TREE_SOW-_PWS_rene2.doc

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

PREPARED BY

U.S. National Arboretum (USNA)

FOR

Tree Removal and Pruning services

Date

October 23, 2017

SECTION 1 – GENERAL INFORMATION & DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES

1.0 Introduction

The United States National Arboretum (USNA) is a 446 acre public research facility and a component of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). It has public gardens and research plots as well as woodland areas. USNA requires tree maintenance activities, i.e. removal, pruning and stump grinding.

1.1 Scope of Work The contractor shall provide all labor, materials, equipment, and transportation to provide services. All work performed shall be in accordance with all Federal, and District of Columbia laws, regulations, codes, licenses and directives. The Contractor shall perform services according to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard ANSI A300 “Tree, Shrub and other Woody Plant Maintenance-Standard Practices.” ANSI shall be the authority for definitions and applications relating to tree trimming. Services shall be on an as needed basis. The Contractor shall demonstrate proper and careful grounds care to ensure a pleasing appearance is maintained in the area where tree work is performed. The Contractor shall demonstrate caution to protect all public buildings, facilities and planted areas. The Contractor shall be responsible for safety of workers, Arboretum employees, and the visiting public and shall take proper measures to keep the public out of areas where tree work is being performed. Signage identifying work areas shall be required. All labor used in tree work shall be under the supervision of an

International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist. Tree removal and pruning will be accomplished using approved arboricultural methods. Work must be performed in a manner not to damage other plant material in the vicinity of the work, if problematic the

Contracting Officer (CO) and/or the Contracting Officers Representative (COR) shall be immediately contacted prior to work performance. Use of heavy equipment for removal of trees must be authorized, if required, and approval for off-road access or off existing trails is required prior to commencement of work. Our goal is to limit to impact on turf, planted areas, native plants and plant root zones. Sensitive areas shall be identified by the COR. Due to weather or soil conditions off road access by heavy equipment may be denied or the use of turf protection mats may be required.

1.2 Anticipated period of performance

The term of the contract will be from the date of award through a base period plus four (4) consecutive Option Periods if exercised. The overall period of performance is specified below.

Base Period:

March 1, 2018 through February 28, 2019

Option Period 1 March 1, 2019 through February 28, 2020

Option Period 2 March 1, 2020 through February 28, 2021

Option Period 3 March 1, 2021 through February 28, 2022

Option Period 4 March 1, 2022 through February 28, 2023

1.3 Place of Performance

U.S. National Arboretum (USNA)

3501 New York Ave., N.E. Washington, D.C.

1.4 Quality Control

The Contractor shall develop and maintain a quality control plan to ensure services are performed in accordance with commonly accepted commercial practices and services.

The plan shall include procedures to identify, prevent and ensure that non-performance and/or continual repeat of defective service does not occur. A written Quality Control Plan shall be submitted to the Government Point of Contact and the Contracting Officer for review, comments (as needed) and approval no later than two weeks (14 days) after award. At a minimum, the contractor shall address quality control procedures for each performance task/indicator as identified in the Performance Summary-Technical Exhibit 1

1.5 Quality Assurance

In accordance with the Inspection of Services clause; FAR Clause 52.246-4, Inspection of Services –Fixed Price (AUG 1996). The Government will inspect and evaluate the Contractor’s performance to ensure services are received in accordance with the requirements set forth in this contract. The Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR)/Government Point of Contact may inspect actual task performance, physically checking an attribute of the task, checking a report, investigating customer complaint or otherwise inspecting the task or its results to determine whether or not performance meets the standards contained in this PWS. The COR/Government Point of Contact will use the Contractor’s work schedule or modified version thereof, to record surveillance results.

Results of surveillance then become the official record of the Contractor’s performance.

When a performance threshold has not been met or Contractor performance has not been accomplished, the COR/Government Point of Contact will initiate and provide the Contracting Officer a Corrective Action Report (CAR) for issuance to the Contractor.

The contractor shall respond to the CAR instructions provided and return it to the COR/Government Point of Contact and the Contracting Officer within 10 days of receipt.

