Att 4 TORFP Powerhouse Veg Fuels II Project.pdf

INDIVIDUAL PROJECT TASK ORDER REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Solicitation/Contract #: Individual Project Task Order Number

Individual Project Task Order issued under Region 5 SCASA Hazardous Fuels

Reduction IDIQ Contract no. TBD

TBD

ISSUING OFFICE: (Forest Service Unit Name) Task Order Date

USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region

1323 Club Dr. Vallejo, CA 94592

Financial obligations and payments shall be processed via Invoice Processing Platform (IPP)

PROJECT:

PROJECT NAME: POWERHOUSE VEG FUELS II PROJECT

Proposal Request Date: IAW Base IDIQ

RFP

Proposal Response Date/Time (close of business unless otherwise shown): IAW Base IDIQ RFP

OFFER:

Offeror Name (same as on contract) Offered by (Name, Title, Phone):

Offered Amounts attached in Section B. Authorized Signature:

Date:

This is a firm offer for 60 calendar days from the Response Date/Time

AWARD:

ITEMS ACCEPTED:

TOTAL

AMOUNT: $

Task Order Number and Award Date shown at top.

Ordered by (Name, Title, Phone): Authorized Signature

Task Order Contracting Officer

SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS

SCHEDULE OF ITEMS

Powerhouse Veg Fuels II Project Treatment Units

Items Acres Treatment Type Unit

Price/Acre Amount

1 300 Re-establish and improve an existing fuelbreak. Fuels will be reduced by hand and/or mechanical equipment. Trees will be thinned and pruned. Establish a 30 foot Fuelbreak around plantations along with brush canopy reduction within the plantations. Slash will be removed or chipped if hand equipment is used

Total Acres: 300 Total Amount:

SECTION C - STATEMENT OF WORK/DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICITIONS

C.1 Scope of Contract

This contract provides for fuels reduction/modification, fuels removal, timber stand improvement and related work on approximately 300 acres in and around Maxwell Trail Camp along FS RD

7N08, Maxwell Plantation and Mile High Plantation to be performed in compliance to the contract terms, specifications and provisions. The Contractor shall furnish labor; equipment;

supervision; transportation including but not limited to mobilization; operating supplies and incidentals all water and the registered Annosus Root Disease prevention compound (CELL-U-

TREAT) necessary for contract operations.

Treatments in Maxwell and Mile High Plantations will include thinning from below trees that are

20 inches and below at DBH, pruning residual trees, release around residual trees, brush canopy reduction and a 30 foot Fuelbreak around each plantation.

Location and Description

The project is located north of the City of Santa Clarita, CA; the legal description is Township 7

North, Range 15 West, Section 18 and 19, and Township 7 North, Range 16 W, Sections 13,14, PB45 and PB 46 SBBM, Los Angeles County, California. See Attachment D, Project Map.

Contract Time

Estimate start work date is 5/15/20. The contract time will be 365 days. Contract time includes delays for weather; project activity level restrictions; all applicable wildlife limited operating periods; locating and transporting supplies and materials; and final cleanup.

Access

Access routes include State Highway 14 and Elizabeth Lake Road, Lake Hughes Road and FS

Road 7N08

DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS

C.2 General Description & Specifications

Fuels will be reduced in chaparral by means of hand and mechanical means. Mechanical tracked and rubber tired mastication treatments may be used up to a 30 percent slope. Where mastication is used, the stump height (stob) will 3-6 inches above ground level in order to reduce soil disturbance. All masticated material will be chipped to an average of 4 inches in diameter and less than 12 inches in length. Chainsaws, pruning saws, and hand tools will be used on slopes over 30 percent. Fuels treated within the project site will be either removed, chipped or masticated on site and scattered within the project area. Surface ground disturbance will be kept to a minimum for soil stabilization. Grass and shrubs may be left in place with a stump height of

3 – 6 inches from ground level. Bio mass left in place for soil stabilization will be at a depth of 4 inches or less. All tree-form oaks and conifers (approximately 3 inches or greater in diameter) within the project area will be thinned and pruned within the project areas. All conifer regeneration will be untreated and left in place intact outside plantations and natural stands of oak and conifer. Plantations found within the project area will be thinned, pruned, brush canopy reduced to 10% of area and tree will be released of competing vegetation. A 30 foot Fuelbreak will be placed around each plantation. Untreated pockets of oaks and conifers no smaller than ¼ acre in size would be retained in masticated areas of the Fuelbreak to provide small mammal and other wildlife refuge, while allowing the fuelbreaks to visually blend into the surrounding landscape. Oaks, manzanita and ceanothus species would be favored in these retention pockets with the oaks being the more favored species for retention. If found within the project area

Broom spp., a noxious weed, will be removed and bagged for disposal off site.

