Attachment_2-_Performance_Work_Statement.pdf

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

Production of Native Shrub and Grass Plugs, Wahluke NWR,WA

1. GENERAL: This is a non-personal services contract to provide seed and grow native shrubs and grass plugs for the purpose of rehabilitation on the Saddle Mountain Unit at Hanford Reach National Monument. The Government shall not exercise any supervision or control over the contract service providers performing the services herein.

Such contract service providers shall be accountable solely to the Contractor who, in turn is responsible to the Government.

1.1 Description of Services/Introduction: The Contractor shall provide all personnel, supplies, facilities, necessary to complete the project as defined in this Performance Work Statement. The Contractor shall perform to the standards in this contract.

1.2 Background: We are seeking a vendor to grow native shrub and grass plugs at a nursery Contract award through mid-December 2025. The Contractor will grow the seedling plugs and lift and pack for delivery in the fall/winter of December 2025 or January 2026. Plants should be cold hardened for dormancy prior to delivery, but not frozen. All efforts should be made to allow plants to achieve natural dormancy prior to harvest. If this is not possible, plants will be cooled slowly over time in cold storage so that dormancy is achieved. Frozen plants will be rejected on delivery.

1.3 Objectives: The project will consist of planting native shrub and grass seedlings to create islands in the burned area and to rehabilitate impacted shrub-steppe communities for sensitive wildlife species, and to prevent non-native species invasion.

1.4 Scope:

• The Contractor shall deliver all plants listed below in specified quantities.

Wyoming sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) 65,000 Antelope bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata) 15,000 Rubber rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa) 10,000 Yellow rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus) 10,000 Sandberg’s bluegrass (Poa secunda) 45,000 Bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata) 6,000 Thickspike wheatgrass (Elymus lanceolatus) 2,000

• All seed source(s) for plant material production must be sourced from the Columbia Plateau Ecoregion. All substitutions must be pre-approved by USFWS.

• The seed will be certified “weed free,” indicating there are no noxious weeds in the seed.

• Shrub and grass plugs will be grown in 8” or 10” tubing container stock, as contracted by the USFWS.

• Container stock roots should completely fill the container. Container stock should have a minimum of 5 cm in top height.

• Plants should be in general good quality, with good overall plant condition, as determined as a product of the root condition.

• Plants shall not be mowed, trimmed, or otherwise modified or manipulated to meet the size specifications.

Other manipulations required for harvest and/or deliver shall be discussed with and approved by USFWS prior to implementation by the grower/supplier.

1.5 Period of Performance: The Contractor must schedule and coordinate the timing of the application with the Service and must maintain flexibility to adjust the timing of the application based on weather. The Period of Performance reads as follows: Contract award through mid-December 2025.

1.6 General Information: The Contractor should contact USFWS prior to delivery to verify delivery site and date(s).

The delivery location is anticipated to be ALE Shop Rattlesnake Unit at UTM coordinates 46.391387 N, 119.533456 W. This building is behind a locked gate, and a loading dock is not available. USFWS staff will be present at time of delivery. Individual project coordination will be coordinated with sufficient time for the nursery to grow and supply the desired grass and shrubs typically for the November/December/January planting timeline. There is no cold storage facility available. As such delivery dates may be required during the period prior to planting.

1.6.1 Quality Control: The Contractor shall develop and maintain an effective quality control program to ensure services are performed in accordance with this PWS. The Contractor shall develop and implement procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure non-recurrence of defective services. The Contractor’s quality control program is means by which he assures himself that his work complies with the requirement of the contract.

1.6.2 Quality Assurance: USFWS will sample delivered plants to assess root and overall plant condition. Plants determined to be of poor quality or worse will be rejected.

1.6.3 Recognized Holidays: The Federal Government observes the following holidays. If work is to be performed on/in a government facility, please note performance cannot occur on those days.

New Year’s Day Labor Day Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday Columbus Day President’s Day Veteran’s Day Memorial Day Thanksgiving Day Independence Day Christmas Day Juneteenth Day National Independence Day

1.6.4 Hours of Operation: If work is to be performed on/in a government facility, the Contractor is responsible for conducting business, between the hours of 7:30am -4:00pm, Monday thru Friday except Federal holidays or when the Government facility is closed due to local or national emergencies, administrative closings, or similar Government directed facility closings. For other than firm fixed price contracts, the Contractor will not be reimbursed when the government facility is closed for the above reasons.

1.6.5 Place of Performance: The Contractor should contact USFWS prior to delivery to verify location site and date.

The delivery location is anticipated to be the ALE Shop Rattlesnake Unit at UTM coordinates 46.391387 N,

119.533456 W. This building is behind a locked gate, and a loading dock is not available. USFWS staff will be present at time of delivery.

The physical address of the administrative office for Hanford Reach National Monument is 64 Maple Street, Burbank, WA 99323.

1.6.6 Type of Contract: The government will award a firm-fixed price contract.

1.6.7 Security Requirements: N/A

1.6.7.1 PHYSICAL Security: N/A

1.6.7.2 Key Control: The building is behind a locked gate.

1.6.7.3 Lock Combinations: N/A. USFWS personnel will be onsite and provide access to the area.

1.6.8 Special Qualifications: N/A

1.6.9 Post Award Conference/Periodic Progress Meetings: N/A

1.6.10 Contracting Officer Representative (COR): N/A

1.6.11 Key Personnel: N/A

1.6.12 Identification of Contractor Employees: All contract personnel attending meetings, answering Government telephones, and working in other situations where their contractor status is not obvious to third parties are required to identify themselves as such to avoid creating an impression in the minds of members of the public that they are Government officials. They must also ensure that all documents or reports produced by contractors are suitably marked as contractor products or that contractor participation is appropriately disclosed.

