Q A.pdf

AG-91U4-S-14-0001

Mount Laguna and Pine Valley Community Defense & Health Forest Restoration Project

Q&A:

1) Equipment specifications are to be clarified; excavator-type with articulating arm vs. bobcat-style, skid steer or other types of equipment.

District Answer: Preferred equipment type is stated in the Statement of Work, Item 1:

Mastication. Masticator with articulating arm capable of reaching 15 feet, ground pressure rating of 8 psi or less.

2) Equipment quantities (number of equipment pieces allowable) per unit.

District Answer: Multiple pieces of equipment are allowable as long as requirements are met.

3) Ability to work in multiple units at the same time (all Pine Valley units should be completed first, then Morris Ranch)

District Answer: Yes, work can be done in multiple units as long as requirements are met, for example, Fire Plan requirements, biologist has evaluated for bird nesting, etc.

4) Fire Plan and PAL’s for the Forest areas (675 & 685), parameters/restrictions for mechanized equipment (hot saw vs. masticator vs. blade equipment), work cut-off and patrol times, and variance issuance.

District Answer: Fire Management will issue a variance allowing Mastication for PAL Level EV.

No Mastication use will be permitted after 1PM per current Fire Plan for Construction and Service Contracts 08/02/2012 PAL Level EV. Work can begin at sunrise in areas it will not impact residence and at 7am in residential areas as stated in the statement of work, Restrictions of Work #3.

5) Drip line clarification; does wording in the EA specify distance from the drip line?

District Answer: EA states Mastication Chipping: Only Masticate shrubs spp within 100’ around the conifer edges and within 10’ of the drip line of retained trees to decrease ladder fuels. This information is also in the Work Description Limitations section 1.

6) Pricing breakdown per acre based on activity to be clarified:

a. In units where there is both mastication and cut/pile option allowed, the bidding should be based on masticated acres first and anything that cannot be masticated will be bid as hand-cut/pile. Hand-cut/pile and mastication ONLY areas and/or units will be bid accordingly.

b. Since contractors do not have a specific acre count on what will be masticated and what will be cut/pile, can they bid cost per acre, per activity vs. bidding structure currently in the contract which asks for number of acres and cost per acre? For example, mastication will be $100 per acre and hand-cut/pile will be $150 per acre, with exact acres to be determined upon completion of work. For example, if the total approximate acreage is 160 and approximately 120 acres of it is mastication, it would be

AG-91U4-S-14-0001

Mount Laguna and Pine Valley Community Defense & Health Forest Restoration Project approximately $12,000 and the remaining 40 acres of hand-cut/pile would be approximately $6,000.

c. Clarify this will be one contractor bidding on both activities (mastication and hand-cut pile option), not two separate contracts or two separate companies bidding on the work together. It was also asked if the contract can be sub-contracted. For example, if a contractor bids on the mastication, but would like to sub-out the cut/pile, is that possible?

d. The preferred treatment that the USFS has delegated for the particular unit/area is what should be bid on. For example, less expensive work cannot be bid on/implemented to keep the cost of the bid down (hand cut/pile units because it may be less expense for to contractor and less cost to government).

District Answer: We want as much as possible to be masticated because we intend to broadcast burn the units. We only want hand cut/piles in areas that the masticator cannot reach or access due to terrain or sensitive species. We do not want to be left with piles in the community defense that we can burn due to weather and available resources.

e. Contractor will be paid for work completed, not the total amount of acres within the unit boundary. For instance, Unit 37 is approximately 70 acres. However the actual acreage within the unit that receives the mastication will be more like 40-50 acres. The contractor will be paid only for the 40-50 acres, not the entire unit acreage amount.

District Answer: As stated in the Statement of Work Contractor will be paid for acres completed.

7) Inspector-type questions closer to implementation:

a. Will there be priority areas within the units that we want worked on first?

District Answer: Pine Valley Units will be priority when work starts. The district is fine with work performed in multiple units at the same time, if all requirements can be met

ex. Fire Plan requirements.

b. Can contractor have a more specific map of areas they are working in, showing on paper approximate areas of avoidance, etc.?

District Answer: Yes, more detailed maps will be produced as needed.

Evaluation Selection Factors:

Availability- Availability to start work as soon after notice to proceed is issued is important, due to limited operating periods, sensitive species, PAL restrictions and seasonality.

Capability- Equipment the meets contract specifications, limited impact to the ground, articulating arm reach.

Past performance- Past performance will be referenced.

Price