1.5-1 Surveillance Method(s):

100% Surveillance; Requires the Government to inspect the service each time it occurs. Results shall be annotated on the inspection schedule. Any deficiency shall be documented and the Contractor shall re-perform service immediately, if appropriate, or within a reasonable time period at no increase in contract amount. Any unsatisfactory inspection identified but re-performed acceptably shall still be counted as an unsatisfactory inspection for trending purposes. Receiving two or more unsatisfactory 100% surveillances within a 12 month period may result in unsatisfactory past performance documentation.

Random Sampling; Random sampling is an appropriate method for frequently recurring tasks. The Government Point of Contact will evaluate randomly selected samples of the activity to determine the acceptability of the entire requirement. Any unsatisfactory inspection (defect) result shall be recorded, and the Contractor shall re-perform the service after notification by the COR/Government Point of Contact. Failure to meet performance in any one month period as outlined in the Performance Summary-Technical Exhibit 1 shall result in a warning or letter of concern from the Contracting Officer. Failure to meet performance in any combination for any two, or more consecutive or no-consecutive months during the contract period shall constitute an immediate Progress Meeting with the designated Government Point of Contact and the Contracting Officer. All remedies shall be in accordance with the contract terms and conditions.

Customer complaints; The COR/Government Point of Contact will receive and investigate complaints and will be responsible for initially validating customer complaints. The Contracting Officer shall make the final determination of the validity of customer compliant(s) in cases of disagreement with the COR/Government Point of Contact and the Contractor. Exceeding the performance threshold in any one (1) month period shall result in a warning or letter of concern from the Contracting Officer. Exceeding the performance threshold for any two (2) or more consecutive or non-consecutive months during a contract period shall constitute an immediate Progress Meeting with the designated COR/Government Point of Contact and the Contracting Officer. All remedies shall be in accordance with the contract terms and conditions.

periodic surveillances; This method requires the Government to employ a “spot check” style of evaluation based on the Contractor’s schedule. Periodic surveillances will be conducted on a scheduled basis (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annually) and may be adjusted, based on quality trends. Any unsatisfactory inspection (defect) result shall be recorded, and the Contractor shall re-perform the service after notification by the COR/Government Point of Contact. Failure to meet performance in any one month period as outlined in the Performance Summary-Technical Exhibit 1 shall result in a warning or letter of concern from the Contracting Officer. Failure to meet performance in any combination for any two, or more consecutive or no-consecutive months during the contract period shall constitute an immediate Progress Meeting with the designated COR/Government Point of Contact and the Contracting Officer. All remedies shall be in accordance with the contract terms and conditions.

1.6

Recognized Government Holidays

New Year’s Day -

January 1

Martin Luther King Birthday -

3rd Monday in January

Presidents’ Birthday -

3rd Monday in February

Memorial Day -

Last Monday in May

Independence Day-

July 4

Labor Day-

1st Monday in September

Columbus Day -

2nd Monday in October

Veterans’ Day -

November 11

Thanksgiving Day -

4th Thursday in November

Christmas Day -

December 25

***Hours of service shall be between the hours of 6:30am and 4:00pm, Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holidays. The Contractor may begin to set up for tree work as early as 6:00am.

1.7 Compliance with bio-based requirements

The Offeror must comply with Section 9002 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (FSRIA), Executive Order (EO) 13423, “Strengthening Federal

Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management,” and the Federal Acquisition

Regulation to provide bio-based products. The Contractor shall utilize products and material made from bio-based materials (e.g., insulating foam, composite panels, and concrete and asphalt release fluids) to the maximum extent possible without jeopardizing the intended end use or detracting from the overall quality delivered to the end user. All supplies and materials shall be of a type and quality that conform to applicable Federal specifications and standards. All supplies and materials to be used in the performance of work described herein are subject to the approval of the Contracting Officer (CO).

Bio-based products that are designated for preferred procurement under USDA’s Bio-Preferred program must meet the required minimum bio-based content as stated in the USDA Final Rule available at www.biopreferred.gov. The Contractor should provide data for their bio-based products such as bio-based content and source of bio-based material.

