Bighorn Retreat Stewardship SSC- Region 2- RMRP BPA- Pikes-Isabel NF, South Platte RD

The Department of Agriculture Forest Service Region 2 seeks stewardship contracting services for the Bighorn Retreat project on the Pike-San Isabel National Forests, South Platte Ranger District in Colorado, with proposals due August 20, 2026, and a site visit scheduled for July 27. This procurement is a 100% small business set-aside restricted to approved vendors eligible for call orders under the Rocky Mountain Restoration Project BPA; only companies already qualified under that BPA may compete.

Place of performance is Conifer, Colorado, on approximately 62 acres approximately 11 miles north of Bailey. Work is structured as mandatory and optional items: mandatory work includes cutting, forwarding, and decking non-included material (56 acres) and mastication/chipping of slash piles and dead and down wood (56 acres); optional work involves mastication of standing dead trees and blowdowns in a 6-acre unit. All trees and blowdowns greater than 5 inches diameter at breast height marked with blue paint or blown down are to be processed to a 4-inch top. Period of performance runs from date of award through September 30, 2027, with work commencing within 10 calendar days of the Notice to Proceed. Operations are restricted December 1 through May 31 to protect bighorn sheep winter range. Heavy equipment work is restricted to dry soil conditions or when protected by snow or frozen soil.

NAICS 113310 (Logging), size standard 500 employees. Service Contract Act wage determinations apply to 41 Colorado counties, with rates ranging from $14.02 to $26.38 per hour plus fringe benefits. Evaluation criteria weight technical approach and past performance as significantly more important, followed by local workforce utilization and community benefit, with technical factors approximately equal to cost or price. The firm fixed price contract will be awarded on best overall value. Proposals must include separate technical and price sections and remain firm for 60 days. Quality standards require a minimum Acceptable Quality Level of 90 percent determined through government plot-based inspections, with payment adjusted for 95+ percent (full), 85–94 percent (reduced), or below 85 percent (no payment). Contractors must complete fire suppression responsibilities and maintain detailed personnel and equipment lists by qualification.