Attachment_02_-_Statement_of_Work.docx

DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

1. Scope of Contract

Land agency management direction includes emergency response, rehabilitation, and restoration of resources. More specifically, management includes the implementation of emergency and non-emergency land treatments to meet the objectives of protecting watershed values and land uses within watersheds. This emergency response, rehabilitation, and restoration contract includes the use of proven effective land treatments to meet agency objectives. The land treatments that are part of this contract are aerial-based applications of plant seed and agricultural or wood mulch. These are very common treatments that are used for the Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER), watershed improvement, road maintenance, and habitat improvement programs. Mulch applications have been found to be effective at reducing erosion and runoff on burned areas, construction sites, and other areas where a protective surface cover can lessen recovery time. Seeding has been found to be effective at reestablishing a vegetative cover to protect from erosion and runoff, increase soil stability through root development, and accelerate the recovery of desired vegetative plant communities.

The success of emergency response, rehabilitation and restoration of watersheds relies on the ability to mobilize and implement expeditiously. The intent of this contract is to meet objectives of protecting, rehabilitating, or restoring watersheds and other land resources.

(a) The intent of this solicitation and any resultant contract(s) is to obtain the services described herein. All services procured shall be accomplished in a safe, effective, environmentally aware manner and in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

(b) The Contractor shall keep and maintain programs necessary to assure safety of ground and flight operations as required. The development and maintenance of these programs are a material part of the performance of the contract. When, in the sole judgment of the Contracting Officer, the safety programs do not adequately promote the safety of operations, the Government may terminate the contract for default. Examples of such programs include but are not limited to: 1) Personnel Activities, 2) Maintenance, 3) Safety and 4) Compliance with Regulations.

(c) Contract personnel shall conduct themselves in a professional and cooperative manner in fulfilling this Contract

2. Equipment Requirements

(a) The contractor shall comply with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations and directives pertaining to safety, maintenance, and performance of all aircraft proposed for use under this contract. Additionally, aircraft shall be maintained in accordance with all manufacturer’s guidelines and bulletins.

(b) Condition of Equipment

(1) Contractor-furnished aircraft and equipment shall be operable, free of damage, and in good repair. Equipment shall be free of weed seed and dirt. Aircraft systems and components shall be free of leaks except within limitations specified by the manufacturer.

3. Contractor’s Environmental Responsibilities

(a) The Contractor is responsible to ensure that all maintenance, fueling, and flight activities do not cause environmental damage to property or facilities.

(b) The Contractor shall be responsible for all cleanups of fuel, and oil on airport ramps, staging areas, parking areas, landing areas, etc., when caused by Contractor aircraft or personnel. When cleaning paved areas, the contractor shall utilize cleaning agents that are biodegradable and non-toxic. Contaminated soils shall be removed to appropriate containers and disposed of as hazardous waste.

(c) The Government may, at its option, assign an area to be utilized by the Contractor for storage of equipment used in support of Contract performance. Oil, solvents, parts, engines, etc. shall be stored and utilized in a manner consistent with acceptable safety, health and environmental concerns.

(d) The contractor shall ensure that they are in compliance with 40 CFR Part 112: Oil Pollution Prevention; Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Plan Requirements (SPCC).

An SPCC plan is required for each mobile fueler used on this contract regardless of bulk storage container (tank) size.

4. Location and Description

Work under this contract may include applications of mulch and/or seed on contiguous land areas that are 10’s to 1000’s of acres in size depending on project needs. It may also include purchase and delivery of mulch and seed material that are to be used for emergency response, rehabilitation and restoration projects.

The work may occur within Region 1 and/or 4 of the Forest Service. More specifically Region 1 and 4 National Forest Lands administered in the states of Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, California, Colorado, Washington, and Wyoming.

The work may occur during any time of the year. Most work will occur during the months of April-November.

All work will be done in compliance with contract terms, specifications, and provisions that are established in this contract or at time of work order.

Work under this contract is for applications of plant seed and/or agricultural straw mulch or wood mulch on National Forest System (NFS) lands. The contractor shall provide but not limited to all equipment, supplies, transportation, labor, and supervision necessary to complete the project, except for that which the contract clearly states is to be furnished by the Government.

