Attachment B Scope of Work.pdf

Attachment B Scope of Work

NC25-35

PROJECT: SABIE MOUNTAIN – Lop and Scatter – BLM LOCATION: Juab and Tooele Counties, approximately 7 miles west of Eureka, Utah.

Introduction: West Desert District - Bureau of Land Management (WDD-BLM) is acquiring services in this contract to provide for wildland fire hazard reduction and wildlife habitat restoration by mechanically removing standing live juniper trees and saplings using hand crews with chainsaws (lop & scatter). This task order requires the Contractor to furnish labor, equipment, supervision, transportation, operating supplies and incidentals. Project area totals approximately 1,473 acres as identified on attached site map.

SECTION I – CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

SITE SPECIFICS:

Location and Description: Work under this Contract is located near the West Tintic Mountains in Juab and Tooele Counties, Utah. The town of Eureka is approximately 7 miles to the east. The total number of acres identified for treatment within the project area is approximately 1,289. The work location is shown on the general location and site maps. Elevations range from 6,100 to 7,700 feet within the project site. Slope ranges from 5% to 50%, however, the majority of the work area is <10%. The work will occur on Federal (BLM) and State (Utah Trust Lands). Rocky areas are present but not consistent throughout the project area. The contractor will be compensated for actual treated acreage of the task order.

Acreage: Approximately 1,473.

Access to the site: The Sabie Mountain project is in Juab and Tooele Counties near the West Tintic Mountains.

Take Interstate 15 south from Salt Lake City to Santaquin. Head west on Hwy 6 past the town of Eureka. At the junction of Hwy 36 and 6 turn west. Continue west for approximately 5.9 miles then turn left (southwest) onto Hiskey Road. Once across the railroad tracks you can go either left or right to access treatment polygons.

Access is by a combination of dirt surface roads and jeep trails. Four (4) wheel drive vehicles are recommended in and around the project area. It will be the contractor’s responsibility to get the equipment to the work site.

SPECIFIC TASKS:

Work Limits: Only areas shown on the Project Map will be treated. The project areas are identified with GPS unit. It will be the contractor’s responsibility to provide a GPS that is capable of loading project areas from a computer. Unit boundaries will not be flagged.

The Contractor shall immediately upon entering the project area, begin work, locate control points, section corners, and take such action to prevent their destruction.

Cutting: This is a lop and scatter contract. All standing live juniper and pinyon trees < 16” diameter (measured at 12” off the ground) and saplings are to be removed by hand unless they meet the description of a leave tree (defined below). Boles are to be completely severed from the stump with a stump height not to exceed 6 inches measured from the uphill side. All main branches or stems shall be cut from the trunk of the tree to meet scattering requirements. No live limbs shall be left on the stump of cut trees. The cut juniper slash will be scattered to avoid dense concentrations. Slash must be scattered so that all remaining materials are less than 2 feet tall measured from the ground. Cut material left on site shall not exceed 48” in length.

Leave Trees: Leave trees are defined as bearing trees, old-growth, or wildlife trees. Old-growth trees are defined as large, single stemmed junipers (generally greater than 16” in diameter at ground level) having old-growth characteristics. Wildlife trees are trees with nests showing signs of recent activity or trees with a large nest (nest is greater than 36” in diameter). The contractor will be responsible for identifying and leaving bearing trees, wildlife trees, and large trees with old-growth characteristics once they have been oriented on site by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). The COR will meet with the contractor on site and provide a more detailed written and oral description of wildlife trees, trees with old-growth characteristics and bearing trees.

CONTRACTOR FURNISHED EQUIPMENT:

Equipment Requirements:

The Contractor shall furnish chainsaws on a fully operational basis, with competent, fully qualified operators, and shall meet the following specifications:

1. Must provide a minimum of a 10-man crew.

2. Be capable of cutting live juniper trees at six (6) inches above ground level on the uphill side.

3. Equipment shall be free of fluid leaks and be in good operating condition.

GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY:

No Government property shall be furnished on this project.

