SOW_for_Fall_Seedling_Planting_Contract.docx

BDO BLM FALL 2023 Seedling Planting Contract

Table of Contents

1.0 PROJECT OVERVIEW

The purpose of this contract is to secure services for planting of bitterbrush seedlings.

1.1 Planting Stock

The Government will provide 40,000 containerized (Styro 112/105, 6.6 cu inch) bitterbrush seedlings for fall 2023 planting. In the event circumstances require substitution of age class or species, a modification of the contract will be negotiated with the Contractor to provide for any adjustment in cost due to the substitutions. Upon completion of the project all seedlings should be planted on the three project sites.

1.2 Quantity/Payment

The number of seedlings will be based on the number of seedlings calculated by Lucky Peak Nursery in each box. If the Contractor does not agree with the count, seedlings will be re-counted by the Contractor, or a designated representative, with a Government representative present. This will be done at the Contractor’s expense and shall not impede the planting operation.

1.3 Wrapping

The seedlings will be containerized and will not require wrapping

1.4 Transport

The Government will transport and deliver packaged seedlings to staging areas located near the planting Units, location to be determined. The Contractor shall transport seedlings from a given staging area to the planting area.

1.5 Planting

The Contractor shall furnish all labor, tools, equipment, transportation, supplies, and incidentals necessary to plant the seedlings in the areas specified and in the manner specified.

1.6 Planting Unit(s)

See Appendix A for unit-specific details.

There are a total of 21 different planting units within 3 project areas. The contractor must be prepared to plant in any of the units. The Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) will decide which units will be planted each day and how many plants will be planted in each unit. This decision will be made one (1) day prior to planting and will be based on weather, access, soil moisture, soil temperature, etc. The planting units identify where planting is acceptable. Planting is not to occur outside of the identified units. Units may need to be traversed to identify suitable planting areas (such as areas free of rock). The contractor is not required to fill all of the units with plants but will coordinate with the COR to determine how many plants will be planted in each unit and on which day that will occur. The determination will be made by the COR as specified above. Prospective bidders should assume that they will have to plant in any, and/or all of the units.

The individual planting unit boundaries are identified on the Work Location maps. Pay item location descriptions, specific unit information, and corresponding vicinity maps are located in the Work Data Sheet (Appendix A).

2.0 SEEDLING PREPARATION/WRAPPING

2.1 Wrapping Facility – Seedling Preparation/Wrapping

Seedlings are containerized and will not require wrapping.

3.0 TRANSPORT/DELIVERY

3.1 Government Responsibilities – Transport/Delivery

Containerized seedling/planting stock will be transported by the Government to staging areas. Staging areas are the most convenient roadside delivery points nearest planting areas that can be reached safely by vehicles, and will be designated by the COR. If necessary, the Government will provide a refrigerated trailer/reefer to store and transport seedlings to the staging area.

Seedlings will be issued to the Contractor at the staging area, unless other arrangements are approved in writing by the COR and/or PI. Government furnished property shall be receipted for by the Contractor when it is picked up.

3.2 Contractor Responsibilities – Transport/Delivery

The Contractor shall be responsible for transporting seedlings from the staging area to daily planting sites. Transport of seedlings from this point shall be by either fully enclosed trailers or pickups with fully enclosed canopies. Seedlings shall be transported in the same boxes in which they were packed from the nursery. Travel will be limited to the access routes indicated on Work Location Maps to avoid and/or minimize resource damage.

Transporting of seedlings with UTVs, ATVs, other similar vehicles, or pack animals around the project site must be preapproved by the COR and/or PI. The Contractor shall obey and enforce fire prevention measures such as spark arresters, avoidance of high fuel areas where possible, and all other instructions from the COR and/or PI. If seedling boxes are transported in this method they will be covered with a contractor-furnished tarp to avoid drying out, overheating, or freezing depending on weather conditions.

Each planting crew will have a designated "runner" responsible for transporting seedlings from the roadside delivery point to resupply the planters on the planting unit. The BLM will NOT be responsible for transporting seedlings from the road to the planters. The designated runner will not be the planting crew supervisor.

