A04_SOW.docx

Statement of Work Kern Mountain 2023 Chaining

General Information and Requirements Description of Work The work required under this contract is to furnish all labor, equipment, supplies and materials, except for specified Government-furnished materials and property (Section II A and B), to chain 1,546 acres (Table 1) of pinyon pine and juniper in three units within the Kern Mountain Range, Nevada. The maps and acreage associated with the chaining units are attached to this statement of work. There is potential for acreage reduction depending on need to avoid sensitive resources. Work required will be a double pass chaining with the second pass conducted in the opposite direction as the first pass. Seeding bitterbrush seed using government provided dribblers mounted to the dozers will be required on the second pass. The Government will apply other seed to the site after the first pass is completed, and prior to the second pass. The chaining units intersect open roads and trails. It will be the contractor’s responsibility to clear vegetation from the roads and trails following the completion of the chaining.

Table 1 – Table of treatment units by line item, treatment and size.

Total

1,546

Leave areas and boundaries may be altered prior to implementation of the project to mitigate sensitive resource concerns. Treatment area boundaries will be outlined on a georeferenced map provided by the Government. The Contractor will be responsible for ensuring that they are within treatment boundaries by utilizing a Global Positioning System (GPS) or other applicable navigation system. The contractor may flag the boundaries of the units at their discretion; however, the contractor will be responsible for removing all flagging when the project is complete.

Work Layout There are three areas within the Kern Mountain Range that require chaining services: 1) Blind Spring (355 acres), 2) Cedar Pass (609 acres) and 3) Mallory (582 acres). The terrain is typically gently to moderately rolling hills with few large rocks. However, there are some areas of slope that are near or exceed 20% and some areas with some large rocks. Two dozers capable of towing an Ely anchor chain (battleship anchor chain with rail welded perpendicular to the links) will be required to complete the work. Contractors shall submit a bid on a per acre basis for each treatment unit in the format provided in Attachment 1.

A map with avoidance areas (archaeological sites; springs; structural range improvements; survey markers such as sections corners, quarter corners, mining claims, etc.) will be provided to the contractor as necessary. Survey markers or mining claim markers disturbed or removed during chaining operations shall be reset at the Contractor’s expense. Range improvements or other physical structures damaged or removed during chaining operations shall be repaired or replaced at the Contractor’s expense.

Location and Access to Work Sites The project is located in the Kern Mountains near the Utah/Nevada border in eastern White Pine County, Nevada (see attached locational map).

The treatment area can be accessed by two primary methods:

1) Travel north approximately 40 miles from Ely, Nevada on US Highway 93 to Schellbourne Rest Area, travel east along Schellbourne Road approximately 10 miles to Spring Valley, then travel south-southeast to Twelve mile summit, then east-northeast to Antelope Valley until reaching Tippett Ranch. Travel east approximately 15 miles to Blind Spring and Cedar Pass units, or 21 miles to Mallory Canyon Road.

2) Travel north approximately 42 miles along the Gandy Road from US Highway 50/6 near the Utah/Nevada border, and then travelling west along the Pleasant Valley Road approximately 14 miles to Mallory Canyon Road, or 20 miles to Blind Spring and Cedar Pass units.

Four-wheel drive vehicles are recommended due to the potential for unexpected inclement weather conditions, and for travel along the two-track roads within the project area.

The following legal land descriptions apply:

· Township 22 North; Range 69 East; Sections 14, 21-23, 26-28, 33-35; MDM.

· Township 21 North; Range 69 East; Sections 1, 2, 11-14; MDM.

Environmental Considerations The project site shall be cleaned up, and all refuse removed to an approved landfill at the Contractor’s expense. The Contractor shall not disturb lands adjacent to the project site. Existing access roads and trails within the project area that are damaged by the Contractor shall be restored at the Contractor’s expense to the same condition they were at the commencement of work. Stream channels, springs and other wet areas will be avoided by vehicles and heavy equipment. No new roads shall be constructed during project implementation. Cross-country travel shall be limited and discussed and approved by the BLM. Any heavily travelled areas shall be closed and rehabilitated prior to contract completion. Specifications for closure will be determined on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the BLM.

Any staging areas for fueling or maintenance of equipment shall be approved by the BLM. Any on-site fuel storage tanks shall have a catchment barrier placed underneath the tank to prevent fuel from entering the soil. To prevent excess ground disturbance and potential access roads, the chain shall be disconnected from the dozers prior to moving them to a fueling or maintenance staging area (i.e., do not drag the chain to the same location day after day to fuel dozers).

Vehicles and other equipment used for implementation of the project shall be washed to remove any vegetation and potential noxious weed and invasive species parts prior to beginning the work and following completion of the work.