Mulching projects. The contractor is responsible for furnishing mulch material (wood or agricultural mulch as defined by individual project objectives), finding staging areas, labor, equipment, supervision, transportation, operating supplies, clean-up, rehabilitation, and incidentals to complete all facets of the contract. Special precautions will be made to minimize the spread of mulch materials, including noxious weeds and invasive species, from staging areas. Mulch (wood and/or agricultural straw) will be applied to the ground at a continuous cover of uniform thickness to replace ground cover, to maintain soil moisture, and accelerate recovery of native vegetation. The mulch will be applied by aerial equipment and labor.

Seeding Projects. The contractor is responsible for finding staging areas, labor, equipment, supervision, transportation, operating supplies, clean-up, rehabilitation, application, storage seed at staging area and protection of seed for each project, and incidentals to complete all facets of the seeding work order. The contractor may also be responsible for furnishing seed material where advantageous to the Government to reduce overall cost and time for implementation.

5. Site Visit

No site visit is planned for this contract. Site visits may or may not be planned for individual task order requirements.

6. Technical Specifications

Agricultural wheat straw, barley straw and/or wood mulch will be applied by aerial applications (and spread with hand crews as necessary) in a uniform cover in the designated areas. Seeding will also be applied by aerial applications to specified amounts in designated areas.

Supply of Wood Mulch and Wood Mulch Treatment. Erosion control wood mulch is an all wood, long strand material comprised of loose, wood pieces. The length to width ratio shall be such as to cover exposed soil at a surface as outlined by contract specifications. The length of wood mulch shall be 2-8 inches. The diameter shall be 1 inch or less. No more than 2% by volume of the wood mulch shall be less than 2 inches and/or greater than 1 inch in diameter. All wood mulch must be free of any additives to preserve product. All wood mulch must also be free of noxious weeds as identified and required for the area in which to be treated.

Wood Mulch Mulching Application. The rate of application is determined by qualified individuals for each project. The wood mulch will be applied at uniform soil cover to the specifications of each treatment unit. This will vary from 30-60% soil surface cover over a minimum of 60-80% of each treatment unit. Each treatment unit will be identified with minimum wood mulch soil surface cover requirements in task orders. Percent of each unit to be mulched with minimum surface cover may or may not be identified in the task order. Such as 80% of unit #200 will receive 60% soil surface cover of wood mulch. If the percent of a treatment unit to be mulched is not identified in a task order than it will be assumed 100% of a treatment unit is to receive the minimum mulch cover and task order bids will be made on 100% of a treatment unit. The Contractor will be responsible for any unused wood mulch material once contract specifications have been attained. In order to utilize any unused wood mulch material, the FS has the discretion to allow the contractor to apply the unused mulch materials to treatment units that have met contract specifications thereby increasing percent ground cover above minimum requirements. The FS may also allow the contractor to apply any unused mulch materials to adjacent burned areas. The FS is under no obligation to pay the contractor for any application or removal of unused mulch material after contract specifications have been met. The contractor is under no obligation to apply or use any unused mulch material beyond contract specifications but is responsible for removal of unused mulch materials.

Special ground support, equipment and documentation needs:

· Staging area tasks include delivery, unloading, neatly stacking/piling, and loading mulch in nets for aerial distribution. Weather conditions may require covering the mulch material on all sides using canvas tarps or plastic covers to keep the mulch dry. Staging areas on lands that are not administered by the Forest Service may have other requirements.

· At the end of each operational period or prior to the morning briefing, all documentation will be submitted to the COR or representative for review.

Supply of Certified Weed Free Wheat or Barley Straw Mulch Treatment.

Utilize agricultural wheat or barley straw mulch and methods of application which have previously demonstrated effectiveness in both distribution during application and erosion control capabilities. Utilize biodegradable wheat or barley straw mulch materials that are favorable to residual vegetative growth, native species seed germination and plant recovery. Suitable straw includes, certified wheat or barley straw. All wheat or barley straw must be certified to be weed free as per specifications mentioned below for the state in which it will be used. The wheat or barley straw must be dry to ensure proper dispersal during applications. Straw shaft length will not exceed 12 inches.

