A04_SOW.pdf

Statement of Work FY24 BMDO No Ground Contact Fuels Seeding

Battle Mountain District Office Bureau of Land Management

1.0 Description of Project

1.1 Introduction/Description of Work: The Bureau of Land Management (“Government”) is acquiring services to seed selected sites administered by the Battle Mountain District (see attached map), for a total amount of 7,211 acres. The work shall consist of the mixing and application of government‐ furnished seed within 9 units for wildlife restoration and fuel break purposes utilizing contractor‐ furnished equipment and services. The project areas are defined in attached maps and discussed in Table 1. The terrain within this area is steep and most of it is inaccessible with any form of ground equipment. No ground disturbance is permitted with this contract. The treatment area will not be awarded to multiple vendors. The contractor is not to treat areas outside of identified work areas.

Table 1: Location of Units in Contract

1.2 Project specific information:

1.2.1 Project Name: FY24 BMDO No Ground Contact Seeding

1.2.2 Approximate Period of performance: February 1, 2024 to February 28, 2024

1.2.3 The seed is comprised of several different seed mixes that will be applied to the appropriate unit. The grass seed and shrub seed may be provided as two separate seed mixes within some of the units, which will require the Contractor to rotate the application of each seed mix throughout the unit. See table 2 for the approximate rate of seeding for each unit. These application rates may change based on the availably of seed, but final seeding rates for each unit will not vary by more than 2 pounds per acre.

1.2.4 Landscape: Mountainous

Unit Area Location to nearest town Township Range sections

Boone Creek ~26 miles northeast of Austin, Nevada

23 North 22 North 22 North

44 East 44 East 45 East

14, 15, 20, 22‐29, 32, 33 6, 7, 17, 18, 19, 30

Frazier ~23 miles northwest of Eureka, Nevada

23 North 51 East 01‐03, 10‐12, 14

Gable ~28 miles northwest of Eureka, Nevada

24 North 51 East 09‐11, 14‐16

Lone Mountain

~13 miles west of Eureka, Nevada

20 North 21 North

51 East 51 East

04, 07‐09, 15‐18, 21, 22 33, 34

Palo Alto Canyon

~37 miles northeast of Austin, Nevada

24 North 24 North 25 North 25 North

43 East 44 East 43 East 44 East

01, 02 27, 28, 34, 35

Summit ~20 miles northwest of Eureka, Nevada

23 North 51 East 21, 27, 28, 33, 34

Three Bar ~ 21 miles northwest of Eureka, Nevada

21 North 22 North

50 East 50 East

03, 04 16, 21, 22, 27, 28, 32‐34

Vigus Butte ~10 miles northwest of Austin, Nevada

20 North 42 East 08, 09, 16, 17

Woods Canyon

~41 miles north of Austin, Nevada

25 North 25 North

43 East 44 East

01, 02, 11, 12 07, 08, 17, 20

Table 1: Seeding Unit Details

* Pounds per acre is an approximate rate of seeding. Final rates may change with availably of seed, but the difference will not be greater than 2 pounds per acre.

2.0 General Information

2.1 Site Tour: Interested parties are urged and expected to inspect the site where services are to be performed and to gather information regarding all general and local conditions that may affect the cost of contract performance. 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.

2.2 Base of Operation: The Contractor shall provide such operation facilities as may be required for competent performance of contract. Use of any operation area shall be arranged by and at the discretion and risk of the Contractor, and the Government shall not be held responsible for any loss, mishap, or accident due to conditions of any operating facility used. The Contractor shall provide appropriate warning signs for traffic if roads are used as operating sites. Contractor will return sites to pre‐use condition.

2.3 Contractor: Designated area shall be seeded in conformance with these specifications and this Statement of Work. Unless otherwise specified, the Contractor shall furnish at work sites all equipment, labor, supplies, and materials required to complete the job. The Contractor shall be responsible for service and repair of equipment as necessary to continually maintain satisfactory work progress.

2.4 Seed: Seed will be furnished by the Government at the location(s) agreed upon during the pre‐work conference. The location for the seed to be obtained must be agreed upon by the Contractor and the Government representative at least 7 days prior to the beginning of seed application. The Contractor shall be responsible to protect seed from loss or damage. Seed damaged or lost while in the custody of the Contractor shall be replaced by the Contractor at no additional expense to the Government. The Contractor must inform the Government representative within 5 days of the seeding completion so that any remaining seed and/or government equipment can be removed from the site.

