USDA Forest Service Plains Thompson Fall Ranger District Tree Planting AMD 0001

The USDA Forest Service is soliciting quotations for tree planting services on the Lolo National Forest's Plains-Thompson Falls Ranger District under Solicitation 1284LM26Q0030. The contractor must plant approximately 125,442 trees across 414 acres at 12-by-12 spacing during spring 2026 (April through June), including western larch, ponderosa pine, western white pine, and whitebark pine species. Key contract requirements include providing all labor, equipment, supervision, and transportation necessary to complete the work; maintaining a minimum crew size of 10-14 workers; achieving a minimum 93 percent planting quality for full payment; and complying with Service Contract Labor Standards (prevailing wage of $14.29 per hour plus $5.09 in fringe benefits for tree planters). Contractors must demonstrate past performance on similar projects completed within the past three years and possess appropriate insurance coverage including $100,000 workers' compensation employer's liability, $500,000 general liability, and $200,000 automobile liability. Award will be made to the lowest-priced, technically acceptable quoter based on evaluation criteria of price fairness and reasonableness, technical acceptability, and past performance. The deadline for submitting questions was February 25, 2026, and quotations are due by March 17, 2026, at 5:00 PM Mountain Time.

This acquisition is set-aside exclusively for small business concerns with a size standard of $11.5 million under NAICS code 115310 (Support Activities for Forestry). No incumbent contractor is identified in the solicitation materials. The contract represents a firm-fixed-price purchase order with payment directly tied to planting quality percentages, with quality below 80 percent resulting in no payment and quality between 80-93 percent resulting in proportional payment reductions. The work encompasses three main planting project areas: 2Short units (91 acres with 27,360 trees), Graves Creek units (261 acres with 79,020 trees, some requiring walk-in access of 1,000 to 7,000 feet), and Henry Deemer units (62 acres with 19,062 trees). Performance of work will take place in Plains, Montana 59859 (Lolo National Forest, Plains-Thompson Falls Ranger District), with the contract period running from April 1, 2026, through June 30, 2026, contingent upon favorable weather and ground conditions and commencement upon issuance of Notice to Proceed.