EQUIPMENT AND WORKMANSHIP:

All equipment and/or materials incorporated into the work covered by this contract shall be of the most suitable grade for the purpose intended, unless otherwise specifically provided in this contract. All work under this contract shall be performed in a skillful and workmanlike manner. The State may require, in writing, that the contractor remove from the work any employee deemed by the State to be incompetent, careless, or otherwise objectionable.

Tests for Uniformity: The Project Inspector will make tests to determine the uniformity of the lop and scatter operation.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS:

1. Project sites shall be cleaned up, and all refuse removed by the Contractor. The Contractor shall be responsible for disposal of materials in a manner consistent with State, Federal and local laws and for all expenses incurred with disposal. Public or private access roads damaged by the Contractor shall be restored at the Contractors expense to the same condition they were in at the commencement of work.

2. Use of 2-wheel and 4-wheel vehicles is permitted in the project areas. Off-road driving will be prohibited when soils are wet and rutting may occur.

3. Hazardous Materials:

A. Use of Hazardous Materials and/or petroleum products requires that all appropriate State and Federal Regulations be complied with including, but not limited to, Materials Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) on hand and use of necessary Personal Protective Clothing (PPE).

B. On-site disposal of Hazardous Materials or Waste including hydrocarbons is not authorized. On-site disposal will subject the contractor to at least the cost of reclamation and the appropriate disposal of contaminated soil.

C. Incidental (de minimus) leaks from fittings, gaskets or ruptured hoses will not subject the contractor to remedial requirements. They will be considered to be normal and unavoidable losses. Continual leaks will be noted on inspection reports and correction through maintenance required.

D. Maintenance and repair operations that require the draining of engines or hydraulic systems may be conducted on site only if the fluids are captured, containerized, and removed from public lands for proper disposal.

PUBLIC ACCESS:

Access into and through the project site shall remain open to the public at all times. The Contractor shall maintain roadways free of vehicles, tools and debris.

SECURITY OF EQUIPMENT AND PROPERTY:

The Contractor may leave equipment at the work site, however, the Contractor shall be solely responsible for protection of equipment and is solely responsible if the equipment is lost, stolen or damaged.

CREW SUPERVISION:

1. Contractor shall designate one English literate supervisor whom will be on-site during operation hours.

Supervisors shall be identified during the pre-work conference. Any changes in supervisory designations must be submitted in writing to the Project manager at least 24 hours prior to the change taking effect.

2. Person designated by the Contractor, as supervisor must remain with and effectively directs the crew by

(1) making periodic inspections of the crew’s work, (2) advising them as to improper work methods, (3) providing instructions for correcting any improper work methods encountered.

3. Emergency transportation will be provided by the Contractor at all times.

WORK CAMPS:

Work camps may be established only in location authorized in advance by the Project Manager in coordination with the Government. Should such a camp be authorized, the Contractor shall maintain the camp in an orderly and sanitary manner. Upon vacating a camp and prior to final payment, the Contractor shall remove all refuse and other signs of occupancy to the satisfaction of the Project Manager.

WORK HOURS:

Work hours under this contract shall be limited to the time between one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset each day. Work hours may extend into darkness only when the contractor’s equipment is suitably outfitted with exterior lighting sufficient to allow safe operation; AND only when mutually agreed upon between the contractor and the project manager. Work may be done on Saturday, Sunday, and legal national holidays as mutually agreed between the Contractor and the Project Manager.

WORK SCHEDULE:

The work schedule shall be submitted at the pre-work conference.