1.6.13 Contractor Travel: N/A

1.6.14 Data Rights: The Government has unlimited rights to all documents/material produced under this contract.

All documents and materials, to include the source codes of any software, produced under this contract shall be Government owned and are the property of the Government with all rights and privileges of ownership/copyright belonging exclusively to the Government. These documents and materials may not be used or sold by the contractor without written permission from the Contracting Officer. All materials supplied to the Government shall be the sole property of the Government and may not be used for any other purpose. This right does not abrogate any other Government rights.

1.6.15 Organizational Conflict of Interest: Contractor and subcontractor personnel performing work under this contract may receive, have access to or participate in the development of proprietary or source selection information (e.g., cost or pricing information, budget information or analyses, specifications, or work statements, etc.) or perform evaluation services which may create a current or subsequent Organizational Conflict of Interests (OCI) as defined in FAR Subpart 9.5. The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer immediately whenever it becomes aware that such access or participation may result in any actual or potential OCI and shall promptly submit a plan to the Contracting Officer to avoid or mitigate any such OCI. The Contractor’s mitigation plan will be determined to be acceptable solely at the discretion of the Contracting Officer and in the event the Contracting Officer unilaterally determines that any such OCI cannot be satisfactorily avoided or mitigated, the Contracting Officer may affect other remedies as he or she deems necessary, including prohibiting the Contractor from participation in subsequent contracted requirements which may be affected by the OCI.

PART 2

DEFINITIONS & ACRONYMS

2. DEFINITIONS AND ACRONYMS:

2.1. DEFINITIONS: Columbia Plateau Ecoregion: the area of land and associated plant communities that lies in and around the Columbia/Snake/Yakima River basins of Washington, Oregon and Idaho as defined by the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency (Level III Ecoregions of the Continental United States).

2.1.1. CONTRACTOR. A supplier or vendor awarded a contract to provide specific supplies or service to the government. The term used in this contract refers to the prime.

2.1.2. CONTRACTING OFFICER. A person with authority to enter, administer, and or terminate contracts, and make related determinations and findings on behalf of the government. Note: The only individual who can legally bind the government.

2.1.3. CONTRACTING OFFICER'S REPRESENTATIVE (COR). An employee of the U.S. Government appointed by the contracting officer to administer the contract. Such appointment shall be in writing and shall state the scope of authority and limitations. This individual has authority to provide technical direction to the Contractor as long as that direction is within the scope of the contract, does not constitute a change, and has no funding implications. This individual does NOT have authority to change the terms and conditions of the contract.

2.1.4. DEFECTIVE SERVICE. A service output that does not meet the standard of performance associated with the Performance Work Statement.

2.1.5. DELIVERABLE. Anything that can be physically delivered but may include non-manufactured things such as meeting minutes or reports.

2.1.6. KEY PERSONNEL. Contractor personnel that are evaluated in a source selection process and that may be required to be used in the performance of a contract by the Key Personnel listed in the PWS. When key personnel are used as an evaluation factor in best value procurement, an offer can be rejected if it does not have a firm commitment from the persons that are listed in the proposal.

2.1.7. PHYSICAL SECURITY. Actions that prevent the loss or damage of Government property.

2.1.8. QUALITY ASSURANCE. The government procedures to verify that services being performed by the Contractor are performed according to acceptable standards.

2.1.9. QUALITY ASSURANCE Surveillance Plan (QASP). N/A

2.1.10. QUALITY CONTROL. All necessary measures taken by the Contractor to assure that the quality of a product or service shall meet contract requirements.

2.1.11. SUBCONTRACTOR. One that enters a contract with a prime contractor. The Government does not have privity of contract with the subcontractor.

2.1.12. WORKDAY. The number of hours per day the Contractor provides services in accordance with the contract.

2.1.12. WORK WEEK. Monday through Friday, unless specified otherwise.

2.2. ACRONYMS:

COR Contracting Officer Representative COTR Contracting Officer's Technical Representative COTS Commercial-Off-the-Shelf FAR Federal Acquisition Regulation CO Contracting Officer OCI Organizational Conflict of Interest POC Point of Contact PRS Performance Requirements Summary PWS Performance Work Statement QA Quality Assurance QAP Quality Assurance Program QASP Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan QC Quality Control QCP Quality Control Program TE Technical Exhibit Service U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

3. CONTRACTOR FURNISHED ITEMS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

3.1 General: The Contractor shall provide all seed, materials, equipment, and facility needed to complete the project.

4. APPLICABLE PUBLICATIONS (CURRENT EDITIONS)

4.1. The Contractor must abide by all applicable regulations, publications, manuals, and local policies and procedures.

Performance Requirements Summary The contractor service requirements are summarized into performance objectives that relate directly to mission essential items. The performance threshold briefly describes the minimum acceptable levels of service required for each requirement. These thresholds are critical to mission success.

Performance Objective (The Service required—usually a shall statement)

Standard Performance Threshold (This is the maximum error rate. It could possibly be “Zero deviation from standard”)

Method of Surveillance

PRS # 1

The Contractor will ensure all seed for plant material production is sourced from the Columbia Plateau Ecoregion.

Zero deviation from standard unless preapproved by USFWS.

PRS # 2

The Contractor shall supply the following plants in the given sizes and quantities directed by USFWS.

Zero deviation from standard.

100%

PRS # 3

Plants should be of general good quality, with good overall plant condition and relatively uniform in size as directed by USFWS.

Zero deviation from standard.

100%

Standard