Statement of Work.pdf

Bureau of Land Management, High Plains District, Wyoming

Field Office: Buffalo

C.1 General and Site Specific Specifications

Project Name Billy Creek Hand Thinning and Piling, TSI FY20

Scope of Contract This contract requires hand thin, pile and cover 264 acres; and hand thin and pile (no cover) up to 244 acres in the Billy Creek area of the southern Big Horn Mountains. Base acres that will be awarded are 414, with 94 additional acres that may be awarded for a total possible of 508 acres.

This is a request for quote from contractors eligible to receive awards for Forestry contracts and/or National Hazardous Fuels Reduction IDIQ for hand cut, pile, and cover.

Prices for the bid items should be based on the Description provided below. Please use this Statement of Work to assist with quotes.

The project area is publicly accessible. No pre-bid meeting is scheduled but bidders are highly encouraged to visit the project area prior to bid submission.

Location Johnson County, Wyoming Township 48 North, Range 83 West, Sections 18, 19, 28, 33, 34 30 miles southwest of Buffalo Wyoming via Highway 16, then south on County Road 3 (Hazelton Road) to Billy Creek Road. Refer to the vicinity map on the last page

Performance Period

Work may occur from June 15 through October 15 and must be completed by October 15, 2021.

Description The project will manually thin Douglas-fir, spruce, limber pine, and ponderosa pine as per specifications below. Material will be cut, piled and covered if specified, and later burned by BLM.

Work sites are accessible from Billy Creek Road which is a public road. Vehicle access to Unit 3, 4, and 5 will be authorized during thin/pile operations but is otherwise closed to motorized vehicles.

Unit boundaries are flagged in blue and/or pink.

Detailed Unit Information

Levels of difficulty are from BLM Manual Fuels Reduction IDIQ Contract.

Specifications are on the next page.

Selective Slashing/Thinning, Hand Piling, Level I Line Item 0003AA - unit density averages less than 40% cover Line Item 0005AA, no covering - average fewer than 18 piles per acre

Base acres that will be awarded Unit 4 = 150 acres

Additional acres that may be awarded Unit 3 = 8 acres Unit 5 = 86 acres

Selective Slashing/Thinning, Hand Piling and Cover, Level II Line Item 0003AB – unit density averages between 40% to 60% cover Line Item 0005AB – average of 19 to 40 piles per acre

Base acres that will be awarded Unit 1 = 104 acres Unit 2 = 160 acres

Specifications Thinning

Cut live and dead trees less than 7” DBH (diameter breast height) on a 20-foot bole spacing (20’ X 20’). Trees greater than 7” DBH shall be included in leave tree spacing.

The following species, in order of priority, shall be selected for retention where spacing is applied:

1. Ponderosa Pine

2. Limber Pine

3. Spruce

4. Douglas-fir

When selecting leave trees less than 7” DBH, the healthiest and best formed trees shall be retained. Characteristics for leave trees include the following:

• No apparent damage to the main bole;

• Not chlorotic;

• Demonstrates good vigor and is disease/bug free;

• Has at least 30% crown ratio;

• Pine species including limber pine are preferred over all other species

Stump shall be cut flat (no punji sticks) and heights must be within 4” to the ground on the uphill side.

Leave any tree flagged or painted in any color.

Slash Piling

Slash must be de-limbed adequately and cut to length to make compact piles. Piles shall have small branches and needles in the center and bottom. Slash shall be cut to eliminate air spaces in piles.

Piles must be larger than 8x8x8 feet and as large as the site can accommodate.

If specified to be covered, piles will be covered by plastic or paper over at least 50% of the core of the pile, and firmly anchored with slash completely covering the top and sides.

Slash piles shall be located as far as possible from selected leave trees and outside the dripline of large trees.

Slash piles shall not block roads or 2-track trails.

Slash shall not be piled on or within 2 feet of downed dead material. Openings in downed dead shall be cut if needed.

The project inspector or COR may approve sites where slash may be lopped and scattered rather than piled.

Fire Prevention State and local fire prevention laws may exist and must be followed unless written direction is provided by the Contracting Officer. At a minimum:

1. 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.

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

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

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

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

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

Noxious Weeds Ensure that all vehicles are cleaned off prior to operating on Government lands. Remove all dirt, grease, and plant parts that carry noxious weed seeds or vegetative parts. This may be accomplished with a pressure hose. In addition, 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 COR.

