CHIPPING OF BIOMASS SPRING MOUNTAINS NRA, NEVADA

The US Forest Service, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, is seeking Fuels Treatment Serivces as follow: All Units scheduled for treatment on this Project are Hand Treatment Units. There are 537.8 acres on this project scheduled to be treated by chipping-on-site or chipping to specification. The cutting to specifications of 34.7 acres of vegetation, including trees and shrubs, in preparation for treatment by Hand Treatment Methods. Trees will be pruned to specification, cut to ground spacing specification, and chipped - on-site or chipped to specification. Shrubs will be cut to specification, and specified spacing specifications. Shrubs not listed in H 8 will require cutting to specification. All cut material will be chipped-on-site or chipped to specification. Within the 34.7 acres, there are structures, fences, small buildings, conduits, communications wire and cables in units which will require that the Recommended defensible zone space distances specification be followed. The Forest Service will flag in orange or red or other bright colors, before the contract begins conduits, cables and other items requiring attention by the contractor. During contract implementation, more items requiring special treatment may be found. Contractor will protect flagged items and cutting and chipping operations will be done in a manner that will not damage any of the found or flagged items. A contract administrator will be on-site during the cutting and chipping operations when working in the areas of these flagged items. No hand piling of cut materials is anticipated but should hand piling be required for short or long duration, piles will be placed a minimum of 50 feet from flagged items. There is no separate pay item for these areas. Contractor is expected to work with the Forest Service and permitted users in the area. For discussion, these flagged areas are called polygons. Polygons can be closed, open or linear for items such as the aluminum conduit. These polygons flagged in orange, red, or other bright colors, will be designated on the ground and reviewed with the contractor by the Contracting Officer prior to work beginning in each unit. All polygons are to be done by Hand Treatment. Hand treatment for a polygon is, hand cut and hand carry all cut materials, to outside the flagged polygon. Contractor will not pile any materials in designated polygons. The remaining 503.10 acres have previously been cut to specification and the cut materials piled in preparation for chipping-in-place or chipping to specification. In some of these acres the weather has caused some of the cut material to be blown out of the piles. In other acres, wood gatherers have removed the firewood and left the piles in disarray. Some materials scheduled for chipping will require gathering prior to chipping in this acreage. A Processing and Storage area will be designated for the contractors use throughout the contract if requested. Trees and Shrubs are defined in the Contract Specifications. Wood, or chips which have been stacked or piled in Processing and Storage Areas, by the contractor is the property of the contractor until Final Acceptance of Unit or Project. Prior to Final Acceptance, wood chips must be removed from Government Property by the contactor, unless otherwise agreed to by the Contracting Officer. The Schedule of Items contains a Base Bid, an Option 1, and an Option 2. The Units in the Base Bid are Categorized as being easy, to moderately difficult to treat and complete the prescription of Cutting to Specification and Chipping to Specification, or just Chipping to Specification. The Units in the Option 1, are Categorized as being More to Very Difficult to treat and to successfully complete Chipping to Specification. It is determined that units in Option 1 may require the Contractor be required to use innovative methodology and may need to use equipment other than a pull behind or remote controlled Chipper. Option 1 units may require additional skilled personnel or require that the contractor utilize more personnel. Option 1 units are located on steeper slopes, or are possibly less accessible, or are located such that the contractor must be more knowledgeable in techniques to chip to specification such acreage. The Units in Option 2 are Categorized as being more than Very Difficult to treat to specification. It is determined that units in Option 2 may not be treatable by conventional methodology. Units in Option 2 may require the contractor to use machinery appropriate to accessing these remote units, or using techniques that require innovative methodology. The Forest Service expects to award the Base Bid and Option 1 if Unit Prices are less than the cost of doing similar work by using Forest Service Fire Personnel to burn piles during the appropriate season. The Forest Service expects to award the Option 2 portion of the contract if the cost of doing similar work is the same or only somewhat more than the cost of using Forest Service Fire Personnel to burn the piles during the appropriate season. The Forest Service is aware that Option 2 acreage may not be feasible to treat by Chipping-in-Place or Chipped to Specification. All acreage in all units will be paid for at Actual Quantities. Only acreage completed by Chipping to Specification will be paid for at Bid Price. Acreage which cannot be Chipped to Specification will be measured and quantities reduced for each unit. No reduction or increase in Unit Price will be negotiated for acreage Chipped or not Chipped. Contractor is expected to review all acreage and units prior to submitting the Request For Proposal as the Forest Service expects the units and acreage to be treated to specification unless otherwise stated in the Request for Proposal. Units or portions of the project are at elevations which are subject to early or late winters. Other locations are at lower elevations and are not subject to lengthy weather delays. This 120 day contract is for a continuous period of time and only very unusual weather will be permitted to delay the completion date. Some units are at higher elevations and get snows which do not melt until late in the Spring. Other locations on the project get snow which melts in a shorter length of time. Contractor is expected to schedule work on the project such that all work is completed within the 120 days scheduled. Contractor is expected to submit a proposed work schedule with the submitted Request For Proposal which will be used in the evaluation and will indicate how contractor will complete the project before the end of Calendar year 2009. Under the Commerical Items authorities, the CO has opted for a slightly abbreviated time for response tot he solicitation due to time constraints and the necessary start time of the contract. Offers are due no later than August 28, 2009 at 1700. There will be an amendment issued during the prior week clarifying and answering all questions which arise as a result of the solicitation pre-bid conference, site viewing which will be conducted on August 7, 2009. Interested vendors should meet at Mahogany Grove Campground. (See solicitation for map of area, and directions). There is also a clause in the solicitation with details. The Lee and Kyle canyon sites will be guided, then contractors will be invited to visit the Cold Creek and West side sites on their own, after a Q & A session. The technical point of contact is either Chad Courtright at +1 (555) 000-0000 or contact@example.gov OR Bob Emley at +1 (555) 000-0000 or contact@example.gov