Contract boundary is marked with blue flagging.

Riparian Conservation Areas (RCA) may be identified with orange flagging. No manual or mechanical thinning, crown lift, release or clearing and hand piling will take place within 300 feet from a streambank on either side of a perennial stream or 100 feet from the streambank on either side of an intermittent stream.

Avoid and protect any cultural sites. These sites will be identified with orange flagging.

Other “Control Areas” will be identified with orange flagging.

A buffer of 30-40 feet will be left along roads to block access to illegal OHV use and to enhance the visual aesthetics, along roads especially FS RD 7N08, and a minimum of 20 feet along trails, to provide screening and reduce or prevent illegal OHV use. If the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) occurs within the project area hand treatments only will be done within 300 feet on either side of the Trail. The first 100 feet from the trail within this 300 foot buffer will receive no treatment.

Within 100-200 feet on either side of the PCT, no more than 25% of the existing brush cover may be removed in a manner that appears natural and even throughout. Within 200-300 feet on either side of the PCT, no more than 50% of the existing brush cover may be removed in a manner that appears natural and even throughout. Mechanical equipment is not allowed on the

PCT. This will not apply to the plantations as they are stocked with trees.

Mechanized equipment including but not limited to tractors, masticators or power shears will be limited to slopes less than or equal to 30%. Do not operate equipment on wet soils. If equipment use results in rutting of 4 inches or more, work will be postponed until soil moisture decreases or appropriate measures have been established to accommodate use. Equipment operator will leave a stob (brush stump height) of 3-6 inches. Mastication will not expose more than 50% of soils. Mastication of material shall be a mottled mosaic with feathered edges.

All roads and trails will be kept open at all times especially, FS Road 7N08 and the Pacific Crest

Trail and any designated trails within the project boundary. All debris, slash, trees etc. will be removed from the roadway and trails before the end of each working day. Appropriate traffic control will be done on roads and trails to facilitate contractor and forest user’s safety and use.

Crew and equipment staging areas will be located away from riparian areas and known occurrences of invasive species and rare plants.

Pruning

All tree form oaks (approximately 3 inches or greater in diameter) and conifers within the contract area will be pruned. Oak and conifer pockets less that or equal to ¼ acre withi the fuelbreak will be retained. The lower branches of all residual trees (oaks and conifers) shall be pruned at the bole or main stem to a height of 10 feet above the ground surface. All residual trees shall be pruned to a height no greater than 40% of the live tree height. Leave at least 40% live crown in all trees that are pruned. Trees under 5 feet will be left unpruned..

Low hanging, sweeping branches less than eight feet above ground level and connected to the primary tree bole above 10 feet shall be cut at an average height of 10 feet above ground level.

This usually is necessary on trees such as oak species with low sweeping branches.

Tree branches will be pruned to within ¼ of an inch of the bole. Branches will not be flush cut to the bole.

Brush Cutting

The live and dead brush cover shall be reduced to an average of 20-25 % shrub/vegetative cover overall except in the plantations where it will be reduced to 10%. The 20-25% and 10% shrub/vegetation cover will be located randomly over the entire project area and not clumped into one spot. The shrub/brush cover left standing will be distributed throughout the treatment area and will include scattered vegetation islands to create a mosaic pattern. These islands of untreated vegetation /plant clusters should include a variety of widths and sizes (minimum 25 foot in diameter). The 20-25% and 10% brush cover left standing will be native vegetation. The distance between residual vegetation islands will be between 50 to 100 feet between islands.

Live and dead shrubs shall be cut and removed from the area beneath the dripline of all residual trees and tree clumps to a distance of 10 foot from the dripline. All brush cut shall be cut below the lowest live branch and have a stump height not greater than 4 inches above ground level or above obstacles.

Brush cutting or tree pruning will not be done within 100 foot around wildlife guzzler units.

Willows and other riparian (streamside) vegetation shall not be thinned or pruned, unless, required for safe operations and approved by the Contracting Officer. Shrubs and brush will include those species of Quercus (oaks) that are 3 inches or less in diameter. Preference of retention of shrub species will be oak, ceanothus, and manzanita over chamise with a localized preference for those of larger diameter.