Boxes and wrapping material shall be returned daily to the seedling delivery point during planting operations. No trash shall be left on site, including personal trash such as from lunch and other breaks, etc. Contractor will be responsible for compiling trash into emptied seedling transport boxes and “breaking down” remaining boxes. Government shall be responsible for transporting trash away from the daily seedling delivery point.

3.4 Seedling Care – Transport/Delivery

Seedlings must be protected from direct sunlight, frost, and wind, and provided with proper air circulation around bundles and/or boxes during transport. Refer to section 4.1 Seedling Care regarding specifications for seedling transport within the planting project area (e.g., from staging or temporary storage locations to designated planting sites).

4.0 TEMPORARY STORAGE (SEEDLING CACHES)

During planting, that day’s seedlings may be stored at temporary seedling storage locations (seedling caches) designated by the COR and/or PI in the planting project site. Any unused seedlings for that day must be returned to the staging area (see section 5.7 Quality/Inspection/Payment – Planting for more detail). Overnight storage of seedlings at temporary storage sites will not be permitted.

4.1 Seedling Care – Temporary Storage

Seedlings at planting site(s)/temporary storage site(s) shall be stored in a manner that protects them from direct sunlight, frost, and wind, and provides for proper air circulation around bundles or boxes.

· Seedlings removed from cold storage facilities shall not stand or lay in water or snow, or be directly covered with snow.

· During transport and temporary storage of seedlings, COR- and/or PI-approved seedling protection tarps (heat shields) furnished by the Contractor will be utilized.

· Containers of seedlings shall be opened only in full shade.

· Frozen seedlings must be thawed in full shade and must not be handled until completely thawed.

· Punctured or torn bags or boxes must be promptly resealed.

· Seedlings shall not be removed from shipping containers until needed for planting.

· Containerized seedlings shall not be removed from plastic bags until just before planting.

All requirements under the Seedling Care in Planting, Section 5.2 below, shall be followed when storing seedlings in temporary storage locations.

5.0 PLANTING

5.1 Site Conditions – Planting

Specific environmental conditions will be required to ensure the best chances of seedling survival during planting operations (Table 1). The COR and/or PI will make the official determination whether site conditions are favorable or unfavorable, and whether or not planting shall take place.

Table 1. Favorable planting conditions.

upper 10 inches of soil is moist

If inclement weather occurs during the planting which halt the operation (e.g., freezing or high temperatures, drying winds, low humidity, or snow), unused seedlings shall be returned to a temporary storage site or staging area as directed by the COR and/or PI.

5.2 Seedling Care – Planting

Similar to transport and temporary storage, care must be used to ensure root exposure is kept to a minimum, and seedlings are not damaged or destroyed. Seedling care specific to planting operations include:

· Containerized seedlings shall not be removed from plastic bags during transport.

· Seedlings shall be transported around the project site in planting bags (or other storage device approved by COR). Seedlings may not be transported around the site in plastic bags only.

· Seedlings in planting bags shall have only their tops exposed. Containerized seedlings shall remain in their plastic bag within the planting bags until they are removed at the time of planting.

· Planting bags must not be overfilled. Overfilled planting bags may cause root damage when seedlings are pulled from bags for planting.

· Seedlings carried in planting bags shall not exceed the amount that can be removed without injury, or which can be planted before critical heating or drying occurs. This will be determined by the COR and/or PI.

· Individual seedlings shall not be removed from planting bags until immediately before they are planted. Planters shall remove only one seedling at a time from the rolled bundle or plastic bag, and only after the planting hole has been prepared.

· Seedlings shall be removed gently, one at a time, to prevent stripping or other injury, and quickly and gently inserted into planting holes. Removal by terminal buds is not permitted.

· The Contractor shall not prune seedling roots or tops, or cull seedlings except with the COR’s verbal/written approval.

· The Contractor shall immediately notify the COR and/or PI if he observes dry roots, mold, or other evidence of damage to seedlings.

· All seedlings issued to planters shall be planted prior to breaks and the end of the day, and not returned to temporary storage, to prevent drying or physical damage to seedlings.

