USDA-Forest Service Region 9 Marking and Cruising BPA Call. Jackalope Timber Marking/Cruising on Ottawa National Forest

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service has issued a Special Notice solicitation for timber marking and cruising services on the Jackalope Timber Sale area within the Ottawa National Forest in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. This Request for Quotation (RFQ), numbered 12363N26Q4096, was posted on April 3, 2026, with quotations due by April 17, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. Central time. The contract is designated as a Total Small Business set-aside and is restricted exclusively to holders of the USFS Region 9 Timber Mark and Cruise Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA). The work is a non-personal services contract for timber marking and cruising across approximately 534 acres divided into nine payment units. Interested contractors should submit quotations to john.swizdor@usda.gov with the solicitation number included in the email subject line.

The objective of this solicitation is to secure professional services to mark and cruise trees designated for removal under a single-tree selection silvicultural treatment designed to establish healthy, uneven-aged northern hardwood stands. Contractors must furnish all labor, materials, equipment, tools, and transportation, with the government providing tree marking paint, cruise tally cards, and marking guides. Work is estimated to begin upon award and must be completed by November 30, 2026, with award made on a firm fixed-price basis considering technical factors (contract time and schedule) and price reasonableness. Key requirements include GPS documentation of all sample trees, reconciliation of all paint within ten business days of issuance per the Ottawa National Forest Timber Theft Prevention Plan, and submission of cruise data on a payment unit-by-unit basis. Contractors must comply with prevailing wage rates established under the Service Contract Act for Michigan forestry occupations, ranging from $16.01 to $29.19 per hour depending on position, and submission must include a completed Standard Form 18 with unit price per acre and a technical proposal addressing the contractor's approach to meeting contract time requirements.