S01_ATTACHMENT A_SOW_WRE MONTGOMERY_FINAL 7.2.25.pdf

ATTACHMENT A

SOW - MONTGOMERY

USDA NRCS SOW

For

2025 WRE Grass Planting

BACKGROUND

The successful contractor will be required to perform site preparation work, purchase the native grass, forb, and legume seed mix, and seed according to requirements set forth in this statement of work . The contract calls for the seeding of 74 acres to the native grass planting mix that is included as a job sheet.

***Seeding Dates – The contractor shall seed November 15-March 1 (dormant)***

DESCRIPTION

Pre-Planning/Post-Planning Site Preparation

1. Scope The work consists of the pre-planning and post-planning of the contractor's forces and equipment necessary for performing the work required under the contract. It does not include pre-planning and post-planning for specific items of work for which payment is provided elsewhere in the contract. Pre-planning will not be considered as work in fulfilling the contract requirements for commencement of work.

2. Equipment and Material Pre-planning shall include all activities and associated costs for transportation of contractor's personnel, equipment, and operating supplies to the site; establishment of offices, buildings, and other necessary general facilities for the contractor's operations at the site; including coinsurance and reinsurance agreements as applicable; and other items specified in section 4 of this requirement.

Post-planning shall include all activities and costs for transportation of personnel, equipment, and supplies not required or included in the contract from the site; including the disassembly, removal, and site cleanup of offices, buildings, and other facilities assembled on the site specifically for this contract.

This work includes pre-planning and post-planning required by the contract at the time of award.

This should be factored into your total cost.

3. Payment

All invoices must be submitted electronically through the U.S Department of the Treasury’s Invoice Processing Platform System (IPP). The Contractor must use the IPP website (https://www.ipp.gov) for submitting invoices. Invoices submitted by means other than IPP will not be accepted unless the Contracting Officer authorizes alternate procedures in writing.

https://www.ipp.gov/

4. Items of Work and Details

Items of work to be performed in conformance with the SOW and details therefore are:

A.) CLIN 0001 – Pre-Planning/Post-Planning

1. This item shall consist of the following:

a. Pre-Planning and Post-Planning of the contractor's workforce and equipment

b. Purchase of liability insurance coverage for accidental injury to personnel on the work site and accidental damage to property located within the work sites and damage during the performance period of the contract.

c. Costs of moving equipment to the work sites and removal of equipment after completion of the work.

2. The contractor shall assume responsibility for protection of existing roads, overhead and/or buried utilities and fences that may be affected by the work.

3. All invoices submitted by the contractor shall be subject to approval of the Contracting Officer.

4. Ingress and egress to the sites shall be provided by NRCS with specific instructions provided by the site landowner. Access roads shall be restored to original condition and grade after the work is completed.

5. Measurement and Payment: Payment will be made by the method in Section 3:

Payment.

Specifications 6 - Seeding, Sprigging, and Mulching

1. Scope The work consists of preparing the area for treatment; furnishing and placing seed, sprigs, mulch, fertilizer, inoculant, lime, and other soil amendments; and anchoring mulch in designated areas as specified.

The following BioPreferred® product categories are applicable to this requirement:

— mulch and compost materials

— erosion control materials

— fertilizers

— agricultural spray adjuvants

2. Material Seed—All seed shall conform to the current rules and regulations of the state where it is being used and shall be from the latest crop available. It shall meet or exceed the standard for purity and germination listed in section 7.

Seed shall be labeled in accordance with the state laws and the U.S. Department of Agriculture rules and regulations under the Federal Seed Act. Bag tag figures are evidence of purity and germination. No seed will be accepted with a test date of more than 9 months before the delivery date to the site.

Seed that has become wet, moldy, or otherwise damaged in transit or storage will not be accepted.

The percent of noxious weed seed allowable shall be as defined in the current State laws relating to agricultural seeds. Each type of seed shall be delivered in separate sealed containers and fully tagged unless exception is granted in writing by the contracting officer.

Fertilizer—Unless otherwise specified, the fertilizer shall be a commercial grade fertilizer. It shall meet the standard for grade and quality specified by State law. Where fertilizer is furnished from bulk storage, the contractor shall furnish a supplier's certification of analysis and weight. When required by the contract, a representative sample of the fertilizer shall be furnished to the contracting officer for chemical analysis.

Inoculants—The inoculant for treating legume seeds shall be a pure culture of nitrogen-fixing bacteria prepared specifically for the species and shall not be used later than the date indicated on the container or as otherwise specified. A mixing medium, as recommended by the manufacturer, shall be used to bond the inoculant to the seed. Two times the amount of the inoculant recommended by the manufacturer shall be used except four times the amount that shall be used when seed is applied using a hydraulic seeder. Seed shall be sown within 24 hours of treatment and shall not remain in the hydraulic seeder longer than 4 hours.

Lime and other soil amendments—Lime shall consist of standard ground agriculture limestone, or approved equivalent. Standard ground agriculture limestone is defined as ground limestone meeting current requirements of the State Department of Agriculture. Other soil amendments shall meet quality criteria and application requirements specified in section 7.

