Statement_of_Work.pdf

Department of the Interior National Park Service

Statement of Work

Title: 2022 IPMT Aerial

COR: William Snyder

Project Objective: As shown on the accompanying map: 1.) Visit, visually inspect for the presence of melaleuca and Lygodium the entire contract area paying special attention to the 250m grid and past aerial treatment sites. 2.) Aerially treat, using spot-spray method all sites where target species exist. 3.) When visually inspecting, record sites where boom treatment will be appropriate treatment method. 3.) Boom treat specific sites collected during visual inspection.

Objective 1 and 2 may be performed in 1 pass.

CONFIDENTIALITY: The information developed under this task order is the property of the U.S. government and shall be kept in strict confidence.

PERFORMANCE PERIOD: The work for this task order shall be provided from 1 December 2022 to 1 September 2023.

While the POP is 9 months, it is understood that the optimal time to both aerially apply herbicide and access ground treatment sites is during the winter dry period.

PROJECT IDENTIFICATION: The work of this agreement shall consist of the services described below for the referenced project. In this document, the project shall be referred to as:

2022 IPMT

I. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF WORK

Project Size: Total gross acres of the project area:

Primary Zone-132,902 acres Secondary Zone- 164,808 acres

Habitat description and information: Big Cypress National Preserve (BICY) is a 729,000 acre unit of the National Park Service. The area proposed for treatment is roadless and use of off-road vehicles is prohibited. A variety of vegetation communities are represented within the contract area. Vegetation communities include open savannah, pineland, hammock and cypress and mangrove areas. This Task Order proposes the aerial treatment of Melaleuca and Lygodium Big Cypress is home to several federally listed endangered wildlife species including the Florida panther, Red-cockaded woodpecker and the Eastern indigo snake.

II. FUNDING LIMITATIONS

The Government obligation for performance of this task order beyond this phase is contingent upon the availability of funds from which payment for contract purposes can be made. No legal liability on the part of the Government for any payment may arise for performance under this contract beyond the amount that has been authorized through the issuance of written task orders.

II. SCOPE OF SERVICES-TASKS

Invasive plants of varying density levels are found throughout BICY. These plants have been actively treated since the late 1970’s. The goal of the BICY invasive plant program is the coordinated and consistent management of invasive plants in order to maintain their populations at the lowest feasible levels.

In this project BICY intends to contract for services to aerially treat two invasive plant species.

It is understood that the primary species present in the area is Melaleuca and Lygodium. The accompanying map indicating presence and location of invasive plants within the treatment area are from aerial reconnaissance flights conducted in 2020-21.

• all equipment necessary for the execution of this task order will be provided by the vendor.

• Target species will be treated appropriately and left to naturally decompose.

• Vendor is responsible for procurement of aviation services.

• Herbicides and formulations will be mutually agreed upon by the vendor and BICY.

• Herbicides will be procured by the GOV.

Herbicide Use:

1) Submit the proposed herbicides to be used on this project to the COR a minimum of four weeks prior to application. Per the base contract include the EPA registration number, the MSDS sheets, method of application, and approximate dates of application.

2) All herbicide applications shall comply with product labels, including the location where it shall be applied, and the plants to which it shall be applied.

3) Be familiar with, and adhere to, all Federal, state, territorial or local safety regulations pertaining to natural area weed control operations.

Schedule:

1) Provide a schedule for this project including start date, and overall completion date.

2) Provide schedule of breaks including number of breaks, when the breaks shall occur and how long breaks shall last.

Treatment:

1) Melaleuca and Lygodium will be identified and treated aerially. All identified invasive species will be treated using a combination of boom and spot aerial application techniques.

2) The contractor shall, on a daily basis, electronically record all treatment information for this project. For aerially treated sites that includes all spray-on spray-off data and herbicide use and formulation

3) The contractor shall submit invoices to the NPS Contracting Officer and the COR.

4) All data submitted in association with application of herbicides will be submitted Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system UTM-17/NAD-83 datum.

5) GPS Information shall be submitted as an ArcGIS shapefile.

6) The contractor shall at all times during this project, provide on-site a supervisor that is a Florida certified pesticide applicator with a natural area endorsement.

7) Any flight crew applying herbicide must possess a valid Florida Pesticide Applicators license with a natural area and aerial endorsement.

8) Project supervisor is responsible for sending two texts daily to COR. One in the morning indicating where they are working and the second in the afternoon upon exiting the field or ending aerial operations.

9) Aviation resources used for this TO must coordinate with NPS aviation management.

10) Python reporting and capture: If a python (Python molurus) is encountered during the conduction of exotic vegetation treatment during the period of performance for this task order, Matthew McCollister should be notified at (239) 994-6237 or Everglades Dispatch

(305) 242-7740.

Bidders information- For the attached area map, please include in your bid for evaluation information pertaining to the contract area AND identified sites within the 2022 Moonfish BAR, Loop area. (see map below)

Please provide:

1. Inclusive flight rate cost per hour for aerial spot-spray applications NOT including herbicide

2. Inclusive flight rate cost per hour for boom treatment NOT including herbicide

3. Inclusive flight rate cost per hour aerial survey.

A geo-file with general infestation data will be made available to each bidder. The data provided in the geo-file is for general information only. The data was collected aerially from a moving aircraft. Thus, species densities are NOT to be relied upon for bidding, but rather a guide to which species were observed, general species densities and locations. The 250m squares depicted on the map indicate a presence of invasive plants. They are not dense areas of infestation and simply serve as a guide to where infestations have been observed. Understand that an additional visual inspection by the applicator is necessary prior to any application of herbicide.

Figure 1 Treatment Area Map

IV. QUALITY STANDARDS

All work performed shall comply with applicable laws, regulations, NPS policies and guidelines, the requirements of the base IDIQ contract, and as described in this statement of work.

A. Plant Knowledge: The contractor shall have an in-depth knowledge of the treatment area plant community. This includes plant identification skills for both native and exotic species.

B. Safety Protocol: Contractor shall follow safety protocols to prevent accidents.

Contractor and park shall develop accident reporting procedures and contacts.

C. Site Housekeeping: The contractor shall keep a clean job site. Dirt clods, trash, and other debris shall be removed from the jobsite prior to departure each day.

D. Quality Assurance: The contractor and staff shall have knowledge and experience with current control technologies of exotic pest plants common to the ecosystem being treated. The contractor shall fully comply with all applicable local, state and Federal regulations.

E. Clean Vehicle and Equipment Standards: All vehicles and equipment shall be inspected for mud, weeds, exotic seeds and other unwanted substances before their entry into Big Cypress National Preserve. The contractor shall power-wash all equipment before entry. The NPS reserves the right to reject equipment that is dirty and could potentially spread unwanted substances within the park. Vehicles may require cleaning upon leaving the site.

V. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY

Negotiable if necessary

VII. DELIVERY SCHEDULE

The contractor shall complete all work and services no later than September 1, 2023.

VIII. SITE VISIT

The site visit is scheduled for August 30, 2022, at 10:00am. Please email the Contracting Officer, William Vazquez, at william_vazquez@nps.gov to confirm your attendance. If no confirmation emails are received, then the site visit will be cancelled.