The following amendment has been made to combined synopsis/solicitation FA4613-04-Q-2002: 1. This solicitation document incorporates provisions and clauses in affect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2001-23, not 2001-13 as previously stated. 2. The following DFAR clauses are being incorporated: DFARS 252.212-7000 and DFARS 252.212-7001. 3. The dates and time quotes are due has been changed to be due not later than noon, Mountain Daylight Time, May 14, 2004. 4. Add the following Statement of Work (SOW). STATEMENT OF WORK Biological Control of Noxious Weeds at F. E. Warren Air Force Base, Cheyenne, Wyoming Objectives. The project has two objectives. 1. To initiate new and enhance existing efforts to control noxious weeds at F. E. Warren Air Force Base (WAFB) through the release and monitoring of plant-feeding insects targeted at selected noxious weeds. 2. To incorporate biological control of weeds into existing weed control programs, with the primary thrust of enhancing weed control in environmentally sensitive areas which support Colorado butterfly plant, Gaura neomexicana coloradoensis, or Preble’s Meadow Jumping Mouse, Zapus hudsonius preblei (Preble), both of which are threatened species. Rationale. The proposed project addresses three needs. First, the project addresses the need to attack noxious weeds on an ecosystem level. Biological control of noxious weeds at WAFB will benefit neighbors bordering the installation by curtailing the spread of noxious weeds off property, and indirectly provide a source for biocontrol agents that will attack noxious weeds on land in close proximity to WAFB. Second, it will address the need to integrate control methods for noxious weeds. By bringing biocontrol agents into this ecosystem an additional control measure will be added to existing programs. Adding natural enemies of weeds to the ecosystems should disrupt weed growth and may act synergistically with other control measures. Finally, establishing weed herbivores should reduce the need to use chemical and mechanical control measures by adding a long-term weed management component, especially in environmentally sensitive sites that contain threatened plant and animal species. Methodology. The key to any successful weed control program, regardless of the control measures employed, is based on a thorough understanding of the extent of the weed infestation at a site. Therefore the first goal is to initiate a survey of the noxious weeds at WAFB using obvious and problem areas (OPA’s) known to exist at the site. As an example of a problem area, there are leafy spurge, Euphorbia esula, and Dalmatian toadflax, Linaria genistifolia dalmatica, infestations at WAFB that may impact populations of the Colorado butterfly plant, Gaura neomexicana coloradoensis, a Federally-listed threatened species, which is typically found in wetland, sub-irrigated habitat. In addition, the Preble’s meadow jumping mouse, Zapus hudsonius preblei (Preble), another threatened species is found at WAFB. Wetlands and areas that harbor threatened species cannot be treated with herbicides to control noxious weeds, nor can mechanical control (such as mowing) be used successfully. Therefore infestations of noxious weeds are difficult to control. Biological control of these noxious weed infestations would preserve native habitat, avoid damage to threatened species and their habitats, and preclude the use of herbicides, which may impact wetland plants and animals directly (toxicity) and indirectly (removal of desirable plant species) even if threatened species were not a concern. Therefore, during the summer of 2004, this project will identify known noxious weed and Colorado butterfly plant sites and conduct GPS mapping to develop detailed maps of the extent of the weed infestations and where these infestations may impact Colorado butterfly plant. In addition, the project will collect plant density and plant height data at each of these sites prior to, or at the time biocontrol agents are released. This initial mapping and plant data collection is critical in that it establishes a baseline for economic and ecological evaluations in future phases of the program. At WAFB, there are other sites infested with noxious weeds, such as Canada and musk thistle, and spotted knapweed that would benefit from a biological control program. The project will implement and establish a program using experience and results at Ft. Carson, Air Force Academy, Monument Fire Center (Monument, CO), and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (near Golden, CO) with these noxious weeds. Table 1 contains a list of the insects that will be released at WAFB in 2004. The program has experience in establishing biological control programs for all the noxious weeds at WAFB, and has nationwide contacts, in addition to existing establishments of the necessary insects at Colorado sites. In any biological control program, there is a three-phase approach to ensure a sound program that achieves the desired reduction in the pest species targeted for control: · Phase One consists of collection and release of biocontrol agents and sampling for establishment. · Phase Two takes biocontrol agents that are established in Phase One, and redistributes them into areas where they are not yet established in order to engender high populations of the agents. · Phase Three consists of an ecological and economic analysis of the program in terms of how the biocontrol program impacted the pest and the benefits accruing to their establishment in light of standard control practices. In general, each phase covers three years. The three phases of a biological control