Mulch tackifiers—Asphalt emulsion tackifiers shall conform to the requirements of ASTM D 977, Description for Emulsified Asphalt. The emulsified asphalt may be rapid setting, medium setting, or slow setting. Nonasphaltic tackifiers required because of environmental considerations shall be as specified in section 7.

Straw mulch material—Straw mulch shall consist of wheat, barley, oat or rye straw, hay, grass cut from native grasses, or other plants as specified in section 7. The mulch material shall be air-dry, reasonably light in color, and shall not be musty, moldy, caked, or otherwise of low quality. The use of mulch that contains noxious weeds is not permitted. The contractor shall provide a method satisfactory to the contracting officer for determining weight of mulch furnished.

Other mulch materials—Mulching materials, such as wood cellulose fiber mulch, mulch tackifiers, synthetic fiber mulch, netting, and mesh, are other mulching materials that may be required for specialized locations and conditions. These materials, when specified, must be accompanied by the manufacturer's recommendations for methods of application.

3. Seeding mixtures, sod, sprigs, and dates of planting The application rate per acre for seed mixtures, sprigs, or sod and date of seeding or planting shall be as shown on the plans or as specified in section 7.

4. Seedbed preparation and treatment Areas to be treated shall be dressed to a smooth, firm surface. On sites where equipment can operate on slopes safely, the seedbed shall be adequately loosened (4 to 6 inches deep) and smoothed. Depending on soil and moisture conditions, disking or cultipacking, or both, may be necessary to properly prepare a seedbed. Where equipment cannot operate safely, the seedbed shall be prepared by hand methods by scarifying to provide a roughened soil surface so that broadcast seed will remain in place.

If seeding is to be accomplished immediately following planting operations, seedbed preparation may not be required except on a compacted, polished, or freshly cut soil surface.

Rocks larger than 6 inches in diameter, trash, weeds, and other debris that will interfere with seeding or maintenance operations shall be removed or disposed of as specified in section 7.

Seedbed preparation shall be discontinued when soil moisture conditions are not suitable for the preparation of a satisfactory seedbed as determined by the contracting officer's technical representative (COTR).

5. Seeding, sprigging, fertilizing, mulching, and stabilizing All seeding or sprigging operations shall be performed in such a manner that the seed or sprigs are applied in the specified quantities uniformly in the designated areas. The method and rate of seed application shall be as specified in section 7. Unless otherwise specified, seeding or sprigging shall be accomplished within 2 days after final grading is completed and approved.

Fertilizer, lime, and other soil amendments shall be applied as specified in section 7. When specified, the fertilizer and soil amendments shall be thoroughly incorporated into the soil immediately following surface application.

The rate, amount, and kind of mulching or mesh shall be as specified in section 7. Mulches shall be applied uniformly to the designated areas. They shall be applied to areas seeded not later than 2 working days after seeding has been performed. Straw mulch material shall be stabilized within 24 hours of application using a mulch crimper or equivalent anchoring tool or by a suitable tackifier. When the mulch crimper or equivalent anchoring tool is used, it shall have straight blades and be the type manufactured expressly for and capable of firmly punching the mulch into the soil. Where the equipment can be safely operated, it shall be operated on the contour. Hand methods shall be used where equipment cannot safely operate to perform the work required.

The tackifier shall be applied uniformly over the mulch material at the specified rate, or it shall be injected into the mulch material as it is being applied. Mesh or netting stabilizing materials shall be applied smoothly, but loosely on the designated areas. The edges of these materials shall be buried or securely anchored using spikes or staples as specified in section 7.

The contractor shall maintain the mesh or netting areas until all work under the contract has been completed and accepted. Maintenance shall consist of the repair of areas damaged by water erosion, wind, fire, or other causes. Such areas shall be repaired to reestablish the intended condition and to the design lines and grades required by the contract. The areas shall be refertilized, reseeded, and remulched before the new application of the mesh or netting.

Measurement and payment

The payment shall be paid for at the contract unit price as shown in the pricing schedule. Such payment shall constitute full compensation for all labor, tools, equipment, materials, and other necessary and incidental to completion of work.

(a) Invoices must be submitted electronically through the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Invoice Payment Platform System (IPP). The Contractor must use the IPP website (https://www.ipp.gov ) for submitting invoices. Invoices submitted by means other than IPP will not be accepted unless the Contracting Officer authorizes alternate procedures in writing.

(b) Under this contract, the following documents(s) are required to be submitted as attachment(s) to the IPP Invoice: Vendor invoice with delivery details.

6. Materials Descriptions

All seed provided under this solicitation will be provided by the successful Contractor and shall meet the following contract requirements.

1. All seed furnished shall be true to name and no substitution of species is permitted;

2. The contractor shall guard against the introduction of noxious weeds, pests, both on equipment and plant materials brought to the site.

3. Seed must be calculated based on pure live seed basis

Seeding plans are as follows:

***Seeding Dates – The contractor shall seed November 15-March 1 (dormant)***

PERFORMANCE

The Contractor shall be responsible for the quality of products and services provided under the terms of this Contract, to include those products and services provided by subcontractors. The Contractor shall re-perform work that does not meet Contract requirements, unless it is of a nature that re-performance is not possible or otherwise directed by the COR.

Inspection by the government or its agents will be performed under this contract. The contractor shall coordinate with the designated NRCS representative throughout the process.