mesquitesowFY09.doc

MECHANICAL CLEARING/MULCHING OF MESQUITE

FORT HOOD MILITARY INSTALLATION

SCOPE:

To clear selected areas of all Mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) trees to manage, manipulate, and/or improve habitat for Military Training while improving vegetative cover that will slow erosion and sedimentation on Fort Hood. Mesquite removal will be accomplished in two phases, mechanical removal (grubbing) and the mulching of all grubbed mesquite trees. Period of performance for this project will be from September 14, 2009 and must be completed by November 13, 2009 Statement of Work:

1. The contractor shall provide all supervision, labor, tools, equipment, parts, repair, fuel, transportation, and any other supplies or services necessary to grub and mulch Mesquite trees in designated areas of Fort Hood. Work shall be accomplished in accordance with all laws, regulations, clauses, and requirements of the Department of Defense, Fort Hood, and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Performance schedules shall be maintained and payment to the contractor shall constitute full compensation for the contract requirement.

2. The work shall consist of removing mesquite trees from approximately 1030 acres by mechanical grubbing and mulching.

3. Mechanical treatment will be performed using grubbing methods to assure complete removal of the mesquite bud zone from the soil. Mesquite shall be extracted from the soil using a “stinger” below the bud zone which is generally located eight to ten inches below the soil surface. All cut trees will be mulched and spread into piles no thicker than two inches. All designated mesquite trees below 18 inches in diameter at breast high will be removed from designated areas.

4. The Contractor is required to obtain a Texas Commission of Environmental Quality Construction General Permit (TX150000). Contractor is required to complete a Texas Commission of Environmental Quality Storm Water Management Plan (SWMP); Construction Site Notice and a Notice of Intent NOI. A copy of all these documents must be completed and filed with NRCS and DPW one week prior to work starting. Information on obtaining these documents may be obtained from the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality website, www.TCEQ.State.TX.US .

5. The use of tracked vehicles and such as bulldozers is strictly prohibited. ATV vehicles are not permitted. Skid steer machinery must be equipped with non-tract pneumatic tires. All equipment motor vehicles operating on the job site will be equipped with Rollover Protective Structures and comply as follows:

6. Rollover Protective Structures (ROPS). OSHA 1926, Subpart W. Overhead Protection, Sections 1001 and 1002 are applicable regardless of the year in which the equipment was manufactured and regardless of the struck capacity of the equipment.

6.1 Equipment Requiring ROPS. The requirements for ROPS meeting applies to crawler and rubber-tired tractors such as dozers, push-and-pull tractors, winch tractors, tractors with backhoes, and mowers; off high way, self-propelled, pneumatic-tired earthmovers, including scrapers, motor graders and loaders; and rollers, compactors, water tankers (excluding trucks with cabs). These requirements shall also apply to agriculture and industrial tractors and similar equipment.

7. Work areas will be found using the Job Site Map provided by NRCS. The Job Site Map shall contain training area number, boundaries of job site, and acreage.

7.1 The Job Site Map will be portrayed by means of scaled aerial photography, site visit, and marking with flagging. All other areas shall be designated as “Out Areas” in which no Mesquite clearing will occur and Contract personnel must not enter. Contractor has full responsibility to know boundaries of Job Site Map.

7.2 In the event contractor is unsure of work boundary, contractor shall stop work and immediately notify the Contract Inspector (CI) or the Contracting Officer Technical Representative (COTR). Job Site Map shall be returned to the CI or COTR upon completion within 5 working days.

7.3 The CI or COTR shall issue a Job Site Map to the Project Manager. Within 5 working days upon receipt of the Job Site Map, the Project Manager will schedule a field visit, with the CI or COTR, to review work to be performed. Within 3 working days after this field visit, work shall commence. Work shall be continuous until Job Site Map is complete. Job Site Maps shall be issued on an “as needed” basis as work becomes available.

