Attachment 1 MacDill AFB Habitat Restoration IDIQ PWS.docx

MACDILL AFB HABITAT RESTORATION SERVICES

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

Specific Requirements:

1. Scope of Work: The Contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, tools, material, supervision, and other items and services necessary to perform Habitat Restoration on MacDill AFB. Figure 1 provides an overview of the proposed work locations on base.

1.1 Invasive Plant Species Control. Contractor shall treat invasive terrestrial (primarily Brazilian pepper, melaleuca, lead tree, cogan grass, and grapevine) plant species in selected areas using methods selected by the contractor and approved by the base. Generally, invasive plant species will be treated and left to die in situ. If mechanical clearing is conducted, the mulched up material will be left on site to decompose. Consequently, invasive plant species, once killed, will not be removed from the site.

1.1.1 The control of invasive and nuisance terrestrial plant species will be accomplished through the ground level application of herbicides, either as a foliar or ground application. The 'herbicide only' method of invasive and nuisance plant species control will involve spraying the identified invasive plants (or area of invasive plants) with herbicide in a sufficient volume and concentration to kill the identified invasive plants. Girdling with follow-up herbicide treatment is also approved for larger trees in isolated areas of the base. The trees will be left to die in place. Four to six weeks after the initial treatment (after defoliation), the contractor shall inspect all of the treated areas, particularly any large, dense stands of invasive species to insure that a complete kill has been accomplished. Invasive plant species that were not killed during the initial treatment will be retreated during this follow-up inspection/treatment stage, particularly the interior portion of large or dense stands of Brazilian pepper which often cannot be sprayed (reached) during the initial treatment stage. This inspect/retreat cycle will be repeated until all invasive species are killed within the designated area. Treatment of grapevine must be accomplished during the spring and summer months so that the treatment success can be readily assessed. When applying the herbicide, care shall be taken to minimize overspray of herbicide on adjacent native tree and grass species (Quadrant 1, Quadrant 2, Quadrant 3, and Quadrant 4, Figures 3 thru 6).

1.1.2 Two types of vegetation clearing are also planned as part of habitat restoration activities at MacDill AFB. For smaller sites where appearance is important and/or sensitive habitats (such as wetlands) are involved, the hand clearing or ‘cut and chip’ approach to vegetation clearing will be utilized. Cut and chip clearing will involve clearing the invasive plant species by hand cutting (chainsaw) then chipping the trees into mulch. Chipped mulch will be spread on site. Cut and chip sites will generally range from one (1) to ten (10) acres in size. For larger sites where a neat appearance is not essential, a ‘mechanical clearing’ approach will be implemented. Mechanical clearing will involve the use of heavy equipment (such as a Gyro Trac or Hydro-Ax) to grind up or mulch the trees in place. Mechanical clearing sites will generally range from five (5) to fifty (50) acres in size. Advantageous or beneficial native species will be avoided during mechanical clearing work. When with cut and chip or mechanical clearing is completed on trees that are already dead, no follow-up treatment is required. In other cases, the vegetation clearing may be completed on invasive tree species that are still alive. When vegetation clearing is accomplished on trees that are alive, the eradication will be followed up by application of herbicide (Garlon 4 or approved alternative) on all the cut stumps. The application of herbicide should kill the cut stumps and keep the trees from re-growing. Four to six months after the initial cutting and stump spraying of the invasive species a one-time follow-up application of herbicide will be applied to any invasive species that were not killed initially (FAM Camp wetlands mitigation area, Figure 10).

1.1.3 Contractor will be responsible for providing written documentation on the type and quantity of herbicide used during the course of the project, as well as the name of the applicators applying herbicides on base. The quantities of herbicides used shall be reported to 6 CES/CEVN at the end of each month. The AMC/HQ, the MacDill AFB community and base leadership must be notified if any aerial herbicide applications are planned. 6 CES/CEVN must be notified two weeks in advance of any planned aerial herbicide applications to allow time to the appropriate notifications. In accordance with conditions outlined in the Generic Permit for Pollutant Discharges to Surface Water of the State from the Application of Pesticides (Part V.A.1), the contractor shall be responsible for notifying 6 CES/CEVN of any incident or unintended discharge of pesticides. 6 CES/CEVN shall report pesticide incidents to the State of Florida in accordance with the generic permit.

1.2 Aquatic Invasive Species Control in Lewis Lake & Canal: Control of aquatic plant species will be accomplished through the foliar application of herbicide to treat the water hyacinth, and through subsurface dispersal of herbicide into Lewis Lake and the connecting drainage canal to treat the hydrilla. In both cases, invasive plant species that were not killed during the initial treatment will be retreated during this follow-up inspection/treatment stage to insure that a full kill is achieved. This inspect/retreat cycle will be repeated until all invasive species are killed within the designated area. Contractor may be required to utilize a small boat to accomplish full treatment of Lewis Lake with herbicide application to include only invasive submerged aquatic vegetation (hydrilla) and any remaining floating vegetation (water hyacinth) found in Lewis Lake. Treat the north and south sides of Lewis Lake as well as the entire drainage canal that collects water from the South Ramp and discharges it to Lewis Lake. Treat initially, then perform a follow-up treatment after four months to retreat anything that was missed. Work Area: All of Lewis Lake and the entire drainage canal between Lewis Lake and South Ramp. Approximately 19 acres. Contractors shall verify (Lewis Lake and canal, Figure 7).

