A04_SOW.docx

STATEMENT OF WORK

Highway 305 Herbicide Ground based Application of Herbicide (Imazapic)

BASE CONTRACT

1.0 GENERAL

1.1 Introduction

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is conducting vegetation treatment on previously selected sites administered by the Battle Mountain District (see attached maps). The work consists of applying herbicides in select locations for control of cheatgrass on BLM administered lands. The work shall consist of broadcast application of herbicides as identified in the above table utilizing vehicles with tires (non-tracked vehicles or equipment). The contractor will be responsible for supplying the herbicide, surfactants, and dye for a ground-based broadcast sprayer within the project area as defined on attached maps (along roadsides). Applications will occur along Highway 305 from Battle Mountain to Austin Nevada on BLM, totaling 1,955 acres.

1.2 Applicable Directives

Contractor must hold a current Nevada Commercial Applicators License. All vegetation control measures shall comply with the provisions set forth in the Record of Decision for the Vegetation Treatments Using Herbicides on Bureau of Land Management Lands in 17 Western States Programmatic EIS, (September 2007) and all federal, state, and local regulations.

1.3 Location and Description

Vicinity maps showing the project areas within which the treatment units will be located are attached. Contractor will not treat areas outside of identified work areas.

2.0 CONTRACTOR FURNISHED PROPERTY AND SERVICES

2.1 The contractor shall furnish all labor, equipment, fuel, supervision, supplies (except those designated as Government-furnished) and incidentals to perform all work as set forth in the specifications. The contractor will provide their own GPS unit and will GPS daily all areas sprayed. The GPS data submitted to the Battle Mountain District will be in shapefiles or KMZ.

Ultimately, the contractor will be responsible for the transportation and storage of the supplies and equipment used for the project.

2.2 The contractor shall be responsible for purchasing, safely transporting, storing, applying, and disposing of the herbicide as follows:

Herbicide:

Imazapic at 8 ounces/acre

Adjuvants:

Contractor provided surfactant at rate specified on the label.

Dye:

Contractor provided dye at the rate specified on label (must be visible for one week after application).

The contractor is responsible for ensuring that the application of the herbicide meets all label specifications. The contractor shall be responsible for cleanup of accidental spills, following proper handling and storage precautions, and ensuring proper exposure control and personal protection equipment is provided as defined by the herbicides and adjuvants’ Safety Data Sheets.

The contractor shall comply with all Federal, State, and Local regulations.

3.0 GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY

3.1 The Government will provide electronic boundaries in the form of GIS shape files, georeferenced .pdf maps, or .gpx formats to the selected contractor prior to any pre-work conference.

3.2 The Government will provide access to water source at 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, NV 89820, if needed to fill spray tanks.

4.0 SPECIFIC TASKS

4.1 Contractor shall provide a completed Pesticide Application Record (PAR) for each treatment day. A GIS shapefile showing treated areas is required.

4.2 Approved Herbicides

4.2.1 The MAXIMUM rate of herbicide application is as follows as expressed in active ingredient per acre (a.i./acre).

Application of Single Herbicide

4.2.2 Approved Adjuvants: All liquid formulation (Plateau) applications require the use of an approved deposition aid at label-recommended rate. A list of approved deposition aids is attached. If a deposition aid label does not specify a minimum recommended application rate, no less than 20% of the maximum rate will be applied.

4.3 Herbicide will be applied utilizing water as a carrier.

No less than an average of 20 gallons/acre of tank mix will be applied.

4.4 All roads (public and private) damaged or opened by the Contractor shall be restored at no cost to the Government to their condition prior to commencement of work.

4.5 If sensitive, endangered, or threatened species (plant or animal) are discovered within the treatment area the contractor is to immediately notify the COR. The Government may issue a suspend work and/or partially terminate any portion of the work due to discoveries of sensitive, threatened, endangered species or archeological sites during contract operations.

4.6 The Government may issue a suspend work order and/or partially terminate any portion of the work at any time when application conditions are considered sufficiently unfavorable to warrant stoppage. Stoppage shall continue until application operations are again authorized by the Government. No monetary compensation will be given to the contractor for work suspensions.

4.7 Whenever a specification: Agency, State or Federal law; or label direction has a contradiction, the most stringent interpretation shall take precedence.

4.8 Herbicide shall not be applied within 25 feet of water on the ground with any mechanical means (i.e any sprayer powered by electricity or combustion), and 10 feet of water if applied with a hand application. Examples of water sources are troughs, ponds, streams, springs, intermittent streams and creeks. A buffer of 300 feet will be maintained around any potential or existing aquatic Threatened or Endangered Species habitat. This habitat will be marked on the GIS layer or map and given to the Contractor prior to herbicide application.

