C04_Solicitation_and_Attachments_Specs.docx

SECTION C--DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

WOVEN WIRE FENCE CONSTRUCTION ON THE ALLGHENY NATIONAL FOREST

DIVISION 100 - GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

110 - Scope of Contract

It is the objective of this contract to build deer exclosure fences around timber stands to keep white tailed deer out and prevent tree seedlings from being browsed.

This contract will construct eight-foot woven wire fence (7 to 8 foot high with 4-6” of overlap on the ground) in forested areas on the Allegheny National Forest. The Contractor is responsible for furnishing all supervision, labor, equipment, tools, materials, and incidentals (except as noted in 150 - Government Furnished Property) necessary to complete the work.

120 - Location and Description of Fence Construction Areas

Fence construction areas will be located inside the boundaries of the Allegheny National Forest within the following counties in Pennsylvania (Warren, McKean, Elk and Forest) 130 – Contractor Representative Before work starts the contractor shall designate a person in writing knowledgeable of contract requirements to act for them in their absence. The contractor or authorized representative shall be at the job site whenever work is in progress. In the absence of the contractor, the authorized representative may receive instructions from the Contracting Officer Representative (COR).

140 - Contractor Furnished Property

The Contractor shall furnish material such as woven wire fence, 10’ “U channel” steel post or 4-5” round treated wood posts and 2x4 boards (2x4 boards do not have to be treated), hog rings or ring fasteners, wire ties, and fence staples.

150 - Government Furnished Property

Site maps (included within the contract package) and fence signs that read “Hunting Permitted” and “Gate”.

160 - Protection of Existing Structures

The Contractor shall be required to protect existing improvements which are in and around the project area. Examples include, but are not limited to: tree shelters, pipelines, power lines, oil pumping jacks, buildings, gates, culvert pipes, etc. The Contractor shall be required to repair or replace such improvements if damaged as a result of their operations.

170 - Measurement

The design quantities in linear feet were determined by using GPS equipment. There may be slight variations that need to occur on the ground due to micro site conditions (excessive rock, etc.) Due to environmental variations, fences will be remeasured after construction. Payments will be made on final constructed linear feet of fence installed.

180 - Work Schedule

The Contractor shall notify the COR two days in advance of where and when work will start. Forest Service personnel will be available to answer questions or check areas Monday - Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Contractor may work at their own schedule and on weekends, unless otherwise designated by the COR. Work schedule restrictions are rare but could occur due to site specific resource concerns or recreation mitigations. Any work schedule restrictions required by the Forest Service shall be communicated by the COR at the beginning of the contract.

SECTION 200

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS –

WOVEN WIRE FENCE CONSTRUCTION

210 - Project Description

211 - Boundary

Fence line locations shall be designated with orange or pink flagging. The contractor shall remain within 20 feet of the flag line at all times. There may be instances in which the Contractor may elect to make slight changes to the flag line of an additional 10 feet to ensure proper construction of the fence; however, they must verbally inform the COR of these instances.

If there are instances where the contractor feels a section of line is unworkable (Ex. rocks, steep ground, etc.) and requires a change of greater than 30 feet in the location of the line, he/she must notify the COR immediately of the proposed change. An agreement shall be made between the two parties as to the revised location of the fence line.

If the revised location requires a change of greater than 15% of the linear footage estimate a written request for a change in price shall be submitted to the CO for modification.

Sites shall be designated with an orange or pink tag referencing “Fence Construction” and the “Unit #” that indicates the location. The contractor is required to sign the card to ensure they are at the correct location before work can begin.

212 - Hazard Tree Felling

Hazard trees are dead or dying trees, split trees, heavily leaning trees, or root-sprung trees that are in a position to fall across the fence location.

The contractor shall fell all hazard trees that are within striking distance of the newly constructed fence as long as they feel safe in felling the tree. No hazard trees on private property shall be felled and all property lines including rights of ways shall be kept free of slash or other fence construction debris.

