Statement_of_Work.pdf

STATEMENT OF WORK/SPECIFICATIONS

Scope of Work:

The contractor shall provide all labor, equipment, materials, supervision, etc., needed to complete the work as described herein, in accordance with federal, state, industry and commercial standards.

General Specifications:

Equipment suitable to fulfill the Contract shall be furnished on a fully operated basis, of modern design and in good operating condition, with a competent qualified operator. Exhaust stacks on all engines, except those with exhaust-driven turbo-chargers, shall be equipped with spark arrestors that will prevent the expulsion of sparks from the engine into the atmosphere.

Contractor shall maintain Forest Service-approved spark arresting devices on any piece of equipment operated by an internal combustion motor. Each piece of motorized equipment shall be equipped with a serviceable round-pointed shovel and an operational fire extinguisher of at least five-pound rating suitable for the equipment being used. All fuels, supplies, repairs and incidentals shall be furnished by the Contractor.

The Contractor and its employees and subcontractors shall comply with all State and local safety requirements and will be thoroughly familiar with the Forest Service Safety Code for work of this type. This code is available for review at the nearest Forest Service office. Protective devices such as hard hats shall be worn at all times according to Federal, State, and local safety regulations. IAW Forest Service Acquisition Regulation (FSAR) 4G52.222-704 Personal Protective Equipment, contractor shall comply with ANSI Standard Z87.1-2003.

Contractor shall avoid using heavy equipment during times when the soil is soft. Contractor may enter project areas when ground is dry or frozen or with vehicles that have ground pressures of 4 pounds per square inch or less. Work shall be halted if thawing or heavy precipitation occurs.

Operation of heavy equipment in creek beds or within creek channels is not allowed. Soil ruts deeper than 2 inches or covering more than 10% of the designated work area must be avoided or mitigated by the contractor. Mitigation will include filling the ruts with soil approved by the COR and planting an appropriate seed mix approved by the COR.

Prior to starting work the FS will inspect the contractor’s equipment (heavy equipment or off-road equipment) to be sure that it meets fire and safety requirements including spark arrestors and fire extinguishers. All equipment must be steam cleaned or run through a car wash prior to coming on site to remove any invasive plant species seeds. Compressed air cleaning may be an adequate cleaning method, but must be approved by the COR. COR or designated Inspectors will inspect equipment upon being brought onto Midewin for the first time, or subsequent returns if the equipment is taken off site and returned. If equipment is taken off Midewin and brought back it must be cleaned and re-inspected by the COR in a similar fashion as when first brought on Midewin.

Any spill of fuel or hydraulic fluid greater than one (1) pint must be immediately reported to the COR or PM. Contractor personnel must have training to ensure they are qualified to identify such releases and be capable of proper cleanup and reporting. All spilled materials and impacted soils will be removed and properly disposed of as necessary.

Sensitive areas, cultural resource sites, wetland, species habitat and native vegetation may exist within the project area. These areas will be marked by Midewin staff as needed and avoided by the contractor or performed only with an appropriate Midewin staff member on site.

In areas which will be open to public foot traffic, the contractor may be required to put up warning signs in ingress and egress lanes to the work area. Equipment ingress and egress lanes for equipment will be approved by the COR in advance of work in each area. Some access points to Midewin may be unavailable for contractor access.

Archery and firearm deer hunting and turkey hunting may occur in some work areas. The contractor should make themselves aware of these times. This information is available at the Midewin office.

Wet weather conditions may preclude the use of vehicles or ATVs on portions of the tract or possibly the entire tract at certain times. The USDA Forest Service COR and/or Ecologist will determine if conditions warrant cession of vehicular traffic. The COR will communicate such to the contractor.

During times of high fire danger the contractor may be required to suspend work temporarily or avoid driving or parking off road with some types of equipment. Ingress, egress, parking areas and equipment storage areas may have to be modified during high fire danger. The contractor will work with the COR and Midewin Fire Management Officer in times of high fire danger.

Midewin is closed to vehicular traffic except for administrative purposes. Contractors will be given keys and placards for use on site. Loss of keys may result in charging the contractor with replacing all locks which could amount to several thousand dollars. The placards must be in plain view while working on Midewin. Keys and placards are for official use on Midewin. The keys and placards don’t allow the contractor to take tours throughout Midewin by vehicle. The keys and placards allow the contractor to egress and ingress the work area only. All keys and placards will be turned in within 10 calendar days of contract expiration.

