C04 Attachment 1_SOW 2026_NRI MT.pdf

Statement Of Work (SOW) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

National Resources Inventory (NRI) Grazingland Field Study Data Collection

Montana

A. GENERAL:

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture is mandated (through the Rural Development Act of 1972, the Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act of 1977, and other supporting legislation) to assess the status, condition, and trends of soil, water, and related resources on the Nation’s Non-Federal and Federal lands. Resources inventory legislative authorities, NRCS policy, and responsibilities for conducting the National Resources Inventory (NRI) are contained in NRCS General Manual 290, Part 400. To accomplish this task, the NRCS will award one contract that requires the successful contractor to collect data on selected sample sites (points) for the NRI, Grazingland Field Study in Montana.

B. DEFINITIONS:

1. Contracting Officer (CO) - The duly appointed and warranted government agent authorized to administer or terminate contracts and make related determinations and findings. The contracting officer is the only person authorized to contractually obligate the government. The contracting officer is responsible for ensuring performance of all necessary actions for effective contracting, ensuring that the requirements of all pertinent laws, regulations, etc. have been met, ensuring compliance with the terms of the contract, and safeguarding the interests of the United States in its contractual relationships. The contracting officer ensures that sufficient funds are available for government contractual obligation and ensures that all contractors receive impartial, fair and equitable treatment in the solicitation process.

2. Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) - The Contracting Officer will appoint and delegate in writing limited authority for certain contract-related decisions to an NRCS employee who will serve as the COR. The COR Appointment Letter details exactly what responsibilities lie within the scope of the COR's authority. The COR will notify the CO of recommendations for technical acceptance or rejection by the Government of all articles and services required to be furnished and/or performed under the contract; will receive, for the Government, all articles and services called for by the contract and will represent the Contracting Officer in the technical phases of the work. The COR monitors the Contractor's performance to ensure compliance with technical requirements of the contract, verifies and certifies that the items have been inspected and meet the requirements of the contract. The COR notifies the CO if performance is not meeting the requirements of the contract.

3. COR’s Technical Representative (COTR) – The COTR will assist the COR in the technical phases of the work, including QA/QC and other day to day communications and support to the Contractor.

4. Contractor - as used in these specifications refers to the service provider selected to perform the work defined in this contract.

National Resources Inventory (NRI)

5. Segments (formerly referenced as Primary Sampling Unit) and Points - The NRI sample was selected on a county-by-county basis, using a stratified, two-stage, area sampling scheme.

The two-stage sampling units are nominally square segments of land, and points within the segments. The segments are typically a half mile-square parcel of land equivalent to 160-acre quarter-sections in the public land survey system (PLSS). Three specific sample point locations are selected for most selected segments. For Grazing Land On-Site Data Collection, data are collected for up to two points for each sample segment.

C. REFERENCE MATERIALS:

• NRI Handbook of Instructions for Rangeland Field Study Data Collection

• Field Book for Describing and Sampling Soils Version 4.0; USDA NRCS

• NRCS Field Office Tech Guide Montana (EFOTG)

• NRCS National Range and Pasture Handbook

• Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health, Version 5

• USDA NRCS National Plants Database

• Ecosystem Dynamics Interpretive Tool

• Montana Noxious Weed List

D. CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT:

Prior to data collection, all contractor’s data gatherers shall sign a Confidentiality Statement under United States Code (USC), Title 18, Section 1905; USC, Title7, Section 2276 and USC, Title 7, Section 2240 for non-disclosure of confidential information relative to data site locations and/or private/corporate non-use of composite data. The NRI data that identifies owners, operators, or data collection sites are not to be released to the public.

E. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

Attend NRCS provided training Training and calibration must be completed prior to commencing field data collection annually.

Data Collection Commence on or about May 15 and complete no later than September 30th of the current inventory year.

Data transmission to ISU server, Digital Imagery and Soils Collection Form

Segments must be electronically transferred to the ISU server no later than 30 days after commencing field data collection for said segments. All segments and digital camera images must be uploaded to the ISU server no later than September 30th. In addition, all MT NRI Soils Collection Forms (Attachment 2) must be sent to the COR’s representative no later than September 30th.

