Prescribe Burn

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for the commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. The United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, Florida, is seeking a Contractor to furnish all labor, equipment, materials, and incidentals required to complete all reasonable and necessary to conduct prescribe burns on lands eased through the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Wetland Restoration Program. This solicitation includes provisions and clauses in effect through the Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-52. These includes, but are not limited (1) FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items; (2) FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation-Commercial Items; (3) FAR 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items; (4) FAR 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items; and (5) FAR 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items. CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE: Listed in Addendum A. THIS IS A FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION and is based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 115310, Support Activities for Forestry (including fuels management). PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: The government intends make multiple IDIQ awards with a minimum of $500 (for the first year only) and a maximum of $1,000,000 over the contract period (base and option years).The period of performance of this contract is for one base year and four option years from the date of award. INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE (a) The Contracting Officer or the Contracting Officer's duly authorized representative will inspect and accept the supplies and/or services to be provided under this contract. (b) Inspection and acceptance will be performed by the applicable NRCS technical representative at each site. (c) Acceptance will be performed by the Contracting Officer at the Florida State NRCS Office. Scope of Work Prescribed Burning - Code 338 USDA-NRCS Easement Programs Background: The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) is a voluntary program offering private landowners the opportunity to protect, restore, and enhance wetlands through the conveyance of a conservation easement to the United States of America. The United States Department of Agricultural (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) administers WRP. The goal of the program is to restore wetlands functions and values and associated uplands on all acres enrolled. The program provides landowners with the opportunity to establish long-term conservation and wildlife practices for the benefit of restored habitats. An essential conservation practice in restoring enrolled lands is the application of prescribed burning in an ecologically sound manner. A large portion of the ecological communities restored or enhanced under the WRP are fire sub-climax communities that have evolved and are dependent upon periodic burning. Under natural conditions, lightening was the source of fire introduction into Florida's fire dependent ecosystems. In an effort to maintain this ecologically important function, the timely application of the NRCS Conservation Practice Standard Prescribed Burning - Code 338 to predetermined areas is critical. It is anticipated that Prescribed Burning - Code 338 will be required on tracts as small as 20 - 50 acres, to areas as large as several hundred acres per application. Official definitions from Florida Statute 590.125 and FAC 5I-2: "Prescribed burning means the controlled application of fire in accordance with a written prescription for vegetative fuels under specified environmental conditions while following appropriate precautionary measures that ensure that the fire is contained to a predetermined area to accomplish the planned fire or land-management objectives". "Prescription means a written plan establishing the criteria necessary for starting, controlling, and extinguishing a prescribed burn". "Smoke sensitive areas are areas within which, for reasons of visibility, health or human welfare, smoke could have an adverse impact." The purpose of this conservation practice is to: 1) Control undesirable vegetation 2) Reduce wildfire hazards 3) Improve wildlife habitat 4) Improve plant production quantity and/or quality 5) Remove slash and debris 6) Restore and maintain ecological communities EVALUATION FACTORS: Proposals are requested periodically from interested firms. Proposals must address each criterion listed below. Responses to each criterion should be brief, but should contain enough information so that the firm can be adequately evaluated. Each applicant shall submit the following with their proposal. The evaluation factors are listed in descending order of importance: 1. Professional qualifications necessary for satisfactory performance of required services. Firm must provide State Prescribe Burning Certificate from FDAC Division of Forestry for the Fire Boss. 2. List past performance references on projects completed in the past year. Include the name of the agency, contact person, phone number, and email address (if available) on contracts with Government agencies and nonprofit conservation organizations and private industry in terms of quality of work, cost control, and compliance with performance