4.9 Wind velocities for boom chemical applications of herbicides must be 6 maximum miles per hour or less in all instances. For any other application then boom, the max miles per hour is 15. Precipitation in the form of rain, snow, or fog will halt herbicide application.

4.10 Contractor is responsible for identification and avoidance of any ground and aerial hazards.

5.0 SITE SPECIFICS

5.1 Location and Description of Project

The project is located off roadsides on the Bureau of Land Management’s Battle Mountain District Office in Lander County.

The project may be reached by a combination of paved highway and dirt roads that is accessible for most 4-wheel drive vehicles. Pull off and parking locations may be fairly limited along certain sections.

Start and end points for treatment will not be identified on the ground. The contractor will need to use a map in conjunction with a GPS that has land ownership layer and/or ability to utilize a geo-referencing program that allows the contractor to determine where they are located within the project.

There are 1,955 acres located throughout the Highway 305 treatment area. The location of the Highway 305 treatment area is as follows: Township 32 North, Range 44 East, Sections 25, 26, and 35; Township 31 North, Range 44 East, Sections 9, 10, 16, 17, 19, 20, 30, and 31; Township 31 North, Range 43 East, Section 36; Township 30 North, Range 44 East, Section 6; Township 29 North, Range 44 East, Sections 8, 16, 17, 20, 31, and 32; Township 28 North, Range 44 East, Sections 6, 7, and 18; Township 28 North, Range 43 East, Sections 13, 24, 25, and 35; Township 28 North, Range 43 East, Sections 13, 24, 25, and 35; Township 27 North, Range 43 East, Sections 11-14, 23-26, and 35; Township 26 North, Range 43 East, Sections 2, 10, 11, 15, 22, 28, 32, and 33; Township 25 North, Range 43 East, Sections 5-7, and 31; Township 25 North, Range 42 East, Sections 13, 24, 25, and 36; Township 22 North, Range 43 East, Sections 2, 10, 15, 16, 21, 28, 29, and 32; Township 21 North, Range 43 East, Sections 5, 7, 8, 18-20, 29, and 32; and Township 19 North, Range 43 East, Sections 2, 3, 11, 13, and 14.

There is a total of 1,955 acres in the treatment area. The area to be treated for the contract will be irregular shapes of varying length/width that follow GIS coordinates (shapefiles will be provided to the contractor).

5.2 Description of Work

The Contractor shall, be based on the cost per acre amount.

The Contractor shall furnish all equipment, a licensed applicator, and all other personnel necessary to apply liquid herbicide to the designated areas in the time specified. Equipment shall be equipped to carry liquid with an equitable distribution rate 8 oz/acre of Imazapic herbicide in a uniform pattern. Application will be evenly distributed not to exceed 8 oz/acre of Imazapic herbicide in any location.

Treatment area boundaries will be outlined on a 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) unit. The contractor may flag the boundaries of the unit at their discretion; however, the contractor would be responsible for the removal of all flagging at the end of the contract.

Contractors are to submit a single bid for spraying treatment on a per acre basis.

Vegetation in the area is typical of the western Great Basin and consists of a diverse mix of greasewood, sagebrush, rabbit brush, Mormon tea, grasses and forbs. The majority of the vegetation will vary between a mixture of grasses and sagebrush steppe with gentle slopes under 40% and virtually a non-existing tree crown closure.

5.3 Navigation – For ground applications, a Global Positioning System (GPS) is required for tracking and data collection. The Contractor shall provide GPS tracks for any location where herbicide is applied. The system shall be sufficiently sensitive to provide an accuracy of ± 15ft in either the WGS84 or NAD83 datum’s.

5.4 Equipment Requirements for Navigation:

A GPS capable of showing project and avoidance boundaries (boundaries provided by BLM) must be utilized by all personnel applying herbicide. Unit boundaries will not have any visible markings. Any area treated outside of the unit boundaries will be at the contractors’ expense and may include payments of restitution to the BLM if resource damage is the result.

5.6 Project Log:

GPS units must be capable of a minimum of 10-meter logging interval. Full records include position, time, application system on/off (if allowed to operate continuously), and job name/number. The project log must show and differentiate between spray-on and spray-off when viewed on a GIS, or tracking turned off when not applying herbicide. Export files of the project log shall be provided on a standard USB memory stick. The contractor must, upon request by the COR or Project Inspector, be able to supply project log data on a USB memory stick for review at any time during the contract. The Contractor will provide project log data with each day’s application as a separate file. The Contract will not be considered complete until the data has been reviewed and deemed complete with no skips in the sprayed areas. The GPS system must be capable of zooming in on any portion of the treatment to view fine scale detail.