In addition to the bio-based products designated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the Bio-Preferred Program, the Contractor is encouraged to use other commercially available bio-based products. The Contractor shall submit with the initial proposal a complete list of bio-based products, indicating the name of the manufacturer, cost of each material, and the intended use of each of the materials that are to be used in carrying out the requirements of the contract. Additionally, the winning Contractor on each anniversary date of the contract shall compile a complete list of bio-based products, including the information above, purchased to carry out the contract requirements. The Contractor shall list volume to be used and total cost for each individual product. This information will be used for reporting purposes.

1.8 Invoice submittal Instructions

The USDA require electronic submittal of all invoices in the Invoice Processing Platform System (IPP). Prior to submitting an electronic invoice in IPP, the offeror shall send a hard copy invoice to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and/or Government Technical Point of Contact and the Contract Administrator in a simultaneous email for acceptance and approval. Once approved, the offeror will be contacted by the Contract Administrator via email to submit an electronic invoice via IPP for payment. Each invoice must include the following information to be considered proper:

1. Name and address of contractor.

2. Invoice number and Invoice date.

3. Contract number.

4. Description of work and period of performance.

5. Name, title, phone number, and complete mailing address of official to whom payment is to be sent.

6. Name, title, phone number, and complete mailing address of person to notify in the event of a defective invoice.

7. Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) and DUNS Number.

NOTE: Invoices that do not contain the proper information described above will be rejected and returned for correction. The revised invoice shall be dated the day of the re-submission for payment.

1.9 Additional Information 1.9-1 Use of Reasonable Care

The Contractor is expected to use reasonable care while performing services. Failure to use reasonable care and results in damage to USNA grounds and/or property the Contractor shall replace or repair the damage at no expense to the Government as the Contracting Officer directs. If the Contractor fails or refuses to make such repair or replacement, the Contractor shall be liable for the cost which may be deducted from the contract price.

1.9-2 Scheduling

Tree work shall be coordinated with the COR or designated alternate. The Contractor is required to notify the COR prior to commencing any tree work under the resulting contract and prior to moving to another area of work on the Arboretum grounds. The Contractor shall be required to notify the COR in the event of any scheduled work day being canceled.

1.9-3 Catastrophic and/or Emergency Situations

Catastrophic occurrences or emergency situations, as determined by the USNA, shall not be included in this contract. Incumbent has right of first refusal, for work considered catastrophic or an emergency and not covered by this contract. If the incumbent cannot respond to a catastrophic or emergency event in a timely manner, as determined by location, nature and urgency of the event, then the Arboretum has the right to seek another contractor for that specified event.

1.9-4 Quality Assurance Standards

The “American National Standard Institute’ (ANSI) standard Z133.1 “Pruning, Trimming, Repairing, Maintaining and Removing Trees and Cutting Brush-Safety Requirements” shall be the authority for definitions and applications relating to tree safety.

END OF SECTION 1

SECTION 2 – SPECIFIC TASKS

2.0 The tasks agreed upon by USNA and the Contractor shall remain in effect for the life of the contract. The Contractor shall provide the following:

1. Tree Removal and Pruning;

· Limbs and debris under 6” shall be ground to wood chips and deposited onsite at a location designated by the COR. All other wood shall be stock piled at a designated area on the Arboretum grounds as per instruction of the COR.

· A minimum of two (2) experienced tree climbers and one (1) ground man shall be in site during all tree climbing activities.

· An additional, complete set of climbing ropes and equipment shall be available on site at all times, for rescue. This set may not be used for tree work and shall be available for inspection by the COR upon request. No work shall be permitted without a complete set of rescue ropes and equipment. The COR will immediately stop work until a complete set is on site. The Contractor shall not be reimbursed for any time lost.

· No tree shall be cut back in such a manner that its health will be impaired. An exception to this may occur in tree removal or emergency relief of an immediate danger to persons or property. Any such emergency procedures must be reported to the COR and CO with plans for completion or follow-up work submitted for approval.

· Authority to prune trees does not include the cutting back of sound, healthy tree branches in excess of six (6) inches in diameter (outside back) unless specifically described and requested by COR.

· When tree pruning cuts are made to a side branch, such remaining branch must possess a basal thickness of at least 1/3 of the diameter of the branch so affected. Such cuts shall be considered proper only when such remaining branch is vigorous enough to maintain adequate foliage to produce woody growth capable of natural callous growth within a reasonable period of time.

