Attachment 1.pdf

SECTION C – DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1 INTRODUCTION

C.1.1 BACKGROUND

The Monongahela National Forest proposes to contract for technical forestry services to apply herbicide to competing vegetation of desired species. The purpose is to release desired vegetation from competing un-desirable vegetation.

C.1.2 SCOPE OF CONTRACT

Work shall be consist of controlling undesirable vegetation on the Monongahela National Forest through the application of herbicide. The method of application and the herbicide to be used will depend on the species to be controlled, location and accessibility, distance to surface and ground water resources, and surrounding vegetation.

The Contractor shall furnish all labor, supervision, tools, equipment, transportation, materials, supplies, permits, licenses and incidentals necessary to perform the required services on the Monongahela National Forest.

Execution of an agreement does not establish an obligation of total price and does not commit the Government to any quantity. The individual orders issued to the Contractor will include actual quantities for each unit to be treated.

C.1.3 LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION

This solicitation is for chemical site preparation on the Monongahela National Forest. Specific stand locations, and maps for each work item will be provided with the task order. Compartment maps with stand boundary delineations will be provided with each task order issuance.

C.2 DEFINITIONS

Activity Area – An area impacted by a land management activity, excluding specified transportation facilities, dedicated trails, and system roads.

Buffer – A strip of vegetation that is left unmanaged or is managed to reduce the impact that a treatment or action on the area would have on an adjacent area.

Calendar Days – Every day shown on the calendar, weekends and holidays included.

Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) – The on-site contract administrator for the Contracting Officer. The duties and responsibilities of the COR are defined in the letter of designation issued by the Contracting Officer.

Contract Surveillance – A planned, documented, and systematic approach to monitor contract performance.

Contractor Performance – Compliance with contract requirements such as quality, cost, timeliness, quantity, contractor delivery of services or supplies, process outputs, or contract deliverables.

DBH (d.b.h.) – Diameter Breast Height. Location on bole of tree where diameter is measured. Measured 4.5’ up from the base of the tree.

GPS – Global Positioning System

Herbicide – Herbicides can be used to control competing vegetation, allowing limited nutrients and moisture to be more readily available to improve growth of the remaining vegetation. All treatments would follow label guidelines and would be supervised by a State certified applicator.

Quality Assurance – The actions taken by the Government to assess the results to determine that they meet contract requirements. Government action to assure the contractor is controlling quality. The methods for quality assurance are described in the Quality Assurance Plan (QASP).

Quality Control – Those actions taken by a Contractor to control the production of outputs to ensure that they conform to the contract requirements. Contractor action to ensure services and supplies presented to the Government meet contractual requirements.

Shape File (.shp) – Shape file is a format developed by ESRI and used in Arcinfo and other GIS packages. The file extension is .shp.

Site Preparation 0 The objective of site preparation is to enhance germination, sprouting, and survival of natural regeneration or planted trees. This treatment opens up the forest floor to increased sunlight to improve seed germination potential, promotes sprouting of cut trees, and reduces shading that could inhibit the growth of shade intolerant and moderately tolerant species.

Stand – A community of trees or other vegetation, possessing sufficient uniformity in regards to composition, age, spatial arrangement, or condition, to be distinguishable from adjacent communities, forming a silviculture or management entity.

Waypoint – A specific location saved in the GPS receiver’s memory.

C.3 GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY AND SERVICES

The Government will furnish no material, labor, or equipment unless specifically identified in the Government Furnished Property clause.

The Government will provide the following information to the contractor:

Item Description Where, When, How

3.1 Project Area Map. Map depicting all compartment

locations for the project area.

Provided with task order

3.2 Stand, Acres

Summary Chart.

Table showing individual stand information, trees, shrubs, grass, herbaceous plants to be treated and herbicides to be used.

Provided with task order

3.3 Compartment Maps.

Individual maps with stand boundary delineations.

Provided with task order.

3.4 National Forest Map.

Provides road closure information and locations.

Provided with task order.

3.5 Access behind locked

gates

Some stands are behind Forest road closures (locked gated). The Government will provide access as appropriate. Refer to C-4.1.4.

