West_Salzer_Appendix_A_080913.doc

Salmon-Challis National Forest West Salzer Stewardship

Solicitation No. AG-02NV-S-13-0044 Appendix A. Page 9 of 9 Amendment 03

West Salzer Stewardship

APPENDIX A

STEWARDSHIP CONTRACT

Specifications for Service Type Restoration Work Activities Unless otherwise agreed to in writing by the Contracting Officer, the Contractor shall perform services according to the following requirements:

1. Hauling – MANDATORY – Harvest Unit 53 (52 acres).

Applies to I.2 BASE TIMBER/PRODUCT REMOVAL PRICE SCHEDULE. and Applies to SCHEDULE OF ITEMS, Item 1. This work is expected to be performed in conjunction with logging operations.

Desired Outcome- Designated material marked for cutting is removed from the sale area according to the specification listed in, Appendix B.

Technical Specifications

Material and estimated volume to be hauled is listed in Appendix B. The methods for cutting and removal of included volume are listed in Appendix B and the provisions thereof.

Measurable Performance Standards

· Quantity of volume removed

· Quantity of merchantable volume remaining in treatment units

· Quality of landing piles

Acceptable Quality Level

A. Quality Assurance Plan

· The Forest Service will report monthly the amount of volume removed from the sale area.

· The Forest Service will frequently conduct inspections of the sale area to determine utilization of included timber, in accordance to contract specifications.

· Unacceptable utilization standards shall include leaving more than TWO pieces per acre of merchantable timber meeting the minimum specifications listed in Appendix B – Division AT.

2. Post-Harvest Pre-Commercial Thinning – MANDATORY – 536 acres (Tractor Units 32, 36, 38, 39, 41, 43, 55, 76;

Skyline Units 31, 34, 40, 42, 52, 53) Applies to SCHEDULE OF ITEMS, Item 2. This work is expected to be completed post logging operations. Work cannot commence until ordered.

Desired Outcome – This stewardship project work requires that all merchantable trees in units (Units 31, 32, 34, 36, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 52, 53, 55, 76) be cut and whole tree yarded as a ground based logging operation and thin remaining trees less than seven inches DBH. Boundary and leave trees marked in orange paint will not be cut in any unit.

The treatment objective in the designated harvest units will be to commercially thin from below to SDI 80 and whole tree yard to predetermined landings and construct machine piles. Non-commercial thin remaining residual trees less than seven inches DBH to achieve ladder fuel reductions, and 18 X 18 foot spacing in pockets of healthy saplings to create separation; this slash will be left in place and bucked and limbed to a maximum height of 18 inches or less. The remaining slash will be burned by the Forest Service approximately one year later. Fall, Buck and Skid and associated slash costs for commercial product will not be paid for in this item (Accounted for in Timber Appraisal).

Measurable Performance Standards

· Quality of tree selection and spacing

· Amount of material scattered

Acceptable Quality Level

Quality Assurance Plan

· The Forest Service will conduct inspections to determine work quality.

· Each unit will be verified separately and inspection results on one unit will not be averaged with those of the other units. Determination of the acceptability of the work performed will be based on these verification inspections and will be considered conclusive.

· The Forest Service will conduct inspections, on a unit basis, in accordance with the following quality assurance surveillance plan.

· All work found unacceptable, shall be re-worked by the Contractor. Work will be considered unacceptable if any of the following conditions are NOT found:

■ In all units, live trees greater than two (2) feet tall and less than seven (7) inches DBH shall be cut to an average spacing of 18 feet by 18 feet. The leave tree spacing is an average and shall be varied up to 25 percent (wider or tighter) to leave the most desirable trees. Dead trees shall be ignored when determining spacing.

■ Cut all live and dead conifer trees greater than two (2) feet tall and less than seven (7) inches DBH, when any portion of the tree, including crown, is inside the drip line of any conifer tree seven (7) inches DBH and larger.

■Given comparable size and quality, tree species are to be favored for retention in the following order in all units: (1) Engelmann spruce, (2)Ponderosa Pine, (3) Douglas-fir, (4) Lodgepole pine, (5) Subalpine fir. In areas where the Dwarf Mistletoe disease is present, favor species for retention that don’t have the disease. If encountered, do not cut white bark pine.

■Where undamaged trees are not available, select leave trees with the least amount of damage.

■ Cut all dead trees greater than two (2) feet tall and less than seven (7) inches DBH, except where safety is an issue.

■ Leave all shrubs and non-coniferous tree species, except when cutting is necessary to access a coniferous cut tree.

■ Leave all live and dead conifer trees two (2) feet or less in height and seven (7) inches or greater DBH.

