Performance Work Statement RMRS 2024 Nevada.pdf

US Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Performance Work Statement

Rocky Mountain Research Station

Forest Inventory and Analysis – Nevada

Contents Project Title General Information

1.0 Background and Purpose

1.2 General Description

1.3 Project Location

2.0 Definitions

Contractor Requirements

3.0 Technical Requirements / Tasks

3.1 General Information

3.2 Contractor’s Obligations

3.3 Education and Experience Requirements

4.0 Deliverable / Schedule

4.1 Period of Performance

4.2 Prosecution of Work

4.3 Landscape Preservation

5.0 Government Furnished

6.0 Travel

6.1 Camping

7.0 Contractor’s Key Personnel (AGR 452.237.74 BEB 1988)

8.0 Security Requirements

9.0 Data Rights

10.0 Section 508 - Electronic and Information Technology Standards

11.0 Performance Requirement Measures

List of Attachments ................................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Project Title Rocky Mountain Research Station, Forest Inventory and Analysis – Nevada

General Information

1.0 Background and Purpose

The Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program of the U.S. Forest Service provides the information needed to assess America’s forests.

The long history of scientifically credible FIA data provides critical status and trend information to resource managers, policy makers, investors, and the public through a system of annual resource inventory that covers both public and private forest lands across the United States.

FIA reports on status and trends in forest area and location; species, size, and health of trees; total tree growth, mortality, and removals by harvest; wood production and utilization rates by various product; and forest land ownership (https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/programs/fia)

The initial focus was to estimate the extent, volume, and condition of live trees as a source of marketable timber available for harvest. Over the years, our mission has expanded to address information needed by our diverse customers. While timber is still important, we now also have the data to assess plant diversity, fuels and potential fire hazard; condition of wildlife habitats; mortality and risk associated with fire, insects, or disease; biomass, carbon storage, forest health, and other general characteristics of forest ecosystems.

FIA is the only program that provides consistent and credible annual data for all forest lands (public and private) within the United States. FIA covers all forest lands of the United States including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and U.S. Pacific Territories. https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/rmrs

The Rocky Mountain Research Station’s Base-Level FIA Inventory is a statistically based vegetation sampling program or inventory that supplements the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) National core or Regional FIA program and requires collection of data on or adjacent to the FIA plot. In addition, several plots in each work area will be classified as “Soils” plots that require the Base-Level data and collection of the soils data (including collecting samples). Also, non-forest sampling (All Condition Inventory or ACI) in this element will supplement the existing FIA forestland inventory by collecting additional vegetation plots and conditions over all non-forest conditions (USFS Region 1 only). Collected data shall be recorded in electronic format using the Forest Service MIDAS software. This Base-Level FIA Inventory data will be done on all bid items.

There are inventory items that have been added to the Base-Level FIA Inventory. Three such items are:

1. The collection of needle samples (Limber Pine and Whitebark Pine) in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming (Exhibit H)

2. The collection of tree cores in all states (list of plot locations and/or species to collect cores will be provided Exhibit G)

1.2 General Description

can be performed with a one (1) person minimum crew size. In areas with the potential for high Grizzly bear, Mountain lion, and/or wolf activities, having a crew of two or more persons is recommended for safety. The contractor shall furnish all labor, equipment, supervision, transportation, supplies (except those designated as government-furnished), and incidentals to perform all work necessary on the areas specified. All aspects of the work program shall be performed in an organized, systematic manner to assure services will be performed over the entire unit.

The work of this contract encompasses field-based vegetation sampling of forested and non-forested condition inventory plots across the Rocky Mountain Research Station. It includes, but is not limited to locating, monumenting, and photographing plots and conducting inventories of trees, shrubs, forbs, grass, collecting tree cores, and setting characteristics using a variety of protocols in the RMRS FIA P2 Field Procedures (see Attachment 1).

https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/programs/fia https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/rmrs

The work performed and the data collected shall be in compliance with the terms, specifications, conditions and provisions of this solicitation and the RMRS FIA P2 Field Procedures (see Attachment 1). The guide specifies the procedures and definitions for field implementation unless modified by this contract.

