A05_Performance_Work_Statement_LARO_Forest_Thinning_Services.pdf

RFQ # 140P8324Q0074

Forest Thinning Services Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

French Rock: Thin, Pile, and Cover

French Rock: Prune Conifers, Pile and Cover French Rock: Prune dead material from Shrubs, Pile and Cover French Rock: Limb and Buck Dead and Down, Pile and Cover

Hughes: Thin, Pile, and Cover

Part 1

General Information

1. GENERAL: This is a non-personal services contract to sever brush, trees, and downed wood, pile slash, cover slash, prune trees, and prune brush. The project covers 2 distinct areas located within 25 miles of each other.

(French Rock) includes 27 acres of ponderosa pine (pinus ponderosa) with patches of Douglas fir (pseudotsuga menzesii). (Hughes) includes 7 acres of ponderosa pine (pinus ponderosa) and Douglas fir (pseudotsuga menzesii).

TABLE 1

Unit/ Prescription Acres French Rocks Thin Unit Thin conifers less than 8 inches DBH to 16’ spacing. Pile and cover cut vegetation. 29 French Rocks Prune Unit Prune conifers within 100 feet of LRNRA Boundary. Pile and cover cut vegetation. (Approx. 15 trees) 9 Prune dead stems out of shrubs within 100 feet of LRNRA Boundary. Pile and cover cut vegetation (Approx 45 shrubs)

Limb and buck dead and down fuel within 100 feet of LRNRA Boundary. Pile and cover cut fuel. 9 Hughes Unit Thin conifers less than 8 inches DBH to 16’ spacing. Pile and cover cut vegetation. 7

Government shall not exercise any supervision or control over the contract service providers performing the services herein. Such contract service providers shall be accountable solely to the Contractor who, in turn is responsible to the Government.

1.1 Description of Services/Introduction: The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to perform thin and pile as defined in this Performance Work Statement except for those items specified as government furnished property and services. The contractor shall perform to the standards in this contract.

1.2 Background: Lake Roosevelt NRA has overstocked forests that could sustain high intensity wildfire.

Additionally, there are areas of excessive dead and down fuel adjacent to private property, and a high component of dead stems in tall shrubs adjacent to private property. Fuel reduction treatments may minimize the intensity of a wildfire on Lake Roosevelt NRA, thereby giving wildland firefighters additional opportunity to prevent wildfire from impacting adjacent private property.

1.3 Objectives:

Refer to table 1.

1.4 Scope:

• French Rock Thin. Gas powered (hand held) chainsaws will be used to thin conifers less than 8 inches DBH to 16’ spacing. On average, 16 – 30% of conifers in the French Rock will be cut to meet spacing requirements. There are a few thick clumps of trees that will require intensive thinning, but the majority of the unit is sparse with limited thinning required to meet the 16’ spacing objective. All slash generated from cutting trees will be piled. Piles will be covered.

• French Rocks Prune unit. Gas powered (hand held) chainsaws or gas powered (hand held) or human powered (hand held) pruning saws will be used to cut live and dead limbs and branches to 8 feet above ground level on ponderosa pine (pinus ponderosa) and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). All trees are within 100 feet of the interior unit perimeter. Tree limbs that attach to the bole above the designated pruning height, but have limbs extending into the pruning height area shall be pruned so that they do not extend below the designated height of 10 feet above ground level. On average, 5 trees per acre should be pruned. All slash generated from pruning trees will be piled. Piles will be covered. French Rocks Prune unit.

• French Rocks Prune unit. Gas powered (hand held) chainsaws or gas powered (hand held) or human powered (hand held) pruning saws will be used to remove dead stems and branches from service berry shrubs (Amelanchier sp). Approximately 100 shrubs. All slash generated from pruning shrubs will be piled. Piles will be covered.

• French Rocks Prune unit. Gas powered (hand held) chainsaws will be used to limb and buck dead and down trees and brush. All material less than 12 inches diameter will be piled. Piles will be covered.