The dozers shall be configured in a “J” or “U” formation to prevent excessive dragging of the chain. The operators shall be configure the dozers in a fashion so the chain is rolling as much as possible to prevent excessive soil disturbance. See the attached informational document (The Ely Chain) on proper chaining techniques to consider.

Chaining shall not occur when the soil is saturated or where there is sufficient soil moisture that the equipment is leaving substantial ruts as determined by the Contracting Officer or representative. If and when these conditions are encountered, the Contractor shall stop work and notify the Contracting Officer or designated representative.

Identified cultural sites, cadastral survey markers and other leave areas shall not be disturbed by equipment or the chaining operation. Execution of the work shall be planned in a manner to reduce multiple passes on the same piece of ground with the chain.

Due to timing restrictions, treatments will only occur between September 15, 2023 and January 31, 2024. These timing restrictions shall be built into the proposal. No extensions in the performance period will be granted due to these timing restrictions.

A. Work Schedule The work schedule shall be submitted at the pre-work conference. The work schedule may be modified if inclement weather conditions occur. The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer’s Representative immediately of any changes in the original work schedule.

The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer’s Representative at least ten (10) days prior to finishing the first pass, so seeding can be scheduled. Every effort will be made to prevent delay of the second pass from the seeding operation. However, the Contractor shall be prepared to accommodate seeding operations for at least two days between the first and second pass.

B. Work Camp Camping will be allowed during project implementation only at sites that have been approved in advance by BLM. Grey and black water will be properly disposed of. All fire regulations and permits shall be followed. All garbage and refuse shall be removed from the camp site by the contractor at the time of project completion. Final payment will be reserved subject to inspection of these sites by BLM and approval of site cleanup.

C. PROJECT MEETINGS

1. Pre-Work Conference A pre-work conference will be held prior to the start of work, and within 10 days of Contract award. The Contractor and Contracting Officer’s Representative will schedule a time for the meeting location, date and time. The purpose of the meeting will be to review the required work, the project locations, project specifications, the work schedule, payroll and payments and administrative provisions of the Contract. The Contractor and the persons responsible for coordination of the work shall be present at the meeting. The Contractor shall be prepared to summarize and explain procedures planned for the project.

2. Progress Meetings Meetings may be called by either the Contracting Officer’s Representative or the Contractor. Meetings shall be held at the project site, or as determined by the Contracting Officer’s Representative.

3. Final Inspection The final inspection meeting shall be held at the project site, or as determined by the Contracting Officer’s Representative. The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer’s Representative at least four (4) working days before the completion date, so the Government can schedule a final inspection. Final payment of the contract will be held pending the completion of a satisfactory final inspection of all associated areas.

II. Government Furnished and Contractor Furnished Property A. Materials Furnished by the Government The Government will provide paper and electronic copies of maps with the project area boundaries, and a shapefile of the project area boundaries (for GPS upload). The Government will also provide antelope bitterbrush seed to be applied through government provided dribblers mounted to the dozers on the second pass of the chaining. Seed rate for the bitterbrush shall be approximately 1 pound per acre. Contractor provided dribblers will not be accepted.

B. Equipment Furnished by the Government

1. Ely Anchor Chain The Government will provide an Ely anchor chain, pigtail chains, swivels, clevises and associated pins, seed dribblers, and repair parts for the above mentioned equipment.

The Ely anchor chain and pigtail chains weigh an estimated 22,000 to 28,500. The overall length of the Ely anchor chain and pigtail chains will be approximately 180 to 200 feet in length.

The Government-furnished materials and equipment will be provided by the Bureau of Land Management located at 702 North Industrial Way in Ely, Nevada. The materials and equipment will be available for pick-up Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., except on holidays. Matt Rajala shall be contacted at least 48 hours in advance for materials and equipment information. He can be reached at (775) 289-1821.

C. Equipment Furnished by the Contractor

1. 2 Dozers The Contractor will be responsible for furnishing two dozers capable of pulling an Ely anchor chain assembly which is approximately 180 to 200 feet in overall length and weighs an estimated 22,000 to 28,500 pounds and capable of mounting seed dribblers. The dozers must be furnished with skilled and experienced operators and the necessary support. Equipment shall be clean and in good working order and free of fluid leaks. Spills of any fluids will be the contractor’s responsibility to properly mitigate and clean. All spills shall be reported to the BLM representative.

It is the contractor’s responsibility to ensure that the dozer is capable of attaching the government provided dribbler to an appropriate location on the dozer (see attached photos). The dribbler must be mounted so that the tire rests on the track and seed is distributed onto the track during movement of the dozer. If there is a way to attach the dribbler to the dozer it is the contractor’s responsibility to manufacture a suitable way (brackets) to do so.