Safe Working Conditions. Safety is always the priority. The contractor will be working in remote areas and could be exposed to natural hazards including, but not limited to traveling over uneven and rocky terrain, encounters with bears and other wildlife, hostile people, and inclement weather. The contractor shall ensure that all employees are trained and have proper safety equipment prior to commencing work in the project areas. Examples of options for dealing with safety concerns include suspension with contract time, moving to another area until the hazard (as in the case of wildfire) has ceased, etc.

Trainings that may be required are:

• Bear/Wildlife Awareness Training – Typically given by a Forest Service District, BLM, or Park Service

• ATV/UTV/Motorbike Training – Ability to operate these vehicles on Public Lands and follow the laws

• Fire Safety and Suppression – Know how and when to build and utilize a small fire at camp and how to put it out cold.

• Crews may be required to attend an Agency (Forest Service, Park Service, BLM, etc) safety sessions prior to camping/work.

Proof of safety trainings that may be mandatory by the local agencies where the plots are located shall be provided upon request from the CO or COR. It is the responsibility of the contractor to know what trainings will be needed.

It is the responsibility of the contractor to check the local public managing office for specific hazards, traveling, camping and weather conditions. The contractor is also responsible to notify the CO or COR of any changes to the work from this information.

1.3 Project Location

Projects will be located on all land ownerships located within the states of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming; strip in Washington state along the Idaho; Dakota Grasslands in North Dakota and South Dakota; and in California along the Nevada border. Plot Vicinity maps showing approximate project locations will be located as EXHIBIT E and spreadsheet with ownership and fuzzed latitude/longitude as EXHIBIT F.

Road access to each inventory location is not guaranteed. Access to the plots may require short or very long hike-ins, horse packing, boat, or helicopter access. The cost to access these plots shall be determined by the offeror and be reflected in the offeror’s pricing.

The contractor shall coordinate access information for plot access and/or locked gates owned and operated by the landowner. Permission to access privately owned land is the responsibility of the contractor and must be done prior to starting work in the area. The contractor will document access per instructions in (EXHIBIT D) and must provide the minimum of a name of the landowner contact or authorized representative of the landowner and email or phone number for that contact allowing access to their land. This information may be required upon the request from the CO or COR. Trespassing is not acceptable and may be grounds for termination of the contractor or the contract.

2.0 Definitions

ACI – All Condition Inventory Batch – 10 plot packets that are completed and ready for inspection CO – Contracting Officer COR – Contracting Officer’s Representative Crew Leader – Person primarily responsible for the plot data and submission of all information Crew Member - Person who is an assistant to the Crew Leader FIA – Forest Inventory and Analysis Landowners – Private individual or group or corporation that is privately owned

Packet (or Plot Packet) – Individual plot envelope that contains aerial photos, topographic map, past field location and tree data, and field forms RMRS – Rocky Mountain Research Station Technical Monitor – someone delegated by the CO to perform a task that requires expertise QC – Quality Control

Contractor Requirements

3.0 Technical Requirements / Tasks

3.1 General Information

1. The contractor shall collect plot data in accordance with the technical specifications described in RMRS FIA P2 Field Procedures (see Attachment 1). .

2. Plot vicinity map will be issued included to show approximate plot locations (EXHIBIT E). This map is only intended to show approximate locations for pre-award planning.

3. Some plot locations may have local and/or seasonal access restrictions including, but not limited to, proximity to designated wildlife areas, hunting season and emergency fire restrictions, snow, unstable terrain, etc. These restrictions may include road closures. Exact timing of closures will vary depending on season, weather conditions, or other constraints. Prior to commencing work within these locations, the contractor will contact the appropriate landowner(s) to determine operational restrictions (e.g., access, waste disposal, camping, quarantine restrictions).

