Question_and_Answers.docx

Question and Answers

AG-51A8-S-17-0002

Shawnee National Forest CSE

1. Will there be a pre-proposal meeting for this solicitation? No, you can submit questions to me.

1. Is there a date in which the potential contractors can no longer submit questions? Prefer to receive them by 4/6.

1. Has this contract been awarded in the past? Not on the Shawnee but regularly on forests across the nation

2. If so was it an IDIQ? N/A

0. How many years? N/A

2. Who has been the recipients of the contract historically? N/A

2. What has been the historic awards for the contract(s)? N/A

1. Will this IDIQ only pertain to the completion of “Quick” plots over the lifetime of the contract? Yes as required by specifications in the contract

1. What are the required growth sample trees needs per stand/plot (if applicable)? One site tree per stand. Has to be a dominant or codominant tree representative of the forest type. Diameter is exact to the tenth, Total Height, and Total Age

1. Increment borers supplied by the contractors, what is the recommended length? 14-18” would be recommended

1. When determining age, if the center of the site tree is rotten (no other acceptable site trees of that species nearby) or if the increment bore is slightly too short for the accurate sample, what would you like the contractor to do? If there isn’t a sufficient site tree on site you are allowed to select one off-site and have to label it that correctly and give azimuth and distance to tree that was cored and flagging it so it can be found by inspector. A rotten center or a core that doesn’t reach the pith is not acceptable. A new tree will need to be sampled

1. When completing a survey, how would you like an 8+” snag to be treated if it was broken below 4’ 5”? Trees below breast height are not recorded. Only trees above 4.5’

1. What is the average expected task orders to be issued each year? That is unknown and the reason this is an IDIQ. The contract has a minimum guarantee of $5000. After that we are not under any further obligation to issue orders.

1. If the landowners deny access to a contractor, what is the protocol of action the contractor will be expected to take? Most all stands should be accessible from a road or through FS property. It may be a hike if roads aren’t close. If for some reason there is a piece of land that is landlocked and you are unable to obtain access we can work to together to get this removed from the order.

1. Are the plot locations pre-determined by the USFS? No. Just the number of plots needed to be taken. They need to be evenly distributed throughout the stand.

10. Does the contractor need to determine plot locations, submit plots to USFS for acceptance and then go to the field to perform work? As long as the plots are evenly distributed and not located in road beds or small non-representative locations in the stand it won’t need to be approved. If plots are not preapproved and during inspection is determined that plot locations are not acceptable, then there could be a rework situation. It might be beneficial to submit the first plots for approval or this can be covered in the prework meeting.

1. Please define the expectations of the contractors during the field examinations in regards to “stand boundaries will be refined as needed…” and the statement of “Contractor Shall plot updated stand delineations on a map”--------(Statement of work page 6 & 18) If during stand examination is determined by the contractor that a stand should be split (new stand should be 5+ acres), the contractor needs to provide information as to where the split should occur.

1. Can standard PDR/GPS units be utilized when collecting data. Yes this is the preferred method. If data is collected on paper it has to be transcribed into Exams PC and sent electronically and in paper form

1. How many trees, on average, are expected when completing the 10 or 20 BAF plots? This is a guess but probably 10-15 trees on both

1. For the length of this IDIQ, will a 10 or 20 BAF be the only BAF utilized/available? Yes and it is based on pine or hardwood forest types

1. If the Contractor uses GPS coordinates to get to a position with accuracy with less than 30’ do they need to record a reference point, azimuth, distance or corrections on the traverse notes page? No. Traverse notes are only used when GPS coordinates aren’t required which they are for this contract.

1. Will the USFS submit to the contractor the sample design they require for each task order/project? Sample design is in the statement of work

1. Can the first task order be split between contractors? Task orders may be split depending on the number of line items in the task order request.

1. Would it be acceptable to small group trees (during fixed plot) if they are close to the same height and are of the same species? Yes it states this in the statement of work and only for the fixed plot

1. Are there any possible regulatory restrictions between May & September than may restrict the contractor's access to project areas? None that we are aware of