Statement of Work Grounds Maintenance USDA Fayetteville AR.doc

Statement of Work

Grounds Maintenance

United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service

Poultry Production and Product Safety Research Center

Fayetteville, Arkansas

SCOPE OF CONTRACT

The Contractor shall provide all labor, materials and equipment, transportation, and other services as required by the Government for grounds management services at the USDA, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), PPPSRU, Fayetteville, AR, in accordance with the terms and conditions; and scope, statements, and specifics of work contained herein.

CONTRACT PERIOD

The Government anticipates the award of one contract for grounds management services for the Base Year period (June 1, 2024, through May 31, 2025) + four option years. The Service Contract Labor Standards Statute apply to this contract.

SCOPE OF WORK

The services specified in the statements and specifics of work shall be performed by the Contractor in accordance with the requirements of these specifications. Such services shall include the providing of all labor, supplies, supervision, equipment, tools, and other items or services necessary for performance of the work unless otherwise specified herein.

The scope of the work required under this contract consists of mowing/trimming of grounds to assure a good, well-maintained appearance on an ongoing basis.

NOTE: The Government has not made and will not make any efforts at determining the square footages to be covered under the contract. It is the responsibility of the prospective bidder to visit the grounds of the unit and make the appropriate determinations. The dimensions in the attached figures are only roughly to scale and should not be used to make measurements of areas to be covered under the contract.

SUPERVISION

Prior to commencement of services under this contract, the Contractor shall furnish to the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR), a list of employees he or she proposes to use in the performance of the on-site work required under this contract and designate the on-site Manager/Worker who will be responsible for supervision of such employees. The Manager/Worker shall:

1.

Be the Contractor's primary on-site representative having the Contractor's full authority to act on matters pertaining to the performance of services under this contract;

2.

Be on-site whenever work is being performed by the Contractor's work forces on the site;

3.

Report damage to Government property, loss of keys, personal injuries, and/or hazardous conditions to the COR within twenty-four (24) hours after occurrence.

RESPONSIBILITY FOR PERFORMANCE

This work will require responsibility by the Contractor for the management of specified grounds administered by the USDA-ARS PPPSR Unit.

The Contractor shall be directly responsible for work performance specified in the contract. The Contractor shall provide adequate supervision at all times while his/her employees are performing work on the contract.

SPECIFICS OF WORK

Figure 1 shows the general layout of the ARS/USDA PPPSRU facilities located on West Knapp Drive, Fayetteville, AR. These facilities are located within the University of Arkansas Milo J. Shult Agricultural Research & Extension Center. The black lines indicate the two locations of the USDA facilities within the Agricultural Research & Extension Center.

Mowing/edging/trimming. Figure 2 indicates the areas of the grounds at the Unit that will require mowing using conventional lawn mowing, edging, and trimming equipment. This area is bound by black lines. Lawns in all these areas shall be mowed when no more than three inches high. This area will not require bagging of lawn clippings. All mowing will discharge away from buildings and exterior mounted equipment. Sidewalks and other non-lawn areas that are subject to pedestrian traffic will be cleared of mowing debris (by use of blower, sweeping, etc.) within 4 hours after mowing. In all areas that require mowing as indicated in Figure 2, blade edging will be done in all areas where concrete abuts lawn or landscaped areas. Areas requiring edging will be done before the vegetative material intrudes onto the sidewalks, curbs, etc., a distance of to two inches It is the Contractor's responsibility to regularly and throughout the year pick up and remove from the Unit grounds all fallen limbs and other natural debris that may detract from the good appearance of the Unit. It is also the Contractor's responsibility to, during normal mowing/maintenance activities pick up trash (paper, cans, bottles, etc.) that may be encountered on the Unit grounds.

In all areas that require mowing as indicated in Figure 2, string trimming around all landscape trees/shrubs, light poles (where not supported by concrete pads), buildings, fire hydrants, manhole covers, fences, etc., will be done. Areas requiring string trimming will be done before the vegetation material accumulates to a height of 3-4 inches. Because it is important that the grounds look neat and evenly mowed/edged/ trimmed, Contractor must provide sufficient equipment and personnel such that each mowing/edging/ trimming of areas indicated in Figure 2 is accomplished within a 2-day period.

Figure 3 indicates research plots composed of small runoff plots that contain metal edging on three sides with aluminum runoff troughs at one end. These plots should be mowed when over three inches high. These runoff troughs have an approximately five gallon bucket hole on one side. There are two areas within figure 3 that require different landscaping.

The area marked by the letter "A" in Figure 3 will require the use of a walk behind mower. The area requires mowing to a specified height to avoid impacts of mower blades with metal borders. The onsite Unit representative will show the contractor the appropriate height to set mower decks. This area will require bagging and removal of clippings as well as trimming around borders and runoff troughs. The area immediately around the runoff troughs should not be mowed, only trimmed. The areas may be in use for research purposes during the course of the contract. These research activities may require a cessation of landscaping activities for set periods which will be conveyed to the Contractor.

The area marked by the letter “B” in Figure 3 can be maintained using conventional lawn mowing. This area also consists of small runoff plots bound by metal borders and runoff troughs. However, the interior of these runoff plots will not be mowed by the Contractor. This area requires mowing and trimming around the outside of the research plots. The Contractor will bag clippings where discharge of clippings would enter runoff plots. These plots may also require cessation of landscaping activities for set periods during research. These periods will be conveyed to the Contractor.

The Contractor is responsible for removal of all bagged clippings. There is an available site for disposal of clippings on the Agriculture Research and Extension Center should the Contractor choose that option.

Trees or shrubs damaged through negligence of Contractor's employees during mowing, string trimming, or other operations will be replaced by the Contractor at no expense to the Government, if such damage results in plant death or if such damage seriously impairs plant growth, as determined by the COR. Similarly, any damage to buildings, fences, runoff plots, etc., caused through negligence of Contractor's employees shall be repaired by the Contractor at no cost to the Government.

Safety. Contractor will provide a safe work environment for all contractor personnel and will ensure all personnel practice safe working techniques. The following are some of the basic guidelines that will be adhered to:

1.

Contractor will provide as necessary all personal protective equipment to his/her personnel.

2.

Contractor will routinely inspect all machinery brought on-site to ensure it is in safe working order and that it meets all Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) regulations.

3.

Any machinery found to be unsafe will be promptly removed from service and removed from the work site or disabled from service to prevent inadvertent use. Additionally, any equipment deemed to be unsafe by the COR will be promptly removed from service by Contractor.

4.

Contractor will ensure that all use of weed trimmers, mowers, and blowers is suspended when non-Contractor personnel are within ten feet of the operator.

Insurance. The Contractor’s Workers Compensation Insurance shall cover all of Contractor’s personnel. The Contractor’s Workers Compensation Insurance shall handle all Contractor personnel work-related injuries. Additionally, the Contractor shall maintain insurance to cover any site damages caused as a direct or indirect result of the grounds management services provided under the contract.

Figure 1. USDA facilities highlighted in yellow

Figure 2. USDA colony house facility with standard landscaping

Figure 3. USDA runoff plots “A” and “B”