4. Plots associated with, Wilderness and/or Soils sites will be shown in the Plot List and noted as “Wilderness” or “Soils”.

5. Collection of Needles (Exhibit H) are on plots that have Whitebark Pine and/or Limber Pine as described in the instructions.

6. Plots associated with Tree Core collection (Exhibit G), will either be shown in the Plot List and noted as “Tree Core” or collection described for any plot with a particular tree species.

7. All Contractors/subcontractors/employees shall sign a Nondisclosure Agreement (NDA) (EXHIBIT C) and wait for the NDA to be approved before starting work.

8. Prior to collecting field data, the contractor will be required to use Government-supplied software from which plot information must be loaded onto their Personal Data Recorder (PDR) and all field collected data entered using these respective files. The contractor shall also install MIDAS (Mobile Integrated Data Acquisition System) application updates for their PDR and computers as supplied by the Government, through access to the National MIDAS internet site. https://apps.fs.usda.gov/fia/midas-access/main

9. All contractor’s employees will need to be assigned a crew number by the Government that will be recorded in the PDR for each plot those persons visit.

3.2 Contractor’s Obligations

The contractor shall furnish the following in performance of the contract:

1. The contractor shall furnish crews whose responsibility shall be to locate, measure and maintain plots in accordance with “RMRS FIA P2 Field Procedures”. Crew names will be provided upon the request of the CO or

COR

2. Each crew shall have a Crew Leader present while performing all field work. The Crew Leader shall meet the appropriate minimum education and experience level stated in Section 3.3, Education and Experience Requirements. The Crew Leader is responsible for all data quality on the plot.

3. Number of Crews - A sufficient number of Crew Leaders and Crew Members to maintain the production schedule.

4. Mandatory Crew Preparation – All contractor Crew Leaders and Crew Members assigned to work on this contract shall be required to review all supplemental materials provided by the Government prior to beginning work. Proof of this training will be provided when requested ty the CO or COR. Trainings should include:

a. Knowledge of the field protocols in the RMRS FIA P2 Field Procedures

b. Knowledge of the camping provisions plan

c. How to use Midas and upload data and photos https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fapps.fs.usda.gov%2Ffia%2Fmidas-access%2Fmain&data=05%7C02%7Cmaryfaith.snyder%40usda.gov%7C2bb4c3b7694146c74dcf08dc2ca76257%7Ced5b36e701ee4ebc867ee03cfa0d4697%7C1%7C0%7C638434344629800924%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=V1shDkp5vEs73ZL0Zyi2XhxGzDv2ZopbanZGo4y%2FRwU%3D&reserved=0

5. Provide own field equipment that may include forest or field implements such as but not limited to diameter tape, 100-foot tape, carpenters tape that measures 10th of foot, engineer’s scale, clinometer, compass, and etc.

6. Government Meetings - The contractor shall be available to meet with Government personnel as necessary for the execution of this contract. The Government will not be liable for costs incurred because of lost production due to the contractor attending these meetings.

7. Hardware, Software, and Data Handling Procedures - The contractor shall provide the hardware and software contained in (EXHIBIT A and EXHIBIT I) – RMRS Hardware, Software AND Data Handling Procedures and Submeter GNSS. The contractor shall also have high-speed internet connections available to their crews for periodic download of required Government-supplied software updates. The contractor shall also utilize high-speed internet connections to upload their completed, full edited plots to the national MIDAS website server once notified by the COR that the Inspection was acceptable. Dial-up internet connections are not acceptable.

8. GPS Units – GPS units must be capable of averaging for accuracy of each position collected. See EXHIBIT A.

9. Submeter GNSS (Javads). The until must have the ability to collect both L1 and L2 frequencies and both GPS and

GLONASS satellite constellation data (EXHIBIT A).

