B_SOW_Burns_District_2022_and_2023.doc

HERBICIDE APPLICATION

SOLICITATION NO. 140L3722R0019

BLM Burns Distict

Page 3 of xx

SECTION C – STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1.0

GENERAL

C.1.1 Description of Work– The Contractor shall provide all equipment for chemical handling, spray equipment, personnel, supplies and materials, including chemicals, surfactants, and water, needed to provide spraying of herbicides at specified sites with BLM specified herbicide at the rate specified using appropriate application equipment and delivery method. All contract line items will include mobilization, demobilization, and cleanup costs within its unit price.

C.1.2 Contractor shall apply herbicide as a pre-emergent broadcast application to non-native invasive plant species at specified sites with herbicide and adjuvants identified in the Description of Services. The major species to be sprayed are invasive grasses, to include cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), medusahead (Taeniatherum canput-medusae), and ventenata (Ventenata dubia).

C.1.3 Location of Project Units – The location of the work sites shall be lands in the Burns District BLM. Anticipated project areas are identified in Attachment: Maps.

C.1.4 Timing of Work - Treatments will consist of pre-emergent broadcast application. Anticipated period of performance is approximately August 1 to October 15 each year (2022 and 2023) or environmental factors end treatments. Timing of field work shall take into consideration potential target species, elevation, seasonal climate, aspect, other resources’ issues, and habitat of each project area.

C.1.5 Access to Project Areas C.1.5.1 For this contract, roughly ½ of the projects will have access reasonably close that are passable by trucks needed for mixing and loading herbicide for large scale application projects. Other areas will require longer travel/ferry from mix/load operations. Maps with potential routes will be provided to the contractor for travel. Some of the roads are improved graveled roads, however, many of the roads will be improved dirt roads or two-track range roads.

C.1.6 Security of Equipment C.l.6.1 The Contractor may leave its equipment at the work site; however, the Contractor shall be responsible for the equipment if it should be lost, stolen, vandalized or damaged.

C.1.6.2 The Contractor is advised that vandalism of equipment may be anticipated in all areas of operation.

Therefore, it is suggested that a watchman service for equipment security be provided during all periods of no activity on the project, to include overnight, regardless of location.

C.1.7 Regulations C.1.7.1 Application of herbicides shall be in accordance with individual pesticide labels, all applicable Federal, State and Local Regulations, as well as the BLM PUP.

C.1.7.2.

Contractor shall hold and maintain a current Oregon Commercial Pesticide Operator License and all applicators shall maintain current Oregon Commercial Pesticide Applicators’ Licenses issued by Oregon Department of Agriculture throughout the duration of this contract. All applicable Licenses as required by other states shall be held and maintained. Applicators must be licensed in Agriculture Herbicide category to allow for herbicide application on rangeland. Proof of licenses must be presented to the Contracting Officer prior to contract award. If the Contractors Oregon Commercial Pesticide Operator License status or applicators’ Commercial Applicators’ Licenses change at anytime due to suspensions they shall contact the Contracting Officer immediately.

C.1.8 Safety Hazards C.1.8.1 Any hazards that would pose a danger to Contractor’s personnel or operating equipment must be identified and mitigated by the Contractor prior to commencing operations.

C.1.9 Pre-work Conference C.1.9.1 At the prework conference within at least 48 hours prior to application startr to application start, the Contractor shall provide to the COR a written "work progress plan" acceptable to the Government that details Contractor’s proposed work force and schedule to provide for orderly completion of the work within the contract performance time. This work schedule must be acceptable to the Government. At a minimum, the schedule must reflect a work progress rate equal to the available amount of contract performance time. Contractor is expected to be able to treat a minimum average of 500 acres per day, except on days when environmental conditions preclude meeting treatment goals.

C.2.0

ACRONYMS & DEFINITIONS

C.2.1.

Chemical (herbicide) Treatments – Application of BLM-approved herbicides/adjuvants to annual grasses designated by the BLM using industry-standard application equipment by Commercial Pesticide Operator/Applicator licensed by Oregon Department of Agriculture (with Agriculture Herbicide Category) individuals. All herbicide treatments must be conducted following herbicide label directions, BLM Standard Operating Procedures, Approved BLM Pesticide Use Proposal and all other policies and guidelines pertaining to their use.

C.2.2 Base (reference, control) Station – A GPS receiver set up at a known location; that is, a point whose Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinates and elevation are known.

C.2.3 GPS – Global Positioning System

C.2.4.

VMAP (Vegetation Management Action Portal), [formerly NISIMS (National Invasive Species Information Management System)] – A geodatabase used to record information on weed surveys, noxious weed populations, and treatments. The Contractor must provide accurate digital treatment data in the form of points, lines and polygons to be entered into the VMAP database.

C.2.5. Non-Native Invasive Plant- Non-native aggressive plants with potential to cause significant economic losses.

C.2.6.

Noxious Weeds – Plants found on the State of Oregon Noxious weed list at http://oregon.gov/ODA/PLANT/WEEDS/lists.shtml, or on individual county weed lists, may change annually. Updated lists and direction about which weeds to target will be given to the Contractor at the pre-work conference. Not all weeds will be targeted for treatment.

