A04_Attachment_2_Buckskin_Lop-Scatter_SOW.pdf

Statement of Work

PROJECT: Buckskin Chaining Maintenance Lop and Scatter LOCATION: Coconino County approximately 28 miles east of Fredonia, Arizona.

Introduction: The Arizona Strip District Office (ASDO), Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is acquiring services in this contract to provide for increased vegetative diversity in both woodlands and sagebrush/grasslands and improve condition of wildlife habitat by hand cutting (lop and scatter) standing live or dead pinyon pine and juniper trees and saplings. The work includes treating a minimum project area totaling approximately 2,396 acres. Bids should be submitted on a per/acre basis and total cost basis. Per acre and total bid prices will include all mobilization and operation costs. (See attached bid schedule)

There will be no fuel surcharges or adjustments negotiated. There will be no government provided materials for this project. Bidders must provide references of prior lop and scatter experience. The contract will be awarded based on bid price; prior performance references as provider by the bidder and will be evaluated and awarded at the sole discretion of the government.

SECTION I – CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

SITE SPECIFICS:

Location and Description: Work under this contract is located on Arizona Strip District of the BLM approximately 28 miles east of Fredonia, Arizona in Coconino County in the Buckskin Chaining. Elevations range from 6,400 to 6,600 feet. The coordinates for the project are:

36°57'09.9"N 112°07'33.4"W

The treatment boundaries will not be flagged and must be located by GPS or by using the PDF maps attached and the Avenza app. The work location is shown on the site maps.

Total Acres 2,396

Access to the site: Access onto the project site is provided by a combination of paved highways, county dirt surface roads and jeep trails. Four (4) wheel drive vehicles are recommended in and around the project area. It will be the contractor’s responsibility to get the equipment to the work site.

SPECIFIC TASKS:

Work Limits: Only areas shown on the Project Map will be treated. The project areas will not be flagged so contractor will need to utilize either GPS units or smartphone applications capable of utilizing pdfs to identify the work areas. A GIS/GPS shapefile will be provided prior to work beginning.

Government staff will identify unit boundaries for the work executed under the contract. The Contractor shall immediately upon entering the project area, begin work, locate control points, section corners, and take such action to prevent their destruction.

Cutting: All targeted pinyon and juniper trees including saplings within the project boundaries shall be completely severed from the stump(s). No live limbs shall be left on the stump of cut trees. All main branches or stems shall be cut from the trunk of the tree to meet scattering requirements.

Additional treatment specifications (applies to all cutting units):

1. Cut material will be lopped and scattered so that slash height does not exceed 24” above the ground.

2. Cut material left on site shall not exceed 48” in length.

3. Cut material will be spread in ephemeral washes and draws where possible to help reduce erosion.

4. Only established roads shall be used. No overland travel by vehicle will be allowed.

5. Since the areas are previously treated, many of the small trees may be difficult to see and as such all acreage will need to be checked carefully to ensure complete removal.

6. Any trees identified as bearing trees, or any tree blazed or tagged to mark the line of any Government survey, shall not be cut, or destroyed under penalty of the law. Trees with reference tags, if they exist within the unit(s), will be left uncut.

CONTRACTOR FURNISHED EQUIPMENT:

Equipment Requirements: The Contractor shall furnish chainsaws on a fully operational basis, with competent, fully qualified operators, and shall meet the following specifications:

1. Must provide a minimum of a 10-man crew.

2. Be capable of cutting live or dead pinyon and juniper trees and shrubs at six (6) inches or less above ground level on the uphill side.

3. Equipment shall be free of fluid leaks and be in good operating condition.

4. Equipment shall be washed before entering and exiting federal lands. All soil and plant parts shall be removed to prevent the spread of noxious weeds in and out of the project area.

Contractor shall also furnish either GPS unit(s) or smartphone(s) with pdf map application to be utilized in identifying project boundaries.

GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY:

No Government property shall be furnished on this project. GIS/GPS shapefiles of the treatment areas will be provided to the contractor prior to work beginning.

EQUIPMENT AND WORKMANSHIP:

All equipment and/or materials incorporated into the work covered by this contract shall be of the most suitable grade for the purpose intended, unless otherwise specifically provided in this contract. All work under this contract shall be performed in a skillful and workmanlike manner. The BLM may require, in writing, that the contractor remove from the work any employee deemed by the BLM to be incompetent, careless, or otherwise objectionable.