Contractors and their employees must follow all rules, regulations that the general public must follow. These rules and regulations are posted at trailheads or are available at the Midewin office. The speed limit at Midewin unless otherwise posted is 35 MPH. Contractors and their employees must follow the speed limit. If the contractor or their employees notice rules and regulations being broken they should contact the Contracting Officers Representative. Failure to follow these rules and regulations could result in citations and fines.

It is the responsibility of the bidder to examine the specific tracts and work areas. Each tract may have different conditions (thicker brush, larger trees, etc.) and may vary from year to year. Bidders SHOULD NOT assume a new project will be similar to a previous project.

Mowing Specifications:

Mow and cut all grass, forbs, brush, seedlings and saplings up to 3” diameter at the ground to within 4” to 6” of the ground surface. The entire tract excluding obstacles such as trees greater than 3”, brush piles, rock piles, bunkers, piles or railroad ties, etc. will be cut to control woody vegetation, invasive herbaceous plants, and the grass. Evaluation of satisfactory work completeness will be judged by visual inspections of the project area.100% of the target area (free of obstacles) is required to be mowed to the stated specifications.

Area Descriptions:

The project consists of tracts that were formerly mowed or were grazed recently. Cattle may be in the tracts at time of mowing. Calves may be present and extra caution may be necessary.

Areas with cattle need to be coordinated with grazing permitees. The mowing contractor must work with the COR on determining start dates and mowing times. Some areas are relatively open while others have scattered trees or grouping of trees.

Time Allowed for Performance:

Based on historical data, mowing typically beings each year mid-August and is to be completed by mid-October. HOWEVER, the Government may at its discretion issue task orders which fall outside these times. The Government may also issue multiple task orders (for less than 5,500 acres combined) as funding/need allows/requires.

If multiple task orders are issued, it will be negotiated with the contractor whether Notice to Proceed is issued for the subsequent task order immediately (overlapping with existing task orders), or at a later date.

Acreage Time Allowed (WEEKS after issuance of Notice to Proceed)

500 acres or less 1 500-1000 acres 2 1000-1500 acres 3 1500-2000 acres 4 2000-2500 acres 5 2500-3000 acres 6 3000-3500 acres 7 3500-4000 acres 8 4000-4500 acres 9 4500-5000 acres 10 5000-5500 acres 11

See the attached table and maps for more detail of the areas.

More detailed maps are available upon request. Arrange site visits through William Glass at 815- 423-2129.

PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY

Performance Objective

Quality Standard Acceptable Quality Level

(AQL)

Surveillance Method

Incentive/Disincentive

Light Field Mowing

Mow and cut all grass, forbs, brush, seedlings and saplings up to 3” diameter at the ground to within 4” to 6” of the ground surface. The entire tract excluding obstacles such as trees greater than 3”, brush piles, rock piles, bunkers, piles or railroad ties, etc. will be cut to control woody vegetation, invasive herbaceous plants, and the grass.

100% of the area (obstacle free) mowed to the quality standard

Random Visual Sampling

Re-work at contractor expense. Missed tracts will be re-worked at no expense to the Government.

Mowing Areas

Tracts Acres Location

104 274 West Side 105 240 West Side 144 383 West Side 150 57 West Side 169 areas (1-4) 200 West Side 200 47 West Side 211 214 West Side 212 areas (NE, NW, M, SE) 171 West Side 811N 291 West Side 811S 315 West Side 4 171 East Side 5 329 East Side 8 277 East Side 10 296 East Side 11 142 East Side 12 122 East Side 13 120 East Side 19 184 East Side 28 area 4 9 East Side 33 66 East Side 34 areas (5,6) 26 East Side 40 areas (4-5) 37 East Side 41 177 East Side 42 areas (6, 7) 26 East Side 44 33 East Side 45 area 4 72 East Side 48 areas (1, 2) 63 East Side 49 area 7 12 East Side 53 44 East Side 57 104 East Side 60 areas (NW, EE) 45 East Side 64 182 East Side 66 12 East Side 70 128 East Side 73 186 East Side 74 302 East Side 76 areas (1,2,3) 36 East Side 79 areas (NW, SE) 72 East Side

206 411 East Side 209 417 East Side 210 562 East side 214 303 East Side 215 499 East Side

*Note – This table represents the total area that MAY require light field mowing under this Requirements Contract. Funded task orders will be issued for specific mowing areas.

**Note – The Government may periodically re-define the boundaries of the mowing areas. The maps included in this solicitation are for reference only – maps included in subsequent task orders to the successful offeror MAY DIFFER.

STATEMENT OF WORK/SPECIFICATIONS