QandA1_S.18046.pdf
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- Solicitation number
- S-62900-00018046
- Issued by
- Lane County, Oregon
About this file
This Question and Answer document addresses clarifications submitted by bidders for ITB S-62900-00018046, an aerial seeding project managed by the Oregon Department of Forestry under Good Neighbor Authority with the Willamette National Forest. The project involves aerial seeding services for approximately 5,024 acres of burned forest in the Willamette National Forest near Oakridge, Oregon. Key clarifications address the contract completion date of January 15, 2027, with seeding operations required between November 1, 2026 and January 15, 2027. The agency will provide maps, shapefiles, and heliport location guidance to the awarded contractor, with potential bases at Oakridge State Airport, Crescent Lake State Airport, Willamette Pass Ski Resort parking area, or Flat Creek Work Center. The government will furnish conifer seed packed in plastic bags within cardboard boxes, with approximately 12 boxes weighing 40-45 pounds each and measuring 24" x 12" x 16", to be stored at Flat Creek Work Center. The specified application rate is confirmed as 1.5 to 2.0 ounces per acre, though contractors unable to calibrate to these low rates may use an inert carrier at their own determination and cost.
The questions and answers clarify that contractors are responsible for seed mixing, determining carrier ratios if needed, and selecting heliport locations based on their equipment capabilities. The solicitation specifically excludes unmanned aircraft systems and drones from eligibility, requiring only manned helicopters equipped with VHF radio, GPS, and external load capabilities. Seed will be made available for pickup at the project staging area or alternative storage locations based on the contractor's operational base, with the option for daily seed delivery depending on contractor location and accommodation arrangements. No additional flight hazards are identified beyond the inherent nature of flying over a burned area with dead trees, though historical experience indicates helicopters can operate at sufficient altitudes to avoid obstruction issues.
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Text version
ITB S-62900-00018046 – WNF Aerial Seeding GNA Q&A 1
WNF Aerial Seeding GNA
ITB S-62900-00018046
Questions and Answers
1. Regarding the performance period, Attachment A states that seeding must be accomplished between November 1, 2026 and January 15, 2027, and the revised ITB also identifies January 15, 2027 as the completion date. Attachment C, however, states that the work ends January 1, 2027. Please confirm the intended contract completion date and applicable performance window.
A. January 15, 2027. Please see Addendum 2.
2. Attachment A states that ODF will provide maps of the application areas, including shapefiles, heliport locations, and flight hazards. The map included in Exhibit D shows the treatment units, but I do not see the corresponding operational shapefiles, heliport locations, or flight-hazard information in the solicitation package. Could you please provide those materials to me ASAP?
A. Please see Exhibit D (Maps) from Attachment A (Sample Contract). The shapefiles are not supported on the OregonBuys system, but will be provided to the awarded Contractor. The Contractor can decide on the heliport location based on their equipment and needs for take-off space.
There are two airports about equal distant from the project area:
• Oakridge State Airport – 47166 Airport Rd, Oakridge, OR 97463
• Crescent Lake State Airport – Crescent Lake Junction, Oregon
• If Willamette Pass Ski Resort is not open yet, they may allow use of their parking lot – Mile Marker 62, 27501 OR-58, Crescent Lake, OR 97733
• Flat Creek Work Center (if equipment is small enough) – 49098 Salmon Creek Rd, Oakridge, OR 97463
• Additionally, we can help locate helispots on forest, if the contractor so chooses.
No flight hazards that we are aware of, just be aware they are flying over a burned area/dead trees. From our experience in the past, the helicopter flew high enough that that doesn’t matter.
3. Regarding the Government-furnished seed, could you please provide the following information:
• Where the seed will be stored and where it will be made available to the contractor for pickup/loading.
• Anticipated packaging or container type.
• Approximate weight per bag/package and package dimensions.
• Approximate total number of bags/packages.
• Whether the seed will be delivered to the project staging area or whether the contractor is expected to transport it from another location.
A. Please see below:
• The seed will be stored at the Flat Creek Work Center (address above).
If the awarded Contractor does not base out of there or the Oakridge airport, there could be the option to find an alternative location to store it or deliver what will be used each day to the base. Ultimately, it’ll depend on where the awarded Contractor is basing out of, and where they are staying (on site, in Oakridge/in Crescent, etc.)
• Seed will be packed in plastic bags, inside cardboard boxes, and clearly labeled with which seed lot, total weight, etc.
• Boxes will weigh around 40-45 pounds each. Box dimensions are 24" length x 12" width x 16" height.
• 12 boxes.
• See first bullet.
4. Given the very low specified conifer seed application rates of 1.5-2.0 oz/acre, does ODF intend for the seed to be applied neat, or may/shall an inert carrier be blended with the seed to provide adequate bulk flow and uniform metering through the aerial seeding equipment? If a carrier is anticipated, please identify the required or approved carrier material, mixing ratio, and whether ODF will furnish the carrier and/or provide the seed pre-mixed for application. Please not that we advise a carrier to be used.
A. The Forest Service (FS) prefers that it is not spread with a carrier. FS has had success spreading seed without a carrier. If the awarded Contractor’s equipment cannot calibrate to that low ratio, then a carrier is acceptable, but it would be up to the awarded Contractor to determine the ratio depending on what their equipment is capable of. Awarded Contractor must mix the seed also.
5. Is the seed being supplied for this project already mixed or will the contractor be responsible for mixing seed?
A. The Contractor will be responsible for mixing the seed.
6. How will seed be packaged/provided? In 50lb bags?
A. See responses to Question 3.
7. Seeding rate. Attachment A, Exhibit A, Section 3 (Work Specifications, Conifer Seeding Data Sheet) specifies 1.5 to 2.0 ounces per acre, with an average of 1.75 oz/acre stated in the opening paragraph. North Wind has extensive aerial seeding experience, and based on typical germination and survival rates we're concerned that ounces per acre may not be the intended unit. Pounds per acre would be more in line with what we normally see. Can you confirm whether the rates should read ounces or pounds per acre?
A. The rates are ounces per acre.
8. Can drones be eligible for this project?
A. Drones/unmanned aircraft systems are not eligible for this particular project.
9. Would the Agency consider a bid that utilizes an unmanned aircraft system (UAS/drone) to perform the aerial seeding application in place of the manned helicopter specified in Sections 3.3.5 and 3.3.6?
A. See response for Question 7.
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