DELAYS:

The contractor is expected to complete all contract performance in a timely manner, regardless of the contractor or subcontractor's other work load, including any work being performed under other state contracts. A delay or failure to perform may be considered excusable when the delay or failure arises from causes beyond the control and without the fault or negligence of the Contractor or subcontractor. Examples of these causes are (1) acts of God or of the public enemy, (2) acts of the State in either its sovereign or contractual capacity, (3) fires,

(4) floods, (5) epidemics, (6) quarantine restrictions, (7) strikes, (8) freight embargoes, and (9) unusually severe weather. In each instance, the failure to perform must be beyond the control and without the fault or negligence of the Contractor or subcontractor.

Upon request of the Contractor, the Contracting Officer shall ascertain the facts and extent of the failure. If the Contracting Officer determines that any failure to perform results from one or more of the causes above, the delivery schedule may be revised, subject to the State’s contract termination rights under the contract.

Note: “Unusually severe weather” means weather that is outside the normal weather patterns for a specific area at a specific time of the year. For example, strong wind and snow storms in fall and winter, or strong wind, rain or hail storms in spring and summer are not considered unusually severe. An unusually severe snow, wind or rain storm is one that is worse than even the harshest normal conditions during a season.

PROJECT MEETINGS:

Pre-work Conference:

1. Location: Meetings shall be held at the project site, or as determined by the Project Manager.

2. Notification: A pre-work conference will be held prior to the start of work. The Contractor will be notified in advance of the meeting time, date and place. The purpose will be to review required work, project drawings and specifications, construction schedules, payroll and payments, and administrative provisions of the contract.

3. Attendance: The Contractor, subcontractors and the persons responsible for coordination of the work shall be present at the meeting.

4. Presentation: The Contractor shall be prepared to summarize and explain procedures planned for each project and present the work schedule requested in the specifications.

Progress Meetings:

1. Location: Meetings shall be held at the project site, or as determined by the Project Manager.

2. Notification: Meetings may be called by either the Project Manager or the Contractor. Request shall state who should attend.

FIRE DANGER SEASON:

If the Project Manager allows the Contractor to continue work during the periods of declared fire danger or season, the Contractor shall comply with all applicable state laws relating to fire prevention and with all special conditions of work as directed by the Project Manager

PRESERVATION OF HISTORICAL AND ARCHEOLOGICAL DATA:

1. The Contractor agrees that should he or any of his employees in the performance of this contract discover evidence of possible scientific, pre-historical, historical, or archeological data he will notify the Project Manager immediately giving the location and nature of the findings.

2. Where appropriate by reason of discovery, the Project Manager may order delays in the time of performance and/or changes in the work. If such delays and/or changes are ordered, the time of performance and contract price shall be adjusted.

3. The Contractor agrees to insert this paragraph in all subcontracts, which involve the performance of work on the terrain of the site.

PROTECTION OF CULTURAL RESOURCES:

Location of known historic or prehistoric sites, buildings, objects, and properties related to American history, architecture, archaeology and culture, such as settler or Indian artifacts, protected by American Antiquities Act of 1906 (16 U.S.C. 431-433), National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 470) and the Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 (16 U.S.C. 470aa-ll) (36 CFR 296.4 and 36 CFR 261.9(g)), shall be identified on the ground by the Government. The Government may unilaterally modify or cancel this contract to protect an area, object of antiquity, artifact, or similar object which is or may be entitled to protection under these Acts regardless of when the area, object or artifact is discovered or identified. Discovery of such areas by either party shall be promptly reported to the other party and operations will be suspended at that location until the significance or potential significance of the site is determined.

Contractor shall protect all known and identified historic or prehistoric sites, buildings, objects, and properties related to American history, architecture, archaeology and culture against destruction, obliteration, removal or damage during Contractor's operations. Contractor shall immediately notify the Government if disturbance occurs to any known site, and shall immediately halt operations in the vicinity of the site until the Government authorizes the Contractor to proceed. Contractor shall bear costs of evaluation and restoration in accordance with 36 CFR 296.14(c), provided that such payment shall not relieve Contractor from civil or criminal remedies otherwise provided by law.

