appreciated, but not required.
11. Have any of these areas been previously surveyed for vascular plants (sensitive or culturally significant)? If so, in what year?
These units have not been previously surveyed.
12. Is whitebark pine expected within the survey area?
There is no potential whitebark pine in the Project area.
13. Presumably, the contract is only for the 1891 acres in five survey units shown of the bid form. Please confirm.
Yes
14. Can maps or spatial data be added to the attachments so that we can see the locations, topography and aerial views of the habitats in the units prior to bidding?
Yes. Vicinity, topographic, and aerial view maps are attached.
15. Are the units accessible by roads?
Nearly all subunits are a maximum distance of 0.5 miles from the road.
16. Presumably, a Botany Field Evaluation Form is required for each unit. Is any other summary report or narrative report also required for each unit?
The summary of the unit should be addressed in the field evaluation form.
Contractor will incorporate these summaries into the final report.
17. What are requirements for the Draft and Final Reports shown on the bid sheet?
This is detailed in Section 4 under Task 5.2 on pgs. 22-23.
18. Is a summary table of survey results a deliverable?
Yes
19. What types of maps are required in deliverables?
Only GIS data
20. Are they the same or different for R6 SEN, ORBIC, and culturally significant species?
Different, lists are attached. Please review.
21. Are there required GIS spatial data deliverables for target species?
Yes, points, polygons, and tracks. Details are on pg.19 of Attachment A.
22. What types of photo or voucher documentation are required?
These are addressed in Section 4 under Tasks 4.7 and 4.8 on pg. 22 of Attachment A.
23. What type of monumentation (e.g. flagging) of target species is required in the field?
This information is found in Section 4 under Tasks 4.3 and 4.4 on pg. 21 of
Attachment A. No monumentation is required for culturally significant plants.
Flagging and pins will be provided by UNF.
24. How are monumentation requirements different for R6 SEN and ORBIC plants versus culturally significant species?
No monumentation is required for culturally significant plants. Monumentation of
SEN and ORBIC plants is described in Section 4 under Tasks 4.3 and 4.4 on pg. 21 of
Attachment A.
25. How are occurrences of target species spatially defined? (e.g. how far apart must plants of a SEN species be to be considered a new occurrence versus an extension or sub-occurrence of a previously documented occurrence?)
This is addressed in Section 4 under Task 4.1 on pg. 21 of Attachment A.
26. Presumably an EO Occurrence Form is required for each occurrence of R6 SEN species.
Yes
27. What type of form is required for ORBIC List 1, 2 species?
The Element Occurrence Form
28. What type of documentation and data is required for culturally significant species?
Required data and documentation includes geospatial data, species names, species abundance and associated species, annual grass presence, and ranking for gathering potential. These forms will be provided at the pre-work meeting.
29. What constitutes a cultural plant site for reporting versus just occurrence of a few plants? Is there a minimum size or density? Are we documenting only potentially harvestable populations? (Many of the culturally significant species are likely widely dispersed and common over broad areas).
This will vary based on species prevalence and adaptable methodology may be required to best address the units at hand. This will be discussed further with guidance being provided by the UNF botanist at the pre-work meeting.
30. What are the requirements and deliverables for documenting invasive species?
GPS points and/or polygons.
31. Are invasive plant occurrences required to be flagged in the field?
No.
32. Are surveyors required to document survey routes with GPS gathered tracks?
Yes
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