5.3 Procedures - Planting

5.3.1 Site Preparation

a. Clearing the Planting Spot (Hand Scalping) The planting spot may be exposed mineral soil or covered with vegetation (live or dead), gravel, or slash. If covered, planting spots will require clearing/scalping before planting. This includes the removal of all debris, gravel, humus, ash, dead vegetative material, and live vegetation (including surface roots) a minimum of two inches deep.

Cleared/scalped spots shall be no smaller than 16 inches in diameter. There shall be a minimum of 6 inches of cleared space surrounding planted seedling (i.e. the seedling shall be planted near the center of the 16-inch cleared area). Wherever feasible, planting spots shall be located on the north and east sides of stumps, standing dead shrubs, and rocks. Planting spots may be cleared/scalped a maximum of 24 hours prior to planting hole preparation.

b. Preparing the Planting Hole Hoe (hoedad) planting or a similar method shall be used (Figure 2; also see Illustration 7). Locate planting holes near the center of the cleared/scalped area and orient at an angle between perpendicular to the slope and true vertical (Figure 3; also see Illustration 6). Planting holes must be at least 2 inches deeper than the maximum root length of the seedlings for containerized seedlings. Prepare (dig) planting holes no more than one hour prior to planting to prevent drying of the soil.

5.3.2 Planting Methods

Proper selection of planting sites is important to seedling survival and growth. Both Microsite/Standard Shade Specification and Standard Planting methods may be utilized. Whenever possible, seedlings shall be planted in accordance with the Microsite/Standard Shade Specification planting method. Correct and incorrect seedling planting methods are shown in Illustrations 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6 (the same methods apply to shrub seedlings, despite any reference to trees).

a. Microsite/Standard Shade Specification Planting The following requirements will apply to all planting units unless otherwise specified:

· Locate planting spots where stumps, standing dead shrubs, slash, and terrain features provide partial protection from sun, wind, animals, loose debris, and other agents detrimental to seedling survival.

· Plant seedlings as close as possible, but not more than six inches away from the protection source.

· Plant seedlings on the north and/or east sides of stationary material.

· When transportable or stationary material is not available for seedling protection, use the Standard Planting method (see Standard Planting below).

b. Standard Planting Similar to microsite planting, clearing/scalping will be required to prepare the site for planting and to maintain required spacing (see individual Planting Unit specifications, Appendix A). Planters will be required to plant all areas unless they meet one or more of the conditions defined below as unplantable.

c. Spacing The prescribed spacing shall be varied up to 50% to take advantage of a suitable planting spots with existing stationary shade. However, if suitable stationary shade is not available within the 50% variance of the prescribed spacing, planting spot selection shall be based entirely on the prescribed spacing requirements (see individual Planting Unit specifications, Appendix A).

d. Unplantable Areas Planting spots (cleared/scalped spots) – Three attempts must be made in each cleared/scalped planting spot before it is determined to be unplantable.

Planting areas (broad areas designated for seedling planting) – Examples of plantable and unplantable areas will be indicated by the COR and/or PI at the project site. An unplantable area (spot) will be characterized by one or more of the following conditions:

· Rock outcrops, talus slopes, and areas of stone, cobbles or gravel over 2" deep.

· Sites with obvious rodent activity.

· Sites with obvious run-off or active erosion.

· Animal, livestock and human travel paths - planting sites shall be a minimum of five feet each side from travel paths.

The COR and/or PI will ultimately decide whether a site is unplantable. When an unplantable site is encountered, the planter shall move past the unplantable spot and plant in the closest plantable spot available, and then resume required spacing.

5.3.3 Planting Protocol

Seedlings will be removed from planting bags and planted in the prepared planting holes as follows (see Figures 2 and 3 Proper Planting Procedure below for more detail):

a. Seedling Placement Gently remove seedlings from planting bags and place in planting hole. Suspend seedlings near the center of the hole with roots extending downward in a near natural arrangement. If an auger is used, seedlings shall be planted in the center of the augured hole. Planting on the side of the hole is not permitted.

