Statement_of_Work.pdf

Statement of Work – Winter Pasture for Yellowstone National Park Livestock

Yellowstone National Park is seeking winter pasture for Government-owned horses and mules.

Overall specifications of the requirement:

Contractor shall provide land, forage, water, and fences necessary to properly care for and maintain 40 to 105 head of Government owned horses and mules.

The pasture must be located no greater than 175 driven miles from Gardiner Montana to allow for one working day travel to and from the pasture. This will allow for livestock safety checks and avoid overnight travel requirements.

Pasture shall be large enough to allow free-roaming behavior and shall provide the food and water necessary to sustain the animals in good condition.

Responsibilities of the contractor:

01. Pasture:

The minimum pasture size shall be 1,280 acres; however, a smaller size pasture may be considered if it provides exceptional food and water conditions. Pasture shall be of sufficient size to allow animals’ freedom of movement and the exercise necessary for good health.

Pasture shall provide a safe environment and be free of hazards. Hazards are considered but not limited to poisonous weed/plants, unfenced graveled or paved public roads, junk, old spools of wire or fencing, equipment, etc.

Shelter from the natural elements shall be available in each pasture by the topography (e.g., canyons, hills, etc.), other natural features such as trees, or manmade structures.

Each pasture shall have reliable water sources capable of supplying adequate flowing water to the herd.

Water must be always available to the stock and must be inspected by the contractor to ensure it has not frozen over. The contractor will immediately notify the National Park Service if useable pasture or water becomes unavailable.

In addition, the offered private land must be:

1. Privately owned by the offer or controlled by the offer for the duration of the contract.

2. Not accessible to the public.

The contractor shall provide clear access to and within the pasture as needed for trucks and loaded horse trailers for the Government including snow removal if necessary.

02. Corrals:

Shall be provided for gathering and doctoring of all stock at the same time. The corrals must be onsite near the pasture and in good working condition.

03. Fencing:

Perimeter and division fences shall be a minimum of 48 inches in height and completely enclose the pasture lands.

All fences shall consist of four strands of barbed wire or other approved fencing materials.

Pasture must be fenced, and fences maintained to prevent stock from straying from the awarded contractor’s pasture and/or being injured by poor fence quality or condition.

All gates must be in operable and in good condition.

04. Forage, vegetation, and water:

Pastures shall have sufficient forage to sustain up to 105 head of stock from approximately October 1 to June 1 each year. The available standing vegetation in pastures must be of sufficient nutritive quality and quantity to maintain the animals in good condition seasonally.

Good condition is generally described as follows: ribs cannot be visually distinguished but can be easily felt; backbone is not visible; hip bones do not show; withers are distinguishable but do not protrude;

shoulders and neck blend smoothly into the body.

The contractor shall alert the National Park Service if a need arises for supplemental feed or the Government request that contractor starts feeding. In situations, like an unusual amount of snow is making it difficult for the animals to access the grass, and contractor shall supply and distribute feed provided by contractor daily when authorized.

Hay Specifications: Hay must be inspected and approved by the Government. Hay is expected to be grass alfalfa mix, green in color free of dust and mold.

05. Observation and management:

The animals shall be observed by the contractor, or contractor’s designee, at a minimum of one (1) time per week, to determine the overall availability of pasture and water and general health of the animals.

Any problems or concerns shall be reported to the National Park Service’s point of contact within 24 hours of discovery. The contractor will be liable for loss of stock due to contractor negligence.

The contractor shall make restitution at their expense of total value of lost stock if found negligent or in breach of contract and shall replace stock wit stock of comparable value. The contract will be terminated immediately if deliberate negligence is observed by the National Park Service.

06. Animal carcass disposal:

The contractor will dispose of stock remains after government inspection.

The contractor may be required to euthanize stock that is suffering or is in pain (As an act of Mercy).

The contractor shall contact the Government as soon as possible if such an issue arises for guidance and direction from the Government.

Veterinarian services can be used to perform euthanasia on stock and conduct postmortem examinations as requested by the Government.

07. Emergency Moving:

The Government will be responsible for the gathering or movement of stock from pastures except in an emergency, to include, but not limited to fire and flooding.

The contractor determines if immediate gather or movement is necessary for the safety and welfare of stock. The contractor shall notify the Government within 24 hours after such movement.

The contractor shall concur with directions from the Government when movement is necessary for the safety and welfare of stock.

Movement of stock will be kept to a minimum. However, it may be necessary to move them from one pasture to another for range management practices. No more than three pasture moves per season.

Contractor must inform the Government within 24 hours prior to pasture move.

Responsibilities of the Government:

01. Service and supplies:

The Government will take inventory of all stock delivered to the site.

The Government will provide mineral and salt.

02. Veterinary care:

The Government will be responsible for all veterinary care to treat sick or injured animals as deemed necessary.

The Government will provide bi-weekly monitoring of the animals to assess health and determine loss.

The Government will maintain an informal record keeping system to document the bi-weekly monitoring of all services, and concerns.

All by weekly inspections are approximate dates and inspections may vary dependent on workload.

04. Transportation:

The Government will provide all transportation to and from the pasture.

The Government reserves the right to deliver and /or remove stock at any time during the winter pasture season.

The Government will be responsible for all vaccinations and preparation for stock transportation.

05. Monitoring:

The Government will in addition to the contractor, monitor and document vegetation quality. If vegetation exceeds the moderate level, changes may need to be made to maintain heard health standards.

06. Moving:

The Government will be responsible for the gathering or movement of stock from pastures except in an emergency as stated under contractor responsibilities.

07. Inspection:

The Government will inspect and document the pastures to determine the animals’ welfare on a bi-weekly basis.

The government reserves the right to inspect the pasture associated with the contract as necessary and without notice.

Period of Performance:

Pasture Base Year 01 October 2022 - 01 June 2023 Option Year One 01 October 2023 - 01 June 2024 Option Year Two 01 October 2024 - 01 June 2025 Option Year Three 01 October 2025 - 01 June 2026 Option Year Four 01 October 2026 - 01 June 2027

Additional information:

Feed day defined: the price to feed one animal for one full day. Payment will be made for the day of delivery, but not for the day of removal from pasture, and for the actual number of days each animal is in the contractor’s care. The contractor will be reimbursed on a per animal feed day basis for the previous month of service.

The estimated delivery date to selected pasture is 30 to 40 head beginning on or around October 1.

Delivery of 10 head per load throughout October and November.

The remainder of the Livestock delivered approximately by December 20.

All quantities are approximate and delivery dates are workload dependent.

Annual winter pasture delivery orders:

Prior to season start the National Park Service will order the approximate quantity of animal days anticipated for the season. Additional animal days may be ordered to finish the season if needed in accordance with the ordering procedures for delivery orders. If unused animal days remain, those funds will be deobligated from the delivery order at the end of the winter pasture season.