Att 1-Performance Work Statement_Tombigbee RD.pdf

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

Tombigbee Recreation Area Mowing Tombigbee Ranger District

National Forests in Mississippi

1.1 Scope: The Tombigbee Ranger District requires grounds maintenance at the Choctaw Lake Recreation Area (29.3 acres), Davis Lake Recreation Area (17.2 acres) and Owl Creek Indian Mounds (2.3 acres). For this requirement, the contractor shall provide all materials, labor, equipment, tools, transportation, permits, licenses, supervision, expertise, and other incidentals necessary to successfully complete grass cutting (mowing), trimming, blowing and edging of an estimated total of acres in the recreation area in a manner that will maintain healthy grass, trees, shrubs, and plants and present a clean, neat, and professional appearance.

1.2 Locations: Choctaw Lake is located 5 miles south of Ackerman, MS and 11 miles northwest of Louisville, MS, and 30 miles southwest of Starkville, Ms. From Ackerman, drive 3 miles South on MS 15 to entrance sign. Turn left onto FS 967 and follow paved road to fee station. From Louisville drive 11 miles north on MS 15 to entrance sign, turn right onto FS 967 and follow paved road to fee station. Davis Lake Recreation Area - Located 21 miles south of Tupelo, MS. 12 miles north of Houston MS, and 4 miles west of the Natchez Trace Parkway.

From Tupelo drive south 17 miles on the Natchez Trace Parkway to the Davis Lake Recreation area exit at milepost 243 turn right on the Davis Lake road and proceed 4 miles to the entrance station. Owl Creek Indian Mounds - Located 21 miles south of Tupelo, MS. 12 miles north of Houston MS, and 2 miles west of the Natchez Trace Parkway. From Tupelo drive south 17 miles on the Natchez Trace Parkway to the Davis Lake Recreation area exit at milepost 243 turn right on the Davis Lake road and proceed 2 miles to the entrance station.

1.3 Period of Performance: Grounds maintenance shall be performed May through October, estimated once per month. The base year will be 2025, with an additional four (4) option years in 2026-2028.

1.4 Performance of Similar Work by the Government: Nothing in this contract restricts the Government from performing any of the work with its own organization and workforce.

1.5 Key Personnel

(a) Contractor Representative. The contractor shall designate a representative in accordance with AGAR 452.237-74 - Key Personnel (FEB 1988), included of this contract. The name of this person shall be designated in writing and provided to the Contracting Officer. Key personnel designated by the contractor shall have the ability to speak English and communicate with crew members.

(b) Authority. The contractor representative shall have authority to act for the contractor on all contract matters relating to daily operation of this contract.

1.6 Scheduling: Contractor shall provide an agreed upon work schedule to the COR. The contractor shall coordinate with the COR for rescheduling service due to delays as a result of adverse weather conditions or by an occurrence beyond the reasonable control of the Contractor.

Grounds maintenance may only be performed between 9:00 AM and 7:00 PM unless the recreation site is empty. The contractor may not perform mowing activities on Memorial Day, July 4th, or Labor Day.

1.7 Equipment Cleaning – Invasive Species of Concern:

(a) The contractor shall ensure that any equipment intended for use during contract performance, either mechanical or otherwise, shall be free from invasive species of concern before use on this contract or any subsequent task order.

i. Prior to commencing work on a project, the contractor shall advise the Forest Service of previous equipment cleaning measures and make equipment available for inspection upon request. Forest Service shall have 2 days, excluding weekends and Federal holidays, to inspect any equipment to ensure it is free of invasive species of concern. Equipment shall be considered clean when a visual inspection does not disclose seeds, soil, vegetative matter, and other debris that could contain or hold seeds of invasive species of concern. After satisfactory inspection or after such 2 day period, the contractor may proceed with work as directed by the COR.

ii. If the contractor desires to clean equipment on National Forest land, such as at the end of a project or prior to moving to or through an area that is free of invasive species of concern, the contractor shall obtain controlling impacts.

(b) The Government maintains a current list and maps of areas known by the Forest Service that are infested with invasive species of concern and are available upon request.