■Trees shall be felled away from live streams. Any tree or part thereof is felled into a live stream shall be immediately removed.

■Slash shall be scattered throughout the unit, at least ten (10) feet from the bole of any standing tree or snag and not in piles.

3. Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan / Performance Requirements Summary

The following table describes the major items in the contract with the incentives and deductions for the work described. Items below are included here as requirements.

Work Statement Performance

Standard

Amount of merchantable material left in treatment units Quality of landing piles

Appendix B

Requirements Monthly Reporting

Harvest Inspector(s) conduct periodic monitoring and inspections.

The Contractor’s quality will be reflected in the performance assessment.

Post-Harvest Pre-Commercial

Thinning Quality of tree selection and spacing Quality of tree stumps Amount of material scattered

COR or inspector conduct inspections for all performance standards.

Spacing standards and size requirements will be inspected to insure compliance with specifications as within.

Stumps will be measured to insure compliance with specifications as within.

Slash will be assessed to insure compliance with specifications as within.

The Contractor’s quality for all performance standards will be reflected in the performance assessment.

Government Inspections

(a) Each unit will be inspected as a separate unit. Units will not be averaged with other units for acceptance or payment.

(b) Government inspection plots will consist of a series of 1/20th acre plots, evenly distributed throughout treatment units so that the best representative sample is obtained.

(c) The minimum number of inspection plots, per treatment unit, shall be as follows:

(d) Inspection plots shall be marked on the ground and from above adjacent to the plot center using flagging to indicate plot centers. Plots shall be consecutively numbered and dated to correlate with the inspection form.

Post-Harvest Pre-Commercial Thinning: INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE 3.0.

Acceptance and Rework

3.0.1.

Thinning, Slash treatment, Stump Heights

3.0.1.1.

The Contractor’s quality control inspections for services performed will be considered acceptable when they are within 5 percent of the Government quality assurance results. When the Contractor’s verified inspection results are below the performance standard of 90 percent quality and Category B deficiencies (excess trees) contribute to the low quality, acceptance and payment will not be made until the deficiency has been corrected unless the Contracting Officer determines excess tree deficiency to be minor or an isolated situation that will not result in any material differences in the total number of trees to be left.

3.0.1.2.

When the total number of Item Number 1 and 2 deficiencies exceed 5 percent of maximum stocking density or a specified number of trees, based on the Contractor’s quality control inspection and verified by the Government monitoring, acceptance and payment will not be made until the deficiency has been corrected unless the Contracting Officer determines the deficiencies to be minor in nature.

The Contractor’s quality control inspections for services performed for each task order will be considered acceptable when they are within 5 percent of the Government quality assurance results.

3.0.1.3.

The Contractor’s quality control will be deemed unacceptable when the Contractor inspection is not within 5 percent of the Government’s quality assurance results at the completion of a unit. When the Contractor’s quality control is unacceptable, payment for the unit will be based on the results of the Government’s quality assurance.

If the Government’s results are objectionable to the Contractor, the Contractor may request a re-examination in writing, within 10 calendar days after receipt of the Government’s quality assurance results. The request shall include documentation that supports that the probability of an error exists. The Government’s re-examination will consist of a 2-percent sample utilizing the same inspection method as the original examination, but new plots will be selected with different plot centers than the plots previously inspected by the Government. If the results of the re-examination are within 5 percent of the Contractor’s submitted quality control results, the Contractor’s results will be considered acceptable and used for pay. If results of the re-examination exceed 5 percent of the Contractor’s submitted quality control results, the Government’s re-examination will be used for the basis of pay and the Contractor will be assessed the costs incurred by the Government that are directly related to the performance of such service.

3.0.1.4.

Thinning, Slash treatment, Stump Heights Acceptance will be determined based on the Contractor’s quality control inspection and verified by the Government monitoring and will be based on adherence to the specifications stated in the contract. Noncompliance with any of the specifications will classify the treatment as unsatisfactory and rework will be required to bring the treatment up to specification standards.

3.0.1.5.

Acceptance Acceptance will be determined based on compliance with the contract specifications. Noncompliance will result in non-acceptance of the work. If the Contractor’s work is determined to be unacceptable, the Government may initiate any remedies described in the contract.

3.0.1.6.

Rework

If the initial work is unacceptable to the Government, the Contractor may re-work the area if deficiencies can be corrected. The Government will assess the re-work after receiving the Contractor’s inspection records which reflect that all work meets specification standards.

3.0.1.6.1.