During period stand is being examined.

C.4 CONTRACTOR WORK REQUIREMENTS AND STANDARDS

C.4.1 GENERAL

C.4.1.1 PERFORMANCE PERIODS

Multiple task order awards shall not change the required performance period for each item. If multiple items are awarded to one Offeror, the respective performance times shall run concurrently, not consecutively. Work may be performed on each item in succession, provided the required rate of progress is maintained. The Government shall issue a Notice to Proceed as soon as the weather and ground conditions are favorable for work. The count of contract time shall start on the date specified on the Notice to Proceed.

C.4.1.2 RATE OF PROGRESS

The Contractor shall maintain the rate of progress specified in the work plan portion of their Quality Control Plan. The minimum acceptable rate of progress shall occur when the percent of work completed falls within 20% of the time used.

C.4.1.3 ACCESS

The project area shall be access by State, County, or Forest roads. The Forest Service assumes no obligation to plow snow or do special maintenance to keep roads open. Stands are accessible by some combination of 2 or 4-wheel drive vehicle and foot travel. The Monongahela National Forest does not have any trails or areas designated for Off Highway Vehicle use. Motor Vehicle Use Maps can be found on the Monongahela National Forest web site.

The Contractor shall be responsible for obtaining all necessary permission, through privately owned land, to gain access to stand locations. If the Contractor cannot obtain permission to access a sample location, the Contractor must notify the Government in writing.

Vehicle access may be difficult or restricted. Stand locations may necessitate that the Contractor walk to the stand or acquire some other means of travel.

C.4.1.4 LOCKED GATES

In cases where stands are behind Forest Service locked gates, authorization for limited motorized use may be granted. All requests for motorized travel of closed roads must be submitted in writing to the COR for specific roads and specific periods of time. The Contractor will be responsible to ensure that gates remain closed and locked at all times and will be subject to all other restrictions of administrative use. The Contractor shall be permitted to drive from the locked gate to the stand with only the minimum number of vehicles necessary for efficient transport of the crew. No access to https://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/mnf/recreation/ohv https://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/mnf/recreation/ohv https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/mnf/maps-pubs contractors or employees will be allowed behind locked gates after periods of work. Motorized access will not be permitted behind locked gates during the first week of deer gun hunting season (usually the week of Thanksgiving Day).

Contractor shall adjust work schedule to take the closure time into consideration. No Suspend Work Orders will be issued; contract time will run during this period. Any misuse of this authorization may result in revocation of the permission.

C.4.2 CONTRACTOR FURNISHED UNIQUE SERVICES, ITEMS, PROPERTY

The contractor shall furnish all equipment (except for that listed as Government Furnished Property), labor, materials, transportation, supervision, and incidentals necessary to apply herbicide in accordance with this contract.

Tasks and Critical Subtasks:

1. Upon award of a task order, the Contractor shall submit a work plan and schedule for completing work on each project area on the Monongahela National Forest land according to the specifications of this contract.

2. Contractor shall perform work in accordance with the approved work plan and schedule.

3. Project Supervisor – The Contractor shall designate in writing one person on the job to act as the Project Supervisor, representing the company in all contractual matters and shall attend any pre-work meetings. The project supervisor is not required to be on site each day.

4. Certification – The contractor shall have a current commercial pesticide applicator license and a representative on site to supervise the project who holds a current pesticide use applicator license. The applicator licenses must be from the State of West Virginia or in a State with reciprocity with West Virginia.

5. Records – The Contractor shall maintain an accurate record of the herbicide used on each unit. After completing the contract the Contractor’s Project Supervisor will submit the records with the information to the COR daily.

C.5 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

For this contract, herbicide application is by hand applicator spraying and backpack spraying. No mechanical applications are implemented.

Information on specific trees and plants to be treated, the type of herbicide, application method, number of stems per acre to be treated, stem diameters, topography and access will be described in more detail in each task order.

The chemical composition of mixture and application rates shall be strictly adhered to. No changes to composition or application rates by the contractor will be allowed without prior, written approval of the COR.

