Questions and Answers.pdf

ARCF Plant Propagation Questions and Answers W9123822Q0022

1. Can we change the NAICS code from 111421 – Nursery and Tree Production to

113210 – Forest Nurseries and Gathering of Forest Products?

NAICS 111421 suits this requirement. This requirement is primarily for providing a plant nursery to grow and maintain plants for propagation. Contractors can register under multiple NAICS codes in their SAM profile.

2. Is the proposed timeline possible? Unless plants are already seedlings (stated in

General Info....Plants must be grown specifically for this project and may not be plants already in stock at the nursery.) it will be almost impossible to meet the timeline / container top growth standard. Many of the seeds require stratification for up to three months. 8/15/22 – 11/15/22. 11/15/22 plant seedlings into flat for growing. 6 – 8 weeks before planting from flats into required containers approximately 1/15/23. 1/15/23 to delivery date is 2 months. Also keeping in mind that from Oct 2022 – March 2023 Days are short with less sun, not a lot of growth.

The requirement has been changed to allow plants already in stock to be used. Please see updated documents.

3. Will this requirement need the Contractor to grow Tree bands?

Yes, it will require the contractor to grow plants in Treeband sized containers.

Attachment A has been corrected to show the treeband sized container plants required.

4. Will this requirement need the Contractor to grow Plugs?

No, there are no plugs required, the solicitation has been amended to reflect that there are no plug sized plants required.

5. Should the Contractor provide taxes in their quote?

Yes, it is appropriate for contractors to include any taxes they pay in their quote.

6. In the solicitation, the date to acquire or propagate plants, grow and maintain plants at nursery starts on 5/15/22 but the contract award date is 8/1/22, when is collection supposed to start for this project?

The collection period starts upon contract award, the solicitation has been amended to reflect that.

7. The targeted potential first delivery window of 3/15/23 would not be possible to collect propagule material this year (some species fruiting as late as December) and provide plants in TP4 containers by even June 2023. Can the installation date be targeted for fall 2023?

No, the delivery date will not change. Plant material that is already in stock will be acceptable. Please see amended solicitation for further detail.

8. The plant lists in Attachment A and Table B-1 do not match up correctly. Was there intended to be a section in Attachment A with the Tree Bands, or were the treebands added to table B-1 by accident?

The plant list in attachment A has been corrected

9. The timeline for this project is going to be very difficult to execute all of the given tasks. This includes site specific seed collection and that it is explicitly written that none of the plants can already be in stock and everything needs to be grown specifically for this project. Would the project allow for a Fall 2023 planting date?

Site specific seed collection will not be required and plants available in stock will be acceptable. The solicitation has been amended to reflect this.

10. Marah macrocarpa is not a known native plant to the Sacramento Valley Region. It is native to Southern California from Santa Barbara County south to the border of Mexico. Would you prefer to substitute this species with a similar form native plant from the Sacramento region that is also on the plant list, such as Clematis ligusticifolia, or Vitis californica? Alternatively, Marah fabacea is native to the Sacramento Valley and would be a great fit for a substitution for this species.

The solicitation has been amended to replace Marah macrocarpa with Mara fabacean.

11. What information/paperwork/ pages does the Government need in the bid submission?

Please submit prices on the included pricing schedule as well as the SF 1449.We, and no other bidder without prior knowledge of, could provide plants under the specifications/containers requested for March 2023 starting as late as it is (August) in the growing season. Holding the materials for as long as 6 months would be very expensive and result in poor quality plants in the sizes requested. If we submit a bid it would be for delivery in November 2023. Any information as to whether such a bid would be entertained or simply DQ’d would be greatly appreciated.?

The solicitation will be amended to allow the use of seed already collected and plants already growing. The solicitation will also be amended to remove one of the options for holding plants at the nursery and to allow substitution of treepot 4 plant material with 1 gallon and 2-gallon sized container plants.