Agricultural wheat or barley straw must conform to the applicable State Department of Agriculture, Certified Noxious Weed Free Standards for Noxious Weed Free Forage and Straw (NWFFS). All agricultural wheat or barley straw provided will have been grown during the current or 1 year previous growing season.

All wheat or barley straw will be free of all prohibited and restricted noxious weed species. Testing for prohibited and noxious weed species may be completed by the Forest Service prior to shipping and applying straw mulch material on National Forest Lands. The testing is optional and at the discretion of the FS. The FS will be responsible for the costs of collecting samples and lab testing the mulch for noxious and prohibited species. The FS testing needs and requirements will depend on project type, location of project and source of straw materials. Noxious weed species to be tested for can be obtained from the “State Noxious – Weed Seed Requirements Recognized in the Administration of the Federal Seed Act”. Also refer to the “North American Weed Free Forage Program” for the noxious weed and undesirable plant species list. Specific mulch sources will be rejected when tested samples produce a positive response to noxious weed species. The FS may also test for invasive plant species such as cheat grass that are not on a state noxious or prohibited list. The FS may specify limits of invasive species seeds or plant material within the agricultural straw. The limits will be provided to the contractor within a task order prior to contractor acceptance of the terms of the individual project. If a suitable source of mulch material cannot be found to meet the time frames and limitations of costs, the FS may alter the mulch requirements for invasive plant species or cancel the order.

Optional: Forest Service testing and mulch material acceptance procedure for noxious weed species and other invasive species such as cheatgrass:

1. All testing of agricultural wheat or barley straw mulch material will be completed by a third party and current member of the Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA). Testing procedures will follow AOSA protocol with samples mailed or hand delivered to lab.

2. In addition to providing the documentation proving compliance with the ISDA-NWFFS criteria above, the Contractor will provide the location(s) for the stacks or lots where the mulch material to be used is currently stored. Government personnel will go to the storage sites to verify bale tag numbers match the associated Inspection Certificates and to collect samples for testing.

3. Using a forage bore instrument or other sampling methods, Government personnel will obtain samples from 10 randomly selected bales from each 30 bale stack or lot prior to loading and shipping. The 10 collected samples will be pooled and mixed. The samples will be analyzed first for noxious weed seed. All mulch from any 30 bale stack or lot will be rejected if the respective sample tests positive for noxious weeds. When lab testing determines a core sample to be certified noxious weed free, the sample will be analyzed for other invasive species as requirement by the project.

4. Acceptance: No agricultural wheat or barley straw mulch material will be accepted until test results have been accounted for by the Forest Service.

For each truckload of wheat or barley straw mulch material, contractor will submit a copy of each “Certificate of Inspection” for field(s) that produced the wheat straw mulch material. Such certificate will be fully completed to include the name of straw mulch grower and the name of the inspector(s). Additional documentation will consist of the field location, bale tag numbers if available, bale size, and “Transit Certificate” if applicable.

Straw mulch mulching application. The rate of application is determined by qualified individuals for each project. The wheat or barley straw mulch will be applied at uniform soil cover to the specifications of each treatment unit. This will vary from 50-70% soil surface cover over a minimum of 60-80% of each treatment unit. Each treatment unit will be identified with minimum straw mulch soil surface cover requirements in task orders. Percent of each unit to be mulched with minimum surface cover may or may not be identified in the task order. Such as 80% of unit #200 will receive 60% soil surface cover of straw mulch. If the percent of a treatment unit to be mulched is not identified in a task order than it will be assumed 100% of a treatment unit is to receive the minimum mulch cover and task order bids will be made on 100% of a treatment unit. The Contractor will be responsible for any unused wheat or barley straw mulch material once contract specifications have been attained. In order to utilize any unused mulch material, the FS has the discretion to allow the contractor to apply the unused mulch materials to treatment units that have met contract specifications thereby increasing percent ground cover above minimum requirements. The FS may also allow the contractor to apply any unused mulch materials to adjacent burned areas. The FS is under no obligation to pay the contractor for any application or removal of unused mulch material after contract specifications have been met. The contractor is under no obligation to apply or use any unused mulch material beyond contract specifications but is responsible for removal of unused mulch materials.