NOTICE TO PROCEED:

Unless notified by the project manager that notice-to-proceed will be delayed, receipt of the contract or purchase order by email shall constitute Notice to Proceed. The Project Manager may issue a separate delayed notice-to-proceed for any reason including adverse soil, vegetative, climatologic or other environmental conditions.

CONTRACT PERFORMANCE:

The Contractor shall begin work within 21 days from the beginning of the performance period. The Contractor shall continue performance of the work under the contract without delay or interruption except by causes beyond his control identified in the Delays clause. Once the contractor is on site working, the contractor shall work diligently and complete all work within the project performance time in the Contract Time clause below.

It is the contractor’s sole responsibility to complete contract performance regardless of contractor’s current workload, including other state contracts. If necessary, the contractor will be expected to take whatever means are necessary to ensure timely contract performance. At the discretion of the contractor, this may include sub-contracting, additional equipment/manpower and/or any other necessary action. Any necessary action taken by the contractor to ensure timely completion shall be at no additional expense to the State of Utah beyond the original contract price.

Past Due Notice. If a Contractor fails to complete the Scope of Work during the Project Performance Time, that failure is solely attributable to action or inaction of the Contractor, and the Government determines that a time extension is allowable, the Government and Contractor may negotiate a reduced per-acre completion price to finish the Scope of Work in lieu of cancelling the remainder of the uncompleted acreage. This option in no way restricts the Government’s authority to terminate the Agreement at the end of its term regardless of whether acreage remains uncompleted.

CONTRACT TIME:

Project performance time: 67 calendar days.

Performance window: September 16, 2024 through December 15, 2024.

INSPECTION:

Surveillance Plan: The Government will inspect completed acres and provide recommendations to improve work quality while work is in progress. The Contractor is responsible for providing quality control to assure that work complies with the contract specifications.

Final Inspection:

1. Location: Meeting shall be held at the project sites, or as determined by the Project Manager.

2. Notification: The Contractor shall notify the Project Manager at least three (3) working days before completing date so the Government can schedule the final inspection.

3. Deficiencies: The Contractor shall correct deficiencies and project areas will be re-inspected by the Project Manager.

ACCEPTANCE:

Based on inspection results, if the quality level falls below contract specifications, the Project Manager will immediately notify the Contractor in writing and instruct the Contractor to improve the quality of work. If the quality of the work is not raised to an acceptable level after written notification, the Project Manager may issue a suspend work order to resolve the problem, during which time contract time will continue to run.

If untreated or unsatisfactorily treated areas are the primary reason for unsatisfactory work, the Contractor shall rework acres designated by the Government until satisfactory work quality is obtained.

PAYMENT:

One lump-sum final payment will be made for the actual number of acres completed following a final inspection of the completed project, and consistent with the payment clause in the State’s standard terms and conditions. Normally, requests for partial payments will not be considered. However, if a partial payment request is considered, approval of said request shall be at the total discretion of the State. Contractor must get a partial payment request approved in writing prior to submitting an invoice for partial payment. Partial payment invoices received without prior approval will be returned to the contractor as not proper for payment.

WINTER STOPPAGE:

At the sole discretion of the State/BLM this contract may be stopped at any time due to deep snow or other winter conditions. Once the contract work is stopped for winter, the state may pay the contractor and cancel the remaining portion of the contract, or issue a resumption of work order when spring weather permits. Contractor must proceed diligently with all work as weather permits until a stop-work order is issued.

CHANGE ORDERS:

Minor Change Order. If the State determines that a change in the Scope of Work is necessary, they may modify acreage totals or parcel configuration by up to 10% of the originally proposed Project Area by providing written notice to the Contractor (“Minor Change Order”). Issuance of a Minor Change Order does not excuse the Contractor from their obligation to perform the work under their original per-acre bid price, nor does it excuse the State from paying Contractor for work completed to project specifications. Changes in acreage or parcel configuration will add or exchange work areas with characteristics similar to those in the original Project Area.