1.3 Prescribed Burning: Contractor shall execute prescribed burn(s) at upland location(s) identified in the base Wildland Fire Management Plan (WFMP). Contractor will manage the entire burn and provide all necessary equipment, personnel, and support. The site proposed for burning in 2011 is presented in Figure 8.

1.3.1. Equipment: The contractor shall provide all necessary equipment for preparing and executing prescribed burns and/or habitat restoration activities. This will include all tools, vehicles, heavy equipment, and portable water devices.

1.3.2 Personnel: Contractor shall provide all personnel required to prepare and execute prescribed burns and/or land management activities. For prescribed burns, this will include a burn boss/manager and adequate field staff. All personnel shall be certified and trained according to National Wildland Fire Coordinating Group or National Fire Protection Association standards for their expected level of involvement with the prescribed burn activities. Contractor shall provide personnel for the entire burn and will not leave the area until the burn is extinguished.

1.3.3 Smoke Management: As an Air Force installation, proper smoke management is necessary to reduce or eliminate the possibility of impacting the mission. Reduced visibility on the airfield or in the flight path poses a significant hazard to Air Force personnel and aircraft. Smoke management modeling or other acceptable prediction methods will be used to provide reasonable assurance that conducting the prescribed burn during given wind and weather conditions will not adversely affect the mission.

1.3.4 100% Mop-up: Per Florida regulations, contractor must be present until the fire is extinguished, which is defined as no spreading flame. However, contractor should plan to spend enough time on the site to reduce hotspots to the greatest extent possible. This is likely to be accomplished with a combination of a pumper truck (where accessible) and hand tools. In addition, contractor should plan to return the following day to extinguish any remaining flare-ups, duff ignitions, hotspots, smoldering logs, etc.

1.3.5 Notice/Permits: MacDill Environmental staff will obtain the necessary approvals from on-base commanders and personnel and handle outreach/noticing activities directed at on-base personnel. The contactor shall secure the Florida Division of Forestry prescribed burn permit on the day of the burn.

1.3.6 Scheduling: It is understood that prescribed burning is very dependent on weather and environmental conditions. MacDill AFB requires one week notice of forecasted conditions that are favorable for prescribed burning and meet the conditions outlined in the burn prescription and smoke management plan, and requires at least 48 hours notice once a burn is planned to occur. As an active military installation, the possibility exists that conditions, activities, or events may require the cancellation or rescheduling of planned burns at any time up to and including the day of the burn

1.3.7 Documentation: The preparation and execution of a prescribed burn at MacDill AFB will include written documentation of the following:

· Burn Prescription to include fuel, moisture, weather, season, desired intensity, firing technique, ignition pattern, timing, etc.

· Smoke Management model (forecast within 48 hours of anticipated ignition time)

· Escaped Fire Plan (site specific)

· Post-burn Evaluation to record any deviations from the burn prescription or anticipated conditions, and assess the effectiveness of the burn

1.4 Native Vegetation Plantings: Contractor shall purchase and install approximately 5,400 square feet of salt-tolerant native sod (paspalam) along an identified drainage canal at the southern end of the runway. Upon installation of the sod, no further maintenance or watering is required. Sod must be installed during the summer (July or August) so that it will be watered naturally by frequent seasonal rains. Figure 9 shows the area where plantings would occur. In addition, the contractor shall install 400 one-gallon size plants and 100 three-gallon size plants at selected areas identified by 6 CES/CEVN. Plant material shall be installed during the summer months (July or August) to take advantage of seasonal rains. Planting locations shall be easily accessible by vehicle. No further maintenance is required by the contractor following planting. Planting shall be accomplished in the areas cleared at the FAM Camp wetland mitigation site (Figure 10).

1.5 Wildflower Demonstration Maintenance: Contractor shall accomplish two herbicide treatment events within the two wildflower demonstration sites to control growth of undesirable and nuisance vegetation that may out-compete the wildflowers. Both sites combined are two acres in total area. Figure 11 presents the wildflower demonstration sites.

1.6 Miscellaneous Habitat Restoration Tasks: Contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, tools, material, supervision, and other items and services necessary to perform additional Habitat Restoration tasks to include but not limited to oyster domes, oyster reef building, mangrove restoration, etc., that might be identified in the future by 6 CES/CEVN. Habitat Restoration task are defined as any activity, function or process that results in a net improvement in the value and ecologic function of upland, wetland, and coastal communities on base.

2. Qualifications and Certifications: If requested by 6 CES/CEVN, the Contractor shall submit, with the proposal, a copy of the following documents concerning their certifications and available equipment:

· A copy of training certificate or approval letter, as required for specific herbicides, which demonstrates the applicator is authorized to spray the herbicide. Any personnel handling, mixing, or applying pesticides on MacDill AFB are required to be licensed by the State of Florida as Commercial Pesticide Applicator.

