70CNR-S2911 Spooner Meadow and North Canyon Restoration Design Plans~1.docx

STATE OF NEVADA

DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION

Purchasing Division 515 East Musser Street, Suite 300 │ Carson City, NV 89701 Phone: 775-684-0170 │ Fax: 775-684-0188

Solicitation: 70CNR-S2911 For Spooner Meadow and North Canyon Restoration Design Plans

Release Date: On or about 09/06/2024 Deadline for Submission and Opening Date and Time: 10/14/2024 @ 2:00 pm

Single point of contact for the solicitation:

Teri Becker, Purchasing Officer II Phone, 775-531-3317 Email Address, tbecker@admin.nv.gov

(TTY for Deaf and Hard of Hearing, 800-326-6868 Ask the relay agent to dial, 1-775-531-3317/V.)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

APPLICABLE REGULATIONS GOVERNING PROCUREMENT

All applicable Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) and Nevada Administrative Code (NAC) documentation can be found at: www.leg.state.nv.us/law1.cfm.

SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT. Vendors and/or their representatives shall only contact the single point of contract or use the electronic procurement system regarding this solicitation until after a notice of award (NOA) has been issued. Failure to observe this restriction may result in disqualification of a proposal per NAC 333.155(3).

Prospective vendors are advised to review Nevada’s ethical standards requirements, including but not limited to NRS 281A, NRS 333.800, and NAC 333.155.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The State of Nevada Purchasing Division, on behalf of Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), Division of State Lands (DSL)/Nevada Tahoe Resource Team. is seeking proposals from qualified vendors to create Restoration Design Plans and oversee construction implementation of the Spooner Meadow and North Canyon Restoration Project in Spooner Lake and Backcountry State Park as described in the scope of work and attachments.

Working in partnership with the Nevada Division of State Parks (NDSP) and the Washoe Tribe, this contract will include the development of design plans for meadow restoration in a way which incorporates the historical and cultural presence of the Washoe Tribe. A successful contract will include coordinating with the Washoe Tribe for assistance in design of interpretive signs in the Washoe language, and inclusion of Tribal Best Management Practices of historical, cultural, and biological significance, such as controlled burns, tribal access to historical camping routes, and elder access to medicinal plants.

Nevada Environmental Improvement Program Bonds will be utilized in the preparation of this analysis, plan set, and oversight of implementation for the Spooner Meadow & North Canyon Restoration Project.

To qualify for these funds, the program requires the project create benefits both for the natural environment and park visitors. Each project must have a lifespan of at least 25 years with no major improvements.

Optional site visits will be held on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, from 1:00 – 3:00 PM, meeting in the Spooner Lake State Park Parking Lot. NO QUESTIONS WILL BE ANSWERED DURING THE SITE VISIT. All questions must be submitted through the Q&A tab in Nevada Epro as described herein. Vendors are strongly encouraged to attend the site visit.

The State intends to award one (1) contract in conjunction with this Request for Proposals (RFP), as determined in the best interests of the State. DCNR/DSL shall administer any contract resulting from this solicitation. The resulting contract is expected to be for a contract term of four years, subject to Board of Examiners’ approval.

AGENCY BACKGROUND

Spooner Lake is a small impoundment originally constructed in the 1860’s to store irrigation water. Spooner Lake is located in Douglas County at an elevation of 6,980 feet. Spooner Lake drains into North Canyon Creek which in turn empties into Lake Tahoe. The area was historically altered during the Comstock period when the bulk of the surface water was diverted to the nearby Comstock mining district. Post-Comstock Spooner Meadow was highly modified leaving behind a series of historic irrigation ditches and ranching improvements. As a result of these improvements North Canyon Creek through Spooner Meadow is highly channelized.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Project goals and objectives are to use baseline Spooner Meadow health data from DRI and 2nd Nature (2010) and create meadow restoration design plans to increase the meadow baseline score through the restoration implementation process. Project must incorporate review of previous restoration reports produced by 2nd Nature and North Canyon Creek Management Road & South Ditch Project ending in 2015 (see attachments titled North Canyon Phase I Design 2010 and North Canyon Phase II 2015).

This project ultimately seeks to restore meadow health and historical hydrological patterns, while taking into consideration future recreational infrastructure and usage. NDSL is currently contracted with Desert Research Institute (DRI) for preparation of a thorough hydrological and biological assessment of Spooner Meadow and its environs. Project planning and design must incorporate the water and soil quality baseline reports being completed by researchers with the DRI, as well as take into consideration historical, scientific, and cultural observations relating to desired outcomes from the Washoe Tribe. Using DRI’s assessment of meadow health as a baseline, a restoration plan for the meadow will be implemented using relevant, material targets for improvement of meadow health, and following tangible steps which can be taken achieve these targets upon completion of implementation.

