B08_Solicitation___Attachment_1_SOW.doc

USFWS

SCOPE OF WORK

PROJECT:

Aerial Herbicide Application

Location:

Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge

Ripley and Jefferson Counties, Indiana Project Information:

The project entails providing and applying herbicides aerially via helicopter at Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). Herbicide application will be to grasslands/shrubland areas of various sizes to control invasive trees including black locust, sweetgum, sumac, autumn olive, and to a lesser extent other woody species and invasive plants, such as sericea lespedeza, encroaching into grassland areas.

Big Oaks NWR is situated on over 50,000 acres approximately 5 miles north of Madison in southern Indiana about 55 miles north/northeast of Louisville, Kentucky and just north of the Ohio River. The Refuge is rectangular with the approximate dimensions of 15 miles in the north-south direction by 6 miles in the east-west direction. The Refuge occupies land north of the firing line of the former Jefferson Proving Ground.

Description of work:

Work includes but is not limited to: prime contractor shall provide all parts, labor, materials, supplies, and equipment necessary to perform aerial spraying with helicopter of selected herbicides at the rates listed below to treat approximately a treatment area of approximately 3500 acres with herbicide mixtures of #1 and #2 and #3. Mixture #3 will be used in areas with higher densities of autumn olive and other invasive species. Maps with detailed spray areas with specific herbicide mixtures will be provided to successful contractor once bid quotes are known; general spray areas are shown on attached refuge map. While we anticipate around 3500 acres area to be contracted, should bid prices differ from our estimate, we reserve the right to adjust the number of acres to be sprayed to increase the number of acres or to decrease the number of acres to reflect the budget for this project. Bids for the project will be used to convert to a per acre price to adjust the number of acres up or down as needed. Maps with detailed spray areas with specific herbicide mixtures will be provided to successful contractor after bid quotes are known. The priority time period for the work would be from August 1 to September 8, 2024. Upon unfavorable conditions (excessive drought, windy conditions, rain, etc.) in 2024 that would prevent contract completion during that time period, FWS will work with the successful contractor to modify this bid in 2024 for the dates of August 1 to September 8, 2025.

A. Herbicide Mix #1

16 oz Method 240 sl/ac 12 oz Arsenal-4 lb AC (or 24 oz Arsenal-2 lb)/ac 2 oz Escort/ac 32 oz MSO /ac 8 oz Interlock or RRSI Velocity/acre as drift control agent if needed (ideal conditions preclude use or the use of devices that control droplet size) Carrier (water) 25 gallons per acre

B. Herbicide Mix #2

1.5 gallon Krenite S or generic equivalent active ingredient Fosamine /ac (e.g., Sumter-S) 16 oz Method 240 sl/ac 12 oz Arsenal-4 lb AC (or 24 oz Arsenal-2 lb)/ac 2 oz Escort/ac 32 oz MSO / ac 8 oz Interlock or RRSI Velocity/acre as drift control agent if needed (ideal conditions preclude use or the use of devices that control droplet size)

Carrier (water) 25 gallons per acre C. Herbicide Mix #3

15 oz Method 240 sl/ac 16 oz Arsenal-4 lb AC (or 32 oz Arsenal-2 lb)/ac 2 oz Escort/ac 32 oz MSO /ac 8 oz Interlock or RRSI Velocity/acre as drift control agent if needed (ideal conditions preclude use or the use of devices that control droplet size)

Carrier (water) 25 gallons per acre

2. Safety

· Contractor employees will have a history of excellent safety performance.

· At all times the Contractor will ensure the safety of all personnel involved in the operation including the mandatory use of all prescribed personal protective equipment.

· Contractor will ensure that each of its employees has read and understands the instructions and precautions on the herbicide labels, MSD sheets, and knows what steps to take in the event of a spill or accidental exposure to the herbicide.

· Contractor will have spill kits(s) available to immediately respond to an accidental spill.

· Contractor will have fully equipped First Aid emergency kit(s) on site including an extra radio for U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) personnel to provide direct communications to pilot or have radio capable of using frequency 169.150 RX/TX to communicate with (USFWS) personnel. Use of cell phone for this requirement is allowed.