After filling, packing, and leveling, a planted seedling shall be at a depth where, the root collar is even with or slightly below the firmed soil level. No portion of the roots shall be exposed.

b. Filling and Firming Filling planting holes and firming is done in three phases; filling the hole 1/3 to 1/2 full and compacting, filling the hole to 2/3 full and compacting, and completion of filling and compacting. This process shall be done per the following specifications:

i. Fill planting hole with moist mineral soil keeping dry soil, ash, organic matter, rocks, and other foreign matter out of holes. Tamp soil around seedling roots. Fill and firm the soil progressively (layered) so no loose soil or air pockets remain and the seedling is as firmly planted as soil conditions will allow.

ii. Compact soil by hand only, keeping the seedling erect and in the center of the hole, and avoiding shoot and root damage. Sticks, hand tools, or boot heels shall not be used to compact soil.

iii. Once soil has been firmed around the seedling, smooth remaining soil until it is level with the surrounding soil surface.

iv. Once planted, the seedling stem shall stand erect. It shall not be wedged down with mud or debris. Soil or other debris shall not be left covering the leaves or stems of the planted seedling.

c. Auxiliary Hole An auxiliary hole is a hole dug on the edge of the cleared planting spots to obtain additional soil to assist in the refilling and firming of soil around the seedling, or an attempted planting hole that did not meet the minimum depth required for seedling planting. These may be dug, but shall be refilled with soil or natural debris.

Figure 2. Proper Planting Procedure

Figure 3. Proper Planting Procedure

5.4 Timing - Planting

Seedling survival and growth is dependent upon proper soil and moisture conditions at the time of planting. Such conditions may only prevail for short periods of time. Therefore, it may be necessary to plant a portion of a unit and return after snowmelt or rain, or when ground conditions are suitable to plant the remaining area. Temporarily halting and recommencing planting operations will be done at the COR’s discretion.

5.5 Supplies, Tools, & Equipment - Planting

5.5.1 Government Furnished

The government will furnish containerized seedlings for that day’s planting only. The contractor will take possession of them at this time.

5.5.2 Contractor Furnished

The Contractor shall furnish all labor necessary for seedling planting including supervision of crews at all times during all phases of the planting operation. The Contractor shall maintain a work force adequate to ensure completion of work within specified timelines.

The Contractor shall provide all supplies, tools, and equipment necessary for planting operations including planting bags, clearing/scalping tools, and planting tools. All Contractor-furnished planting supplies shall be designed for use in seedling or tree planting work.

a. Planting Bags Unless otherwise specified, planting bags must be a light color, must have a minimum depth of 15 inches, and must be free of defects. Bags may have a shield of waterproof material attached to one exterior side to protect planters from water seepage.

b. Tools & Equipment Tools used in scalping may include McLeods, fire rakes, hazel hoes or hoedads. Only tools capable of opening a hole perpendicular to the ground surface, broken on three sides, and at least 12 inches deep and 4 inches wide will be approved for use, unless otherwise authorized by the COR and/or PI. Planting bars and hoedads may be used for planting in rocky areas. Augers may be used in areas with good soil. If an auger encounters a rocky area, the area shall not be passed over; an alternative planting method shall be tried.

5.6 Crew Requirements - Planting

The Contractor shall be responsible for the supervisor(s) and crew(s) knowing all requirements of the contract as they relate to seedling planting operations (i.e., seedling care, clearing/scalping techniques, proper planting, spacing, and unit location). Crew supervisors must be able to understand and speak English. Contractor shall have one non-planting supervisor for every 12 people planting seedlings. The COR and/or PI will not function as crew supervisor(s).

Planting crew members shall not be scattered within or between units except as necessitated by ontheground conditions and only when authorized by the COR and/or PI. Planters must stay within 200 feet of the nonplanting supervisor. The supervisor(s) must work closely enough with crew(s) to inspect and accept or “pass” their work to assure contract compliance. The supervisor(s) must correct any errors made by the crew(s) during the planting process and continually ensure that planting complies with contract specifications. All debris from crew's lunches and other breaks must be thoroughly cleaned up.