Data Corrections Segments and soils forms failing to meet data correctness and quality specifications will be referred to the contractor(s) for correction.

https://grazingland.cssm.iastate.edu/site-data-collection-handbook-instructions https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/field-book-for-describing-and-sampling-soils https://efotg.sc.egov.usda.gov/#/ https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/natural-resource-concerns/animals/livestock/national-range-and-pasture-handbook https://www.blm.gov/documents/national-office/blm-library/technical-reference/interpreting-indicators-rangeland-health-0 https://plants.usda.gov/ https://edit.jornada.nmsu.edu/ https://agr.mt.gov/_docs/weeds-docs/2019-Montana-Noxious-Weed-List.pdf

National Resources Inventory (NRI)

Requested corrections must be completed no later than September 30th and prior to submission of an invoice for payment.

Final Invoicing No later than October 15th Segment data deemed inaccessible in field determination

Required documentation must be delivered to the Government no later than 5 working days after determination property cannot be accessed to collect data.

GFP/GFM All GFP/GFM shall be returned to the Government no later than 4PM MT October 31st of the current inventory year.

F. DESCRIPTION OF WORK: Non-federal points and Bureau of Land Management Federal Points

The contractor(s) shall furnish the necessary key personnel, material, equipment, services and facilities, except as otherwise specified, to perform the effort described below. Documentation guidance for implementing this contract is outlined in Paragraph C. Reference Materials.

Overview – For this inventory, data collection is required on non-federal and federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land. This contract requires collection of grazingland resources data at sample points found within selected sample segment boundaries. A required data point is a point that is determined to be rangeland or pastureland by the COR’s representative. Data collection is not required on non-rangeland or non-pastureland points.

The specific segments and points are announced annually by the National NRI program manager the second quarter of the Federal fiscal year. A task order will be issued once the annual segments and points are determined. Note: No amount will be guaranteed on the contract beyond the minimum guarantee. For fiscal year 2026, there are approximately 118 non-federal inventory segments (236 max points) and 10 federal segments (20 max points) (see Attachment 1 for 2026 workload estimate). Each segment is about 160 acres in size. In general, most segments will have two sample points to collect, however, some will only contain one eligible sample point. Historically, 50% to 80% of the points will be granted permission to access and approximately 10 to 30% will only have one sample point depending on eligibility and permission status. This historical information is provided as a reference only and will vary yearly.

Minimum Data Collector Team Education and Experience Requirements: At each data point, data collection core teams proposed by offeror, at a minimum, must include one individual that meet the requirements in (i) and one individual that meets the requirements in (ii). In addition to the two required individuals in (i) and (ii), one or more less qualified individuals that meet the requirements in

(iii) may accompany the team to assist with data collection.

(i) one individual that meets the U.S. Office of Personnel Management General Schedule Qualification Standards for the Rangeland Management Series 0454 or Ecology Series 0408 and have experience in the following:

• Working in western states in the field of rangeland management or range ecology, https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0400/rangeland-management-series-0454/ https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0400/ecology-series-0408/

National Resources Inventory (NRI)

• Experience using and interpreting Ecological Site Descriptions (ESD) (Technical Guide Sec 2; Ecological Site Descriptions) to calculate similarity index.

• Using Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment to navigate to sample sites.

• Use of soil survey information

• Rangeland health and health indicators,

• Native, introduced, and noxious weed/invasive plant identification in Montana or surrounding states

• Experience using core vegetation sampling methods including rangeland line point intercept

(for cover and composition), gap intercept (for size and distribution of exposed ground, vegetation census, density and height measurements.

• Familiar with NRCS resource concerns and conservation practices

(ii) one individual that meets the Soil Science Series 0470 and at least two years of experience in the following:

• Working in western states in the field of Soil Science.

• Excavating hand dug pits for the purpose of describing soil properties and features.

Describing soil sites, including determining landscape, landforms, landform position, understanding surface and subsurface hydrology as it relates to soil formation.

• Describing soil profiles, including detailed horizonation and record related soil properties and features.

• Use of pedology principles to describe and identify correct soil components and associated ecological sites.

(iii) one or more individuals that have a minimum of two (2) years of formal undergraduate training in biological or earth sciences.

This data collection will be conducted on private & public land and access permission must be granted prior to land entry and data collection. The contractor(s) shall enter the data collected into hand-held Computer Assisted Survey Instruments (CASI) using approved software provided by NRCS. The contractor shall transmit the data to the USDA NRCS Iowa State University Center for Survey Statistics & Methodology located in Ames, Iowa.

