Pacific Southwest (PSW) STEWARDSHIP BPA (R5 Multiple Forests)

Statement of Work (SOW) / Performance Work Statement (PWS)

To increase forest health and vigor, reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire, and provide wood resources to the forest product industry and local communities by executing projects within priority areas on National Forest System lands across multiple National Forests in Region 5.

This document outlines technical specifications for various service work items related to forest management. Key activities include:

• Hand cutting, piling, and/or lopping of non-included material.
• Mechanical cutting, piling, lopping, masticating, chipping, skidding, and/or removing non-included or non-sawtimber material.
• Road construction, maintenance, closure, and decommissioning.
• Cutting, skidding, and removal of commercial wood products.

Specific work items are detailed with acreage and treatment types, such as:

• Commercial Harvest and Removal of Included Timber (500 Acres)

• Mechanical Treatment of Non-sawtimber material (Cut, Skid, and Remove; Cut, Skid, and Deck) (300 Acres each)

• Mechanical Treatment of Biomass material (Cut, Skid, and Remove) (200 Acres)

• Mechanical Treatment of Non-included material (Masticate/Chip, Cut and Piling, Cut and Lopping) (200 Acres each)

• Hand Treatment of Non-included material (Hand Cutting and Piling; Hand Cutting and Lopping) (200 Acres each)

• Removal of Piled Material

• Road Maintenance (Pre, During, and Post haul) (10 miles)

• Road Reconstruction and Construction

• Minimum Acceptable Quality Levels (AQL) are specified for most work items, typically 90% for ACRE units and 100% for EACH or MILE units.

• Work quality is determined through Government verification inspections and plot measurements.

• Unsatisfactory work (below 90% AQL) may result in rework orders or reduced payment.

• Operations are permitted from May 31 to November 15.

• Work will be performed on National Forest System lands within the boundary of Angeles, Cleveland, Eldorado, Inyo, Klamath, Lassen, LTBMU, Los Padres, Mendocino, Modoc, Plumas, San Bernardino, Sequoia, Shasta-Trinity, Sierra, Six Rivers, Stanislaus, and Tahoe National Forests.

• Compliance with Federal, State, and local statutes, standards, orders, permits, and other regulations is required.

• Operations may be restricted due to fire risk, soil moisture conditions, snow depth, or discovery of cultural/archeological sites.

• Contractor is responsible for transport and disposal of non-sawtimber and biomass material.

• Road maintenance requirements are detailed in Appendix C.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This document provides instructions for submitting proposals for the Pacific Southwest (PSW) Stewardship Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) with the US Forest Service. The BPA covers multiple National Forests and is open and continuous.

• Bidders must submit both a technical proposal and a pricing proposal as separate PDF documents.

• Proposals must address specific evaluation criteria outlined in Section 54, starting on Page 61, including Key Personnel, Equipment, Relevant Past Performance, and Benefit to Local Community.

• Pricing must be provided for all items listed in the Schedule of Items (Pages 3-9) using Standard Form (SF) 1449, priced on a per acre/mile basis multiplied by the given quantity.

• "Shelf rates" will be used for award evaluation, but future Call Orders will require firm-fixed prices for specific projects.

• Services will not include the removal of commercial products.

• Bidders must complete and include required representations and certifications (Sections 57-64, starting on Page 65).

• This is a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA).

• Multiple awards will be made.

• Future Call Orders for specific projects will be emailed to awarded contractors.

• Proposal submission instructions are detailed in Section 54, Page 61.

• Evaluation criteria are listed in Section 54, Page 61.

• Proposals must be emailed to Mark Phillipp (mark.phillipp@usda.gov) and Matt Daigle (matthew.daigle@usda.gov).

• All contractors must be actively registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) at https://www.sam.gov to be eligible for award. Registration must be active at the time of proposal evaluation.

