A02 Mating Distruption Draft PWS.docx

US Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Performance Work Statement

Contents

5.0 Performance Requirements Measures……………………………………………………………………………………..15

Project Title Spongy Moth Slow the Spread Mating Disruption General Information

1.0 Background and Purpose

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service (FS) cooperative National Spongy Moth Slow the Spread program (STS) works collaboratively with 11 states [Illinois (IL), Indiana (IN), Iowa (IA), Kentucky (KY), North Carolina (NC), Ohio (OH), Minnesota (MN), Tennessee (TN), Virginia (VA), West Virginia (WV), and Wisconsin (WI)] to reduce the rate of spread of spongy moth (Lymantria dispar). Applications for mating disruption are annually implemented to suppress newly established spongy moth populations in the STS program. One formulation of these mating disruptants will be considered for the project. Mating disruptants are formulated to slowly release the active ingredient, racemic disparlure, which is a synthetically produced spongy moth pheromone, over a period of several weeks when spongy moth adults are active and mating. The cloud of pheromone that is released disrupts the male moth’s ability to locate and mate with female moths, thereby suppressing the following year’s population.

The intent of this procurement is to contract for the application of mating disruptants during five summer treatment application periods (2027, 2028, 2029, 2030, and 2031) as part of the FS STS program.

The product that will be considered for application treatment and is formulated by ISCA Technologies is known as SPLAT-SM Organic® *(SPLAT-SM-O). For simplicity’s sake, application of mating disruptants under this procurement will target newly established spongy moth populations in the program area, which may establish in the states of IA, IL, IN, KY, MN, NC, OH, TN, VA, WI, and WV. Treatments occur just prior to the flight period of the adult male moth. The start of moth flight is dependent on local weather and can range from late May in eastern North Carolina and Virginia to late July in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. The typical application doses range from 3 grams active ingredient per acre (g ai/ac) to 30.4 g ai/ac may be utilized, but the 6 and 15.2g ai/ac doses are most used.

Application is sub-divided into three acreage items. In the past five years, the STS program has treated approximately 265,000 ±15% (mean ±15%) across the three Items (See Historical Application Data file). Item 1 includes work in the southern states of the STS program (KY, NC, TN, VA, and WV) and has a treatment window extending from late May to mid-June. Item 2 includes states in the central region of the STS program (IL, IN, and OH) and has a treatment window that extends from early June to early July. Item 3 includes states in the northern region of the STS program (IA, MN, and WI) and has a treatment window that extends from late June to late July. If exercised, the option year information (treatment block table, maps, production rates, updated wage determinations, etc.) will be provided early in the calendar year.

The treatment blocks include a mosaic of different land use/land cover types such as forest, crop fields, pastures, residential, urban, roads, streams, rivers, lakes, and ponds. Pesticide label requirements dictate that some of these areas are not treated with disruptants; therefore, two acreage estimates are provided for each block (treatment block size known as polygon acres and the government’s best estimate of the treatable acres inside the treatment polygon. Blocks in the same geographical area with similar treatment timing requirements have been grouped into one of the three Items.

Treatments can be applied up to 14 calendar days prior to the start of male moth flight but must be completed before moth flight starts to be effective. This two-week period is called the biological window. In each Item, the project will start where moth flight is the earliest in Item 1 and then progress through the project areas in Items 1, 2, and 3 to align with the most optimal biological window. The table below (Table 1.1) presents the government’s best estimate of the dates when the work will begin in each of the project areas that are part of the 2027 Items.

The start dates are estimates only and are based on the 20-year normal weather data for each project area. The actual date when flight starts each year can vary by as much as 15 days around normal and is dependent on local weather patterns in the current year. If moth flight is expected to begin earlier or later than normal, the start work dates will also be adjusted to ensure treatments are completed within the biological window. The contractor must be prepared to start work at least 15 days earlier or later than estimated here.

Treatments will commonly receive one application of the disruptant at a dose of 6 or 15.2 g ai/ac (see the accompanying excel file for a list of treatment blocks from the last five years by state, dose, Item, project area and estimated start date). However, option years may include a range of doses from a low of 3 g ai/ac to a high of 30.4 g ai/ac.

Treatment block boundaries and doses may not be finalized until two months prior to project implementation to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.

