Bovee Weed Treatment 2024 PWS.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 Government Furnished

6.0 Travel

7.0 Contractor’s Key Personnel

8.0 Safety Plan And Accident Prevention

9.0 Data Requirements and Rights

10.0 Section 508 - Electronic and Information Technology Standards

11.0 Performance Requirement Measures

Attachment

Project Title Bovee Weed Treatment 2024

General Information

1.0 Background and Purpose

The services covered in this solicitation and resultant contract are for scouting potential weed patches, mapping these patches, and applying herbicides for the control of noxious weeds on Public Lands. Areas to be treated are within the Bovee Fire footprint.

The Bovee wildfire burned in the fall of 2022. The area includes rangelands and forested areas with some timber removal done in portions of the project area. The species being targeted are: Leafy Spurge, Canada Thistle, Musk Thistle, Crown Vetch, Houndstongue, and Common Mullein. Attached maps represent known locations of noxious weeds based on 2022 inventory, though new areas may have developed.

2.0 Definitions

Acceptable Quality Level (AQL): The maximum allowable deviation from perfect performance that may occur before the Government will invoke payment deduction. An AQL does not allow a contractor knowingly to offer defective service, but limits reduced payment to circumstances in which defective performance results in a measurable reduction in the value of services rendered.

Defective Service: A unit of service which contains one or more defects, or nonconformance with specified requirements.

Performance Requirements Summary (PRS): Identifies the key service outputs of the contract that will be evaluated by the Government to assure contract performance standards are met by the contractor.

Quality Assurance: Those actions taken by the Government to assure services meet the requirements of the Performance Work Statement (PWS).

Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR): A government person appointed by the contracting officer to help the contracting officer with contract administration and surveillance.

Government Inspector: A government person responsible for surveillance of contractor performance.

Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP): An organized written document used for quality assurance surveillance. The document contains specific methods the Government will use to perform surveillance of the contractor.

Quality Control: Those actions taken by a contractor to control the performance of services so that they meet the requirements of the PWS.

Spray Sheet: Blank field spray sheets that the contractor uses to document location and type of herbicide used on a particular area will be provided by the NNFG. Spray sheets are required to be submitted to the COR/Inspector.

Random Sampling: A sampling method in which each service output in a unit has an equal chance of being selected.

Contractor Requirements

3.0 Technical Requirements / Tasks

Boom Sprayer: Spray equipment capable of delivering a minimum of 20 gallons per acre. Boom sprayers shall be equipped with an identifier system to minimize swath overlap such as a ribbon or flagging system. ATV/UTV boom-less nozzles are not considered as boom sprayers.

Cleanup and Disposal: Clean up and disposal of excess herbicide and empty containers is the contractor’s responsibility and will be in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and applicable to Federal and State Laws.

Mixing Site: All mixing and rinsing during the operational period will take place in the field within the treatment areas at a distance no less than 100’ from any streams or living trees. All mixing and rinsing prior to the start of each season or at the end of the season, shall be prohibited on National Forest. Rinseate will be reused as spray solution as much as possible until project completion.

Riseate application rates shall not exceed ¾ ounce per acre.

Spray Equipment: All spray equipment shall be accurately calibrated to ensure herbicide is applied as per manufacturer recommended application rates. Forest Service representative will be present to check calibration prior to starting. All spray equipment would be operated in accordance with owner’s manuals. Weed treatment accomplished by the use of spray equipment installed in trucks, ATVs, or UTVs Should follow manufacturer specifications and recommendations, including those specific to weight restrictions.

Weather Conditions: Herbicide shall not be applied if temperatures exceed 95 degrees and or the wind speed exceeds 15 mph in all areas excluding aquatic areas.

Weed Treatment/Inventory/Data: The contractor shall apply herbicide according to product’s label in order to treat noxious weeds on the Bessey Ranger District and each treatment shall be recorded with spatial data and application record field sheets.

Herbicide will be applied at the optimal stage of plant development to be most effective. For the species being treated, this could require the contractor to return to an area at varying times. The preferred development stage for all targeted species is in the rosette to flowering stage.

Record data on each site treated according the requirements in section 9.0 “Data Requirements and Rights.” On a regular basis, provide the COR with information as to where the recent treatments have been made.