C.5.1 HAND APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Stem Injection and Hack and Squirt

The stem injection and Hack and Squirt are methods for injecting the herbicide into the tree (following all the manufacturer’s recommendations). Hack and squirt involves cutting into the bark several times (typically with a hand held hatchet) around the tree to create small wounds (frills) that will hold the herbicide. Stem injection is the ‘hack and squirt’ method for larger diameter trees generally over 3 inches in diameter. These methods would not require personnel to completely sever and fall any larger, infected trees.

• Apply appropriate herbicide specified by the Forest Service representative to undesired trees and associated suckers within approximately 15 feet radius around the desired leave tree. The stem injection and Hack and Squirt methods will follow all the manufacturer’s recommendations including treatment and safety instructions.

Treated trees will be inspected and re-treated if needed to achieve the desired effects.

• When targeting beech trees, targeted spot spraying of beech sprouts may be needed to ensure successful kill of diseased infected beech trees.

• The stem injection treatments and hack and squirt can be applied to all stems >1.0 inch DBH to 8.0 inches DBH between June 1 and October 1.

Figure 1: “Hack and Squirt”

(Photo by L Burke, 2019)

Basal Spray

The basal bark treatment method will be utilized on smaller diameter trees generally under 6 inches in diameter. The basal bark treatment method general involves spot spraying or wiping the herbicide onto the cut surface or surface of the infected tree.

Basal spraying is a very effective treatment on small stems <6 inches diameter breast height. Target stems must be dry, free of snow to the ground line, and completely wetted on all side with the spray mixture. Basal spraying for treating relatively low numbers of small, thin-bark species like beech and striped maple because they require less spray.

• Spray completely around stems 12-15 inches above ground line to point of runoff.

• Treatment is applicable to stems <6.0 inches d.b.h. and treatments involving <1,000 stems per acre.

• Apply any time of the year stems are dry.

Figure 2: Basal Spray

(Kochenderfer et.al.2011)

Foliar Spray

Foliar sprays shall be applied by hand in accordance with the following instructions.

• The contractor shall use back pack sprayers and wand with an adjustable cone nozzle adjusted to a fine spray to apply the mixture.

• The contractor shall foliar spray all patches of Government designated species 60 square feet (8ft x 8ft) in size or greater.

• The contractor shall apply the herbicide mixture to the foliage of target species, wetting the foliage completely to the point of runoff.

• Application can be done June 15 to September 15 or dates to be determined by the COR. Treated foliage must be dry when herbicide is applied.

• Dye shall be added to the solution to mark areas sprayed.

Climatic Limitations. Foliar spraying operations shall not occur when any of the following conditions exist:

• Rain, fog, or morning dew causes moisture to drip from the foliage, or

• Stems to be treated are saturated with moisture, or

• Rain is anticipated within 30 minutes at the spray area. (Kochenderfer et.al., 2011)

Cut-Stump Treatments

Cut or re-cut the stump close to the soil surface, making the cut surface as flat as possible, and brush any sawdust or other debris off of the cut stump surface to prevent any interference with absorption. If the stump has a diameter of 3 inches or less, treat the entire surface. If it is larger, you only need to completely coat the outer few inches of the stump surface to cover the cambium layer, the ring next to the bark. Be aware that the unwanted woody vegetation you are treating may share a root system with nearby vegetation of the same species, so treating the stump of one plant may injure or kill the desirable plant. If an undesirable plant shares a root system with desirable vegetation, chemical treatment is not a viable option. Information on desired and undesired vegetation will be provided with each task order.

Properly timing tree or shrub cutting and the subsequent chemical treatment influences treatment effectiveness. For most effective control, cut down and treat vegetation when it is not under drought stress, and is actively growing and moving nutrients from the canopy down to the root system, in summer or fall. Apply herbicide as soon as possible after cutting the stump. If the surface begins to dry out, you can re-cut the stump to access a fresh surface (Kochenderfer et.al., 2011).

SUMMARY

• Treat stumps within 1 hour after cutting.

• Spray outer 2 inches of stump surface (Figure 3).

• Treatment is effective on all sizes of stumps.

• Root sprout mortality is greater around larger stumps.

