Deschutes National Forest, Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District - Groundhog Cultural Heritage Surveys

The Deschutes National Forest, managed by the Department of Agriculture Forest Service Region 6, seeks a cultural resource contractor to complete pedestrian inventory and cultural resource documentation in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act for up to four vegetation management projects in the Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District. The contractor must conduct surveys across multiple project areas including Groundhog/Camp II, RMC, Wild, and North Basin, with survey transects spaced at 20-meter intervals and no subsurface testing or artifact collection permitted. The Principal Investigator must meet Secretary of Interior Professional Qualification Standards with a graduate degree in archaeology or related field, one year of full-time professional experience, and four months of supervised field experience, while Field Crew Leaders must possess an undergraduate degree, completion of an archaeological field school, and at least two years of professional experience. Award will be based on best value evaluation considering technical approach, relevant past performance, and price. Quotations are due by 4:30 PM PST on March 24, 2026, with questions due by March 17, 2026, at 12:00 PM Pacific Time, submitted to Contracting Officer Andrea Pollock at andrea.pollock@usda.gov.

This solicitation is designated as a Total Small Business Set-Aside with NAICS code 541620 and a small business size standard of $19.0 million; no incumbent contractor information is provided in the notice. Pricing must be quoted on a per-acre basis for all items, including mandatory line items covering Groundhog/Camp II (3,224 acres) and RMC (1,245 acres), with optional items including Wild Out of Key Elk (up to 904 acres), North Basin P1-5 (up to 1,386 acres), Wild in Key Elk (up to 1,129 acres), and North Basin P6 (up to 1,070 acres). Work is estimated to begin April 1, 2026, with mandatory deliverables due September 30, 2026 for Groundhog/Camp II and September 30, 2027 for RMC, with a period of performance extending through September 30, 2027. All deliverables, including site forms, isolated find forms, GIS shapefiles, photographs, and field notes, become the property of the U.S. Government, and invoices must be submitted via the electronic Invoice Processing Platform. Performance will take place in Bend, Oregon, with work conducted across the identified vegetation management project areas on Deschutes National Forest lands.