1. Grazingland Data Collection: The contractor shall collect data for the following elements in accordance with the standards outlined in the NRI Handbook of Instructions for Rangeland Field Study Data Collection. The data shall be free of errors and be collected in a logical order with minimal number of trips to the field for data collection. To be considered complete, range and pasture data collection protocols will be collected for points and certified by NRCS. Work shall begin on or about May 15 of the current inventory year and be completed in accordance with the table set forth at section E (“Period of Performance”) of this Statement of Work. Highlights in the protocol are covered below:

https://efotg.sc.egov.usda.gov/#/state/MT/documents/section=2&folder=8342 https://efotg.sc.egov.usda.gov/#/state/MT/documents/section=2&folder=8342 https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0400/soil-science-series-0470/ https://grazingland.cssm.iastate.edu/site-data-collection-handbook-instructions https://grazingland.cssm.iastate.edu/site-data-collection-handbook-instructions

National Resources Inventory (NRI)

a. GPS Navigation and Point Coordinate Capture – navigate to and record data point position with a handheld GPS device.

b. Transect Layout; (2) 150 foot linear transects NE/SW-NW/SE intersecting as an “X” at the 75-foot mark.

c. (9) Digital photos per point.

d. Ownership – NRI ownership code

e. Land Cover/Use – NRI cover/use code

f. Soil Observation(s) to identify the soil component and verify the ecological site(s) (see Section

2. Soils Data Collection requirements below)

g. Landscapes and Soils

• Vertical Slope Shape

• Horizontal Slope Shape

• Slope Percent

• Soil Survey Area ID (SSAID) number

• NASIS Map Unit Symbol (MUSYM)

h. Ecological Site Information

• Rangeland Cover Type Name

• Historic Major Land Resource Area (MLRA)

• Ecological Site Number

• Ecological Site/Soil Correlation

• Apparent Rangeland Trend

i. Rangeland Health

• Indicators of Rangeland Health (17 attributes to achieve indicator summary of Soil/Site

Stability, Biotic Integrity and Hydrologic Function)

j. Disturbance Indicators

k. Identification of Conservation Practices Applied; Yes/No (15) NRCS Technical Guide Section 4

l. Identification of Resource Concerns; Yes/No (NRCS Technical Guide Section 5)

m. Soil Stability Test – when insufficient root mat exists (9 samples)

n. Transect Vegetation Data

• Line Point Transects for Cover Composition (50 points per transect)

• Record plant canopy cover by species (up to six species) at three-foot intervals along two 150 foot transects

• Record basal cover at the same points by plant species, or lichen cover, or moss, or rock fragments, or none (bare soil)

• Line Intercept Transects: for Canopy Gaps

• Record the beginning and end of plant canopy gaps greater than 1.0 foot to the nearest 1/10th of a foot

o. Plant Height

• Record the maximum height, in inches, of the tallest rooted plant that is nearest to the three-foot intervals along two 150 foot transects

p. Species Composition by Weight (Non-federal rangeland only) https://efotg.sc.egov.usda.gov/#/state/MT/documents/section=4&folder=0 https://efotg.sc.egov.usda.gov/#/state/MT/documents/section=5&folder=8514

National Resources Inventory (NRI)

• Collect actual field weight, in grams, of plants in production plots

• There are 5 production plots located along transect lines

• Each of the 5 production plots will have herbaceous material sampled

• Two of the 5 plots will also have woody material (if present) sampled

• Herbaceous (circular) plots will be either 4.8 or 9.6 square feet

• Woody plots will be 435.6 square feet or 0.01 acre (a circular plot with a radius of approximately 11.8 feet)

• Collect actual field weight by species

• Actual field weight by species may be determined by clipping the whole plot or by double sampling

q. Reconstruct field weight of plants to normal annual air-dry weights (Non-Federal rangeland only)

• For each species:

• Determine the percent air dry weight

• Determine the percent of current year’s growth that has not been removed by grazing or harvest

• Determine percent of current year’s growth that should normally have occurred at the time of sampling

• Determine the climate adjustment factor comparing current year’s growth to normal years growth

r. Determine similarity Index (SI) using Ecological Site Description information for each plant species (Non-federal rangeland only)

• The NRI CASI produces total unadjusted weight for all plants inventoried from all production plots as well as the reconstructed weight in pounds per acre

• Determine the percent of allowable production for each species using the Ecological Site