• Do not use this treatment when stumps and nearby desirable trees are the same species. Desirable species will be identified in task orders.

• Treatment is weather dependent and is generally best applied from about June 1 to November 1.

• Do not apply during heavy sap flow (February through May).

Using a dye is recommended. Dyes enhance the coloration, makes it easier to keep track of treated stumps. It is necessary to wet only a 2-inch band encompassing the cambium layer on larger stumps while the entire surface of smaller stumps is sprayed (see Figure 4).

Figure 3: Herbicide applied to cambium of stump

Figure 4: Stump with dye added to herbicide

C.5.2 APPLICATION

Chemical site prep units have been traversed using a GPS receiver and have GIS shapefiles available. The units may also be painted and/or flagged with orange paint or orange ribbon.

Before beginning treatment in an area, the COR and the Contractor’s Representative will walk through the area to review special conditions or areas to avoid during spraying. Seeded roads, landings, or gravel pits will not be treated with herbicides.

Application of spray material shall be confined to the designated spray area. Buffer areas or places where spraying is not permitted will be identified by the COR prior to beginning a unit. The boundaries of these buffer areas may or may not have been painted or flagged. Required buffer distances for water quality are as follows:

• 100 feet wide along each side of perennial streams, impoundments, or intermittent streams flowing water the day of spraying

• 50 feet wide along each side of dry intermittent stream channels and spring seeps.

• 25 feet wide along each side of ephemeral stream channels and around wet areas having no defined outlet.

C.5.3 SAFETY

The Contractor or his/her Project Supervisor shall report all accidents or incidents associated with this contract to the COR within 24 hours. This report shall contain description, cause and future actions contemplated to avoid future occurrences.

Accidents, as used throughout this contract shall mean destruction or substantial damage to any motorized vehicle, and minor, serious or fatal injury to personnel.

Incidents, as used throughout the contract shall mean any mishap, malfunction, or situation involving equipment, supplies or personnel, which results in a deviation from standard procedures or has the potential or resulting in an accident, injury or death.

The Contractor shall comply with all Federal and State regulations for spraying herbicide.

The following safety rules will apply:

1. Read the safety information on the label.

2. Wear the proper protective clothing.

3. Keep first aid equipment and a supply of clean water readily available, including soap and eye wash equipment meeting OSHA regulations.

4. Do not work alone.

5. Haul only the needed amount of herbicide.

6. Stand upwind from the spray projects to avoid contaminating yourself.

7. Keep the container below eye level when pouring to avoid splashing or spilling any herbicide on the face or into the eyes.

8. If herbicides are spilled, stop immediately, wash contaminated area and remove contaminated clothing.

9. Wash hands after applying or mixing herbicides.

C.5.4 CARE AND HANDLING OF HERBICIDES

The Contractor shall be responsible for the security of all herbicide, equipment and material furnished for this project.

The Contractor shall protect the herbicide and take precautions to prevent loss or theft while it is in his custody. These measures shall include, but are not limited to the following:

1. The herbicide shall not be allowed to freeze.

2. Containers shall not be damaged to the extent that herbicide leaks are likely to occur.

3. The Contractor shall take precautions to prevent spills during transportation, mixing and handling.

Personnel handling herbicides shall wear protective clothing and or equipment as recommended by the herbicide manufacturer. The contractor will provide soap and water for personnel to wash with on the job site.

Herbicides shall not be applied or equipment cleaned outside of areas designated by the COR. Sites selected for mixing, loading, and cleaning of equipment shall be located so as to prevent contaminating streams, ponds, or spring seeps. The Forest Service will approve all such locations.

C.5.5 TRANSPORTATION OF HERBICIDES

Contractor is legally responsible for the safe transportation of herbicide.

The contractor shall follow travel routes designated by the COR when transporting herbicides from the public road system to the treatment sites. Transport vehicles shall be parked inside the treatment site in an area designated by the COR.

Transportation of chemicals used on the contract shall be in accordance with label instructions and generally approved and accepted procedures for safe transportation of herbicides. The following precautions as a minimum shall be taken by the Contractor to prevent spills, accidents, injury or theft.

