A6_Statement of Work.docx

US Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Statement of Work (SOW)

1. Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).

Organization:

Address:

Phone Number:

Email:

2. Project Title. Pine Lodge Brill Allotment Reconstruction

3. Background. The Lincoln National Forest, Smokey Bear Ranger District has a requirement for the reconstruction of 1.5 miles of fencing that was burned during the spring and summer of 2019.

4. Objectives. Contractor shall construct approximately 1.5 miles of livestock fence. All miles will be a 4 strand (top 3 wires barbed and the bottom wire smooth) to Forest Service (FS) Standards. Old fence wire must be removed from National Forest lands by the contractor. Old steel t-posts will be removed from the fence line and placed standing upright against a tree near where they were removed.

5. Scope. The contractor shall furnish all fencing materials, expertise, tools, equipment, labor, supervision, transportation, lodging, and safety equipment necessary to complete the project in accordance with the Statement of Work/Specifications. The contractor shall provide all necessary concrete for the installation of the steel brace postholes and line brace holes. The contractor will provide wood stays (1.5 to 2-inch tops minimum). The contractor may cut stays from live, or fire killed juniper in the project area or may transport such stays to the site as approved by the COR. The contractor will also provide any other miscellaneous materials that may be needed construct the new fence and remove old fence. Contractor shall follow the Standard Specification and the Standard Fire Plan.

6. Specifications. All FS fences will be reconstructed on the existing fence line or where marked with pink flagging. Water gaps will be needed in certain places. The COR shall approve all changes of work locations prior to work being started.

· Materials remaining from the existing fence will be removed and wire will be disposed of off National Forest Lands. Steel t-posts will be placed standing upright against a tree near where they were removed from the old fence. Wood post will be cut flush or just slightly (1-2 inches) above ground level and post can be left on the job site outside the fence right of way.

· Barbed wire will be 12 ½ gauge, ½ inch barb, 5-inch spacing.

· Metal line posts will be 5-feet, 6-inches in length, 1.33#, driven into the ground a minimum 4-inches above the anchor plate. Metal line t-posts will have at least 42-inches remaining above ground. A rock drill may be required where it is not possible to dig or drive posts. Contractor shall provide rock drill if needed.

· Wire spacing will be the following: Bottom wire will be 14-inches above the ground (smooth). The 2nd and 3rd wires from the bottom will be 8-inches apart (barb). Top wire will be 12-inches from the 3rd wire (barb). When completed the fence will be 42-inches in height. In some areas more wires may need to be added to achieve the bottom or the top wire height. Weights will be attached to fence as per diagram in low spots to prevent lift up of T-posts. All wires shall be tight.

· Line post spacing will be 20-feet with two wooden stays and one wire stay evenly spaced between the line posts. The spacing of T-posts shall not be greater than specified but may be closer than 20-feet to maintain the 14-inch bottom wire distance to ground or the 42-inches for the top wire. Each wooden stay will rest solidly on the ground and the stay tied to each line wire with 14-gauge galvanized stay wire, looped once around the line wire and then around the stay, the tie being made snug by not less than four tight twists made with pliers.

· No section of fence will exceed ¼ mile in length without a stretch brace or corner brace. Additional braces may be needed as dictated by terrain changes.

· No trees shall be substituted for posts in the construction of the fence. No wire shall be attached directly to alive or dead tree.

· For these projects the right of way will be 8-feet, with 4-feet on each side of the fence. The right of way shall be cleared of all dead trees, cleared of all live trees less than 5-inches diameter at breast height, brushed out with slash and logs removed from 4-feet on either side of the fence line. Any burned tree that has the potential to fall on the new fence will be felled by the contractor. These trees could be as far as 40 to 50 feet on each side of the fence, depending on tree height.

· Stretch braces and corner braces may be pipe or angle iron. If pipe is used, it will be a minimum 2 3/8-inch diameter with a minimum wall thickness of .250 inches. Pipe corners will be constructed in the same H design as shown on the wood corner diagram. If angle iron is used, at a minimum, posts should be 2.5x2.5x.25, and braces 2x2x.25. Post and braces will be 7-feet long. Pipe corners and angle iron posts and braces will be cemented in the ground. Wood posts, pipe posts and angle iron posts used for corners or braces will be a minimum 36-inches depth in the ground and shall be solidly placed (i.e., no movement). Angle iron braces will be cemented to a depth of 18-inches.

· Angle braces will be installed at all bends in the fence so that the tension of the wire is on the braces and not the line posts. The corner brace shown in the diagram will be adjusted so that the angle is in line with the bend in the fence, a straight line will be maintained in all spans of the fence.

· Wire gates will be installed at each road crossing and on one side of cattle guards. Gates shall be 10-feet wide at roads. In areas where there are no road crossings for greater than 1/2 mile, gates will be installed at stretch braces. These additional gates for livestock all-terrain vehicle (ATV) movement will be 8-feet wide. All gates will be built as 4 strand wire gates with at least wood 3 stays.

· Wire gaps will be constructed where the fence crosses major drainages. A two-post line brace will be constructed on each side of the drainage with a breakaway section of fence placed across the drainage itself, see attached diagram.

7. Government Furnished Martials. The FS will not provide any fencing material or labor.

8. Place of Performance. The project work area is located on the Lincoln National Forest, Smokey Bear Ranger District. The fence is used to contain and manage cattle distribution. Some of the ground that the fence will be built on is steep, rocky (both loose and solid above and below ground with some areas of bedrock), and some places inaccessible by 4X4 truck. Portions of the fence-line are accessible by utility vehicle (UTV), ATV, or 4x4 vehicles after the right of way is cleared. Standing dead trees exist along many portions of the fence-line.

Smokey Bear Ranger District. The Smokey Bear Ranger District is located in Lincoln County, New Mexico, around the Village of Ruidoso. Project location is on the North Side of the Capitan Mountains off of NM Highway 246.

The fence is accessed by turning off of NM Highway 246 onto south on Forest Road 130. Continue for approximately 1.25 miles and the fence starts in the bottom of the arroyo on the south side of the road. At this point the fence can be accessed by foot or ATV/UTV.

9. Period of Performance. Work is expected to begin after May 15, 2023 and be completed by September 30, 2023.

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