SOW_84_Mesa_Mastication.pdf

140L3723Q0037

Description/Specifications/Work Statement

84 Mesa Mastication

1. GENERAL:

1.1 The Government is acquiring fuels management services to treat vegetation to reduce the risk of wildland fires. Public

Law 112-74 provides legislative authority for the Secretary of the Interior to enter into procurement contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements for fuels reduction activities on Federal and adjacent non-Federal lands for activities that benefit resources on Federal land. This is intended to meet the intent of the National Fire Plan in accordance with Public Law

106-291.

1. 2 Description of Work: Cut and shred (general masticate) pinyon and juniper trees with a Contractor furnished machine

(e.g. Hydro-Ax, Fecon Bull Hog).

1.3 Location: Approximately 25 miles southwest of Meeker, CO. T1S, R98W, Sections 7, 8, 9, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and T1S R99W Sections 11, 13, 14, 15, 22, 23, 24

1.4 Access to the Work: Access to the work sites shall be provided by and at the contractor’s expense. Public or private roads damaged by the contractor shall be restored, at the contractor’s expense, to the same condition they were in at the commencement of work. Project is accessible from Rio Blanco County and BLM roads.

1.5 Environmental conditions: Clean up all Contractor generated litter and dispose of at an approved sanitary landfill.

1.6 Work Limits: A GPS GPX file will be provided that delineates the perimeter and non-treatment interior islands. The contractor must have a GPS capable accepting and displaying GPX files. The BLM will flag other avoidance areas not depicted in the GPS file.

1.7 Contract duration: Work may begin upon contract award and must be completed by November 30, 2023. No work can be done between 5/15/2023 and 7/15/2023 due to migratory birds. *If on July 1st, the Palmer Drought Severity

Index for the project area is rated severe, extreme, or exceptional, work will only be permitted between September

16, 2023 to March 14, 2024.

1.8 Site Visit: N/A

2. CONTRACTOR FURNISHED ITEMS:

2.1 The contractor will furnish all equipment, fuel, and personnel necessary to accomplish the specific tasks described below.

2.2 Tractor or power unit: Mastication specifications require rubber tired mulching machines in good running condition that are equipped with a hydro-axe/fecon cutting heads capable of working on slopes up to 30 percent and mulching trees or logs up to 16 inches in diameter at breast height (DBH).

Contractors must have access to a minimum of 2 mechanical mulching type machines with boom mounted cutting heads

(hydro-axe or fecon style) attached to a rubber-tired front end loader/hydro-axe or equivalent to be eligible for this project.

Implements are required to have minimum of 200 horsepower to mowing/chopping/mulching head and should be capable of effectively treating at least 5-7 acres mature trees per day in order to complete the mechanical treatments by the project deadline.

Contractors who do not have hydro-axe/mulching implements which meet the above requirements must provide specifications of available equipment offered and references for completed PJ mastication projects similar in size and scope to be eligible. A thorough description of the exact make/model/specs and photo(s) of the exact type and number of hydro-axe/grinder/mulcher implement(s) that the contractor plans to use to complete the work must be included with the bid.

Contractors who do not have masticating/mulching implements which meet the above requirements or whom do not provide the required description and photos of equipment will be disqualified and are ineligible from the project bidding process. Contractor operators must be experienced in the use of GPS to guide delineation of parcel boundaries and access routes. Garmin/GPS track route computer downloads will be provided for Garmin GPS style units which will designate the exact boundary of the treatment units.

2.3 Cutter implements: Any cutter head or implement that is capable of performing the specific tasks below is acceptable.

2.4 Security of Materials

2.4.a The Contractor may leave its equipment and Government-furnished property at the work site. The Contractor shall be responsible for the Contractor's equipment and Government-furnished property if it should be lost, stolen or damaged.

2.5 Noxious Weeds

2.5.a The Contractor shall insure all equipment moved onto the project area is free of soil, seeds and vegetative matter or other debris that could contain or hold seeds. The Contractor shall employ whatever cleaning methods are necessary to insure compliance, and shall notify the BLM representative prior to moving each piece of equipment onto BLM controlled land. Notification will include identifying the location of the equipment’s most recent operations. If equipment is found operating in a noxious weed area, the equipment must be cleaned before leaving project or moving to another area in location identified by the BLM representative/COR.

2.6 Personal Protective Equipment

2.6.a The contractor will train in the safe operation and use of equipment to all workers using such equipment.

2.6.b Occupation Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) standards for personal protective equipment shall be followed.

2.6.c Personal protective equipment, including personal protective equipment for eyes, face, head, and extremities shall be provided, used, and maintained in a sanitary and reliable condition wherever it is necessary by reason of hazards or processes encountered in a manner capable of causing injury or impairment in the function of any part of the body.

2.6.d Defective or damaged personal protective equipment shall not be used.

2.7 Temporary Work Camps

The contractor or his employees, upon documented permission from the COR/PI, may establish temporary work camps on public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management. Camps shall be kept tidy and free of refuse. These camps may consist of mobile trailers, pickup campers, tent trailers, and tents. The contractor will be required to rehabilitate the camping to the satisfaction of the COR/PI. Camps are subject to all fire restrictions placed by state, county, or federal authorities. The contractor must remain considerate of noise levels to nearby landowners throughout the contract period.

3. BLM WILL FURNISH OR PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING:

3.1 A GPS GPX file will be provided that delineates the perimeter and non-treatment interior islands. The contractor must have a GPS capable accepting and displaying GPX files. The BLM will flag other avoidance areas not depicted in the

GPS file.