• Contact Matt Daigle (matthew.daigle@usda.gov) or Curtis Yocum (curtis.yocum@usda.gov) for questions regarding the solicitation package.

• Contact Nikki Layton (nikki.layton@usda.gov) for issues accessing documents on SAM.gov.

Amendment / Modification

• The solicitation offer due date is changed to "Open and Continuous." Proposals will be accepted for the life of the BPA and evaluated at the convenience of the Forest Service.

• The following National Forests are added to the BPA: Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres, and San Bernardino.

• The Small Business Size Standard for NAICS 115310 is increased from $8 Million to $30 Million for future call orders.

• The Solicitation and Appendix A are replaced in their entirety to include additional Forest information.

• Contact information for the BPA has been updated.

• Solicitation offer due date

• List of included National Forests

• Small Business Size Standard for NAICS 115310

• Solicitation document

• Appendix A

• BPA contact information

• The submission process is now open and continuous.

• The eligibility for small businesses under NAICS 115310 has been expanded for future call orders.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document is a Wage Determination (Revision 67) for contracts subject to the Service Contract Act (SCA) and Executive Orders 14026 and 13658. It establishes the minimum wage rates and fringe benefits required for various occupations involved in forestry land management, public use area cleaning, and timber inventory services in California.

• Minimum Wage Rates: Lists specific hourly rates for occupations such as Brush/Precommercial Thinner, Choker Setter, Faller/Bucker, Forestry/Logging Heavy Equipment Operator, and others.
• Executive Order Minimums: Notes that contractors must pay at least $15.00 per hour (EO 14026) or $11.25 per hour (EO 13658), or the applicable wage rate listed, whichever is higher, for contracts entered into on or after January 30, 2022.
• Fringe Benefits: Specifies required fringe benefits, including Health & Welfare ($4.60/hour or $184.00/week) and paid sick leave under EO 13706 ($4.23/hour or $169.20/week).
• Other Benefits: Details requirements for vacation (2-4 weeks based on service years) and a minimum of eleven paid holidays per year.
• Uniform Allowance: Outlines requirements for providing and maintaining uniforms if applicable.
• Conformance Process: Describes the procedure for requesting additional classifications and wage rates if an occupation is not listed in the determination.

This wage determination is crucial for bidders to accurately calculate labor costs for the specified occupations. Understanding these minimum wage and fringe benefit requirements is essential for developing a compliant and competitive proposal. Bidders must ensure their proposed labor rates meet or exceed these mandated minimums.

Statement of Work (SOW) / Performance Work Statement (PWS)

This document outlines the specifications and requirements for a Stewardship Contract - Timber Removal, specifically for scaled timber. It details the procedures, standards, and conditions under which timber will be harvested, processed, and accounted for.

• Contract Area: Defines the boundaries and subdivisions of the area where timber removal will occur, referencing a Contract Area Map.

• Timber Specifications: Details the types of timber included (Standard, Substandard, Damaged, Construction), utilization and removal standards, and designations (Clearcutting Units, Overstory Removal Units, Understory Removal Units, Individual Trees).

• Rates of Payment: Outlines current contract rates, other payment rates for incidental materials or timber cut through mistake, and provisions for damaged or negligently cut timber.

• Payments: Describes the amount payable for timber, integrated resource accounts, and deposit requirements.

• Operations: Covers safety protocols, conduct of logging (felling, bucking, limbing, skidding, yarding), temporary roads, slash disposal, and scaling procedures.

• Scaling: Details scaling services, locations, adjustments, weighing services, presentation for scaling, and scaling of other products and lost products.

• Other Conditions: Addresses title and liability, sale of other materials, and specific clauses related to timber use and export.

• Utilization Standards: Minimum specifications for tree pieces to be removed, including diameter, number of pieces per tree, length, and diameter inside bark.

• Scaling: Accuracy standards for scaling services and procedures for adjustments.

• Safety: Requirements for safe operations and compliance with State/Federal safety regulations.