8. Contractor shall have a Project Manager available to the CI or COTR on site, at all times, during normal work hours, Monday through Friday 7:30am-5:00pm CST, excluding Federal Holidays(Labor day September 7 2009).. The Project Manager must be able to bind the company. The Project Manager shall be the central point of contact with the NRCS for performance of all work under the contract. Project Manager shall be responsible for overall management and coordination of matters pertaining to the contract. Project Manager shall have a cell phone and be accessible to NRCS at all times during business hours. To aid in communication, Project Manager shall be able to speak, read, and write English and have cellular or mobile communications.

9. A mandatory site visit will be conducted prior to receipt of proposals. During this site visit, prospective contractors will be shown representative areas to be worked on. The COTR will show sites of Mesquite in order to familiarize prospective contractors with the types of work to be completed.

10. In the event that work cannot be conducted on account of weather, the CI or COTR will declare a weather day. Contractor/NRCS will keep track of weather days in the event the contract will need to be extended.

11. Upon completion of work in a designated area, the NRCS will measure the acreage treated using a GPS/GIS technology, these measurement’s not the contractor’s measurement’s are what will be paid on. CI or COTR will supply the Contractor with Certification Maps showing the training area number, boundaries of completed job site, and acreage. Certification Maps will be given to the Contractor monthly, and this will be the basis of payment.

12. Within a designated treatment area, all Mesquite trees shall be grubbed and mulched.

13. Work performance of the contractor shall average a minimum completion rate of 30 acres per work day. This is not a production goal, but a minimum standard of performance. Failure to meet these standards shall be considered poor performance and may result in contract termination. The Majority of the clearing will be in Light to Medium Density stands with some areas of High density stands.

14. Work schedule shall be Monday through Friday 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM, excluding Federal Holidays.

15. Contractor is responsible for all their equipment on Fort Hood. The Government is not liable for damages or losses of equipment due to theft or vandalism.

16. Landscape is remote and difficult to traverse. Any vehicle on the job site shall be operated in a safe manner and be capable to traverse the landscape.

17. All persons driving on Ft. Hood must have a valid U.S. driver’s license; people with a non U.S. driver’s license will not be permitted to drive on Ft. Hood.

18. All employees must attend Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) class before beginning work. The class is at no expense to the contractor and will take approximately 45 minutes. Upon detection of any suspected explosive device, the Contractor must not touch or move, immediately depart the area, and report the detection to EOD.

19. Before performing Grubbing/Mulching, all employees must attend Environmental Management Systems Training. The training is 12 minutes long and can be found online at https://lmp.hood.army.mil. The Learning Management Portal can be accessed from any computer at any location. The portal tracks the training for you and will provide a certificate with the number of employees trained if training takes place in a group setting. Employees can also train individually

20. Contractor shall sign a “Hold Harmless Agreement” with Fort Hood to obtain an Access Pass for each employee and vehicle. The agreement and access passes are available from the Area Access Office on Fort Hood.

21. Invoices shall be submitted to the COTR for payment no more than once per month, unless payment is the final invoice. Invoices will then be forwarded to CO for payment.

22. Each job site shall be considered a hardhat area. All persons, including operators, are required to wear hardhats while operations are in progress. This item shall also include posting signage at all job sites. The sign shall measure at least 4 feet by 6.5 feet with red letters at least 6 inches high and white background. The signs shall read “NRCS PROJECT – WORK AREA – HARDHATS REQUIRED BEYOND THIS POINT”. The sign shall have a professional appearance. All hardhats must meet ANSI Z89.1 Class G, E, C Type I.

23. Sanitary facilities, such as chemical toilets, must be provided and located at the job site. These facilities shall not be located next to live streams, wells, or springs. They shall be located at a distance sufficient to prevent contamination of any water source.

24. The work site is on a military installation. Due to military training priorities, there may be times when work must be stopped or moved to other areas depending upon the needs of military training personnel. This may or may not occur but contractor must be willing to stop work (or re-locate if applicable) if necessary.

BID SCHEDULE

MECHANICAL CLEARING/MULCHING OF MESQUITE

FORT HOOD MILITARY INSTALLATOIN

Unit Price

Per Acre

Acres:

Total:

Mechanical/hand Clearing and Mulching of Mesquite

Bid total: __________

NOTE: all costs are incidental to the bid price: including deployment, re-deployment, reimbursement for bonds, etc.