10. Personal Data Recorder – The unit needs to be able to run government specific programs for collecting data.

More information described in EXHIBIT A.

11. Ability to investigate parcel ownership data which may require the purchase of an online account.

3.3 Education and Experience Requirements

Each Crew Leader shall meet or exceed the minimum education and experience requirements stated below. The contractor shall provide a summary of the education and work experience prior to certification.

The minimum education/experience requirements for Key Personnel are:

1. Completion of two years in a Forestry, Plant Ecology, or Botany degree program.

2. One season of fieldwork involving plot sampling, classification of understory vegetative characteristics, insect & disease management, vegetative species identification and measurements. Experience shall be in the Western United States* within the past five (5) field seasons.

3. Ability to demonstrate the competent use of stereo-paired aerial photos and or GPS for ground location.

4. One field season experience as a crew member on a Current Vegetation Survey or Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) annual inventory.

*Western United States includes the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. A field season constitutes at least 3 months.

4.0 Deliverable / Schedule

4.1 Period of Performance

The anticipated annual period of performance is as follows for Utah:

Nevada: 9/3/2024 – 9/25/2025

The contractor shall be required to (a) commence work under the contract within ten calendar days after the date the contractor awarded the contract, (b) prosecute the work diligently, and (c) complete the entire work ready for use not later than the dates shown in the period of performance. The time stated for completion shall include final edits. The contractor will need to coordinate with the COR for the final date of inspection and allow time for corrective actions prior to the end of the contract or performance period in the case the contract is multi-year.

4.2 Prosecution of Work

Work shall begin on contract certification plots that may be pre-selected by the Government. As Crew Leaders become certified, they shall work on a ten (10) plot packet basis. Work on plot packets (non-certification plots) shall not proceed until certification plots have been completed and accepted by the Government.

Specific work areas will be established by agreement between the Government and contractor by using a Progress Report (PR). At the post award conference, the contractor shall submit for the approval of the Government, a PR specifying the resources (including people, equipment, and other factors). To be acceptable, the PR shall include a breakdown of planned progress in terms of plots completed by individual crew for each month of work. The PR shall meet or exceed the rate of production needed to complete the project by the last date in the period of performance schedule for each item. Any modification of the plan will be subject to approval by the Government. A revised PR may be requested by the Government if actual progress falls behind the current approved PR.

The contractor shall advise the CO or COR of any periods that the contractor will not be working that is not specified in the accepted work plan.

When temporary hazards such as high water, bees, or bears hinder completing a plot, the contractor shall contact the COR to develop a timeframe to return to finish the plot later, but before the end of the period of performance.

When the work performance of a contractor crew is deficient, the contractor shall correct the deficiencies in the work performance before the crew can proceed with any additional work.

4.2.1 Accessibility

The project area may be accessed by designated Forest Service, BLM, State, and County roads during the normal operating season. The Forest Service assumes no obligation to do special maintenance to keep roads open. Road access to each plot is not guaranteed. Individual plots are accessible by some combination of 2 or 4-wheel drive vehicle, horse, or foot travel. Horse and foot travel, as well as camping, in some areas may have seasonal restrictions on access.

Additionally, horse access may be restricted to approved outfitters in certain Wilderness Areas. Some roads or trails may have been closed after the maps were published. Access to the plots may have short or very long walk-ins. It is the contractor’s responsibility to follow all Federal and State regulations when working and/or traveling these lands. The contractor shall contact the local managing office for specific access permissions/instructions and gathering any other information or hazards that may exist.

There may be situations where the contractor identifies access to a plot location through private land as the most efficient travel plan. Permission to access privately owned land is the responsibility of the contractor. The cost to access these plots is the total responsibility of the contractor. All efforts will be made to arrange for contractor access to private, Federal and State lands; however, the contractor will be responsible for following landowner/leasee access instructions.

The Government will need vehicle descriptions and plate numbers for contractor’s vehicles for permit requirements or to share information with other agencies. The Government will provide permits for locations in National Parks. The contractor shall follow all the requirements in the permits which may include contacting the agency prior to entry.

4.3 Landscape Preservation

The contractor shall give attention to the effect of contract operation upon the landscape, shall take care to maintain natural surroundings undamaged, and shall always conduct the work in compliance with the following requirements.

A. Prevention of the Landscape Defacement. The contractor shall not remove, deface, injure, or destroy trees, shrubs, lawns, or other natural features or any other improvements in the work area unless specifically authorized by the CO or COR. Unless otherwise provided herein, the contractor shall confine contract operations to within the areas designated in contract documents.

B. Protection of Streams, Lakes, and Reservoirs. The contractor shall take sufficient precautions to prevent pollution of streams, lakes, small ponds, and reservoirs with fuels, oils, bitumen, calcium chloride, silt, or other harmful materials. Mechanical equipment shall not be operated in live streams without written approval of the CO or COR.

5.0 Government Furnished

The Government will provide the following item(s) of Government property to the contractor for use in the performance of this contract.

1. RMRS FIA P2 Field Procedures Field Manual (Attachment 1) – One hard copy per certified contract crew member up to a maximum of 10 manuals per bid area.

2. Permits for accessing properties such as National Park Service, BLM, or other entities that require permits.

3. Plot packets containing past data (if past data exits), aerial photographs or other imagery, a map of the immediate plot area (generally a USGS Quad or portion of), and data forms.

4. Tree tags – these are aluminum silver tags and black reference (RP and X-tree) tags for use on reference trees or other objects as defined in the field manual.

5. Flagging – two kinds of flagging: orange flagging and blue/white striped flagging

6. Aluminum and steel nails

7. Steel plot stakes

8. Plot forms

9. Map – One set of plot location maps per field crew. This map will be GIS maps with exact locations for the bid area. These can be provided electronically or printed.

10. Habitat Type Association keys – one copy per certified crew. Some publications are available electronically.

11. MIDAS software for collecting field data for all plots.

12. Two sets of soil sampling equipment per contract.

All Government furnished manuals, keys, and plot indicator books and soil equipment shall be returned together with any unused nails, tags, stakes, etc., at the completion of the contract. Any items not used or returned will require reimbursement at the replacement value.

6.0 Travel

6.1 Camping

The contractor will follow all laws and rules as defined by each Agency, State, or Private lands. The contractor will follow instructions on permits provided to access properties. The contractor is responsible to contact the appropriate authorities (Forest Service District Rangers, Park Service, Landowner, etc.) to identify legal camping locations and obtain camping permits without additional cost to the Government. Refer to Attachment 4.

7.0 Contractor’s Key Personnel (AGR 452.237.74 BEB 1988)

A. The contractor shall assign to this contract the following key personnel: Crew Leader(s).

B. During the first ninety (90) days of performance, the contractor shall make no substitutions of key personnel unless the substitution is necessitated by illness, death, or termination of employment. The contractor shall notify the CO within 15 calendar days after the occurrence of any of these events and provide the information required by paragraph (c) below. After the initial 90-day period, the contractor shall submit the information required by paragraph (c) to the CO at least 15 days prior to making any permanent substitutions.

C. The contractor shall provide a detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the proposed substitutions, complete resumes for the proposed substitutes, an NDA for the proposed substitution, and any additional information requested by the CO. Proposed substitutes should have comparable qualifications to those of the persons being replaced. The CO will notify the contractor within 15 calendar days after receipt of all required information of the decision on substitutions for approval. The contract will be modified to reflect any approved changes of key personnel.

