Rivercane Site Suitability Post-Hurricane Helene Recovery

The Department of Agriculture Forest Service seeks rivercane site suitability assessment services supporting Hurricane Helene disaster recovery, with quotations due September 16, 2026, and questions due September 10, 2026. The procurement is a Total Small Business Set-Aside under NAICS 541690, with a small business size standard of $16.5 million.

Place of performance is Woodfin, North Carolina. The contract is structured as Firm-Fixed Price with three one-year performance periods running October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2029. Each year requires three lump-sum deliverables: Field and Vegetation Data Collection & Reporting Services, Site Characterization and Restoration Suitability Assessment Services, and Draft Report on ideal restoration site analysis. All responsible small business sources may submit quotations; the Government intends one award and requires quotations for all items to be considered responsive.

Key personnel must include a PhD-level scientist with expertise in biology, forestry, ecology, or natural resource management; three years of forest resources statistical application experience specific to rivercane (Arundinaria gigantea); and demonstrated experience advising scientists on research study designs and data analysis for peer-reviewed publication. Work encompasses examining streambank erosion and damage at minimum 10 study sites where rivercane was present and absent, assessing physical characteristics of minimum 10 existing rivercane sites, using Forest Service remote-sensed data products and LiDAR comparisons, and evaluating vegetation indices over two growing seasons. Contractor travel is estimated at 40 days to field sites in western North Carolina. All collected data is owned by USDA Forest Service; no reporting, manuscripts, or presentations are permitted without research team consent. Payment is milestone-based with 15 percent retainage. Quotations must remain firm for 90 calendar days from receipt. Wage Determination No. 2001-0233 (North Carolina, effective August 14, 2026) applies; Health & Welfare benefits are $5.92 per hour, and paid sick leave of one hour per 30 hours worked applies.