Inactive Total Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5)

COCHETOPA CHEATGRASS GROUND TREATMENT, GUNNISON FIELD OFFICE, COLORADO This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as suppleme... COCHETOPA CHEATGRASS GROUND TREATMENT, GUNNISON FIELD OFFICE, COLORADO This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement and attachments constitute the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. Consider this solicitation (140L3723Q0088) as a Request for Quotes (RFQ). This solicitation documents incorporate provisions and clauses in effect through Federal acquisition Circular 2019-03. This solicitation is set-aside for small business. NAICS 115310 - Support Activities for Forestry. The small business size standard is $11.5 million. Product Service Code F006 - Natural Resources / Conservation - Land Treatment Practices. The resulting purchase order will be a firm-fixed price type contract. (SEE ATTACHMENTS FOR COMPLETE STATEMENT OF WORK, MAPS, WAGE DETERMINATIONS, AND CLAUSES / PROVISIONS.) 628 acres x $______________ = $___________________ In accordance with the procedures in FAR Part 12 and 13, RFQ 140L3723Q0088 is available for viewing through electronic commerce via Land Management's website at https://sam.gov. The Government will award a purchase order resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer is conforming to the solicitation and is the lowest price technically acceptable. Quotes are due Monday, August 7, 2023, by 4:00 p.m. Mountain Time. Contractors submit quotes by email to awhetham@blm.gov. Note: Any contractor to submit an acceptable quote or be awarded a government contract must be registered and active in the System for Award Management (SAM). Contractors must register at www.sam.gov. Contractor's must submit their Unique Entity ID (UEI) and CAGE code with their quote. UEI ______________________ CAGE ____________________ For further information about this requirement, offerors should contact Audrey Whetham at awhetham@blm.gov. The provisions and clauses attached apply to this solicitation. LOCATION OF PROJECT The project area is located 7 miles east of Gunnison Colorado on Cochetopa Canyon. The contract area lays to the west of Highway 114. CONTRACT PERIOD Contract work must be completed between September 1, 2023, and October 30th, 2023. Site Tour There will be a virtual/actual site tour on Monday, July 31, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. Mountain Time. Due to the complexity of the Weeds Project, all Vendors must RSVP with Mr. Brian Stevens at bwstevens@blm.gov, and are strongly encouraged to attend the site tour. Location/Gunnison The purpose of this project is to chemically treat 628 acres cheatgrass on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) ownership. The contractor will travel and treat cheatgrass within the Cochetopa Canyon area. Much of this area has either no roads or trails or signal track trails so will be treated by backpack sprayer on foot. In the project areas there are several hundred acres of mapped cheatgrass. The cheatgrass has not been mapped in this area, many of the south and west aspects are infested with cheatgrass. Cheatgrass infestation can differ from year to year with the cheatgrass comes up. The Cochetopa Canyon invasive weeds treatment area is 3,218 acres. Out of those 3,218 aces 628 acres of cheatgrass are to be chemically treated. (See map). Chemical Treatment Apply imazapic at a rate of 8oz./acre with a methylated seed oil adjuvant at a rate of 3 oz./acre. Using ground based equipment at the previously mentioned rate with a water carrier volume of 3 to 15 gallons per acre in areas infested with cheatgrass. Dye will be mixed with herbicide for coverage marking. Apply imazapic at a rate of 8 oz/acre with a methylated seed oil adjuvant at a rate of 1.5 pints/acre using backpack sprayer, horseback sprayer, truck or ATV/UTV mounted sprayers, or other non-motorized methods targeting patches of invasive annuals. Inside the treatment area it is not continues cheatgrass, there are pockets of cheatgrass, and 628 acres are to be treated inside the Cochetopa Canyon treatment area. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS 1. Scheduling of all work under this contract shall be coordinated and approved between the contractor and the contracting officer representative (COR). 2. All property owners adjacent to BLM managed lands would be notified prior to any herbicide treatment. 3. A 100 foot buffer will be provided for all open water and riparian areas associated with the project areas. 4. To minimize drift, application of all herbicides will be confined to periods when wind speed is less than 5 miles per hour. Application will not occur during precipitation and sufficient drying time will be provided prior to expected precipitation. 5. To further limit the potential for damage to aquatic habitats, application equipment and calibrations (i.e. spray pressure and droplet size) must be selected to deliver sprays which minimize atomized drift in situations where herbicide could potentially contact surface waters, such as stock ponds and reservoirs. 6. Only federally registered herbicides would be used. 7. The BLM Hazardous Material Coordinator would be contacted in the event there are any Hazardous Materials spills during project implementation, and hazardous materials would be cleaned up utilizing standard haz-mat procedures. 8. All appropriate label specifications will be followed. 9. All individuals associated with the handling or application of herbicides on public lands would be working under the direction of a certified pesticide applicator and would be familiar with the chemical used and emergency procedures to be used in case of herbicide spill. 10. The applicable Federal regulations concerning the storage and disposal of herbicides and herbicide containers would be followed. These are described in the EPA's "Regulations for Acceptance and Procedures for Disposal and Storage", Federal Register notices as amended. SPRAYING OPERATIONS 1. The contractor shall furnish all labor, equipment and any other needed items to apply herbicide in solution to the designated areas in the time specified at their cost. 2. Spray nozzles shall be set to produce spray droplets with a median diameter of 200 microns or larger to minimize drift. 