SOW McMinnville Mowing Statement of Work (F).docx

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE

UNITED STATES NATIONAL ARBORETUM

Statement of Work

FOR

MOWING SERVICES FOR THE

UNITED STATES NATIONAL ARBORETUM

TSU Nursery Research Center McMinnville, TN

I. PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS:

Offerors shall submit proposals by addressing items A & B outlined below. Written response to the Past Performance requirements along with pricing must be submitted in order for the proposal to be considered complete. Proposals shall be submitted electronically (pdf file or Microsoft Word documents) to the Contract Administrator.

A. CONTRACTORS PAST PERFORMANCE AND OPERATING PROCEDURES

The offeror shall submit a brief narrative demonstrating their competence in the following areas:

1. Past Performance

Offeror shall provide documented experience of similar type projects.

2. Operating procedures

The offeror shall describe how it will accomplish the contract specifications, including the use of labor, materials and equipment. The contractor shall demonstrate a capability of planning, managing and performing the work of this requirement in the highest quality. Elements that should be included under this section include:

B. PRICING:

The offeror shall provide the cost per acre.

*Estimated acres are based on 11 acres being mowed each week with a total of 21 weeks; 11 acres x 21 sessions = 231 acres. Future (option) years will run from May 9 – October 31, for 26 weeks: 11 acres x 26 sessions = 286 acres. Estimated acres may be adjusted by 10%.

II. STATEMENT OF WORK

A. BACKGROUND

The United States National Arboretum (USNA) has a research facility located at the TSU Nursery Research Center on 472 Cadillac Lane, McMinnville, TN that requires weekly mowing of approximately 11 acres of nursery research fields. The research fields contain cultivars, hybrids, and germplasm of woody landscape plants as part of a research program. All activities at the site involving the contractor and employees must emphasize zero impact upon these valuable horticultural resources.

B. REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall provide lawn maintenance staff experienced in mowing/maintaining turf grass to perform required mowing services at the TSU Nursery Research Center. The Contractor shall use caution to protect all buildings, facilities, and plants.

C. SCOPE OF WORK

1. All labor used in this contract shall be under the supervision of a qualified professional with experience mowing/maintaining turf grass. In accordance with this contract, the Contractor shall supply all labor, equipment, tools, fuel, supplies, materials, transportation and supervision required to provide mowing services at the TSU Nursery Research Center. Hours of service shall be Monday – Friday between 7:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. The Contractor shall obtain prior approval from the Technical Representative for any work performed other than during normal working hours.

2. Acreage has been determined to be approximately 11 acres. This area may fluctuate by 10%. The Contractor shall conduct field verification of acreage and have the mowing areas be approved by the Technical Representative prior to commencing work.

3. The Technical Representative will provide the contractor with a seasonal mowing schedule every three months. The number of mowings and the acreage mowed is contingent upon turf conditions. The timing of mowing is dependent upon weather or other factors affecting mowing requirements. Services may be rescheduled periodically at the discretion of the Technical Representative if deemed necessary due to weather conditions or other factors.

4. The Contractor shall avoid damaging existing buildings, equipment, and vegetation on the Government installation. If the Contractor's failure to use reasonable care causes damage to any of this property, the Contractor shall replace or repair the damage at no expense to the government as the Contracting Officer (CO) directs. The Contractor shall take special care not to injure trees, shrubs, labels, signs, or turf. For example, wounded trees or scalped turf - shall be repaired or replaced. Damage to turf or other areas, as a result of mowing operations and ruts shall be repaired at the contractor’s expense. FAR clause 52.237-2 Protection of Government Buildings, Equipment, and Vegetation (APR 1984) shall apply.

D. TASKS:

The Contractor shall:

1. Mow turf areas in nurseries at the Research Center with varying terrain, wet areas, trees, shrubs, labels, and other obstacles. The areas to be mowed will be identified by the Technical Representative. Cutting height will be 3.5 inches. Changes to prescribed mowing heights must be pre-approved with the Technical Representative.

2. Notify the Technical Representative in the event of any change in a scheduled work day (time work is being performed, change in work, change in personnel, etc.). All Contractors’ work shall be monitored and inspected by Technical Representative.

