Hand-Pulling Eurasian Watermilfoil, North Hartland Lake, North Hartland, VT and North Springfield Lake, Springfield, VT

The contract W912WJ26QA076 is a total small business set-aside awarded to a small business for the manual removal of Eurasian watermilfoil from North Hartland Lake in North Hartland, Vermont, and North Springfield Lake in Springfield, Vermont. The work is to be performed between July 1 and October 31, 2026, with field operations commencing no sooner than seven days after notification and concluding within two weeks of initiation. Performance is conducted using contractor-provided kayaks or canoes, and all activities must comply with federal, state, and local environmental and safety regulations, including EM 385-1-1 and CFR Title 36. The contractor is responsible for submitting detailed safety plans, including an Accident Prevention Plan, Hazard Analyses, CPR and First Aid certifications, boat operator certifications, and incident reports using ENG Form 3394, while also restoring disturbed sites and properly disposing of harvested vegetation. Monthly work hour reports must be submitted electronically by the 10th of each month, and all personnel must be registered in SAM with a valid UEI and CAGE code, with size status confirmed under NAICS code 541990, which has a $19.5 million revenue threshold. The solicitation is restricted exclusively to Women-Owned Small Businesses and Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Businesses. The contract features a firm fixed-price structure with no stated total value, though option clauses permit the Government to request additional quantities under FAR 52.217-7 at the same unit rate. Evaluation is conducted on a trade-off basis, considering responsiveness, technical acceptability, price reasonableness, and past performance—specifically relevance, recency, and magnitude of prior work—without assigning numerical weights or adjectival ratings. Acceptance occurs on-site at the performance locations, with the Technical Point of Contact having final authority to approve completed work, and inspections are conducted under FOB destination terms, though shipping responsibilities are not defined. The contractor must adhere to stringent security protocols including DoD training, SAR reporting through CorpsWatch or iWATCH, compliance with FPCON and HPCON levels, and vehicle and personnel searches upon entry to federal property. A Level 3 Site Safety and Health Officer certified per EM 385-1-1 must be on-site, with two personnel trained in CPR/First Aid for group operations and emergency communication required for lone workers. Invoicing is mandatory through