2.5 Seed Application: The Contractor must be able to evenly distribute the designated seed at the rates specified in this Statement of Work. Equipment that cannot perform the specified work shall be

Units Seed Mix Acres Pounds/Acre*

Boone Creek Native Seed Mix 1,644 acres 12 pounds/acre

Frazier Native Seed Mix 775 acres 12 pounds/acre

Gable Native Seed Mix 518 acres 12 pounds/acre

Lone Mountain Native Seed Mix 1,037 acres 12 pounds/acre

Palo Alto Canyon Roadside Seed Mix 274 acres 12 pounds/acre

Summit Native Seed Mix 552 acres 12 pounds/acre

Three Bar Native Seed Mix 1807 acres 12 pounds/acre

Vigus Butte Roadside Mix 292 acres 12 pounds/acre

Woods Canyon Roadside Mix 312 acres 12 pounds/acre

Total 7,211 acres modified or replaced by the Contractor within 5 calendar days upon notification by the Government representative. Application equipment shall be equipped for carrying seed with distribution mechanisms including release, shutoff, and spreading device(s) which can be calibrated for spreading seed at the prescribed rate in an acceptable manner and uniform pattern. Seed application equipment shall include physical measures to prevent seed from blowing out.

2.6 Seeder Calibration: The Contractor shall calibrate seeding equipment prior to application of seed on the project site. The Government will supply seed for calibration. However, the seed may not be available until approximately two days prior to the start date of the project. Seed not used for calibration shall be recovered for use on the project.

2.7 Quality Control and Monitoring Equipment: The Contractor shall furnish equipment to monitor and ensure evenly spaced, straight, regular, and complete coverage of all areas included in this seeding project. The Contractor is responsible for making sure that the correct seeding rate is utilized and that there is a quality control plan in place to make sure that on the ground coverage is complete and accurate. Seed openings of the distribution mechanism shall be inspected at sufficient intervals by the Contractor to insure proper functioning and even distribution of seed. If at any time inspection of the equipment reveals that seed openings are not properly operating or that feeders are blocked, the COR may require reseeding of that portion of the project area at no additional cost to the Government.

2.8 Work Crew: All Crew for operation of equipment and seed handling and loading shall be furnished by the Contractor.

2.9 The period of performance is from February 1 2024 and will be completed no later than February 28, 2024 (depending on weather and soil conditions). Government preference is for application immediately prior to or after a wetting rain/snow event.

2.10 The Contractor shall begin work within 7 calendar days of the date agreed upon in the prework conference. The Contractor shall continue performance of the work under the contract without delay or interruption except by causes beyond the Contractor’s 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.

3.0 Operations:

3.1 Hazards: Any hazards that would pose a danger to the Contractor, Contractor’s personnel, operating equipment, or the general public should be identified, avoided, and/or mitigated by the Contractor.

Any such hazard should be brought to the Government representative’s attention.

3.2 Rate of Seeding: Seed shall be distributed at the rate stated in this Statement of Work or as directed by the Contracting Officer or the Contracting Officer’s Representative (CO/COR). Some seeding rates may be slightly reduced or increased due to availability of seed.

3.3 Application Conditions: Seed shall not be applied when wind speeds exceed ten miles per hour.

3.4 Coverage: The entire surface within the designated boundaries of the job area shall receive uniform coverage with the seed. Seeding strips shall be patterned in such a manner as to secure as high a uniformity of seed distribution as possible. Such distribution shall not vary more than 15 percent above or below the average distribution of seed per unit of surface specified for the project area.

The Contractor is required to show how they will complete quality control and on the ground inspections while seeding. The Government may require the Contractor to re‐seed areas that are missed or seeded to less than the concentration specified or may negotiate a suitable deduction from contract price. No additional cost to the Government will be incurred.

3.5 Tests for Uniformity and Rate of Application: Both the Contractor and the Government will conduct tests as operations progress to determine uniformity of seeding. The Contractor is required to provide to the Government how they will be determining uniformity of seeding and all records of what was determined during implementation.

