Scope_of_Work_final.pdf

AG-56A1-S-17-0001 Gypsy Moth Aerial Spray

BACKGROUND

The United States Department of Agriculture - Forest Service (FS) cooperative program to slow the spread of gypsy moth (STS) is the world’s largest user of mating disruption with several hundred thousand acres treated aerially each year across the 11 states that implement the STS program (NC, VA, TN, KY, WV, OH, IN, IL, IA, WI and MN). These disruptant pesticides are formulated to slowly release the active ingredient (gypsy moth pheromone) over a period of several months when gypsy moth adults are active and mating. The cloud of pheromone that is released disrupts the male moth’s ability to locate and mate with the female moth, thereby eliminating or suppressing the following year’s population. Applicators use aircraft suitable for the mission and equipped with dispersal systems that are custom built for the product to be used. The intent of this procurement is to contract for aerial application of mating disruptants over several hundred thousand acres annually as part of the FS STS program for a period of five years (2017-2021).

SCOPE OF WORK

The FS has a requirement to establish a firm fixed price contract for a base year (2017) and four option years (2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021). Several hundred thousand acres will be treated annually within the STS program area. There are two companies that formulate disruptants, which are currently registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and available for use. Hercon makes Disrupt II GM® and Disrupt Bio-Flake GM®. ISCA Technologies makes SPLAT-GM® or SPLAT-GM Organic®. For simplicity’s sake, Hercon’s products will simply be referred to as Disrupt and ISCA Technologies’ products will simply be referred to as SPLAT throughout the remainder of the solicitation and exhibits. All products require custom built dispersal systems (Exhibit 12). Aerial application of mating disruptants under this procurement may include the following geographic area; the states of NC, TN, VA, WV, KY, OH, IN, IL, WI, MN and IA. Treatments are applied just prior to the flight period of the adult male moth. The start of moth flight is dependent on local weather and can range from early June in eastern North Carolina to early August in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. Doses ranging from 3 grams active ingredient per acre (g ai/ac) to 30.4 g ai/ac may be utilized, but the 6 and 15.2g ai/ac doses are typically used.

This Request for Proposal (RFP) has two Items totaling approximately 347,500 acres of treatment in the base year (2017) and 375,000 acres in the option years (2018-2021). Item 1 includes approximately 60% of the acres to be treated with a treatment window extending from early June to late July and Item 2 includes approximately 40% of the acres to be treated with a treatment window that extends from early June to early July. Although acres and geographical locations to be treated in the option years may vary, the treatment windows associated with each item will remain about the same and the split of 60% of the acres to Item 1 and 40% of the acres to Item 2 will remain about the same. If exercised, the option year information (treatment block table, maps, production rates, updated wage determinations, etc) will be provided to the contractor in early spring.

The contractor shall provide all application and observation aircraft, Disrupt/sticker or SPLAT, operational disruptant dispersal system specific to the product provided, aircraft guidance and tracking equipment (DGPS), automated flight following (AFF), miscellaneous service equipment, ground and flight personnel, supplies (except those provided as Government-furnished property and services), and all other incidentals to perform these services in accordance with the technical specifications contained herein. In the event of inconsistencies within the technical specifications, the following order shall be used in such resolution:

1. Typed provisions of these specifications;

2. Forest Service supplements and/or exhibits incorporated by reference;

3. Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR) incorporated by reference;

4. Aircraft manufacturer's specifications;

5. Other documents incorporated by reference.

Contractor Requirements

The contractor must provide a sufficient number of aircraft and pilots to meet production rates, to facilitate communication between application aircraft and the base (Exhibit 4) (in all states except Wisconsin), and other duties as specified herein to support the work in all states. Application aircraft must be outfitted with proven, custom built dispersal systems for the product to be applied (Exhibit 12).