Quality Control Plan (QCP): The contractor shall establish and maintain a complete Quality Control Plan acceptable to the Government to ensure the requirements of the contract are provided as specified. The QCP includes the contractor’s inspection system and the method for identifying and preventing defectives in the quality of service preformed. No work may start until the Contractor’s Quality Control Plan is submitted and accepted by the Government, and the Notice to Proceed is issued.

Work Plan: The Work Plan shall describe how the contractor plans to perform the project, including methods, personnel certifications and calibration rates, and list of equipment by make and model. No work may start until the Contractor’s Work Plan is submitted and accepted by the Government and the Notice to Proceed is issued.

Progress Schedule: The contractor shall prepare and submit a practical schedule showing the order in which the contractor will perform the work and the dates on which the contractor contemplates starting and completing each task, unless specific treatment areas list both required start and stop work dates. No work may start until the Contractor’s Progress Schedule is submitted to and accepted by the Government, and the Notice to Proceed is issued.

Data Submittal: The contractor shall provide spatial data in an electronic format and hard copy application records. These items are to be submitted to the COR no later than August 15, 2024, and early submittals will be accepted. Inaccurate or incomplete data will be returned to the contractor for correction.

NOXIOUS WEED LIST:

Code Scientific Name Common Name

CIAR4 Cirsium arvense Canada thistle VETH Verbascum thapsus L. Common mullein SEVA Securigera varia L. Crown vetch CANU4 Carduus nutans Musk thistle EUES Euphorbia esula Leafy spurge CIVU Cirsium vulgare Bull thistle CYNOFF Cynoglossum officinale Houndstongue

4.0 Deliverable / Schedule

All written deliverables shall be phrased in layperson language.

Tasks and Associated Deliverables: Timely submission of deliverables is essential to successful completing this requirement.

Schedules for deliverables are specified in the tables below. All deliverables shall be prepared and submitted according to format, content, and schedule described in the SOW. All “hard copy” deliverables will be submitted on recycled content paper and printed double-sided.

Reporting Requirements: The contractor is required to provide written progress reports weekly for the period of May 22, 2024 to August 15, 2024. The original copies are required. The progress report shall cover all work completed during the specified period and shall present the work to be accomplished during the subsequent period. This report shall also identify any problems that arose and a statement explaining how the problem was resolved. This report shall also identify any problems that have arisen but have not been completely resolved and provide an explanation.

Key Deliverables: Technical Proposal Submissions.

Item No. Deliverable Objective Due 1 Quality Control Plan See above description (3.0 Technical

Requirements/Task) Due at pre-work meeting

2 Work Plan See above description (3.0 Technical Requirements/Task)

Due at pre-work meeting

3 Performance Schedule See above description (3.0 Technical Requirements/Task)

Due at pre-work meeting

Key Deliverables: After Award Submissions.

Item No. Deliverable Objective Due 1 Weekly Status Report Report documenting tasks, progress, & issues weekly.

Weekly, every Friday, by 3:00 PM Central time until the contract expires

2 Site Safety Plan See below description (8.0 Safety Plan and Accident Prevention)

When the contract is awarded.

4 Site Specific Rehibition Plan

See below description (8.0 Safety Plan and Accident Prevention)

When the contract is awarded.

5 Herbicide list Only Forest approved herbicide is used. When the contract is awarded.

6 Shapefile and daily spray sheets.

See below description (9.0 Data Requirements and Rights)

Bi-weekly, every other Friday, by 3:00 PM Central time until the contract expires.

5.0 Government Furnished

The Government will provide the following item(s) of Government property to the Contractor for use in the performance of this contract. This property shall be used and maintained by the Contractor in accordance with the provisions of the “Government Property” FAR clause contained elsewhere in the contract.

a. Hard copy maps of detailed treatment areas.

b. A blank application record sheet

For Trimble GPS Users:

c. The Nebraska National Forests and Grassland GPS/GIS User Guides (3)

d. Weed Data Dictionary compatible with Trimble GPS units (provided after contract award).

e. Electronic Data Templates (ESRI ArcGIS v 9.0 (or later) blank personal geodatabase) containing the proper data format

(provided after contract award).

For Survery123 or Fieldmaps Users:

a. Forest service provides:

b. Field data forms

c. Access to collector map(s)

6.0 Travel

Areas of limited access exist within the treatment area. In these areas the contractor shall select a method of travel (motorized, foot,) in meeting the contract specs. Off road use can is only allowable by written permission of the District Ranger.