The parties shall promptly communicate with one another with respect to description or designation of additional locations; discovery of locations of new species or new infestations; and addition of species to the list of invasive species of concern and any potential impact on contract operations.

1.8 Protection of Existing Vegetation, Structures, Equipment, Utilities, and Improvements:

The Contractor shall preserve and protect all structures, equipment, and vegetation (such as trees, shrubs, and grass) on or adjacent to the work site, which are not to be removed and which do not unreasonably interfere with the work required under this contract. The Contractor shall only remove trees when specifically authorized to do so, and shall avoid damaging vegetation (cutting tree bark, scalping grass bed, etc.) that will remain in place.

The Contractor shall protect from damage all existing improvements and utilities (1) at or near the work site, and (2) on adjacent property of a third party, the locations of which are made known to or should be known by the Contractor. The Contractor shall repair any damage to those facilities, including those that are the property of a third party, resulting from failure to comply with the requirements of this contract or failure to exercise reasonable care in performing the work. If the Contractor fails or refuses to repair the damage promptly, the Contracting Officer may have the necessary work performed and charge the cost to the Contractor.

Fuel and Machine Fluids. The contractor shall instruct employees in environmental protection practices. The contractor is responsible for operating under conditions which preclude the waste of fuel or spoiling the environment. Machine fluids (fuel, oils, coolants, etc.) shall not be drained on the ground or allowed to enter any watercourse. Inadvertent spills shall be contained immediately and the Contracting Officer’s Representative shall be notified immediately.

Promptly remediate the spill unless otherwise directed by authorities.

1.9 Documentation and Records: The contractor shall maintain records of accomplishment.

These reports shall be turned as requested for quality assurance/inspection purposes by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). All documentation, records and schedules as described in the PWS that are the responsibility of the contractor, are the property of the Government and shall be turned over to the Government upon completion or termination of the contract. All records are subject to the Freedom of Information and/or Privacy Acts and any requests for release of any records shall be handled accordingly.

1.10 Employment of Eligible Workers: Section 274A of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 USC 1324a) makes it unlawful for an employer to hire unauthorized aliens. The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), now the United States Citizen and Immigration Services, established the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification Form, as the document to be used for employment eligibility verification (8 CFR 274a).

The contractor is required to:

1. Have all employees complete and sign the I-9 Form to certify that they are eligible for employment;

2. Examine documents presented by the employee and ensure the documents appear to be genuine and related to the individual;

3. Record information about the documents on the form, and complete the certification portion of the form;

4. Retain the form for 3 years, or 1 year past the end of employment of the individual, whichever is longer.

It is illegal to discriminate against any individual (other than a citizen of another country who is not authorized to work in the United States) in hiring, discharging, or recruiting because of that individual's national origin or citizenship status.

Compliance with Section 274A of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1324a) is a material condition of the contract. If the contractor employs unauthorized workers during contract performance in violation of section 274A, the Government may terminate the contract, in addition to other remedies or penalties prescribed by law.

For further information on the requirements of the Act, contractors should contact the Employer and Labor Relations Officer of their local United States Citizen and Immigration Services office.

1.11 Personal Protective Equipment: The contractor shall train workers in the safe operation and use of equipment that the worker may use before the worker begins using such equipment.

The Contractor shall also maintain a site-specific Safety Plan acceptable to the Government throughout the life of the contract.

Personal protective equipment, including personal protective equipment for eyes, face, head, and extremities must be provided, used, and maintained in a sanitary and reliable condition wherever it is necessary by reason of hazards or processes encountered which may cause injury or impairment in the function of any part of the body. Defective or damaged personal protective equipment must not be used.

Contractors hired to conduct chainsaw operations are required to follow OSHA Logging Standard 29 CFR 1910.266. The contractor shall provide chainsaw chaps to each employee who operates a chainsaw at no cost to the employee. These chaps must be approved by an Underwriters Laboratory or meet Forest Service specification 6170-47. The chaps must cover the full length of the thigh and must extend to the top of the boot on each leg.