Surface Disturbance: Public or private access roads damaged by the Contractor shall be restored at the Contractors expense to the same condition they were in at the commencement of work. Equipment and vehicles must not be operated or driven outside of identified roads or trails.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS:

1. Project sites shall be cleaned up, and all refuse removed by the Contractor. The Contractor shall be responsible for disposal of materials in a manner consistent with State, Federal and local laws and for all expenses incurred with disposal. Public or private access roads damaged by the Contractor shall be restored at the Contractors expense to the same condition they were in at the commencement of work.

2. Travel throughout the unit(s) will be done on foot.

3. All vehicle traffic will stay on established roads and trails.

4. Hazardous Materials:

A. Use of Hazardous Materials and/or petroleum products requires that all appropriate State and Federal

Regulations be complied with including, but not limited to, Materials Data Sheets (MDS) on hand and use of necessary Personal Protective Clothing (PPE).

B. On-site disposal of Hazardous Materials or Waste including hydrocarbons is not authorized. On-site disposal will subject the contractor to at least the cost of reclamation and the appropriate disposal of contaminated soil.

C. Incidental (de minimus) leaks from fittings, gaskets or ruptured hoses will not subject the contractor to remedial requirements. They will be considered normal and unavoidable losses. Continual leaks will be noted on inspection reports and correction through maintenance required.

D. Maintenance and repair operations that require the draining of engines or hydraulic systems may be conducted on site only if the fluids are captured, containerized, and removed from public lands for proper disposal.

E. All accidental spills shall be reported to the BLM Project Manager within 24 hours and be cleaned up immediately, using best available practices and requirements of the law, and disposed of in an authorized disposal site. All spills of federally or state listed hazardous materials which exceed the reportable quantities shall be promptly reported to the appropriate state agency and the BLM.

5. All equipment and vehicles used by the Contractor shall be cleaned (i.e., power washed off site) to remove any soil and potential weed seeds before entering the project area and checked for weed seeds after leaving the project area.

6. Contractor must notify the Project Manager within 24 hours if California condors visit the worksite while Contract activities are underway.

PUBLIC ACCESS:

Access into and through the project site shall always remain open to the public. The Contractor shall maintain roadways free of vehicles, tools, and debris.

SECURITY OF EQUIPMENT AND PROPERTY:

The Contractor may leave equipment at the work site; however, the Contractor shall be solely responsible for protection of equipment and is solely responsible if the equipment is lost, stolen or damaged.

CREW SUPERVISION:

1. Contractor shall designate one English literate supervisor who will be on-site during operation hours.

Supervisors shall be identified during the pre-work conference. Any changes in supervisory designations must be submitted in writing to the Project manager at least 24 hours prior to the change taking effect.

2. Person designated by the Contractor, as supervisor must remain with and effectively directs the crew by

(1) making periodic inspections of the crew’s work, (2) advising them as to improper work methods, (3) providing instructions for correcting any improper work methods encountered.

3. Emergency transportation will always be provided by the Contractor.

WORK CAMPS:

Work camps may be established only in location authorized in advance by the Project Manager in coordination with the Government. Should such a camp be authorized, the Contractor shall maintain the camp in an orderly and sanitary manner. Upon vacating a camp and prior to final payment, the Contractor shall remove all refuse and other signs of occupancy to the satisfaction of the Project Manager.

WORK HOURS:

Work hours under this contract shall be limited to the time between one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset each day. Work hours may extend into darkness only when the contractor’s equipment is suitably outfitted with exterior lighting enough to allow safe operation; AND only when mutually agreed upon between the contractor and the project manager. Work may be done on Saturday, Sunday, and legal national holidays as mutually agreed between the Contractor and the Project Manager.

WORK SCHEDULE:

The work schedule shall be submitted at the pre-work conference.

DELAYS:

The contractor is expected to complete all contract performance in a timely manner, regardless of the contractor or subcontractor's other workload, including any work being performed under other contracts. A delay or failure to perform may be considered excusable when the delay or failure arises from causes beyond the control and without the fault or negligence of the Contractor or subcontractor. Examples of these causes are (1) acts of God or of the public enemy, (2) acts of the Government in either its sovereign or contractual capacity, (3) fires,

(4) floods, (5) epidemics, (6) quarantine restrictions, (7) strikes, (8) freight embargoes, and (9) unusually severe weather. In each instance, the failure to perform must be beyond the control and without the fault or negligence of the Contractor or subcontractor.