· All aircraft services and personnel procured under this project shall meet and comply with all Federal, State, and Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) regulations and Federal Aviation Regulations, including 14 CFR Parts:

· Part 91 for low level missions

· Part 133 for external load operations

· Part 135 for air carrier operations

· Part 137 for agricultural operations

Site Specific Safety Considerations:

Big Oaks NWR was established on the former Jefferson Proving Ground, an Army ammunition testing area. Unexploded ordnance is still present on the site and can be encountered on the refuge. The contractor agrees to abide by all local standards, protocols, instructions, and briefings related to access to the various sites. Any accident or injury resulting from the contractor’s failure to follow instructions will be the sole responsibility of the contractor.

3. Pilot Experience

· Indiana license including license to apply herbicides listed above.

· Experience using GPS technology (all aspects) in herbicide applications.

· Demonstrated leadership and collaborative skills in directing pesticide applications.

· One year of herbicide experience in Indiana (not a requirement but would be beneficial).

4. Application performance / Post Application Follow-up

· In general, the applicator will use industry standard applications techniques. Applications will not be made during inversion conditions, when winds are gusty, or any other conditions which allow drift. Equipment designed to minimize drift and/or a drift control agent may be added at the recommended label rate.

· Pro Team applicators are preferred for this application.

· Ability to uniformly deliver application rates of 25 gallons per acre.

· Boom/Nozzle configuration (including controlled pressure and nozzle orientation) that will provide a controlled droplet application. Skips will not exceed 2% of area treated.

· Pattern spraying will be the norm (squares, strips, and spot spraying) as determined by the USFWS. More than one direction of spraying may be required on dense or tall brush to be determined by the USFWS.

· Fully functional GPS guidance system providing parallel swath control, navigation, and data logging that documents/maps the area of applied materials.

· Air speed and release height will be optimized to deliver the most effective swath coverage.

· Knowledge of the Indiana habitats and experience controlling invasive plants of Indiana using the herbicides listed above.

· Company representative must be onsite during application.

· Contractor will provide follow-up on-site evaluation up to two times per year and continuing for up to three years. This includes providing herbicide manufacturer representatives for consultation purposes as schedule permits.

5. Mixing and Loading

· One or more tank trucks equipped with an agitation system capable of keeping the herbicides evenly distributed in the carrier, plus all necessary pumps, hoses and metering devices to determine correct mixing and loading. Personnel will include at least one qualified person at heliport capable of mixing and loading the required herbicide formulation.

· Applied herbicide materials will be batched or premixed only prior to being loaded in helicopter tank.

· A dedicated water transport tank truck with air gap water transfer system.

· Batch water must be clean, free of sediment, and procured from pre-approved sources. If necessary, batch water may be drafted in the field.

· Equipment used to pump herbicide will not be used to pump water from any source. An air gap must be provided between the receiving tank and water source.

· Contractor will provide mechanical field support and have available sufficient equipment parts to make timely repairs.

· Each herbicide container will be rinsed using standard triple rinsing procedure or the equivalent, and the rinsate added to the tank mix for immediate application to the contract area.

· Use of returnable closed system container for herbicides to assure correct mixing of spray loads and reduce container waste in Indiana landfills is preferred.

· Applicator will maintain detailed batch records.

6. Time Frame

· Earliest start date is 1 August 2024

· To be completed by 15 September 2024

7. Insurance

· Worker’s compensation and Employer’s Liability Insurance

· Comprehensive General Liability Insurance (not less than $1,000,000)

· Comprehensive Vehicle Liability Insurance (not less than $1,000,000)

· Aircraft Liability Insurance (chemical $200,000, property/injury $1,000,000)

· Comprehensive Chemical Liability / Property Damage Insurance ($200,000)

8. Guarantee

A guarantee of 90% kill rate of vegetation (as listed in herbicide label) treated with herbicide mix within treatment areas. If treated areas are not within this kill rate, the manufacturer of the herbicide will provide the chemicals for retreatment.

Point of contact for questions regarding this project:

Joseph R. Robb, Refuge Manager Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge

1661 West JPG Niblo Road

Madison, Indiana 47250

Phone: 812-273-0783

Cell: 812-701-8737

Fax: 812-273-0786

Email: joe_robb@fws.gov Casey Mefford, Wildland Firefighter Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge

1661 West JPG Niblo Road

Madison, Indiana 47250

Phone: 812-273-0783 x.14 Fax: 812-273-0786

Email: Casey_Mefford@fws.gov

Mardean Roach, Zone Budget Analyst (North & South Fire Zones) U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Big Oaks NWR 1661 W JPG Niblo Rd Madison, IN 47250 Ofc: 812-273-0783 x.13 Cell: 812-493-6141 Fax: 812-273-0786 Email: mardean_roach@fws.gov