Statement_of_Work.pdf

AERIAL APPLICATION OF BUSH HONEYSUCKLE

LAKE SHELBYVILLE

This document constitutes a request for competitive sealed bids for aerial herbicide application treating bush honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) that is infesting forest stand acres at US Army Corps of Engineers Property (USACE), Lake Shelbyville, in East Central Illinois. Total acreage treated will be dependent upon the winning bid price per acre.

1. GENERAL. Under the direction of the Natural Resource Specialist at Lake Shelbyville, perform services as set forth below at specified sites on Lake Shelbyville sites. Maps and coordinates will be provided to the pilot. A GIS shape file can also be provided to the winning bidder.

1.1.1 The Contractor shall provide all equipment, labor, and other materials necessary to perform the services indicated except as stated herein. The Contractor shall agree that this agreement shall not be amended or modified except in writing and signed by all parties of the original agreement.

1.1.2 The Contractor shall not engage or use the services of subcontractors in performing the contract unless the Contractor obtains prior written approval from the US Army Corps of Engineers, Lake Shelbyville. Any subcontractors used in conjunction with this agreement shall be bound to the same requirements placed on the Contractor

1.1.3 The Contractor shall possess a valid Illinois Department of Agriculture Commercial Pesticide Applicators license. The pilot and aircraft must have all valid Federal Aviation Administration certificates and licenses to operate. The aircraft must have all appropriate instrumentation and certification to operate in urban and rural airspaces.

1.1.4 The Contractor agrees to comply with all local, state, federal and other applicable laws and regulations and to abide by the laws of the State of Illinois. This contract shall be interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of Illinois.

1.1.5 The Contractor agrees to provide USACE staff a copy of their chemical applicators license and a copy of their employee’s operator’s licenses if applicable.

Contractors and their employees shall follow all chemical label directions. The Contractor agrees to provide USACE staff with proof of current commercial liability insurance before commencing any work on this project. The Contractor agrees to provide USACE staff with a completed W-9 form.

1.1.6 The Contractor agrees to secure any applicable federal, state, and local permits, to carry out the Project Plan.

1.1.7 Bid proposals must be submitted on the Bid Page contained in this document or exact copy thereof. The Bid Page must be signed and bidder information completed.

1.1.8 The USACE reserves the right to reject any or all bids.

1.1.9 When evaluating a bid, the USACE reserves the right to consider relevant information and fact, whether gained from a previous experience with the bidder, from a bid, from a bidder, from a bidder’s reference, or from any other source before the contract award is made.

2. CONTRACTING OFFICER. For purposes of this contract, the Contracting Officer shall mean the Contracting Officer or his/her authorized representative (COR). The Contracting Officer will identify the work limits at each job site and will serve as the contract inspector. The Contracting Officer will also issue formal work stoppages when required, as specified below.

3. CONTRACTOR FURNISHED EQUIPTMENT/PERSONNEL AND

SPECIFICATIONS

3.1 Contractor shall perform aerial herbicide application treating bush honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) on USACE lands in locations specified by the COR in Shelby and/or Moultrie counties.

3.1.1 The contractor must complete the work on a date acceptable to USACE.

The spraying needs to be done on a day (or days) when most (80% or greater) of the forest tree canopy leaves have dropped for the fall, the honeysuckle is still holding its leaves, and the weather conditions are appropriate (clear skies, 20 ft. wind speeds between 2 to 12 mph, no rainfall within four hours before and none forecast within four hours after application). Each year canopy leaf-drop date is variable. Typically the window for operation will fall between the last two weeks in October and the first two weeks of November depending upon weather conditions. The contractor must receive approval for the specific date(s) of spraying from USACE.

3.1.2 It is imperative that the application window is met as outlined in 3.1.1. If the application window is missed and the USACE Natural Resource Specialist believes the application will not work due to the bush honeysuckle going dormant, the contract will be cancelled.

3.1.3 The Contractor shall not be held liable for drift of herbicide up to 100 feet beyond the spray block perimeters. However, the Contractor shall carry out operations in such a manner as to cause the least damage as practical to the habitat in the vicinity of the sprayed areas.

3.1.4 The Contractor shall not dump or dispose of any unused herbicide mix, oil, hydraulic fluid, other petroleum products, or litter on any property.

3.1.5 Areas designated under this contract will be inspected by the USACE to ensure compliance with contract provisions.

3.1.6 The spray solution for aerial herbicide application from a fixed wing aircraft shall deliver a 15% solution or 3 quarts/ac of glyphosate product approved for aquatic use (e.g., Aquamaster®, Roundup Custom, Rodeo®) per acre delivered in 5 gallons of spray volume per acre. A non-ionic surfactant (LI 700) will be added to the tank mix at the rate of 4 pints per 100 gallons.