Description that best describes the site where the samples have been collected. The CASI will calculate the Similarity Index (SI).

s. Standing Biomass (Pastureland only)

• There are a total of 5 production plots located along the transect lines

• Each of the 5 production plots will have grass/herbaceous material sampled

• Two of the 5 plots will also have woody material (if present) sampled

• Grass/herbaceous (circular) plots will be 1.92, 4.8 or 9.6 (optional) square feet

• Woody plots will be 435.6 square feet or 0.01 acre (a circular plot with a radius of approximately 11.8 feet)

• Several methods may be used to obtain biomass estimates: clip all plots, double sampling, or by weight units.

• Determine the total quadrat green field weight in grams

• Data entry requirements for dry weight determination vary by which method was selected

(sub sample or total). Sub sample method – air dry a sample of the total green weight harvest. Total sample method – air dry the entire quadrat harvest.

National Resources Inventory (NRI)

• Woody plots – woody biomass production will be estimated using weight units and a sub sample for determining air dry weight.

t. Pasture Condition (Pastureland only)

• Determine the pasture condition score using the National Pasture Condition Score Sheet.

Refer to instructions.

2. Soils Data Collection: The Contractor(s) Soil Scientist shall observe, measure, and record soil descriptions to support soil component and keyed ecological sites utilizing the MT NRI Soil Collection form (Attachment 2). The Soil Scientist shall describe profile to a depth of 115 cm (45 inches) or clear contact with bedrock whichever is shallower. Use reference “Field Book for Describing and Sampling Soils, Version 2.0 or higher” for codes, terms and guidance. Record for each site the following entries:

Site observations/measurements

a. Soil survey id (example MT622)

b. Survey map unit symbol

c. Soil component name identified (using similar soil concept with ESD assignment as context)

d. Component NASIS ID

e. Date described

f. Segment ID#, including point number

g. Describers name

h. Elevation (feet)

i. % Slope

j. Aspect (compass degrees)

k. Landscape

l. Landform, including position on the landform

m. % bare ground

n. Surface cover of stone and/or boulder size rock fragments

o. Soil Parent material kind (alluvium, colluvium, residuum, glacial till etc.…)

p. Soil Parent material source (granite, sandstone, shale, mixed alluvium etc.…)

q. Ecological site keyed/ MLRA-LRU-ESD name

r. Depth class – very shallow, shallow, moderately deep, deep or very deep…

s. Depth to water table (saturated zone) in centimeters

t. Flooding (if site judged to have any flooding hazard – YES, else NO)

Profile observations/measurements, by horizon

a. Horizon designation (A, Bw, C, for example)

b. Horizon top and bottom depths in centimeters

c. Soil Color (Moist and dry) using Munsell color charts/book

d. Water state, dry, moist, wet…

e. Texture (USDA), less than 2mm matrix with appropriate coarse fragment modifier

f. % Clay (estimated by texturing)

National Resources Inventory (NRI)

g. Rock fragment percent (by standard fraction, gravel (channers if flat), cobbles (flags if flat), stones, boulders)

h. Soil structure

i. Soil consistence (dry, moist, wet)

j. Features to include mottles (redoximorphic features), ped and void features (i.e. clay films).

k. Field pH (using meter or reagents with a spot plate)

l. Effervescence (determined with 10% HCl solution)

m. Notes (as needed to provide additional clarity)

3. Landowner Permission: Permission to access nonfederal land must be granted prior to land entry and data collection. The contractor shall contact landowners to request permission to conduct the inventory. If permissions are granted and prior to access, the contractor(s) will coordinate dates of data collection and access logistics directly with the landowner or operator. If the contractor is unable to secure permissions, the contractor will not enter or cross the property and will not be paid for that point.

At the discretion of the Government, the COR’s representative or local USDA field office may attempt to mail initial permission request letters and forms to point landowner/operators(s) for the non-federal points. For federal BLM sites, the contractor will coordinate data collection dates and access logistics including access across private land directly with the local BLM office. The contractor should not rely solely on the government for landowner permissions. The contractor has ultimate responsibility to secure landowner permissions to access non-federal and federal lands. The Government is not obligated to provide this assistance.