2. GPS Units The Contractor shall, at a minimum, provide one functioning GPS unit capable of uploading shapefiles and displaying them in a manner that can be followed by the contractor’s personnel. It is expected that the individual assigned by the Contractor who is responsible for using the GPS unit to follow and/or mark project area boundaries will be able to operate and trouble shoot the GPS unit.

3. Communication

Dozer operators shall be able to reasonably communicate to one another while chaining to ensure proper alignment and deployment of the chain and to avoid restricted chaining areas. The Contractor is responsible for establishing a communication protocol with the dozer operators.

III. Measurement and Payment A. Measurement of Payment Work will be measured and paid for by the number of acres that are fully treated (double chained). The total will be rounded up to the nearest whole acre. Billing may occur once the first pass has been completed for an entire treatment unit. Once the first pass is completed for a treatment unit, the acreage of that treatment unit may be billed at a rate equal to half of the per acre bid price. Area measurements required under this Contract will be measured on a horizontal plane. The determination of the total acreage of completed work will be made by the use of a GPS unit and/or geographic information system (GIS).

There are portions of the unit that are steeper than others where some slopes are approaching or exceeding 20%. The contractor is responsible for reviewing the units sufficiently to determine if they have the technical capacity to complete the project in the terrain. The Government recognizes and respects the contractor’s right of refusal to some of these areas for safety and to prevent damage to equipment. If the contractor elects to not complete certain portions of the unit the contractor will notify the government representative with 48 hours with the location of the area and reasons as to why the area will not be completed. It is expected that these areas will not exceed 5% of the total area of any unit and these acres will not be counted towards the 20% reduction for resources. Any acres not completed at the discretion of the contractor will not be paid for and the total price for the unit will be reduced by the per acre dollar amount.

B. Basis of Payment Prices and payment will be full compensation for the work described in this section. Payment will be made under the following:

2-Way Chaining

Acre

The Contracting Officer or representative will make periodic inspections as a basis for progress payments and 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.

IV. Chaining Specifications The following is a detailed summary of the work required to complete the chaining treatment for all units.

A. Type of Work The project involves the double chaining of pinyon and juniper, and applying bitterbrush seed on the second pass. The area is dominated by pinyon and juniper with declining amounts of native shrubs and perennial, herbaceous species.

· A double pass (twice over) chaining shall be conducted. The first pass of all units will be conducted prior to aerial seeding and initiation of the second pass. Once the first pass is completed, aerial seeding will immediately follow. It is anticipated that the dozers and chain may be moved between units without transportation but it is not a guarantee. The aerial seeding will be conducted and administered by the Government. Once the aerial seeding is completed, chaining will immediately follow a second time in the opposite direction. The second pass will occur in the opposite direction of the first pass to assist in further removing targeted vegetation and assist in imbedding the seed mixture into the soil. The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer’s Representative at least ten (10) days prior to finishing the first pass so aerial seeding can be scheduled.

· Seed dribblers shall be attached to the dozers on the second pass to disperse bitterbrush seed at a rate of approximately 1 pound per acre. The contractor shall ensure the dribblers are working and maintain seed in the dribblers.

· There shall be no blocking of roads from the by-product of double chaining. Any tree or debris that blocks any road, two-track, trail or barrow ditch/road cut shall be moved to allow travel by vehicles or UTV/ATV and upkeep of roads. Contractor shall keep roads clear and free from debris.

B. Treatment Acreage and Areas Current acreage of the project area is 1,546 acres. The attached maps delineate the project area boundaries with tentative islands and leave areas. Leave areas and boundaries may be altered prior to implementation of the project to mitigate sensitive resource concerns and may result in further acreage reduction.

The area for chaining occurs in areas considered to be moderate terrain with some rocks. Tree cover in the area is moderately to extremely dense with size ranging from 4-20+ inch diameter at root collar.

Treatment The chaining shall be conducted based on a double pass. The first pass will be conducted prior to aerial seeding. All units must be completed with the first pass prior to beginning the second pass on any of the units. The Contractor will notify the BLM ten (10) days in advance of when they intend to complete the first pass of the chaining. Once the first pass is completed, aerial seeding will immediately follow. The aerial seeding will be conducted and administered by the BLM under separate contract. Once the aerial seeding is completed, chaining will immediately follow a second time in the opposite direction of the first pass to assist in further removing targeted vegetation and assist in embedding the seed mixture into the soil. The dozers will pull the Ely anchor chain in a “J” or “U” formation with the horizontal dozer spacing at approximately 90 feet and the vertical dozer spacing at approximately 50 feet (“J” formation). The contractor shall adjust dozer spacing or chain length to ensure the chain is “rolling” along the ground as much as possible to prevent dragging and piling of trees. See attached literature on proper chaining technique to follow.

