BCLH Stewardship IRSC Phase 2

Background: The BCLH Stewardship IRSC Phase 2 shall be awarded under the following authority:

Stewardship Authority: Section 604 (16 USC 6591c) of Public Law 108-148 as amended by Section 8205 of Public Law 113-79, the Agricultural Act of 2014—Grants the U.S. Forest Service (Government) permanent authority to enter into stewardship contracts or agreements to achieve land management goals for the National Forests or public lands that meet local and rural community needs. Section 8205 supersedes the temporary authority granted to the Forest Service (Government) in section 347 of Public Law 105-277, the Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Appropriations Act, 1999.

Stewardship authority grants the Forest Service the authority to aggregate stewardship work activity requirements and solicit those requirements utilizing full and open competition.

This notice is issued for informational purposes only and to provide an opportunity for fall viewing of the project site prior to issuance of the solicitation.  The government also wants to generate interest in the project and values early feedback from industry regarding the requirement.  The final contract requirements are still being developed and therefore, the information provided is subject to change.  Offers should not be developed based on the draft information provided in this notice.

Project Location:

The BCLH Stewardship IRSC Phase 2 project has one access point approximately 6 miles east of Detroit, OR. Access to this portion of the project is via State Highway 22 heading east from Detroit. The project can also be accessed heading west from Detroit to FSR 46 from approximately mile post 11 near Breitenbush Campground to mile post 12 at the junction of FSR 4685. One small portion of the project is located west approximately 10 miles west of Detroit via State Highway 22. The total project area is 1152 acres in size and is located on the Detroit Ranger District of the Willamette National Forest. Access to the project is via State Highway 22 heading east from Detroit.  The ground to be treated is within Sec 1,7-9,12,17, 18 T10S, R05E; Sec 20,22-29, 32-366, T10S, R06E; Sec 15-31, T10S, R07E; Willamette Meridian, Surveyed & Unsurveyed, Marion and Linn County, Oregon.  Draft Vicinity Maps which include Phase 2 as well as Phases 1 and 3 pre-solicited separately have been provided as an attachment to this notice.  All the roads to be treated via this contract are detailed on the maps. 

Period of Performance:  The tentative date for completion of all Mandatory work is October 15, 2027.  Optional work shall be completed by October 15, 2028.

The anticipated operational seasons for road work activities is the dry season from approximately May 15 – October 15 annually. Ground based hazard tree work is anticipated to be permitted year-round and must comply with required protections for wet season operations and IFPL.

Description of Work:

The objectives of this project are to reduce the risks of hazardous fuels that have fallen across or remain standing along important access routes within the 2020 fire-affected road system so that access to and through the burned area can be restored. Activities include performing mitigation of risk along roads from fire killed/damaged trees, reduction of roadside fuel accumulation and essential maintenance and reconstruction of roads.  The following work activities shall be required.  The work shall be broken out as Mandatory and Optional work in the solicitation.

• Cut and remove fire killed trees within 100 feet of roads (approximately 176 acres designated as Mandatory and 300 acres Optional).   Hazard trees to be cut are Designated by Prescription.

• Fall and leave non-commercial hazard trees within Special Measure Areas (SMAs).   SMAs may include Riparian Reserves, cultural resource areas, wildlife habitat protection areas or other areas that requires special protections. This work is located within 100 feet of the road.  SMAs do not overlap acres that require the cutting and removal of fire killed trees.  Approximately 161 acres are designated as Mandatory and 332 acres Optional.
• Within unit polygons, fall and leave hazard trees that can strike the road outside of the 100-foot fuels removal area (approximately 10 acres designated as Mandatory and 40 acres Optional).

• Perform small fuels treatment within 30 feet of roads (approximately 200 acres designated as Mandatory and 257 acres Optional).   Fuel to be treated includes existing downed or cut trees less than 16-inch DBH that do not meet the fuel loading standard.  Material can be removed using a variety of methods. Piling of fuels for burning is not allowed. 