3.2 Provide detailed maps of the area and an on-site orientation of the project area.

3.3 Flagging of all cadastral survey monuments and other avoidance areas not depicted in the GPS file.

3.4 Conduct on-site inspections by the PI/COR.

4. SPECIFIC TASKS:

4.1 Surface Conditions: Tractors shall not be operated when the ground is muddy or soil moisture is high enough for the tractor to leave ruts 4” deep or greater.

4.2 Protection: The contractor is required to protect survey monuments from damage. In case of destruction or removal by the contractor, the Government will replace the monuments and the actual cost for replacement will be deducted from payment due the contractor.

4.3 Cutting and Shredding:

4.3.a General: All trees 18” DBH and less within the designated treatment areas shall be cut and shredded (masticated).

Total acreage is 579 acres. The treatment area can be described as relatively flat terrain (< 15% slope) a moderate density of 1” to 14” diameter juniper trees. The majority of the trees are in the 6” – 12” range with multiple stems. Isolated larger trees (14”- 18”) are also present. Some rocks and drainages are present and the overall level of difficulty is low.

4.3.b Specific: All visible juniper trees 18” DBH and less within the designated areas will be mulched while leaving sage brush untreated (some incidental sage brush mastication is expected). Stump height of treated trees and brush will be less than 6". Very small trees or those with very low branches will need to be masticated to ground level in order to remove all branches. It is important that all limbs are removed to insure the tree mortality. Trees less than 2’ tall may be removed by hand tools or chainsaws and not mulched if desired. If obstacles are encountered, such as rocks or drainages, the Contractor may temporarily increase the stump height to prevent cutter head damage.

4.3.c Vegetation shall be reduced to a mulch material with a minimum of 80% of the woody material less than 1" in diameter and 6" long. The mulch shall be scattered so as to not have piles deeper than 6”.

4.3.d If working within 500’ of a road or two-track, the contractor shall furnish two warning signs to be placed on the roadside prior to entrance to the work area. Signs shall be a minimum of 3 feet by 3 feet in dimension and shall warn of possibility of flying debris.

4.4 Fire Prevention and Liability

4.4.a The Contractor may be held liable for all operator fire starts. All applicable state and local fire prevention laws must be followed by the Contractor, unless written direction is provided by the Contracting Officer.

4.4.b Contractor at a minimum must:

• Operate all internal and external combustion engines on federally managed lands per 36 CFR 261.52, which requires all such engines to be equipped with a qualified spark arrester that is maintained and not modified. Spark

Arresters: Shall meet current U.S. Forest Service Standard Spark Arrester Guidelines.

• Carry shovels, water, and fire extinguishers that are rated at a minimum as ABC - 10 pound on all equipment and vehicles.

• Have means of communications with Contracting Officer Representative (COR) or Project Inspector (PI).

• Initiate fire suppression actions in the work area to prevent fire spread to or on federally administered lands.

• Notify the appropriate dispatch center or 911 immediately of the location and status of any unplanned ignition.

• Notify the COR and Contracting Officer immediately of the incident.

5. APPLICATION EVALUATION

Submittals

This contract will be awarded base on a “Low Bid Technically Acceptable” Criteria. Applicants for this contract will need to submit:

• Technical Capability and Experience: Include a description of your technical approach and expected timeframe to complete the project, equipment, supervision and personnel.

• Two past performance reports showing similar work, in a similar environment, of a similar scale that has been completed before the associated performance evaluations. References shall be for projects completed in the last 3 years. The government may, at it's discretion, base past performance on past knowledge and previous experience with the contractor, supply or service being provided, customer survey or other reasonable basis.

• Price: Provide price per acre as well as total cost of the project.

*Note: When combined, price and non-price factors are of equal importance.

6. GOVERNMENT INSPECTIONS:

6.1 The Government will make periodic inspections as a basis for payments and recommendations for adjustments in work quality while work is in progress.

6.2 If deemed necessary by the COR or requested by the contractor, random 1 acre plots will be inventoried to determine the number of missed trees >10” tall and number of masticated trees with limbs still attached to the stem, as well as compliance with the specifications listed in section 4.3. Sufficient plots will be done to obtain at least a one percent

(1%) sample of the treated area.

6.3 Each inspection plot will be evaluated for compliance with the above mentioned requirements. Plots meeting all contract specifications will receive 10 points. Plots found to have one contract violation will receive 5 points. Plots found to have two or more contract violations will receive no points. Any plot having a cut or damaged conifer leave tree will receive no points.

6.4 - Work Quality Percentage

6.4.a - The work quality percentage is derived from data developed from inspection plots in the following manner:

Divide the total number of points earned by the total number of points possible multiplied by 100 equals the work quality percentage.

EXAMPLE:

Number of plots inspected - 5

Total points possible (10 x 5) - 50

Total points earned - 45

WQP - (45/50) x 100 = 90%

7. ACCEPTANCE

7.1 Work will be accepted or rejected on a unit basis.

7.2 Acceptable Quality Level (AQL) - A minimum AQL of 85 percent Work Quality Level is required.

7.3 Unsatisfactory Work Quality.

Based on inspection results, if a unit falls below the AQL of 85 percent, the Contractor will be given the opportunity to improve the quality of the work. If the quality of the work is not raised to the AQL of 85 percent, the CO may issue a suspend work order to resolve the problem, during which time contract performance time will continue to run.

7.4 REINSPECTION

After the contractor has re-worked areas failing to meet AQL, re-inspection will be performed. If the unit again fails to meet the AQL of 85 percent, the CO has the option of accepting the unit at the work quality percent calculated from inspection plots or of ordering the Contractor to rework the unit again. If the CO elects to accept the unit at the work quality percent calculated after rework, the Contractor will be paid based on the results of the re-inspection.

8. Contact Information

White River Field Office, 220 East Market Street, Meeker, CO 81641.