Specifications with Quality Assurance Plan.docx

Solicitation No.:AG-447U-S-10-0014 1

DIVISION 100 - GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

110 - Scope of Contract

Provide all equipment, labor, materials, tools and other incidentals necessary to safely and efficiently perform the required trail maintenance work on the designated National Forest trails in accordance with these specifications and exhibits. The work consists of routine maintenance activities normally associated with, crushed aggregate and native surfaced trails.

120 - Location and Description of Work

Recreation trails which may receive maintenance activities consist of all those Recreation Trails on the De Soto Ranger District. The work to be performed under this contract is comprised of various maintenance activities as listed in the Schedule of Items and in accordance with Division 200 - Technical Specifications.

130 - Schedule of Work

Work orders may be placed throughout the fiscal year. Work orders issued by the Government will detail the trails to be serviced, the services to be provided and the order in which performance is required. Primary orders for services may be placed monthly and proceed within 72 hours of written notification. However, when deemed necessary by the Forest Service, due to emergencies or other unforseen acts of nature, short notice orders can be made and deliveries shall be placed within 48 hours of notice. Work orders issued by the Government will detail the recreation trails to be serviced, the services to be provided and the order in which performance is required. Actual quantities of services ordered will depend upon existing conditions at the time of Government inspection.

Contractors work schedule will be Monday through Friday.

The contractor will not schedule work for Saturday, Sunday or Federal Holidays Unless approved by C.O.R… However, when deemed necessary by the Forest Service, due to emergencies or other unforseen acts of nature, short notice orders can be made and deliveries shall be placed within 48 hours of notice on Saturday, Sundays or Federal Holidays.

140 - Equipment Requirements and Transportation

All equipment proposed to be used for performance of the work shall be of the size, type and in such condition to properly pursue the requirements of this contract. Equipment specifications and minimum requirements are given in Section 140 of the Supplemental Specifications.

The Contractor's proposed equipment shall be made available to the Contracting Officer for inspection prior to award of the contract, should the Contracting Officer deem necessary.

If at any time during the course of this contract any equipment is deemed unsatisfactory, the Contracting Officer may order removal and may require a satisfactory replacement, at Contractor's expense.

Any movement or transportation of equipment to or from the work area(s) required to pursue the work, repair or replace, or for Contractor's convenience shall be at the Contractor's expense.

Supplemental Specification

140 - Equipment

Activity Code 970

Activity: Blading Aggregate and native surface trails

A track steer meeting the following specifications will be require perform work under Activity Code 970,Activity Code 970(01), 970(02)D:

Tracked Skid Steer, with grapple Bucket, mulching head and a blade attachment available, flywheel horsepower range of 57-92, in the weight class ranging from 6,000-12,000 pounds.

Backup Alarm Caution Lights Rollover Protection Slow moving vehicle Emblem

Activity Code 981

Activity: Mowing, Routine

Some areas require mowing under Activity Code 981(01) may be hard to get to due to drainages and/or to wet for conventional rear or front mounted mowing equipment. Hand labor may be required and/or smaller mowing equipment. The contractor will be responsible for mowing and/or cutting all the miles ordered, with out rutting the trail way more than a six inch depth.

150 - Public Safety and Traffic Control

The Contractor shall exercise caution and care while pursuing the work to prevent unnecessary conflict with, or potential hazards to, road and trail users.

The Contractor shall post warning signs with flags on each end of the section of trail being worked. Signs shall be of the 30” x 30” size, reflectorized orange with black lettering colors. These signs shall be moved as needed to properly delineate and identify the section of trail being maintained. At no time shall these signs be more than one quarter mile from operating equipment and shall be in place only when trail equipment or men are actually performing operations. All slow-moving equipment shall have a reflectorized "slow moving" vehicle emblem properly attached.