The Government will assess the Contractor’s actual costs of conducting the additional quality assurance after rework. The Contractor may be assessed actual damages which may include, but is not limited to: wages of the COR and Government inspector(s), costs of vehicles, meals, and lodging that are incurred during the additional quality assurance.

3.0.2.

Work Completed After the Performance Period

Whenever the Contractor fails to complete work within the performance period, and is allowed to work beyond that period, the Contractor will be assessed actual damages. Items to be included in the actual damage includes, but is not limited to: wages of the COR and Government inspector(s) for quality assurance after the performance period, costs of vehicles, meals, and lodging that are incurred while administering the contract after the performance period.

3.1.

MEASUREMENT

3.1.1.

All linear and area measurements under this contract are measured on a horizontal plane within the established boundaries. Boundaries are marked as indicated in the task order.

3.1.2.

Re-Measurement

The Contractor may at any time after award request re-measurement of any Item. The request must be in writing within 10 calendar days after completion of a unit or pay item. The Government’s re-measurement of the Item will be made within established boundaries.

3.1.2.1.

If re-measurement indicates a variance of 5 percent or less in the acreage stated in the contract, there will be no adjustment in acres and the Contractor shall pay for the actual cost of re-measurement.

3.1.2.2.

If re-measurement results in a variance greater than 5 percent in the acreage stated in the contract, payment shall be based on the re-measured acreage and the Government shall pay for the re-measurement.

3.2.

METHOD OF CALCULATING PAYMENT

3.2.1.

The Contractor’s Quality Control For each completed unit, the Contractor’s quality control inspection percentage for tree thinning, slash treatments and stump heights will be compared to the Government’s assessment results. If the results differ by 5 percent or less, the Contractor’s inspection will be considered acceptable and the Contractor’s quality percentage will be used as the basis for payment. When the results differ by more than 5 percent, the Government’s inspection percentage will be used as the basis for payment as per 3.0.1.3. Note that payment for thinning quality will only be made when Category C deficiencies are below the maximum levels described in 3.0.1.2.

3.2.2.

Payment Calculation

Payment less damages will be based on the following methods.

3.2.2.1.

Quality at fully acceptable performance- meets or exceeds 90 percent. Whenever the quality of work meets or exceeds 90 percent, based on the results of the Contractor’s quality control inspection and verified by the Government monitoring, the work will be acceptable, an incentive payment will be made that provides payment at the unit price for the Item.

Payment Example: With a unit price of $100 and a unit size of 40 acres, the bid price would be $4,000. If the Contractor’s work quality is 90 percent, payment would be $4,000.

3.2.2.2.

Quality at unacceptable performance level, less than 90 percent. Whenever the quality of work is below 90 percent based on the results of the Contractor’s quality control inspection and verified by the Government monitoring, the work is unacceptable and the value of services provided is significantly reduced. Therefore, a deduction will be made for unacceptable performance. For each percentage point that performance quality falls below 90 percent, a 2 percent deduction in unit price will be made. No payment will be made where quality of work is below 80 percent.

Payment Example: With a thinning quality of 85 percent, the deduction would be: 10 percent for quality 85 to 89 percent (5 x 2%) resulting in the Contractor receiving 90 percent of the bid price.

With a unit price of $100 per acre and a unit size of 40 acres, the bid price would be $4,000. At 85 percent thinning quality, payment would be: $100 x 90% x 40 acres = $3,600.

Payment Example: With a thinning quality of 70 percent, the deduction would be: 40 percent for quality 70 to 89 percent (20 x 2%) resulting in the Contractor receiving 60 percent of bid price.

With a unit price of $100 per acre and a unit size of 40 acres, the bid price would be $4,000. At 70 percent thinning quality, payment would be: $100 x 60% x 40 acres = $2,400.

3.2.3.

Unacceptable Work

3.2.3.1.

Any unit, with quality less than 90 percent, is considered unacceptable and may be rejected. For these areas the Government may (i) accept the work at a reduced price (ii) require the area to be re-worked at no additional expense to the Government, or (iii) reject the work in its entirety. If the quality is unacceptable, the Contractor's right to proceed is subject to immediate termination for default.

3.2.3.2.

When work quality falls below 90 percent in areas of 1 acre or larger and the quality of work can be corrected, the Government may require the area to be reworked. If the Government does not require the area to be reworked or the quality remains below 80 percent, the area may be separated from the item and payment made in accordance with 3.2.2.2.

3.2.3.3.

Item Number 1 and 2 deficiencies that exceed the maximum allowance stated in Section 3.0 will be considered unacceptable and payment for the unit will not be made until corrections are made consistent with Section 3.0.1.2.

3.2.3.4.

The Government will document unacceptable work quality in its performance assessment.

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