Lucky_Hills_2025_Herbicide_SOW_rev1.pdf

Statement of Work: Herbicide Application

San Pedro National Conservation Area Lucky Hills Allotment Herbicide Treatment

Gila District – Tucson Field Office

Bureau of Land Management

I. STATEMENT OF WORK INFORMATION

Introduction:

This contract if for the application of the herbicide Tebuthiuron on approximately 2,744 acres of BLM land in the SPRNCA Lucky Hills grazing allotment to reduce shrub cover and increase perennial grass cover.

Background:

Treatments are intended to reduce shrub cover and increase perennial grass cover to meet

Allotment-Specific Desired Plant Community Objectives described in Section 4.2 of the East

SPRNCA Complex LHE (BLM 2022c) and in the SPRNCA Allotments Lease Renewals EA (BLM

2022). These are allotment specific DPC objectives and provides detailed rationale for how they align with the relevant Resource Management Plan (RMP) objectives.

Site Location:

The work under this contract is located on BLM lands of the Gila District in Cochise County, Arizona as shown on the attached map.

The Project area is approximately 12 miles northeast of Sierra Vista, Arizona and approximately 5-7 miles west and south of Tombstone Arizona. Legal description for treatment units is T20S R21E-S23,24,25,26; T20S R22E-S20,21,27,28,29,30 (see appendix A).

The entire project area covers approximately 4,909 acres with the total treatment application of 2,744 acres.

Period of Performance:

Application can occur fall through early spring, October 1 through March 31. Treatment will be implemented between weather fronts and at appropriate time of day to avoid high winds, that increase the potential for overland flow and avoid transport of herbicide in stormwater runoff. All work must be completed in time allowed.

II. CONTRACT REQUIREMENT AND SCOPE OF WORK

Contractor shall furnish all management, supervision, equipment, labor, supplies and materials not provided by the Government required to complete the job. The Contractor shall be responsible for the service and repair of equipment as necessary to continuously maintain satisfactory work progress. Designated areas shall be treated in conformance with these specifications and this Statement of Work with BLM specified herbicide at the rate specified below. Unless otherwise specified, the Contractor shall furnish at work sites all equipment, labor, supplies, and materials required to complete the job.

HERBICIDE: Trade Name- a.Spike 20P, b.Tebuthiuron 20P. Common name- Tebuthiuron. EPA registration numbers- a.81927-41, b.62719-121. Manufacturers- a.Dow AgroSciences, b.Alligare.

1. The Contractor shall be responsible for providing, transporting, storing and disposal of the herbicide. (Including disposal of herbicide containers)

2. The Contractor is responsible for ensuring that the application of the herbicide meets all label specifications and complies with all Federal, State and Local regulations (most restrictive of these shall be followed). The Contractor shall be responsible for cleanup off accidental spills, following proper handling and storage precautions, and ensuring proper exposure control and personal protection is provided as defined by the herbicide label and Safety Data Sheets.

HERBICIDE APPLICATION: The contractor must be able to evenly distribute the herbicide at the rates specified in the Statement of Work. Equipment that cannot perform the specified work shall be modified or replaced by the contractor. Application equipment shall be equipped for carrying herbicide with the distribution mechanism including release, shutoff and spreading device which can be calibrated for spreading herbicide at the prescribed rate in an acceptable manner and uniform pattern. Herbicide application equipment shall include the physical measures to prevent product from blowing out.

HERBICIDE APPLICATION RATE: The intended herbicide application rate is from 1.65 – 2.5 lb.

of formulated product/acre. ( Active ingredient 0.33-0.5 lb./acre) Apply herbicide at a uniform rate per horizontal acre, minimizing the over-application outside of treatment boundaries. Herbicide shall be distributed in such a manner as to secure a high uniformity of herbicide distribution. Such distribution shall not vary more than 10 percent above or below the distribution of formulated product per unit of surface specified for the unit. Electronic mapping data shall be provided and displayed to the COR on request.

HERBICIDE APPLICATOR CALIBRATION: The Contractor shall calibrate application equipment prior to application on the project.

GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) REQUIRMENTS:

1. GPS/ARC/INFO compatible navigation system: Equipment shall be equipped with a GPS

Guidance/Tracking system capable of accepting and utilizing ARC/INFO GIS shapefiles and of directly supplying shapefiles of treatment coverage as a deliverable specified in

Statement of Work.

