Dunes_Plant_Supply_Order.docx

Supply Order for Native Panhandle Dune Ecosystem Plants

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) has a requirement for the following native coastal dune species in the following amounts at the following times:

Batch 1 – Winter 2025.

Plants must be ready for delivery between January 10th and January 20th, 2025.

Batch 2 – Summer 2025.

Plants must be ready for delivery between July 25th and September 1st, 2025. Batch 2 will be split between 3 different deliveries: Batch 2A, 2B, and 2C (See Delivery Locations and Schedule for further detail).

Batch 3 – Winter 2026.

Plants must be ready for delivery between January 20th and January 30th, 2026.

Cuttings and Seed Source:

If the contractor does not have access to propagation material required for all species, except for Sea oats, Bitter panicum, Beach elder, and Gulf bluestem, USFWS will work with University of Florida and the Contractor to ensure the Contractor is supplied with an appropriate number of seedlings or cuttings required to start production of those species.

For plants to be accepted for payment they will need to meet specifications as outlined under the “Technical Specifications” section upon pickup by, or delivery to, the Government or Government partner.

Key Government Personnel: The following personnel are considered key personnel by the Government:

Contract Officer: Lamont Sawyers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Joint Administrative Operations Ph: 301-575-6495; Email: lamont_sawyers@fws.gov

Contracting Officer’s Representative: Kara Barcomb, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Gulf Restoration Office, Ph: 251-510-6762; Email: kara_barcomb@fws.gov

Project Manager: Luke Anthis, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Gulf Restoration Office, Ph: 251-517-8002; Email: luke_anthis@fws.gov.

Government Designated Inspector: Tabitha Samuels, University of Florida, Ph: 850-736-2504; Email: tlsamuels@ufl.edu

Delivery:

The contractor must deliver the plants to project sites within Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, or Gulf counties Florida as detailed in the following section.

Delivery Locations and Schedule

Delivery Batch 1 – Winter 2025.

Plants must be delivered between January 10th and January 20th, 2025. Final delivery date will be coordinated between the Contractor and the Government.

If plants are unable to be provided between the period of January 10th and January 20th, 2025, the Contractor must provide the Government with a written justification with their bid documents of why delivery during that period is not feasible. If the Government accepts the written justification, then the Contractor may deliver Batch 1 between July 25th and August 4th, 2025. Final delivery date will be coordinated between the Contractor and the Government.

Grayton Beach and Deer Lake State Park

Delivery Batch 2A – Summer 2025.

Plants must be delivered between July 25th and August 4th, 2025. Final delivery date will be coordinated between the Contractor and the Government.

St. Andrews State Park

Western Perdido Key

Grayton Beach State Park and Deer Lake State Park

Delivery Batch 2B – Summer 2025.

Plants must be delivered 2 weeks (14 days) after the delivery of Batch 2A. The anticipated date will be between August 8th and August 18th, 2025. Final delivery date will be coordinated between the Contractor and the Government.

St. Andrews State Park

Delivery Batch 2C – Summer 2025.

Plants must be delivered 2 weeks (14 days) after the delivery of Batch 2B. The anticipated date will be between August 22nd and September 1st, 2025. Final delivery date will be coordinated between the Contractor and the Government.

St. Andrews State Park

Delivery Batch 3 – Winter 2026.

Plants must be ready for pickup between January 20th and January 30th, 2026.

St. Andrews State Park

Technical Specifications:

Table 1. Technical Specifications Summary

TS-1 All Plants

1.1 The Government shall approve or reject plant materials for acceptance and payment based on their adherence to specifications outlined in TS-1 through TS-13, as applicable. At a minimum, plant material shall be inspected by the Government prior to pick up and acceptance or delivery to restoration sites and acceptance. The Government reserves the right to reject plant materials any time prior to final inspection and acceptance.

1.1.1 Inspections shall be carried out by the Government Designated Inspector at least once, per batch, prior to packing and shipping from the nursery and upon delivery of each batch.

1.1.2 Inspections shall be done through visual inspections and measurements by the Government Designated Inspector. Inspections shall be done through random sampling of plants for each batch, unless the batch number is small enough that the Government Designated Inspector determines they can perform a 100% inspection.

1.1.3 After completing inspections, the Government Designated Inspector shall draft and submit an inspection report to Government’s Project Manager. The Project Manager shall determine the batch is acceptable if 95% or greater of the supplied plants meet technical specifications outlined in this contract.

