B -- Level II Stream Surveys

SEE LAST LINES OF THIS DESCRIPTION FOR SCHEDULE OF ITEMS Gifford Pinchot National Forest 10600 NE 51st Circle Vancouver, WA 98682 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 constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. R6-GIP-3-026 is issued as a Request for Quotes for a Commercial Item. The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2001-13. This is a 100% set-aside for small business. NAIC code 115310, size standard $6m. Delivery of services will be to: Gifford Pinchot National Forest 10610 NE 51st Circle Vancouver, WA 98682 The scope of this contract is to secure the following Level II Stream Survey Services: 1. Purpose The purpose of this solicitation is to perform Pacific Northwest Region 6 Level II stream surveys (also known as stream inventories) located within the Gifford Pinchot National Forest (GPNF). Stream surveys shall be performed in conformance with the protocol Stream Inventory Handbook: level II, Pacific Northwest Region (Region 6), 2002. Surveyors shall collect data on the physical and hydrologic components of stream systems and adjacent riparian areas and landforms. Data collected shall include biological information describing fish communities observed. Field data shall be gathered and presented to the Government for each stream surveyed within GPNF. The contractor shall interpret the habitat condition in a stream survey report format. The Forest Service will review and comment on the interpretations before final completion of reports. All recommendations for management or policy will be made by the Forest Service. Contractor must have demonstrable experience with the protocol Stream Inventory Handbook: level II, Pacific Northwest Region (Region 6), 2002. 2. All Items Survey work shall be performed as outlined in Stream Inventory Handbook: level II, Pacific Northwest Region (Region 6), 2002. Stream survey reports shall follow at a minimum the example provided in Appendix A; and stream type classification shall follow the - Applied River Morphology by Dave Rosgen (1996) in Appendix B. The following forms shall be provided to the contractor: Survey Form, Preliminary Reach Form, Final Reach Form, Channel Unit Form, Special Cases Form, Remarks Form, Aquatic Biota Form, Discharge Form, Wolman Pebble Count Form, stream channel stability evaluation form, and field gear checklist and cheat sheet. These forms shall be used and completed in accordance with the instructions provided in the Stream Inventory Handbook: Level II, Pacific Northwest Region (Region 6), 2002. The Contractor shall furnish all labor, equipment, supervision, supplies, training, and incidentals to conduct stream surveys and produce written reports for Gifford Pinchot National Forest in compliance with the terms, specifications, conditions, and provisions of this contract. Formal training is offered by Region 6 Forest Service, Natural Resources during the month of June. To sign up for training go to: http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/water/fhr/training 3. Contract Calendar All survey field work shall be completed during the summer low flow period between July 1 and September 30, 2003. No survey work can be done outside these dates unless specifically permitted by the Government. Final reports (one report for each stream surveyed) shall be delivered to the Government on or before March 1, 2004. 4. Location and Description Streams to be surveyed are located within the boundaries of the Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument (MSH), Cowlitz Valley Ranger District (CVRD), and Mt. Adams Ranger District (MTA)of the Gifford PinchotNational Forest. Payment will be based on the corrected mileage of streams surveyed from the Natural Resource Inventory System (NRIS) Aquatic Inventory (AI) program, database for stream survey data. Total stream miles to be surveyed will range from 20 to 30 miles and will be located on GPNF lands within the following basins; Wind River, Lewis River, Cowlitz River, White Salmon River, and Little White Salmon River. Location specifics will be shared with the Contractor during the pre-work session. Streams to be surveyed are generally 2-3rd order streams. Physical conditions of the upper reaches of streams to be surveyed may be steep, and in some middle and upper reaches; the terrain may be difficult to negotiate. Due to recent road damages by flood events, some access roads may require 4-wheel drive or other all-terrain transportation. Overnight campouts may expedite work on more remote streams which may be one hour or greater in travel time to the nearest town. The Contractor shall exercise caution for personal safety while conducting surveys. For safety purposes, field surveys shall be conducted by at least a 2 person crew per stream surveyed. If the Contractor does not feel the survey can be completed safely, the Contracting Officer or their Representative shall be contacted immediately. Field conditions would be reviewed by a Government Representative and a decision would be negotiated with the Contractor on how to proceed with field surveys. 5. PC Requirement The Contractor is required to have access to a PC equipped with Windows 3.11 or newer in order to complete required data manipulations, to edit raw data, and to generate hard copies of the corrected raw stream inventory data. Field data recorders shall not be used to gather the basic field data of stream inventory. 6. Government-Furnished Property The following property will be furnished to the Contractor after award. Pertinent materials are also available for viewing prior to receipt of proposals by appointment only, at the Forest Headquarters, Gifford PinchotNational Forest, 10600 NE 51st Circle, Vancouver, WA. - Maps of the Districts and Monument on GPNF showing specific areas to be surveyed. - Copies of USGS topographic maps: segments of quadrangles and segments of half quadrangles displaying the total lengths of streams to be surveyed. - The Contractor will be allowed access to applicable reports, watershed analysis reports, and other useful information from past surveys in the area in order to complete Level I Stream Information form and Preliminary Reach Forms for every stream to be surveyed. Cost of aerial photos and other such maps misplaced by the contractor will be deducted from final payment. - Sample data forms. The contractor shall copy onto - Rite in the Rain, or equivalent paper, as many copies as needed to complete surveys. - Stream Inventory Handbook: Level I and II, Pacific Northwest Region (Region 6), 2003 once published. Period of Contract: This will be a fixed price contract, with field work to be completed by September 30, 2003 and final report due March 1, 2004. Evaluation Factors for award are: 1. Record of Past Performance, 2. Organization and experience of staff, including familiarity with the local area. 3. Price. Price is less important that technical evaluation factors. Award will be based on the best combination of technical and price proposals. Award may not be made to the lowest price; the Government reserves the right to make technical/price tradeoffs. The provisions at 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors, Commercial Items apply to this solicitation. The provisions at 52.212-2, Evaluation - Commercial Items apply to this solicitation. Offerors must include a completed copy of the provisions at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Items, with their offer. The Clause at 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items, applies to this solicitation. The Clause at 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes, or Executive Orders - Commercial Items, also applies to this solicitation. The Service Contract Act, wage determination # WA 1994-2563 Rev. #22 dated 10/09/2002 also applies to this solicitation. Those clauses incorporated by reference are: FAR Clauses 52.219-8, 52.222-21, 52.222-26, 52.222.35, 52.222.36, 52.222.37, 52.232-33, 52-222-41, 52.22-42, 52.22243, 52.22-44. (End of Clauses) Item 1, Stream Survey $___________________per mile on approximately 20-30 miles on the following river basins. Wind River, Lewis River, Cowlitz River, White Salmon River, Little White Salmon River.