Woody Vegetation Removal (Mulching), McFaddin NWR

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking a small business contractor to perform woody vegetation removal and mulching services at the McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge in Sabine Pass, Texas. The project involves removing woody vegetation across 165 acres, ranging from sparse shrubs to dense forest, with the primary objective of hazardous fuel reduction. Contractors must provide all necessary personnel, equipment, and materials to complete the mulching work, with specific requirements including maintaining mulch at no more than 1-foot height and 1-inch thickness. The technical proposal evaluation will consider the contractor's approach, past experience with similar federal/state contracts, required state certifications, references, and project timeline, with these factors being weighted equally and considered more important than price. Proposals are due by 5:00 PM ET on March 21, 2025, and must be submitted in two volumes: technical and price proposals.

This is a 100% small business set-aside contract under NAICS code 115310 with a size standard of $34 million. The period of performance is from April 1, 2025 to September 30, 2025, with contractors expected to complete 25% of the work every three weeks, subject to weather conditions. Contractors must be registered in SAM and use the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) for payment requests. The government intends to issue a firm-fixed-price contract based on a best value determination, considering both technical superiority and price. Contractors will be required to follow specific guidelines, such as cleaning equipment to prevent seed transfer, limiting soil disturbance to 10% of sub-units, and working only during dry conditions with Fish and Wildlife Service approval. Work hours are from sunrise to sunset, Sunday through Saturday, excluding federal holidays, with the contractor maintaining a contract manager available from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday.