National Park Service (NPS) - Big Thicket National Preserve (BITH) - Big Sandy Creek Unit Forest Mastication The National Park Service - Washington Office - Contracting Operations - Strategic Branch as a requirement for a single contractor to remove midstory vegetation (shrubs and smaller trees) via mechanical mulching (mastication) and/or cutting while leaving mature pines. The mastication work is required on approximately 247 acres of existing pine stands across five (5) locations within the Big Sandy Creek Unit of Big Thicket National Preserve (BITH). The project is intended to create new open savanna habitat for wildlife and the reduce potential wildland fire hazards once completed. GENERAL: This is a NEW requirement. This is a PRE-SOLICITATION NOTICE only and does not constitute a solicitation; accordingly, no response is due at this time. No questions nor phone call will be accepted about this pre-solicitation notice. All questions and phone calls will be addressed after the solicitation is posted through official amendments. Specific instructions on submitting proposals will be contained in the solicitation documents. It is anticipated that the solicitation will be issued sometime after December 29, 2023! The entire solicitation package, including all attachments, will be available electronic through SAM.gov only. Paper copies of this solicitation are not and will not be made available. Anyone wishing to participate in this proposed procurement must obtain their copy from SAM.gov | Home. Copies will not be mailed from the Contracting Office. All amendments will be posted on SAM.gov | Home. Contractors will be solely responsible for obtaining amendments from this site to update files. PROJECT SCOPE: The Contractor shall provide all material, labor, and equipment required to perform the work described herein according to the contract plans and specifications. The general scope of work includes: Objectives: 1. Remove dense undergrowth in mature pine stands to create open savanna habitat for wildlife and reduce wildfire hazards. 2. Minimize injury to remaining trees, soil disturbance, or introduction of invasive species. Work Specifications: 1. 90% or more of shrubs and trees up to 10 inches in trunk diameter shall be mulched/masticated within the designated project areas. 2. Mulch and debris must not exceed 4 inches in depth and chip pieces must not exceed 12 inches in length. 3. Mature pines must not be damaged and Longleaf pines of any size must be avoided. 4. Forestry masticators used must have a minimum capacity of 200 HP. 5. All project work must be completed by October 1, 2024. Mitigations and Requirements: 1. Mulch chips, slash, and debris must not be piled against leave-trees or exceed 4 inches in depth anywhere. 2. Damage or injury to mature pines must be minimized to the greatest extent possible. Injuries to trees must be treated with wound dressing spray. 3. Wetlands, archaeological sites, or other sensitive areas will be flagged by NPS employees and must be avoided. 4. Soil rutting must be minimized. Tracked equipment is recommended. NPS personnel may work with contractor to develop mitigation actions if needed. 5. NPS personnel will facilitate any road closures and area closures in the preserve as necessary. The contractors will also be required to carry wildland fire related tools and follow fire related precautions and restrictions as necessary as detailed in the solicitation. Contractor is required to comply with Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA), 29 United States Code (U.S.C) 1801-1872, and to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) regulations implementing MSPA 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 500. MSPA eliminates activities detrimental to migrant and seasonal agricultural workers, requires registration of Farm Labor Contractors, and ensures necessary protection for the workers. Information regarding MSPA can be found at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/agriculture/mspa. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Big Thicket National Preserve - Big Sandy Creek Unit, near Dallardsville, TX PROCUREMENT TYPE: The Government anticipates awarding a single firm-fixed price contract award from the solicitation. The Source Selection will be conducted under FAR Part 15.101-2 Lowest Price Technically Acceptable Source Selection Process. SET-ASIDE: This acquisition will be a 100% Small Business Set-aside. Offers will only be accepted from small business concerns. Offers received from concerns that are not small business concerns shall be considered nonresponsive and will be rejected. NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE AND SMALL BUSINESS SIZE STANDARD: The NAICS code for this project is 115310 - Support Activities for Forestry and the small business size standard is $11.5. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: All work is to be completed by October 31, 2024, subject to change based on award date. There may be prebid meeting scheduled for this project, but date, time, and location have not been determined as of this pre-solicitation announcement. They will be made known at time of issuance of the solicitation or it will be indicated that the contractors will have to visit on their own. Contractors will be strongly encouraged to attend and/or visit site. NOTE 1: All prospective contractors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database at http://www.sam/gov/ before award of contract; failure to register in the SAM database shall cause your firm to be ineligible for the award and removed from consideration. NOTE 2: As required by the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 and the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (7 U.S.C. 8102(c)(3)), the offeror certifies, by signing this offer, that biobased products (within categories of products listed by the United States Department of Agriculture in 7 CFR part 2902, subpart B) to be used or delivered in the performance of the contract, other than biobased products that are not purchased by the offeror as a direct result of this contract, will comply with the applicable specifications or other contractual requirements.