213 - Fence Row Clearing and Stabilization

The Contractor will clear a path at least eight feet wide but less than twelve feet wide, of heavy brush, stumps, large rocks or other obstructions. This path, which will lie outside the fence, serves as the access corridor for erecting the fence, and serves as access for ATV/UTV’s for maintenance of the fence for the next 5 to 8 years. It may not however be necessary to disturb the ground around the entire perimeter. In cases where the ground is generally level, free of stumps and large rocks, ground disturbance will not take place. A small bulldozer or equivalent represents a good machine to use to clear this corridor and level off high and low spots to reduce the amount of fill needed under the fence. The Contractor shall be responsible for, and may be charged for, damage to standing trees.

214 - Fence Supports

The Contractor shall erect the fence by fastening the fence to posts or trees. All trees shall be protected by placing a 2x4 board between the fence and the tree and stapling the fence to the board. Trees under 4" DBH are not to be used nor are striped maple trees. Boards will be fastened to trees with no more than 2 nails. One on the top and one on the bottom (the bottom being below stump height (<12")). Black cherry trees or veneer quality trees will not be used unless prior approval is given by the Forest Service on a case-by-case basis. It has been found that by nailing into black cherry, that the nails will cause staining thus causing a defect in the wood of the tree. Maximum distance between steel posts, wooden posts or trees will be no greater than 30 feet.

It is not the intent of the Forest Service to have straight fence lines. Trees will be used for support where available along the flagged/3-striped location. Posts will be used where tree support is not available within the 30’ maximum span.

Posts that are not in line (corners for example) will be treated wood, 6"x 6" square, or 4-5" diameter round and braced or supported in place. In-line post may be the same as the previously mentioned wood post, or steel post that weigh 2 lb/ft. All posts will be at least ten (10) feet long set at least 2 feet into the ground. Corner posts will be braced and/or guy wired to withstand the pull of the fence without bending or pulling out of the ground. Guy wire should be secured by posts and not by nearby trees.

215 - Fence Stretching

The fence will be at least 7 feet high with a few inches of overlap on the ground pulled to the outside of the fence. The fence will be stretched so that the wire is pulled against a post, corner or turning support. The contractor will stretch the fence either on the inside or the outside of supports so the fence tension is against the support not pulling away from the support.

If using two rolls of fencing, the top and bottom rolls of fence shall overlap each other by 4-6 inches. The top and bottom sections will be fastened to each other at least every 4 feet by hog rings or heavy-duty ring fasteners. Where the fence is attached to a post, it must be secured a minimum of four places with one being the top wire of the top section.

If using a single 90” roll of fencing, it must also be secured to posts a minimum of four places with one being the top wire. It must also have a couple of inches of overlap on the ground or be able to have the bottom wire of fence buried so that no gaps are present under the bottom wire.

216 - Securing the Fence Bottom

The fence must be constructed so that deer will be unable to crawl under the fence. This can be achieved by leaving a few inches of overlap on the ground to the outside of the fence which is anchored to the ground with stakes or stapled to sound wood chunks, a minimum of every 10'. An alternative method is to bring the fence to the surface of the ground and fill the gaps between the ground and fence that are over 3 inches high and 4 feet long with pieces of sound wood stapled to the fence bottom, attached pieces of fence wire or large rocks. No part should be loosely laying on the ground; the entire bottom perimeter should be tight. Dirt excavated from the cleared path must be used to anchor the fence to the ground. The contractor will be responsible for appropriate erosion prevention (see Section 231). The Forest Service may designate certain areas where it has determined the need for sound wood to be used rather than excavated dirt. For example, concerns due to terrain or nearby pipelines etc. These areas would be designated on the ground by the COR or inspector.

217 - Deer Drive

Prior to closing up each fence area, the Contractor shall conduct a deer drive to chase out any deer within the fence area. The Contractor may need to leave multiple holes in order to get the deer out and shall time the drive so that the fence is closed a short time after the drive is completed (e.g. the same day).