program are not necessarily distinct from each other, but can coincide, depending on the status of a specific biocontrol agent, the number of pests under consideration and the number of biocontrol agents being used in the program. In the Ft. Carson program, they are currently in Phase Two for field bindweed, musk thistle and spotted knapweed, with biocontrol agents being released and monitored for establishment. The program is also beginning Phase Three work on spotted knapweed, with remediation efforts and detailed plant reduction measurement that began in the summer of 2001. Canada thistle is still in Phase One at Ft. Carson, primarily because of the difficulty in establishing insects that have a significant impact on this weed. However, the program is flexible and will be able to incorporate new insect or mite species as they are made available for release in the United States. At the Air Force Academy, the fourth year of the program was completed in 2003. Therefore that effort is in Phase Two. Biocontrol agent establishment is confirmed on Canada thistle, knapweed, musk thistle, and leafy spurge insects, and redistribution is underway. Releases of biocontrol agents at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site began in the summer of 2001. Some aspects are in Phase One, and others in Phase Two, namely field bindweed and Dalmatian toadflax. An effort at WAFB fits in very well with existing projects in Colorado. Beginning in the spring/summer of 2004 a release program consisting of redistribution of insects established at Ft. Carson, Air Force Academy, and possibly Rocky Flats can begin. In actuality, this would be part of the spotted knapweed Phase Two effort at Ft. Carson. They would also begin a Phase One program on toadflax at F. E. Warren AFB with the toadflax moth, Calophasia lunula, which is available from the Colorado Department of Agriculture. The toadflax stem boring weevil, Mecinus janthinus, is another candidate species that should be available for the first time in the summer of 2003. Leafy spurge insects, with which there has been great success at the Air Force Academy sites, consist of Aphthona sp. flea beetles. Redistributions of Aphthona sp. beetles from Air Force Academy sites and other sites in Colorado to which there is access, to WAFB will begin as soon as the beetles emerge in the summer of 2004. At WAFB there are infestations of hounds tongue and purple loosestrife. These noxious weeds are new to the program, however biocontrol agents do exist for both plants, and the program will secure and release agents in 2004 at the appropriate time. The candidate species are listed in Table 1. Concurrently with the release of the biocontrol agents, the program will collect plant data to set baselines for each OPA where releases are made. The program will measure plant density along transects through the infestations, measuring the density of plants per meter at 10-meter intervals, and plant height at these same intervals. This sampling scheme has worked well in the past at Colorado sites. The program acknowledges that threatened plant surveys must be taken with great care, and they are familiar with previous and ongoing research at WAFB with regard to Colorado butterfly plant (Munk and Hild 2000, Brown and Tuthill 2001). All surveys will be made with regard to the preservation of Colorado butterfly plants and their habitat, and the program will ensure the efforts do not interfere with other projects. The program also acknowledges that native thistles are present at WAFB. Native thistle species know to occur in Laramie County include prairie thistle, Cirsium canescens, and Flodman’s thistle, C. flodmanii. Other species that may occur in Laramie County include fewleaf thistle, C. remotifolium, Wyoming thistle, C. pulcherrimum, and yellowspine thistle, C. ochrocentrum. During the course of the project, the program will identify and record the occurrence and densities of native thistles. The program will also record the impact of any biocontrol agents on these species. Impact is expected to be minimal because of phenological asynchrony between native and noxious thistles at the time when the plants are attacked by the biocontrol agents. However, the program realizes some insects may attack a native thistle species, and therefore they are at present conducting a risk assessment of noxious thistle biocontrol at WAFB. This assessment will be restricted to the thistle species since knapweed, leafy spurge, toadflax, and other weed species encountered will not have associated native species that are closely related. The risk assessment will focus on biological control of noxious thistle species in terms of the potential damage noxious species may do to native species, the impact of herbicide and mechanical control of noxious thistle species on native species, and the environmental and economic cost of doing nothing to control noxious thistle species. With regard to the assessment of biocontrol agent establishment, the program will survey the OPA’s in the fall of 2004 for establishment where possible. The insects and the target weed species have differing phenologies, and specific data collection times will vary. For example, the program can determine successful establishment of Urophora sp. flies on Canada thistle in the fall by examining seed heads (U. affinis) and stems (U. cardui) for galls and pupal overwintering chambers. However, Aphthona sp. beetle establishment on leafy spurge, or Calophasia lunula establishment on toadflax, will not be known until the spring and summer of 2005. Biological control of noxious weeds is an important aspect of overall noxious weed