Exhibit 2f Quality Assurance and Surveillance Plan.pdf

2023 – 2027 IDIQ Region 4 Idaho Forests & Field Offices Invasive Species/Rare Plants Vegetation Management Services

Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan

1. Purpose

This Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) is a Government developed document used to ensure that systematic quality assurance methods are used in the administration of the Performance-based Acquisition (PBA) standards included in this Performance Work Statement (PWS). The intent is to ensure that the Contractor performs in accordance with the performance standards/acceptable quality levels contained in the PWS; that the Government receives the quality of services called for in the contract; and, that the Government only pays for the acceptable level of services received.

2. Scope

It is important to understand the responsibilities of the parties and distinguish between the quality control plan and the QASP. The contractor is responsible for managing and developing a quality control plan to meet the quality standards established in the PWS. The QASP is put in place to provide Government surveillance and oversight of the contractor’s efforts in meeting the performance standards required by the contract. The QASP is not part of the contract nor is it intended to duplicate the Contractor’s quality control plan. The Government may provide the Contractor with an informational copy of the QASP to support the Contractor’s efforts in developing a quality control plan that will interrelate with the

QASP.

3. Government Resources

The following personnel will implement all surveillance activities:

Contracting Officer (CO). The Contracting Officer ensures performance of all necessary actions for effective contracting, ensures compliance with the terms of the contractcontract, and safeguards the interests of the United States in the contractual relationship. It is the Contracting Officer that assures the Contractor receives impartial, fairfair, and equitable treatment under the contract. The Contracting Officer is ultimately responsible for the final determination of the adequacy of the Contractor’s performance.

Contracting Officer:

Telephone Number:

Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). The COR is responsible for technical administration of the contract and assures proper Government surveillance of the Contractor’s performance. The COR is not empowered to make any contractual commitments or to authorize any contractual changes on the Government’s behalf. Any changes that the Contractor deems

Idaho Forests & Field Offices may affect contract price, terms, or conditions shall be referred to the Contracting Officer for action.

Contracting Officer’s Representative: Katie Baumann Telephone Number: 208-366-9768

COR Designees. COR Designees will be named to ensure that the Government sufficiently directs, oversees, measures and monitors Contractors in the performance of individual Task Orders. COR Designees will provide information to the overall contract COR.

Technical Monitors (TM). Additionally, the CO, COR, and COR Designees may name Technical Monitors (formerly known as Inspectors) to assist the COR and COR Designees in monitoring Contractors in the performance of individual Task Orders. Technical Monitors possess the technical skills and expertise necessary to monitor Contractor performance in accordance with PWS standards/acceptable quality levels.

4. Methods of Quality Assurance Surveillance

The surveillance methods listed below shall be used in the administration of this QASP. The specific surveillance method for each performance standard and acceptable quality level is listed in the “Monitoring Method” column of the Performance Work Statement (see Section C).

COR Review – The COR/COR Designee will be responsible for monitoring the Contractor’s performance in meeting specific performance standards and at acceptable quality levels.

For a written deliverable(s), COR/COR Designee Review will consist of up to 100% inspection of the specific deliverable and supporting documentation.

For GIS data deliverables, COR/COR Designee Review will consist of up to 100% inspection of the specific data deliverables.

For digital deliverables, COR/COR Designee Review will consist of up to 100% inspection of the specific data deliverables.

For day-to-day rare plant or invasive plant survey/inventory, weed control activities, and quantitative vegetation and soil monitoring tasks, COR/COR Designee Review will consist of periodic inspection or random monitoring.

For day-to-day support activities, COR/COR Designee Review will consist of periodic inspection or random monitoring.

5. Documentation

The results of all monitoring activity shall be documented on the appropriate surveillance activity summary forms. The COR and COR Designee shall submit copies of the summary form(s) to the Contracting Officer on at least a quarterly basis, at the conclusion of contract performance, and whenever contractor performance fails to meet acceptable quality levels.

The COR and/or COR Designee will, in addition to providing documentation to the

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Contracting Officer, maintain a complete quality assurance file. The file will contain copies of all reports, evaluations, recommendations, surveillance checklists, and any actions related to the Government’s performance of the quality assurance surveillance function. All such records will be retained for the life of the contract and forwarded to the Contracting Officer upon completion.

See Section E of the solicitation/contract for Inspection and Acceptance information.

