Tuscarora herbicide

The Bureau of Land Management Nevada Region is soliciting ground-based herbicide application services for the Tuscarora Herbicide Treatment project, requiring contractors to treat approximately 2,498 acres of noxious weeds using contractor-furnished herbicides, adjuvants, and dyes. The solicitation (140L3926Q0013) requires offerors to hold a current Nevada Professional Applicator License (Agricultural Ground B2 category) and demonstrate technical capability through a detailed approach statement, equipment description, quality control plan, and safety plan. Key contract requirements include treating 2,425 acres with a terrestrial tank mix (2,4-D at 32 ounces per acre plus chlorsulfuron at 1 ounce per acre) and 73 acres with a water's edge tank mix (aquatic-approved 2,4-D at 64 ounces per acre), with all work conducted between May 18 and June 19, 2026. Evaluation will follow a best-value trade-off approach with technical capability and past performance weighted more heavily than price, and offerors must provide at least three past performance references from similar projects completed within the last five years. The deadline for submission of quotes and supporting documentation is March 24, 2026, at 5:00 PM local time, with quotes to be submitted via email to mbmerritt@blm.gov.

This solicitation is set aside 100 percent for Total Small Business under NAICS code 115310 (Support Activities for Forestry), with a small business size standard of $11.5 million. No incumbent contractor is identified in the solicitation materials, suggesting this may be a new competitive procurement. The contract will be awarded on a firm fixed-price basis with payment contingent upon achieving 95 percent treatment of target species as verified by the Contracting Officer's Representative, calculated at a cost-per-acre rate specified in the offeror's bid schedule. The work encompasses treatment of hoary cress, Scotch thistle, and spotted knapweed across scattered BLM-managed patches in Elko County, Nevada, near Tuscarora, with critical operational restrictions including a prohibition on mobilization or application between 6 p.m. and 9 a.m. until after May 15 due to sage grouse habitat protection requirements. Contractors must submit Pesticide Application Records within 24 hours of treatment and daily GPS tracklogs in ESRI ArcMap format documenting all spray activities, and Service Contract Act wage determinations apply to this solicitation, with prevailing wage rates for Nevada forestry and land management services ranging from $13.75 to $25.28 per hour plus fringe benefits.