1. Transport herbicide in the cargo compartment of a truck or other vehicle away from the passenger compartment.

2. No personnel shall be permitted to ride in the back of a vehicle with the herbicide.

3. Herbicide shall not be transported in the same compartment with food or clothing.

4. If any herbicide is spilled in or from the vehicle, it shall be cleaned up at once.

5. Maintain herbicides in secure conditions.

C.5.6 HERBICIDE SPILLS

Contractor shall be responsible for all costs for damages, clean up and decontamination should an herbicide spill occur.

If a spill occurs, every effort shall be made to keep it from contaminating water and other off-site areas. The spill shall be cleaned up as quickly as possible. Herbicide spills shall be handled in accordance with the standard procedures for spill cleanup (40CFR 117).

The Contractor must have a spill prevention and clean-up plan approved by the COR prior to starting work. Herbicide wasted through spills greater than 5 gallons of diluted product, or 1 quart of undiluted product must be report to the COR and the appropriate state and federal agencies immediately. This report shall contain description, causes, and future actions contemplated to avoid future occurrences.

C.5.7 STORAGE AND SECURITY

The Contractor shall be responsible for the storage and security of all government supplied materials furnished for this project when transporting and using the materials.

C.5.8 DISPOSAL OF HERBICIDE CONTAINERS

All empty containers will be rinsed 3 times, and rinse solution will be applied to the treatment site. Empty containers will be punctured and disposed of properly (according to label directions) by the Contractor. No empty containers will be left at the worksite.

C.5.9 RESOURCE PROTECTION

Upon completion of work at each area and prior to moving to the next area, all trash, rubbish and debris generated by the Contractor’s operations shall be removed from National Forest land and properly disposed of.

C.5.10 PROTECTION OF IMPROVEMENTS

The Contractor shall take every precaution necessary to prevent damage to any improvement in or near the contract areas, i.e., roads, trails, ditches, fences, etc. The Contractor shall be liable for any damages caused by his operations and shall make repairs promptly.

SECTION D – PACKAGING AND MARKING

{For this solicitation, there are NO clauses in this Section}

SECTION E – INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

E.1 INSPECTION PROCEDURES

Inspections of the work performed under this contract will be made as the work progresses by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). Inspection will be at intervals necessary to insure compliance with the contract.

E.2 SATISFACTORY TREATMENT

It is inherent that some trees will be improperly treated and some degree of allowance should be made for improper treatment when the area is otherwise considered satisfactory. Therefore, an allowance will be made for acceptance of an area as satisfactorily treated if at least 90% of the designated trees or unit area has been treated in accordance with the contract specifications.

The Contracting Officer Representative (COR) will make visual inspections while work is in progress for compliance with the terms of the contract.

The quality of application coverage will be determined by observing the indicator dye or colorant on the target vegetation surfaces, and/or visual observance of dying trees 3-6 weeks following herbicide applications.

If more than 90% of the target vegetation surfaces have been treated to specifications, it will be considered acceptable.

Tree damage will be determined by inspecting each crop tree on the inspection plot.

Work on this contract will be deemed acceptable when the Government’s visual inspections show acceptable performance and sample plot data indicated a work quality of 90% or higher.

E.3 MEANSUREMENT AND PAYMENT

E.3.1 METHOD OF MEASUREMENT

Acreage listed in the bid schedule is determined by GPS for this contract and is considered actual acreage.

The acreages shown in the Schedule of Items have not been reduced to account for inclusions of 1 acre or less which are unsuitable for spraying due to standing water or buffer strips (described in Section C.5.2 above). Though some of these inclusions exist within the project areas, no reduction will be made in the contract payment to account for them. All areas within units will be treated except for inclusions of 1 acre or less.

If during the field inspection, the COR notices a discrepancy trend developing, the Government may visit more sites.

These additional inspections will be used to determine if a discrepancy trend does exist. The COR shall notify the Contractor of the findings.

If any discrepancy trend continues in any quality assurance assessment(s), the contractor will be required to rework the area.