All work shall be so scheduled that at the end of a working day, the trail is passable for the type of traffic normally using the trail. If for any reason hazards are left in or adjacent to the trail after normal work period, they shall be properly signed as hazards and visibly illuminated at night. Segments of unfinished work which may present a hazard to trail users, such as rolls of surface material, debris, hazard trees, etc., may not be left in or where they could fall into the trail, over night, on weekends or holidays.

160 - Accomplishment Records and Reports

Upon completion of a work order, the Contractor shall submit to the Contracting Officer’s Representative, an invoice for all work accomplished under the work order. The invoice shall contain an invoice number and shall have the Contractor’s “Employer Identification Number” or “Social Security Number” posted on the invoice.

The contractor will provide a material receipt for each truck load of material delivered. The receipt will state Contractors name, address, date delivered, Forest Service Trail, inspector name and amount of Tons. If the contractor is hauling material by the ton a weight ticket for each load shall also be provided. The contractor will deliver to the C.O.R or his representative the original material receipt for each load delivered that working day. No material can be delivered for the next working day until all receipts for that one day have been accepted. No other receipts for the previous days shall be accepted.

DIVISION 200 - TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

210 - Definition of Trail Structure

Graphic definitions of trail structural terms are shown on Exhibit C.

220 - Maintenance Activities

All maintenance work of this contract shall be performed in accordance with the Maintenance Activities herein specified.

230 – Government Furnished Material

Crushed Aggregate, Type Limestone Turfstone (Erosion Control Blocks) Diamond trail markers and aluminum nails Geotextile, Type US 115NW 4oz/sy Nonwoven

The contractor will only be allowed to pick up and return government furnished items Monday through Friday, from 0730 to 0830 or 1500 to 1600 hours unless pre approved by the COR.

All specifications indicated above, except those prefixed by SPS or SS, are Standard Specifications. Standard Specifications are found in the book, "Forest Service Standard Specifications for Construction and Maintenance of Trails" EM-7720-103, August 1996 edition, which is included in this contract by reference only.

SPS - Special Project Specification. Special Project Specifications are revisions or additions to the Standard Specifications that detail requirements pertaining to this particular project and are physically included in this contract.

SS - Supplemental Specification. Supplemental Specifications are specifications not found in the Standard Specifications, and they are included in full text in this package.

NOTE: Work to be performed under the applicable specifications indicated and by reference, for which no pay item appears in the Schedule of Items, shall be considered incidental to all other pay items.

ACTIVITY CODE: 970

ACTIVITY: BLADING Trails

Maintenance Requirements

Blading operations shall be conducted in such a manner as require to remove, by cutting out, ruts, corrugations, and berms. All suitable dislodged aggregate shall be smoothly redistributed over the entire traveled way to produce proper cross slope or crown for drainage away from center line of the trail.

All suitable aggregate which has been worked onto edges of traveled way by traffic or maintenance activities shall be reclaimed onto the traveled way.

Care shall be taken to disturb as little vegetative cover on the slopes as possible. Grass or leaf litter disturbed within the traveled way shall be smoothly spread within the traveled way. Care shall be taken to assure proper surface drainage following this operation. No undercutting of trail surface at traveled way edges nor material berms will be allowed.

Loose rocks protruding three (3) inches or more above graded surface shall be removed from the traveled way. It is permissible to waste these rocks over the road edge away from drainage ditches.

All traveled way widths (aggregate surface) shall be perpetuated as existing. Dips and swales within the traveled way designed to control surface drainage shall be maintained as a part of this activity.

Surface blading of trails shall include removal of material that has accumulated on bridge decks. This may require some hand work to adequately remove material. Care will be taken not to damage any part of the bridges.

Tail and Lead Off Ditches.

All such ditches shall be opened to provide proper drainage away from the trailway. No material excavated from these structures shall be reclaimed onto the trailbed. All suitable material (having the same character as the trail surface) excavated through this activity shall be reclaimed and used within the traveled way. Unsuitable material shall be spread along back slopes or fill slopes in such a manner as to assure proper trail surface drainage. Care shall be taken to prevent unsuitable material being pulled onto the surfaces.