A short description of each of the items follows.

Item 1 This item includes all the treatment blocks in the states of KY, NC, TN, VA, and WV and is commonly subdivided into four project areas where all the blocks in a project area have similar treatment timing.

1. VA study/check plots: This project area includes the study plots in Virginia, which are composed of 4 to 8 small blocks, each 125 acres, that are 100% forested. Although the blocks are in the Virginia mountains, they are geographically distinct from the other project area in Virginia. The study plots can be treated on the ferry to and from the Item 1 project area.

2. Eastern Virginia & North Carolina: The project area covers a wide geographic expanse, and treatment blocks can range from coastal NC and VA, the piedmont of NC and VA, and the foothills of NC and VA. The terrain is flat to gently rolling and the blocks are primarily rural and forested. Treatment times may range from late May to mid-June.

3. NC, TN, and VA Mountains: Treatment blocks in this project area are in steep mountainous terrain in southwest VA, western NC, and northeastern TN. Blocks are rural and densely forested in these areas and treatment timing ranges from mid-June to mid-July. Due to the late moth flight in the mountainous areas, these blocks may be treated out of sync with the treatment blocks in Item 1, 2, and 3.

4. KY and WV: In WV, treatment blocks are not consistently treated every year. A low number of blocks have been treated in this area since the start of the STS program, and this trend is likely to continue. The STS program has not treated blocks in KY to this date. However, as the program shifts west into the state more treatment blocks may become more common. The treatment blocks in this area range from mountainous to rolling hills and application timing ranges from mid-June to early July.

Item 2

This item includes all the treatment blocks in IL, IN, and OH. The work is commonly divided into 6 project areas where all the blocks in a project area have similar treatment timing. The treatment timing for this item ranges from mid-June to early July with treatment timing commonly progressing from project area 1 to 6.

1. Southern OH: The treatment blocks in this project area are in the rolling mountains of southeast OH. The blocks include residential areas in the suburbs of small towns and forested areas bisected by rivers and creeks.

2. Central OH: This project area includes treatment blocks in central OH where the terrain ranges from gently rolling in the east to mostly flat in the west. Treatment blocks represent a wide range of locations, including rural areas, the outskirts of smaller towns with scattered residential areas, urban and suburban areas of Columbus, or rural areas scattered with homes. The landscape in these blocks’ ranges heavily forested to agricultural areas dotted with small woodlots.

3. Northern OH: This project area includes treatment blocks scattered across the flat agricultural area in northwest OH. Treatment blocks mostly include residential areas near the towns of Marion, Findlay, and Lima and rural, agricultural areas dotted with small woodlots.

4. IN: Treatment blocks in IN are located mostly in the northern part of the state. These blocks are characterized by flat terrain and located in rural areas interspersed with agricultural fields and woodlots.

5. Central IL: This project area is in the Chicago suburbs and agricultural area of central Illinois. The blocks include communities and residential areas as well as large areas of agriculture, which are bisected by creeks, and dotted with homes and small woodlots.

6. Northern IL: These treatment blocks are in northern IL, generally near the towns of Freeport and Rockport or west of this area. The treatment blocks are primarily rural and partly forested or dotted with small woodlots.

Item 3

This item includes all the treatment blocks in IA, MN, and WI. The work is commonly divided into 6 project areas. The treatment timing for this item ranges from late June to late July with treatment timing commonly progressing from project area 1 to 6.

1. Southern WI: These treatment blocks are in the rolling hills of southwest Wisconsin. The blocks are a patchwork of forests, fields, and rural residences near the communities of Platteville, Boscobel, and La Crosse.

2. IA: These treatment blocks are in the rolling hills of northcentral and northeastern IA. The blocks are a patchwork of forests, fields, and rural residences. Previous treatments have been in Allamakee and Clayton Counties.

3. Southeastern and Central MN: These treatment blocks are in the rolling hills of southeastern MN. The blocks are a patchwork of forests, fields, and rural residences spanning from Houston, Winona, and Wabasha Counties to the Twin Cities.

4. Central WI: The blocks are predominantly rural and are either a patchwork of forests, fields, and neighborhoods or scattered residences. These blocks are generally located in the surrounding areas of Eau Claire, including Chippewa, Dunn, Buffalo, Pepin, Barron, and Rusk Counties.