5.7 Quality/Inspection/Payment - Planting

The COR and/or PI will check all stages of planting operations to ensure contract compliance. Inspection results will provide the basis for computing the rate of payment. Inspections will cover seedling storage and handling, site preparation, planting procedures, and examination of individual seedlings. PIs will utilize sample plots to inspect seedling spacing and planting technique (i.e., seedling orientation, above and below ground position, soil compaction, etc.)

5.7.1 Methods

The sample plots will be taken throughout the planting unit. Plot sampling shall be done on an unbiased and random basis throughout the planting area to obtain a representative sample of the work.

a. Sampling Plots A series of 1/50-acre plots, sufficient in number to yield a minimum of a 1 percent sample of the total number of seedlings designated for a planting unit, will be taken on all units. Sample plots will be done in the following manner:

i. Randomly select the location of the plot, and record location on a GPS unit.

ii. Identify inspection plot centers on the ground with flagged markers. Mark flagging in permanent marker with unit name and/or number, plot number and number of seedlings within plot.

iii. Starting from north on each plot and progressing in a clockwise direction around plot center, examine the planted seedlings for above ground and below ground compliance.

iv. Record results on Planting Inspection Sheets using the codes listed in Tables 2 and 3 below.

v. Declare seedlings handled in a manner inconsistent with contract specifications as wasted seedlings.

Table 2. Above ground inspection codes.

V Satisfactory seedling – paper form Satisfactory seedling – electron form

Table 3. Below ground inspection codes.

V Satisfactory seedling – paper form Satisfactory seedling – electronic form

b. Quality Evaluation The planting quality for each plot, and for the planting unit as a whole, will be evaluated in the following process.

i. Determine from Table 4 the average number of planting spots for the plot based on the average spacing. Enter this value in Column 3.

Table 4. Average number of planting spots based on average spacing.

ii. Determine the number of unplantable spots within the plot, and enter this number in column 4. Unplantable spots are defined in C, 2.03 E.

iii. Subtract Column 4 from Column 3, and enter the difference in Column 5.

iv. Using the number entered in Column 5, determine, from Table 5 the maximum allowable trees. Enter this number in Column 6.

Table 5. Maximum number of seedlings based on number of plantable spots.

v. Record the number of seedlings planted within the plot in Column 7.

vi. Subtract Column 6 from Column 7. If this number is greater than zero, record the number in column 8 as wasted seedlings. Do not record any number less than zero.

vii. Inspect and record the above-ground conditions of planted trees in spaces under Column 2.

viii. Count the number of “Satisfactory” entries in Column 2. Enter this number in Column 9 if it does not exceed the number entered in column 6. If it does exceed the number in Column 6, enter the Column 6 number in Column 9. In other words, Column 9 can be no greater than Column 6.

ix. Determine the minimum number of seedlings to be dug from Table 6. This determination is made based on the number of seedlings that were found to be satisfactory above ground.

Table 6. Number of seedlings to be dug for inspection.

x. Dig seedlings, starting with those closest to the plot center and progressing outward. Replant the dug trees according to contract specifications after they have been examined.

xi. Record findings in Column 2, immediately below entries made for above-ground inspections.

xii. Record the number of seedlings dug in Column 10.

xiii. Record the number of satisfactory below-ground seedlings I Column 11.

xiv. Upon completion of the entire unit, enter the totals of Column 5, 8, 9, 10, and 11 of each sheet on the last line at the bottom of the form. The electronic form will auto calculate the planting quality percent.

xv. Compute the planting quality by the following formula:

Planting Quality % =

xvi. Average planting spots and maximum number of satisfactory seedlings shown in Table I and Table II have been rounded to the nearest whole number and it is mutually understood and agreed that these figures will be used for determining planting quality even though they are not precisely correct from a mathematical standpoint.

5.7.2 Wasted Seedlings/Quality

Determination of the acceptability of the work performed will be based on inspections, which will be considered conclusive, except as otherwise provided in the contract. The Contractor or designated representative is encouraged to observe inspections while they are underway. Seedlings handled in a manner inconsistent with contract specifications will be declared "wasted" seedlings, and may result in assessment of actual damages against the Contractor.