Method of Measurement

Measurement shall be made to the nearest tenth (0.1) of a mile using a distance measuring wheel.

Basis of Payment

Payment shall be made for all work of this activity, inspected and accepted, in accordance with the following pay item(s) and the bid unit price.

Pay Item Description Pay Unit

970 Blading Recreation Tail ways Mile

ACTIVITY CODE: 970(01)

ACTIVITY: SPOT SURFACE REPAIR, AGGREGATE SURFACED Trails

Maintenance Requirements

Normal operation in this activity is the repair or replacement of surface aggregate lost due to surface failure, traffic wear, or erosion. Work to be done under this activity includes existing surface preparation, furnishing and spreading specified aggregate material (see Section 250 Supplemental Specifications), finish blading.

Remove, by cutting out, all damaged areas of surface and work material smoothly over entire trail way width. Prevent disturbing base or subgrade material. Deposit new aggregate in section being worked to achieve proper grade, thickness, and template. Spread material evenly across traveled way and finish blade entire disturbed area in accordance with Activity Code 970.

No material shall be allowed to remain outside trail way as a result of Contractor's operations. Areas to be repaired will be flagged and/or mile post stated in work order by COR or the Inspector.

Section 970(01) - Aggregate Surfacing

MATERIALS

Government furnished material

“SHOWN ON THE DRAWINGS”. On trail segments with a design width of 4.8’ necessitating specialized equipment surfacing material will be dumped in a manner to avoid waste into adjacent ditch lines and/or undisturbed ground.

Excessive machine work and material handling to attain the trail design width is discouraged to eliminate gravel segregation and contamination.

Placement Specificatons:

Minimum compacted depth of four or three inches is to be established for driving surface.

Driving Surface Aggregate is to be applied by spreading full depth and width in small quantities over the (4.8’) Tread.

250 - Materials

Activity Code 970(01)

The contractor will provide a material receipt for each truck load of material delivered. The receipt will state Contractors name, address, date delivered, Forest Service Trail Name, inspector name and amount of cubic yards or Tons. If the contractor is hauling material by the ton a weight ticket for each load shall also be provided. The contractor will deliver to the C.O.R or his representative the original material receipt for each load delivered that working day. No material can be delivered for the next working day until all receipts for that one day have been accepted. No other receipts for the previous days shall be accepted, unless other wise agreed to by COR

Method of Measurement

Aggregate shall be measured by ton as indicated in the bid schedule. Measurement shall be made to the nearest pay unit. All materials supplied shall be measured at the time of delivery by the contractor. Material receipts shall be furnished by the Contractor for each truck load delivered.

The COR or the Inspector may inspect or measure loads at either the point of Aggregate source, loading of trucks for delivery or at Forest Service Trails where material is being delivered.

Basis of Payment

Payment shall be made for all work of this activity, inspected and accepted in accordance with the following pay item and the bid unit price.

Pay Item Description Pay Unit

970(01) Haul and spread Government Ton furnished(Crushed Aggregate) for Repair and/or Placement on turf block.

ACTIVITY CODE: 970(01)

ACTIVITY: SPOT SURFACE REPAIR, AGGREGATE SURFACED Trails

Maintenance Requirements

Normal operation in this activity is the repair or replacement of surface aggregate lost due to surface failure, traffic wear, or erosion. Work to be done under this activity includes existing surface preparation, furnishing and spreading specified aggregate material (see Section 250 Supplemental Specifications), finish blading.

Remove, by cutting out, all damaged areas of surface and work material smoothly over entire trail way width. Prevent disturbing base or subgrade material. Deposit new aggregate in section being worked to achieve proper grade, thickness, and template. Spread material evenly across traveled way and finish blade entire disturbed area in accordance with Activity Code 970.

No material shall be allowed to remain outside trail way as a result of Contractor's operations. Areas to be repaired will be flagged and/or mile post stated in work order by COR or the Inspector.