Special ground support, equipment and documentation needs:

· Staging area tasks include delivery, unloading, neatly stacking, and loading straw in nets for aerial distribution or into ground based equipment for ground distribution. Weather conditions may require covering the mulch material to within 2 feet of the ground on all sides using canvas tarps or plastic covers to keep the wheat or barley straw dry. Staging areas on lands that are not administered by the Forest Service may have other requirements.

· If the supplying state has a bale tag certification program then five tags per load will be pulled from each truck and attached to a separate sheet of paper and submitted. The NWFFS Certification Program Inspection Certificate (Transit Certificate) if required by the state will be used to verify the bales tags from the shipped wheat or barley straw mulch material originated from a stack or lot complying the noxious weed and other identified testing specifications. Bale tags that do not correspond with applicable Transit Certificate will be rejected.

· At the end of each operational period, or prior to the morning briefing all documentation will be submitted to the COR or representative for review. No work will commence that day without documentation submitted.

· Utilize methods of application which have previously demonstrated effectiveness in both distribution during application and erosion control capabilities.

Supply of Certified Seed and Seeding Treatment.

The contractor is responsible for finding staging areas, labor, equipment, supervision, transportation, operating supplies, clean-up, rehabilitation, application, storage seed at staging area and protection of seed for each project, and incidentals to complete all facets of the seeding work order. The contractor may also be responsible for furnishing seed material where advantageous to the Government to reduce overall cost and time for implementation.

Contractor Furnished Seed. Where requested as part of a task order, the Contractor shall supply seed to meet project specifications. All seed furnished by the Contractor shall meet the following requirements as a minimum. Other requirements may apply depending on project needs.

1. Seed must be free from prohibited weed species and meet or exceed minimum standards for restricted weed seed as listed for the state in which the seed will be applied.

1. Seed shall meet Standards for Source Identified class of seed for the state in which it will be applied. Tests and examinations for purity, germination, and state listed noxious weeds are required and testing must have been conducted within the last 12 months.

1. Seed tests shall be the responsibility of the Contractor or seed supplier. Seed test results must be submitted to the Government. Test results must be satisfactory to the Government before final acceptance of the seed is made. Note: A tetrazolium test (TZ) may be made in lieu of a germination test for a seed viability test with the approval of the COR. This decision may be based on the species involved or time constraints. The Government may conduct separate seed test where needed to ensure adequate seed viability.

1. Seed must meet or exceed State Certification Standards for each species. Generally, where no standards exist, Kentucky Bluegrass standards shall be used for grass seed. Standards for forb and grass seed may also be set by the Government.

1. Seed moisture content shall not exceed 10 percent.

1. Harvested and cleaned seed shall be bagged and secured in bags made of a strong material that maintains seed viability during storage.

1. All bags shall be tagged and labeled to meet appropriate State seed law labeling requirements and marked with the following information:

a) Name and variety of each seed component in excess of five percent (5%) of the whole. Hybrids shall be labeled as hybrids.

b) Lot number or other lot identification.

c) Origin (state or county, if known). If the origin is unknown, that fact shall be stated.

d) Net weight. Percentage by weight of all Pure Live Seed (PLS)

e) Percentage by weight of inert matter.

f) Percentage by weight of all other crop seeds.

g) The name and rate of occurrence per pound of weed seed present.

h) The name and rate of occurrence per pound of each kind of restricted noxious weed seed present.

i) Percent Germination or tetrazolium test for each seed species:

j) The calendar month and year the test was completed.

k) Name and address of the company or person responsible for analysis of seed

l) Name and address of the company selling seed.

Additional labeling information may be requested by the COR, such as the Project Name, National Forest or unit, etc.

1. Bags of seed shall be stored in a cool and dry storage facility to assure optimal viability of seed until seed application to treatment units or delivery to the Government.