Shrub/brush treatments will maintain free-form shapes and edges that replicate natural patterns in the surrounding landscape; avoid straight lines.

Slash Treatment

All slash 3 inches or less in diameter within the contract boundary (created and existing slash), including logs, dead brush, and other woody debris resulting from pruning, brush clearing, and dead tree removal activity shall be chipped, masticated, shredded, mulched or removed. Pile all slash that cannot be chipped, masticated, shredded or removed with approval by the Contracting

Officer. Where piling occurs, piles shall not exceed 15% coverage of treatment area and individual piles shall not be greater than 7 feet high and 12 feet wide. Piles are not to be placed within RCA’s, 50 feet from any system trail, recreation site , within 150 feet of a waterway or drainage channel, or in any of the following sensitive areas: rare plant occurrences, target invasive plant occurrences, near rock outcrops, on stumps or existing downed logs. .

Residual chipped vegetative debris resulting from Contractor’s operations shall lie flat on the ground and not exceed an average of 3 inches in depth. Individual pieces of vegetative debris shall not exceed 2.0 inches in diameter and less than 1 foot in length and shall lie flat. No chipped material shall accumulate against boles or beneath the dripline of residual trees. Chips and other slash will not be left in waterways or drainages, in or on threatened, endangered or sensitive plant occurrences. Chip depth shall not exceed an average of 3 inches in depth. Evenly distribute excess chipped material (that exceeds 3 inches in depth) or remove from site.

Slash greater than 3 inches in diameter will be bucked into 2 foot lengths and lopped and scattered.

Contractor's operations shall not unnecessarily damage retained trees.

Rock outcrops will be left undisturbed and intact except where modification is essential to meet treatment levels.

Snag Removal

All snags greater than 16 inches in diameter DBH will be retained unless they present a safety risk or they occur within 100 feet of roads (paved or not), 200 feet of structures or facilities or

300 feet on either side of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT).

Snags less than 16 inches will be removed unless it is a wildlife tree that serves as acorn storage or has cavities or nests it is located in a spotted owl PAC or it is located in a designated Resource

Conservation Areas (RCA’s) flagged in orange.

Retain a minimum of six downed logs per acre (minimum 12 inches in diameter and 20 feet long). Within 20 feet of roads additional logs will be left in numbers to restrict illegal off-roading.

Cut/felled snags left in place will be limbed and bucked to a 2 foot length if within 100 foot of roads. Greater than 100 feet from a road limb felled trees but do not buck them up except within the plantations where they will be bucked. Remove or relocate bucked trees to a minimum distance of 50 feet away from National Forest System trails or recreation sites. Snags cut within

300 foot on either side of the PCT should be limbed and left intact and not blocking the Trail except in the plantations.

Camping

Under the terms of this Contract, camping is not permitted in Forest Service Campgrounds. The

Contractor [(x) may ( ) shall not] be permitted to camp elsewhere on the National Forest.

Camping on the National Forest is not a right; and shall be subject to approval by the Contracting

Officer.

Wet Weather Operations

Contractor operations may be conducted outside the Normal Operating Season subject to certain requirements and Contracting Officer approval. The wet weather /winter season normally begins approximately November 1st and ends approximately May 1st.

SECTION D – PACKAGING AND MARKING

N/A

SECTION E - INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

Quality Control

The Contractor shall conduct inspections in accordance with the Quality Control Plan provided to the Contracting Officer. The Quality Control Plan shall be approved by the Contracting

Officer prior to the start of work. The Contracting Officer may implement quality control measures in additional to those provided by the Contractor.

Acceptance

The Contracting Officer will accept only completed work for evaluation. When notified by the

Contractor of completed of work, such work will be evaluated for quality against the specification of this task order. The evaluation will include, but is not limited to a review of the quality control measures performed by the Contractor. Additional measures may be implemented by the Contracting Officer including, but not limited to, a 2 percent sample of the completed work using either a plot or transect sampling system. Only work described by the

Contractor as completed will be evaluated.

Work is deemed acceptable when final Contracting Officer inspection indicates at least 90% quality achievement of the task order specifications described in Section C.

SECTION F - DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

AGAR 452.211-74 (FEB 1988), Period of Performance

Period of Performance is 365 days from task order issue date.

SECTION G - CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

AGAR 452.215-73, Post Award Conference (NOV 1996)

A post award conference may be required. The Contracting Officer (CO) or Contracting Officers

Representative (COR) may schedule a conference to be held within 15 days after the date of task order award.