schedules. a. Provide a sample prescribe burn plan of operation (outline relevant steps that was taken to complete services or previous task orders). b. Describe the native plant communities that existed in the listed past performance burn projects. c. List the average size of projects in which a plan and prescribed burn was implemented. d. Provide a typical cost for a 200, 1000, and 2000 Acre Track burn. 3. Firms shall designate the counties where they are willing to work by providing a list in descending order of interest. Higher consideration will be given to Central and South Florida Counties. (List is Required) Technical Evaluation Factors are significantly more important than cost factors. Description of Work: Task 1: A completed Prescribed Burn Plan shall be prepared for designated areas at assigned locations according to NRCS Standards and Specifications Prescribed Burning Code-338 (Attachment 1). All acreage to be controlled burned will be documented utilizing (all but not limited to) a Geographical Position System (GPS) Unit, digital camera, and map delineations. Typical size of prescribe burn units will range between 200 and 2000 acres; however it could be more or less. The Prescribed Burn Plan will be provided to NRCS in a hard and electronic copy format for the agencies review prior to seeking FDOF burning authorization. Task 2: The application of prescribed fire and associated conservation practices e.g., Firebreak - Code 394 shall be performed in accordance to the Prescribed Burn Plan to designated areas at assigned locations according to site-specific specifications. Upon the completion of the initial treatment, the effectiveness of the treatment will be assessed and reported to NRCS. The time frame for assessing and reporting the treatment success will be outlined in the Prescribed Burn Plan. Contractors conducting prescribed burn planning and/or implementation of this practice shall be under the direction of a designated Fire Boss certified to perform prescribed burning by the Florida Department of Forestry (DOF). Prescriptions for prescribed burning shall be completed in accordance with the rules and procedures established by the FDOF. Prescribed burning shall not be conducted prior to obtaining required prescribed burning authorizations through FDOF. The planning and application of prescribed burning shall comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws, rules and regulations. Florida Statute Chapter 590.125 and Chapter 5I-2 of the Florida Administrative Code (FAC) grant the Florida Division of Forestry (FDOF) the authority and responsibility to regulate prescribed burning in Florida. Tasks Performed: 1. Task 1 will be submitted to the Contracting Officers Technical Representative (COTR) for review and approval before Task 2 is initiated. 2. All expenses incurred by the contractor including but not limited to collecting GPS data of work area, establishing fire and/or fuel breaks, fire application and control equipment and support staff, fuel, travel, meals, lodging, copies, etc. are to be included in the bid. General Requirements: Compliance with all Federal, state, and local laws is required. Certifications: The Contractor must identify a Fire Boss with State Prescribe Burning Certification from FDAC Division of Forestry in this Request for Proposals. Performance Schedule: All work covered under this solicitation shall be completed within 30 calendar days (negotiable based on the size of the project) after the receipt of the government's written notice to proceed (NTP) by the NRCS Contracting Officer (CO). The contractor shall begin work not later than 7 calendar days after receipt of written NTP. Contractor's Responsibility: The Contractor is responsible for obtaining all permits and authorizations, planning and implementing prescribed burns in accordance with NRCS conservation practice standard and specifications, Prescribed Burning - Code 338. Review of delivered work and acceptance will be the basis of final payment for the work. The Contractor shall be responsible for the professional quality and technical accuracy of the applied prescribed burn and associated practices and other services furnished under this contract. The contractor shall, without additional compensation, correct or revise any errors or deficiencies in submittal including drawings, maps, or other services. Vehicles used during the construction will be suitable for off- road terrain (minimum impact to landscape). All GPS equipment shall be of such design and in such condition and adjustment that results obtained will fulfill and maintain the degree of accuracy required The contractor shall furnish all personnel for the work and each person shall be fully qualified for the work he/she is to perform. All state and local laws pertaining to the services to be performed shall be met, including corporate or company registrations where required, as well as individual registrations. Meeting all state certifications as it relates to these services are mandatory, and must be obtained before the awarding of the contract. All equipment necessary to perform the work required shall be furnished by the contractor. Installation: 1. Mandatory pre-installation conference will be held by the CO's Technical Representative (COTR). Minutes of the meeting shall be prepared by the Contractor and submitted to the COTR within 7 calendar days of the meeting. 