Section 970(01) - Aggregate Surfacing

MATERIALS

Government furnished material

“SHOWN ON THE DRAWINGS”. On trail segments with a design width of 4.8’ necessitating specialized equipment surfacing material will be dumped in a manner to avoid waste into adjacent ditch lines and/or undisturbed ground.

Excessive machine work and material handling to attain the trail design width is discouraged to eliminate gravel segregation and contamination.

Placement Specificatons:

Minimum compacted depth of four or three inches is to be established for driving surface.

Driving Surface Aggregate is to be applied by spreading full depth and width in small quantities over the (4.8’) Tread.

Maintenance Requirements

Item 970(02)C Erosion Control

After a section of trail has been finished and inspected, the ditches disturbed will be fertilized and grassed. Annual grasses to be used are Brown top Millet (20 lbs./ac.), Wheat or Oats (80 lbs./ac.). Place 500 lbs. of 13-13-13 per acre at time of planting. See Exhibit D for seeding dates.

If soil hasn’t been compacted by rain etc., and the seed bed is such it will get a good seed catch after ditches are pulled and before erosion work, no scarification will be done. However, if soil has been compacted by rain etc., the ditches shall be scarified to a point in which they will get a good even seed catch before seeding of annual grasses and fertilize.

Maintenance Requirements

Item 970(02)D Tracked Skid Steer Equipment Rental

Description

Tracked Skid Steer, with grapple Bucket, mulching head and a blade attachment available, flywheel horsepower range of 57-92, in the weight class ranging from 6,000-12,000 pounds.

Also see section 140

Method of Measurement

Spot trail repair shall be measured by the linear foot using a distance measuring wheel. Determine the quantity of removal by measuring the distance along the trail center line through the excavated area

Basis of Payment

Payment shall be made for all work of this activity, inspected and accepted, in accordance with the following pay item and the bid unit price.

Pay Item Description Pay Unit

970(02)A Excavation L.F.

970(02)B Placing Turf Block & Fabric L.F 970(02)C Erosion Control L.F.

970(02)D Tracked Skid Steer Hour

ACTIVITY CODE: 981

ACTIVITY: MOWING Trail limits

Maintenance Requirements

Mowing shall consist of cutting grass and small woody plant growth Within clearing limits. (4" diameter or less at mower height. Branches on remaining trees and shrubs shall be trimmed to give a clear height of 8 feet above the roadway.) This activity also includes brushing around trail signs, bridge approaches and appurtenances. Handwork may be needed to accomplish this activity, and is considered part of this activity. (Refer to Exhibit C for explanation of Traveled way, Roadway and Clearing Limit.)

Section 982 – Logging Out

982.02 Clearing Out – First paragraph first sentence delete logs and add logs and brush, Fourth Paragraph, DELETE second and third sentences, Fifth paragraph change 300 m to 0.9 m, trailbed to trailway as SHOWN ON THE DRAWINGS, DELETE the Measurement and ADD the following:

Measurement

982.03 Method. Determine the quantity of removal by measuring the distance along the trail center line.

981(01) Mowing

Mowing operations shall have varying widths beyond the trail way on each side of the trail. ATV recreation trails will be mowed 10’ total width, including trail way. Recreation hiking trails will be mowed as ordered total widths 5’ to 10’. Recreation bicycle trails will be mowed a total of 5’. Brush and/or stem extending into the above described widths up to an 8’ height will be cut, this work will be incidental to the mowing. Equipment requirements are shown in section 150 of Supplemental Specifications.

All debris thrown onto trail way through Contractor's operations shall be removed. Likewise, all woody material larger than one (1) inch diameter and two (2) feet in length and any sharp object which could cause damage shall be removed from the trail way, including but not limited to bottles and cans. Care shall be taken that flying objects will not interfere with the safe passing of motorist or pedestrians at all times.

Care shall be taken not to damage any Gopher Tortoise Burrow.