• French Rocks Prune unit. French Rocks Unit. All slash from thinning, pruning trees, pruning brush, and limbing and bucking downed trees and shrubs will be piled and covered. Pile sizes will not exceed 6’ X 6’ X 6’. All piles will be covered with a thick craft paper such that at least 80 percent of the pile’s surface area will be covered. All four corners of the craft paper shall be anchored with slash or other debris. The craft paper must be placed in the top ¼ of the pile. French Rocks Prune unit

• Hughes. Gas powered (hand held) chainsaws will be used to thin conifers less than 8 inches DBH to 16’ spacing. On average approximately 60% of all understory ponderosa pine (pinus ponderosa) and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) greater than 1 foot tall and up to 8” diameter at breast height (DBH) in the Hughes unit will be cut to meet spacing requirements.

• When the fire danger level reaches “Very High” or “Extreme”, power saw operations and smoking will not be allowed in the unit. Follow the IFPL Industrial Fire Precaution Level as described in Exhibit 2.

• All chain saws will have industry approved and factory installed spark arrestors.

• No vehicles will be allowed off established roads. All vehicles, prior to entering Lake Roosevelt NRA, will have exteriors and under carriages spray washed thoroughly to remove any possible transfer of invasive plant or seed remains from past projects offsite.

• Any damage to fences, gates, or power lines due to thinning and piling operations will be the responsibility of the contractor to repair or replace. The contractor may be held financially responsible for any fires that occur inside the unit.

• A pre-work meeting will be conducted with the inspector and contractor. At the meeting maps will be provided that will identify boundaries lines, work sites and areas of concern. NPS will provide an inspector who will visit the site routinely to assure the standards of the contract are being met.

1.5 Period of Performance: The period of performance for French Rocks, French Rocks Prune and Hughes shall be from Date of Award through December 20, 2024.

1.6 General Information

1.6.1 Quality Control: The contractor shall develop and maintain an effective quality control program to ensure services are performed in accordance with this PWS. The contractor shall develop and implement procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure non-recurrence of defective services. The contractor’s quality control program is the means by which he assures himself that his work complies with the requirement of the contract.

1.6.2 Quality Assurance: The government shall evaluate the contractor’s performance under this contract in accordance with the Performance Requirements Summary (PRS) found at Technical Exhibit 1. The PRS lays out the Performance Objectives, and the corresponding standards, performance thresholds and method of surveillance.

1.6.3 Recognized Holidays: The Federal Government observes the following holidays. No work shall be completed on a federally recognized holiday.

New Year’s Day Labor Day Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday Columbus Day President’s Day Veteran’s Day Memorial Day Thanksgiving Day Juneteenth Christmas Day

Independence Day

1.6.4 Hours of Operation: Not applicable. Work is on National Recreation Area lands administered by the NPS, not in or on a federal facility

1.6.5 Place of Performance: The work to be performed under this contract will be performed at Lake Roosevelt

NRA.

1.6.6 Type of Contract: The government will award a Firm-Fixed-Price contract.

1.6.7 Security Requirements: Not applicable

1.6.7.1 PHYSICAL Security: The contractor shall be responsible for safeguarding all government equipment, information and property provided for contractor use.

1.6.7.2 Key Control. Not applicable

1.6.7.3 Lock Combinations. Not Applicable

1.6.8 Special Qualifications: Not Applicable

1.6.9 Post Award Conference/Periodic Progress Meetings: Not Applicable

1.6.10 Contracting Officer Representative (COR): The (COR) will be identified by separate letter. The COR monitors all technical aspects of the contract and assists in contract administration The COR is authorized to perform the following functions: assure that the Contractor performs the technical requirements of the contract:

perform inspections necessary in connection with contract performance: maintain written and oral communications with the Contractor concerning technical aspects of the contract: issue written interpretations of technical requirements, including Government drawings, designs, specifications: monitor Contractor's performance and notifies both the Contracting Officer and Contractor of any deficiencies; coordinate availability of government furnished property, and provide site entry of Contractor personnel. A letter of designation issued to the COR, a copy of which is sent to the Contractor, states the responsibilities and limitations of the COR, especially with regard to changes in cost or price, estimates or changes in delivery dates. The COR is not authorized to change any of the terms and conditions of the resulting order.