The contractor is responsible for purchase, transportation, storage, loading and security of the disruptant and sticker. The government will supply the active ingredient (gypsy moth pheromone) needed to formulate the product of choice. The contractor must provide a sufficient quantity of disruptant (either Disrupt/sticker or SPLAT) to treat the acreage at the specified doses (Exhibit 13). Labels and Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for disruptant and sticker must also be provided.

Once the spray operation begins, all aircraft assigned to this project (as specified by the Contractor) are to remain until the project is completed, unless released by the Contracting Officer or designated Contracting Officer’s Representative.

The Contractor is responsible for the repair or replacement of any faulty or substandard equipment, including aircraft, DGPS, AFF or dispersal system within 24 hours.

The Contractor must provide DGPS that meets the specifications of this solicitation in all application aircraft (Exhibit 10). DGPS is NOT required in Observation aircraft.

The Contractor must provide Automated Flight Following (AFF) that meets the specifications of this solicitation for all aircraft (Exhibit 11).

All operations will conform to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements, manufacturer's pesticide label instructions, Department of Transportation (DOT) policies and the appropriate state requirements for storage, transportation, loading and application of insecticides. The Contractor is responsible for obtaining pesticide licenses, aerial application licenses, insurance and other applicable licenses, clearances and documentation for full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations regarding aerial pesticide application in all of the states included in this project prior to treatment activities.

The Contractor is responsible for determining congested area status of the treatment blocks and for obtaining approval from FAA to treat these areas.

The contractor is responsible for providing security personnel during off duty hours.

The Contractor is responsible for obtaining all materials (Disrupt/sticker or SPLAT) that are needed to test and document the operational status of their dispersal equipment as specified in Exhibit 12. The Contractor is responsible for providing the area(s) to be used for calibration and characterization trials of the application aircraft(s). The area selected for the trials must have the approval of the landowner.

Calibration will be conducted prior to project implementation. If an aircraft has characterization trial data on file with the Government, the aircraft may be re-characterized at the discretion of the Contracting Officer’s Representative.

It is the responsibility of the Contractor to keep the dispersal system clean and functioning at all times.

The contractor is responsible for providing all materials and equipment needed to clean and maintain the dispersal system. It will be the responsibility of the Contractor to load the application aircraft with SPLAT or with Disrupt/sticker.

Any spills will be the responsibility of the Contractor to clean up and dispose of according to Federal and State laws and regulations. It shall be the responsibility of the Contractor to properly dispose of all empty Disrupt and SPLAT containers and all empty sticker containers according to label requirements, State laws and regulations.

Airport Facilities The Government does not maintain a list of approved airports. It is the responsibility of the Offeror to select airport(s) to be used as a base of operations for this project and to make any necessary arrangements for use with the airport manager, including areas for calibration and characterization.

The Contractor shall abide by all Exhibits, which are included as a separate attachment. The number and title of each exhibit is:

1 Definitions and Acronyms 2 Aircraft Operations 3 Application Aircraft Requirements 4 Observation Aircraft Requirements 5 Avionics Requirements & Specifications 6 Restraint Systems Condition Inspection Guidelines 7 First Aid Kit (Aeronautical) 8 Aviation Operations Briefing Certificate 9 Fuel Servicing Specifications 10 Aircraft Guidance and Tracking Equipment 11 Automated Flight Following 12 Dispersal Systems 13 Products and Application Procedures 14 Synopsis of Safety Program 15 Dept of Labor Wage Determination Information

DELIVERY AND PERFORMANCE

The treatment blocks include a mosaic of different land use/land cover types such as forest, crop fields, pastures, residential, urban, roads, streams, rivers, lakes and ponds. Pesticide label requirements dictate that some of these areas not be treated with disruptants. Thus two acreage estimates are provided for each block – treatment block size (polygon acres) and the government’s best estimate of the treatable acres inside the treatment polygon (treatable acres). For each item, blocks in the same geographical area with similar treatment timing requirements have been grouped into project areas.