1. Applicable Laws: All laws pertaining to selling and transporting of seed or to noxious weeds are in effect. The Federal Seed Act (7 U.S.C. Sections 1551 – 161 0) applies to all acquisitions of seed. The state seed laws in which the seed is applied are also applicable.

Treatment Locations and Staging Areas.

The areas to be included as treatment units may be within Region 1 and 4 Forest Service administered lands in the states of UT, MT, NV, ID, CA, ND, SD, WA, CO, and WY. Most areas will be in mountainous terrain with elevations ranging from 3,000 ft. to 11,000 ft. Aerial applications of seed or mulch will generally be conducted in areas that are not accessible by ground equipment or in areas where it is more efficient to use aerial applications due to amounts of material to apply and large sizes of treatment units. Treatment units will be identified in each task order.

Staging areas will be the responsibility of the contractor. If the Government has determined that there are no reasonable staging or landing areas on national forest service land, it will be the responsibility of the contractor to gain access to a location off of the National Forest administered lands for staging and landing zones.

The Government has not identified potential staging areas on NFS lands for storage/net loading and or aviation service landings. The Government makes no representation as to the actual or practical use of potential staging areas on NFS lands in or near the burned area suggested by the contractor. Final decisions on the use of any staging areas on NFS lands will be agreed upon by the contractor, local officials (such as the District Ranger, or acting), and the COR or BAER Implementation Team Leader.

Contractor will be responsible for all restoration and rehabilitation of staging areas on NFS administered lands. Clean-up and restoration will require that the restoration of sites will allow recovery to original pre-use conditions. Special precautions will be in place prior to aerial operations to limit spread of mulch material and seed from staging areas. This may include, but is not limited to, fencing and daily clean-up of work site to reduce the spread of project materials.

For staging areas located on lands other than NFS administered lands, the contractor will be responsible for all use arrangements, rental agreements, liability to property, and transporting of equipment and supplies necessary to execute this contract, including the storage of mulch material and seed as necessitated by weather conditions. If staging areas on land other than NFS administered lands, the contractor shall take measures to ensure the staging areas are free of noxious weeds to ensure the straw is not contaminated by the weed seeds. The contractor must comply with restoration and rehabilitation requirements of staging areas on all lands. The requirements for staging area restoration and rehabilitation may be different for NFS administered lands than other lands.

Contractor-Furnished Items/Services.

a) The contractor shall furnish mulch (wheat straw, barley straw or wood) material and/or seed to a pre-determined staging area(s). This includes transportation, support equipment such as loaders, application/installation equipment, support personnel, clean-up, and restoration of staging areas, and services required to perform the requirements of the contract in accordance with specifications herein. The Contractor is responsible for all costs incidental to equipment move-in and move-out, movement of equipment within the project area, and transportation of all Contractor-furnished property, including government provided seed.

b) Selection of staging and service landings. Any arrangements for use of lands that are not administered by the Forest Service will be made by the Contractor. The Contractor assumes all liability for operation, and rehabilitation of sites.

c) Warning signs on roads leading to operations at the staging area, and application sites shall be installed. The Contractor shall be totally responsible for signing, barricades, and traffic control on city streets, roads, and trails to maintain a safe environment to the public and Government Employees. It will be the responsibility of the Contractor to contact local municipalities and governments for applicable operating permits to assist with signing of areas, and public safety.

d) Road Guards for all aviation operations that require flying over roads or near homes.

e) Trail Guards on the access points to trails that are within the flight paths of aerial operations.

f) Disposal of spilled mulch/seed, packing materials, pallets and/or other waste material is the responsibility of the Contractor. Contractor will be responsible for all restoration, and rehabilitation in staging areas. Clean-up and restoration will require that the restoration of sites will allow recovery to original pre-use conditions or conditions as agreed with land owner. To limit spread of mulch/seed materials, special precautions will need to be in place prior to aerial or ground operations. This may include but is not limited to adding fencing and daily clean-up of work site to reduce spread of project materials. Contractor shall submit a plan outlining what precautions and mitigation will be in place to limit spread of material prior to project initiation. This will include daily clean-up plans, mitigation strategies, and equipment that will be used to meet above mentioned specifications. A written plan shall be provided to the Contracting Officer for evaluation.

