Scope of Work -Firebreak Mowing.docx

Name or Title of the Service or Supply: Darke Wildlife Area Firebreak and Access Trail Mowing & Renovation Ordering Division and address: Ohio Division of Wildlife; Darke Work Unit, 1989 Northern Rd., Somerville, OH 45064 Scope of Work: Darke Wildlife Area Firebreak and Access Trail Mowing & Renovation The ODNR, Division of Wildlife is seeking contractors to control vegetation within grass firebreaks around the perimeter of fields at Darke Wildlife Area located in Greenville, Darke County, Ohio. The goal of the project is to maintain existing grass firebreaks in good condition by mowing to a width of 15’ or 30’ depending on the field and cutting or mowing any standing woody vegetation 5” DBH and smaller within the full width of the 15’ or 30’ firebreaks. This project will also include bush hogging two small acreages and mowing some access trails between work location fields. Specific treatments are shown on the attached maps and outlined below. Estimated total acreage is 17 acres. Bids should be placed for the project in its entirety. Bids for a partial job will be rejected.

The fields are comprised of warm and cool season grasses, wildflowers, brambles, and small shrubs & trees. The firebreaks have previously been maintained through bush hogging annually but may not have been maintained for the full width for up to six years. All contractors should visit the site and become familiar with the area prior to bidding.

A. Methodologies and Timeline:

This project is to mow firebreaks to an average height of 4” around the perimeter of some fields to a width of 15’ or 30’ from the outside edge of the field and includes mowing or cutting by hand any standing woody vegetation up to 5” Diameter at Breast Height (DBH). A tractor and rotary mower (ex. Bush hog) or other style cutter suitable for the project is required. Lawnmowers (push, ride on, zero turn, etc.) are not acceptable for this project.

Trees which have fallen into or across the firebreaks and trails may be encountered. If such trees are encountered, the vendor should make a reasonable effort to remove the tree from the work area (i.e. outside the firebreak or trail) with the equipment on hand. If the fallen tree cannot be crossed or removed, the vendor may mow around it, one pass to the inside of the field and must inform the wildlife area contract agent of the location.

All acreages are estimated, and each vendor should rely on their own calculations before placing a bid.

· Firebreak locations shown as blue lines on the included maps are to be mowed to 15’ width. Approx. 12,105’ or 4.17ac.

· Firebreak locations shown as orange lines on the included maps are to be mowed to 30’ width. Approx. 17,106’ or 11.8ac.

· Access Trails are shown as red lines and should be mowed to 15’ width. Approx 716’ or 0.25ac

· Two acreages to be mowed in their entirety are shown as red polygons. One location is approx. 0.2ac the other is approx. 0.6ac. Total 0.8ac.

The timeframe for this project shall be from the time of award through September 15th, 2024. Cutting during the month of August would be preferred due to hunting seasons beginning Sept. 1, 2024.

All work shall be conducted Monday through Friday unless prior approval is obtained from the ODNR, Division of Wildlife project agent. The contractor is required to contact the ODNR, Division of Wildlife project agent at least two business days prior to initially entering the property for work.

Evaluation. The contract will be awarded to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder as determined by the State.

Contract Award. The contract will be awarded to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder by low lot total. Low lot total will be determined by multiplying the unit cost by the estimated usage listed in the bid and then adding each of the totals together to arrive at a total for all items. Failure to bid all items may result in the bidder being deemed not responsive.

Site Visit & Point of Contact Site visits are mandatory and available by appointment only 07/30/2024 through 08/02/2024. To schedule an appointment, contact: Bruce Terrill, Asst. Wildlife Management Supervisor; 937-347-0922

The awarded supplier will be required to sign an Addendum to Bid Quote or Personal Services Agreement. Example attached.

All bidders must sign and attach the Standard Affirmation & Disclosure Form to their bid in Ohio Buys. This may be signed electronically through Adobe or through a wet signature. If this is not attached, the winning bidder will be asked to sign before a contract can be routed for review.

Bill to information:

All invoices must be submitted DIRECTLY to Ohio Shared Services (OSS) There are three options available to submit invoices to OSS:

EMAIL the invoice to: invoices@ohio.gov FAX the invoice to: (614) 485-1039 MAIL the invoice to: Ohio Shared Services, PO Box 182880, Columbus, Ohio 43218-2880 image1.png