A04_SOW.docx

Mud Spring Habitat Improvement Statement Of Work

PURPOSE

Work performed under this scope includes furnishing labor and equipment to implement the following projects:

· Mud Spring Fence: installation of 2,691 ft of pipe rail fence to improve Mud, Willow, and Unnamed Springs area for wildlife benefits,

· Purchase and install two (8’x12’) cattle guards.

Additionally, this SOW includes transporting material from the Carson City District Office to the project site.

LOCATION, COORDINATES & ACCESSIBILITY

The project area is located at the base of the Stillwater Mountains, in Churchill County, Nevada (vicinity and project maps). The project is on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

Datum NAD 1983) Legal Description

Range 34 E

The nearest full support community to the project is Fallon, NV. Average travel time from Fallon to the project sites is ~1 hour, 15 minutes. The Contractor shall be held liable and is responsible for any damages caused by their personnel and/or equipment to any improved and unimproved road, ditch, culverts, signs, or survey monuments.

BOUNDARIES/WORK LAYOUT

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will set flags or fence posts within site distance to give the Contractor lines and angles necessary to execute the work specified under the contract after the bid has been awarded. The Contractor shall, immediately upon entering the project site for the purpose of beginning work, locate all reference marks and take such actions to prevent their destruction. Changes in the location or the construction of any portion of the fences can only be made if agreed upon by both the contractor and the Contracting Officer.

SCHEDULE/PROGRESS OF WORK

Period of performance is 60 days from notice to proceed. Project start date will be dictated by contract award date. Anticipate October 2023, however this may change due to solicitation process.

Kick-off Meeting The kick-off meeting will be held prior to the start of work. This meeting will be held at the project site. At this meeting we will go over the scope of work, project drawings, specifications, construction schedules, payroll, payments, and administrative provisions of the Contract. The Contractor and subcontractors or their authorized representatives and the persons responsible for coordination of the work shall be present at the meeting. The Contractor shall be prepared to present the work schedule and summarize and explain work procedures planned for the project.

Progress Meetings Progress meetings may be held virtually, by phone, or at the project site, in Reno, Fallon or Carson City, NV or where necessary or as determined by the Contracting Officer. Progress meetings/calls may be called by either the Contracting Officer or the Contractor. The request shall state who should attend and include an agenda.

Final Inspection The Final Inspection will be held at the project site, or as determined by the Contracting Officer. The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer in writing and by phone at least three working days before the completion date so the Government can schedule final inspection. The Contactor or the Contractor’s authorized representative shall be present during the final inspection.

CAMPING/STAGING

Camping will be allowed during project implementation at the project site or other location if approved by the Contracting Officer or Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Representative. All fire regulations and permits shall be followed. All garbage and refuse shall be removed from the camp site by the contractor immediately at the time of camp abandonment. Toilet facility requirements shall follow all Federal and State regulations. Final payment will be reserved subject to inspection of these sites by the Contracting Officer or BLM Representative and approval of site cleanup.

CONTRACTOR FURNISHED ITEMS

The Contractor will provide all tools, equipment, and labor necessary to transport and complete the work as specified in the contract. The Contractor shall be responsible for safely loading, transporting, and off-loading material at the project site in good working condition. The Contractor is liable for any loss or damage of materials during transport, and until the fences are constructed. The contractor will be responsible for disposing of scrap material. Extra material belongs to BLM and will be transported back to the staging area. Contractor to supply all other materials not furnished by Government including cattle guards and wings.

STATE OR FEDERAL AGENCY FURNISHED ITEMS

The BLM will provide post and rail fence material necessary to install 2,691’ of fence only. The fencing material shall be picked up by contractor at the Carson City District Office 5665 Morgan Mill Road, Carson City, Nevada, 8970 and deliver to the project location.

MUD SPRING EXCLOSURE CONSTRUCTION SPECIFICATIONS

Pipe Rail Fence:

Construction of steel pipe rail continuous exclosure fence (Figure 3). See attached document titled, Exhibit A_Typ Post and Rail Fence Drawing, for example.

Rails:

The top of the top rail should be installed 38.5 inches (±2 inches; no more than 40.5 inches and no less than 36.5 inches above ground). The top of the bottom rail must be installed 18.5 inches (±2 inches; no more than 20.5 inches and no less than 16.5 inches above ground).

Rails must be secured to each other and to post (i.e. couplers should join rails at posts and should not be installed free floating between posts).

Posts: Post should be spaced 12 feet apart (±1 ft) apart.

Posts shall be set 30 inches into the ground so that the top of the top rail will 38.5 inches (±2 inches; no more than 40.5 inches and no less than 36.5 inches) above ground. Pound, auger, drill, and/or concrete steel line posts into the ground a minimum of 28 inches deep.

If the post cannot be pounded to the specified 30 inches, then a hole must be dug and the post concreted with a minimum of one 60 pound bag of concrete and firmly seated in the ground at a depth no less than 18 inches. When the ground is too moist to allow for proper curing of concrete, a concrete forming tube will be used and filled with two 60 pound bags of concrete.

If the post must be cut due to a natural obstruction (rock), the post must be seated no less than 28 inches below the grounds surface and concreted flush to the grounds surface. If the necessary depth of 28 inches cannot be achieved, the contractor should use a rotary hammer to drill a hole 28 inches deep and approximately 2 inches in diameter to fit a piece of pipe that will support the post. This supporting pipe should have an outside diameter of no less than 1 5/8 inches and should be epoxied with masonry epoxy into the obstruction. The pipe supporting the post should rise 18.5 inches above the grounds surface and tech screwed to the respective post a minimum of 4 times using one inch tech screws.