If the COR’s original quality assurance assessment results are unacceptable to the Contractor; the Contractor has the option to request, in writing, a re-assessment. Upon the requested re-assessment the Government will conduct a second visual inspection along with the collection of additional sample plot data. Requests for re-assessment shall be made within five (5) calendar days after receipt of non-compliance and shall contain documentation to support the probability that an error exists. The Contractor may accompany the Contracting Officer’s Representative during the re-assessment.

If the contractor requests a re-measurement of any unit and the results of the re-measurement show that the acreage is more than 15% different from original measurement, the Government will pay at the unit price for the number of acres shown on the re-measurement and the cost of the re-measurement itself. If, however, the re-measurement shows the acreage to be within the 15% allowable variation, payment will be for the original acreage for that unit and the contractor will pay for the cost of the re-measurement. The Forest Service will determine the method of re-measurement. The Forest Service will perform all re-measurements.

E.3.2 BASIS OF PAYMENT

Payment will be made at the unit bid price for the total number of acres satisfactorily completed and accepted.

The Contractor shall notify COR of completed payment items within seven (7) days after completion of work.

SECTION F – DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

F.1 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The performance period will be determined at the time of task order issuance.

The Contractor shall start work promptly after receipt of a Notice to Proceed. The Contractor shall maintain progress at a rate that will assure completion within the stated contract time.

The Contractor shall maintain progress at a rate that will assure completion within the performance period. The minimum acceptable rate of progress shall occur when the percent of work completed falls within 20% of the time used.

The Government will issue a Notice to Proceed as soon as weather, vegetation, and ground conditions are favorable for work on one or more of the areas. Contract time will start (1) on the date specified on the Notice to Proceed, if the notice is hand-delivered; or (2) contract time will start on the third-day after the post office has issued a Notice of Certified Mail to the Contractor. Failure of the Contractor to pick-up Certified Mail will not be considered excusable.

The Forest Service retains all rights available to it for late performance including termination for default.

Adverse weather and/or road conditions may prevent access to the work sites during the contract period. Upon written request, the Contracting Officer may authorize additional contract time if unusual adverse conditions occur.

SECTION G—CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

G.1 AGAR 452.215-73 POST AWRAD CONFERENCE (Nov 1996)

A post award conference with successful bidder is required. It will be scheduled after the date of contract award and prior to beginning work on the contract. The conference will be held at the Supervisor’s Office or at one of the Ranger District offices of the Monongahela National Forest.

SECTION H – SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

H.1 AGAR 452.237-74 KEY PERSONNEL (FEB 1988)

(a) The Contractor shall assign to this contract the following key personnel: Project Supervisor, Licensed Operator and WV certified pesticide applicator.

(b) During the first ninety (90) days of performance, the Contractor shall make no substitutions of key personnel unless the substitution is necessitated by illness, death, or termination of employment. The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer within 15 calendar days after the occurrence of any of these events and provide the information required by paragraph (c) below. After the initial 90-day period, the Contractor shall submit the information required by paragraph (c) to the Contracting Officer at least 15 days prior to making any permanent substitutions.

(c) The Contractor shall provide a detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the proposed substitutions, complete resumes for the proposed substitutes, and any additional information requested by the Contracting Officer.

Proposed substitutes should have comparable qualifications to those of the person being replaced. The Contracting Officer will notify the Contractor within 15 calendar days after receipt of all required information of the decision on substitutions. The contract will be modified to reflect any approved changes of key personnel.

SECTION I – CONTRACT CLAUSES

SECTION J – ATTACHMENTS

SECTION K – REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS

SECTION L – INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS OR RESPONDENTS

L.1 INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF TECHNICAL PROPOSALS

L.1.1 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

The Government intends to evaluate proposals and award a contract(s) without further negotiations or discussion, unless clarification is required. Therefore, the Offeror’s initial proposal should contain the Offeror’s best terms from a price and technical standpoint. The Government reserves the right to enter into discussions later, if the Contracting Officer deems that it is in the interest of the Government to do so.