4. Training Requirements: Training requirements each year may be subject to change. At every point, data collection must be conducted by an authorized technical leader accompanied by the crew member team soil scientist, and. if needed, one or more additional crew members. Each of the collectors must be authorized by the COR’s representative annually before collecting data. Authorization is based on the combination of training and experience as indicated below:

• Technical Leader Authorization: The technical leader for any grazing lands onsite collection must:

o Have been previously qualified as a crew member and acted as a crew member for data collections at five or more points, led by an authorized technical leader.

o Have attended the Employee Development Section (EDS) NRCS National Grazing Lands Onsite training for the current or the previous inventory year. At a minimum, Technical Leaders must attend the EDS NRCS National Grazing Lands Onsite training at least every other year.

• Crew Members Authorization: A crew member for a grazing lands onsite collection must attend one of the following the current inventory year:

o Grazing lands onsite training conducted by the Employee Development Section (EDS) o Grazing lands onsite training conducted locally by a national grazing lands trainer o Grazing lands onsite training conducted by an authorized technical leader

National Resources Inventory (NRI)

5. Deliverables: Payment will only be made for deliverables that meet contract quality standards submitted to and accepted by the Government. The contractor(s) shall submit the following:

a. Segment Data Collection: Completed segments shall include:

1) All field data collection and data entry into the hand-held computer using the NRCS approved Computer Assisted Survey Instrument (CASI), any required follow-up calculations, verification and fully passed all electronic completion checks on the CASI (CO status) and transmitted electronically to the Statistical Laboratory, Iowa State University (ISU), Ames Iowa.

To ensure data safety and security, segments must be electronically transferred to the ISU server no later than 15 days after commencing field data collection for said segments. Partially completed segments in non-completed status (UC) will not be accepted. All segments must be returned to the ISU server no later than midnight September 30th of the current inventory year.

Points deemed inaccessible in the office will not be field visited in circumstances where the site map, commonly used ancillary references, GIS and other data, or previous inventory attempts indicates the point is CLEARLY ineligible or inaccessible, as discussed in the NRI Handbook.

The Contractor will consult with the COTR as needed to make an Inaccessible in Office determination. No payment will be made for points deemed Inaccessible in Office.

2) The required digital imagery associated with each site as per the NRI Handbook of Instructions for Grazing Land On-Site Data Collection. All digital imagery must be labeled as per the NRI Handbook and uploaded via the ISU website no later than midnight September 30th of the current inventory year.

3) The MT NRI Soils Collection Form (Attachment 2): The attached NRI Soils form shall be completed for each data collection point. All soils forms shall be delivered to the COR’s representative no later than two days after notifying the COR’s representative of segments ready for Quality Assurance Review (see Section E Period of Performance for deadlines).

b. Segment Data Deemed Inaccessible in Field Designation: Points Deemed Inaccessible in Field Designation: Points deemed to be inaccessible after the contractor has attempted travel to them require certain conditions be met and the contractor to provide documentation of the attempt before payment will be made (see Section N for specific details). Documentation may include but is not limited to:

a) GPS coordinates of location where access was impeded

b) dated photographs of access situation (locked gate, washed out road, etc.)

c) a detailed description of the circumstances which prevented data collection at the point.

c. Training: The Contractor shall successfully complete the required training course and calibration exercise, and provide all required documentation listed in Section F.4 Training, prior to beginning data collection. The Government will accept delivery upon demonstration of successful completion of the

National Resources Inventory (NRI) required training and initial calibration exercise, and upon acceptance of all documentation required in Section F.4 Training Requirements.

G. QUALITY ASSURANCE (QA)/PERFORMANCE-BASED REQUIREMENTS:

The COR’s representative will coordinate the evaluation of Contractor performance. NRCS will provide an infield Quality Assurance Reviews (QAR) for up to 10% of collected data for segments. The Contractor will transmit corrected segments, as needed, to the ISU server as described in Section F.5.a.

Contractor is required to participate in periodic calibration exercises. Such calibration exercises shall be required no more than an additional 2 times during data collection after initial training and calibration.

Calibration exercises are in addition to the training required by Section J of this Statement of Work.

QAR will also consist of review of all data submitted to the ISU server and soils forms (Attachment 2).

Segments and soils forms failing to meet data correctness and quality specifications will be referred to the contractor(s) for correction. Any issues relative to the quality or correctness of collected data will be corrected as soon as possible and prior to submission of an invoice for payment.

H. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY, MATERIALS, AND FACILITIES

1. Government Furnished Property (GFP): Property supplied by the NRCS shall only be used for direct performance of the work specified in this contract. Use for purposes other than this contract is prohibited. NRCS will maintain the GFP and will provide access to all equipment manuals for provided equipment. NRCS will provide the following GFP items: Jornada soil stability test kit, hand-held computer loaded with the NRCS Computer Assisted Survey Instrument (CASI) software, GPS (Bad Elf Mini), portable charger/power bank, cables and vehicle chargers if available and applicable. All GFP must be returned by the Contractor to the COR at the end of the performance period, as identified in Section E, in full working condition. The final invoice will not be processed for payment until all equipment have been returned, in good working order, to the COTR or their designee.

2. Government Furnished Materials (GFM): The NRCS will provide GFM in the form of NRI segment support materials including legal descriptions and maps of each segment with the segment boundary and data collection points located and labeled. Additional information may be provided by the NRCS. Materials will be delivered by the performance start date. All NRI support materials must be returned to NRCS at the end of the performance period.

3. Contractor Responsibility for GFP and GFM: The contractor shall notify the COR in writing within two working days after the discovery of lost, damaged, or destroyed GFP or GFM. The notification shall include the specific Property Number or other identifying codes and property nomenclature; the circumstances surrounding the loss, damage, or destruction and the expected impact on provision of Contractor services. The contractor may be held financially liable for any shortage, loss, damage, or destruction of GFP as determined by the CO.

I. CONTRACTOR PROVIDED PROPERTY:

National Resources Inventory (NRI)

The contractor shall furnish all property, etc. to perform this contract that is not specifically identified as GFP, GFM or GFF above. Such property must include, but is not limited to the following (needed to sample one site):

• (2) 150’ flexible tapes with 0.1-inch increments

• One dozen 12” survey pins

• (1) 25’ flexible tape for woody plots

• (2) pair grass clippers

• (2) pair pruning shears

• (2) Quadrat frames (circular;1.9 sq. ft., 4.8 sq. ft.)

• Paper bags for containing and weighing vegetation samples

• Gram scales: 0-60gram x 0.5gram incr, 0-100gram x 1.0gram incr, 0-300gram x 5.0gram

• Dry-erase board, markers

• Measuring stick for plant height measurements

• (1) Clinometer

• (1) Compass with adjustable “bearing” setting ring

• (1) Digital Camera (4-mega pixel or better) and applicable download software (.jpg)

• 10% hydrochloric acid solution to test for calcareous soils

• Tile spade

• Soil auger

• Spud bar

• Cleanout shovel

• pH meter or reagents with spot plate

• Munsell color book

• 10 power hand lens

• Soils knife

• Distilled water for soil stability test

• Extra AA batteries

• Laptop or desktop computer with Microsoft™ Windows operating system with communications hardware and software enabling connection to the internet.

• Internet access to the ISU server for segment/point data transmission.

• Transportation to and from sample sites.

J. NRCS-PROVIDED training – NRI Grazing Land On-Site Data Collection

Prior to data collection, technical leader(s) must attend a NRCS National NRI Grazing Land On-Site Data Collection training (estimated duration: 3 days) in first year, and at a minimum every other year thereafter. Crew member(s) shall attend a NRCS approved training/calibration session on study protocols annually, conducted locally by an authorized technical leader. To be authorized to collect data: one must attend training provided, participate in calibration and be within required limits, and pass the written test. There will be no charge for the NRCS provided training. Any associated travel and personnel costs should be included in the CLIN titled Training. In addition, each contractor will be required to complete no more than two additional data collection calibrations onsite with the NRCS

National Resources Inventory (NRI) officials during the data collection season. Interested contractors should include their cost to complete the calibrations in the per unit price per point CLIN titled “Federal Points” or “Non-Federal Onsite Private Grazing Land (OPGL) Points”.

K. TELECONFERENCES

"As-needed" teleconferences with NRCS shall be scheduled whenever requested by the COR or their COTR or the contractor to review items including progress, questions relating to the project, work revised, or decisions which need to be made with the intention of expediting the completion of the contract.

L. REVIEW PROCEDURES

Work completed by the contractor will be reviewed and approved by the COTR and the COR.

M. CHANGES

Throughout the period of this contract the contractor can expect to receive government directed changes to the way processes are being performed. Changes include minor changes in data collection instructions and data collection software. Directives may be received in the form of, but not limited to, memoranda, and other informal means of communication.