control programs. In many instances, however, biological control is misunderstood. It is oftentimes considered a novelty or is placed lower on the list of control measures because it is a slower control measure than herbicides. There is a great need for education in the intricacies of biological control of noxious weeds. By including student workers in this program from the start, new personnel from various backgrounds will be trained about biological control of weeds. The methodologies for this objective are rather straightforward. Student workers will be included in all aspects of the program. Student workers will be trained to recognize the noxious weeds and other plants, including Colorado butterfly plant. These student workers will be present when releases are made, and they will take plant density and height samples from the OPA’s. Over time, these personnel will assist in sampling for establishment of insects at the OPA’s. Evaluation. The success of the project begins with establishment of the insects on the target weeds. From this point, success will be based on evaluations taken at various times over the course of the program. The program can be evaluated both short and long term. The surveys of OPA’s and plant parameters within the OPA’s will serve as the baseline for evaluations in the future. As the insects become established, increase, and begin to damage or kill plants within an infestation, the program will be able to track their progress. Progress assessments will include: 1. reduction in the overall size of the weed infestation; 2. decrease in plant density, height, and other parameters such as numbers of seedheads per plant; and 3. increase the insects per unit area (which will vary depending on the insect and weed species). In addition, as weed infestations decline, it will be important in the long term to evaluate the cost (economic and ecological) associated with this program, the use of herbicides alone, and the cost if nothing had been done to reduce or eliminate these weed infestations. Of particular importance to WAFB will be an evaluation of the status of Colorado butterfly plant in declining or noxious weed infestations. This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information in this notice. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; QUOTES ARE BEING REQUESTED AND A WRITTEN SOLICITATION WILL NOT BE ISSUED. The NAICS code for the requirement is 926140. There is no size standard for this NAICS code. The Defense Priorities and Allocation System (DPAS) assigned rating is N/A. This solicitation document incorporates provisions and clauses in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 01-13. Description of Requirement: F. E. Warren AFB is experiencing severe infestations of noxious weeds, especially in Crow Creek, Diamond Creek, and the unnamed drainage. The infestations are threatening the ecosystems that support a variety of fish, wildlife, and native vegetation. Due to the existence of threatened species in these drainages, the use of herbicides or mechanical controls is forbidden. Therefore, another method of controlling noxious weeds must be implemented. F. E. Warren AFB is seeking a program that utilizes weed-specific insects to attack weed infestations. The contractor shall be responsible for all personnel, services, parts, labor, tools, material, equipment, and transportation necessary to complete all task involved with this service. No government facilities, materials, or transportation will be used in completion of this requirement. This program must include mapping of the infestations, introduction of biological controls, and implementation of a monitoring program. The dates of delivery for this contract will be from 17 May 2004 to 16 May 2005. The place of performance will be F.E. Warren AFB in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The following is a list of the contract Line Items: CLIN 0001: The contractor shall map the infestations. Unit of issue will be Yearly. CLIN 0002: The contractor shall introduce biological controls. Unit of issue will be Yearly. CLIN 0003: The contractor shall implement a monitoring program. Unit of issue will be Yearly. This Request for Quotation incorporates the following provisions and clauses: There full text may be accessed electronically at http://www.arnet.gov/far/. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. FAR 52.212-1 - Instructions of Offerors-Commercial Items; FAR 52.212-2 - Evaluation-Commercial Items; FAR 52.212-3 - Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items (INCLUDE A COMPLETED COPY WITH QUOTE); FAR 52.212-4 - Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items; FAR 52.212-5 - Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items; FAR 52.232-33 – Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer – Central Contractor Registration. Contractors must be registered with the Central Contractor Registration (CCR); the web site for registration is http://www.ccr.gov if registration has not been accomplished. QUOTES ARE DUE NOT LATER THAN NOON, MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME, MAY 11, 2004. YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO SUBMIT QUOTES ELECTRONICALLY. They may also be submitted on letterhead and faxed to the attention of Contracting Officer @ 307.773.4636. The completed Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items MUST be submitted along with each quote. This announcement and written request for quote constitutes the only “Request for Quote” that will be made for this requirement. Electronic quotes are now being accepted vie email;
[email protected] or by fax at (307) 773-4636.