L.1.2 TECHNICAL PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS

The technical proposal will be used to make an evaluation and arrive at a determination as to whether the proposal will meet the requirements of the Government. Therefore, the technical proposal must present sufficient information to reflect a thorough understanding of the requirements and a detailed description of the techniques, procedures, and program for achieving the objectives of the specifications and statement of work. Proposals that merely paraphrase the requirements of the Government’s specification/statement of work, or use phrases such as “will comply” or “standard techniques will be used” will be considered unacceptable and will not be considered further. At a minimum the proposal must clearly provide the items described in the Technical Proposal Content below.

L.1.2.1 TECHNICAL PROPOSAL FORMAT

The following specific information should be considered and included in the technical proposal. All proposals must address the standards described in Section C of this document. The salient parts of the successful proposal that deal with actual work performance, results, and methods will be incorporated by reference as a part of the contract.

1. Introduction, Table of Contents

2. Past Performance on Similar Projects

3. Project Methodology

a. Technical Merits

b. Quality Control Plan

c. Work Plan and Schedule

d. Camping and Worksite Plan

e. Safety Plan

f. Sustainable Acquisitions Plan

4. Experience of Key Personnel

L.1.2.2 TECHNICAL PROPOSAL CONTENT

The following specific information should be considered and included in the technical proposal.

1. Introduction and Table of Contents

a. Display the sections and subsections providing page numbers where they can be found within the body of the proposal.

2. Past Performance on Similar Projects

a. Provide a list of all similar contracts completed or begun during the past 3 years. Include the following information for each contact:

• Name of Contract;

• Contract Number;

• Total Contract Value;

• Completion Date, or stage of completion if still in progress;

• Contracting Officer’s Name, address, telephone;

• Name of any company if you subcontracted out this work, or Name of Prime Contractor if you acted as a subcontractor;

• Specific type of work, project location, size, etc.;

• Whether the project was completed timely;

• What the exam quality was, and if there was any work that received less than full pay or any penalties and the extent of rework conducted

b. Provide details on the quality of work performance on contracts listed above including past performance, production, and crew organization. List and discuss all work not paid at the full bid price. Address any specific performance failures that led to price reduction and any correction made.

c. Discuss whether the Contractor provided quality control inspections that were accepted for payment.

Explain any circumstances where the Government rejected the Contractor quality control inspections.

Note: In the case where an offeror lacks past performance experience, the offeror will not be evaluated either favorably or unfavorably in this but will receive a neutral rating in the area of past performance (FAR 15.305).

3. Project Methodology

a. Technical Merits – Chemical Site Preparation. Demonstrate your ability to achieve the desired results.

b. Quality Control Plan. Describe in detail your inspection procedures that reflect all aspects of the required work. State how your inspector will perform his/her duties to assure an impartial representation of work quality. In addition, specifically address these items:

• Describe your practice for assuring that the work meets performance standards.

• Describe how you will monitor quality while work is in progress

c. Work Plan and Schedule. Provide your general work plan including crew size, work schedule, and production rate that will allow you to complete the work to meet performance period for work you are proposing to do. A final Work Plan shall be submitted after contract award. Describe your alternative to mitigate for unforeseen reductions in crew size or production, e.g.:

• What alternative crews or crewmembers are available if needed and how soon can they be in place?

• What are your recruitment methods for additional crewmembers if they are needed?

d. Camping Plan and Worksite Plan. Provide a general Camping and Worksite Plan that demonstrates how you will keep the worksite clean during the site prep operation. A final plan will be due after contract award that addresses site specifics.

e. Safety Plan. Identify safety measures that will be implemented to assure the safety of workers and natural resources. Include plans for incident reporting, meeting the safety rules, the care and handling and transportation of herbicides and plans for dealing with herbicide spills as described in Sections C.5.3, C.5.4, C.5.5 and C.5.6.

f. Sustainable Acquisition Plan. Describe plan to procure products and services from suppliers to ensure product quality and reliability at competitively priced and/or reduced costs.

• Explain how day-to-day operations are accomplished with a particular focus on the environment.

• Provide a plan which addresses:

1. Recycling containers;

2. Reusing of containers;

3. Reduction of products used during the completion of the project;

4. Use of bio-based products in concert with the herbicide application.

4. Experience of Key Personnel

a. Identify all Key Personnel by name, title, roles and responsibilities and state their availability. Provide WV business license and number and WV pesticide applicator license and number for one or more of the following categories are held by one person, indicate who and which categories they fulfill. Concisely describe the training and experience of each Key Personnel. In addition, include the following qualifiers.