g) Contractor is responsible for providing spill containment kits for all petroleum products used to complete contract. All fueling shall be at a distance greater than 100’ from perennial or intermittent streams and/or wetlands. A written plan shall be provided to the Contracting Officer for technical evaluation regarding spill containment strategies.

h) Contractor is responsible for cleaning up any spills of diesel fuel, aviation fuel or gasoline, all considered hazardous materials. If a spill occurs, the Contractor will assume all liability and responsibility for clean-up to meet EPA and applicable state water quality standards. A written plan for dealing with such spills shall be provided to the Contracting Officer for evaluation prior to starting operations.

i) Contractor is responsible for rehabilitation of the staging area following clean-up. On lands administered by the FS, this shall include de-compaction of soil, seeding, and rehabilitation of roads that receive damage from excessive wear and tear, examples include but are not limited to stuck vehicles, damage to trees, fences, gates, and trails.

j) Contractor is responsible for cleaning of all vehicles to ensure they are free of soil, seeds, vegetative matter, or other debris that could contain or hold non-native noxious weed seed prior to entering Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, state, county, or private lands. Contractor shall certify in writing, compliance of terms prior to moving equipment onto job site.

k) Contractor is responsible for providing a personal computer and printer to complete daily progress report for CO or their designee.

l) Contractor shall provide a communication system so that contractor personnel, aircraft, and Government project inspectors can communicate at all times with each other to discuss performance matters, or safety issues. VHF-FM radios must have high band capabilities, and must be capable of reaching narrow band frequencies.

m) Contractor furnished Quality Control personnel must have electronic equipment capable of capturing coordinates using a Global Positioning System (GPS). The Government will provide coordinates for each treatment area as GIS shapefiles or .kmz files. All aerial treatment sites are required to be flown using geo-referenced shape files that are available as polygons to be downloaded in aircraft GPS units. A completed map of coverage areas shall be provided by the contractor during and at the end of the project denoting where all aerial and/or ground operations have occurred. Contractor must also supply SATLOC or similar GPS tracking information on a daily basis for aerial seed applications.

Project Safety and Resource Protection Objectives. All plans referenced below shall be submitted with the written proposal for review. Contractor shall comply with all Government Safety and Health regulations and the Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) standards, and Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations.

Site Safety Plan: At time of task order the Contractor shall submit a written site specific safety plan for each project site, staging areas, and Forest Service or private roads leading to staging area(s). This includes procedure for traffic control (air traffic if applicable), communication, equipment use, signing, and protection of personnel and public. This plan will be used during the pre-work and subsequent meetings to ensure safe operations. This document will also be used for quality assurance standards during the project. Special permits if required for operation within the applicable state, county, and/or city will be required at the pre-work meeting.

Aviation Safety Plan: At time of task order the Contractor will be required to submit a detailed Aviation Safety Plan where aerial operations are conducted. The plan shall include flight routes to avoid homes, or areas in use by the public. As well as the use of security personnel to stop traffic over roads, limit travel on trails in project areas, etc. Coordination with commercial and private aviation traffic will also be required for review. The plan will also include communication procedures to monitor location of aircraft assigned to the project, a crash rescue, and missing aircraft plan.

Documentation.

A. Daily Operational Report. Daily progress reports are to be provided to the Government representative at the end of each operational period or the next day during the morning briefing. No additional work that day will commence until documentation is provided.

1. Updated map indicating the area within the unit that has been treated.

2. The approximate number of acres treated within each unit by treatment type.

3. Total flight time (hours) for each aircraft and treatment or assignment.

4. Total agricultural straw and/or mulch (tons) delivered to Staging Area(s).

a. Copies of weight tickets for each load delivered.

b. Copy of Noxious Weed Free Forage and Straw Certification Program Inspection Certificate from appropriate State for each Load (Transit Certificate).

c. In states with tag system Five (5) bale tags from each load of agricultural straw delivered attached to a separate sheet.

