Notes Hog Control Site visit 2 Dec 2008.doc

SITE VISIT NOTES

AG-4660-S-09-0002

Hog Control USDA--Forest Service—Savannah River

1. A site visit was conducted on December 2, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. in the conference room, Building 760-15G. The Government personnel present involved in the project were introduced. Everyone was asked to introduce themselves. A list of attendees will be provided with the minutes.

2. Some general contract information was presented to the attendees. Proposals are currently due by 4:00 p.m. on December 17, 2008. Proposals need to be mailed, handcarried (call from the barricade if not currently badged) or faxed. (Emails are not permitted) This is an small business set-aside against NAICS 114210 with a business size standard of $4 million. Vendors need to be registered in CCR (www.ccr.gov) and complete on line contractor representations (ORCA) (www.bpn.gov). If you need assistance, please feel free to contact Margie Yeaton.

3. The contractor needs to complete Block 12, discount terms, (if applicable—can be left blank). Block 17 with name, address and phone number, and Block 30 a, b, and c of SF 1449. Make sure to include telephone number in Block 17. The offeror does not need to complete blocks 19-24 as these blocks are continued on the schedule of items, pages 3-4.

4. The offeror needs to complete all line items on the schedule of items, pages 3-4. Please double check your math.

5. The contract that will be awarded is an IDIQ contract for a base period of approximately 1 year (1 February or date of award through 31 January with 3 option years going until 2013). A single award is anticipated. Procedures for issuing task orders are shown on page 20.

6. The contract guaranteed amount is $500.00 and applies only to the base year. The maximum contract amount per year is $30,000 per year. The quantities shown (150 each) are best faith estimates. The actual quantities will vary. The current contract pricing is $60 per hog. The price for piglett is fixed at $15.00 each—this price cannot be changed.

7. Savannah River Site is a restricted site. Security requirements are listed starting on page 9 of the solicitation. It was stressed that badges are required to gain access to the Site. It will take approximately 6-8 hours to attend the necessary training and process the badge(s). Plus, delays could be encountered when entering the Site. Vehicles are subject to search. Because of the contract safety requirements, regular site badges will be required.

8. The safety requirements starting on page 16 for working on the Savannah River Site were stressed. Any contractor working for the Forest Service must comply with the remote worker tracking procedures.

9. General information regarding the solicitation was pointed out to the contractors present. The addendum to FAR 52.212-1, starting on page 21 was stressed. The technical proposal requirements were presented. Attachment 3, the Experience Questionnaire, can be completed to respond to the requirements of the technical proposal. The offeror should ensure they address all items indicated as part of the technical proposal. The items needing to be returned as part of their proposal were emphasized as indicated on page 4.

10. It was stressed that award can be made to other than the low offerer. The offeror needs to submit their best price initially.

11. The contractor needs to ensure the following documents are returned as part of their proposal:

SF 1449, page 1 Completed schedule of items (pages 3-4) Completed FAR 52.212-3 (Pages 26-27) Technical Proposal (Experience Questionnaire can be used. (Attachment 3)) Acknowledge any amendments (SF 30)

Vendor needs to be registered in CCR (www.ccr.gov) and complete ORCA (www.bpn.gov)

12. No horses or ATVs are permitted. (The solicitation will be amended to delete conflicting language indicated on page 17) Plus, the contractor must hunt with both dogs and traps. Some hogs cannot be caught using traps. This is the reason the contractor needs to be capable of using both methods. Moreover, the use of bows and arrows is not permitted.

13. Workmen’s Compensation Insurance is required when there are four or more employees. If the company is incorporated this policy includes the employer. However, this policy does not apply if the company is not incorporated. The contractor is required to comply with the state law. The solicitation will be changed to permit up to 6 hunters. However, the offeror will need to comply with the state’s workmen’s compensation requirements. For insurance purposes, the contractor will be hunting approximately 100,000 acres.

14. A current South Carolina (SC) hunting license is not required to submit a proposal. However, the contractor will be required to obtain a SC license if awarded the contract. The offeror needs to provide the requested licensing information so a back ground check can be performed to ensure a SC license can be obtained. This is to save unnecessary expense for any out of state offerors.

15. Scott Ray, Wildlife Biologist, reviewed the contract specifications. The following technical questions/concerns were addressed.

a. Under the current contract, dog hunting was conducted on Fridays and Saturdays. Currently there is funding to permit hunting on Saturdays. However, funding can change. Hunting during the week may be approved in advance. However, due to manning and workload, this will not become the norm. Hunting during the week (excluding trapping) will be the exception.

b. Note that the procedures for transporting weapons on site in vehicles is stricter than state regulations. The contractors are not permitted to transport loaded weapons. All weapons must be unloaded. There is no specific location to transport the weapon in the vehicle, but suggest to keep the weapon out of the line of sight and to advise security immediately upon entering the Site.

c. Only established road ways can be used to retrieve the animals. There are roadways located throughout the Site, so access to the animals is usually possible. The exception is the swamp, but the Government would not normally require the animals be dragged out from the swamp.

d. The Site has started to enforce the requirement to show proof of insurance and current registration for any vehicles entering the Site. Entrance to the Site will be denied if not provided and a ticket will be issued.

e. There was limited contract funding available last year so only about 170 hogs were killed. The combined target for both contracts is 350 hogs. Scott estimates that there are appoximately 2,000-3,000 hogs on the Site.

f. No problems have been encountered with nearby private landowners if dogs stray onto their land. They view the hogs as nusiances.

g. Dogs cannot be kept overnight at the kennels on the Site.

h. The Site has the typical hazards associated with South Carolina forests such as alligators, poisonous snakes, and insects.

i. Currently the contractor can leave the hogs in the forest if not near a populated work center. However, this might change in the future. There is concern that the dead hogs left behind are a food source for the coyotes on Site. The fawn population is being reduced by the coyotes on the Site.

j. Trail cameras would be permitted. Pictures are not permitted of Site facilities, but there is no restriction on wildlife.

16. Scott took interested contractors around the site so they could view the site terrain and some general layout of the site.

17. The meeting was adjourned at approximately 11:45 p.m. Any additional questions or concerns regarding the solicitation need to be submitted to Margie Yeaton at (803) 725-0239, FAX (803) 725-1807, or email myeaton@fs.fed.us.

/s/ Margaret J. Yeaton

Contracting Officer