3.6 Work Suspensions: The Government reserves the right to stop seeding operations at any time when seeding conditions are considered unfavorable to meet the standards of this Statement of Work. In this situation, work will continue when seeding operations are again authorized by the Government.

No monetary compensation will be given to the Contractor for work suspensions.

3.7 Completion of Contract: The contract will be considered completed and payment due when all seed furnished to the Contractor by the Government has been seeded to the standards specified above;

or when all areas designated under the contract have been seeded to specifications; or if performance under the contract is ordered to be terminated by the Government; and when the Contractor has furnished the Government with required geospatial data (i.e., shapefiles).

3.8 Environmental Consideration: The project site shall be cleaned up to pre‐use condition and all refuse shall be removed and disposed of at an approved landfill.

4.0 Submittals:

4.1 Approvals: Approval of a submittal is an indication that the Contractor’s submittal has been reviewed and that there are no objections, except as noted. Approval of deviations shall apply only to those deviations or omissions from the requirements and specifications of this Statement of Work brought to the CO/COR in writing. After approval of an item, the Contractor may submit a substitute for approval when the approved item cannot be purchased or delivered in time to avoid delay in completion of the project.

4.2 Scope: Submittals include work schedules, proposed work areas and/or facilities, equipment to be used, quality control plan, and safety plan.

4.2.1 Safety Plan: The Contractor is responsible for providing a safety plan that identifies a point of contact at an emergency medical facility 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.

4.2.1.1 It is the responsibility of the Contractor to identify all hazards within the work area. All appropriate precautions shall be taken by the Contractor.

4.2.1.2 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 seed and the use of equipment.

4.2.2 Work Schedule: The schedule shall include the starting date and duration of the project, the order in which the Contractor proposes to carry out the work, type of equipment to be used, and names and titles of personnel to include the Contractor’s superintendent. The schedule shall also indicate the dates of important milestones (i.e., the expected completion time for each unit to be completed). The schedule shall be submitted to the COR at the pre‐work conference. When requested by the CO/COR, the Contractor shall submit an updated schedule within 1 calendar day to the CO and COR.

4.3 Requirements: Refer to specifications for submittals required. Complete Submittals shall be delivered a minimum of 3 days prior to the Pre‐work Conference to allow time for review by the government and approval/modification negotiations to be completed prior/during the prework conference.

4.3.1 Identification of Submittal: Completely identify each submittal by showing the name and address of the submitter along with the information of the individual to contact for further information (i.e., name and telephone number).

5.0 Quality Assurance

5.1 Codes and Standards: The work shall comply with codes and standards applicable to each type of work and as listed in the individual sections of these specifications.

5.2 Conflict: Where conflict occurs between reference documents and project specifications, the project specifications shall govern.

5.3 If the quantity of a unit‐priced item in this contract is an estimated quantity and the actual quantity of the unit‐priced item varies more than 15 percent above or below the estimated quantity, an equitable adjustment in the contract price shall be made upon request of either party. The equitable adjustment shall be based upon any increase or decrease in costs due solely to the variation above 115% or below 85% of the estimated quantity. If the quantity variation is such as to cause an increase in the time necessary for the completion of the project, the Contractor may request in writing an extension of time to be received by the Contracting Officer within 10 days from the beginning of the delay or within an extended timeframe granted by the Contracting Officer before the date of final settlement of the contract. Upon receipt of a written request for an extension, the Contracting Officer shall ascertain the facts and make an adjustment for extending the completion date as appropriate based on the judgement of the Contracting Officer.

6.0 Work Location:

6.1 Base Camp/Staging Area:

6.1.1 Due to the remote location of project sites, the Contractor may choose to set up a basecamp/staging area for equipment and any needed equipment maintenance.

6.1.2 Staging area(s) for operations, seed loading, and equipment storage will be submitted by the Contractor prior to the pre‐work meeting and will be approved by the COR prior to seeding. The Contractor is responsible for securing permission to use any property or facilities from the appropriate landowner or manager.

6.2 Environmental Consideration:

6.2.1 Hazardous Materials: No hazardous materials shall be stored or disposed of on‐site. Fuel, oil, and grease needed for equipment maintenance during the working period may be stored on site where no leaks or spills will contaminate the ground, preferably in spill containment barriers. No equipment maintenance will be performed within, or near, any stream channel or waters where petroleum products or other pollutants from equipment may enter these waters.