· All final tree pruning cuts shall be made in such a manner as to favor the earliest possible covering of the wound by natural callous growth. Excessively deep flush cuts which produce large wounds or weaken the tree at the cut shall not be made. Tree pruning cuts should be made just outside the branch collar. As stated in ANSI A300.

· Tree branches shall be removed and controlled in such a manner as not to cause damage to other parts of the tree or to other plants or property.

· All tools used on a tree known to contain an infectious tree disease shall be properly disinfected with alcohol immediately after completing work on such tree and before being used on other trees.

· All cutting tools and saws used in making tree pruning cuts shall be kept sharpened adequately to result in final cuts with a smooth surface and secure bark remaining adjacent thereto.

· Whenever pruning cuts are to be made while removing branches too large to hold securely in one hand during cutting operations, the branches shall be cut off two (2) feet beyond the intended cut. As stated in ANSI A300.

· Notification must be given to the COR prior to any cutting of tree roots other than when in the process of tree removal. It shall be imperative to give due consideration to the future welfare of the tree. Proper action shall be taken, utilizing the latest scientific techniques, to treat resulting wound to prevent entry of decay organisms.

· Stump grinding will be performed, when requested, in such a manner as to not damage turf or surrounding plant material. The appropriate stump grinding machine (whether walk behind, tow behind or remote controlled) for the location of the stump(s) shall be used. Stumps will be ground to a minimum depth of 6”. All stump grindings will be raked, unless otherwise stated.

2. Standard of workmanship for pruning and removal

· Cleanup of branches, logs or any other debris resulting from any tree pruning or removing shall be promptly and properly accomplished. The work area shall be kept safe at all times until the cleanup operation is completed. Under no condition shall the accumulation of brush, branches, logs or other debris be allowed upon public property in such a manner as to result in a public hazard.

· The use of climbing spurs or spike shoes in the act of pruning trees is prohibited.

· Under no condition shall it be considered proper to leave any severed or partially cut branches in the upper portion of any tree being worked on after the tree workers leave the scene of operation.

· Whenever large tree sections are being cut in a tree top that may endanger the public or property, such sections shall be secured by ropes and lowered safely in a controlled manner.

· Unless the tree work area is totally barricaded or otherwise kept safe while pruning or removing trees, at least one responsible tree worker shall serve to coordinate safe operations on the ground at all times, when operations are in progress.

3. Tree removal and disposal

· The work included in this contract shall be for removal of dead and/or dying trees to ground level (or as close as possible without damaging equipment) or to 6” below ground level. Removal shall include topping and other operations necessary to safely remove the assigned trees. It shall further include hauling and disposing of all wood and debris and cleaning up by raking lawn areas and sweeping the street and gutter and restoring the premises to its original condition.

· Disposal must be made in compliance with all ordinances and regulations. In addition by the end of each day the entire work site, including adjacent sidewalks, streets and alleys, shall have been cleaned. However when necessary, debris may be neatly stacked overnight for removal the following morning, provided that such stacks present no hazard to traffic or pedestrians and that these stacks shall not remain at the site for more then one (1) night. In no event shall said stacks be left upon or encroach upon any road or trail.

END OF SECTION 2

SECTION 3 – GOVERNMENT FURNISHED EQUIPMENT/PROPERTY AND RESPONSIBILITIES

3.0 Government Furnished Property

Government furnished equipment and/or property will not be provided.

3.1 Government Responsibilities The Government will provide the contractor with a list of trees during the performance of this contract. The COR will monitor performance, assess and report on various aspects of the project to the Contracting Officer.

END OF SECTION 3

Technical Exhibit 1

PERFORMANCE REQUIRMENTS SUMMARY

The Contractor’s performance will be assessed based on the following measures:

AQL: 99%

Customer complaint

Develop and maintain a quality control plan to ensure services are performed in accordance with commonly accepted commercial practices and services.

Plan shall include procedures to identify, prevent and ensure that non-performance and/or continual repeat of defective service does not occur. A written Quality Control Plan shall be submitted to the Government Point of Contact and the Contracting Officer for review, comments (as needed) and approval no later than two weeks (14 days) after award.

AQL: 95%

Customer complaint

AQL: 100%

100% surveillance