5. Northern WI: The blocks represent a mix of forests, lakes, and agricultural lands in or near Douglas County.

6. Northeastern MN: The blocks represent a mix of forests, lakes, and agricultural lands. Blocks are common in the surrounding areas of Duluth.

Production Rates Hourly production rates are estimated by the Government to aid the Offeror(s) in planning what type of equipment he/she can use to meet the requirement. Production rates are important to the success of any project, but are critical to this project, which encompasses multiple states with varying insect development schedules, and requires numerous moves between bases of operation that are scattered across the states. Failure to perform at these rates may jeopardize treatment effectiveness by missing the biological window and result in termination of the contract for default.

In Table 1.1, the Government provides best estimates of project start dates, days available to work, hours available to apply product, and required hourly production rate necessary to complete the work within the biological window available for each item. These are estimates only; and, as provided elsewhere in this contract, it is the contractor’s responsibility to plan and operate in a manner to accomplish all work within the timeframes, and in consideration of the conditions that occur. The Government will cooperate to the maximum extent practicable to facilitate the contractor's work.

The following assumptions were used in calculating the required production rates for each project area.

1. Twenty-year average weather data was input into a phenological model that predicts insect development such as the date when adult male spongy moths will emerge and start to fly. Output from the model is used to select an appropriate start date for each treatment block. These dates may vary with weather patterns in the current year.

2. Treatment blocks were then grouped by geography and insect development into project areas, and an estimate of the work start date was selected for each.

3. In each Item, the project will start where moth flight is the earliest then generally move west and north through the states and project areas and end where moth flight is the latest. Each project area must be completed within the total workdays listed in below in Table 1.1 to ensure that a) the project area is completed before adult male moth flight begins and b) the next project area(s) in line for work can also be completed before the start of adult male moth flight. In some cases, the number of days available to work may be further constrained because the work is in densely populated urban areas where treatment must be completed quickly.

4. Although the maximum allowable application time available each day for treatment under this contract is unlimited, historical application hours used per day of operation average only about 5 hours because of inclement weather and moves between bases of operation. Therefore 5 hours of application time is used as the average available for each day of work.

5. Acres are the estimate of total polygon acres within each item and project area.

6. Production is defined as the polygon acres divided by the application hours during operations.

Table 1.1. Average for start date, days planned, hours to apply product, total of polygon acres, and hourly production rates required in each of the for the base year of the contract (2022). The annual averages and minimum/maximum were determined from the previous five years of work in the STS program and five hours of work were used to calculate the average total planned days of work.

When contractors have complied with production rates, but weather delays prevent completion of an item or project area within the allotted workdays, the remaining work will either be completed or eliminated prior to moving to another item or project area. The Government will determine the completion or elimination of work depending on the circumstances, including such factors as the weather forecast, the stage of spongy moth development, and the number of acres involved.

Reporting Date for Application Activities Unless otherwise agreed to by both parties, two days prior to the estimated start work date will be the initial project reporting date for personnel and application equipment in order to confirm that application equipment have been inspected, systems are calibrated, SPLAT deposits are characterized, and pre-treatment safety and coordination meetings conducted. The Contractor shall have all equipment in compliance with the specifications and in readiness to move in when notified. The reporting date(s) is subject to change depending on the developmental stage of the insect to be treated thus the contractor must be prepared to start a minimum of 15 days earlier or later than estimated.

The Contractor will be given a minimum of three days notice for the initial reporting date. The reporting date may be adjusted by mutual agreement due to inclement weather or other reasons beyond the control of either party.

Maps and Other Files See Attachment 2 and 3 [Historical Application Data (2022 to 2026) and Mating disruption treatment blocks from 2022 to 2026], for maps and an Excel file for 2022 to 2026 treatment history. The Excel file cross-references each block by item, project area, dose, size (both polygon acres and an estimate of treatable acres within the block) and treatment timing will be provided in the spring of each year.

See the STS Map Library at http://www.gmsts.org/library.html for names and location of proposed treatment blocks for the base contract year and option years. Select the Treatment Vicinity drop down menu to download the maps of interest for each Item.

An STS KML Service for viewing treatment blocks for the base contract year and option years in Google Earth can be accessed at http://www.gmsts.org/treatments.html, then select the highlighted “STS Treatment KML Service” near the top of the page. Updates to the treatment block boundaries may continue to occur until May of each year. This will open Google Earth with the STS treatment blocks added to your temporary places folder. Be sure to save the link to the STS treatments file in ‘My Places’, not ‘Temporary Places’ if you wish to access it again without going back to the STS website. The STS treatments file should be updated with any changes each time it is opened on Google Earth.

In May of each year, prior to the start of work, shapefiles formatted for use in the Contractor’s DGPS will be posted at http://www.gmsts.org/treatments.html. Once posted the files can be accessed by selecting the state(s) of interest and downloading the mating disruption treatment file (MD in the file name) for that state. Each state file contains all the mating disruption blocks located in that state.

Contractor Requirements

2.0 Technical Requirements / Tasks

The contractor must provide sufficient equipment to meet production rates. The contractor is responsible for purchase, transportation, storage, loading and security of the disruptant. The government will supply the active ingredient (racemic disparlure) needed to formulate the product of choice to the appropriate company. The contractor must provide enough disruptant (SPLAT) to treat the acreage at the specified doses. Labels and Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for disruptant must also be provided. The Contractor is responsible for the repair or replacement of any faulty or substandard equipment within 24 hours.

All operations will conform to manufacturers’ pesticide label instructions, Department of Transportation (DOT) policies, and the appropriate state requirements for storage, transportation, loading and application of insecticides. The Contractor is responsible for obtaining pesticide licenses, application licenses, insurance and other applicable licenses, clearances, and documentation for full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations regarding pesticide applications in all the states included in this project prior to treatment activities.

The Contractor is responsible for obtaining all materials (SPLAT) that are needed to test and document the operational status of their dispersal equipment. The Contractor is responsible for providing the area(s) to be used for calibration and characterization trials of the application equipment. The area selected for the trials must have the approval of the landowner. Calibration will be conducted prior to project implementation. The mating disruption material shall comply with STS Science and Technical Committee standards and undergo appropriate testing and validation before operational use. If the equipment has characterization trial data on file with the Government, the application equipment may be re-characterized at the discretion of the Contracting Officer Representative (COR).

Any spills will be the responsibility of the Contractor to clean up and dispose of according to Federal and State laws and regulations. It shall be the responsibility of the Contractor to properly dispose of all SPLAT containers and all according to label requirements and State laws and regulations.

A pre-work meeting between the Government, participating state agencies, and the Contractor along with their primary crew members shall be held prior to the start of work and each time a state is entered for the first time. The Contractor’s primary crew members must attend any prework meeting that is scheduled. The meeting may include but is not limited to: (1) review of the contract in detail, (2) operational procedures (communications on block status and data reporting for product consumption) and (3) any specific assignments and plan for the project area to be treated. An initial treatment plan will be provided for the COR seven days prior to beginning work in that area.

Contractor’s Environmental Responsibilities The Contractor is responsible to ensure that all maintenance, fueling, product loading, and application activities do not cause environmental damage to property or facilities. The Contractor is responsible for cleaning and rehabilitate areas adversely affected by Contractor activities and shall, whenever practical and possible, utilize solvents and cleaning agents that are either biodegradable or consistent with acceptable safety, health, and environmental concern practices.

The Contractor is responsible for all clean-up of fuel, oil, and pesticide contamination at site location, product loading sites, parking areas, etc., when caused by Contractor application equipment or personnel. Oil, solvents, parts, engines, etc. shall be stored and utilized in a manner consistent with acceptable safety, health, and environmental concerns.

Personnel Conduct and Replacement of Personnel The Vendor shall designate a Project Supervisor, representing the company in all contractual matters to the government. The Project Supervisor shall always be available to the FS COR during the period of performance. All services provided under this contract shall be performed in a safe and efficient manner. Contract personnel shall conduct themselves in a professional and cooperative manner in fulfilling this contract. It is extremely important that inappropriate behavior be recognized and dealt with promptly.

Inappropriate behavior is all forms of harassment including sexual and racial harassment. Harassment in any form will not be tolerated. Non-prescription unlawful drugs and alcohol are not permitted at the incident or work site. Possession or use of these substances will result in the contractor being released from the incident or work site. During off-incident periods, personnel are responsible for proper conduct and maintenance of fitness for duty.