Surveillance for Rare Plant/Invasive Species Survey/Inventory

Rare Plant/Invasive Plant Survey/Inventory Surveillance:

Contractor quality control of survey/inventory tasks and Government surveillance shall be conducted at an appropriate time/season for each rare plant/invasive plant species. The appropriate time/season will depend on the plant species and phenological stage.

The Contractor is responsible for performing quality control of surveyed/inventoried sites and data collected. The Contractor shall provide documentation of quality control inspection information to the COR/COR Designee as requested. Government contract administrators are responsible for monitoring Contractor performance and for inspections of the Contractor’s Quality Control methods and procedures.

Refer to IDFFO Exhibit Survey-Inventory Data Collection Standards Part A and Part B for the basic requirements of plant survey/inventory under the IDIQ. Individual Task Orders may contain different or additional requirements for survey and inventory of rare plants or invasive plants.

For day-to-day rare plant or invasive plant survey/inventory, the COR/COR Designee, and Technical Monitor surveillance will consist of periodic inspection of GPS and data records and random monitoring of survey/inventory units. The COR for an individual Task Order may ask to review written records and GPS and data records as needed. Field inspections may require maps and GPS data from the Contractor to conduct surveillance.

Note that it can be difficult to detect rare plants. By definition, rare plants may occur in low numbers, they may occur only in naturally rare habitats, such as fens or ecologically unique soils (e.g. serpentine soils). Rare plants may have once been broadly distributed but are now isolated and sparse due to habitat fragmentation. They may be identified with highly specific pollinators.

Rare plants may also be challenging to detect as they may be ephemeral species, species with infrequent, episodic blooming, species that are nearly indistinguishable from other species without one or more distinguishing traits present, etc.

Likewise, Early Detection/Rapid Response (ED/RR) invasive plant species may sometimes be challenging to detect. These tend to occur as small, isolated, emerging infestations. ED/RR species are often new to an area and little may be known about them – their growth pattern and behavior, phenological stages, rate of spread, etc. Few people may be familiar with the species

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Therefore, it is the Government’s responsibility to work closely with the Contractor to provide species-specific ID information, to provide most likely species identification windows, and to issue timely Notices to Proceed so the Contractor can have crews in the field during the likeliest periods to detect the species being surveyed/inventoried. It is the Government’s responsibility to conduct prompt surveillance that aligns with time periods when detection potential is high and contract crews are in the field surveying.

It is the Contractor’s responsibility to assign personnel experienced with or having the skills to learn the species being surveyed/inventoried. It is the Contractor’s responsibility to survey/inventory during the time periods when detection potential is highest. It is the Contractor’s responsibility to remain in close communication with the COR in the event environmental circumstances may be confounding detection (e.g. severe drought, flooding, etc.).

For a rare plant/invasive plant survey/inventory unit to be tendered by the Contractor for inspection and accepted by the Government for payment, (a) unit coverage must be at 95% or higher, (b) data collection and mapping standards must be at 100% and (c) species detection must achieve 95% or higher.

Surveillance for Weed Treatment Efficacy

Weed Treatment Efficacy Surveillance:

Contractor treatment efficacy monitoring and Government surveillance shall be conducted at an appropriate time after each invasive plant infestation is treated with herbicides.

The Contractor is responsible for performing quality control of areas treated with herbicide and shall provide documentation of treatment inspection and efficacy to the COR/COR Designee as requested. Government contract administrators are responsible for monitoring Contractor performance and for inspections of the Contractor’s Quality Control methods and procedures.

Individual Task Orders will provide the specific requirements for the treatment of invasive plant infestations. For day-to-day reviews, the COR/COR Designee, and Technical Monitor surveillance will consist of periodic inspection of GPS and data records and random monitoring of treatment units. The COR for an individual Task Order may ask to review written records and GPS and data records as needed. Field inspections may require maps and GPS data from the Contractor to conduct surveillance in treatment units. The Government is responsible for providing timely surveillance and feedback to the Contractor.

In the field, the following chart is useful for contract administrators to categorize weed treatment efficacy based on Government standards for weed treatment efficacy. Contractors may find this chart useful for treatment efficacy quality control as well and contract administrators may share it with their Contractors.

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When documenting treatment efficacy measurements include the following information:

Treatment Unit, Target Invasive Plant Species, Examiner, Date of Inspection, and the Control Percent Efficacy rating (Table 1 below).

