A02._Scope_of_Work.docx

Tree Planting Scope of Work US Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District Carlyle Lake, Carlyle Illinois

1. SCOPE OF WORK. Contractor will furnish all labor, and materials to supply, deliver, and plant 1,000 balled and burlap trees (See Appendix A) to be planted in various areas around Carlyle Lake marked by a Project Manager’s Representative (See Appendix B & C). Work is to be started on October 2, 2017 and all work is to be finished by October 31, 2017.

1.1 TREES

1.1.1 General. All trees for planting shall be grown at a nursery using standard methods to produce a transplantable tree with a good chance for survival. Each tree must also be tagged at the nursery with the following information:

1.1.2 Trees specified shall have a caliper of 2-2 ½ inches and a height of 6 –8 feet. The caliper mentioned is a measurement of diameter taken at a height of six (6) inches above ground level. The planting stock must be obtained from within the planting zone for Carlyle Lake, Illinois. Trees shall be made available to a Project Manager’s Representative for inspection before any planting begins. They shall not exhibit symptoms of excessive stress, such as wilted leaves, disease or insect damage. Any trees that are damaged due to abnormal stress, or do not meet specifications shall be rejected and replaced at no additional cost to the Government.

1.1.3 Branching and Height. Supplied planting stock shall be free of branches to a point of about 50% of the height and shall have well-formed branching above that height. Height of the branching shall be in good balance with the trunk as the tree grows. The trunk size of each tree shall be proportional to the height for each species ordered.

1.1.4 Ball Size. The size shall be of suitable diameter and depth while also containing enough adventitious and feeder roots to help the tree recover from the stress of tree transplanting. A minimum ball for trees 2 – 2 ½ inches in caliper will be 24 inches in diameter. Each ball will be tightly wrapped with a burlap or plastic material. A Project Manager’s Representative will require the replacement of trees with loose dirt or a broken ball at no additional cost to the Government.

1.2 PLANTING.

1.2.1 General. Holes, for planting, will be dug a minimum of 12 inches larger in diameter at the bottom and tapered out to three (3) times the root ball diameter at the top. All string, twine, wire and top 1/3 of the burlap/plastic shall be removed from the trunk and ball of the tree after placement in the planting hole. Trees shall not be planted any deeper or shallower than they were previously grown. Allowance shall be made for settling. Backfill shall consist of soil originally removed from the hole with the material being pulverized to a maximum size of one inch in diameter. In heavy clay soils, the addition of organic and inorganic materials shall be required. Soil shall be placed and compacted to approximately the same density as the root ball. Remaining soil shall be placed as a berm, two (2) to four (4) inches higher and four (4) inches wide, around the tree at the edge of the hole. Any surplus soil shall be removed from Government property. Any dead, broken, or damaged branches and/or water sprouts shall be removed after planting.

1.2.2 Support. Planted trees shall be staked and guyed to give added support. Two steel posts and plastic straps or plastic coated wire shall be used. Attachment shall be in opposing directions with the posts aligned with the prevailing winds. After attaching the straps/wire, some flexibility shall remain.

1.2.3 Watering. All trees shall be thoroughly watered within 24 hours after planting. A minimum of 10 gallons of water shall be applied in a manner so that there is not water allowed outside the berm. Any damage to the turf area or the berm, after watering, shall be repaired by the contractor at no cost to the Government.

1.2.4 Mulching. Approximately four (4) inches, +/- one (1) inch, composted material or bark chip mulch shall be applied inside the berm area of each tree after watering. The material shall be loose and placed evenly inside the berm with nothing touching the tree base. Straw will not be used for mulching.

1.2.5 Spacing. Trees are to be planted thirty (30) feet apart from each other in all wetland areas. In all other areas trees are to be planted no closer than fifteen (15) feet from another tree.

1.3 GUARANTEE. All trees shall be guaranteed to leaf out in a healthy and growing condition by May 1 during the next spring season following planting. Trees not meeting these conditions shall be replaced by May 30 after notification by a Project Manager’s Representative at no additional cost to the Government. The Government assumes no responsibility to water these trees before the end of the first spring season following planting.

1.4 PAYMENT. Payment will be made at the contract unit price per each tree species for “Tree Planting”, which price and payment shall constitute full compensation for furnishing all labor, materials, equipment and supplies necessary to perform tree planting.

1.5 WORK PERIOD. Work listed herein shall start on October 2, 2017 and shall be finished by October 31, 2017.

1.6 VEHICLE USE. The Contractor shall not drive off the paved or gravel access roads onto the grass at any time without prior approval of the Project Manager’s Representative.

1.7 RESERVED

1.8 SAFETY REQUIREMENTS. All work shall be performed in accordance with safety requirements set forth in the Corps of Engineers Manual, EM 385-1-1, entitled “Safety and Health Requirements Manual”, 30 November 2014, a copy is available at http://www.publications.usace.army.mil/Portals/76/publications/EngineerManuals/EM_385-1-1.pdf. The Contractor shall be responsible for complying with the current edition and all changes posted on the web. A Project Manager’s Representative will notify the Contractor of any noncompliance with these provisions. The Contractor shall, after receipt of such notice, immediately take corrective action. Such notice, when delivered to the Contractor, shall be deemed sufficient for the purpose. If the Contractor fails or refuses to comply promptly, a Project Manager’s Representative may issue an order stopping all or part of the work until satisfactory corrective action has been taken. No part of the time lost due to any such stop orders shall be made the subject of claim for extension of time or for excess cost or damages by the Contractor. Compliance with the provisions of this clause by subcontractors will be the responsibility of the contractor.

1.9 SUSTAINABILITY. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) designates certain biobased products for federal procurement and specifies minimum biobased content levels for those products. Any designated product that is being offered or supplied under this contract shall meet USDA BioPreferred’s minimum biobased content level. Visit the BioPreferred web site for the complete list of designated products and the associated minimum biobased content level requirements.

1.10 ANTITERRORISM/OPERATIONS SECURITY.

1.10.1 Suspicious Activity Reporting Training. The contractor and all associated sub-contractors shall receive a brief/training (provided by the RA) on the local suspicious activity reporting program. This locally developed training will be used to inform employees of the types of behavior to watch for and instruct employees to report suspicious activity to the project manager, security representative or law enforcement entity. This training shall be completed within 30 calendar days of contract award and within 30 calendar days of new employees commencing performance with the results reported to the COR NLT 5 calendar days after the completion of the training.

1.10.2 Pre-screen candidates using E-Verify Program. The Contractor must pre-screen Candidates using the E-verify Program (http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify) website to meet the established employment eligibility requirements. The Vendor must ensure that the Candidate has two valid forms of Government issued identification prior to enrollment to ensure the correct information is entered into the E-verify system. An initial list of verified/eligible Candidates must be provided to the COR no later than 3 business days after the initial contract award." *When contracts are with individuals, the individuals will be required to complete a Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, with the designated Government representative. This Form will be provided to the Contracting Officer and shall become part of the official contract file.