Drug or alcohol abuse resulting in unfitness for duty will normally result in the contractor being released from the incident.

Performance of these contract services may involve work on Federal property (e.g., National Forests and National Parks, etc.). Contractor’s employees are expected to follow the rules of conduct established, which apply to all Government and non-Government personnel working on Government facilities. Personnel who perform ineffectively or refuse to cooperate in fulfillment of the contract objectives, are unable or unwilling to adapt to field living conditions, or whose general performance is unsatisfactory or otherwise disruptive may be required to be replaced.

The CO may, in writing, require the Contractor to remove from the work site any employee the CO or COR deems incompetent, unsafe, careless, or otherwise objectionable or for theft, possession and/or removal of materials, supplies, equipment or any Government-owned or leased property.

Contractor Stand-down or Deactivation The Contractor shall immediately notify the COR by telephone, followed by a written notification (email or letter) to the COR and CO, when the Contractor implements a stand-down or when the Contractor deactivates any or all the equipment that is operating in compliance with this contract. The Contractor’s verbal and written notifications shall include all relevant information of the effected application equipment, the rationale for the stand-down/deactivation, and the estimated duration of the stand-down or the deactivation.

The Contractor shall also notify the COR by telephone, followed up with a written notification (email or letter) to the COR and CO of the planned reactivation date for each of the effected application equipment. The Contractor’s verbal and written notifications shall include all relevant information of the effected application equipment, all the reactivated application equipment, the rationale/corrective action plan (if applicable), and the date(s) of the reactivation(s). Once a COR has been officially notified of a Contractor implemented stand-down and/or deactivation, the COR shall notify the appropriate Government officials accordingly.

1 DISPERSAL SYSTEMS

1.1 General

1.1.1 Specifications

The dispersal system must dispense SPLAT-SM-O droplets consistently and reliably. Acceptable application equipment with a disruptant dispersal system will be considered providing they meet the specifications listed below.

1. Dispersal system must be suitable for the mission.

2. Dispersal system must consistently calibrate within + 5% of the specified rate(s) when dispensing the disruptant (SPLAT). Calibration controls must have index marks or numerical settings to facilitate calibration and rate changes during operation.

3. The dispersal system must deposit a range of droplet sizes (stain sizes ranging from 1,000 microns up to 5,000 microns in diameter).

4. Dispersal system must have a positive shutoff mechanism to prevent contamination of areas not scheduled for treatment.

5. Dispersal system must have a minimum load capacity of 1,000 acres at the 15.2 g ai/ac dose.

1.2 Procedures Used to Calibrate and Characterize

1.2.1 Calibration

SPLAT discharged during timed runs of at least 30 seconds are collected and weighed or measured as applicable. Discharge rates are adjusted until the dispensed rate equals the specified rate. Then replicate trials (minimum of 3) are conducted to document consistency of the calibration. Consistency is defined as plus or minus 5% of the amount needed to achieve the specified rates.

1.2.2 Characterization

Equipment with dispersal systems applies the product perpendicular to treatment targets that are at least 300 feet long. Dispersal systems should be tested at release heights of 100 to 200 feet above the treatment target. After each test, deposits in each 3-foot section are assessed to determine:

1. Total number of deposits

2. The range of droplet sizes (stain diameters measured in microns).

1.3 Determination of Effective Swath

The effective swath width is determined as the maximum width that meets the following criteria.

a. At least 50% of the 3-foot sections must contain deposits.

b. Gaps with no deposits are acceptable, but no single gap may exceed 30 feet in width.

1.4 Purchase of Materials for Testing Dispersal Equipment

Awardee is responsible for obtaining all materials (SPLAT-SM-O) that are needed to test and document the operational status of their product dispersal equipment as specified above.

2 PRODUCTS AND APPLICATION PROCEDURES

2.1 Products

2.1.1 Product Packaging and Marking

All SPLAT to be used on this project will be formulated, packaged and labeled by the manufacturer according to the rules and regulations set forth by the EPA for pesticides.

All pesticide containers shall display the product label as registered with EPA. All pesticide shipments shall be accompanied by manufacturer’s Safety Data Sheets (SDS).