Table 1. Weed Treatment Efficacy Monitoring Chart

PERCENT EFFICACY RATING DESCRIPTION

0 No effect No effect can be detected on the target species population

1-5 Failure Little to no effect can be detected on the target species population

6-25 Poor Treatment killed less than a quarter of the target species population

26-50 Marginal Less than half of the target species population was controlled

51-75 Fair Over half of the target species population was controlled

76-90 Good Treatment was successful in killing most of the target species population

91-99 Excellent Over 90% of the target species population has been killed with the treatment

For a treatment unit to be tendered by the Contractor for inspection and accepted by the Government for payment, treatment efficacy must be at 91% or better. The only exception to this is for species that are known to be more difficult to achieve “Excellent” treatment on due to the growth characteristics of the plant. For example, leafy spurge is deep rooted and it can be difficult to achieve 91%, so an overall treatment efficacy of 76% or better may be allowed in a Task Order. Otherwise, however Task Orders will likely require efficacy ratings of Excellent.

For a treatment unit to be tendered by the Contractor for inspection and accepted by the Government for payment, (a) unit coverage must be at 95% or higher, (b) data collection and mapping standards must be at 100% and (c) species detection and herbicide application must achieve 95% or higher.

Surveillance for Vegetation & Soil Quantitative Monitoring

Vegetation and Soil Quantitative Monitoring Surveillance:

Contractor quality control of quantitative vegetation and soil monitoring tasks and Government surveillance shall be conducted at the time/season specified by the individual Task Order. The specified time/season may depend on the phenological stage(s) of the plant species/plant communities being monitored and the purpose of the monitoring.

The Contractor is responsible for performing quality control of monitored sites and data collected. The Contractor shall provide documentation of quality control inspection information to the COR/COR Designee as requested. Government contract administrators are responsible for monitoring Contractor performance and for inspections of the Contractor’s Quality Control methods and procedures.

For day-to-day surveillance, the COR/COR Designee, and Technical Monitors will periodically inspect GPS and data records and random surveil monitoring plots/transects. The COR for an individual Task Order may ask to review written records and GPS and data records as needed. Field inspections may require maps and GPS data from the Contractor to conduct surveillance.

The Government is responsible for providing timely surveillance and feedback to the Contractor.

Monitoring surveillance in the field may be accomplished by sampling a selection of plots/transects and applying the protocol as specified in the Task Order. Sampling may be abbreviated if surveillance results indicate that the protocol has been correctly followed and minimum acceptable quality levels are met.

For vegetation and soil quantitative monitoring plot/transects to be tendered by the Contractor for inspection and accepted by the Government for payment, the Contractor must have achieved

(a) 95% or more of the plots/transects identified for monitoring, (b) data collection and mapping standards must be at 100% and (c) correct species/soil type identification at 95% or higher.

Surveillance for Mobilization and Assistance Services

Mobilization and Assistance Services Surveillance:

Contractor quality control of mobilization and assistance tasks and Government surveillance are fairly straight forward, as specified by the individual Task Order which will lay out exactly what services are required.

The Contractor is responsible for performing quality control of services rendered. The Contractor shall provide documentation of quality control inspection information to the COR/COR Designee as requested. Government contract administrators are responsible for monitoring Contractor performance and for inspections of the Contractor’s Quality Control methods and procedures.

The COR/COR Designee, and Technical Monitor will match the requirements of the individual Task Order against the Contractor’s quality control documentation and validate this documentation with the actual delivery of the services rendered. Surveillance results need to determine that minimum acceptable quality levels are met. Note that there may be a deliver date and time range built into the specifications. There may also be alternate delivery locations should one location become unavailable. The same may apply to key personnel.

It is the responsibility of the Government to provide materials, supplies and personnel to be mobilized on time so the Contractor can perform timely. Likewise, it is the Contractor’s responsibility to be prepared in advance for mobilization and assistance services so projects proceed on time. It is the responsibility of the Contractor and the Government to communicate regularly and coordinate carefully to ensure the need of both parties are met.

For mobilization and assistance services to be tendered by the Contractor for inspection and accepted by the Government for payment, the Contractor must have achieved the following per specifications of the individual Task Order:

• Arrival of Personal and Materials, Supplies, etc. at the Date and Time specified

• Delivery of Materials, Supplies, Personnel, etc. to the Exact Location specified

• Provide the Number of Personnel and Key Personnel specified

• Delivery of Undamaged Delivery of Materials, Supplies

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