When possible, a Minor Change Order should be implemented to leave a consolidated and contiguous project area having similar access to that originally described in the Scope of Work.

Major Change Order. If the State determines that a change in the Scope of Work is necessary, and that change does not qualify as a Minor Change Order, the State and the Contractor may negotiate a Major Change Order as an amendment to the original contract. Examples of Major Change Orders include: (1) a reduction or cancellation of acreage that is greater than 10% of the original Project Area or (2) a change in the Project Area such that the new project characteristics are not comparable to those described in the original Scope of Work.

Major Change Orders may authorize an increase in the unit price of per-acre bid submitted by the Contractor, payment of part or all of equipment mobilization costs incurred by the Contractor, or a combination of both.

Any Major Change Order shall be supported by documentation supporting the equitable adjustment in contract terms and is subject to approval by the State of Utah Division of Purchasing.

Change Order Limitations. The sum of all payments made under one or more Change Orders on a single contract may not exceed the liability cap for the contract, calculated by identifying the per-acre bid price, and multiplying that figure by 10% of the acreage within the Project Area that remains untreated. For example, the maximum payment authorized under a Major Change Order would be calculated as follows:

$50 per acre bid price x (10% of 500 acres left untreated) = $2,500 Maximum or

$250 per acre bid price x (10% of 1250 acres left untreated) = $31,250 Maximum

Nothing in this Section relieves the Contractor from their obligation to perform as described in Section 1, unless the State determines that a change order is appropriate. Under no circumstances may a Change Order exceed the total approved contract price. In most cases, the actual Change Order amount will be substantially less than the maximum liability cap for the contract. Nothing herein shall be construed as eliminating or modifying a Contractor’s obligation to mitigate damages they may incur due to the circumstances necessitating a Major Change Order, or the State’s right to terminate an Agreement in lieu of issuing a Change Order.

SECTION II – BID REQUIREMENTS/INFORMATION

SITE VISIT:

There will be no site visit.

It is strongly recommended that each potential bidder ensure that he/she has a complete understanding of the requirements of this project. Bidders are urged to inspect the site where services are to be performed and to satisfy themselves regarding all general and local conditions that may affect the cost of contract performance, to the extent that the information is reasonably obtainable. In no event shall failure to inspect the site constitute grounds for a claim after contract award.

SHAPE FILES:

Maps and/or shapefiles are attached in the Buyer Attachments Section of this solicitation. If bidder needs additional maps/files, please specify the type in the Q&A Section of this solicitation. Maps are provided for informational purposes only.

QUESTIONS:

All other questions related to this solicitation, specifications, or bidding procedures MUST be asked in writing in SciQuest. There are no exceptions to this. Questions asked at the site visit, and subsequent answers will be recorded and posted on SciQuest so that all potential bidders can review questions and answers.

BIDDING:

This contract will be bid on a per-acre price. The per-acre price will be extended based on the quantity of acres to show a total project price. The total price shall include all labor, equipment and materials necessary to complete the job, which includes all mobilization and operating costs. There will be no fuel surcharges or adjustments negotiated.

REFERENCES:

Bidding on this project is limited to pre-qualified contractors. Therefore, reference information does not need to be submitted with the bid.

EQUIPMENT:

All equipment and/or materials incorporated into the work covered by this contract shall be of the most suitable grade for the purpose intended, unless otherwise specifically provided in this contract. All work under this contract shall be performed in a skillful and workmanlike manner.

CONRACT AWARD:

A contract will be awarded to the lowest responsive/responsible bidder who meets any experience and equipment requirements noted elsewhere in this solicitation.

USE OF SUBCONTRACTORS:

The Project Manager must approve the use of all subcontractors in writing prior to their performance of any work on the project. A subcontractor who submitted a bid on the project, was offered the project as the low bidder, and declined that award, or who defaulted on project after being awarded the contract, is ineligible to be a subcontractor for the successful bidder.

SECTION III – MAPS, DRAWINGS AND OTHER INFORMATION