3. Performance Period: The period of performance for this contract will consist of a base year with the possibility of four additional option years.

4. Field Representative: FR for this work shall be Jason Kirkpatrick. All invoices and work progress schedules (if applicable) will be submitted to Mr. Mike Flach for approval and acceptance prior to payment. Prior to start of work the Contractor shall contact Mr. Jason Kirkpatrick at 813-828-0459 to confirm scheduling and access to the base. In the event that Mr. Kirkpatrick is unavailable, Mr. Mike Flach is the alternate POC. Mr. Flach can be reached at 813-828-0839.

General Conditions:

Location:

The work site is located on MacDill Air Force Base, FL.

Availability of the Site:

Days Defined: All references to time periods in “days” shall be construed to be calendar days unless specifically noted as “Work Days”. Work Days are defined as 8 hour duty days of Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holidays.

Hours Defined: Normal hours of operation are 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Holidays: The following holidays are observed by the government and are not considered duty days: New Years Day; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; Presidents Day; Memorial Day; Independence Day; Labor Day; Columbus Day; Veterans Day; Thanksgiving Day; Day-After Thanksgiving; Christmas Day.

Project Coordination:

Notification: Contractor shall provide a tentative work schedule with its proposal and shall provide exact time and dates of work one week prior to commencement of work. The work schedule shall be coordinated with the 6th Civil Engineer Squadron Field Representative (6 CES/CEVN). If 6 CES/CEVN is not notified of scheduled work, the Contractor shall be required to revisit the site with the 6 CES/CEVN and uncover the work for inspection and acceptance at no additional cost to the government.

Interruption/Utility Shutdowns: No utility interruptions are expected with the scope of work. If unexpected utility interruptions are required, they shall be accomplished by 6th Civil Engineer Squadron personnel, only as directed by the government and never on a Saturday. Request for interruption shall be submitted to 6 CES/CEVN in writing five (5) days prior to the scheduled interruption.

Quality Control/Quality Assurance:

Inspection and Acceptance: 6 CES/CEVN will act as the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and will periodically evaluate the Contractor’s performance to ensure services are received. 6 CES/CEVN will evaluate the Contractor’s performance through intermittent on-site inspections and receipt of complaints from base personnel. 6 CES/CEVN may inspect each task as completed or increase the number of quality assurance inspections if deemed appropriate because of repeated performance failures or because of repeated customer complaints. 6 CES/CEVN shall make determination of the validity of customer complaint(s).

Quality Control Plan: Contractor shall have on file and shall be required to submit its Quality Control Plan to 6 CES/CEVN within 10 days of contract award and upon request by the COR or the Contracting Officer.

Security:

Contractor Identification: Contractor personnel shall at all times, display a distinctive badge or wear company uniforms provided by the Contractor, identifying such personnel as employees of the Contractor and shall observe and otherwise be subject to such security regulations as are in effect for the particular premises involved. The Contractor shall provide vehicle description and license plate numbers of all Contractor-owned vehicles as well as all required employee information requiring access to MacDill AFB when requesting vehicle/employee passes. All Contractor personnel shall possess at all times, the AF Form 75, Visitor/Vehicle Pass, for each employee working on MacDill AFB.

Entry Control: Contractor shall restrict unauthorized entrance of persons and vehicles into Project site and existing facilities and allow entrance only to authorized persons with proper identification. In addition, the contractor shall maintain a log of workers and visitors, to be made available to 6 CES/CEVN on request.

Restrictions: The Contractor shall not allow cameras to be on the site nor photographs to be taken without the written permission from 6th Security Forces Squadron.

Invoicing/Payments:

Contractor shall be required to register in the Air Force Wide Area Work Flow (WAWF) system for submittal of all invoices for the project. Invoices shall be submitted to WAWF at the contractor’s discretion on a percent/project complete basis. The government shall be responsible for reviewing and approving all invoices submitted through WAWF.

Performance Objectives:

The contractor service requirements are summarized into performance objectives that relate directly to mission essential items. The performance threshold briefly describes the minimum acceptable levels of service required for each requirement. These thresholds are critical to mission success. Contractor monthly payments will be adjusted based upon the performance thresholds established in the Services Summary (SS) for any performance objective that the number of allowable defects is exceeded for a given month.

& 1.2 No more than 5% survival rate of identified vegetation

Monthly Usage Reporting: Contractor shall provide a monthly summary of all herbicide applications accomplished on the base. The summary shall include: 1) date each herbicide was applied; 2) trade name of herbicide applied; 3) EPA registration number for each herbicide; 4) percent concentration of the herbicide; 5) amount used in gallons; 6) name of active ingredient; 7) description of target pest and; 8) full name of the person who applied the herbicide.

1.1.3 No more than 1 deficiency per year

Prescribed Burn: The contractor is required to notify MacDill one (1) week prior to any proposed burn date.

1.3.6 & 1.3.7 No less than 48 hours notification prior to proposed burn date.

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