2. Differentially Corrected Global Positioning System (DGPS): DGPS is required for tracking and data collection. The Contractor shall provide all guidance equipment, materials, computers, printers, personnel, and services required for the system to be used. The system shall be sufficiently sensitive to provide immediate deviation indications (real time). The DGPS system must be capable of determining a differentially corrected location with an error of no more the 5 meters in the horizontal plane. The guidance system shall be capable of updating the current position at a rate of a minimum of one time per second. Differential correction must cover the entire treatment unit operational area. During operation, differentially corrected signals must be accurately recorded at least 90% of the operational time. Differential corrections may be provided by a portable differential station, FM radio fixed towers or satellite.

EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS:

a. Software: Software provided with the DGPS must be designated for parallel offset equal to the assigned swath width of the application equipment.

b. Project Log: Must be capable of a minimum rate of one second logging intervals. The full record includes position, time, speed, track, application system on/off, job name/number and differential correction status. The computer program must be capable of calculating and showing the total acres treated during application and capable of downloading to a computer for analysis and review. The project log must show and differentiate between apply-on and apply-off when viewed on a computer monitor or printer. Export files of each treatment unit shall be provided electronically and must be compatible with ArcView or ACR-INFO GIS system. The contractor may provide software that is compatible, and which will enable the files to convert into viewable files for ArcView or ACR-INFO GIS. The Contractor shall provide project log data at the completion of each treatment unit. Additionally, the contractor shall, upon request by the COR or Project Inspector, be able to supply project log data on a USB memory drive for review at anytime during the contract. The contract will not be considered complete until the data has been reviewed and deemed complete with no skips in applied areas. The DGPS system must be capable of zooming in on any portion of the treatment to view a specific area with greater detail.

c. Hardware: Visual Display Monitor and Control Keypad: (1) Capable of displaying swath width over projected path; (2) mounted in a location that will allow the applicator to view the screen; (3) have a method to displayed stored polygons to indicate apply or no apply areas within or adjacent to treatment units; (4) have a feature that allows the applicator to return to the exact location of applicator shutdown and complete application without omitted or double treated areas; (5) be able to input reference waypoints (A-B lines); (6) have a feature which alerts applicator when they are about to enter or exit a specific treatment unit or an exclusion area within a unit.

d. Course Deviation Indicator (CDI): The course deviation indicator or course deviation light must have the capability to display both cross-track and intercept angle to the desired heading. Cross-track error shall be adjusted down to 1 meter.

e. Memory: Must be capable of storing enough data to complete individual treatment units.

f. Log: Must be capable of calculating and showing total acres treated, must show entire track of equipment from beginning to end and differentiate between apply-on and apply-off. A color printout and export files shall be provided on a standard removeable drive, USB drive, or other appropriate media approved by the contracting officer and the

Gila District BLM and must be compatible with ArcView or ARC/INFO GIS. Shapefiles are the required file format.

GOVERNMENT FURNISHED DATA:

Government Furnished GPS Coordinates: Unit boundaries will be provided in electronic shapefiles. Boundaries will not be marked on the ground. After the contract is awarded more detailed maps or geo referenced maps can be provided. The Government will not be responsible for loading this information onto Contractor devices or equipment.

SPECIFIC TASKS:

1. Contractor shall provide a completed Pesticide Application Record (PAR) for the treated sites. At a minimum, one PAR per treatment unit must be completed. Each PAR will match the corresponding project data log. The contractor must, upon request by the

COR or Project Inspector, be able to supply the PARs for review at any time during the contract. The Contractor shall submit final PARs no later than two weeks after applying the herbicide specified in this contract.

2. An ESRI ARCGIS shapefile/ project log containing treated areas is required upon completion. The shapefile will be in Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Zone 13 datum NAD83. Contact information (e.g. email and phone number) for whom the contractor shall provide project log data will be given to the Contractor during the Pre-

Work Conference.

3. All roads (public and private) damaged or opened by the Contractor shall be restored at no cost to the US Government to their condition before commencement of work.

4. Contractor shall be responsible for managing public access to the project area during treatment activities.

5. Eye-level wind velocities for herbicide application must be 15 mph or less at application site. The Contractor is responsible for checking conditions at project area using a device that provides quantitative data that is not subjective. (For example Kestrel).

6. Contractor is responsible for the identification and avoidance of any ground and aerial hazards.

III. Contract Administration:

QUALITY CONTROL:

1. The COR/Project Inspector will monitor to determine the uniformity of herbicide application. Project data logs will be utilized to determine the uniformity of herbicide application.

2. The US Government reserves the right to stop treatment operations at any time when conditions are considered sufficiently unfavorable to warrant stoppage. Stoppage shall continue until operations are again authorized by the US Government.