Treatments can be applied up to 14 days prior to the start of male moth flight but must be completed before moth flight starts to be effective. This two-week period is called the biological window. In each Item, the project will start where moth flight is the earliest, and then move through the project areas that make up the Item until the work is completed where moth flight is the latest. The table below presents the government’s best estimate of the dates when the work will begin in each of the project areas that are part of the 2017 Items. The start dates are estimates only and are based on the 30-year normal weather data for each project area. The actual date when flight starts each year can vary by as much as 15 days around the normal and is dependent on local weather patterns in the current year. If moth flight is expected to begin earlier or later than normal, the start work dates will also be adjusted to ensure treatments are completed within the biological window. Therefore the contractor must be prepared to start work at least 15 days earlier or later than estimated here.

Table 1 displays the total acres in the treatment blocks (polygon acres), the government’s best estimate of the total treatable acres inside the treatment polygons (treatable acres), the number of blocks, the average block size and the estimated date when work would start for each project area. Both polygon acres and treatable acres are displayed to aid the Offeror in determining how much flight time will be required to complete each project area.

Table 1. Estimated acreage, number of blocks, average block size and start work dates for each item/project area in the base year of the contract (2017).

Item Project Area Polygon Acres

Treatable Acres

# Blocks Average Block Size

Estimated Start Date 2017

1 (a & b) Eastern VA & NC 48,196 45,610 6 8,033 June 6

Mountains 36,154 35,930 2 18,077 June 15

Wisconsin south 23,428 18,100 4 5,857 June 29

Wisconsin central 94,744 83,520 14 6,767 July 10

Wisconsin north 38,854 36,600 2 19,427 July 20

Totals, Item 1 241,376 219,760 28 8,621

2 (a & b) Ohio south 35,439 33,620 8 4,430 June 19

Ohio central 49,684 41,525 7 7,098 June 21

Ohio north 18,547 8,380 11 1,686 June 24

Indiana 8,813 7,000 2 4,407 June 26

Illinois south 42,482 24,000 5 8,496 June 27

Illinois north 16,624 13,215 5 3,325 June 29

Totals, Item 2 171,589 127,740 38 4,516

Totals, Both Items 412,965 347,500 66 6,257

Swath spacing during application will be 100 feet unless the contractor demonstrates a wider swath is validated per the specifications in Exhibit 12. In 2017 all acres will be treated with one application of disruptant at a dose of 6 or 15.2 g ai/ac (see the accompanying excel file for a list of 2017 treatment blocks by state, dose, Item, project area and estimated start date). However, option years may include a range of doses from a low of 3 g ai/ac to a high of 30.4 g ai/ac. If the dosage changes more than 15%, an equitable adjustment will be negotiated.

Treatment block boundaries and doses cannot be finalized until one month prior to project implementation in order to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System; however total acreage will not vary more than + 15%.

A short description of each of the items follows.

Item 1: this item includes all of the treatment blocks in the states of North Carolina, Virginia, Wisconsin and Minnesota and is subdivided into 5 project areas where all of the blocks in a project area have similar treatment timing.

1. Eastern Virginia & North Carolina: Although all 6 of the treatment blocks in this project area have similar treatment timing requirements, the project area covers a wide geographic expanse and will require long ferries or the use of multiple airports as a base of operation. The terrain is flat to gently rolling and the blocks are primarily rural and forested.

2. Mountains: The 2 blocks in this project area are located in southwest Virginia in steep mountainous terrain. Both blocks are rural and densely forested.

3. Wisconsin south: The 4 blocks in this project area are located in southwest Wisconsin in rolling hill country. The blocks are primarily rural, and include crop fields as well as forests and small woodlots.

4. Wisconsin central: This project area includes 13 blocks in west central Wisconsin and 1 block in southeast Minnesota, all in flat to gently rolling terrain. Although all 14 blocks have similar treatment timing requirements, the project area covers a wide geographic expanse and will require long ferries or the use of multiple airports as a base of operation. The blocks are primarily rural, dotted with homes or small communities, crop fields, lakes, rivers and forests or small woodlots.