The contractor shall assure that each employee wears foot protection that provides adequate traction and ankle support. Employees operating chainsaws shall wear foot protection that is constructed with cut-resistant material which will protect the employee against contact with a running chainsaw.

In any area where the worker is exposed to the potential for flying or falling objects, the contractor shall provide a hard hat, at no cost to the employee, and the contractor shall assure that the employee wears the hard hat. The hard hat must meet the minimum requirements of American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard Z89.1-1997.

The contractor shall provide, at no cost to the employee, eye protection where there is potential for eye injury due to flying objects. This eye protection must meet the minimum requirements of ANSI standard Z87.1-2003.

The contractor shall provide, at no cost to the employee, hearing protection where there is a potential for hearing loss due to high intensity noise for example chainsaw operations.

1.12 Mow Improved Grounds: Areas designated shall be mowed and trimmed to a uniform height of one (1") to two (2") inches as needed when measured on level ground. Lawn clippings may be left in place when mowing, but must be removed from sidewalks, individual picnic and camping sites and their spurs, roadways, water fountains and picnic shelters and other areas as directed by the Government.

1.13 Trimming & Edging: All grass and other vegetation shall be trimmed even with the edges of all sites, curbs, sidewalks, driveways, walls, poles, tree trunks, foundations or other objects contained within or adjacent to the mowed areas. Edging and trimming operations shall result in a uniform appearance. Edging and trimming debris shall be removed from sidewalks, individual picnic and camping sites and their spurs, roadways, water fountains and picnic shelters. Grass growing over paved areas shall be removed. Joints in all paved areas including roadways, parking areas, sidewalks, curbs, and along the edges of buildings shall be maintained free of vegetation.

1.14 Remove Debris/Police Grounds: Some of the area to be serviced is rough and irregular and may contain down forest litter (limbs, pinecones, etc.). Litter and tree limb pickup shall be accomplished prior to mowing. The contractor shall remove all tree limbs, branches, cuttings, etc., from the work areas and deposit in an area designated by the COR. Non-organic litter (paper, food, etc.) will be disposed of in the designated dumpster. The Contractor shall clean-up work areas, and restore any damaged landscape, government property, or buildings to their original state from damage resulting from contract actions. Contractor shall supply all materials, labor, and equipment to complete all work specified in this scope of work.

1.15 Public Safety and Traffic Control: The Contractor shall exercise caution and care to prevent unnecessary conflict with or potential hazards to forest visitors. When working along forest roads, the Contractor shall post warning signs with flags on each end of the section of the road being worked. Signs shall be of the size, quantity, and colors as required in the current edition of the '"Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices" (MUTCD). A copy of MUTCD is located in the District Ranger's Office and is available to the Contractor for in-office reference on request. These signs shall be moved as needed to properly delineate and identify the section of road where maintenance activities are a potential hazard to traffic. Signs shall be in place only when contract operations are occurring.

1.16 Soil Moisture Conditions: Suitable moisture conditions for grounds maintenance shall be relatively dry such that no rutting, slipping, or excessive clumping occurs from any contract equipment. If occasional minor wet areas, such as those caused by localized springs, drains, or depressions, are encountered within the general areas designated for maintenance, the Contractor shall bypass these areas until they have dried sufficiently or cut the area with hand or walk-behind equipment.

1.17 Invoicing and Payments: The Government shall make payments monthly as the work proceeds, or at more frequent intervals as determined by the Contracting Officer, on estimates of work accomplished which meets the standards of quality established under the contract, as approved by the Contracting Officer.

The "Submit Invoice-to" address for USDA orders is the Department of Treasury's Invoice Processing Platform (IPP). This platform is managed by the U.S. Department of Treasury and additional information is available at this website https://www.ipp.gov/index.htm.

Please have the following information available when submitting your invoices through IPP: (1) date of invoice; (2) date services were performed; (3) a unique invoice number; (4) description of the services performed; (5) the award number.

Invoices submitted without all the elements of a proper invoice will be returned and will result in delayed payments. Also, your SAM registration must stay active in order for you to continue receiving payments.