5. Total of seed (pounds) delivered to Staging Area(s).

a. Seed tags from each lot of seed delivered attached to a separate sheet.

B. Final Report. A final report (1 hard copy) shall be provided which includes at a minimum:

1. A written report shall contain daily field conditions, application rates and areas covered, site conditions, and any other pertinent data that records the application of the product. The report shall contain a summary of the results of the application.

7. Accident Prevention and Safety

(a) The Contractor shall keep and maintain programs necessary to assure safety of ground and flight operations. The development and maintenance of these programs are a material part of the performance of the contract. When, in the sole judgment of the Contracting Officer, the safety programs do not adequately promote the safety of operations, the Government may terminate the contract for cause as provided in the “Contract Terms and Conditions”. Examples of such programs are but not limited to: 1) Personnel Activities, 2) Maintenance, 3) Safety and 4) Compliance with Regulations.

(b) The Contractor shall fully cooperate with the Contracting Officer in the fulfillment of this clause. The Contracting Officer may suspend performance of this contract work, during the evaluation period used to determine cause as stated above.

8. Government-Furnished Property

Printed maps of treatment areas shall be provided for each work order. If requested the Government will also provide electronic or digital data that represent the treatment areas.

Where applicable the Government will identify potential staging areas on NFS adminsteredlands.

The Government will supply and deliver seed to staging areas and ensure state certification and testing of seed for projects when it is identified by specific project that the Government will procure seed. The Contractor will be responsible for seed handling from the staging area, protection, storage and other requirements after application of seed to project areas commences. Where the contractor is required to supply the seed, the contractor will be required to procure, deliver seed to staging areas, and ensure state certification and testing of seed.

9. Government Quality Assurance

Quality assurance will be performed by the Government during the contract at regular intervals. Methods may include visual survey and review of Contractor quality control documents. Deduction for work may include rework at no cost to the Government or Government acceptance with price reduction.

10. Contractor Quality Control

The Contractor, not the Government, is responsible for management and quality control actions to meet the terms of this contract. The role of the Government is quality assurance to ensure contract standards are met.

Records of quality inspections shall be kept and made available to the Government throughout the performance period and for the period after contract completion until final settlement of any claims under this contract.

A description of the quality control inspection plan shall be provided within two (2) days of task order award. The plan shall include; (1) control procedures for security of Government-provided items such as keys, and lock combinations; (2) location of the inspection documents; (3) corrective or preventive actions that shall be taken to meet quality standards; and (4) a customer comments feedback system.

Inspection and Acceptance Requirements

Withhold payment.

Withhold payment.

Upon inspection if vehicles do not meet requirements a receipt from truck wash with license plate number and date is required prior to entering Government Land.

Curtailment of performance until compliance is obtained.

Withhold payment.

(2) Visual observation during & after application.

(3) Final approval by Inspector.

(4) FS may conduct random sampling tests of application rates and coverage (100 foot or 100 step transects in representative areas in dispute).

Contractor shall be required to rework any area in a unit that fails to meet the cover standards.

Non-acceptance of work until treated to the AQL levels.

Withhold payment.

Withhold payment.

(2) Visual observation during & after application.

(3) Final approval by Inspector.

(4) FS may conduct random sampling tests of application rates and coverage of seeds per square foot.

Contractor shall be required to rework any area in a unit that fails to meet the cover standards.

Non-acceptance of work until treated to the AQL levels.

Withhold payment.

Non-acceptance of work until quality control work is accomplished.

Withhold payment.

Withhold payment.

Quality Assurance Inspections

(a) The Government will perform periodic review of the Contractor's Quality Control Procedures, Plan, Inspection Reports, and customer comments.

(b) Quality Assurance Inspections will be made by random sampling or entire inspection of the work, and follow up of customer comments. When validating customer comments, the possible cause of unacceptable performance will be determined. If any Government action or lack of action was the cause, the complaint is not valid and deficiencies shall not be counted against the Contractor.

(c) Work that does not meet the contract requirements will be brought to the Contractor's attention. Repetitive or continuous failure to meet contract requirements may result in a quality adjustment to payment or the Contractor's right to proceed may be terminated.