218 - Public Access Walkthrough Gates - Required on all newly constructed fences. See Exhibit C drawing. The location will be flagged by the Forest Service Inspector and the general location is shown on the maps. The number of gates needed per fence is listed in Exhibit E.

219 – Vehicle Access

Vehicle and Skidder Access Gates - Specifications for construction are in Exhibit D. If required, the location shall be designated by the Forest Service Inspector or the COR. The general location shall be designated on the maps. For the type and number required for each fence see Exhibit E. Note that the drawings in Exhibit D specify a difference between Vehicle and Skidder Access gates. Vehicle gates should be installed where vehicles may need access to stone pits, well heads or old landings. Skidder gates shall be used only on skid trails. Exhibit E specifies what types and how many gates are required. Both gate styles should be adjusted to follow the width of the skid/access road as this skid/access road will be used again to enter the fence.

220 - Fence Material

221 – Fence

The fence must be 7-8 feet high and secured to the ground so that no gaps are present. This can be accomplished by splicing two 47” rolls of fencing together or using a single 90” roll of fencing.

If using two 47" rolls of galvanized steel woven wire fencing. The fence must have no more than 6" between stay wires, at least 10 graduated line wires, 12 1/2-gauge top and bottom wires, and 14-gauge line & stay wires.

If using a 90” roll of fencing, it must have 16 horizontal line wires with no more than 6” between the vertical stay wires. The wire must be 14 gauge or stronger.

222 - Fasteners

Fence staples must be 9 gauge galvanized steel staples 1 ½ to 2 ” in length. Staples will be used to secure the fence to the round treated posts; however, they will not be driven into trees. When securing to a tree, a 2x4 spacer board shall be attached to the trees by 2 nails (no larger than 16d). Staples will be used to secure the fence to the 2x4 spacer board.

Ties to secure the fence to metal poles must be at least 14-gauge stainless ties.

Hog rings must be galvanized or stainless steel and shall be 9- gauge (1 ¼” wide) rings. They will be used to fasten the top and bottom rolls of fencing together as described in 215 - Fence Stretching. No aluminum wire, hog ring, etc. will be used in the construction of the fence.

230 - Vehicle Operation

Vehicles may be operated down the area cleared for the fence. Vehicle may not cross the interior of the area to the fence except with approval of the COR. Vehicles may not travel on pipeline rights of way.

231 - Erosion Prevention

Equipment shall not be operated when ground conditions are such that excessive damage will result. Contractor shall construct cross ditches, dips, or berms along cleared path as they see fit on the ground or as designated by the COR. In sloping or out sloping may be needed for proper drainage and to minimize rutting. The contractor will be required to fill in areas which become excessively rutted during work, or install water bars, dips etc. on steep and poorly drained portions of the cleared path. Small streams or seeps including adjacent banks which cannot be avoided will be cleared by hand, not by bulldozer. If bulldozer crosses them, they must be corduroyed with logs or poles to stabilize the crossing and minimize earth disturbances and siltation.

240 - Clean Up

The Contractor shall remove all trash and debris generated in performance of this contract.

250 - Payment

No payment shall be made for partial fence completion. Payments can be processed for successfully completed units, as the contractor invoices on IPP. There is a max limit of one invoice per 30-day window. The payment amount shall be based on the final fence perimeter as agreed on by the contractor and the Forest Service.

Any fence completed when snow cover is greater than 3" and inspection of the bottom edge of the fence is not possible, will not be completely accepted or paid for until spring.

260 - Safety

261 - Contractor shall ensure that he and all employees use appropriate personal protective clothing and equipment. Appropriate clothing shall be based on the type and characteristics of the task anticipated. For example: felling hazard trees. Appropriate clothing shall be but is not limited to: protective chaps, hardhats, eye protection, hearing protection, boots and gloves.