Seedlings shall be planted the day of issuance (unless precluded by weather or other unsuitable conditions). If seedlings are not planted within this timeframe, they will be considered wasted unless the Contractor can show that the seedlings could not have been planted (for excusable reasons). The Contractor will be responsible for returning unplanted seedlings to the staging area, delivery point, or other COR-designated site for storage If the Contractor prunes or culls seedlings without verbal/written consent from the COR, these seedlings will be considered wasted and the Contractor will be charged.

b. Wasted seedlings Wasted seedlings and containers may be charged as follows:

$0.50 – 1 year old or 2 year old bareroot seedling $0.55 – 3 year old bareroot seedling $0.60 - container grown seedling

Such charges will be deducted from earnings as calculated above. Number of wasted seedlings to be charged for shall be calculated as follows: Total number of wasted seedlings from inspection record divided by number of plots taken multiplied by the reciprocal of the plot size multiplied by the number of acres in pay item, plus seedlings determined wasted under care of seedlings specifications. For example, if a total of 10 wasted seedlings were found on 40 1/50-acre plots which were taken on a 40-acre unit, and 15 seedlings had been wasted through improper care, the calculation would be made as follows:

10 (# wasted) X 50 (1/50 acre plots) X 40 (unit acres) = 400 + 15 = 415 wasted seedlings 50 (# inspection plots)

It is mutually agreed that if the Contractor wastes seedlings at a rate that will not allow the planting of an entire pay item, the unplanted acres may be deleted from the contract through a partial default termination. In this event, the Contractor shall be liable for damages suffered by the Government to plant the defaulted acres whenever seedlings become available. In addition, the estimated cost of damages may be withheld from the Contractor's earnings.

c. Quality It is understood and agreed that the loss to the Government by lowered planting quality exceeds the amount by which planting quality is lower than 92 percent, and that replanting at a later date will likely be necessary if planting quality is below 80 percent.

(1) If the Contractor fails to plant a unit at an acceptable level of quality (92 percent), the Contractor shall, in the place of actual damages, pay to the Government as fixed and agreed liquidated damages as follows for each unit of planted at less than 92 percent quality:

Quality between 92 and 100 percent……Full bid price for planting for that unit Quality between 80 and 92 percent .........Reduction on bid price based on actual quality % below 92 i.e. inspection quality 86% for unit. Payment made on bid price less 6% for that unit.

(2) Alternatively, if quality of planting falls below 80 percent and is not corrected, the Government may terminate this contract in whole or in part under the Termination for Default clause in this contract and, in that event, the Contractor will be liable for fixed and agreed liquidated damages on all units planted where the planting quality is less than acceptable. In addition to liquidated damages charged for unit planted where the quality is less than acceptable, the Contractor may be assessed actual damages for the remaining units that have not been planted under this contract but that have been terminated.

(3) The Contractor shall not be charged with liquidated damages when the unsatisfactory quality of planting arises out of causes beyond the control and without the fault or negligence of the Contractor as defined in this contract.

5.7.3 Re-inspection

If the original inspection results are unacceptable to the Contractor, a re-inspection may be requested. Requests for re-inspection must be made in writing within five days after receipt of notice of initial inspection results. The same inspection procedure will be used but new plots will be selected. The inspection pattern will be shifted so new inspection plots will not overlap previously inspected plots.

Inspection Results Used to Determine Payment. The inspection results of the first examination will be used in determining payment and acceptability if re-inspection results are within 5% of the first inspection. If re-inspection indicates a variance of more than 5% from the first inspection, the results of the second inspection rounded up to the nearest whole percent will be used.

Payment for Re-inspection by Contractor. If the results of the re-inspection rounded to the nearest whole percent are within 5 percentage points of the first inspection, the Contractor shall pay the actual costs of the re-inspection based on wages and vehicle mileages of the re-inspection crew.