3. Not cause grass clippings to be discharged or blown against buildings, tree trunks, mulched areas, air conditioning units, windows, window wells, vents, etc.

4. Perform all activities under this contract with properly maintained equipment and standards that meets or exceeds Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety standards ( www.osha.gov/comp-links.html ). The contractor shall:

a. Maintain sharp mower blades with sharpening occurring as needed to maintain specified services.

b. Use equipment with appropriate turf tires to reduce soil compaction in mowed areas.

c. Provide facilities for maintenance service of their equipment: i.e. washing, cleaning, and repairing. No storage or repair shall occur on the TSU property. A limited parking and staging area for vehicles and equipment will be designated by the Technical Representative, with no guarantee of security for the designated area – nor any assurances of utilities or phone lines

d. Be responsible for the removal of all trash resulting from services rendered. Dumping of waste oil, fuel, anti-freeze or other material on the South Farm grounds is prohibited. All materials must be removed from the property and disposed of properly.

5. Be held responsible for re-cutting areas where areas are missed or equipment is not providing a clean cut resulting from improperly maintained equipment. Re-cutting is at the Contractors’ expense. The Technical Representative will notify contractor within 24 hours of original cutting if re-cutting is necessary.

6. Not mow/cut or bring equipment within 18 inches from any tree trunks, crowns, or shrubs. Tree trunks, crowns and shrubs are maintained by USNA or TSU staff. Any damage to Government or TSU property (including plants, trees, turf, etc.) shall be replaced, repaired, or reimbursed at the Contractors’ expense.

7. Have a Designated Team Lead able to communicate in English supervising the mowing staff.

8. Ensure employees exhibit appropriate decorum, courtesy, and respect while within the USNA and maintain a neat and professional appearance throughout its workforce, vehicles, equipment, work sites, and staging areas.

E. TENTATIVE MOWING SCHEDULE:

Mowing Schedule: Mowing shall be done weekly (preferred day is Tuesday). Additional or alternative days may be requested upon verbal request from the Center based on weather. If a scheduled mowing day falls on a federal holiday, mowing will be made the day before or after the holiday. Mowing will be limited to between the hours of 7:00 AM and 5:00 PM. If for any reason the mowing cannot be made, the Point of Contact (POC) will be notified immediately. Due to the nature of services required, the POC may elect to deviate from the weekly services required, i.e. during drought conditions at no cost to USDA, ARS. Vendor will be given advanced notice, by the POC prior to deviating from the schedule.

The cuts are to be done every week per the schedule. Beginning August 22, 2022.

The cuts are to be done every week per the schedule. Beginning May 8, 2023

2023 Weeks of:

Mowing services shall not be performed on the following Government holidays:

New Year’s Day – January 1st Martin Luther King Junior’s Birthday – Third Monday in January President’s Day – Third Monday in February Memorial Day – Last Monday in May Juneteenth Day – June 19th Independence Day – July 4th Labor Day – First Monday in September Columbus Day – Second Monday in October Veteran’s Day – November 11th Thanksgiving Day – Fourth Thursday in November Christmas Day – December 25th

If the Government holiday falls on a Saturday, the Friday before is observed. If the holiday falls on a Sunday, the Monday following is observed.

F. POINT OF CONTACT:

Lisa Alexander USDA/ARS U.S. National Arboretum TSU Nursery Research Center 472 Cadillac Lane McMinnville, TN 37110

(931) 815-5142 Lisa.Alexander@ars.usda.gov

G. INVOICING

The "Submit Invoice-to" address for USDA orders is the Department of Treasury's Invoice Processing Platform (IPP). The contractor must follow the instructions on how to register and submit invoices via IPP as prescribed in the previous communications from USDA and Treasury.

All invoices are to be submitted via the electronic Invoice Processing Platform. This is a mandatory requirement initiated by the U.S. Department of Treasury and you can find more information at this website https://www.ipp.gov/index.htm . Please make sure that your company has registered at https://www.ipp.gov/vendors/enrollment-vendors.htm to establish your account.

H. CONTRACT PERIOD:

The estimated period of performance will be from August 29, 2022 – October 31, 2026. The government may exercise up to four (4) option years after the first year. The option years will include the same mowing areas as the base years, but will run from May 9 to October 31, covering 26 weeks of mowing.