The project schedule includes conducting meadow health assessments in Fall 2024, using the information to complete restoration design plans to 100% throughout winter 2025, and beginning implementation work in summer 2025.

SCOPE OF WORK

Submitted project proposals must be produced by a multidisciplinary team capable of assessing and making recommendations towards restoring the ecological health of Spooner Meadow and North Canyon. This project is part of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program, and considerations must be given to the intersection of watersheds, water quality, forest health, sustainable recreation, and utilization of leading-edge science in making decisions. As such, project proposals must at a minimum include:

Overall Project Timeline.

Assess and Quantify Data Relating to Current and Projected Meadow Conditions

Conduct a resource analysis that considers the following:

Vegetation, Soil Health, Water Quality, Forest Health, Rare Plants, Fire History, Invasive Species, and other related factors.

Sensitive Landscapes including wetlands, stream zone protection areas, areas having experienced channelization and historical impacts from logging and grazing, and erodible slopes.

Wildlife habitat including existing and future wildlife concerns.

Known cultural resources in the project boundary.

Compile resource assessment in Geographic Information System (GIS). Create a map that demarcates known hydrological and ecological concerns.

Summarize historical changes to meadow, current effects of these actions as a baseline, and how projected improvements will improve upon existing conditions and baseline.

Produce report synthesizing assessed data and contractor’s recommendations for meadow restoration project planning and design.

Project Planning and Design

Review existing restoration report from 2010 produced by 2nd Nature, incorporate data and update the plan if necessary.

Update survey data with new technology such as LIDAR equipped drone flight of the project area.

Utilize relevant information (DRI, 2nd Nature, TRPA, etc.) to develop a restoration plan.

Create a 30%, 60%, 90% and 100% design set for Spooner Meadow and Upper North Canyon restoration implementation. Design sets must include cost estimate and timelines and be included in the cost proposal only and not in the technical proposal. Any technical proposal that includes costs may be disqualified. Timelines must be included in vendor’s technical proposal.

Be responsible for obtaining all project permits.

Provide construction oversight of the restoration plan. Cost proposal must include an estimate of project costs.

Awarded vendor must create a presentation and present the information to the Nevada Tahoe Resource Team, Nevada Division of State Parks, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, the Washoe Tribe, and other stakeholders identified by NDSL.

Project Administration

Provide the NDSL Project Manager with monthly progress reports and invoices.

Participate in progress meetings with the NDSL Project Manager as often as necessary, but not less than twice per month until the final plan is approved.

Supply the NDSL Project Manager with at least one copy of all completed or partially completed products as deemed necessary by the NDSL Project Manager at least three working days before each progress meeting. The NDSL Project Manager will schedule the meetings, as necessary, at key times during the development of the project planning and design process.

General Information The following is a list of already identified needs that require consideration during the design, development, and implementation oversight.

Spooner Meadow and North Canyon Creek: The meadow and creek through the park is in need of restoration. Nevada Division of Forestry desires to reintroduce prescribed fire to the meadow, possibly in conjunction with the Washoe Tribe. Nevada Division of State Parks has proposed a trail system that will allow visitors to experience the meadow environment. These objectives will need to be factored into the design plans.

Wildlife: There are known populations of sensitive species within the meadow. The successful contractor will need to coordinate with Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) for current mapping, and buffers around sites will need to be incorporated.

The following is a list of potential stakeholders who will have an interest in the Spooner Meadow restoration and its outcomes:

Nevada Tahoe Resource Team – Nevada Division of State Lands, Nevada Division of State Parks, Nevada Division of Forestry, and Nevada Department of Wildlife Tahoe Regional Planning Agency The Washoe Tribe Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District Desert Research Institute Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources US Forest Service (Humboldt Toiyabe and Tahoe Basin)

Implementation Oversight

Vendor will provide documentation and status updates as agreed to during the phase involving oversight of construction implementation.

Vendor will be required to follow State Lands processes for completed work and be submitted in a timely manner with complete supporting documentation.

Vendor must provide with their proposal a complete and detailed description of the following:

Experiences and understanding of permitted activities involving public lands restoration Detailed description of successful construction/restoration projects in sensitive landscapes, etc.

ATTACHMENTS

ATTACHMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE. To be read and not returned.

Terms and Conditions for Services Map of Project Area North Canyon Phase I Design 2010 North Canyon Phase II 2015

ATTACHMENTS FOR REVIEW. To be read and not returned (unless redlining).

Contract Form Insurance Schedule

PROPOSAL ATTACHMENTS. To be completed and returned.

Cost Schedule Proposed Staff Resume Reference Questionnaire Attachments for Signature

Vendor Information Response Vendor Certifications Certification Regarding Lobbying Confidentiality and Certification of Indemnification

TIMELINE

QUESTIONS. All questions regarding this solicitation shall be submitted using the Bid Q&A feature in NevadaEPro.

