A04_STATEMENT_OF_WORK.docx

Statement of Work (SOW) ESR Black Butte Fire Hazardous Fuels Reduction Lopping and Scatter

The Bureau of Land Management, Vale District Office has a need for Hazardous Fuel Reduction Treatments within the vicinity of the 2021 Black Butte fire.

Black Butte

Total

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2023

STATEMENT OF WORK:

HAND SEVERING PRESCRIPTIONS:

0. Cut all western juniper trees (Dead and or Green) except for the ones that meet the following specifications:

1. Trees with tags, blazes, flagging or paint marks (unless otherwise directed);

1. Trees having fence wire attached;

1. Old Growth Trees- Having two or more of the following characteristics:

· Trees that do not have the typical “cone” shape of younger trees. Instead, they have large spreading, irregular shaped crowns that are often rounded or flat topped.

· Bark with thick, fibrous well developed vertical furrows;

· Dead branches or tops, bark missing, often with abundant yellow or light green lichen;

· Large horizontal lower limbs, often twisted;

· Decay and/or hollow areas on main trunk;

· Leader growth in the upper ¼ of the tree usually less than (<) 1 inch

0. Cut all mixed conifer less than (<) 9 inches or less

0. Cut all dead juniper, dead mixed conifer (< 9 in), dead mahogany, and dead aspen

0. Central stem length shall not exceed 8 feet, unless otherwise specified in the task order for longer lengths.

0. Trees near any facility (such as fences and roads) shall be directionally felled to avoid damaging or interfering with the function of these facilities.

0. Trees in fence lines need cut unless the fence is attached to them if fence attached limb tree to 5ft.

0. Cut trees shall be directionally felled away from old growth juniper trees, roads, and jeep trails. Slash shall be a minimum of 2 feet from drip lines of leave trees.

0. All surplus vegetation shall be completely severed from the stump. No live limbs shall be left on the stumps of any severed surplus vegetation.

0. All surplus vegetation shall be severed in a manner to minimize damage to leave trees. Severed trees lodged in or covering a leave tree shall be dislodged or removed.

0. Respect private property boundaries, only cut and fall trees on public lands. Don’t access units through private property unless approved by CO or COR.

0. Cut flagged trees along the boundary that meets the thinning prescription specifications.

0. All slash shall be moved at least 10 feet from the edge of the roads and property boundaries between government and private land on a daily basis, before the crew leaves the project area. Slash shall not be left on the roadway.

0. All roads designated on the project map(s) shall be kept free of slash

0. Ensure all vehicles and equipment are clear of weed materials prior to entering the project area; and report any weed discoveries in the work area to the COR.

0. Leave trees for wildlife, cultural and other resources that are marked with Orange/White candy strip flagging if located in a unit. DO NOT CUT.

0. See attached map for cutting along with side of fences and roads. Call POC with any questions.

LOPPING/SPECIFICATIONS:

1. Surplus vegetation including all western juniper trees not exhibiting old growth characteristics will be hand severed using a saw or loppers at the lowest stump height, followed by lopping and scattering away from fencelines and roadways.

2. Slash shall be reduced to the extent that is within 12 inches of the ground at all points. Limbs shall be cut cleanly and flush to the bole of the cut tree and limbs shall be cut less than 4 feet in length. Lop all existing slash so that all top and side branches are free of the central stem (bole) so that all the slash is reduced to ground level at all points.

ESTIMATED START WORK DATE: 04/01/2022 – 12/31/2022

PROJECT LOCATION: Township 17S Range 36E Sections 21, 28, 29, 30

DIRECTIONS TO PROJECT UNITS: From Vale, Oregon drive west on Hwy 20 towards Burns for approximately 64 miles, turn right onto Chimney Creek Rd, turn left onto Altnow-Beulah Rd, continue onto Cottonwood Rd, turn right toward NF-774 Rd to project area. 25 miles off highway.

UNIT DESIGNATION: Unit boundaries will be marked with Orange flagging.

MITIGATION MEASURES & RESTRICTIONS:

1. Wildlife – Within Greater Sage-Grouse (GRSG) habitat, cutting of juniper can occur within 4.0 miles of an occupied or pending lek during the breeding season from two hours after sunrise and two hours before sunset; use local information to further refine this period.

There will be no disruptive activities two hours before sunset to two hours after sunrise from March 1 through June 30 within 1.0 mile of the perimeter of occupied leks; use local information to further refine this period.

There may direction for the State/Local Offices that there will be no treatment activity taking place during the Sage Grouse Mating/Breeding season of March 1 through June 30.

Avoid cutting trees, which have cavity nests (holes for nesting) or stick nests. Avoid cutting and damaging snags, except where they pose a hazard to traveling public, contractors, property, or facilities.

2. Noxious Weeds and Invasive Plants – Machinery working in the project area is required to be clean and free of soils, seeds, and plant parts before being moved into the project area and upon completion of the project. Vehicle use associated with this project would be restricted to existing roads.

3. Archeology - If a cultural site(s) is discovered, avoid the site(s) and notify the COR.

4. Soils - Avoid driving on any roads other than existing routes within the project area unless otherwise directed.

5. Travel- Stay on designated routes and do not cross private lands unless BLM has permission from the landowner(s).

6. Fire Restrictions - If the COR allows the Contractor to continue work during periods of Closed Fire Season, the Contractor shall comply with all applicable State laws relating to fire prevention and with all special conditions of work as directed by the COR.