Corner, end, and gate posts: All corners/angles, end posts, and gate posts will be concreted and firmly seated in the ground at a minimum of 30 inches. If the required depth of 30 inches cannot be achieved the post should be cut at a depth no less than 28 inches, so that the top of the bottom rail will achieve the correct 18.5 inch distance from the ground and concreted flush to the grounds surface. Any open pipe ends will be capped permanently to prevent access to birds or other wildlife.

When angles are encountered that prevent rail from easily passing through line posts and terminating at corners two fence rail ends should be bolted together to produce an articulating joint/flexible elbow. These caps will be fastened to the two respective pipe rail ends with tech screws. All non-corner angles shall have 2 post (one on each fence side) within 4 feet of ends/flexible elbow joint.

Water Crossings and depressions When encountering water crossings and depressions the post and rail should adhere to the standards described above (i.e. posts set 30” in ground, top rail = 38.5 inches, bottom rail = 18.5 inches), with continuous rail paralleling the ground so not to allow livestock under or over fence. Use articulating joint/flexible elbow when necessary. When water crossings and depressions are encountered that are either inundated with standing water or are expected to be inundated with standing water do not install posts in the water. If necessary, use additional posts on either side of the standing water to maintain spacing between posts of less than 12 ft.

Cattle guards Cattle guards should adhere to attached BLM cattle guard specifications. See attached document titled, Exhibit B_A06 Attachement BLM Cattle Guards, for line drawings.

Environmental Considerations Blading or Scraping: No blading or scraping of the ground along the fence line or on any Bureau of Land Management administered land is permitted. Access roads shall not be constructed along fence lines or to the job sites, but overland travel along the fence line is permitted.

Rocky and Uneven Terrain: Rocky and uneven terrain exist along portions of the fence line, and it is recommended that interested vendors inspect the site before offering a quote.

Cross-Country Travel: No cross-country travel with motorized vehicles shall take place when ground is muddy causing ruts to form. The vendor shall repair all ruts and scarred ground created by construction, repair, or removal as directed by the Contracting Officer.

Specific areas may be flagged that designate sensitive areas due to archaeological sites, wildlife nesting areas, sensitive plant species, spring areas, etc. The Government may pose restrictions to other operations in these areas.

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES

Weed Control - Contractor will insure all vehicles moved onto public or private land are free of soil, seeds, and vegetative matter or other debris that could contain or hold seeds. Contractor will employ whatever cleaning methods are necessary to insure compliance and will notify the BLM prior to moving vehicles. Notification will include identifying the location of the vehicle’s most recent operations.

Cultural Resource Protection - Locations of known historic or prehistoric sites, buildings, objects, and properties related to American history, architecture, archaeology, and culture, such as settler or Indian artifacts need to be avoided by the Contractor. Because fragile and irreplaceable culture resources may be present in the area, project activities and any other action which causes disturbance of the earth's surface shall be limited to those areas approved by the BLM and by the state. Deviations from routes flagged or shown on the drawings are not allowable without prior approval of the project manager. The vendor shall insure that he, his employees, or his representatives do not collect archaeological artifacts. Should the condition of the cultural resources in the area be altered during construction due to unauthorized activity by the vendor or his employees, the vendor shall be responsible for all costs of mitigating the cultural resources involved. If destruction of the archaeological sites is found to be occurring during the construction phase, work on the project shall be terminated until a data recovery plan is prepared and completed in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act and the State Historic Preservation Office.

Fire Prevention/Suppression -Vegetation occurring in the Great Basin can be highly flammable. Under dry and windy weather conditions the potential for a fire start is high. The risk of wildfire is year round. Be extra careful when working on or around the dry grasses. Check under vehicles when parking off road.

The Contractor will, independently and in cooperation with the Government, take all reasonable action to prevent and suppress fires on the project. Independent initial action will be prompt and will include the use of all personnel and equipment available in the project area.

Emergency Reporting Requirements:

1. 911 (initial call for all emergencies)

2. Sierra Front Dispatch Center: 775-883-5995 (wildland fire emergency line)

Information needed in reporting a wildland fire would include: Location: Geographical reference and if possible Latitude/longitude coordinates. Description on what the fire is doing size, spread, color of smoke, etc.

BLM may require emergency measures, including the necessary shutting down of equipment or portions of operations during periods of high fire danger.

The holder of this permit may be held liable for any and all costs should a wildland fire occur caused by the activities associated with the construction, maintenance, or operation of this project. Fire trespass action might be initiated and wildfire suppression costs may be collected from the holder of this permit.

PAYMENT AND INVOICING

Payment will be made for work completed to identified standards and timeframes upon submittal of an invoice to the BLM Contracting Officer. Fencing invoicing should identify the number of linear feet of fence constructed/installed and multiplied by the approved per foot contract price as specified in the bid (i.e. using table above).

The Contracting Officer will make periodic inspections as a basis and make recommendations for adjustments in work quality. The Contractor or representative is encouraged to observe inspections at the time they are being made. Work performed according to the specifications will be considered acceptable for payment purposes. Payment may be made for each completed site on a monthly basis, but no more often and only for completed projects that meet the specifications and to our satisfaction.

Figure 1. Project site 300K scale map.

Figure 2. Project site. 2000K scale map.

Figure 3. Example of pipe rail fence to be installed at Haypress and Dalton Canyon..

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