Conduct rare plant, invasive plant, and cultural plant surveys within the Kitchie Two Rivers Project Area
Overview
Buyer
Place of Performance
NAICS
PSC
Set Aside
Original Source
Timeline
Qualification Details
Fit reasons
- NAICS alignment with historical contract wins in similar service areas.
- Scope strongly matches core technical capabilities and delivery model.
Risks
- Past performance thresholds may require one additional teaming partner.
- Potential clarification needed on staffing minimums before bid/no-bid.
Next steps
Validate eligibility requirements, assign capture owner, and schedule partner outreach to confirm teaming strategy before submission planning.
Quick Summary
The USDA Forest Service, Ottawa National Forest, is seeking Total Small Business contractors to conduct rare, invasive, and cultural plant surveys within the Kitchie Two Rivers Project Area across Ontonagon, Houghton, and Iron Counties, Michigan. This Request for Quote (RFQ) requires surveys over three field seasons (2026-2028). Quotations are due April 15, 2026, at 1700 Central Time.
Scope of Work
The contractor will furnish all labor, equipment, supervision, transportation, supplies, and incidentals to perform plant surveys on 1334 stands totaling 39,430 acres. Key requirements include:
- Surveying all 1334 stands at least once.
- Resurveying 40% of awarded stands and acres.
- Conducting surveys between May 15 and September 15 during the 2026, 2027, and 2028 field seasons.
- Completing all surveys by September 15, 2028, with final deliverables by October 15, 2028.
- Adhering to Ottawa National Forest Botany Program protocols and technical requirements detailed in the Statement of Work (SOW), including GPS track submission, rare plant documentation, and NNIP reporting.
Contract & Timeline
- Type: Request for Quote (RFQ)
- Set-Aside: Total Small Business
- NAICS: 115310 – Support Activities for Forestry
- PSC: F099 – Natural Resources/Conservation – Other
- Place of Performance: Ottawa National Forest, Ontonagon, Houghton, and Iron Counties, Michigan.
- Period of Performance: Field seasons 2026, 2027, 2028, with all work completed by September 15, 2028.
- Quotations Due: April 15, 2026, at 1700 Central Time.
- Submission Method: Email to david.easter@usda.gov.
Evaluation and Award
Award will be made to the offeror representing the best value to the Government, not necessarily the lowest price. Evaluation factors, in order of importance, are:
- Qualifications and Experience: Demonstrated expertise with Upper Midwest flora, botany survey experience, and rare plant detection success.
- Capacity: Availability of sufficient personnel and resources to meet multi-year survey requirements within field windows.
- Past Performance: Acceptable or neutral record from USDA and other federal sources.
- Price: Evaluated for fairness and reasonableness. No tradeoffs will be conducted; the highest technically rated offeror with fair and reasonable pricing and acceptable past performance will receive the award.
Submission Requirements
Offerors must submit:
- A Technical Quotation addressing all SOW requirements.
- Pricing for CLIN 0001 (a single total price).
- Past Performance References (optional but recommended).
- SAM Registration Confirmation (UEI, CAGE). Quotes must be valid for 90 days. Bidders should also review the "REGISTER OF WAGE DETERMINATIONS UNDER THE SERVICE CONTRACT ACT" for Michigan to understand minimum labor costs.
Key Attachments
Important documents include the Statement of Work (SOW), maps, stand lists, rare plant lists, NNIP priority lists, and the "Contract Clauses and Provisions" document detailing mandatory FAR and AGAR clauses.