1.6.11 Key Personnel: Not Applicable

1.6.12 Identification of Contractor Employees: All contract personnel attending meetings, answering Government telephones, and working in other situations where their contractor status is not obvious to third parties are required to identify themselves as such to avoid creating an impression in the minds of members of the public that they are Government officials. They must also ensure that all documents or reports produced by contractors are suitably marked as contractor products or that contractor participation is appropriately disclosed. Contractor personnel will not be required to obtain and wear badges in the performance of this service.

1.6.13 Contractor Travel : Not applicable

1.6.14 Data Rights: Not applicable

1.6.15 Organizational Conflict of Interest: Contractor and subcontractor personnel performing work under this contract may receive, have access to or participate in the development of proprietary or source selection information (e.g., cost or pricing information, budget information or analyses, specifications or work statements, etc.) or perform evaluation services which may create a current or subsequent Organizational Conflict of Interests (OCI) as defined in FAR Subpart 9.5. The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer immediately whenever it becomes aware that such access or participation may result in any actual or potential OCI and shall promptly submit a plan to the Contracting Officer to avoid or mitigate any such OCI. The Contractor’s mitigation plan will be determined to be acceptable solely at the discretion of the Contracting Officer and in the event the Contracting Officer unilaterally determines that any such OCI cannot be satisfactorily avoided or mitigated, the Contracting Officer may effect other remedies as he or she deems necessary, including prohibiting the Contractor from participation in subsequent contracted requirements which may be affected by the OCI.

1.7. Data Management Plan (DMP): Not applicable

2. DEFINITIONS AND ACRONYMS:

2.1. DEFINITIONS:

2.1.1. CONTRACTOR. A supplier or vendor awarded a contract to provide specific supplies or service to the government. The term used in this contract refers to the prime.

2.1.2. CONTRACTING OFFICER. A person with authority to enter into, administer, and or terminate contracts, and make related determinations and findings on behalf of the government. Note: The only individual who can legally bind the government.

2.1.3. CONTRACTING OFFICER'S REPRESENTATIVE (COR). An employee of the U.S. Government appointed by the contracting officer to administer the contract. Such appointment shall be in writing and shall state the scope of authority and limitations. This individual has authority to provide technical direction to the Contractor as long as that direction is within the scope of the contract, does not constitute a change, and has no funding implications. This individual does NOT have authority to change the terms and conditions of the contract.

2.1.4. DEFECTIVE SERVICE. A service output that does not meet the standard of performance associated with the Performance Work Statement.

2.1.5. DELIVERABLE. Anything that can be physically delivered, but may include non-manufactured things such as meeting minutes or reports.

2.1.6. KEY PERSONNEL. Contractor personnel that are evaluated in a source selection process and that may be required to be used in the performance of a contract by the Key Personnel listed in the PWS. When key personnel are used as an evaluation factor in best value procurement, an offer can be rejected if it does not have a firm commitment from the persons that are listed in the proposal.

2.1.7. PHYSICAL SECURITY. Actions that prevent the loss or damage of Government property.

2.1.8. QUALITY ASSURANCE. The government procedures to verify that services being performed by the Contractor are performed according to acceptable standards.

2.1.9. QUALITY ASSURANCE Surveillance Plan (QASP). An organized written document specifying the surveillance methodology to be used for surveillance of contractor performance.

2.1.10. QUALITY CONTROL. All necessary measures taken by the Contractor to assure that the quality of an end product or service shall meet contract requirements.

2.1.11. SUBCONTRACTOR. One that enters into a contract with a prime contractor. The Government does not have privity of contract with the subcontractor.

2.1.12. WORK DAY. The number of hours per day the Contractor provides services in accordance with the contract.

2.1.12. WORK WEEK. Monday through Friday, unless specified otherwise.

2.1.13. THIN. Completely sever from the stump conifers less than 8 inches diameter in the stand. Leave trees should be approximately 16 feet apart throughout the unit when completed.