Special Conditions

SAFETY PLAN

The Contractor shall provide a copy of their safety plan at the pre-work meeting. The Safety Plan should be available to all employees and subcontractors working on the contract. The Safety Plan should cover at a minimum:

1. Safety briefings covering the area working in, equipment being used, and any special considerations for the work under the contract

2. Personal Protective Equipment required for the work under the contract

3. Appropriate OSHA requirements for the type of work under the contract

4. Covid-19 prevention measures.

5. Weather considerations for the time of year of the contract.

6. Communication issues and locations of the nearest medical facilities to the job site.

7. Emergency numbers to contact if an accident happens

ENVIRONMENTAL INTERRUPTION OF WORK:

1. ENVIRONMENTAL - The Contracting Officer, by issuance of a suspend work order, may direct the Contractor to shut down any work that may be subject to damage due to weather conditions or fire danger. The Contractor shall be given a resume work order, which shall document the date the work suspension ends. An allowance has been included in the contract time for short-term environmental delays up to one day at a time. The count of contract time shall therefore continue during work interruptions of one day or less, but the count of contract time shall stop during work interruptions in excess of one day at a time. All periods of interruptions directed by the Government shall be documented. The Contractor shall not be entitled to additional monetary compensation for such suspensions regardless of duration.

2. ENDANGERED SPECIES - The Government may direct the Contractor to discontinue all operations in the event that listed or proposed threatened or endangered plants or animals protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, or Federal candidate (Category 1 and 2), sensitive or state listed species, identified under BLM Manual 6840, are discovered to be present in or adjacent to the project area. Actions taken under this paragraph shall be subject to FAR 52.24214 Suspension of Work.

3. FIRE DANGER SEASON - If the COR allows the Contractor to continue work during periods of declared fire danger or season, the Contractor shall comply with all applicable state laws relating to fire prevention and with all special conditions of work as directed by the COR.

PRESERVATION OF HISTORICAL AND ARCHEOLOGICAL DATA:

1. The Historic and Archeological Data Preservation Act of 1974, provides for the preservation of historical and archeological data that might otherwise be lost as the result of alterations to the terrain caused by a federal or federally licensed activity or program.

2. If, in connection with operations under this contract, the Contractor, subcontractors, or the employees of any of them, discovers, encounters or becomes aware of any possible historical or archeological data, objects or sites of cultural value on the project area, such as historical ruins, graves or grave markers, fossils, or artifacts, the Contractor shall immediately suspend all operations in the vicinity of the cultural value and shall notify the Contracting Officer in writing, giving the location and nature of the findings. No objects of cultural resource value may be removed.

3. Where appropriate by reason of discovery, the Contracting Officer may order delays in the time of performance and/or changes in the work. If such delays and/or changes are ordered, the time of performance and contract price shall be adjusted in accordance with the Changes clause.

4. The Contractor will be responsible for protecting the cultural resources within the affected area from damage. In addition, the contractor will be liable for all damage to the identified cultural resources caused by their actions or the actions of their agents or representatives. The Contractor shall immediately notify the Contracting Officer or his representative if any damage occurs to any cultural resource and immediately suspend work in the area in which damage has occurred until authorized to proceed. Actions taken under this paragraph shall be subject to the FAR 52.242-14 Suspension of Work.

Definitions Calendar Days - Every day shown on the calendar, Sundays and holidays included.

Contract Time - The number of calendar days allowed in the contract for completion of the contract work.

Leave Trees - Any tree that is selected or required to be left standing as provided in the specifications.

Over story Tree- Leave/reserve tree Ponderosa pine >8 inches DBH.

DBH- Diameter at breast height.

Dripline- Extent of over story trees canopy circumference, where rain would drop out of canopy “dripline”.

Slash - Any cut vegetation.

Spacing – The horizontal distance from the trunk of one leave tree to the trunk of the next nearest leave tree.

C.2 Inspection and Acceptance

Thinning Inspection Procedure

The Contracting Officer or designated representative will make periodic inspections. The Contractor or representative is encouraged to observe the inspection and will receive inspection summaries upon request.

Measurement and Payment

The acreage was measured on a horizontal plane within the established boundaries.

Basis of Payment - After inspection of completed acreage, the Contracting Officer or designated representative will calculate the pay rate.

The pay rate will be calculated by multiplying the inspection percentage times the contract unit price per acre. When the percent of satisfactory thinning is 90 percent or greater, payment will be made at the contract unit price.

Maps begin on next page

Evaluation Factors

1. Respondent Qualifications and Experience (50 points): Does the company have experience working on similar projects? (25 points)Does the company have successful history performing similar work? (25 points)

2. Price (50 points)

ORDER OF IMPORTANCE

Technical factors, when combined, are considered:

Significantly more important than price

X Approximately equal to price

Significantly less important than price