Attachment 1 Upland Raptor Survey Performance Work Statement.pdf

US Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Performance Work Statement

Contents Project Title General Information

1.0 Background and Purpose

2.0 Definitions

Contractor Requirements

3.0 Technical Requirements /Tasks

4.0 Deliverable / Schedule

5.0 Performance Requirement Measures ............................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

Project Title Insert Project Title Here

General Information

1.0 Background and Purpose

The purpose of the Forest Raptor/Nest Survey service contract is to conduct Broadcast Acoustical Surveys (BAS) to identify and locate forest raptor species and associated nest structures within areas that are part of timber removal and rehabilitation area acres. These areas are located within aspen stands in the Dolores Ranger District. The project area covers a total of 1,927 acres with bids all-inclusive of solicitation specifications.

Award of acreage/unit will be decided on an individual basis. All acres/units in the schedule of items should be quoted. Units are located on USFS (Public) Land West, North, and Southeast of the town of Dolores, CO. The Mancos-Dolores Ranger District is responsible for the project. The locations and boundary of the treatment unit is shown on the Contract Area Map in the solicitation. Contractors are to provide all labor, supplies and equipment to implement both the mandatory items as well as optional items.

2.0 Definitions

Acceptable Quality Level (AQL): The allowable leeway or variance from a standard before the Government will reject the specific service. As long as the percent of defective performance does not exceed the AQL, the service will not be rejected by the Government. The Contractor, however, must reperform the defective service when possible.

Broadcast Acoustical Survey: Grid survey at 200-meter interval conducted utilizing a digital caller that can broadcast recorded raptor calls. Surveys should be conducted from one half-hour after civil sunrise to one half-hour before civil sunset. *BAS should NOT be conducted when it is actively raining, and winds are greater that 15mph.

CLIN: Purchase order Line Item.

Contracting Officer (CO): Individual with authority to bind the Government with their signature on the Purchase order.

Contracting Officer Representative (COR): Individual(s) designated to act on the behalf of the CO within the delegation given them in writing.

Walk Through Survey: Walking surveys on a 200-meter grid that are completed in a fashion that covers the project area where the main objective is looking for nest structures.

Period of performance (also PoP, Performance Period or Purchase order Time): All calendar days allowed for completion of the Purchase order work. Includes all days of the week including weekends and holidays.

Quality Assurance: Those actions taken by the Government to check goods or services to determine that they meet the requirements found in the Purchase order and all attachments listed in Section J.

Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP): An organized written document used for quality assurance surveillance. The document contains information about how the Government will assess performance, checklists, and may contain decision tables.

Quality Control: Those actions taken by the Contractor to control the production of goods or services so that they will meet the requirements of the Purchase order and all attachments listed in Section J.

Refer to FAR clause(s) 52.246-4—Inspection of Services—Fixed Price and FAR 52.246-12—Inspection of Construction, and Contractors Quality Control Plan.

Quality Control Plan (QCP): Contractor’s plan for self-monitoring work prior to the Government inspection and acceptance.

Raptor: A raptor can include Northern Goshawk, Sharp-shin Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, Red-tailed hawk, Osprey, Golden Eagle or Bald Eagle, and Peregrine Falcon. Also included are any owl species.

(Acceptable) Service: A job performed to the standard and within the AQL. The Contractor must do the specific job, and meet the standard, and meet the AQL before one can say that performance has been acceptable and that the Contractor should be paid.

Survey Blocks: Areas where contract work will be completed as delineated on the Contract area map.

Survey Unit: Smaller defined areas within survey blocks that allow for prioritization of areas based on access and habitat type where contract work will be completed.

Contractor Requirements

3.0 Technical Requirements /Tasks

Contractors are to provide all labor, supplies and equipment to implement both the mandatory items as well as optional units. The service contract includes mandatory and optional units for which BAS surveys will be conducted using the appropriate protocols provided below in detail. The Forest Service will provide survey-forms with all required components for recording of call survey data and nest structure data. These forms will be generated in and available for ESRI Survey123 software/app. Contractor must collect data using Survey123 on any digital platform they prefer (Android/Apple). Upon conducting the surveys and collecting the required data Contractors are to provide GPS data deliverables including: gps tracts of nest searches, call survey locations, and nest locations in ESRI shapefile format (*.shp).