The COR assigned to this task order is Steve Bear. Phone No. 626-574-5379

12371 N. Little Tujunga Canyon Rd

San Fernando, CA 91342

The COR will act as a liaison between the U.S. Forest Service herein referred to as "Service" and the Contractor, and, when necessary, will provide technical direction to the Contractor. The

COR, however, is not authorized to change any of the terms and conditions of the contract, issue new assignments of work, make decisions concerning disputes arising under the contract, or resolve differing site condition matters. Neither the presence nor absence of a government representative shall relieve the Contractor of its responsibilities under the contract.

Plan of Operations

Upon Contracting Officer request, the Contractor shall submit a Plan of Operations related to the specification on this task order including but not limited to the equipment type and size; labor forces; ingress and egress; start date; planned rates of accomplishment; and other details related to the Contractor operations that may be requested by the Contracting Officer.

SECTION H - SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

Invoice Processing Platform (IPP)

The "Submit Invoice-to" address for USDA orders is the Department of Treasury's Invoice

Processing Platform (IPP). The contractor must register and submit invoices via IPP. All invoices shall be submitted via the electronic Invoice Processing Platform. 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.

Vendors register at https://www.ipp.gov/vendors/enrollment-vendors.htm to establish an account.

Transportation

Use of any roads, routes or temporary roads by the Contractor under the terms of this task order shall be subject to approval by the Contracting Officer; such approval shall be obtained by the

Contractor prior to opening and/or use. When Contractor operations occur adjacent to or on roads and trails open to public travel, a project specific Traffic Control Plan shall be agreed to by the Contractor and the Contracting Officer prior to commencing operations.

All roads and trails will be kept clear from slash, trees, bucked pieces, chips, slash piles and debris. The roads and trails will be cleared of this material before contract personnel leave the project area each day.

C.4 Resource Protection Standards

Resource protection measures shall be implemented by the Contractor to protect soils from impacts of erosion, compaction and loss of productivity. Existing soil cover shall be left intact whenever possible; disturbance to the duff layer shall be minimized. As determined by the

Contracting Officer, equipment shall not operate when ground conditions are such that excessive soil damage will occur. The Contractor’s activities shall be conducted in a manner to retain the natural ground contour; any mounding of soil material shall be returned to the natural contour. A minimum of 80% of the activity area shall be left in a non-compacted, non-puddled, and/or nondisplaced condition.

All landings, skid trails and temporary roads shall be approved by the Contracting Officer prior to installation and/or use. After use, unless otherwise directed by the Contracting Officer, all landings, skid trails and temporary roads shall be sub-soiled; water barred and covered with vegetative material including but not limited to slash, chips, cut brush and logs; and closed to vehicle access.

Contractor operations shall be conducted in a manner to prevent debris entering stream courses.

The Contractor shall remove debris caused to enter a stream courses that may adversely affect the natural stream flow, water quality, or fishery resource as determined by the Contracting https://www.ipp.gov/index.htm

Officer as soon as practicable, but not to exceed 48 hours, in a manner determined by the

Contracting Officer. The locations and method of all equipment water course crossing shall require prior approval by the Contracting Officer. Wheeled and /or track laying equipment shall not be operated in water courses except at locations and for reasons approved by the Contracting

Officer. National Forest water sources may only be used if approved by the Contracting Officer.

Erosion control measures shall be implemented on all roads, skid trails, landings and temporary roads as directed by the Contracting Officer. Measures shall include but are not limited water barring, placement of slash and/or chips, re-contouring, out-sloping and effectively blocking vehicle access. Erosion control measures shall be in place before seasonal periods of precipitation, run-off and prior to all National Weather Service predicted storm events with a greater than 30% chance of precipitation. Water bar size, configuration and locations shall be specified by the Contracting Officer.

The Contractor shall conduct all contract related activities in a manner to prevent damage to other resources which includes but is not limited to the following:

Land survey monuments bearing trees, utility poles and lines and underground facilities, water lines, gas lines, ditches, fences, research equipment, gates, traffic counters and animal traps.

The locations of protected and sensitive plant and animal species and their habitat which is located on the contract maps or which may be discovered after contract award.

Historic or prehistoric sites, buildings, objects or properties located on task order maps or discovered after contract award.