TIMELINE. The following represents the proposed timeline for this project.

All times stated are Pacific Time (PT).

These dates represent a tentative schedule of events.

The State reserves the right to modify these dates at any time.

EVALUATION

Evaluation and scoring are conducted in accordance with NRS 333.335 and NAC 333.160-333.165.

Proposals shall be kept confidential until a contract is awarded.

In the event the solicitation is withdrawn prior to award, proposals remain confidential.

The evaluation committee is an independent committee established to evaluate and score proposals submitted in response to the solicitation.

Financial stability shall be scored on a pass/fail basis.

Proposals shall be consistently evaluated and scored based upon the following factors and relative weights.

Cost proposals will be evaluated based on the following formula.

Cost Factor Weight x (Lowest Cost Submitted by a Vendor / Proposer Total Cost) = Cost Score

NEVADA-BASED BUSINESS PREFERENCE

The State awards a five percent (5%) preference to Nevada-based businesses pursuant to NRS 333.3351 to 333.3356, inclusive.

Nevada-based business is defined in NRS 333.3352(1).

The term ‘principal place of business’ has the meaning outlined by the United States Supreme Court in Hertz Corp v. Friend, 559 U.S. 77 (2010), typically meaning a business’s corporate headquarters.

To claim this preference a vendor must indicate it on their vendor account and submit a Quote in NevadaEPro.

This preference cannot be combined with any other preference, granted for the award of a contract using federal funds, or granted for the award of a contract procured on a multi-state basis.

INVERSE PREFERENCE

The State applies an inverse preference to vendors that have a principal place of business in a state other than Nevada and that state applies an in-state preference not afforded to Nevada based vendors, pursuant to AB28 passed in the 81st session of the Nevada Legislature.

The amount of the inverse preference is correlated to the amount of preference applied in the other state.

Vendors who meet this criterion must indicate it on their submitted Quote in NevadaEPro.

This preference cannot be combined with any other preference, granted for the award of a contract using federal funds, or granted for the award of a contract procured on a multi-state basis.

MANDATORY MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Pursuant to NRS 333.311 a contract cannot be awarded to a proposal that does not comply with the requirements listed in this section. Proposal shall include confirmation of compliance with all mandatory minimum requirements.

NEVADA LAW AND STATE INDEMNITY. Pursuant to NRS 333.339, any contract that is entered into may not: (1) Require the filing of any action or the arbitration of any dispute that arises from the contract to be instituted or heard in another state or nation; or (2) Require the State to indemnify another party against liability for damages.

NO BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL. Pursuant to NRS 333.338, the State of Nevada cannot enter a contract with a company unless that company agrees for the duration of the contract not to engage in a boycott of Israel. By submitting a proposal or bid, vendor agrees that if it is awarded a contract, it will not engage in a boycott of Israel as defined in NRS 333.338(3)(a).

INDEMNIFICATION. Required contract terms on Indemnification: "To the fullest extent permitted by law, Contractor shall indemnify, hold harmless and defend, not excluding the State’s right to participate, the State from and against all liability, claims, actions, damages, losses, and expenses, including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs, arising out of any breach of the obligations of Contractor under this contract, or any alleged negligent or willful acts or omissions of Contractor, its officers, employees and agents. Contractor’s obligation to indemnify the State shall apply in all cases except for claims arising solely from the State’s own negligence or willful misconduct. Contractor waives any rights of subrogation against the State. Contractor’s duty to defend begins when the State requests defense of any claim arising from this Contract."

LIMITED LIABILITY. Required contract terms on Limited Liability: "The State will not waive and intends to assert available NRS Chapter 41 liability limitations in all cases. Contract liability of both parties shall not be subject to punitive damages. Damages for any State breach shall never exceed the amount of funds appropriated for payment under this Contract, but not yet paid to Contractor, for the Fiscal Year budget in existence at the time of the breach. Contractor’s tort liability shall not be limited."

CONTRACT RESPONSIBILITY. Awarded vendor shall be the sole point of contract responsibility. The State shall look solely to the awarded vendor for the performance of all contractual obligations which may result from an award based on this solicitation, and the awarded vendor shall not be relieved for the non-performance of any or all subcontractors.

DATA ENCRYPTION. State IT requires that data be encrypted in transit and in rest.

STATESIDE DATA. State IT requires that State data assets must be maintained in the United States and data will not be held offshore.

NEVADA BUSINESS LICENSE. Pursuant to NRS 353.007, prior to contract execution awarded vendor must hold a state business license pursuant to NRS chapter 76 unless exempted by NRS 76.100(7)(b).

DISCLOSURE. Each vendor shall include in its proposal a complete disclosure of any alleged significant prior or ongoing contract failures, contract breaches, any civil or criminal litigation or investigations pending which involves the vendor or in which the vendor has been judged guilty or liable.