• Contractor Representative. State his/her authority to bind the Contractor. What experience and training does he or she have in recognizing tree species that may be encountered in this contract?

• Foreman. Specifically state his/her chemical site preparation and supervision experience and training methods for new crewmembers. Describe the pesticide application knowledge and ability as the onsite supervisor. What experience and training does the foreman have in recognizing tree species that may be encountered in this contract?

• Inspector. Specify his/her experience in inspecting similar projects on Forest Service contracts.

Describe the forestry knowledge of the inspector. What experience and training does she/he have in recognizing tree species that may be encountered in this contract?

SECTION M – EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

M.1 AWARD DETERMINATION

The Contracting Office will review all proposals to determine initial acceptability of the offerors’ proposals. This review will ensure that the proposals are complete, were prepared in accordance with the instructions, and meet all requirements set forth in the specifications. If proposals are initially acceptable, two separate teams will further evaluate the proposals.

The technical evaluation team will evaluate the technical proposal. The contract specialist assigned to this acquisition will simultaneously evaluate the business/price proposal. The teams will evaluate the proposals using the evaluation factors listed in this section. All proposals found initially acceptable will be ranked with only the most highly ranked proposals suitable for award or further consideration. The Government reserves the right to reject any or all offers if such action is determined to be in the best interest of the Government. Any proposal found initially unacceptable shall be rejected and the offeror notified of that rejection.

If proposals have the information to be considered in the technical proposal and are determined to be acceptable, the Contracting Officer determines that award without discussions is suitable, then award will be made to those offeror(s) that provide the best value to the Government based on technical, price and consideration of other non-price factors.

Therefore, proposals should be submitted initially on the most favorable terms from a price and technical standpoint that the offeror can submit to the Government.

However, if proposals continue to be acceptable and the Contracting Officer determines that award can only be achieved with discussions, and then the Contracting Officer will make a competitive range determination. Those offerors whose proposals are not within the competitive range will be notified that their proposals were not ranked sufficiently high enough to be considered for award and no further modification will be considered.

A team of technical, procurement, and legal representatives may conduct negotiations with those offerors remaining in the competitive range. After negotiations are completed, the offerors will be provided with an opportunity to submit a final proposal revision in accordance with FAR 15.306. The Final Proposal Revisions will be evaluated against the same evaluation factors as the initial proposals.

Award(s) will be made to the most highly ranked offeror(s) (1) whose total proposal is technically acceptable and consistent with Section C, has demonstrated past performance in meeting customers’ orders with acceptable herbicide application work, gained customer satisfaction, and (2) whose past performance and technical/cost relationship presents the BEST VALUE and is the most advantageous to the Government.

Award may not necessarily be made for technical capabilities that would appear to exceed those needed for successful performance of the work. The Government reserves the right to make tradeoffs that are in the best interest, best value, and advantageous to the Government.

The Adjectival Ranking system noted below will be applied to each factor/subfactor identified in the evaluation criteria. The evaluation criteria are established below under Evaluation Factors.

Adjective Ranking

Outstanding- Very comprehensive, in depth, clear response, uniformly outstanding in quality. Consistently high quality performance can be expected.

Excellent- Extensive, detailed response to all requirements, similar to outstanding in quality, but with minor areas of unevenness or spottiness. “Minor areas of unevenness or spottiness” relates to quality inconsistent with the majority of the proposal or omissions that have a minor impact in accomplishing the function.

Good- The response meets all minimum requirements, generally is of acceptable quality; problem areas consist of minor weaknesses that would not affect contract performance.

Fair- The response marginally meets all minimum requirements.

Unsatisfactory- Fails to meet with the basic evaluation criteria requirements.

Award may be made without further negotiations. Proposals should be submitted initially on the most favorable terms, from a price and technical standpoint, which the bidder can submit to the Government. However, the Government may, after evaluation of proposals, conduct further oral or written discussions as appropriate, with all bidders whose proposals are within the competitive range