The spray solution for aerial herbicide application from a helicopter shall deliver a 6% solution or 3.75 quarts/ac of glyphosate product approved for aquatic use (e.g., Aquamaster®, Roundup Custom, Rodeo®) per acre delivered in 15 gallons of spray volume per acre. A non-ionic surfactant (LI 700) will be added to the tank mix at the rate of 4 pints per 100 gallons.

The contractor is responsible for the chemical, surfactant, and drift retardant agent and water for the tank mix.

The spray solution will be applied using either a fixed-wing aircraft or helicopter using standard agricultural/forestry herbicide spraying procedures.

The Contractor must provide water and must mix and apply herbicide at rates and methods according to label instructions.

The Contractor may not apply herbicide during rainfall, for four hours after rainfall and if rain is forecast within four hours after application. Herbicide applied within the above conditions may require a second application of herbicide at no cost to USACE.

Spraying shall not be done when ambient temperature is at or below forty five (45) degrees Fahrenheit. Lower temperatures may be allowed with permission from USACE staff.

Uniform coverage is expected. If obvious swaths of woodlands were missed, a second application of herbicide targeting these locations will be required at no cost to USACE.

3.1.7 Contractor must follow all best management practices for the operations, including aircraft and pilot safety and safe pesticide handling (following all label directions). Lake Shelbyville is a huntable site and could have hunters in the area or fisherman in or adjacent to the target areas. The areas to be sprayed will be well signed and as tightly controlled as possible but there is the possibility someone could be in the area. When the aircraft reaches each target site, it will need to fly an initial inspection pass to verify that no people or vehicles are within or immediately adjacent to the spray area, local weather conditions are suitable, and all pilot-to-USACE ground crew communications are working correctly. If anyone is observed, operations will cease until the person is located and leaves the area.

Staging and loading area will be set up in a manner that facilitates efficient loading and eliminates trip hazards. The staging and loading area can occur on USACE land or another location based on communication between the USACE and the contractor. The Contractor assumes all liability and responsibility for accidental chemical or petroleum spills or other accidents involved with the operation.

3.2 WORK MEASUREMENT. Bids will be on a per acre basis and will be calculated to the nearest tenth of an acre using a two-dimensional GIS layer.

3.3 SAFETY. 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”, November 2003, copy is available at http://www.usace.army.mil/inet/usace-docs/eng-manuals/em385-1-1/toc.htm. The Contractor shall be responsible for complying with the current edition and all changes posted on the web. The COR 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, the COR 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.

4. AWARD. Award will be made based on the lowest bid per acre of equipment and operator as specified in “Contractor Furnished Equipment/Personnel” above.

5. INSPECTION. USACE reserves the right to pull a sample from the spray tank and have it analyzed for stated herbicide rates depending upon equipment used (fixed wing or helicopter). Additionally, uniform coverage is expected. If obvious swaths of woodlands were missed during the application, a second application of herbicide targeting these locations will be required at no cost to USACE.

6. PAYMENT. Price and payment shall constitute full compensation for the cost of equipment, operator, materials, supplies, repairs, and support equipment necessary to complete the work specified. Payment will be made by Accommodation Check or Government VISA credit card if deemed to be in the best interest of the Government.

7. CHEMICAL USE REPORTING. The contractor shall report the amounts and types of herbicides used during the contract period on the attached pesticide use reporting sheet.

8. SECURITY.

Suspicious Activity Reporting Training (e.g. iWATCH, CorpsWatch, or See Something, Say Something).

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.

Pre-screen candidates using E-Verify Program. Proposed language:

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.

8. SUSTAINABILITY

WaterSense: The contractor shall provide WaterSense labeled products under this contract, as applicable. The contractor is encouraged to visit http://www.epa.gov/watersense for complete product specifications and updated lists of qualifying products.

9. REQUIRED INSURANCE

As required by the Contract Clause entitled “Insurance – Work on a Government Installation”, the Contractor shall furnish to the Contracting Officer, prior to the commencement of work, a certificate or written statement as evidence of the minimum insurance listed below. The Contractor shall procure and maintain such types and amounts of insurance during the entire period of his performance under this contract. The Contractor shall assure that the certificate or written statement is in accordance with required wording indicated in paragraph b of the aforementioned Contract Clause.

Workmen’s Compensation – Amounts required by applicable jurisdiction statutes.

Employer’s Liability Insurance - $100,000.00

Comprehensive General Liability Insurance – (No property damage liability insurance is required.)

Bodily Injury - $500,000 per occurrence

Comprehensive Automobile Insurance –

Bodily Injury - $200,000 each person $500,000 each accident Property Damage - $ 20,000 each accident

Certificates of Insurance should be submitted to the following address:

Department of the Army St. Louis District, Corps of Engineers Lake Shelbyville Project Office RR 4, Box 128B Shelbyville, IL 62565