• Fire Precautions: Specific equipment requirements and fire precautionary measures based on Project Activity Levels (PAL), including fire tools, extinguishers, spark arresters, and operational restrictions.

• The contract area is located in Region 5 CA - Multiple National Forests.

• Specific periods for operations and fire precautions are detailed throughout the document.

• Erosion Prevention and Control: Measures for soil stabilization, special erosion prevention, soil scarification, backblading, and tillage.

• Slash Treatment: Requirements for piling, scattering, or otherwise treating logging slash.

• Road and Water Supply Use: Specifications for load limitations, use of existing roads, snow removal, and water supply deposits.

• Fire Prevention: Detailed requirements for fire tools, extinguishers, spark arresters, fire patrol, smoking restrictions, reporting fires, and emergency precautions based on Project Activity Levels.

• Timber Use: Restrictions on the export of unprocessed timber and requirements for domestic processing.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document, Appendix C, outlines the Road Maintenance Requirements and Specifications for Stewardship Contracts. It details various "T-Specifications" (e.g., T-800 Definitions, T-801 Slide and Slump Repair, T-802 Ditch Cleaning, etc.) that contractors must adhere to for road maintenance activities. The document serves as a comprehensive guide for the scope of work related to maintaining roads within the Pacific Southwest (PSW) Stewardship BPA, Region 5 CA - Multiple National Forests.

• Road Maintenance Requirements Summary: Details pre-haul, during-haul, and post-haul maintenance for specific roads (NFSR 10, NFSR 10-1), including mileage and T-Specification applicability.
• T-Specifications: A detailed list and description of various road maintenance tasks, including:
  • Definitions (T-800)
  • Slide and Slump Repair (T-801)
  • Ditch Cleaning (T-802)
  • Surface Blading (T-803)
  • Surfacing Repair (T-804)
  • Drainage Structures (T-805)
  • Dust Abatement (T-806)
  • Roadway Vegetation (T-807)
  • Miscellaneous Structures (T-808)
  • Waterbars (T-809)
  • Barriers (T-810)
  • Surface Treatment (T-811)
  • Drainage Excavation (T-814)
  • Culvert Installation (T-815)
• Definitions: Provides clear definitions for terms used throughout the specifications.
• Illustrations: Includes diagrams for road structure terms and specific maintenance items like barriers and rolling dips.

This document is critical for any bidder interested in the opportunity as it defines the specific technical requirements and standards for road maintenance. Bidders must understand these specifications to accurately estimate costs, plan resources, and ensure compliance with the contract. The document outlines the scope of work, performance expectations, and measurement criteria for various road maintenance tasks, directly impacting proposal development and execution.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document, Appendix B - Tree Measurement, outlines the Stewardship Contract - Timber Removal Specifications. It details various aspects of timber measurement, operations, and other conditions relevant to the contract.

• Timber Specifications (BT2.0): Defines included timber, utilization standards, and designations (clearcutting, overstory/understory removal, individual trees).
• Rates of Payment (BT3.0): Outlines current contract rates, other payment rates, and provisions for timber cut through mistake or damaged.
• Payments (BT4.0): Details amount payable for timber and the Integrated Resource Account.
• Operations (BT6.0): Covers safety, conduct of logging, felling, bucking, limbing, skidding, yarding, road construction, slash disposal, and measuring.
• Other Conditions (BT8.0): Addresses title and liability, and the sale of other materials.
• Specifications: Includes detailed requirements for road use, water supply, felling, bucking, limbing, ground-based skidding, erosion prevention, slash treatment, fire precautions, and emergency procedures.

This appendix is crucial for bidders as it defines the technical specifications and operational requirements for timber removal under the stewardship contract. It details how timber will be measured, paid for, and the specific methods and standards that must be followed during logging operations. Understanding these specifications is essential for accurately estimating costs, planning operations, and ensuring compliance with contract terms.