8.0 Security Requirements

All plot locations are confidential as dictated by the amended 1985 Food Security Act. All contractors selected for field sampling according to this protocol must sign and adhere to the RMRS Nondisclosure Agreement (Exhibit C), the FIA Inventory Policy for Public Lands, and all agreements and conditions established by the RMRS and the Intermountain Region. Additionally, all records (electronic and hard copy) containing plot location coordinates must be destroyed upon completion of the contract. Proof of destruction may be requested by the CO or COR that shall include the date of destruction and the description of what was destroyed.

9.0 Data Rights

At the conclusion of the contract, the contractor will destroy any information that contains the location of the plots, data, and names of the landowners. Proof of destruction may be requested by the CO or COR that shall include the date of destruction and the description of what was destroyed.

10.0 Section 508 - Electronic and Information Technology Standards

None

11.0 Performance Requirement Measures

TASKS QUALITY/

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

ACCEPTABLE

QUALITY LEVEL

MEANS OF

MEASUREMENT

PAYMENT FOR

WORK

Crew Leader Certification

Compliance with Attachment 1, “RMRS FIA P2 Field Procedures”, Certification of Crews (Attachment

2) and the Government Quality Assurance Plan, (Attachment 3).

Within tolerances shown in Attachment

1, of the “Field Procedures”

1 plot is to be completed by the Crew Leader. The

Government reserves the right to choose the plot that will become the cert plot.

The COR or

Technical Monitor will inspect and score the plot based on the RMRS Scoresheet

(EXHIBIT B)

>95% = Full pay and Certification.

85%-94.99 =

Percentage of pay and Certification.

<85% = 85% of pay and not Certified, rework required.

*Pay is determined by the original score.

Plot Photos Compliance with Attachment 1, “RMRS FIA P2 Field Procedures” and the Government Quality Assurance Plan (Attachment 3)

Within tolerances shown in Attachment

1, of the “Field Procedures”

Photos taken on the Plot Center at Point 1 in the four cardinal directions. Photos need to comply with descriptions in the

RMRS FIA P2 Field Procedures

All plot photos must be submitted prior to approval of Batch payment.

Photos that are unacceptable, the option is to either fix the unacceptable photo(s) or pay $25 per unacceptable photo.

Data Collection

Compliance with Attachment 1, “RMRS FIA P2 Field Procedures” and the Government Quality Assurance Plan (Attachment 3)

Within tolerances shown in Attachment

1, of the “Field Procedures”

1 plot in each group of 10 plots is to be chosen by the COR or Technical Monitor to be inspected and scored based on the RMRS Scoresheet

(EXHIBIT B). The score of inspection will be applied to all plots in the packet.

>95% = Full pay for all plots in the batch.

85%-94.9 = Percentage of pay for all plots in the batch.

<85% = 85% of pay for all plots in the batch, rework required.

*Pay is determined by the score of the original check Digital Data Delivery

Compliance with Attachment 1, "RMRS FIA P2 Field Procedures:

and the Government Quality Assurance Plan (Attachment 3)

100% Compliance with Attachment 1 &

Government Quality Assurance Plan (Attachment 3).

Passed MIDAS Mobile application edits and passing the EPF Inspection.

Passed the MIDAS Edit Review process

All plots must be submitted once notified by the COR for each batch of work.

Submission of Plots

Compliance with Government Quality Assurance Plan

(Attachment 3)

100% Compliance with Government Quality

Assurance Plan (Attachment 3).

All completed Plots will undergo inspection of the electronic data, and

MIDAS Edit Review

All plots must be submitted once notified by the COR for each batch of work.

Skipped Visit Plots

Compliance with Attachment 1, "RMRS FIA P2 Field Procedures:

and the Government Quality Assurance Plan (Attachment 3)

100% Compliance with Attachment 1 and

Government Quality Assurance Plan (Attachment 3

COR or Technical Monitor will examine data and Electronic

Plot Files for compliance.

The contractor will not be paid for any plot that could not be completed within the Period of Performance. These plots will be returned to the Government.

Example of Payment:

2.0 Definitions

4.3 Landscape Preservation