C.2.7 Broken, Non-contiguous Units - Treatment blocks will have various configurations including, but not limited to buffered linear features and irrecularly shaped polygons. Treatment of project blocks will likely require additional ferry time, turning, and/or re-positioning to maintain tracks lines and uniform coverage.

C.2.8 PAR – Pesticide Application Record – A legally required record of herbicide application that is filled out within 24 hours of treatment. At a minimum, the data shall contain applicator's name and address, State of Oregon applicator’s license number, date of application, beginning and ending times of application, weather conditions (temperature, climatic conditions, wind and relative humidity), product used, and any adjuvants added, application rate, application type, and number of acres treated. See Attachment: Pesticide Application Record.

C.2.9 PUP – Pesticide Use Proposal – A BLM required document which assesses the uses of herbicides and adjuvants and impacts to existing resources, i.e., plants and animals, including sensitive areas and species in an identified area. PUPs identify specific products, formulations, EPA information, rates, timing and target species.

C.2.10 Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) - A mapping coordinate grid system based upon one of many different mapping projections. The BLM in Western Oregon uses the projected coordinate system UTM, Datum NAD 1983 (Conus), Zone 10 (Lakeview District). Vale District is Zone 11 (NAD 83 for zone 11 North in UTM or GCS 83 - lat/long) . The data is displayed in meters easting and northing.

C.2.11 Shapefile - A shapefile is a digital data storage format for storing the location, shape, and attributes of geographic features for mapping purposes commonly used in ArcGIS software.

C.2.12 PI – Project Inspector C.2.13 COR - Contracting Officer’s Representative C.3.0

CONTRACTOR-FURNISHED ITEMS

C.3.1 General - The Contractor shall provide all labor, transportation, tools and equipment necessary to perform the requirements of this contract. This includes the transportation of water to the project site for application. The contractor should be aware water sources may be long distances away from treatment or loading sites. The contractor shall be responsible for obtaining reliable water sources for the project. The Contractor shall furnish the necessary qualified mechanics for maintenance of equipment and shall furnish all fuel, oil, and service required for operations of equipment and vehicles.

C.3.2 Application Equipment- Industry standard application equipment shall be used. The equipment shall be equipped with nozzles that produce a coarse spray to minimize drift and achieve uniform coverage. Equipment designed to minimize drift and/or a drift control agent may be added at the recommended label rate but must be approved by the COR prior to use The contractor shall use high flow rate nozzles to apply the highest practical spray volume and the lower spray pressures recommended for the nozzle. When higher flow rates are needed, the contractor shall use higher flow rate nozzles instead of increasing pressure. The contractor shall use the minimum number of nozzles that provide uniform coverage at the designated gallons per acre output. The contractor shall use a nozzle type that is designed for the intended application. The contractor shall minimize drift as practicably as possible. Applications will not be made during inversion conditions, when winds are gusty, or any other conditions which allow drift. The contractor shall not use nozzles producing a mist droplet spray. Herbicide must be applied in such a manner that there is no spread of weed seeds or propagules by application.

C.3.2.1 The contractor shall ensure equipment is maintained in optimal condition at all times to ensure there are no delays in completing the task order requirements.

C.3.2.2 The applicator shall have the ability to uniformly deliver the designated 10 gallons per acre with a Boom/Nozzle configuration (including controlled pressure and nozzle orientation) that will provide a controlled droplet application.

C.3.3 Base of Operations - The Contractor shall provide such mixing/loading facilities as may be required for competent performance of contract. Use of any mix/load area shall be arranged by and at the discretion and risk of the Contractor. The Government shall not be held responsible for any loss, mishap, or accident due to conditions of any mixing/loading facility used. Any applicable fee for such facilities are the responsibility of the Contractor. Mix/load areas located on BLM administered land must be pre-approved by COR prior to setup. The Contractor must obtain permission from the state/county if roads will be utilized as any part of the application process and shall provide appropriate warning signs for safety of traffic in those areas.

C.3.4 Herbicides and Adjuvants - For this requirement, the Contractor shall utilize and provide Plateau Herbicide™ at 7 ounces per acre, Grounded™ herbicide at 16 ounces per acre, and Quest™ at 3 pints/100 gallons. Products other than those specified will not be acceptable for this requirement.

C.4.0

GOVERNMENT-SUPPLIED MATERIAL

C.4.1 The Government will furnish GPS coordinate data in the form of ArcGIS shapefile of the unit boundaries and work location maps.

C.4.2 The Government will provide Approved PUPs for the Contractor to follow for each Project area at the prework meeting.

C.5.0

SPECIFIC TASKS

C.5.1 Application C.5.1.1 Contractor shall apply herbicide as stated in the Approved BLM PUPs, minimizing over-spray within designated boundaries. Much of BLM land has rugged, roadless terrain, broken by canyons, rocky rims and juniper woodlands. Contractor may need to adjust application techniques to account for topographical features or trees and still maintain even distribution of herbicide.