5. Wisconsin north: This project area includes 2 blocks in northern Wisconsin close to Lake Superior. The blocks are primarily rural, dotted with homes, crop fields, rivers, lakes and forests

Item 2: this item includes all of the treatment blocks in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois and is divided into 6 project areas where all of the blocks in a project area have similar treatment timing.

1. Ohio south: The 8 blocks in this project area are all located in the rolling mountains of southeast Ohio. The blocks are scattered across 6 counties and some include residential areas in the suburbs of small towns. Otherwise the blocks are primarily forested and bisected by rivers and creeks.

2. Ohio central: This project area includes 7 blocks in central Ohio where the terrain ranges from gently rolling in the east to mostly flat in the west. One of the treatment blocks is located inside the I-270 beltway in the suburbs of Columbus. The other 6 blocks are mostly rural and dotted with homes or residential areas on the outskirts of smaller towns. The landscape in these 6 blocks ranges from areas that are heavily forested to agricultural areas dotted with small woodlots.

3. Ohio north: This project area includes 11 blocks scattered across the flat agricultural area in northwest Ohio. Three of the blocks include residential areas associated with towns (Marion, Findlay and Lima). The remaining 8 blocks are primarily rural, agricultural areas dotted with small woodlots.

4. Indiana: There are 2 blocks located in the flat country of northern Indiana. One is rural with agricultural fields dotted with woodlots and the other is located in the suburbs of Valparaiso.

5. Illinois south: The 5 blocks in this project area are located in the agricultural area of central Illinois, south of the Illinois River. The blocks include communities (Livingston, Forrest, Pontiac, and Streator) and residential areas as well as large areas of agriculture, bisected by creeks and dotted with homes and small woodlots.

6. Illinois north: These 5 blocks are located in northern Illinois well outside the suburbs of Chicago.

The town of Freeport and the small community of Waterman each fall within a treatment block.

The other 3 blocks are primarily rural and partly forested or dotted with small woodlots

Maps and Other Files A table that cross references each block by item, project area, dose, size (both acres in the block and an estimate of treatable acres within the block) and treatment timing can be found as a separate attachment.

Maps showing the names and location of all blocks proposed for treatment in 2017 by Item and project area can be found in the STS Map Library at http://www.gmsts.org/library.html; select either 2017 Item 1 or 2017 Item 2 from the Treatment Vicinity drop down menu to download the maps of interest.

An STS KML Service for viewing the 2017 treatment blocks in Google Earth is currently available but updates to the treatment block boundaries may continue to occur until May of 2017. The KML Service can be accessed at http://www.gmsts.org/treatments.html , then select the highlighted “STS Treatment KML Service” near the top of the page. This will open Google Earth with the 2017 STS treatment blocks added to your temporary places folder. Be sure to save the link to the STS treatments file in ‘My Places’, not ‘Temporary Places’ if you wish to access it again without going back to the STS website. The STS treatments file should update with any changes each time it is opened in Google Earth.

In May, prior to the start of work, shapefiles formatted for use in the Contractor’s DGPS will be posted at http://www.gmsts.org/treatments.html. Once posted the files can be accessed by selecting the state(s) of interest and downloading the mating disruption treatment file (MD in the file name) for that state. Each state file contains all of the mating disruption blocks located in that state.

Production Rates Hourly production rates are estimated by the Government to aid the Offeror(s) in planning the number of application aircraft that will be needed to complete a given project area within the timeframe allotted.

Production rates are calculated using polygon acres flown rather than actual acres treated. Production rates are important to the success of any project, but are critical to this project, which encompasses multiple states with varying insect development schedules, and requires numerous moves between bases of operation that are scattered across the states. Failure to perform at these rates may jeopardize treatment effectiveness by missing the biological window and result in termination of the contract for default.

In Table 2, the Government presents for each Item and project area best estimates of project start dates, days available to work, flight hours available to spray, and required hourly production rate (polygon acres flown per hour) necessary to complete the work within the biological window available for treatment.