Upon request of the Contractor, the Contracting Officer shall ascertain the facts and extent of the failure. If the Contracting Officer determines that any failure to perform results from one or more of the causes above, the delivery schedule may be revised, subject to the State’s contract termination rights under the contract.

Note: “Unusually severe weather” means weather that is outside the normal weather patterns for a specific area at a specific time of the year. For example, strong wind and snowstorms in fall and winter, or strong wind, rain or hailstorms in spring and summer are not considered unusually severe. An unusually severe snow, wind or rainstorm is one that is worse than even the harshest normal conditions during a season.

PROJECT MEETINGS:

Pre-work Conference:

1. Location: Meetings shall be held at the project site, or as determined by the Project Manager.

2. Notification: A pre-work conference will be held prior to the start of work. The Contractor will be notified in advance of the meeting time, date, and place. The purpose will be to review required work, project drawings and specifications, construction schedules, payroll and payments, and administrative provisions of the contract.

3. Attendance: The Contractor, subcontractors, and the persons responsible for coordination of the work shall be present at the meeting.

4. Presentation: The Contractor shall be prepared to summarize and explain procedures planned for each project and present the work schedule requested in the specifications.

Progress Meetings:

1. Location: Meetings shall be held at the project site, or as determined by the Project Manager.

2. Notification: Meetings may be called by either the Project Manager or the Contractor. Request shall state who should attend.

FIRE DANGER SEASON:

If the Project Manager allows the Contractor to continue work during the periods of declared fire danger or season, the Contractor shall comply with all applicable state laws relating to fire prevention and with all special conditions of work as directed by the Project Manager.

PRESERVATION OF HISTORICAL AND ARCHEOLOGICAL DATA:

1. The Contractor agrees that should he or any of his employees in the performance of this contract discover evidence of possible scientific, pre-historical, historical, or archeological data he will notify the Project Manager immediately giving the location and nature of the findings.

2. Where appropriate by reason of discovery, the Project Manager may order delays in the time of performance and/or changes in the work. If such delays and/or changes are ordered, the time of performance and contract price shall be adjusted.

3. The Contractor agrees to insert this paragraph in all subcontracts, which involve the performance of work on the terrain of the site.

PROTECTION OF CULTURAL RESOURCES:

Location of known historic or prehistoric sites, buildings, objects, and properties related to American history, architecture, archaeology, and culture, such as settler or Indian artifacts, protected by American Antiquities Act of 1906 (16 U.S.C. 431-433), National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 470) and the Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 (16 U.S.C. 470aa-ll) (36 CFR 296.4 and 36 CFR 261.9(g)), shall be identified on the ground by the Government. The Government may unilaterally modify or cancel this contract to protect an area, object of antiquity, artifact, or similar object which is or may be entitled to protection under these Acts regardless of when the area, object or artifact is discovered or identified. Discovery of such areas by either party shall be promptly reported to the other party and operations will be suspended at that location until the significance or potential significance of the site is determined.

Contractor shall protect all known and identified historic or prehistoric sites, buildings, objects, and properties related to American history, architecture, archaeology and culture against destruction, obliteration, removal, or damage during Contractor's operations. Contractor shall immediately notify the Government if disturbance occurs to any known site and shall immediately halt operations in the vicinity of the site until the Government authorizes the Contractor to proceed. Contractor shall bear costs of evaluation and restoration in accordance with 36 CFR 296.14(c), provided that such payment shall not relieve Contractor from civil or criminal remedies otherwise provided by law.

If, in connection with operations, and human remains, funerary objects, and/or objects of cultural patrimony, as defined in the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (25 USC 3001 et seq., 43 CFR 10), are discovered, the contractor shall stop operations in the immediate area of discovery, protect the remains and/or objects, and immediately notify the Project Manager. The contractor shall continue to protect the immediate area of the discovery until notified by the BLM that operations may resume. Collection and/or additional disturbance of any human remains and/or objects as stated above is strictly forbidden. The locational information (i.e., GIS data, location drawn on a map) will be provided solely to the BLM. This information is confidential and protected under the Archaeological Resources Protection Act.

NOTICE TO PROCEED:

Unless notified by the Project Manager that the notice-to-proceed will be delayed, receipt of the contract or purchase order by email shall constitute Notice to Proceed. The Project Manager may issue a separate delayed notice-to-proceed for any reason including adverse soil, vegetative, climatologic, or other environmental conditions.