3. Contractor will supply any personnel they need to perform according to contract specifications or that they may see fit. The contractor shall have a certified pesticide applicator licensed individual on site at all times during herbicide application. Certification must be for the use of herbicides in the Rangeland Pest Control category. Appropriate proof of license must be submitted to the contracting officer within one week of notification of award of purchase order. 4. Maximum wind velocity at which spray may be applied in any treatment area is 5 miles per hour. 5. Spraying shall not be done on wet days or when rain is imminent within label rain fast guidelines or when target plant species are retaining moisture on foliage from rain, heavy dew, or frost. 6. Temperature at the time of application shall be within 45 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. 7. The contractor shall satisfactorily complete and submit a 2023 Pesticide Application Record (PAR) to the contracting officer within 24 hours of any application. BLM SHALL FURNISH OR PROVIDE The BLM will provide project unit maps and GPS/ArcView shapefiles. CONTRACTOR SHALL FURNISH The contractor will provide work crews, equipment and supplies not provided by the BLM necessary to carry out contract operations including but not limited to all herbicide (metsulfuronmethyl herbicide or chlorsulfuron herbicide, glyphosate and all imazapic herbicide), along with a non-ionic surfactant for use with first two herbicides and methylated seed oil adjuvant for use with imazapic, and dye used for mixing to mark coverage needed for the application. STIPULATIONS Damage to Existing Structures Damage to fences, culverts, cattle guards, gates and other improvements will be repaired by the contractor immediately and at the Contractor's expense. Repairs shall be made to the previous conditions as determined by the COR or the BLM will hire the work done at the Contractor's expense. Administration Operations will proceed in a systematic manner through the project area as determined by the COR. The Contractor shall insure best management practices are utilized. Weeds The Contractor shall ensure that prior to moving to Gunnison that all equipment is free of soil, seeds, vegetative matter, or other debris that could contain or hold seeds, as determined by the COR. Equipment shall be considered clean when a visual inspection does not disclose such material. Disassembly of equipment components or specialized inspection tools is not required. Cleaning shall not take place on BLM land. Public Access The work area will not be closed to the public during the contract period. BLM may post signs at the entrance to the area to notify the public of the activity. The Contractor must be aware of the presence of people in the work area and adjust activities to account for their presence. Archeological or Cultural Discoveries The Contractor shall avoid disturbing all cultural sites. If in connection with operations under this contract the Contractor, his subcontractors, or the employees of any of them, discovers, encounters, or becomes aware of any objects or sites of cultural value on the work area such as historical or prehistorical ruins, human remains, graves or grave markers, fossils, or artifacts; the Contractor shall immediately suspend all operations in the vicinity of the cultural value and shall notify the COR of the findings. Operations may resume at the discovery site upon receipt of written instructions and authorization by the COR. Littering No littering is permitted, and the contractor shall be responsible for hauling all trash accumulated out of the area. Work Camps The Contractor or his employees, upon written authorization from the COR, may establish a temporary work camp on lands administered by the BLM. The camp may consist of mobile trailers, pickup campers, tent trailers or tents. The Contractor will be required to: 1. Provide adequate sanitary facilities. 2. Provide metal garbage collection cans with lids. 3. Keep the camp in a clean and orderly condition 4. Rehabilitate the area to the satisfaction of the COR. Injuries and Damage Contractors are expected to know and strictly adhere to all OSHA laws and regulations regarding the work being conducted under this contract. The Contractor, in their operations under this contract, shall not perform in a negligent manner causing any person or property to be injured or damaged. PAYMENT The Contractor's inspection results are to be used as a guide for the Contractor's use in complying with contract specifications and not as a basis for payment. Payment will be based on the Government's inspection results. Payment will be made for the each of the two Areas inspected and accepted by the Government, less the adjustment in payment based on the work quality level percentage, if any. If the work quality level equals or exceeds 95 percent before rework, full payment (100 percent) will be made for the number of acres inspected and accepted by the Government on the completed Area. Area achieving a work quality level of 85 - 94 percent will be paid at that percentage rate. If an Area is accepted which do not meet 85 percent, payments will be made at a rate determined by multiplying the actual inspection percentage by the bid price. Deliverables Each Area will be an individual payment unit. Upon satisfactorily completing Area the contractor may submit an invoice for the agreed upon amount indicated in the contract for each specific Area. INSPECTION/ACCEPTANCE Measurement The contractor will supply the BLM with data such as a GPS track log that can be converted into an ArcView shapefile for area measurement on a horizontal plane. A satisfactory track log will demonstrate the 85% - 90% treatment Areas. EVALUATION FACTORS At the time of quote contractors are required to include a work schedule to support meeting period of performance dates, Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for all herbicide (chemicals) that will be used for the work, and a list of equipment that will be used during the application process.