7.0 Contractor’s Key Personnel

Key personnel are those personnel considered essential for successful completion of this contract. All key personnel shall be identified in the Contractor’s Technical Proposal.

The Contractor agrees that assigned key personnel shall not be removed, substituted, or reassigned to another task without the written concurrence of the Contracting Officer. The Contractor shall provide a detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the proposed personnel change and any additional information requested by the Contracting Officer. Proposed substitutes should have comparable qualifications to those of the persons being replaced. If the Contracting Officer determines that suitable replacement of key personnel is not feasible or that the reduction of effort would be so substantial as to impair the successful performance of the work, the Contractor may be subject to default action under the affected award(s) or the contract. Ultimate approval/disapproval to replace key personnel is the responsibility of the Contracting Officer.

Key personnel shall be available to the Forest Service for communications during the entire contract. If Contractors key personnel become unavailable, the Forest Service will be notified immediately with the reason and new contact information must be given to the CO and COR.

Approval of Subcontractors: The Contractor shall request approval from the Contracting Officer prior to entering into any subcontract arrangement. The subcontractor shall have the experience and be equipped for such work.

The written notification shall include as a minimum:

a. The name, address, and telephone number of the subcontractor.

b. The date upon which the subcontract was entered into and its duration.

c. A detailed description of the work being subcontracted including a listing of contract items, units, etc., as appropriate.

d. Documentation of the subcontractor's representative authority.

Subcontracting any portion of the contract shall not relieve the Prime Contractor of any responsibility under this contract. Any subcontract agreement shall contain all terms and conditions of the prime contract.

8.0 Safety Plan and Accident Prevention

Site Safety Plan: After award, the Contractor shall submit a written site-specific safety plan for each project site awarded. This includes equipment uses, signing, applicators license, and protection of personnel and public. This plan will be used during the pre-work and subsequent meetings to ensure safe operations. This document will also be used for quality assurance standards during the project. Special permits, if required for operation within the applicable state, county, and/or city will be required at the pre-work meeting.

Site Specific Rehabilitation Plan: the Contractor shall submit a detailed site-specific rehabilitation plan that outlines specific practices and activities the Contractor will perform that could have impact to existing infrastructure and natural resources. The project area will be rehabilitated back to pre-contract conditions if any disturbances occur.

Accident Prevention and Safety: The Contractor shall keep and maintain programs necessary to assure safety of herbicide use and motor vehicle use. The development and maintenance of these programs are a material part of the performance of the contract.

When, in the sole judgment of the Contracting Officer, the safety programs do not adequately promote the safety of operations, the Government may terminate the contract for cause as provided in the “Contract Terms and Conditions”. Examples of such programs are but not limited to: 1) Personnel Activities, 2) Maintenance, 3) Safety and 4) Compliance with Regulations. The Contractor shall fully cooperate with the Contracting Officer in the fulfillment of this clause. The Contracting Officer may suspend performance of this contract work, during the evaluation period used to determine cause as stated above.

Technical Specification and Attachments: The Contractor shall comply with all federal, state, and local rules, regulations, and laws pertaining to the work required by this contract. Spaying will take place at the best possible time. The Contractor shall ensure all equipment moved onto National Forest System land is free of soil, seeds, vegetative matter, or other debris that could contain or hold noxious weed seed. The Forest Service may request inspection of equipment prior to it being placed into service. All equipment used in for this contract will have adequate fire extinguishers and other fire prevention mechanisms.

9.0 Data Requirements and Rights

Field Survey Operations and Procedures: Treat and record noxious weed sites in accordance with the Nebraska National Forests and Grassland Noxious Weed User Guide (separate attachment) of this solicitation. The final product submitted is inventory and treatment data in the specific data format of the NNFG Noxious Weeds Geodatabase; this will be submitted to the COR upon completion of treatment. During the contract the contractor is required to submit raw GPS data and accurate field sheets to the COR bi-weekly to ensure that the information is being recorded correctly. The database is an ESRI ArcGIS version 9.3 personal geodatabase. The database contains the spatial and tabular data. All data elements are required.

Field survey operations using GPS shall be performed using Trimble GPS unit capable of loading and using NNFG Noxious weed data dictionary (.ddf) files. The following is needed to collect field data with GPS: concurrent GPS software., computer with hardware capacity to run ArcGIS software and to convert GPS data into ArcGIS shapefiles, ArcGIS 9.3 or newer software (ESRI) for aggregating exported GPS files into ArcGIS shapefiles, knowledge and understanding of the requirements of the NNFG Noxious Weed User Guides, and knowledge of GPS and ArcGIS accuracy and standards.