• Perform road reconstruction during the dry season (May 15-October 15).  Mandatory construction work includes 9 miles standard ditch and 32 miles road reconditioning, 9 culvert replacements with sizes that vary from 24 to 60-inch culvert, approximately 27,000 SF of reinforced soil slope construction, 4 miles of full depth reclamation, 9,500 tons of asphalt concrete placement, and placement of approximately 14,500 CY of sub-base and 10,000 CY surface course aggregate.  The Government’s estimate for the Mandatory reconstruction work is between $1,000,000 and $5,000,000. Forest Service roads: 1000000, 1003000, 2200020, 2212000, 2233000, 2233515, 2233620, 2234100, 2236000 are plan for treatment.  Optional construction work includes 41 miles of road reconditioning, five culvert replacements that range from 36 to 48-inch in size and placement of approximately 14,500 CY of subbase and 10,000 CY of surface course aggregate.  Forest Service roads: 1003416, 1003420, 1011000, 2200040, 2200420, 2233628, 2234207, 2242000, 2242805, 2242806, 2242810, 2242840, 2243100, 2243302, 2243440 are planned for treatment.  The Government’s estimate for the Optional reconstruction work is between $500,000 and $1,000,000. **Placement of aggregate as approved by a qualified engineering COR is necessary for conditional road use during the wet weather season (October 16-May 14).  Subbase would be placed prior to operations and surface course after work is completed.  All aggregate shall be furnished by the government and is located in the McCoy Pit (44.69266N, 122.03350W on 2233-605).   
• Perform pre-haul, during-haul and post-haul road maintenance within the Contract Area (approximately 40 miles Mandatory - Forest Service roads: 1000000, 2231701, 1003000, 2212000, 2233000, 2233515, 2233620, 2234100, 2236000 and 62 miles Optional - Forest Service roads: 1003308, 1003416, 1003420, 1011000, 2200040, 2200045, 2200420,2231518, 2233000, 2233505, 2233601, 2233607, 2233609, 2233624, 2233628, 2233630, 2233651, 2234000, 2234205, 2236000, 2242000, 2242805, 2242806, 2242810, 2242840, 2243100, 2243302, 2243440, 4695133, 4696701).  General T-specifications applicable to the work: blading, surfacing, maintenance for high clearance vehicle use, cutting roadway vegetation and water supply/watering.
• Remove hazardous fuels greater than 16” from Units LH-15, LH-63, LH-64, and LH64B (53 acres) that are within 100 feet of the road.  These fire-killed trees are in the McCoy Recreation Area and were cut in fall of 2024. Commercially viable material may be scaled and removed from National Forest System lands. Non-commercial material may be chipped, or disposed of at the contractor’s discretion but must be removed from NFS lands until maximum fuel loading standards are met.  This is a Mandatory work item.

• Fall and leave individual hazard trees that are outside of units but within striking distance of the road (not-to-exceed 1500 individual trees). Designated trees adjacent to the listed units that fall outside the unit polygon but are still tall enough to fall and strike the road (adjusted for slope), shall be felled.  Trees felled into the 100-foot removal area must be left on site and will count towards the downed wood requirement. Trees to be felled must be pre-approved by a COR prior to cutting. Contractors will track individual trees that are felled with a log of GPS points and date of COR approval.  This is an Optional work item. 

Equipment required for tree cutting will operate from within the road prism if slopes exceed 30%. Equipment may be utilized off the road prism on slopes <30% during the normal operating season (May 15th to October 15th) using slash mats. Equipment may also be allowed to operate on frozen soils/packed snow with approval from the Forest Service.  See table below for estimated treatment acres by slope generated from LiDAR data.  Shape files will be provided as an attachment to the solicitation.

Phase 2 Slope Data

>30%  Mandatory Acres: 168, Optional Acres: 287

<30%  Mandatory Acres: 275, Optional Acres: 347

Fire severity varied across the treatment areas; burn severity maps and tables shall be provided with the solicitation for planning purposes.  Below is a summary of treatment acre condition.

Phase 2 Burn Severity

Low Basal Area Mortality (0-25%) Mandatory Acres: 101, Optional Acres: 135

Moderate Basal Area Mortality (26-50%) Mandatory Acres: 72, Optional Acres: 89

High Basal Area Mortality (>50%) Mandatory Acres: 269, Optional Acres: 408

Estimated Timber Volume and Species composition is as follows:

Forest product volume estimates for the cut and removal of fire killed trees is provided below. Volume quantities are made available with the understanding that values shown are Forest Service estimates and are not guaranteed. Interested Contractors are urged to examine the individual contract areas and make their own estimates.  Approved LIDAR and RAV data has been used to determine volume on the BCLH Stewardship IRSC Phase 2.