6.0 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION

6.1 Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) – Contract Administration After award, a Bureau of Land Management employee will be designated as the Contracting Officer's Representative for the purpose of administering the technical aspects of this procurement. The COR is authorized to clarify technical requirements and to review and approve work which is clearly within the scope of work. The COR is NOT authorized to issue changes pursuant to the changes clause or to modify the scope of work in any other way. If this contract contains a technical direction clause, the COR is designated as the official authorized to issue that technical direction.

6.2 Project Inspector (PI) – Contract Administration

After award, a Bureau of Land Management employee may be designated as the Project Inspector. If so designated, the PI will provide onsite inspection of the work. Such PI will also be responsible for giving the contractor any special instructions for guidance necessary to complete the work in an orderly manner. The PI shall NOT be authorized to issue changes pursuant to the changes clause or in any other way modify the scope of work.

6.3 Pre-work Conference – Contract Administration

At the pre-work conference, the Contractor shall provide a work schedule for wrapping and planting including the planned work force, tools and equipment, which must be acceptable to the Government. All containers, planting tools, and other tools used by the Contractor must be approved by the COR and/or PI at the pre-work conference. As a minimum, the schedule should reflect a progress rate of work to be completed equal to the expired amount of contract performance time. The unit sequence work schedule will be determined by the COR at the pre-work conference and may be subject to some change because of normal variations in weather conditions at no change in contract time or price.

6.4 Notice to Proceed – Contract Administration

The Government will issue a Notice to Proceed as soon as weather and ground conditions are favorable for survival of planting stock. The count of contract time will start on the date specified on the Notice to Proceed if hand delivered, or on the third day after the post office has issued a notice of certified mail to the Contractor, or when planting commences, whichever is sooner. Failure of the Contractor to pick up certified mail will not be considered an excusable delay.

6.5 Period of Performance – Contract Administration

The Contractor shall be required to (a) commence work under this contract within three calendar days after the date the Contractor receives the notice to proceed, (b) prosecute the work diligently, and complete the entire work ready, no later than the time specified in the contract, after receipt of notice to proceed. The time stated for completion shall include final cleanup of the premises.

Work shall progress in accordance with the established schedule. An average production rate of seedlings planted per day will be set at the pre-work conference (in general, the average production rate shall equal the number of seedlings divided by the total performance time for that item). If the Contractor's progress falls behind 20 percent of the established work schedule, the Government may terminate the Contractor's right to proceed if satisfactory progress is not made within 2 working days after receipt by the Contractor of a written notice of deficient performance.

6.5.1 Work Hours

Work hours under this contract shall be limited to the time between onehalf hour before sunrise to onehalf hour after sunset each day with the following exception: in the fall, planting will not be allowed after November 15 on any day within greater sage-grouse winter range, these areas will be delineated on maps and will be identified by the COR or PI on the ground. No work will be done on Sunday, unless mutually agreeable between the COR and the Contractor.

7.0 DEFINITIONS

Bare Root Seedling: A seedling grown from one to three years in a natural environment.

Containerized Seedling: A seedling grown from one to three years in a container.

Culling: To remove by any method, any portion of the seedling roots or branches. Or to remove a seedling if it is deformed or under sized to the point where it would not survive planting.

Plantable Spot: An area from which vegetation, ash, duff, and debris have been, or can be, removed and seedling can be planted according to all specifications contained herein.

Protection Tarp: Provides seedling protection from direct sunlight, frost, wind, and provides proper air circulation around bundles or boxes of seedlings.

Root Collar: The area on a seedling where the root join the main stem.

Satisfactory Planted Seedling: A seedling planted in full compliance with all planting specifications.

Trimming/Pruning: The cutting of seedling top, roots, or branches with pruning clippers.

Unplantable Spot: An area within the specified spacing limits in which it is not possible to plant a seedling according to specifications.

Unsatisfactory Planted Seedling: A planted seedling that fails to meet one or more of the specifications for a satisfactorily planted seedling.

Wasted Seedlings: Seedlings that are lost, damaged, destroyed, or handled contrary to the specifications for the Care of Seedlings, and seedlings in excess of the maximum number allowed as defined in Planting Unit descriptions.

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