981(02) Hazard Tree Removal

All dead trees and/or snags within 100 feet of the trail way shall be felled. Controlled felling shall be used that will ensure the direction necessary to prevent damage to property, structures, remaining trees, power utilities and traffic. It will be the contractor’s responsibility to locate all utilities before beginning operations. Remaining stump height will be 12 inches or less and slash will be lopped to a maximum height of 4 feet above ground level. (For removal of debris, refer to paragraph three of this activity.) Frequently traveled roads should have a lookout with the feller for the protection of Forest Users. Proper safety equipment should be used for protection of Chainsaw Operator and Lookout

981(03) Wilderness Trail Work: No power tools will be allowed to accomplish this work. All work will be accomplished with hand tools such as but not limited to two person cross cut saws, axes, single crosscut saws etc. The contractor will cut any debris across the trail in six foot lengths. The contractor will remove the debris across the trail, debris is considered from 3” to 36” diameter. The contractor will move the cut debris outside of the trail clearing limits. The contractor will be required to cut brush back three each side of the center line of the trail and to a height of 8’.

Method of Measurement

Measurement shall be made to the nearest (0.1) tenth of a mile using a distance measuring wheel. Measurement shall be made along the center line of the trail and shall include work on both sides of the trail.

Basis of Payment

Payment shall be made for all work of this activity, inspected and accepted, in accordance with the following pay items and the bid unit price.

Pay Item Description Pay Unit

981(01) Mowing (13' each side) Mile 981(02) Hazard Tree Removal Each 981(03) Wilderness Trail work Mile

EXHIBIT C

Excavation, Geotextile and Turf Block Detail

ACTIVITY CODE 997

Activity: Diamond Trail Markers

Maintenance Requirements

Signs will placed according to exhibits within this contract. All tools and labor to place signs will be furnished by contractor.

Basis of Payment

Payment shall be made for all work of this activity, inspected and accepted, in accordance with the following pay item and the bid unit price.

Pay Item Description Pay Unit

99701) Sign Assembly and Placement Each

EXHIBIT B

SUMMARIZED

DAILY ACCOMPLISHMENT Page of

REPORT

| | | | Units | Actual | Actual | | Date | Road No.| Activity | of Work | Equip. | Man-Hrs. | Remarks | | | Code | Accomp. | Hrs.1/ | Labor 2/ |

1/ Tracked skid steer & Tractor Signed:

2/ Do Not Include Travel Time Contractor/Representative

QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN

Contract – Recreation trail maintenance on the National Forests in Mississippi, De Soto Ranger District.

This Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) has been developed pursuant to the requirements of the Performance Work Statement (PWS) in Contract___________. This plan sets forth procedures and guidelines that will be used in evaluating the technical performance of the contractor.

A. PURPOSE OF THE QASP

The QASP is intended to accomplish the following:

Define the roles and responsibilities of participating government officials and the contractor;

Identify the types of work to be performed and the inspections to be performed to validate adequacy;

Describe the evaluation methods that will be employed by the government in assessing the contractor’s inspection program and performance to the quality/performance standards required for each task

Provide copies of the contractor’s inspection records and Government quality assurance monitoring forms that will be used by the government in documenting and evaluating the contractor’s performance;

Describe the process of performance documentation

B. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

The following government officials will participate in assessing the quality of the contractor’s performance. Their roles and responsibilities are described as follows:

The Contracting Officer’s Representatives’ (COR’s) responsibilities will be listed on their designations and may include the following: monitoring, assessing, recording, and completing quality assurance monitoring forms which will be used to document the inspection and evaluation of the contractor’s work performance.

The Contracting Officer (CO) and will have overall responsibility for overseeing the contractor’s performance and for the monitoring of the contractor’s performance in the areas of contract compliance, contract administration, cost control, and property control; reviewing the COR’s assessment of the contractor’s performance; and resolving all differences between the COR’s version and the contractor’s version.