5.7 The entire surface within the designated boundaries of the project area shall receive uniform coverage with herbicide except for areas excluded by the Government. Areas excluded from the herbicide operation within the designated boundaries, will not be included in the acreage computed for payment. Dispersal shall be low enough to obtain proper distribution and uniform coverage of herbicide. Liquid application shall not be made during a rainstorm, snowstorm, or when the ground is frozen. The Contractor shall contact the authorized BLM Contracting Officers Representative or Project Inspector (COR/PI) 72 hours prior to implementing any work specified in this contract. Furthermore, the COR/PI may be present at the prescribed work sites to inspect the operations. The Contractor shall submit completed Pesticide Application Records no later than 2 weeks after applying any herbicide specified in this contract.

6.0 FIELD QUALITY CONTROL

6.1 The BLM COR/PI will monitor to determine uniformity of herbicide application. Randomly placed drift cards may be utilized.

7.0 EXPECTED DELIVERY OR PERFORMANCE TIMES

7.1 The period of performance is from October 1, 2024, after the first wetting rain/snow event, and will be completed no later than January 31, 2025 (depending on weather and soil conditions), this will depend on the time needed by the Contractor to complete the herbicide application. Government preference is starting and completing the project as quickly as possible, however due to weather conditions during this time, soil moisture, soil temperature, and snow cover, time frames may need to be re-negotiated. Government preference is for application immediately prior to wetting rain/snow event consistent with label requirements.

7.2 There will be a pre-work conference prior to the start of the project at an agreed upon date between the COR/PI and the Contractor. This may be in person or via video/teleconference. At the pre-work conference the Contractor shall provide the COR a written “work progress” plan that details the proposed workforce and schedule to provide for orderly completion of the work within the contract performance times. This work schedule must be acceptable to the government. At a minimum, the schedule should reflect a work progress rate capable of completing the project on time while accounting for up to 15 calendar days of delays. The contractor will also provide the spill containment and cleanup plan as identified in Section 11.0 at this meeting.

7.3 The Contractor shall begin work within 7 calendar days after the effective notice to proceed. The Contractor shall continue performance of the work under the contract without delay or interruption except by causes beyond his control as defined by contract clauses, or by the receipt of a “Suspend Work Order” issued by the Government. Failure to do so may be cause for action under the “Default” clause. The Contractor shall complete all work required within the time specified. Required within the time specified.

8.0 MEASUREMENT AND PAYMENT

8.1 Application of liquid herbicide will be measured and paid for by the number of acres treated to the nearest acre.

8.2 Measurement for payment for herbicide treatment will be the actual area, in acres, within the designated boundaries satisfactorily treated in conformance with these specifications. Measurement will be made from either physical surveys of the areas or a computer-generated file created in a GPS Differential Guidance System at the option of the BLM. The shapefile will be used in ArcGIS for final acreage measurement. Acreages will be computed from horizontal distances as shown on maps at the option of the BLM.

8.3 Full payment of the award amount will be authorized for satisfactorily treating and submitting the paperwork and GIS data for the project. Up to a 15% reduction in acreage can receive full payment at the discretion of the BLM to avoid impacts to areas of cultural, historical, or biological significance identified after the contract is awarded (see sections 4.5 and 4.8). If the actual acreage varies more than 15% below the estimated quantity, an equitable adjustment in the contract price shall be made upon demand of either party, and will be based on the per acre costs in the accepted bid.

9.0 CONTRACTING OFFICER’S REPRESENTATIVE (COR) AND/OR

PROJECT INSPECTOR (PI)

The COR and/or Project Inspector (PI) will be appointed by the Contracting Officer upon award of the contract. Such COR/PI will be responsible for giving the contractor any special instructions or guidance necessary to complete delivery as required by the contract. The COR or PI does not have the authority to modify or in any way amend the terms of this contract.

10.0 PRE-BID TOUR

Interested parties are urged and expected 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. Inquiries about project location are welcome, and maps to assist in site visits are available at the Battle Mountain District, 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, NV.

11.0 SAFETY

The contractor is responsible for providing a safety plan that identifies a point of contact in the event of any accident. The plan should include names and emergency phone numbers for personnel and facilities to contact, including Flight For Life/Life Flight/Care Flight, etc., in case an emergency warrants such actions. The plan should also include a description of on-site emergency procedures to follow in case of an accident. The plan should identify the insurance company providing coverage and the pertinent group coverage number.

In addition to being responsible for the safety of their employees, the contractor is also responsible for providing for the safety of the public during operations. This includes compliance with all OSHA and State of Nevada regulations for the application of herbicide and the use of equipment. In addition, BLM requires that the contractor provides a spill containment and cleanup plan to BLM and to any onsite personnel that at a minimum meets the conditions of the chemical product label, and any associated Safety Data Sheets (SDS).