2.1.2 Suppliers, Application Rates and Application Timing

SPLAT products will be used under this contract. SPLAT is the trade name for controlled release formulation that are commercially produced to disrupt mating in low-density spongy moth populations. These are the only products registered with EPA and approved for use under this contract. They can be purchased at:

SPLAT: ISCA Technologies Nivea Lima 1230 West Spring St Riverside, CA 92507 951-686-5008

A single application per acre is made just prior to the start of the adult moth flight period. The start of moth flight is dependent on local weather and can range from late May in eastern North Carolina and Virginia to late July in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Doses of 6- and 15.2-grams active ingredient per acre (g ai/ac) are commonly used, but doses ranging from 3 to 30.4 (g ai/ac) may be utilized during the 5-year term of this project. The Government will provide the active ingredient to the formulator selected by the awardee and the contractor will provide the final formulation.

2.1.3 Product information

Custom built dispersal equipment Required

Dose

2.2 Application Procedures and Restrictions

All operations will conform to USDA-FS requirements; pesticide label instructions; SDS; and applicable state requirements for storage, transportation, and application of insecticides.

The Contractor is responsible for obtaining pesticide licenses, application licenses, and insurance.

Although SPLAT SM-O is exempt from the requirement of tolerance on food and feed crops, no intentional food or feed uses are permitted. The labels also warn the user to keep the product out of lakes, streams and ponds unless covered by forest canopy. The applicator, who is the holder of the appropriate state pesticide applicators license, shall be responsible for applying SPLAT SM-O according to label directions. For instance, land cover / land use patterns within a treatment block boundary may be a patchwork of forest, crop fields, pastures, residential, urban, roads, streams, lakes or ponds. Some of these areas must be excluded from treatment to ensure the disruptant is used in a manner consistent with its labeling. The number, shape and dynamic nature of the non-treatable areas preclude digitizing each as an exclusion area for use in the DGPS. Therefore, the auto on/off function that is a component of DGPS cannot be used to turn the application system on and off automatically over these non-treatable areas. Instead, it is the responsibility of the applicator to use visual cues to determine when the application system must be shut off to prevent label violations.

Swath spacing during application will be maintained between 100 to 150 feet based on prior historical treatment results, research data and COR discretion.

2.2.1 Environmental Limitations/Week-End Application/Duty Day Operations will usually be prohibited when any one of the following conditions exists within the treatment area: (Insecticide label restrictions will take precedence over the conditions listed below when label restrictions are more limiting). It is at the discretion of the COR to stop operations when:

· Wind conditions exist or occur during treatments that are determined by the COR or project manager to adversely affect deposits,

· Weather is rainy or foggy, the foliage is wet, or there is an imminent threat of rain.

· Air turbulence (thermal updrafts, etc.) is so great as to seriously affect the deposit of the mating disruptants or compromise the safety of the operation.

· DGPS is not working properly Normal applications will be conducted during the daylight hours, Monday through Friday, weather permitting. Weekend applications may be conducted at the discretion of the Federal Government but are generally not done unless necessary to complete treatment before the start of moth flight.

The total number of hours per duty day will not exceed 14 hours.

2.2.2 Calibration and Characterization

The objective of calibration and characterization is to ensure that the disruptant will be consistently discharged from the equipment dispersal system at the specified rates and to determine the effective swath of the application equipment, and dispersal system.

The rate of discharge from the spray system will be verified periodically during application operations and adjustments may be required to maintain application rates within 5% of the desired rate-per-acre.

Application equipment must return to base with empty hoppers/tanks at least once out of two consecutive loads to verify that the actual rate of discharge is in line with the desired calibration rate when compared to DGPS acres for those load(s). If the selected dispersal equipment is not empty at least once after 2 loads, at the end of the 2nd load the Contractor will remove all product from the selected dispersal equipment and weigh it to confirm that calibration is still within 5% of the desired rate. Re-calibration of dispersal systems will be required at the Contractor's expense when application rate does not correlate with specified rates per acre.

2.2.3 Reconnaissance of Treatment Areas

The Contractor is responsible for reconnaissance and familiarization of treatment areas prior to treatment. This will prepare applicators for situational awareness with the boundaries, terrain, hazards, and areas to be excluded from treatment.