These are estimates only; and, as provided elsewhere in this contract, it is the contractor’s responsibility to plan and operate in a manner to accomplish all work within the timeframes, and in consideration of the conditions that actually occur. The Government will cooperate to the maximum extent practicable to facilitate the contractor's work.

The following assumptions were used in calculating the required production rates (polygon acres flown per hour) for each item / project area.

1. Thirty year average weather data was input into a phenological model that predicts insect development such as the date when adult male gypsy moths will emerge and start to fly. Output from the model is used to select an appropriate start date for each treatment block. These dates may vary with weather patterns in the current year.

2. Treatment blocks were then grouped by geography and insect development into project areas and an estimate of the work start date was selected for each.

3. In each Item, the project will start where moth flight is the earliest, and then move north and west through the states and project areas that make up the Item until the work is completed where moth flight is the latest. Each project area must be completed within the total work days listed in below in Table 2 to insure that a) the project area is completed before adult male moth flight begins and b) the next project area(s) in line for work can also be completed before the start of adult male moth flight. In some cases the number of days available to work may be further constrained because the work is located in densely populated urban areas where treatment must be completed quickly.

4. Although the maximum allowable flight time available each day for spraying under this contract is 8 hours, historical flight hours used per day of operation averages only about 5 hours because of mandatory rest days, inclement weather and moves between bases of operation. Therefore 5 hours of flight time is used as the average available for each day of work.

5. Acres are the estimate of total polygon acres within in each item and project area.

6. Production is defined as the polygon acres divided by the flight hours during operations

(exclusive of flight time for moves between project areas). The ferry distance to the block(s), hopper size, fuel capacity, dose, speed of the aircraft, turn radius, lane separation, block size, pilot skills and other project or aircraft related factors influence the production rates achieved. All of these factors must be considered by the Offeror(s) when calculating the number of application aircraft to be offered for each item / project area in order to meet the required production rate for each.

Table 2. Hourly production rates required in each of the items/project areas for the base year of the contract (2017).

Item Project Area Estimated Start Work

Date

Total Work Days

Estimated Hours to Spray

Polygon Acres

Production (polygon acres flown per hour)

1.

(a & b)

Eastern VA & NC June 6 3 15 48,196 3,213

Mountains June 15 2 10 36,154 3,615

Wisconsin south June 29 1 5 23,428 4,685

Wisconsin central July 10 4 20 94,744 4,737

Wisconsin north July 20 2 10 38,854 3,885

2.

(a & b)

Ohio South June 19 2 10 35,439 3,544

Ohio Central June 21 3 15 49,684 3,312

Ohio North June 24 1 5 18,547 3,709

Indiana June 26 0.5 2.5 8,813 3,525

Illinois south June 27 2.5 12.5 42,482 3,399

Illinois north June 29 1 5 16,624 3,324

When contractor(s) have complied with production rates but weather delays prevent completion of an item or project area within the allotted work days, the remaining work will either be completed or eliminated prior to moving to another item or project area. The Government will determine the completion or elimination of work depending on the circumstances, including such factors as the weather forecast, the stage of gypsy moth development, and the number of acres involved.

Reporting Date for Aerial Application Activities Unless otherwise agreed to by both parties, two days prior to the estimated start work date will be the initial project reporting date for aircraft(s), pilots, and equipment in order to confirm that aircraft have been inspected, spray systems are calibrated, spray deposits characterized and to conduct a pre-spray safety and coordination meeting. The Contractor shall have all equipment in compliance with the specifications and in readiness to move in when notified. The reporting date(s) are subject to change depending on the developmental stage of the insect to be sprayed thus the contractor must be prepared to start a minimum of 15 days earlier or later than estimated. The Contractor will be given a minimum of 72 hours’ notice for the initial reporting date. The reporting date may be adjusted by mutual agreement due to inclement weather or other reasons beyond the control of either party.