1.2 The contracting nursery shall acclimate plant materials by growing plants in full sun conditions for at least ten (10) days prior to pick up or delivery. A legible copy of all current state nursery license(s) and/or permit(s) issued to the contracting nursery (or nurseries, or their Subcontractors) to be utilized by the Contractor shall be provided to the Government prior to delivery of the plants to the project site.

1.3 Certification, via communication between the Contractor and the Government, shall be provided that all plant materials have been produced in accordance with federal and state laws where applicable. Federal and State Quarantine Summaries are available through the Regulatory Affairs Director, American Nursery and Landscape Association, Washington, DC.

1.4 The Contractor, or its Subcontractor, shall secure all permits required in the transportation, collection, and propagation of nursery stock and submit a copy to the Government, as applicable.

1.5 Plants shall be free of defects, disfiguring, sun scalding, diseases, insects, insect eggs, borers, or other forms of infections or infestation.

1.6 Plants shall be viable and actively growing as indicated by a proliferation of new root development within the container. Plants must show sufficient growth so that a soil root-ball remains formed when the plant is removed from the container. No plants shall be loose in containers.

1.7 Plants appearing discolored, shriveled, dehydrated, or otherwise damaged will be rejected and shall be removed and replaced immediately at the Contractor’s expense. Plants not meeting specifications shall be replaced at the Contractor’s expense.

1.8 The Contractor and the nursery (or nurseries) shall make available for inspection to the Government the specified plants that are to be used for this project.

1.9 When the Contractor delivers the plants to the project sites, all plants shall be packed for delivery from the nursery to the delivery site and from the delivery site to the planting site in such a manner as to ensure adequate protection against climatic, seasonal, wind damage or other injuries during transit. Special care shall be taken for prompt delivery and careful handling in loading and unloading. Damaged plants shall be rejected by the Government and shall be removed and replaced immediately at the Contractor’s expense.

1.10 Each individual shipment of plants to the delivery site shall be accompanied by a delivery slip indicating the following information: 1) source of plant material (nursery name), 2) species (scientific and common name), 3) plant size, 4) quantity being delivered, 5) date of delivery, and 6) date dug or packed for shipment. Shipping slips are to be signed by the Contractor. Copies of the shipping slips shall be provided to the Government and/or its Resident Project Representative at time of plant delivery.

1.11 The growing medium shall be free of any foreign objects such as glass, shell, stones, pottery, or other debris not generally considered standard potting media. Acceptable growing medium shall be a homogeneous mixture of various substrates such as shredded pine wood, pine bark (¾ and ⅜ size), hardwood, coconut fiber, or rice hulls. Growing media shall not contain perlite or other inorganic components, such as Styrofoam. Commercially prepared horticulture potting mixes are suitable but also shall not contain inorganic components, such as perlite or Styrofoam.

TS-2. Sea Oats (Uniola paniculata)

2.1 Origin: Acceptable Sea Oats (Uniola paniculata) plants for the purpose of this Contract are nursery grown plants produced vegetatively or from seed collected from source materials originating from the Gulf coast of Florida.

2.1.1 Plants produced from cuttings or seeds collected from the project area are preferred. Plants produced from cell and tissue culture lines, DNA fragments and pollen, or other methods of biotechnology are not acceptable.

2.2 Size: At the time of delivery or pick up, acceptable Sea Oats (Uniola paniculata) will meet the following size specifications:

2.2.1 Container Size: Sea Oats (Uniola paniculata) shall be grown in 2-inch containers.

2.2.2 Rootball: Sea Oats (Uniola paniculata) shall have a minimum 2-inch rootball.

2.2.3 Minimum Actively Growing Tillers: Sea Oats (Uniola paniculata) shall have a minimum of 1 actively growing tillers.

2.2.4 Minimum Height: Each Sea Oats (Uniola paniculata) shall have a minimum tiller height of twelve (12) inches from the stem-root interface to the tiller tip.

TS-3. Bitter Panicum (Panicum amarum var. amarum)

3.1 Origin: Acceptable Bitter Panicum (Panicum amarum var. amarum) plants for the purpose of this Contract are nursery grown plants produced vegetatively or from seed collected from source materials originating from the Gulf coast of Florida.

3.1.1 Plants produced from cuttings or seeds collected from the project area are preferred. Plants produced from cell and tissue culture lines, DNA fragments and pollen, or other methods of biotechnology are not acceptable.