Seed dribblers (provided by the Government) shall be mounted to the dozers on the second pass to disperse bitterbrush seed at approximately 1 pound per acre.

Chaining shall not occur when the soil is saturated or where there is sufficient soil moisture that the equipment is leaving substantial ruts as determined by the Contracting Officer or representative. If and when these conditions are encountered, the Contractor shall stop work and notify the Contracting Officer or designated representative.

Within the project area the units are separated by considerable distance. The contractor will be required to unhook the chain and transport it (not drag) to each of the units. When moving between units it will be the contractor’s discretion whether they “walk” or transport the dozers between units. If the contractor chooses to “walk” the dozers between units the routes must be communicated to the government representative prior to moving the dozers.

Chaining of the second pass shall not occur under conditions when the seed cannot be properly covered by soil. These conditions include deep snow, saturated conditions or frozen ground. If and when these conditions are encountered, the Contractor shall stop work and notify the Contracting Officer or designated representative.

The Contractor is required to protect and avoid archaeological sites, survey markers, existing physical structures and springs located within the project area from damage or removal. In case of destruction or removal by the Contractor, they will be replaced or repaired by the Contractor at the Contractor’s expense. These special areas will be delineated within the avoidance areas and identified within the project area as identified on the shapefile to be uploaded on the GPS unit and map provided.

The Government Projector Inspector will conduct periodic inspections to ensure compliance with the contract procedures and specifications.

C. Loading, Unloading and Transporting Property The Contractor shall be responsible for providing the necessary handling equipment to load and unload materials and equipment. Transportation of all Government furnished items to and from the project sites must be arranged and supplied by the Contractor. The Contractor is responsible for any damages incurred to the materials and equipment, incorporated into the work, while loading, unloading and transporting to and from the project sites. The Contractor is responsible for loading all of the equipment (Ely anchor chain, pigtail chains, swivels, clevises, seed dribblers and other necessary parts) at the BLM ware-yard, transporting all of the equipment to the project site, unloading and assembling all of the equipment at the project site. Once the work is completed, the Contractor is responsible for loading all of the equipment at the project site, transporting it to the BLM ware-yard and unloading the equipment at the BLM ware-yard.

Loading and unloading of equipment should occur on established roads or within the treatment units as much as possible. The Contractor shall coordinate and gain approval of the Contracting Officer’s Representative for mobilizing the equipment to the project site.

The Government will be responsible for transporting the bitterbrush seed to the project work site. The contractor will be responsible for loading and maintaining bitterbrush seed within the seed dribblers.

D. Equipment Maintenance and Repairs The Contractor is responsible for all maintenance and repairs of Contractor furnished equipment. The Contractor shall complete sufficient maintenance of the equipment to prevent down-time on the project sites. The Contractor shall furnish all necessary lubricating equipment, proper lubricants and service tools to conduct minor maintenance to the dozers at the work site. The Contractor is responsible for checking bolts, nuts and other parts on dozers and Ely anchor chain periodically to ensure tightness and operating efficiency. The Contractor is responsible for all maintenance measures to ensure proper functionality and for safety precautions.

The Contractor shall be equipped with the proper tools to conduct minor repairs to the dozers and the Ely anchor chain assembly at the work site.

The Government will supply parts for the Ely anchor chain, pigtail chains, swivels, clevises and pins that fail due to normal wear. The Contractor will be responsible for parts to the Ely anchor chain, pigtail chains, swivels, clevises and pins if damage occurs due to negligence by the Contractor. The Contractor will be responsible for the installation or repair of all parts, necessitated by normal wear or breakage or due to the fault or negligence of the Contractor.

Under no circumstances will the Contractor make any modifications to the Ely anchor chain assembly without prior approval from the Contracting Officer or Contracting Officer’s Representative. The Contractor is responsible for returning the Ely anchor chain without damage and in good working condition. The Contractor is responsible for returning the swivels cleaned (free of rocks, wood, dirt and other debris) and lubricated.

Areas needed to work and maintain equipment within the treatment unit may be cleared of vegetation while minimizing soil disturbance. These work areas are to be kept to the minimum amount of area required and will not exceed 1/10th of an acre. The BLM will be notified of all of these locations. Upon completion of the work, the contractor may be responsible for hand seeding (the BLM will provide seed) these sites and scattering removed vegetation back on the sites.

E. Performance Schedule The Contractor shall be required to start and complete the chaining treatment between the period of September 15, 2023 and January 31, 2024. Contractor is encouraged to start as soon as possible to avoid delays due to inclement weather. If inclement weather conditions should occur prior to the Contractor completing the project, a stop work order may be issued, and the project shall be completed as soon as weather conditions permit.