Survey Areas

ITEM

Supplies/services (Survey Type)

Survey Window QTY

UNIT

MANDATORY BID ITEMS

Spring Survey Block

WTS September 30th-

December 31st, 2024 189

AC

OPTIONAL BID ITEMS

Jersey Survey Block

BAS April 1st- August 31st, 2025 537

AC

Mavreeso Survey Block

BAS April 1st- August 31st, 2025 841

AC

Turkey Survey Block

BAS April 1st- August 31st, 2025 360

AC

Broadcast Acoustical Surveys

1. Utilize protocol guidelines within the Northern Goshawk (NOGO) Inventory and Monitoring Technical Guide (USDA, 2006) to determine presence of NOGO and other woodland raptors (including but not limited to; Sharp-shin, Cooper’s, and red-tailed hawks, and various owl species). These surveys can be conducted from April 1 – 31, 2025. Protocol specifics are attached to contract document. The Forest Service wildlife biologist will provide call locations to be conducted in a 200-meter grid as explained in the Technical Guide.

Contractors are to provide GPS data deliverables including: gps tracts of nest searches, call survey locations, and nest locations in ESRI shapefile format (*.shp). The Forest Service will provide a survey-forms with all required components for recording of call survey data, nest structure data and walk through data. These forms will be generated in and available for ESRI Survey123 software/app.

Contractor must collect data using Survey123 on any digital platform they prefer (Android/Apple).

Survey technicians shall have experience detecting and identifying Sharp-shinned Hawks, Cooper’s Hawks, Red-tailed hawks and Northern Goshawks by sight and sound. Technicians must also be able to determine if other birds (such as Jays) are mimicking woodland raptor calls.

Survey technicians will be required to identify nest structures, plucking posts, and if a nest belongs to a woodland raptor utilizing identification markers such as feather types that may be present, carcasses of small mammals, birds nearby or under a nest structure, placement of fresh vegetation on nest, size of nest and structural make up of nest, and presence of white-wash.

Survey technician shall have experience identifying a raptor nest from a squirrel or raven.

Walk through Surveys The WTS will be exclusively used between September 30 – December 31, 2024.

The main objective of these surveys is identification of woodland raptor nest structures. Contractors will walk through a survey area based on a 200-meter grid that will cover the entire area and provides them a full visual inventory. Areas that have a more open understory and overstory may allow for bigger gaps between survey lines, where areas with a denser overstory and thick understory would require survey lines to be closer. Ability to identify species by sight is a must. Ability to identify a species by call is desirable, but not necessary while conducting walk through surveys.

Data Collection Requirements

Geolocation information shall be collected for each point a BAS has been conducted. Geolocation will be collected for any identified nest structures. Survey forms are to be completed at all BAS points, and when a nest structure is identified. Data shall be submitted by Close of Business (COB) on each Friday of a standard M-F work week. If the contractor is working within an area without access to a network to submit data, the contractor will submit the data within two days of returning into an area with network service.

Contractors are to provide GPS data deliverables including: GPS tracts of nest searches, call survey locations, and nest locations in ESRI shapefile format (*.shp). The Forest Service will provide a survey-forms with all required components for recording of call survey data, nest structure data and walk through data. These forms will be generated in and available for ESRI Survey123 software/app.

Contractor must collect data using Survey123 on any digital platform they prefer (Android/Apple).

RESOURCE PROTECTION STANDARDS

Water Quality- The following measures shall be observed to protect stream courses:

1. The Contractor vehicle operations shall stay on roads designated for their specific vehicle type (truck, ATV/UTV, etc.).