TRAVEL

Approved allowable and allocable travel costs associated with the performance of the contract will be reimbursed. Contractor costs incurred for travel will be considered reasonable and allowable only to the extent they do not exceed on a daily basis the maximum per diem rates in effect at the time of travel as set forth in the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR). As such, estimated allowable and allocable travel costs shall be included in each Task Order when travel is anticipated. Costs incurred for transportation and per diem (lodging, meals and incidental expenses) will be billed in accordance with the regulatory implementation of Public Law 99-234, FAR 31.205-46 Travel Costs. These costs are directly reimbursable, if specifically authorized in the IDIQ Task Order.

The Government shall not be charged G&A fees for any travel. Contractors shall be reimbursed only for incurred costs at or below the “not to exceed” amount specified on the Task Order. Costs for transportation, lodging, meals, and incidental expenses incurred by Contractor personnel on official company business are allowable subject to the limitations contained in FAR 31.205-46 Travel Costs.

EVALUATION METHODOLOGY

BLM will utilize the tradeoff methodology to determine best value to the government. The following criteria are listed in descending order of importance and when combined, technical and past performance are significantly more important than price.

The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers:

Factor 1: Safety Plan Factor 2: Work Plan Factor 3: Past Performance Price

ASSUMPTIONS, CONDITIONS, OR EXCEPTIONS

Offerors must submit, under separate cover, all (if any) assumptions, conditions, or exceptions with any of the terms and conditions of the SOW. If not noted in your quotation, it will be assumed that the offeror proposes no assumptions for award and agrees to comply with all the terms and conditions as set forth herein. It is not the responsibility of the Government to seek out and identify assumptions, conditions, or exceptions buried within the Offeror’s quote.

BASIS FOR AWARD

This is a competitive best value in which competing offerors' technical capability and past performance history will be evaluated on a basis of being significantly more important than price considerations as stated above. Failure to meet any of the requirements may result in an offer being determined technically unacceptable. Offerors must clearly identify any exception to the solicitation terms and conditions and provide complete accompanying rationale.

EVALUATION FACTORS

Factor 1: SAFETY PLAN (limited to 3 pages): The offeror shall submit a safety plan. The Safety Plan shall be available to all employees and subcontractors working on the contract. The Safety Plan should cover at a minimum:

1. Safety briefings covering the area working in, equipment being used, and any special considerations for the work under the task order.

1. Personal Protective Equipment required for the work under the contract.

1. Weather considerations for the time of year of the contract.

1. Information on back country travel.

1. Communication issues and locations of the nearest medical facilities to the job site.

1. Emergency numbers to contact if an accident happens.

Factor 2: WORK PLAN (limited to 6 pages): The offeror shall submit a work plan. The work plan shall include equipment owned and equipment needed, hiring plan, training plan and the overall project approach, project assumptions and or project risks.

Factor 3: PAST PERFORMANCE (limited to 3 pages)

· An evaluation of offeror’s past performance information will be conducted subsequent to the technical evaluation. The offeror must have demonstrated successful completion of projects similar in quality, technique, and complexity. Preference will be given to quotes that demonstrate past performance of similar projects related to tasks outlined in the statement of work.

· The evaluation will be based on information obtained from the written quote, relevant past performance information obtained from sources known to the Government, any other information supplied by the offeror, and any problems encountered on the identified contracts and corrective action taken.

· The Government will assess the relative risks associated with each offeror. Performance risks are those associated with an offeror’s likelihood of success in performing the acquisition requirements as indicated by that offeror’s record of past performance.

· The assessment of performance risk is not intended to be the product of a mechanical or mathematical analysis of an offeror’s performance on a list of contracts, but rather the product of subjective judgement by the Government after it considers all available and relevant information.

· When assessing performance risks, the Government will focus on the past performance of the offeror as it relates to all acquisition requirements, such as: 1) the offeror’s record of performing according to specifications, including standards of good workmanship; 2) the offeror’s record of controlling and forecasting costs; 3) the offeror’s adherence to contract schedules including the administrative aspects of performance; 4) the offeror’s reputation for reasonable and cooperative behavior and commitment to customer satisfaction; and 5) the offeror’s business-like concern for the interest of the customer.

· The Government will consider the currency and relevance of the information, sources of the information, context of the data and general trends in the offeror’s performance. The lack of a relevant performance record may result in an unknown performance risk assessment, which will neither be used to the advantage nor disadvantage of the offeror.

Note: Contractors submitting offers without past performance will receive a neutral rating.

· Offerors shall provide three projects completed in the past five years with a similar scope. Describe any previous experience in providing similar service of this kind, including the scope and complexity of the project.

Note: Listing completed projects does not address this criterion. A narrative that articulates past experience and description of successful completion of deliveries should be discussed.

PRICE: The offeror shall submit pricing per the price schedule provided. Offeror’s price quote will not be point scored or adjectively scored but will be evaluated on price reasonableness. The price quote will also be used as an aid to determine that the Offeror understands the requirements of the solicitation, price reasonableness and to assess the validity of the offeror’s approach to managing and performing the work.

The offeror shall submit a price quote separate from all other volumes; any pricing information found in the technical or past performance volumes will be removed prior to evaluation.

The Government will evaluate the price quote for reasonableness. The Government will also evaluate price with regards to the ability of the offeror to meet requirements in terms of skills required, complexity of disciplines and job difficulty, if the Government deems such analysis necessary.

POINT OF CONTACT:

Kristen Munday Vale BLM Office: 541-473-6254 Cell: 541-207-8450

Jennifer Gartzke Contracting Officer

(402) 326-2383 jgartzke@blm.gov

Shane Mundt Contract Specialist

(406) 594-9282 smundt@blm.gov image1.png