The contractor shall immediately implement changes to processes approved by the COR that result in a decrease to or no change in the contract price. A proposal documenting the decreased cost will be submitted within 10 working days. Any changes that result in increases in price can only be approved by the CO. A proposal showing the revised work and increased cost must be submitted to the CO and approved in a written modification before commencing the change in work.

N. PAYMENT

Payment will only be made for deliverables that meet contract quality standards and protocols of this Statement of Work and is successfully submitted to and subsequently accepted by the Government. For Data Points Deemed Inaccessible in Field Designation events, payment will only be made for a maximum of two points per segment after inspection of documentation and acceptance by the Government of the required deliverables.

Payment shall be made in accordance with the contract requirements at the price per unit (point) as outlined below in items 1 and 2. Note: Points where private landowners do not provide permission to access or cross their property will not be visited and will not be paid. Points where the land use type can be readily seen on the supplied aerial photos to be other than rangeland or pastureland will not be visited

National Resources Inventory (NRI) and will not be paid. Contractor to inquire with the COTR on any points that appear to not meet NRI data collection criteria before proceeding with data collection.

1. Data Point Collection: A data point is considered complete when 1) the data point has been transmitted with a “CO” status to the database located at the USDA NRCS Iowa State University Center for Survey Statistics & Methodology located in Ames, Iowa, 2) when the digital images associated with the data point have been uploaded to the ISU website, and 3) the MT NRI Soils Collection Form associated with the data point has been submitted to the COTR. Once the Quality Assurance Review has been completed by the Government, the Government POC will authorize submission of invoice for payment.

The Contractor invoice will list the points completed since the last invoice. Payment will only be made for a completed data point (as defined above) that meets contract quality standards and is successfully transmitted to the ISU server and accepted by the Government.

Invoices for this deliverable shall be submitted against the CLIN titled “Federal Points” or “Non-Federal Onsite Private Grazing Land (OPGL) Points”, whichever is applicable.

2. Data Points Deemed Inaccessible in Field Designation: Points deemed to be inaccessible after the contractor has attempted travel to them will receive a portion of a full point payment provided the following conditions are met:

a. In the event transit across private land is necessary to access the BLM segment, permission was obtained from the private landowner,

b. Contractor notifies the Government POC regarding access problem within 5 working days of attempted access, and

c. Contractor must physically have attempted travel to the point and document it by field capture of a GPS waypoint at the nearest location the Contractor was able to traverse to before concluding access was not possible. This field-captured GPS location shall be provided to the COTR, and

d. While attempting to access the point, Contractor was prevented from accessing the point by any of the following circumstances:

1. A locked gate (Requires a photograph of the locked gate as documentation)

2. The only way to access the point is by traversing very steep, and/or dangerous terrain, consistent with previous attempts by NRI staff to access the point.

3. A subsequent change in ownership resulting in denied permission to access point (Requires documentation of new ownership to be provided).

4. Point is greater than 2.5 miles from a road or trail, consistent with previous inventory attempts by NRI staff to access the point (Contractor shall document on a topographic map).

5. Change in land use/cover at the point, unbeknownst to the Contractor and not discernable from most recent imagery, that causes the land use/cover selection to dis-quality the point from inventory as assigned

6. Where current or post-wildfire hazards put personnel at an unreasonable risk of injury.

National Resources Inventory (NRI)

7. Road washouts or similar travel hazards prevent access (Contractor shall document by a GPS waypoint location and a photograph of the barrier).

8. Permission to access the point(s) is withdrawn by the private landowner after the Contractor has begun to incur travel costs (documentation required).

9. Other conditions or circumstances deemed reasonable by the COR.

For Data Points Deemed Inaccessible in Field Designation events, payment will only be made after inspection of documentation and acceptance by the Government of the required deliverables. Payment will be made for a maximum of two points per segment.

Invoices for this deliverable shall be submitted against the CLIN titled “Federal Points” or “Non-Federal Onsite Private Grazing Land (OPGL) Points”, whichever is applicable.

3. Training: Payment will be made for successful completion of the required training course, successful completion of the calibration exercise, and delivery of all documentation required prior to beginning data collection. Payment will not be made in the event the contractor fails to successfully complete the required training, and calibration exercises and fails to provide all required documentation listed in Section F.4, prior to beginning data collection.

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