C. METHODS OF SURVEILLANCE

The government, through its COR, will monitor the contractor’s performance on a continuous basis. The method the government will use is identified in C above. The COR/Inspector will first verify the results of the contractor’s inspection, completeness and adequacy of the documentation of the contractor’s inspection results. The government COR will perform periodic independent inspections after the contractor has performed their inspection if questions develop regarding the results of the contractor’s inspections. Results of the independent inspections that differ from the results noted by the contractor on their inspections the costs thereof for the re-inspection costs will be assessed against the contractor. The contractor shall be required to rework/repair or replace the effort until the quality/ performance standard is achieved.

Inspections will be performed to the schedule submitted by the contractor and approved by the government. Variances from the schedule must be pre-approved by the CO.

D. QUALITY ASSURANCE (QA) FORMS AND REPORT

1. The COR will use a quality assurance monitoring form to document and evaluate the contractor’s performance under the contract. This can consist of a Form, a Memo for record or an entry in a daily/weekly diary. The form when completed will document the COR’s understanding of what the contractor was supposed to do, what was actually done, and the impact or consequences of what was done. The documentation will also identify the additional steps required of the contractor if there is a nonconformance.

2. The COR will judge each event in accordance with the performance standards and performance requirements stated in the Quality/Performance Requirements stated in the contract either in section 5 of the Statement of Work (SOW) or in section 7 of the SOW.

3. The COR must substantiate all tasks which he judges to be indicative of “unacceptable” performance. Performance at the “acceptable” level is expected and need not be substantiated.

4. In accordance with Section C above, the contractor shall furnish (weekly, at a minimum) to the COR copies of all inspection forms generated by the contractor witnessing inspections performed. The COR will forward copies of all completed QA monitoring forms to the CO and contractor inspection records prior to processing payments. The contractor is required to respond in writing to any negative QA monitoring form(s) within 5 working days after receipt of the form(s).

F. ANALYSIS OF SURVEILLANCE RESULTS

1. The CO will review each QA monitoring form prepared by the COR. When appropriate, the CO may investigate the event further to determine if all the facts and circumstances surrounding the event were considered in the COR’s opinion outlined on the forms. The CO will immediately discuss every event receiving a substandard rating on the forms. The CO will immediately discuss every event receiving a substandard rating with the contractor to assure that corrective action is promptly initiated.

2. At the end of each month, the COR will prepare a written report for the CO summarizing the overall result of his surveillance of the contractor’s performance during the previous month. This report will become part of the formal QA documentation.

3. Upon completion of the contract/task order the COR will perform a performance evaluation of the contractor using the results documented as above and provide to the CO for further action.

SECTION VII - QUALITY/ REQUIREMENTS

(100% or other)

970 Blading Operations

01 Surface Blading

02 Documentation

Work Plan and schedule.

Quality Control Plan and Schedule

Safety Plan

970(01) Spot Surface Repair Aggregate Surfaced Trails

01 Crushed Aggregate

03 Documentation

Work Plan and schedule

970(02) Spot Trail Repair

A) Reconcitioning B) Turf Blocks C) Erosion D) Tracked Steer Eq. Rental

02 Documentation

Work Plan and Schedule

Standard Specifications for Trail Maintenance Activities for the National Forest In Mississippi.

Standard Specifications

Activities for the National Forest In Mississippi

Standard Specifications

100% for all tasks and subtasks

100%

100%

Verify contractor records, data, reports

Periodic/random verification by Government

Verify contractor records, data, reports

Rework @ no cost to Government

Repair or replace @ no cost to Government Acceptance with Consideration

Less than satisfactory performance evaluation

Rework @ no cost to Government

Non-compliant Contractor inspection system , Contractor bears 100% of government inspection cost

Rework @ no cost to Government

Satisfactory or Better performance rating

Satisfactory or Better performance rating

Satisfactory or Better performance rating

(100% or other)

981 Mowing

01 Mowing 02 Hazard Tree Removal

01 Documentation

Work Plan and Schedule

Standard Specifications

100%

Verify contractor records, data, reports

Rework @ no cost to Government

Non-compliant Contractor inspection system , Contractor bears 100% of government inspection cost

Satisfactory or Better performance rating image1.emf