Control areas located on the task order maps and/or flagged with orange flagging indicate areas with specific treatment limitations, generally equipment shall be excluded and/or contract activities modified. Discovery of any area or object of a suspected control resource shall be immediately reported to the Contracting Officer.

Noxious Weeds

The spread of noxious weeds will be controlled by the Contractor in the following manner:

The Contractor shall ensure that all ground disturbing equipment is free of soil, seeds, vegetative matter or other debris that could contain of hold plant seeds. All ground disturbing equipment shall be washed prior to moving from one unit/area to the next unit/area in order to control the spread of noxious weeds. This includes vehicle wheels, undercarriages, bumpers, chainsaws, hand pruners, or any other equipment except personnel transport vehicles.

The Contractor shall certify in writing to the Contracting Officer that ground disturbing equipment is free of noxious weeds prior to each start-up of operations and for subsequent moves of equipment to the project area.

The Contractor shall clean off-road equipment prior to moving between units on this project.

The Contractor shall employ whatever cleaning methods are necessary to ensure that ground disturbing equipment is free of noxious weeds. Equipment will be considered free of soil, seeds and other such debris when a visual inspection discloses no such material.

The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer at least 5 days prior to moving each piece of off-road equipment into the project area; notification shall include the most recent location of the equipment to be moved. The Contracting Officer may require that the Contractor’s equipment be presented for inspection before being placed in service. The Contractor’s equipment may be cleaned on the National Forest subject to Contracting Officer approval.

New infestations of noxious weeds shall be promptly reported to the Contracting Officer.

Pollution Control

The Contractor shall prepare and implement a Spill Prevention and Countermeasures (SPCP)

Plan when total oil and oil products storage exceeds 1320 gallons in containers of 55 gallon or greater. The SPCP shall meet applicable EPA and State requirements and be certified by a registered professional engineer. The Contractor shall immediately take action to contain and cleanup, without expense to the Government, all petroleum products spills caused directly or indirectly by the Contractor or Contractor’s employees. The Contractor shall be liable for all damages and costs deemed necessary by the Government for the spill containment and cleanup.

The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer of any hazardous substances used on the project area and shall have Material Safety Data Sheets available for those materials. All such materials shall be labeled in accordance with Federal and State regulations. The Contractor shall maintain a Hazardous Substance Plan. The plan shall include, but is not limited to, hazardous substances to be used in the project area and the identification of the Contractor Representative responsible for supervising initial containment action for releases and subsequent cleanup.

The Contractor shall notify appropriate agencies, including the Contracting Officer of all spills, leaks or other releases of hazardous materials including petroleum products on or in the vicinity of National Forest land caused directly or indirectly by the Contractor or Contractor’s employees.

The Contractor shall maintain all equipment operating on the project area in good repair and free of leakage of lubricants, fuel, coolant and hydraulic fluid. The Contractor shall properly transport and dispose of all contaminated soil, vegetation, debris, oil filters, oily rags and waste oil in accordance with local, State and Federal regulations. Disposal of any such contaminated material on the National Forest is prohibited. The Contractor shall take effective measures to prevent all leaking or spilled petroleum based products from stationary equipment and equipment being serviced.

Fire Plan and Project Activity Levels

The Contractor operations under the terms and conditions of this contract/task order shall comply with the Fire Plan attached to and made a part of this task order. The Fire Plan shall be accepted by the Contractor and is subject to approval by the Contracting Officer prior to commencing any operations. The Fire Plan shall be reviewed not less than annually by the Contractor and the

Contracting Officer.

SECTION I - CONTRACT CLAUSES

SITE VISIT (FAR 52.237-1) (APR 1984)

DATE: April 8, 2020 @ 09:00 AM PST

LOCATION: USFS Acton Work Center, 33708 Crown Valley Rd, Acton, CA 93510

Site Visit POC: Steve Bear at (626) 574-5379.

COR will meet contractors at the Acton Work Center and head to sites in separate vehicles. Due to COVID-19 safe social distance will be kept throughout site visit. If contractors do not want to attend site visit, please submit questions/RFI’s.

Contract clauses under the base IDIQ contract shall apply to this task order.

SECTION J – LIST OF DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS AND OTHER ATTACHMENTS

Attachments

Attachment A – Fire Plan

Attachment B – Fire Plan Emergency Agreement

Attachment C – Project Map

Attachment D – Vicinity Map

Attachment E - Glossary

Attachment F – Injury and Illness Prevention Template

Attachment G – Job Hazard Analysis

Attachment H – Equipment Cleaning