2.2.4 Communications

The Contractor is responsible for providing real time communication and tracking to the COR as to the progress of each block being treated, when the treatment block is complete and how many product acres are needed for next treatment blocks in the treatment process.

3.0 Deliverable / Schedule

3.1 Annual Task Order Statement of Work (SOW)

Treatment blocks for the current treatment season will be finalized from February to March by the FS and provided to the Awardee. The SOW will include number of treatment blocks; location, polygon size (acres), rate of application, and treat acres for treatment blocks and blocks within each Item; production rates required, estimates for number of application days, estimates for hours to apply product, number of blocks, and estimated start work date for project areas in each Item. Electronic GIS files for the treatment blocks will be available for download at the STS program website.

3.2 Planning and Coordination Meeting

Approximately one to two months prior to applications a planning and coordination meeting will be held with the COR at the Awardee’s base of operations to discuss the upcoming treatment schedule and details of the applications.

3.3 Treatment Schedules and Pre-work Meetings

From February to May a preliminary treatment schedule will be developed with the COR for the current treatment season. An implementation plan (i.e., treatment block order) will be provided to the COR one week before entering each project area within a state. A pre-work meeting between the Government, participating state agencies, and the Contractor along with their primary crew members shall be held prior to the start of work and each time a state is entered for the first time. These pre-work meetings can be held by phone or TEAMS call and not required for in-person meetings.

3.4 Calibration documentation

All application equipment must be calibrated annually prior to applications for all rates of application. Calibration documentation (e.g., paper records, pictures, and videos) will be provided to the COR prior to treatment applications. Calibrations will be conducted as needed at the discretion of the COR during applications.

3.5 Treatment files

Data files from DGPS shall be downloaded after applications and provided daily to the COR.

3.5 Accident Prevention and Safety

The Awardee is responsible for determination of safe operations in all treatment areas, and insecticide product handling and application and required to provide updates that are made to their safety program during the life of the contract to the COR.

4.0 Government Furnished

The government will supply the active ingredient (racemic disparlure) needed to formulate the product of choice to the appropriate company.

If disruptant is supplied to the contractor as Government Furnished Property (GFP), the disruptant will be purchased from the government by the contractor at the price indicated in the disruptant tables located in the schedule of items. These purchase(s) will be reflected in lump sum adjustments in the payment documents.

The contractor is responsible for their own travel costs. During the applications (early June to late July), travel is required throughout the 11 states [Illinois (IL), Indiana (IN), Iowa (IA), Kentucky (KY), North Carolina (NC), Ohio (OH), Minnesota (MN), Tennessee (TN), Virginia (VA), West Virginia (WV), and Wisconsin (WI)] of the National Spongy Moth Slow the Spread program (STS) that possess treatment blocks.

5.0 Performance Requirement Measures

If the Contractor fails to deliver the supplies or perform the services within the time specified in this contract, or any extension, the Contractor shall, in place of actual damages, pay to the Government as fixed, agreed, and liquidated damages, for each calendar day (or portion thereof) of delay the sum shown for the following events.

Performance Objective Required Task or Deliverable

% for NOT meeting the Task

Apply the product at the correct dose and specified application procedure

Arrival on scheduled day

Contractor caused delays that make it impossible to properly calibrate on the agreed upon date will cause liquidated damages to be assessed at $,1,588 per day.

Arrive on time daily

The daily operation may start as early as 30 minutes before sunrise or at any time after this that is mutually agreeable to the Government and the Contractor.

The Contractor(s) personnel should be at the work site far enough in advance to have the application equipment checked, and product loaded and ready.

day.

If any equipment has repeated failures the CO reserves the right to require replacement of the malfunctioning equipment within 24 hours. Failure to provide a replacement within the allotted time will result in additional damages of $1,588 per day being assessed.

Procedure for work

$1,588 per day and shall be deducted from payments due the contractor.

Alternatively, if delivery or performance is so delayed, the Government may terminate this contract in whole or in part under the termination for cause section of clause “Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items”.

The Contractor shall not be liable when the delay in delivery or performance arises out of causes beyond the control and without the fault or negligence of the Contractor as defined in the excusable delay section of the clause “Terms and Conditions-Commercial items” incorporated in this contract.

COR seven (7) days prior to starting a project area.

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