EXPECTED DELIVERABLES AND PERFORMACE TIMES:

1. The Contractor will provide project data log at the completion of each treatment unit.

The contract will not be considered complete until the data for all treatment units have been reviewed and deemed complete with no skips in treatment areas.

2. Must be capable of calculating and showing total acres treated during application, must show entire log of equipment, and differentiate between apply-on and apply-off. A color printout and export files for each treatment unit shall be provided on a standard removable drive or other appropriate media approved by the contracting officer and the

Gila District BLM at the end of the contract and must be compatible with ArcView or

ARC/INFO GIS. Shapefiles are the preferred file format.

3. Contractor shall provide a completed Pesticide Application Record (PAR) for the treated sites. At a minimum, one PAR per treatment unit must be completed. Each PAR will match the corresponding project data log. The contractor must, upon request by the

COR or Project Inspector, be able to supply the PARs for review at any time during the contract. The Contractor shall submit final PARs no later than two weeks after applying the herbicide specified in this contract.

4. The period of performance begins on the date of award to excluding dates as stated in this Statement of Work (application acceptable between October1-March 31).

5. There will be a Pre-Work Conference before the start of the contract at an agreed upon date between COR/Project Inspector and the Contractor. At this conference, the

Contractor shall provide the COR with a work progress report plan that details his/her proposed workforce and schedule to provide for the orderly completion of the work within the contract performance times. This work schedule must be acceptable by the

US Government. At a minimum, the schedule should reflect a work progress rate equal to the available amount of contract performance time. The unit sequence work schedule will be discussed and agreed upon by the COR/ Project Inspector and Contractor.

6. A project implementation start date will be set and agreed upon by the Contractor and the COR. The Contractor shall continue performance of the work under the contract without delay or interruption except by causes beyond the contractor’s control as defined by contract clauses, or by the receipt of a “Suspend Work Order” issued by the

US Government.

7. The Contractor shall contact the authorized BLM COR/Project Inspector 72 hours before implementing any application of herbicide.

CONTRACTING OFFICER’S REPRESENTATIVE AND/OR PROJECT INSPECTOR (PI):

The COR and or PI will be appointed by the Contracting Officer upon award of the contract.

Such COR/PI will be responsible for giving the Contractor any special instructions or guidance necessary to complete delivery as required by the contract. The COR or PI does not have the authority to modify or in anyway amend the terms of this contract.

PRE-QUOTE TOUR:

A site visit to the contract area will not be conducted. The project area is in a publicly accessible location. It is the offeror’s discretion to view the project area and satisfy themselves regarding all general and local conditions that may affect the cost of the contract performance, to the extent that the information is reasonably priced and obtainable. In no event shall failure to inspect the site constitute grounds for a claim after contract award.

SAFETY:

The Contractor is responsible for providing a safety plan that identifies a point of contact in the event of an accident or injury. The plan should include a description of onsite emergency procedures to follow in case of accident or injury. The plan should also include the insurance company providing coverage and the pertinent group coverage number.

It is the responsibility of the Contractor to identify all hazards within the work area. The

Contractor shall take all the appropriate precautions. The Contractor shall be responsible if a herbicide or other hazardous material spill occurs. The Contractor shall report spills and accidents immediately to the BLM authorized COR and appropriate local authorities. The

Contractor shall control spills quickly and shall secure additional help when the Contractor cannot effectively or safely handle any spill cleanup. Spills will be the responsibility of the

Contractor and shall be cleaned up to the satisfaction of local authorities.

INVOICING:

Electronic Invoicing and Payment Requirements – Invoice Processing Platform (IPP)

Payment requests must be submitted electronically through the US Department of the

Treasury’s Invoice Processing Platform System.

“Payment Request” means any request for the contract financing payment or invoice payment by the Contractor. To constitute a proper invoice, the payment request must comply with the requirements identified in the applicable Prompt Payment clause included in the contract, or the clause 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions – Commercial Items included in commercial items contracts. The IPP website address is: https://www.ipp.gov.

CONTRACT EVALUATION CRITERIA:

1. Three examples of successful past performance of projects of a similar magnitude and nature.

2. Brief description of the methodology for implementing herbicide application and the Quality

Control Plan to ensure completion according to contract specifications.

3. Total Contract Cost with detailed line-item cost proposals.

CONTRACT TYPE:

The BLM anticipates awarding a Firm Fixed Price contract.

https://www.ipp.gov/

Appendix A: Map 1: Lucky Hills 2025 Project Area

Appendix A: Map 2: Lucky Hills Treatment Unit 1

Appendix A: Map 3: Lucky Hills Treatment Unit 2

Appendix A: Map 4: Lucky Hills Treatment Unit 3