LRGFO_Brush_Clearing_PWS_08-31-2015.pdf

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

MOWING AND HEAVY BRUSH REMOVAL

Of the River Levee between

Carlson Basin (Hidalgo, TX) to End of Levee (Brownsville, TX), and Playas south of Brownsville, Cameron County, Texas

I. BACKGROUND

The United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC) is responsible for mowing and clearing the Lower Rio Grande Flood Control Project (LRGFO).

The LRGFO consists of levees and floodplain adjacent the Rio Grande, Main Floodway, North Floodway, and Arroyo Colorado. The USIBWC is in the process of FEMA Certifying its Levees. The USACE/FEMA minimum 15- foot wide, vegetation free zone from the toe of slope has been identified to cause to undermine the integrity of the levee. Brushes and tall grasses need to be mowed in a regular basis.

The unusual large amount of rain that has fallen this year, unfilled tractor operator vacancies and additional non routine projects has considerably slowed the maintenance cycle this year. This Performance Work Statement (PWS) discusses the project details and the areas that will be worked on.

II. AREAS TO BE TARGETED

1. River Levee Between Carlson Basin to the End of Levee at Brownsville – 920 o Google earth map of the Areas are attached

2. 33 Playas South of Brownsville – 317 acres o Google earth map of the Areas are attached

III. SERVICES TO BE PERFORMED:

1. River Levee Between Carlson Basin to the End of Levee at Brownsville

a. Mow all areas 6” – 8” in height between 15 feet of the toe of the land side of the levee to the 15 feet of the toe of the flood side or the Right of Way (ROW) whichever is closer.

b. For every shrub or tree within the above mentioned area whose trunk is greater than 2 inches the following work shall be performed:

i. Cut the trunk within 2 inches of the ground;

ii. Ensure that the roots are left undisturbed to avoid erosion;

iii. Spray the cut area of the remaining stump with approved herbicide within 20 minutes of being cut; and

iv. Shred or Mulch the woody remains on the toe of the levee within

IBWC ROW

2. 33 Playas South of Brownsville

a. Mow all areas to ground level.

b. Cut and shred any brush or trees that are too big to mow. Shredded/Mulched trees will be spread on site.

IV. PROVIDE WEEKLY PLAN AND PROGRESS REPORTS:

The Contractor shall provide a Weekly Plan and Progress Report by 6:00 PM Central on

Friday of each week.

At a minimum the Weekly Plan and Progress Report shall include:

o Days/Hours worked o Areas/Acres mowed o Any weather delays o Outlook for next week

The final progress report shall be submitted with the final invoice.

V. PERFORMANCE PERIOD:

The period of performance shall not exceed one-hundred twenty (120) calendar days. The Contractor shall have 120 calendar days from date of award to complete this project.

VI. PAYMENTS AND INVOICES:

Invoiced amounts shall include a description of the areas mowed and shall denote the acreage of levee and/or acreage of playas.

Any areas that could not be worked for the invoiced period shall not be billed.

All invoices shall be sent to the USIBWC Finance & Accounting Division (FAD) on a monthly basis by email to invoices@ibwc.gov. A copy shall be furnished to the CO and the COR.

Payment shall be made in accordance with contract clause 52.212-4.

VII. SALARIES AND BENEFITS:

The Contractor and all subcontractors shall be responsible for complying with all Department of Labor requirements and labor wage determinations.

VIII. INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE:

Inspection and Acceptance will occur at USIBWC Mercedes Field Office.

IX. ADDITIONAL CONTRACTOR’S RESPONSIBILITIES

The Contractor shall appoint a coordinator or manager and an alternate to serve as a single point of contact and liaison between the Contractor and the Contracting Officer (CO) and/or Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) for the actual work required under this contract. The coordinator or manager shall be responsible for the coordination of the work provided under this scope of work and shall respond to discrepancies and questions regarding this contract.

The Contractor shall provide all necessary personnel, supervision, quality control, equipment, tools, services, supplies, and other items necessary to perform all operations.

The Contractor must have their own transportation and equipment or subcontractors to perform the duties mentioned in this PWS. The work performance period shall not exceed 120 calendar days. The contracted works shall be performed between September 1 and February 28. If any work is performed between March 1 and August 31 then the contractor is responsible to perform bird surveys in accordance with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

The contractor is responsible for taking the proper measures to safeguard equipment during periods of high flows or flood operations. The time in the contract shall be extended, the amount of days the work was interrupted as a result of high flows, flood operations or weather related drawbacks the contractor is responsible to send interruption of work notice within 48 hours to account for the interrupted period of work.

Any work not performed will be reduced from the contract in a percentage or amount of acres basis.

The contractor’s work hours shall be from 8 AM to 4:30 PM CST Monday through Friday unless otherwise negotiated with USIBWC.

In compliance with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), if an active bird nest (nest with eggs or a bird present) is encountered during the performance of this contract, the nest shall not be disturbed and a 35 foot buffer of vegetation shall remain around the nest.

The Contractor shall comply with safe working practices, training, personal protective equipment and any other requirement under federal DOL/OSHA standards; and state and or/or local standards as required by law.

X. INFORMATION PROVIDED BY USIBWC

The USIBWC will make the following existing project documents available to the Contractor:

1. Maps and Locations of Levees and Playas

XI. PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY

Required Service Performance

Standards Acceptable

Quality Levels

Method of Surveillance

Incentive (Negative) (Impact on contractor)

The Contractor shall mow the area in accordance with the

PWS.

Section III 100%

Supervisory inspection, Random

COR

Inspections

The Contractor will be deducted $100 for each instance the Contractor does not properly mow the areas.

The Contractor shall ensure proper cutting and disposal of shrubs and trees in

Section III 100%

Supervisory inspection, Random

COR

The Contractor will be deducted $100 for each instance the Contractor does not properly cut accordance with the

PWS.

Inspections, Complaints and spray shrubs and trees

The Contractor shall ensure roots are left undisturbed to avoid erosion in accordance with the PWS.

Section III 100%

Supervisory inspection, Random

COR

Inspections, Complaints

The Contractor will be deducted $100 for each instance the Contractor does not properly ensure the roots are left undisturbed.

Provide Weekly Plan and Progress Reports

Section IV 100% Report Review

The Contractor shall provide a Weekly Plan and Progress Report by Friday of each week.

The final progress report shall be submitted with the final invoice. $100 deduction from the monthly invoice for each late weekly progress report.