HELENA NATIONAL FOREST-Re-measurement of Intensified Grid Plots in Blackfoot and Divide

The Government intends to award a Fim Fixed Price Contract for the following: The Contractor shall furnish all labor, equipment, supervision, transportation, supplies (except those designated as Government-Furnished), and incidentals to perform all work necessary on the areas specified. All aspects of the work program shall be performed in an organized, systematic manner to assure services will be performed over the entire unit The purpose of this project is to conduct statistically sound vegetation sampling by full remeasurement of previously installed Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) grid intensification plots with which management determinations will be made. It includes photographing plots, collecting tree, vegetation composition, ground surface cover, and downed woody material data according to Region 1 Grid Intensification Using CSE Protocols Field Procedures. The work performed and the data collected shall be in compliance with the terms, specifications, conditions and provisions of this solicitation and the Common Stand Exam Field Guide for Region 1, version March 2013, or most current version of this manual prior to data collection. Collected data shall be recorded and submitted in electronic format using the ExamsPC software (Version 02.25.2013.2 or most current). The text files generated from the Exams software will then be transmitted to the Contracting Officer's Representative at the Helena National Forest Supervisor's Office. Plot locations shall have a GPS reading recorded for each plot. The Contractor shall submit GPS acquired data in a shapefile (.shp) file format with each payment packet. Plant species will be identified using the Flora of the Pacific Northwest by C. Leo Hitchcock and Arthur Cronquist (April 1973) and, if necessary, the nomenclature will be updated to reflect that which is shown in the currently accepted Northern Region List of Plant Codes, provided in Exhibit J. Any plant codes not found in the Regional List will match those in the USDA Plants Database (http://plants.usda.gov/). Insect and disease identification will be limited to those agents, pests, and diseases listed in the disturbance tables found in the R1 Common Stand Exam Field Guide and the Field Guide to Diseases and Insect Pests of Northern and Central Rocky Mountain Conifers by Susan K. Hagle, Kenneth E. Gibson, and Scott Tunnock (R1-03-08 2003). Project Location The project area includes the non-wilderness portion of the Blackfoot River drainage on the Lincoln Ranger District and the Northern portion of the Continental Divide area of the Helena Ranger District. The plots are on a grid of approximately 1 for every 1250 acres. Work will consist of locating, measuring, and recording data for inventory plots. Information shall be collected as outlined in the electronically provided R1 Common Stand Exam Field Guide and Grid Intensification Field Guide, except where specifically modified by this contract. Accessibility The project area may be accessed by Forest roads during the normal operating season. The Forest Service assumes no obligation to plow snow or do special maintenance to keep roads open. Individual plots are accessible by some combination of 2- or 4-wheel drive vehicle, horse, or foot travel. Some roads or trails may have been closed after the maps were published. Maps of the sample locations are available from the Contracting Officer's Representative so that estimated walk-in distance can be calculated. Estimated Award Amount $25,000-$150,000. Start Date Approximately May 21, 2014 Contract Completion Oct.15, 2014 A Complete Solicitation Package will be available Approximately May 9, 2014.