3.2 Size: At the time of delivery or pick up, acceptable Bitter Panicum (Panicum amarum var. amarum) will meet the following size specifications:

3.2.1 Container Size: Bitter Panicum (Panicum amarum var. amarum) shall be grown in 2-inch containers.

3.2.2 Rootball: Bitter Panicum (Panicum amarum var. amarum) shall have a minimum 2-inch rootball at time of delivery.

3.2.3 Minimum Actively Growing Stems / Tillers: Bitter Panicum (Panicum amarum var. amarum) shall have a minimum of 2 actively growing stems / tillers.

3.2.4 Minimum Height: Bitter Panicum (Panicum amarum var. amarum) shall have a minimum tiller heigh of eight (8) inches from the stem-root interface to the tiller tip.

TS-4. Beach Elder (Iva imbricata)

4.1 Origin: Acceptable Beach Elder (Iva imbricata) plants for the purpose of this Contract are nursery grown plants produced vegetatively or from seed collected from source materials originating from the Gulf coast of Florida.

4.1.1 Plants produced from cuttings or seeds collected from the project area are preferred. Plants produced from cell and tissue culture lines, DNA fragments and pollen, or other methods of biotechnology are not acceptable.

4.2 Size: At the time of delivery or pick up, acceptable Beach Elder (Iva imbricata) will meet the following size specifications

4.2.1 Container Size: Beach Elder (Iva imbricata) shall be grown in 4-inch containers.

4.2.2 Rootball: Beach Elder (Iva imbricata) shall have a minimum 4-inch rootball at time of delivery.

4.2.3 Minimum Actively Growing Stems / Tillers: Beach Elder (Iva imbricata) shall have a minimum of 2 actively growing stems / tillers.

4.2.4 Minimum Height: Each Beach Elder (Iva imbricata) shall have a minimum stem heigh of six (6) inches from the stem-root interface to the leaf tip.

TS-5. Coastal Groundcherry (Physalis angustifolia)

5.1 Origin: Acceptable Coastal Groundcherry (Physalis angustifolia) plants for the purpose of this Contract are nursery grown plants produced vegetatively or from seed collected from source materials originating from the Gulf coast of Florida.

5.1.1 Plants produced from cuttings or seeds collected from the project area are preferred. Plants produced from cell and tissue culture lines, DNA fragments and pollen, or other methods of biotechnology are not acceptable.

5.2 Size: At the time of delivery or pick up, acceptable Coastal Groundcherry (Physalis angustifolia) will meet the following size specifications

5.2.1 Container Size: Coastal Groundcherry (Physalis angustifolia) shall be grown in 4-inch containers.

5.2.2 Rootball: Coastal Groundcherry (Physalis angustifolia) shall have a minimum 4-inch rootball at time of delivery.

5.2.3 Minimum Actively Growing Stems / Tillers: Coastal Groundcherry (Physalis angustifolia) shall have a minimum of 3 actively growing stems / tillers.

5.2.4 Minimum Height: Each Coastal Groundcherry (Physalis angustifolia) shall have a minimum stem of three (3) inches from the stem-root interface to the leaf tip.

TS-6. Gulf Bluestem (Schizachyrium maritimum)

6.1 Origin: Acceptable Gulf Bluestem (Schizachyrium maritimum) plants for the purpose of this Contract are nursery grown plants produced vegetatively or from seed collected from source materials originating from the Gulf coast of Florida.

6.1.1 Plants produced from cuttings or seeds collected from the project area are preferred. Plants produced from cell and tissue culture lines, DNA fragments and pollen, or other methods of biotechnology are not acceptable.

6.2 Size: At the time of delivery or pick up, acceptable Gulf Bluestem (Schizachyrium maritimum) will meet the following size specifications

6.2.1 Container Size: Gulf Bluestem (Schizachyrium maritimum)shall be grown in 2-inch containers.

6.2.2 Rootball: Gulf Bluestem (Schizachyrium maritimum)shall have a minimum 2-inch rootball at time of delivery.

6.2.3 Minimum Actively Growing Stems / Tillers: Gulf Bluestem (Schizachyrium maritimum) shall have a minimum of 2 actively growing stems / tillers.

6.2.4 Minimum Height: Each Gulf Bluestem (Schizachyrium maritimum) shall have a minimum stem or tiller height of eight (8) inches from the stem-root interface to the stem

TS-7. Godfreys Goldenaster (Chrysopsis gossypina godfreyi)

7.1 Origin: Acceptable Godfreys Goldenaster (Chrysopsis gossypina godfreyi) plants for the purpose of this Contract are nursery grown plants produced vegetatively or from seed collected from source materials originating from the Gulf coast of Florida.

7.1.1 Plants produced from cuttings or seeds collected from the project area are preferred. Plants produced from cell and tissue culture lines, DNA fragments and pollen, or other methods of biotechnology are not acceptable.