2. Verification that required permits have been obtained prior to construction. 3. Staking and layout according to plans and specifications including applicable construction layout notes. 4. Installation inspection (according to quality assurance plan as appropriate). a. Actual materials used (Part 512, Subchapter D Quality Assurance Activities, 512.33) b. Inspection records including photos of the work throughout the installation process. 5. Facilitate and implement required design modifications with NRCS. 6. Advise NRCS on compliance issues with all federal, state, Tribal, and local laws, regulations and NRCS policies during installation. Construction/Application Check Out: 1. As-Built documentation. a. Extent of practice units applied b. Written documentation as to the post-burn effects c. Final quantities and qualities of associated practices applied for the prescribed burn 2. Certification that the installation meets Florida NRCS standards and specifications and is in compliance with permits and authorizations. 3. Exit conference with NRCS. 4. GIS Shapefile of the location of the prescribed burn site. Deliverables: The Contractor will provide NRCS with three hard copies and one electronic copy of all reports. Where reports are required for approval, a single report is acceptable at the time of submission, with the remaining deliverable being forth coming after the NRCS approval. All pictures and maps will be submitted in a hard copy and electronic format. The GPS points will be provided in an electronic format. The deliverables will be presented in the following formats: 1. Reports, certification of completion, photos, etc.: Microsoft Word document 2. Maps - PDF document and GIS polygon shapefile (projected to UTM - NAD 1983, Zone 16 or 17). Government Furnished Documents: - Proposed Project Area Boundary Maps - GIS Shapefiles of the Project Area The contractor shall furnish all personnel for the work and each person shall be fully qualified for the work he/she is to perform according to NRCS Practice Standards and Specifications and FDOF certifications as appropriate. All state and local laws pertaining to the services to be performed shall be met, including corporate or company registrations where required, as well as individual registrations. Meeting all state certifications as it relates to these services are mandatory, and must be obtained before the awarding of the contract. All equipment necessary to perform the work required shall be furnished by the contractor. All GPS equipment shall be of such design and in such condition and adjustment that results obtained will fulfill and maintain the degree of accuracy required. Period of Performance: The Project Start (PS) date shall be within 7 days after the Task Order award. The period of performance is as follows: - Task 1 - 14 calendar days - Task 2 - will be completed within 30 days of the COTR's review and concurrence of completion of Task 1, and in a timely fashion dependent upon acceptable climatic conditions. Inspection and Acceptance of Deliverables: During the process of the work, any inspection of the work by the CO or COTR shall be solely at their option. All work, and all of the Contractor's or Subcontractor's office, equipment, and personnel engaged in the work, shall be subject to and available for inspection by the CO or their duly authorized representative upon receiving a two week notice of the inspection. The COTR will have 10 working days to complete its review of the deliverables in accordance with NRCS Florida Quality Assurance Plan (QAP). The COTR will accept or reject the deliverables in writing. In the event of rejection of any deliverable, the Contractor shall be notified in writing by the COTR, giving the specific reason(s) for rejection. The Contactor shall have (7) working days to make corrections to the rejected deliverable(s) and return it to the COTR. Review of delivered work and acceptance will be the basis of final payment for the work. The Contractor shall be responsible for the professional quality and technical accuracy of the reports, maps, questionnaires, and other documents furnished under this contract. The contractor shall, without additional compensation, correct or revise any errors or deficiencies in his reports, maps, or questionnaires. Technical Direction: Technical direction for this project will be from the designated COTR. Payment: Payment will be made upon satisfactory completion and acceptance of the work. The Contractor shall submit invoices to the CO. As required by the Prompt Pay Act, payments shall be made within 30 days of receipt of the proper invoice and acceptance of work. References to be consulted (all but not limited to the following): 1. Florida NRCS Conservation Practice Standard Prescribed Burning Code-338. 2. Florida NRCS Conservation Practice Standard Firebreak Code -394. 3. Florida Administrative Code, Chapter 51-2 Rural Open Burning. 4. Florida's Fire Laws and Open Burning Regulations, FDOF, Forest Protection Bureau, 2000. 5. Florida Statutes, Chapter 590.125 Florida Protection The government intends to award to firms considered to be the best value for the government. Firms meeting the requirements and would like to be considered for award must submit proposal by close of business July 28, 2011 to USDA/NRCS, Attn: Angela Allen, 2614 NW 43rd Street, Gainesville, FL 32606. Facsimile transmissions will not be accepted