CONTRACT PERFORMANCE:

The Contractor shall begin work within seven (7) calendar days from the effective date of the notice to proceed.

The Contractor shall continue performance of the work under the contract without delay or interruption except by causes beyond his control identified in the Delays clause. While an extended performance window is provided in this statement of work, this extended window is designed for contractor’s who may have multiple contracts to complete for the Bureau of Land Management at the same time as this contract. The extended performance window is not to be construed as a full performance time window just for this project unless approved in advance in writing by the BLM’s project manager. Once the contractor is on site working, the contractor shall work diligently and complete all work within the project performance time in the Contract Time clause below.

It is the contractor’s sole responsibility to complete contract performance regardless of contractor’s current workload, including other contracts. If necessary, the contractor will be expected to take whatever means are necessary to ensure timely contract performance. At the discretion of the contractor, this may include sub-contracting, additional equipment/manpower and/or any other necessary action.

Any necessary action taken by the contractor to ensure timely completion shall be at no additional expense to the BLM beyond the original contract price.

CONTRACT TIME:

Project Performance Time: August 1, 2022 to February 28, 2023 from official Notice-to-Proceed (NTP)

INSPECTION:

Surveillance Plan: The Government will inspect completed acres and provide recommendations to improve work quality while work is in progress. The Contractor is responsible for providing quality control to assure that work complies with the contract specifications.

Final Inspection:

1. Location: Meeting shall be held at the project sites, or as determined by the Project Manager.

2. Notification: The Contractor shall notify the Project Manager at least three (3) working days before completing date so the Government can schedule the final inspection.

3. Deficiencies: The Contractor shall correct deficiencies and project areas will be re-inspected by the Project Manager.

ACCEPTANCE:

Based on inspection results, if the quality level falls below contract specifications, the Project Manager will immediately notify the Contractor in writing and instruct the Contractor to improve the quality of work. If the quality of the work is not raised to an acceptable level after written notification, the Project Manager may issue a suspend work order to resolve the problem, during which time contract time will continue to run.

If untreated or unsatisfactorily treated areas are the primary reason for unsatisfactory work, the Contractor shall rework acres designated by the Government until satisfactory work quality is obtained.

PAYMENT:

One lump-sum final payment will be made for the actual number of acres completed following a final inspection of the completed project, and consistent with the payment clause in the BLM’s standard terms and conditions. Normally, requests for partial payments will not be considered. However, if a partial payment request is considered, approval of said request shall be at the total discretion of the BLM. Contractor must get a partial payment request approved in writing prior to submitting an invoice for partial payment. Partial payment invoices received without prior approval will be returned to the contractor as not proper for payment.

WINTER STOPPAGE:

At the sole discretion of the BLM this contract may be stopped at any time due to frozen soil or other winter conditions. Once the contract work is stopped for winter, the BLM may pay the contractor and cancel the remaining portion of the contract or issue a resumption of work order when spring weather permits. Contractor must proceed diligently with all work as weather permits until a stop-work order is issued.

SECTION II – BID REQUIREMENTS/INFORMATION

SITE VISIT:

It is strongly recommended that each potential bidder ensure that he/she has a complete understanding of the requirements of this project. Bidders are urged to inspect the site where services are to be performed and to satisfy themselves regarding all general and local conditions that may affect the cost of contract performance, to the extent that the information is reasonably obtainable. In no event shall failure to inspect the site constitute grounds for a claim after contract award.

SHAPE FILES:

Maps are attached to this solicitation.

Under no circumstances shall the shape/KML files be considered part of the contractual document. They will be provided for informational purposes only. Any .pdf files provided in this bid document, and the actual physical site location shall govern any contractual interpretation or dispute related to this project.

QUESTIONS:

Please direct all questions to Cody Goff at (435) 688-3369 or crgoff@blm.gov

BIDDING:

This contract will be bid on a per-acre price. The per-acre price will be extended based on the quantity of acres to show a total project price. The total price shall include all labor, equipment, and materials necessary to complete the job, which includes all mobilization and operating costs. There will be no fuel surcharges or adjustments negotiated.

CONRACT AWARD:

A contract will be awarded to the lowest responsive/responsible bidder who meets any experience and equipment requirements noted elsewhere in this solicitation.

mailto:crgoff@blm.gov