6.2.2 Spills: The Contractor shall prevent or reduce the discharge of pollutants to the environment by reducing the chance of spills through safe operating practices, maintaining equipment, stopping the source of spills, containing and cleaning up spills, properly disposing of spill materials, and shall take appropriate corrective action as approved by the COR. The excavated contaminated materials will then be disposed of at a certified hazardous waste facility.

6.2.3 Staging/Storage: Staging/Storage area for equipment and materials should be located outside of streams or any wetland/riparian habitat areas. Any equipment or vehicles driven and/or operated within or adjacent to streams or other water sources should be checked and maintained daily to prevent leaks.

6.2.4 Wilderness and Wilderness Study Areas: No Mechanical Equipment including motorized equipment, aircraft, etc. is allowed on the ground or doing ground‐disturbing activities within any Wilderness Study Areas.

6.2.5 Washing Vehicles/Equipment: All vehicles/ground equipment being used on this project shall be steam cleaned or pressure washed prior to starting and/or ending project to prevent the spread of noxious weeds. The area used for this procedure must be pre‐ approved by the COR or PI.

7.0 Contractor Furnished Property and Services

7.1 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 be responsible for the transportation and storage of the supplies and equipment used for the project.

7.2 The Contractor shall furnish sufficient equipment to satisfactorily seed the designated areas in the time specified as required in this Statement of Work. The Contractor shall be capable of applying seed at the rate and width specified in this Statement of Work over varying ground elevation. The Contractor shall provide a communication system so that personnel engaged in the project at different locations can always communicate with each other and so that the Government Project Inspectors (PI) may communicate with the Contractor at any time to discuss concerns or performance matters. The Contractor shall comply with all applicable Federal, State, and Local regulations.

7.3 GPS and Navigation

7.3.1 The Contractor is responsible for making sure that work is performed in the correct area(s). The BLM will not be denoting the area on the ground for the Contractor.

7.3.2 The Contractor shall be equipped with a GPS Guidance/Tracking system capable of accepting and utilizing ArcGIS shapefiles (.shp) or Google Earth files (.kmz). The Contractor shall supply shapefiles or KMZ files of treatment coverage to the Government in UTM projection North America Datum 1983 upon completion of the treated area(s) or as required by the Contracting Officer. Treatments will be tracked daily and the GPS system must be able to adequately represent exactly what is treated.

7.3.3 Navigation: Differentially Corrected Global Positioning System (DGPS) is required for tracking and data collection. The Contractor shall provide all guidance equipment, materials, computers, printers, personnel, and services required for the system to be used. The system shall be sufficiently sensitive to provide immediate deviation indications

(real‐time). The DGPS system must be capable of determining a differentially corrected location with an error of no more than one to two meters in the horizontal plane. The guidance system shall be capable of updating current position at a rate of a minimum of one time per second. Differential correction must cover the complete operational area.

During operation, differentially corrected signal must be accurately recorded at least 90% of the operational time. Differential correction may be provided by a portable differential station, FM radio fixed towers, or satellite.

7.3.4 DGPS navigation unit shall insure straight and regular paths of application. Irregular paths of application will result in immediate termination of work. Corrective action shall be taken immediately by the Contractor to insure evenly spaced, straight, and regular application paths and complete coverage of areas included in the project. The entire surface within the designated boundaries of the project area shall receive uniform coverage with seed except for areas excluded by the Government. Areas excluded from the seeding 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 seed.

7.3.4.1 Any area treated outside of the unit boundaries will be at the Contractors’ expense and may include payments of restitution to the BLM this results in any resource damage.

7.3.5 Project Log:

7.3.5.1 Must be capable of a minimum rate of 1‐second or 10‐meter logging interval.

The computer program must be capable of calculating and showing total acres treated during the application and capable of downloading to a computer for analysis and review. Full records include position, time, application system on/off (if allowed to operate continuously), and job name/number. The project log should show and differentiate between tracked lines where seed is being dispersed and where no seed is being dispersed during application (i.e., sections where seeder gates are open versus closed) when viewed in ArcGIS.