GIS Layer: All weed treatment sites will be combined into one ESRI ArcGIS version 9.3 or newer polygon personal geodatabase. The database contains the spatial and tabular data. Geodatabase will be referenced to the North American Datum, 1983 (NAD83) in the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM), zone 13 projection will be used. Coordinates will be reported in meters.

GPS data will be referenced using the following export coordinate system, units, and velocity:

System UTM Zone 13 North Datum NAD83 (Conus) CORS96 Units Feet Altitude HAE Distance Feet Area Square Feet or Acre Velocity Feet per second

Shapefiles will be exported using code values assigned in the Data Dictionary along with the additional attributes:

PDOP

Receiver Type Correction Status Data File Name

Collection Instructions for Survey123 or Fieldmaps Accounts needed:

• Survey123 or Fieldmaps account

• ArcGIS online account

• eAuth account

The Contractor can use Trimble GPS, Survey123, or Fieldmaps to collect data.

Final GPS products submission: The following digital data is to be electronic: Field/spraying sheets, raw GPS files that have been differentially corrected, and final GIS Geodatabase. Upon completion of an individual treatment area, the contractor shall submit all data within 10 calendar days to the COR or Inspector. If deficiencies are found, all data will be returned for corrections.

Weed Data Dictionary: A data dictionary is a list of features and attributes that are collected in the field. It ensures that the collected data is always consistent. In the field, the data dictionary structures and speeds up data collection and allow crews to enter data in the correct format. This ensures data uniformity and integrity, as well as compatibility with the GIS database. The Government provides the data dictionary to the contractor. All data collected will not be shared with any other public or private affiliations other than the Forest Service.

10.0 Section 508 - Electronic and Information Technology Standards If information technology is to be acquired, include language describing Section 508 requirements.

N/A

11.0 Performance Requirement Measures

Performance Objective Required Task or

Deliverable Performance Standard Method of

Surveillance Positive/Negative Incentive % for NOT meeting the Task

Use herbicide(s) approved by the Forest Service. (4.0 Deliverable/Schedule).

Provide a list of herbicides that will be used.

100% accuracy rate Herbicide list will be evaluated by

COR.

Herbicide will be rejected, and any cost will be at Contractor’s expense.

Sprayers are calibrated correctly (3.0 Technical Requirements/Task).

Demonstrate sprayers calibration to the

COR.

100% accuracy rate. Sprayer calibration will be evaluated by COR.

The sprayer will be adjusted or replaced (if adjustments are not available) at the Contractor’s expense.

Contract requirements are met (8.0 Safety Plan and Accident Prevention).

Submit a Quality Control Plan.

100% accuracy rate. Quality Control Plan will be evaluated.

Notice to proceed will not be issued.

Work will be completed with the proper certification and equipment (8.0 Safety Plan and Accident Prevention).

Submit a Work Plan.

100% accuracy rate. Work Plan will be evaluated.

Notice to proceed will not be issued.

Work is completed in a timely manner (3.0 Technical Requirements/Task).

Submit a Performance Schedule.

100% accuracy rate. Performance Schedule will be evaluated.

Notice to proceed will not be issued.

Work will be conducted in a safe manner (8.0 Safety Plan and Accident Prevention).

Submit a Site Safety Plan.

100% accuracy rate. Site Safety Plan will be evaluated.

Notice to proceed will not be issued.

Sites are rehabilitated back to pre-contracted condition (8.0 Safety Plan and Accident Prevention).

Submit a Site Specific Rehibition Plan.

100% accuracy rate. Random sampling will occur.

Rework at Contractor’s expense.

Weeds are treated with herbicide (3.0 Technical Requirements/Tasks).

Plant species listed above are sprayed with herbicide and killed.

85% kill rate on weeds within the contract’s boundaries.

Random sampling will occur.

Rework at Contractor’s expense.

Data is collected on sprayed weed patches. (9.0 Data Requirements and Rights).

Submit spray sheets and shapefiles.

100% accuracy rate. Spray sheets and shapefiles will be evaluated by the

COR.

Rework at Contractor’s expense.

Attachment

a. Spray sheets

b. Nebraska National Forests and Grassland GPS/GIS User Guides