CRITICAL ITEMS

In addition to the Scope of Work and Attachments, the items listed in this section are critical to the success of the project. These items will be used in evaluating and scoring the proposal. Vendor proposal should address items in this section in enough detail to provide evaluators an accurate understanding of vendor capabilities. Proposals that fail to sufficiently respond to these items may be considered non-responsive.

CONTRACT FORM. The State strongly prefers vendors agree to the terms of the attached Contract Form as is. Ability to agree to contract terms is a high priority to the State. Vendors who cannot agree to the contract as is must include a redlined Word version of the attached Contract Form with their proposal response. To the extent a vendor has prior contractual dealings with the State, no assumption should be made that terms outside those provided herein have any influence on this project.

INSURANCE SCHEDULE

The State strongly prefers vendors agree to the terms of the attached Insurance Schedule as is. Vendors who cannot agree must explain which areas are causing non-compliance and attach a red line if necessary.

Awarded vendor shall maintain, for the duration of the contract, insurance coverages as set forth in the fully executed contract.

Work on the contract shall not begin until after the awarded vendor has submitted acceptable evidence of the required insurance coverages.

Failure to maintain any required insurance coverage or acceptable alternative method of insurance shall be deemed a breach of contract.

VENDOR BACKGROUND

Company background/history and why vendor is qualified to provide the services described in this solicitation.

Provide a brief description of the length of time vendor has been providing services described in this solicitation to the public and/or private sector.

VENDOR STAFF RESUMES

A resume shall be included for each proposed key personnel, see Proposed Staff Resume.

A resume shall also be included for any proposed key subcontractor personnel.

SUBCONTRACTORS

Subcontractors are defined as a third party, not directly employed by the contractor, who shall provide services identified in this solicitation. This does not include third parties who provide support or incidental services to the contractor.

Proposal should include a completed Vendor Information Response form for each subcontractor.

Vendor shall not allow any subcontractor to commence work until all insurance required of the subcontractor is provided to the vendor.

Vendor proposal shall identify specific requirements of the project for which each subcontractor shall perform services.

How the work of any subcontractor(s) shall be supervised How channels of communication shall be maintained How compliance with contracts terms and conditions will be assured Previous experience with subcontractor(s)

VENDOR FINANCIAL INFORMATION

The information requested in this section is designated as confidential business information by the Administrator pursuant to NRS 333.020(5)(b) and is not public information pursuant to NRS 333.333.

This information should be submitted as a separate attachment, flagged as confidential in NevadaEPro.

Proposing vendor shall provide the following financial information and documentation:

Dun and Bradstreet Number Federal Tax Identification Number The last two (2) full years and current year interim:

1. Profit and Loss Statements

2. Balance Statements

BUSINESS REFERENCES

The information requested in this section is designated as confidential business information by the Administrator pursuant to NRS 333.020(5)(b) and is not public information pursuant to NRS 333.333.

Vendors shall provide a minimum of three (3) business references from similar projects performed for private and/or public sector clients within the last five (5) years, see Reference Questionnaire.

The purpose of these references is to document relevant experience and aid in the evaluation process.

Business references should return Reference Questionnaire directly to Single Point of Contact via email.

Business references will not be accepted directly from proposing vendor.

Business references shall not be requested from the soliciting agency.

The State will not disclose submitted references, but will confirm if a reference has been received.

The State reserves the right to contact references during evaluation.

SUBMISSION CHECKLIST

This section identifies documents that shall be submitted to be considered responsive. Vendors are encouraged to review all requirements to ensure all requested information is included in their response.

Proposals must be submitted as a Quote through NevadaEPro, https://NevadaEPro.com.

Vendors are encouraged to submit a single file attachment per proposal section if possible.

Technical proposal information and Cost proposal information shall not be included in the same attachment.

Cost proposal attachment shall not be flagged as confidential in NevadaEPro.

Additional attachments may be included, but are discouraged and should be kept to a minimum.

TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

Title Page Table of Contents Response to Mandatory Minimum Requirements Response to Critical Items Response to Scope of Work Proposed Staff Resumes Other Informational Material

PROPRIETARY INFORMATION. If necessary. Attachment should be flagged confidential in NevadaEPro.

Title Page Table of Contents Trade Secret information, cross referenced to the technical proposal

COST PROPOSAL

VENDOR FINANCIAL INFORMATION. Attachment should be flagged confidential in NevadaEPro.

SIGNED ATTACHMENTS

Vendor Information Response Vendor Certifications Confidentiality and Certification of Indemnification Certification Regarding Lobbying

OTHER ATTACHMENTS. If necessary, not recommended.

REFERENCE QUESTIONNAIRES. Not submitted directly by vendor.

Spooner Meadow and North Canyon Design Plans Page 1 of 6 70CNR-S2911 image1.jpg