262 - It is the contractor’s responsibility to ensure that the work environment is safe for themselves as well as their employees. If the contractor feels that a requirement of this contract would place them or their employees in an unsafe environment, then work should stop on that area of work and the contractor should contact the COR. Work on other areas of the contract that the contractor does not view as unsafe should continue.

270 - Special Conditions

271 -In items where the fence perimeter runs along a Forest Road, the fence will be located outside of the clearing limits of the road (generally, 30 feet from the edge of the road or as flagged), unless otherwise designated by the COR.

**At no time shall fence posts be erected in the ditch line or between the ditch line and the road surface on any bordering roadside.

SECTION E--INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

Fill in FAR “Inspection of Construction”

SECTION F--DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

The Contractor shall (a) commence work under this contract within 30 days following contract award.

(b) prosecute the work diligently:

*All areas specified under this contract shall be completed inside the period of performance which is from the date of award until 6/30/2027.

and (c) complete the entire work ready for use not later than June 30th, 2027.

The time stated for completion shall include final cleanup of the premises.

Alternate I (Apr 1984). If the completion date is expressed as a specific calendar date, computed on the basis of the contractor receiving the notice to proceed by a certain day, add the following paragraph to the basic clause:

The completion date is based on the assumption that the successful offeror will receive the notice to proceed by September 30, 2026. The completion date(s) will be extended by the number of calendar days after the above date that the Contractor receives the notice to proceed, except to the extent that the delay in issuance of the notice to proceed results from the failure of the Contractor to execute the contract and give the required performance and payment bonds within the time specified in the offer.

SECTION G--CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

AGAR 452.215-73 Post Award Conference (NOV 1996)

A post award conference with the successful offeror is required. The conference will be scheduled within one week from the time of award.

DESIGNATION OF CONTRACTING OFFICER'S REPRESENTATIVE

The Contracting Officer will designate a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) at the time of award.

The COR is responsible for administering the performance of work under this contract. In no event, however, will any understanding, agreement, modification, change order, or other matter deviating from the terms of this contract be effective or binding upon the Government unless formalized by proper contractual documents executed by the Contracting Officer prior to completion of the contract.

On all matters that pertain to the contract terms the contractor must communicate with the Contracting Officer. Whenever, in the opinion of the Contractor, the COR requests effort outside the scope of the contract, the Contractor should so advise the COR. If the COR persists and there still exists a disagreement as to proper contractual coverage, the contracting officer should be notified immediately, preferably in writing if time permits. Proceeding with work without proper contractual coverage could result in nonpayment or necessitate submittal for a contract claim.

SECTION H--SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

EQUIPMENT CLEANING

All soil moving equipment shall be thoroughly cleaned to make it free of soil, noxious weed seeds, vegetative matter or other debris that could contain or hold seeds prior to being delivered to the project site. Equipment shall be considered free of soil, noxious weed seeds and other such debris when a visual inspection by the C.O.R., prior to the equipment being delivered to the site, does not disclose such material present. Disassembly of equipment components is not required. The Contractor shall notify the Forest Service at least five (5) working days prior to moving each piece of soil moving equipment onto the project site, unless otherwise agreed.

The Contractor shall thoroughly clean all soil moving equipment prior to moving them off a project site or between work areas on a project site that are known to be infested with noxious weed species of concern and other work areas, if any, that are free of noxious weed species of concern. Areas known to be infested with specific noxious weed species of concern to the Forest Service shall be noted in the Schedule of Work. The Contractor and the Forest Service shall agree on the methods of cleaning, location for the cleaning and control of off-site impacts, if any.

When new areas of infestation of noxious weeds of concern to the Forest Service are identified on the project site by either the Forest Service or Contractor they shall be promptly reported to the other party.

INVOICING

The "Submit Invoice-to" address for USDA orders is the Department of Treasury's Invoice Processing Platform (IPP). All invoices are to be submitted online via the electronic Invoice Processing Platform. This is a mandatory requirement initiated by the U.S. Department of Treasury and you can find more information at this website https://www.ipp.gov/index.htm. Your company must register at https://www.ipp.gov/vendors/enrollment-vendors.htm to establish an account in order to submit an invoice on this project.

