Properly extract and Store Increment Cores for the Bent Creek Experimental Forest

Solicitation AG-4568-S-09-0097 was awarded by the Department of Agriculture's Southern Research Station for the extraction and storage of increment cores at the Bent Creek Experimental Forest in Asheville, North Carolina. This total small business set-aside contract required the contractor to collect cores from five trees per plot across 138 plots located in Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia. The final requirement specified the delivery of 1,380 mounted, non-damaged increment cores to be completed within 120 days of the notice to proceed. The total award amount included 20,640.18 dollars for expenses, with an initial government estimate for the project ranging between 25,000 and 100,000 dollars. The project was governed by several amendments that clarified technical specifications, including tree selection protocols, borer sizes, ATV access restrictions, and hole plugging requirements. The government provided essential equipment such as increment borers, maps, and mounting supplies, while the contractor was responsible for labor and additional equipment. Compliance with the Service Contract Act was mandatory, with specific wage determinations applied for forestry and land management services across North Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia. Contractor qualifications were verified through an experience questionnaire assessing past performance, personnel expertise, and organizational capacity.