2.2. ACRONYMS:

COR Contracting Officer Representative COTR Contracting Officer's Technical Representative COTS Commercial-Off-the-Shelf CO Contracting Officer FAR Federal Acquisition Regulation NPS National Park Service NRA National Recreation Area OCI Organizational Conflict of Interest POC Point of Contact PRS Performance Requirements Summary PWS Performance Work Statement QA Quality Assurance QAP Quality Assurance Program QASP Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan QC Quality Control QCP Quality Control Program TE Technical Exhibit

PART 3

GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY, EQUIPMENT, AND SERVICES

3. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED ITEMS AND SERVICES:

3.1. Services : The Government will provide reference maps showing boundaries lines, work sites and areas of concern

3.2 Facilities: Not applicable

3.3 Utilities: Not applicable

3.4 Equipment: Not applicable

3.5 Materials: Not applicable

PART 4

CONTRACTOR FURNISHED ITEMS AND SERVICES

4. CONTRACTOR FURNISHED ITEMS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

4.1 General: The Contractor shall furnish all supplies, equipment, facilities and services required to perform work.

4.2 Secret Facility Clearance: Not applicable

4.3. Materials: See 4.1

4.4. Equipment: See 4.1

PART 5

SPECIFIC TASKS

5. Specific Tasks:

Unit/ Prescription Acres French Rocks Thin Unit Thin conifers less than 8 inches DBH to 16’ spacing. Pile and cover cut vegetation. 29 French Rocks Prune Unit Prune conifers within 100 feet of LRNRA Boundary. Pile and cover cut vegetation. (Approx. 15 trees) 9 Prune dead stems out of shrubs within 100 feet of LRNRA Boundary. Pile and cover cut vegetation (Approx 45 shrubs)

Limb and buck dead and down fuel within 100 feet of LRNRA Boundary. Pile and cover cut fuel. 9 Hughes Unit Thin conifers less than 8 inches DBH to 16’ spacing. Pile and cover cut vegetation. 7

Additional Specification of Tasks

• During fire season (July thru October) the contractor may be required to turn off chain saws for a limited time or completely for the day. This requirement is dependent upon the fire danger level for that day.

Contractor is required to follow Washington DNR Industrial Fire Precaution Levels (IFPL) for the county they are operating in. See Exhibit 2 IFPL brochure.

French Rocks Thin and Hughes Thin

• Favor healthy ponderosa pine (pinus ponderosa) with at least 30% crown ratio.

• Leave trees shall not be cut or damaged.

• Trees will be completely severed from the stump. The stump will be no more than 3 inches high on the upslope side of the stump.

• All thinned trees shall be severd in a manner to minimize damage to leave trees.

• No live limbs shall be left on the stumps of any severed surplus vegetation.

• Severed trees or brush lodged in or covering a leave tree shall be dislodged or removed.

French Rocks Prune

• Limbs shall be cut cleanly and to within ½ inch of the bole of the tree

All Units

• If not possible to place piles outside the dripline of trees, place piles as far as possible from the boles of trees.

• Piles shall be built in a conical shape without significant gaps in the center, composed of a compliment of fine fuel to initiate the burning of the pile. Each pile shall include an area of small sized slash (small branches less than ¼ to ½ inch in diameter and/or small branches with needles or leaves attached) to provide “kindling” for prompt ignition and to aid in combustion of larger slash. These fuels shall be placed in the center of the pile. Onslopes over 15 percent, materials shall be piled perpendicular to the slope so the material does not roll downhill. Slash that causes large air spaces in piles shall be cut or crushed to elimate air spaces.

• Unless otherwise approved by the COR maximum handpile size shall be no larger than 6 feet in height by 6 feet in diameter or smaller than 3 feet in height and 3 ft in diameter.

• All hand piles shall be covered with a thick craft paper such that at least 80 percent of the pile’s surface area will be covered. All four corners and the middle of the craft paper shall be anchored with slash or other debris. The craft paper must be placed in the top ¼ of the pile.

• Unless otherwise approved by the COR, hand piles shall not be closer than 15 feet to reserve trees (leave tree’s) drip line or 25 feet to a unit boundary. Slash shall not be placed on logs or stumps, in roadways, drainage or canal ditches, or within channel bottoms, streams or within no-treatment zones. Piles shall be compact and free of dirt or other non-flammable material.