The contractor shall control the spray pattern and safely and evenly apply over uneven terrain, contouring at consistent application heights and speed. Spray strips shall be distributed in such a manner as to secure a high uniformity of herbicide distribution. Contractor is expected to be able to treat a minimum average of 1,000 acres per day, except on days when environmental conditions preclude treatments.

C.5.1.2 The entire surface within the designated boundaries of the job area shall receive uniform coverage with the chemical except for such areas as may be excluded by the Government including streams, other water bodies, and other sensitive exclusion areas. Areas excluded from spraying operations within the work site boundaries shall not be included in the acreage computed for payment.

C.5.1.3 The Government may require, at any time, that the contractor perform a demonstration that the application equipment is calibrated and will evenly distribute the designated spray at rates specified in the PUP. Checks may be achieved through a pattern test, or use of water sensitive cards at the project site. Where skips or obvious insufficient applications resulting in sublethal target species death, i.e. striping, are documented to be >0.5% of the project area as determined from flight data or during on the ground inspections by the COR/PI, retreatment of the insufficiently treated area will be required at no extra cost (for labor and herbicides) to the Government.

C.5.1.4 Unit boundaries may be marked with ribbon, flagging, balloons, or other items. The complete boundary will usually not be marked but corners of the units and points of direction change of unit boundaries may be marked or shapefiles provided to the Contractor by the government.

C.5.1.5 Pesticide Application Records (see Attachement Pesticide Application Record for template) must be completed daily and accompanied by detailed maps (both paper and electronic) showing track lines, including daily printouts and files from the previous day.

C.5.1.6 Shapefiles of treatments shall be compatible with ArcGIS. The contractor shall be able to receive the BLM provided digital data (ArcGIS shapefiles) and use it accordingly to provide accurate track logs of work completed. The contractor shall provide the data in a standard format (NAD83 for zone 10 or 11 North in UTM or latitudes/longitudes in decimal degrees). Appliction tracklogs must be capapble of:

· A minimum rate of one-second logging intervals. Full record includes position, PDOP, time, altitude, speed, track, application system on/off, equipment used, applicator, job name/number, and differential correction status.

· Calculating and showing total acres treated during the designated application period.

· Downloading to a laptop computer daily or more often if needed to an onsite computer for analysis and review. Data from the equipment must be available for submission as requested by the PI or COR. The log must show the entire application period and differentiate between spray-on and spray-off when viewed on a computer monitor or color printer. Export files of each treatment shall be provided in shapefile format to the BLM Project data manager via email on a daily basis throughout the contract.

· Contractor must maintain a copy of all raw data until it has been confirmed to be uncorrupted by the BLM Project data manager.

C.5.1.7 Any refuse, debris or garbage generated by the Contractor or crew members shall be cleaned up and removed from the project site by the Contractor and disposed of legally offsite before final payment is made.

C.5.1.8 The Government reserves the right to withhold up to 10% of each year’s application price until inspection and acceptance of the efficacy of treatment can be performed, which may occur several months after tasking has been completed. This will be specified at the the Base and Option Period 1 level at time of contract award. In this case, the period of performance would encompass the period of the herbicide treatment plus the time until inspection of the treatment efficacy can be performed, usually several months later. The contractor shall invoice for 90% of the task order value upon completion of tasking. Upon inspection and acceptance of the treatment efficacy at the completion of the period of performance of the task order, the contractor shall then submit the final invoice for the remaining unpaid balance.

C.5.1.9 Follow BLM Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and Mitigation Measures for Applying Herbicides through Application; see Attachment – Standard Operating Procedures and Mitigation Measures for Applying Herbicides.

C.5.2 Notification Requirements

C.5.2.1 Within 48 hours prior to actual operations, provide notification of location and time scheduled for chemical application to take place.

C.5.2.2 Immediately notify the COR of any accidents.

(End of Section C)

LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

Attachment No.

Title Pages

Project Area Maps – Base (2022)

Project Area Maps – Option Period 1 (2023)

Pesticide Application Record (PAR)

Standard Operating Procedure and Mitigation Measures

INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

The following clause is incorporated by reference:

E.1.0

METHOD OF INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

E.1.1 To ensure even distribution of herbicide, spray nozzles of the application mechanism may be inspected at sufficient intervals to insure proper functioning.

E.1.2 Where skips or insufficient applications are documented to be >0.5% of a project area as determined from flight data or during “on the ground inspections” by the COR, retreatment will be required at no extra cost to the Government.

E.2.0

ACCEPTANCE

E.2.1 Acceptance will be based upon the satisfactory completion of the requirements in C.5.0 Specific Tasks.

E.2.2 The COR and the Contractor will agree daily upon the quantity of chemical/acreage treated and both sign off on the inspection form.

E.3.0

PAYMENT

E.3.1 Payment for chemical application will be based on the actual number of acres treated and is applied according to the contract specifications within designated project boundaries and in accordance with Section 5.0 Specific Tasks of the solicitation.

E.3.2 Payment will be made on an inspected and completed acre basis.

(End of Section E Inspection and Acceptance)