The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)Natural Resource Conservation Services (NRCS) Vermont State Office requires to obtain treatment of invasive species at the WRP property in Bennington County.

The USDA NRCS has authority to administer voluntary conservation easement programs. All properties involved with this purchase order are enrolled in the former Wetland Reserve Program (WRP), which is now called the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program Wetland Reserve Easement component (ACEP-WRE). The Federal government has an in-perpetuity obligation to manage these lands as restored wetlands and wildlife habitat.

Invasive herbaceous plants including common reed (Phragmites australis) and reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) are established in these former agricultural fields, now restored wetlands. These invasive plants need to be controlled because they are outcompeting native vegetation and decreasing wildlife habitat quality for native reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and birds.

The Contractor shall follow the Statement of Work, applicable Federal, State, and Local regulations, and conservation practice standards and specifications to provide Herbaceous Weed Treatment services for the associated properties.

The services entail the following: Herbaceous Weed Treatment (315) controlling a minimum of 90% of the invasive herbaceous plant species within targeted areas while minimizing impacts to non-target plants and animals.

The Contractor must have current commercial pesticide applicator Core and Category 2 Forest Pest certifications with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture. The Contractor will provide a copy of these certifications along with their quote for performing these Herbaceous Weed Treatment services.

The work is composed of one group as follows:

GROUP 5 – BENNINGTON COUNTY

-Pollard (Hardy Hill) WRP

Interested offerors will meet at 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time, July 13, 2021. For the site in Sunderland, VT in Bennington County, Park at the gravel parking lot at the Hill Farm Inn located here: https://goo.gl/maps/T9e6HW1K5BUhipSS7

Work will be phased out as follows: Base/Year One treatment will be during the months of August and September 2021. Invasive treatment for the subsequent years, year 2 and 3, will be applied during the months of May through September. The project shall be completed no later than October 1, 2025.

All Contractors must be registered in the Beta.SAM, prior to award of a Federal Contract. For information regarding registration visit https://www.beta.sam.gov

This acquisition is a 100% set aside for Small Business vendors. The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 115310 - Forestry Services. The small business size standard is $8.0 million. For more information on size standards, please visit http://www.sba.gov/size.

The following items will be submitted with your quote:

Attachment 1 – Price Schedule – RETURN WITH QUOTE

Attachment 2 - Contains the following documents:

     GROUP 5 - SOW/LOCATION MAPS

Attachment 3 – Contains the following documents:

     GROUP 5 - INVASIVE CONTROL MAPS

Attachment 4 – Contains the following documents:

     GROUP 5 - CONTROL PLAN

Attachment 5 – Certifications – Section B – Check appropriate boxes - RETURN WITH QUOTE

Attachment 6 - Conservation Cooperator Acknowledgement – FILL - RETURN WITH QUOTE

Attachment 7 – Contract Administration / Payment Info

Attachment 8 - Service Contract Labor Standards Wage Determinations/County

TECHNICAL CAPABILITY – FACTOR 1 – RETURN WITH QUOTE

PAST PERFORMANCE – FACTOR 3 – RETURN WITH QUOTE

QUOTES THAT ARE RECIVED INCOMPLETE WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FOR AWARD. ENSURE THAT YOUR QUOTE CONTAINS ALL DOCUMENTS ABOVE.

Quotes will be sent to the Contract Specialist Ms. Oriel Velez no later than 3:00pm EST on July 20, 2021 at [email protected]. Quotes MUST write in the subject line 12FPC421Q0025 – Invasive Treatment Group 5 – VT to avoid oversight.