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

• All fenced shall be kept free of cut trees concurrently with thinning. Leave all trees to which a fence is attached. Any damage to fences resulting from this project shall be fixed by the Contractor, at the Contractor’s expense, on the same day that the damage occurred.

• The contractor shall designate one English speaking supervisor for each crew. No more than twelve persons are to be supervised by one supervisor. Supervisors shall be identified at the pre-work conference.

Any changes in supervisory designations must be submitted in writing to the COR at least 24 hours prior to the change taking effect. At the pre-work conference, the Contractor shall provide a work schedule which must be acceptable to the Government.

PART 6

APPLICABLE PUBLICATIONS

6. APPLICABLE PUBLICATIONS (CURRENT EDITIONS)

6.1. The Contractor must abide by all applicable regulations, publications, local policies and procedures.

PART 7

ATTACHMENT/TECHNICAL EXHIBIT LISTING

7. Attachment/Technical Exhibit List:

7.1. Attachment 1/Technical Exhibit 1 – Performance Requirements Summary

7.2. Attachment 2/ Technical Exhibit 2 – Industrial Fire Precaution Level (IFPL) Brochure

7.3. Attachment 3/ Technical Exhibit 3 – Area Maps

TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 1

Performance Requirements Summary

The contractor service requirements are summarized into performance objectives that relate directly to mission essential items. The performance threshold briefly describes the minimum acceptable levels of service required for each requirement. These thresholds are critical to mission success.

Performance Objective (The Service required—usually a shall statement)

Performance Threshold (This is the maximum error rate. It could possibly be “Zero deviation from standard”)

Method of Surveillance

PRS # 1.

The contractor shall use gas powered (hand held) chainsaws to cut all identified conifer trees species in a specified size range.

The contractor will cut 90% of the identified size class of conifers in the identified unit.

A designated project inspector will conduct site visits during the project and at the completion to ensure objectives are met.

PRS # 2

All trees cut down shall be limbed, bucked, and stacked into piles.

All brush shall be appropriately bucked, and stacked into tight piles

The contractor will pile 90% all slash greater than ½” in diameter and less than 12” diameter that has been cut. This includes branches, tops, and boles of felled trees, pruned trees, and dead and down trees and brush.

A designated project inspector will conduct site visits during the project and at the completion to ensure objectives are met.

PRS # 4

All piles shall be constructed and located per guidelines in the contract.

The contractor will follow pile construction guidelines at all times. The contractor will follow pile location and distance requirements at all times.

A designated project inspector will conduct site visits during the project and at the completion to ensure objectives are met.

PRS # 5

Trees should be pruned to 08’ from the ground. Dead material shall be pruned out of the Amelanchier species

The contractor will prune all trees and Amelanchier species within the French Rocks Prune unit.

A designated project inspector will conduct site visits during the project and at the completion to ensure objectives are met.

The following listing provides various types of Surveillance as examples to select from and should not be included on the final document:

Random Sampling: Appropriate for frequently recurring tasks. Evaluate randomly selected samples of the lot to determine the acceptability of the entire lot.

Random Inspection Guide, Method of surveillance, Lot size, Sample size, Performance requirement, Sampling procedure, Inspection procedure

100 Percent Inspection: Appropriate for tasks that occur infrequently. Inspect and evaluate performance each time task is performed

Periodic Surveillance: Evaluation of samples selected on other than 100% or statistically random basis.

(i.e., monthly, quarterly, semi-annually etc.)

Validated Customer Complaint: Complaints must be validated.

NOTE: YOU MAY ALSO IDENTIFY ANY SURVEILLANCE METHOD USED IN THE COMMERCIAL MARKET TO SURVEY THE REQUIRED SERVICE. (THIS WILL BE DISCOVERED WHEN MARKET RESEARCH IS CONDUCTED).

ATTACHMENT 2

Industrial Fire Precaution Brochure

ATTACHMENT 2

Industrial Fire Precaution Brochure

ATTACHMENT 3:

Maps