Alternatively, tracking can be turned off when not applying seed within the project area. The Contractor will provide a project log with exported data at the end of each day’s application or within a mutually agreed upon timeframe, which must be compatible with ArcGIS. The Contract will not be considered complete until the data have been reviewed and deemed complete for all treatment areas.

7.3.5.2 The Contractor must be capable of storing up to 10 hours of continuous project log data.

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

8.0 Government Furnished Equipment:

8.1 The Government will provide work location map(s) and electronic boundaries in the form of GIS shapefiles (.shp), georeferenced .pdf maps, KMZ (.kmz or .kml) or .gpx formats to the selected contractor prior to any pre‐work conference.

8.2 Seed will be furnished by the Government at the location(s) agreed upon during the pre‐work conference. The Contractor shall be responsible to protect seed and seed trailer(s) from loss or damage from the time agreed upon during the pre‐work conference to when the Contractor and the government agrees that the seeding is done and that any additional seed may be removed from site.

Seed and trailer(s) damaged or lost while in the custody of the Contractor shall be replaced by the Contractor at no additional expense to the Government.

8.2.1 The BLM office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM except on holidays or as needed and approved by the Contracting Officer’s Representative.

8.2.2 The Contractor will be responsible for providing necessary equipment and personnel to unload and load seed. All seed will be in 40‐50 lb. sacks and on pallets. The Contractor shall load and transport own equipment to and from the work site.

8.3 Return of Property: Excess seed and the trailer(s) (if government‐owned) will be recovered by the Bureau of Land Management upon notification by the Contractor and the agreement by the Government that the site has been seeded in accordance with site specifications in this Statement of Work.

9.0 Project Meetings

9.1 Pre‐work Conference Meeting

9.1.1 Notification: A pre‐work conference meeting will be held prior to the start of work but must be held no later than five business days prior to seeding. The COR and Contractor will negotiate the time and location of this meeting upon award of contract. This conference may be held in person or via telephone/video/teleconference. The purpose will be to review required work, work location maps, specifications, schedules, payments, and administrative provisions of the contract.

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

9.1.3 Presentation: At this meeting the Contractor shall be prepared to summarize and explain procedures planned for the projects.

9.2 Progress Meeting(s)

9.2.1 Location: Meetings shall be held at the project site, or as determined by the CO/COR.

9.2.2 Notification: Meetings may be called by either the CO/COR or the Contractor. Requests for progress meetings shall state who should attend and include an agenda.

9.3 Final Inspection Meeting

9.3.1 Location: This meeting shall be held at the project site, or as determined by the CO/COR.

9.3.2 Notification: This meeting shall be called by the CO/COR upon completion of work and receipt of all deliverables.

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

10.0 Inspection and Acceptance

10.1 Inspection: The COR/PI will make periodic inspections as a basis for payments and recommendations for adjustments in work quality. The Contractor is encouraged to observe inspections and have a supervisor on site to confer with the COR/PI.

10.1.1 Shapefiles will be viewed and/or given to the COR/PI on a daily basis. The determination of acres completed shall be agreed upon by the Contractor and the COR/PI on a daily basis.

10.2 Final Acceptance

10.2.1 Work Performed: The project will be considered complete upon all deliverables being provided to the Government and services completed in accordance with specifications of this contract.

10.2.2 Final Payment: Final payment shall be made upon final acceptance of services, Government receipt of Shapefile Printouts from Contractor, return of Government‐ furnished property (if any), and receipt of a proper invoice at the address specified.

Payment will be made based on acres completed. All acres identified in the mapped work area shall be completed in order to receive payment in accordance with this Statement of Work.

10.2.3 Measurement for payment for seeding 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.

10.2.4 Full payment of the award amount will be authorized for satisfactorily treating and submitting the paperwork and GIS data for 7,211 acres. 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. If the actual acreage varies more than 15 percent 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.

11.0 Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and/or Project Inspector (PI)

11.1 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.

12.0 Special Needs

12.1 Seed Mix: The BLM will provide seed mixes appropriate for each unit in order to meet rehabilitation standards. Table 2 will be followed to determine seed mixes and application rates for this project. t will be the contractor’s responsibility to ensure that the appropriate seed mixes are applied to the specified units working with the COR/CO.