7.2 Size: At the time of delivery or pick up, acceptable Godfreys Goldenaster (Chrysopsis gossypina godfreyi) will meet the following size specifications

7.2.1 Container Size: Godfreys Goldenaster (Chrysopsis gossypina godfreyi) shall be grown in 4-inch containers.

7.2.2 Rootball: Godfreys Goldenaster (Chrysopsis gossypina godfreyi) shall have a minimum 4-inch rootball at time of delivery.

7.2.3 Minimum Actively Growing Stems / Tillers: Godfreys Goldenaster (Chrysopsis gossypina godfreyi) shall have a minimum of 1 actively growing stems / tillers.

7.2.4 Minimum Stem Height: Each Godfreys Goldenaster (Chrysopsis gossypina godfreyi) shall have a minimum stem height of four (4) inches from the stem-root interface to the leaf tip.

TS-8. Littleleaf Milkpea (Galactia microphylla)

8.1 Origin: Acceptable Littleleaf milkpea (Galactia microphylla) plants for the purpose of this Contract are nursery grown plants produced vegetatively or from seed collected from source materials originating from the Gulf coast of Florida.

8.1.1 Plants produced from cuttings or seeds collected from the project area are preferred. Plants produced from cell and tissue culture lines, DNA fragments and pollen, or other methods of biotechnology are not acceptable.

8.2 Size: At the time of delivery or pick up, acceptable Littleleaf milkpea (Galactia microphylla) will meet the following size specifications

8.2.1 Container Size: Littleleaf milkpea (Galactia microphylla) shall be grown in 4-inch containers.

8.2.2 Rootball: Littleleaf milkpea (Galactia microphylla) shall have a minimum 4-inch rootball at time of delivery.

8.2.3 Minimum Actively Growing Stems / Tillers: Littleleaf milkpea (Galactia microphylla) shall have a minimum of 1 actively growing stems / tillers.

8.2.4 Minimum Height: Each Littleleaf milkpea (Galactia microphylla) shall have a minimum stem height of six (6) inches from the stem-root interface to the stem tip.

TS-9. Beach Morning Glory (Ipomea imperati)

9.1 Origin: Acceptable Beach morning glory (Ipomea imperati) plants for the purpose of this Contract are nursery grown plants produced vegetatively or from seed collected from source materials originating from the Gulf coast of Florida.

9.1.1 Plants produced from cuttings or seeds collected from the project area are preferred. Plants produced from cell and tissue culture lines, DNA fragments and pollen, or other methods of biotechnology are not acceptable.

9.2 Size: At the time of delivery or pick up, acceptable Beach morning glory (Ipomea imperati) will meet the following size specifications

9.2.1 Container Size: Beach morning glory (Ipomea imperati) shall be grown in 2-inch containers.

9.2.2 Rootball: Beach morning glory (Ipomea imperati) shall have a minimum 2-inch rootball at time of delivery.

9.2.3 Minimum Actively Growing Stems / Tillers: Beach morning glory (Ipomea imperati) shall have a minimum of 1 actively growing stems / tillers.

9.2.4 Minimum Stem Height: Each Beach morning glory (Ipomea imperati) shall have a minimum stem height of four (4) inches from the stem-root interface to the stem tip.

TS-10. Sea Beach Evening Primrose (Oenothera humifusa)

10.1 Origin: Acceptable Sea beach evening primrose (Oenothera humifusa) plants for the purpose of this Contract are nursery grown plants produced vegetatively or from seed collected from source materials originating from the Gulf coast of Florida.

10.1.1 Plants produced from cuttings or seeds collected from the project area are preferred. Plants produced from cell and tissue culture lines, DNA fragments and pollen, or other methods of biotechnology are not acceptable.

10.2 Size: At the time of delivery or pick up, acceptable Sea beach evening primrose (Oenothera humifusa) will meet the following size specifications

10.2.1 Container Size: Sea beach evening primrose (Oenothera humifusa) shall be grown in 4-inch containers.

10.2.2 Rootball: Sea beach evening primrose (Oenothera humifusa) shall have a minimum 4-inch rootball at time of delivery.

10.2.3 Minimum Actively Growing Stems / Tillers: Sea beach evening primrose (Oenothera humifusa) shall have a minimum of 1 actively growing stems / tillers.

10.2.4 Minimum Stem Height: Each Sea beach evening primrose (Oenothera humifusa) shall have a minimum stem heigh of four (4) inches from the stem-root interface to the stem tip.