A04_Fence_SOW_2023.pdf

SCOPE OF WORK

Quivira National Wildlife Refuge

1434 NE 80th Street, Stafford, KS 67578

PROJECT BACKGROUND AND DESCRIPTION STATEMENT

Statement of Need The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) manages a variety of habitats using strategies, such as grazing, to support native ecological communities (plants and wildlife). Quivira National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) has identified many ecological and logistic benefits with removal of old fence and the creation of wildlife safe fence to control cattle movement while making safe passage for wildlife.

Overall Fence Work Contractor shall furnish all labor, services, equipment, specified materials, and perform all work in connection with the creation of the fence lines in sections 1.A and 1.B (Map of sections and fence lines are displayed in the Appendix). It is strongly suggested for vendors to plan a site visit (visualize scope of project, ground conditions, etc.) prior to submitting for the project. Site conditions can be extremely wet during certain seasons of the year depending on annual rainfall and groundwater flow.

Section Feet/Miles Action Fence Type 1.A 7,721.77ft/1.46mi Create Barbed 1.B 4,885.01ft/0.93mi Create Barbed

Fence Line Creation When creating fence lines, the contractor will follow specific specifications to create wildlife safe fence. The fence post will be capped pipe post, 1.33 lb/ft t-post, capped pipe corners, with capped pipe public access walk throughs. Post will be spaced 16.5 feet apart with a single stay in the middle. Post will be in a pattern of one pipe post then three t-post. The fence will be four strands with the top wire being smooth and the bottom three barbed. The top two wires will be spaces 12 inches apart and the bottom wire will be spaces 16 inches off the ground. The space from the ground and top wire will be 42 inches. Please reference the below figure for reference.

Specifications and Design

- Materials - The Government requires American made/supplied for this project.

- What are the dimensions, size, and length of corner posts and H-braces? Pipe for corners and H-bracing will be 2 7/8-inch diameter pipe for vertical (upright posts), and 1 7/8-inch for all horizontal (cross bracing). The width (vertical post to post) of corners and H-bracing will be 8 feet.

- How many horizontal cross braces are required for corners and H-braces? Four horizontal cross braces will be positioned in line with the four strand wires in the corners or H-bracing.

- What weight and length of T-posts required? All T-posts will be 7 feet at 1.33 lb./ft.

- What gauge, class, and number of barbs on barbed wire required? Barbed wire will be class I, two points barbed, 12.5 double strand.

- Will there be allowance for contract modification if weather conditions prevent work from being completed within the period of performance? To be determined by the Contracting Officer.

- Can the contractor work beyond the 4:00pm CST as written in the Scope of Work, and over weekends on an as needed basis, and how do we get that approved? To be determined by the Contracting Officer.

- Does any grass mowing need to be done, and will the contractor be expected to do that? No, mowing will be completed prior to fence line construction by Refuge staff.

- Will the contractor be required to provide and hang gates? Yes, the contractor will be required to provide the correct gates required, and will be require install the gates.

- What size gates will be required, and which fence line will they be located?

o Section 1.A – Two gates will be required, and both will be a 6-foot gate for public use access.

o Section 1.B – One gate will be required and will be a 6-foot gate for public use access.

- What pipe diameter is required when installing and hanging gates? The vertical pipe bracing that is used for hinge installation to hang the gate will be 4-inch diameter. The opposing side where the gate will be closed will be 2 7/8-inch diameter as previously used in corners and H-bracing.

- Is the Contractor responsible for fire protection and safety during if welding/cutting is needed on corners, H-braces, and gates? Yes, the contractor is required to make all preparations and take the necessary precautions needed when welding or cutting is required during construction.

Purchased materials for this contract after completion will become property of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Under this contract, all fence lines will be staked for construction before the contractor arrives, therefore no fence removal will be required.

Start and End Date:

Work can begin 10 days after the contract has been awarded by the Contracting Officer. Project will conclude three months after the start date.

In General The habitat is predominantly prairie intermixed with a combination of wetland and woodland tree lots and is subject to extremely wet conditions during the fall and spring seasons. Fencing work shall occur as long as conditions permit vehicle and equipment use along most of the fence lines with minimal disturbance (e.g., avoid creation of ruts).

The contractor will be responsible for cleaning out equipment of seeds and plant material before arriving on site to avoid the spread of invasive species. Some cutting of trees and brush will be required by the contractor.

The fence lines are located at various locations. The contractor will be issued keys if access is needed to gated areas where fence line construction will occur. A map of the Refuge, and site-specific locations of each fence line are provided in the Appendix of this scope of work.

Inspections of fence will occur during, and at the end of project by the refuge manager or his representative. Normal hours of operation are Monday thru Friday 7:30am - 4pm.

Protection

All permanent property and monuments shall be protected.

APPENDIX

Map 1: Zoomed out view of the sections to know where their location is on the Refuge.

Map 2: Zoomed in view of section 1 with each fence line labeled. West/Left creation line is 1A and creation line on the East/Right side is 1B.