Mandatory Acres - Cut and Remove Fire Killed Timber within 100’ of the road: 176 acres - 23,571 volume (TONS)

Optional Acres - Cut and Remove Fire Killed Timber within 100’ of the road: 300 acres - 39,072 volume (TONS)

Mandatory - Remove hazardous fuels greater than 16” from Units LH-15, LH-63, LH-64, LH-64B - within 100 feet of the road: 53 acres, 2,837 volume (TONS)

Pre-Solicitation Site Visit Date and Time:

Prior to solicitation, the Forest will hold a site visit for prospective contractors to facilitate dialogue on contractual requirements that are anticipated in the contract and any operational limitations foreseen by attendees. The site visit will be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, at 8:00 a.m. PT with the initial meeting location at Detroit Ranger Station, 44125 North Santiam Highway SE, Detroit, OR 97342.  Contractors shall email Karen Ruklic by noon on Friday, November 1, 2024, if they are planning to attend the meeting.

Since the solicitation will be issued while the project area is inaccessible due to snow, it is critical that interested vendors attend the site visit.  Vendors that wish to view the site independently will need an approved Road Use Permit.   Review the Project Area Access Instructions provided as an attachment.  Email Heidi Andersen (heidi.andersen@usda.gov), Brett Blundon (brett.blundon@usda.gov) and Darrin Neff (darrin.neff@usda.gov) at least 2 business days prior to visiting to complete the required paperwork and receive approval to access the roads and receive gates codes and/or a key.

Draft Documents:

The following draft documents shall be supplied prior to the site visit:

Schedule of Items - Provided 10/29/24

Appendix A – Technical Specifications for Service Work Items - Provided 10/30/24

Appendix B – Timber Removal Specifications Scaled - Provided 10/30/24

Appendix C – Road Maintenance Specifications - Provided 10/29/24

Draft Construction Tables, Worklists and Typicals - Provided 10/29/24 (no additional draft shall be provided)

Draft Maps and Tables (TBD) - Provided 10/29/24

Final Solicitation Issuance:

It is anticipated that the Request for Proposals with all attachments shall be issued on or around February 21, 2025 with award planned for approximately April 25, 2025.  The contract shall be awarded using a best value source selection method; the resulting contract shall be a firm fixed price contract. Service Contract Act and Construction (Davis Bacon) Wage Determinations will be provided when the contract IRSC is solicited.

Construction Bonding: 

A bid bond or other acceptable bid guarantee valued at 20% of the construction total price offered (all Mandatory and Optional Items combined) shall be required and submitted with the initial offer.  Bonding shall be required in connection to the value of the awarded construction work only. Payment and Performance bonds valued at 100% of the total construction price shall be required from the contract awardee.

Point of contacts: Karen Ruklic, Contracting Officer, with the National Stewardship Contracting Branch at karen.ruklic@usda.gov, 208-702-3519 and Heidi Andersen, Disaster Recovery Project Manager, heidi.andersen@usda.gov, for questions regarding the solicitation. Follow this notice on sam.gov for future notifications.

Posting was edited on 10/21/24 to indicate how road maintenance and construction work is being broken out between Mandatory and Optional Items. Posting was edited on 10/22/24 to correct the month stated for the site visit from October to November.  Provided draft documents on 10/29/24 and 10/30/24.

The site visit plannned for the 11/5/2024 has been cancelled.  The meeting for Phase 1 was held today, 11/4/24, and was well attended.  Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate and due to snow, access to the project area was restricted.  The weather tomorrow is not forecast to be any better.  Only 1 firm that had planned to attend the Phase 2 meeting tomorrow was not at the meeting today and none of the Phase 1 attendees felt that attendance at another meeting would be beneficial.  The three phases are very similar in terms of project requirements and specifications, it is the geographic locations that vary.  Thorough notes and a complete attendance list for the Phase 1 meeting will be uploaded to this notice within the next week.

Phase 1 Site Visit Notes posted on 11/8/24.