PART III--LIST OF DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS, AND OTHER ATTACHMENTS

SECTION J--LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

J1 – Exhibit A Vicinity Maps J2 - J3 – Exhibit C Walkthrough Metal Gate Drawing J4 - Exhibit D Skidder Access Gate and Vehicle Access Gate J5 – Exhibit E Information Sheet J6 – Davis Bacon Wage Determination J7 – Technical Evaluation Forms

PART IV--REPRESENTATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS

SECTION K--REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS, AND

OTHER STATEMENTS OF OFFERORS OR RESPONDENTS

SECTION L--INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS OR RESPONDENTS

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF TECHNICAL AND BUSINESS PROPOSALS 452.215-71 (SEP 1999)

(a) General Instructions. Quotes submitted in response to this solicitation shall be furnished in the following format with the numbers of copies as specified below.

(1) The quote must include a technical proposal. The following information should be submitted so as to address the evaluation factors in Section M:

All contractors shall provide the following information for their technical proposals:

Past Performance & Relevant Experience on Similar Projects: Provide a list of completed past projects with similar scope for the last three years, (include a brief description of the project and how it is similar to this one, dollar amount, project location and who the work was performed for). Include reference names and phone numbers for these projects. Offerors without a record of past performance will receive a neutral rating for past performance only. Provide this information for subcontractors on the project as well.

• Technical Approach:

o Provide a list of all Available Qualified Personnel to be used on the project (including sub-contractors on the project) and their qualifications.

o Provide a description of Available Equipment to be used on the project (make, model, year, etc). This information is used to determine the acceptability of both personnel and equipment and also to ascertain your understanding of what resources are needed to adequately complete this project.

• Green Plan: Provide a list of green products/supplies that will we used in the performance of this contract. Green product listings can be found on the following websites:

o Biopreferred Products www.biopreferred.gov o Non Ozone Depleting Substances www.epa.gov/ozone/snap/index.html o Alternative Fuel Vehicles and Alternative Fuels http://www.afdc.energy.gov/fuels/ o Water Efficient Products www.epa.gov/watersense o Energy Efficient Products www.energystar.gov/products o Environmentally Preferable Products www.epa.gov/epp Government provided Evaluation Forms are a separate attachment to this solicitation and may be used for your technical proposal submission.

(2) The Government will evaluate quotes in accordance with the evaluation criteria set forth in Section M of this RFP.

(3) Offerors shall submit their proposal(s) in the following format and the quantities specified:

(a) 1copy of the completed, signed offer (SF1442, Section B-Schedule of Items, and Section K-Offerors Reps and Certs). This serves as contractor’s cost proposal.

(b) 1 copies of the technical proposal.

SECTION M--EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (48 CFR CHAPTER 1) PROVISIONS

52.217-5 Evaluations of Options (JUL 1990)

AWARD DETERMINATION

The Forest Service’s source evaluation will be based on best-value principles. Accordingly, award will be made to the responsible Offeror whose proposal provides the greatest overall value to the Government, price and other factors considered. This best-value determination will be accomplished by comparing the value of the differences in the technical factors for competing offers, based on their strengths, weaknesses, and risks, with differences in their price to the Government. In making this comparison, the Government is more concerned with obtaining superior technical capabilities than with making an award at the lowest overall cost to the Government. However, the Government will not make an award at a significantly higher overall price to achieve slightly superior technical capabilities. As technical scores become closer; price will become more important. Technical Factors are significantly more important than price. Only Offerors that demonstrate acceptable submission to the Government of all items in Section L of this solicitation (or amendments thereof) will be considered for award.

TECHNICAL EVALUATION FACTORS (of equal importance)

1. Past Performance & Relevant Experience

2. Available Qualified Personnel

3. Available Equipment.

PRICE