2. Wet Period Restrictions Forest Service “all-weather” roads with a gravel or paved surface can be operated on during most weather conditions except extremely wet periods. All other roads and trails are native surface. Travel on native surface roads and trails with equipment is restricted when the soil is saturated. Soils are too wet when the moisture content exceeds the plastic limit. If soils within 6 inches of the surface can be rolled into threads 3 millimeters in diameter without breaking or crumbling the soils are too wet for operations. If the soils are saturated such that ruts 4 inches or deeper and 10 feet long are created by vehicles, the Contractor shall cease operations in that area. If conditions persist, the COR may suspend the Contract until the soils dry out or freeze.

Other Resource Protection All activities associated with this project shall be conducted in such a manner that there shall not be any adverse impact to the following resources listed.

1. Surface Conditions - Wheeled motorized equipment shall not be operated when conditions are muddy, or the soil moisture is high enough for the vehicles to leave ruts over 4.0 inches in height for 10 ft or more.

When/If such conditions are encountered, the Contractor shall stop work and immediately notify the

COR/PI.

2. Litter- Contractor shall clean-up all generated litter and dispose of it at an approved sanitary landfill or other location and in a manner approved by the CO/COR.

3. Protection of Improvements and Survey Monuments- The Contractor(s) shall avoid any damage to improvements such as, but not limited to, fences, gates, utility poles, survey markers or monuments, claim stakes, survey witness trees and cultural sites. The Contractor will be required to repair or pay fair market value to replace any damaged improvements.

Quality Control Plan. The Contractor shall provide a Quality Control Plan (QCP) within 10 calendar days after contract award.

The general Quality Control Plan must demonstrate how the Contractor will assure quality meets the requirements and specifications of the contract. It shall specify how quality will be monitored to assure the performance standards are met; the supervision of crew and work; and the personnel that will be performing the quality control. Quality control includes the monitoring of quality data and identification of nest structures, raptor identification, and survey timing.

Safety Plan - The Contractor shall provide a Safety Plan within 10 calendar days after award of contract.

The Safety Plan should address the specific hazards of the work site. The Contractor shall identify the specific conditions that s/he considers is a hazard. The Safety Plan shall also address the personal protective equipment and mitigating measures the Contractor will do to increase safety on the worksite.

Pertinent information may include location of local emergency care facilities, contact information for employees should an accident occur at the worksite, etc.

A copy of the Safety Plan shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer for the contract file. The Contractor’s Safety Plan is neither approved nor disapproved by the government but will be provided to OSHA when requested.

Mandatory Units should be quoted for implementation of BAS; for which protocols are defined in this document under the “Definition and Specific Tasks” sections. All surveys should be conducted from one half-hour after civil sunrise to one half-hour before civil sunset.

Optional Units should be quoted for implementation of BAS; for which protocols are defined in this document under the “Definition and Specific Tasks” sections. All surveys should be conducted from one half-hour after civil sunrise to one half-hour before civil sunset.

Treatment Units: The locations and boundaries of the survey blocks are as shown on the Contract Area Maps (see attached). All bid items in the schedule provided above should be quoted OR will not be considered a responsive bid.

Boundaries: The boundaries will be provided using ESRI shapefiles in UTM projection.

Access to Project Area and all units: Contract Area is located on the Dolores Ranger District of the San Juan National Forest, Dolores, Colorado 81323. Access to units will be from Colorado state highways, county roads, and forest service roads and trails. These are identified on the Contract Area Map (See attached).

The office address of the Dolores Ranger District is as follows: 29211 Hwy 184, Dolores, CO 81323

4.0 Deliverable / Schedule

Key Deliverables Item No.

Deliverable / Item Title

Description Frequency Reference Delivery Format

Due By

1 Broadcast Acoustical Surveys/Walk-through surveys

Data input into Survey123 of call locations completed, WTS tracking lines, and identified raptor nests.

Daily Via Survey123 and ArcGIS online.

Data should be synched as often as service allows and a minimum of once per week.

4.0 Deliverable / Schedule