TABLE OF CONTENTS

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  SECTION A \--                                                                    [2](#_TOC_A)   
  Solicitation/Contract                                                                           
  Form                                                                                            

  A.1                     Summary of Changes                                                      [2](#_toc_A1)

  A.2                     Scope of Work                                                           [2](#_toc_A2)
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[]{#_TOC_A .anchor}SECTION A \-- Solicitation/Contract Form

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  []{#_toc_A1   Summary of Changes
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  The free form item 'Scope of Work'has been edited.

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  []{#_toc_A2   Scope of Work
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Mechanical Removal of Cabbage Palm

CONTRACT SPECIFICATIONS

Florida Panther NWR

Naples Florida, Collier County

Project Purpose: The purpose of this project is to restore vegetation
communities in hydric pine flatwoods and wet prairies by removing
cabbage palms that have invaded these communities due to hydrological
changes that have occurred over the past 50 years.

Scope of Work:

\" Obligations of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)

The FWS shall provide the Contractor with maps and other information to
locate work sites and direct the Contractor to these sites.

The FWS shall locate sites for the storage of the Contractor\'s
equipment as close as possible to the various work sites.

The FWS will designate refuge entry points and roads for the Contractor
to access work sites.

The FWS reserves the right to move cutting operations to other units
within the specified contract area when it is determined that it is for
the convenience of the Government, due to weather and soil conditions,
or the current site is unsuitable or unavailable for performance of the
specified work.

The FWS reserves the right to restrict Contractor vehicles and equipment
from using refuge roads if excessive wet conditions exist.

\" Obligations of the Contractor

The Contractor shall furnish all labor, materials, maintenance and
repairs, equipment, fuel, insurance, tools, transportation and
mobilization, lodging, supervision and supplies and perform all work
necessary for the cutting, but not removal, of cabbage palms within
designated compartments on the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge
(FPNWR). No equipment or supplies will be furnished by the Government.

The Contractor will provide equipment operator(s) that are qualified to
operate, transport and maintain the equipment.

Work shall begin no later than 30 days after the contract is awarded
depending on current ground conditions. The actual start date will be
determined during the post-award conference.

Following the contract award and issuance of a Notice To Proceed from
the Government, the project will be completed within two-years from the
date of the award.

The contractor shall cut all cabbage palms within the designated project
sites. The cut palms will be left in place, or piled, as directed by the
FWS. The refuge staff will designate any cabbage palm trees to be left
uncut with either blue flagging or blue paint. The Contractor shall take
every precaution necessary to prevent damage to non-target trees,
particularly pine trees with a DBH greater than 8 inches and all oak
trees. All cabbage palms shall be cut to within 6 inches of the ground.
However, the Contractor shall not be responsible for cabbage palms that
are unsuitable for cutting due to their growing stem being in close
proximity (less than 6 inches) to the ground, thus minimizing the risk
of damage to equipment cutting parts. The contractor is responsible for
the restoration or replacement of all damaged non-target native trees to
the satisfaction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and at no cost
to the FWS.

The contractor shall be responsible for and repair, replace or restore
to original condition all property damaged as a result of any activity
by the Contractor, to the satisfaction of the FWS. This includes, but is
not limited to, soil grade disturbance resulting from heavy equipment
and damage to man-made structures and equipment.

Work may be postponed due to inclement weather or wet soil conditions
for the purpose of preventing adverse impacts to soils and access roads,
or for the convenience of the Government.

The required machinery for cabbage palm cutting (not removal) shall be a
Track-type Feller Buncher with saw head that can reach and cut a 20-foot
radius from the engine and track assembly. This equipment configuration
will minimize the overall track travel over sensitive ground surfaces
and it promotes a more efficient use of equipment and better contract
value to the government. To further minimize disturbance to habitat
ground surfaces and low growth vegetation, the required machinery will
also have low-ground pressure tracks that shall not exceed 4.5 psi when
the cutting machine is fully fueled at its\' maximum gross weight.

The Contractor may use specialized off-road equipment such as swamp
buggies or ATV\'s to access equipment and project site.

All equipment used shall be in good repair and operating condition at
all times, and be in compliance with all federal, state, and local
vehicle regulations. The equipment shall be of the proper type and
sufficient size to enable the Contractor to perform the work in
accordance with these specifications. The Contractor shall furnish all
fuel, oil, grease, repairs, replacement parts and other expenses
incidental to the operations of their equipment. All equipment will meet
all safety standards as established for that piece of equipment. All
equipment will be operated and maintained in accordance with the
manufacturer\'s recommendations. All equipment shall be equipped with
all appropriate safe guards, as specified by the manufacturer. FWS
reserves the right to request replacement of equipment or personnel if
deemed to be unsafe or operating in an unsafe manner.

Upon completion of the work and prior to accepting the work as being
completed, all trash and rubbish generated by the Contractor\'s
operation shall be removed from Refuge land and disposed of in a
designated landfill or other appropriate location.

All machinery will be equipped with approved containment systems in the
event of a contaminant spill.

Onsite fueling and maintenance is permissible with the use of approved
storage facilities and contaminant containment systems.

Description and Location:

The project site(s) consist of nine compartments with variable densities
of trees and brush. Dominant species of trees are Florida slash pine,
species of oak trees, and cabbage palm. The total acreage of the project
site is approximately 2571 acres (see attached map). Only designated
areas within each compartment will be treated. These areas have cabbage
palm densities, of cutable size, ranging from 20 to 200 stems per acre.

Inspection and Acceptance:

The FWS reserves the right to inspect, at any time, the Contractor\'s
procedures and to approve operating personnel. Inspection, however,
shall not relieve the Contractor of any obligations or responsibilities
nor shall it transfer any liability to the FWS. Inspection of the work
performed under this contract will be made by the FWS or the designated
inspector of the FWS as the work progresses and at such intervals as are
necessary to insure compliance with the contract specifications and
provisions.

The FWS reserves the right to require the Contractor to replace any
operating personnel or equipment used in the performance of this
contract if the personnel or equipment are violating, or have violated,
any state or federal laws; or are unsafe; or for any valid reason. In
this event, the Contractor shall immediately, upon written or verbal (to
be later reduced to writing) communication from the FWS, provide
replacements satisfactory to the FWS at no additional cost.

The Contractor shall ensure that the technical specifications are being
met and are in agreement with the FWS or designated Service inspector.
Upon completion of the work in a compartment, the Contractor will notify
the FWS that the work within the compartment is completed and the FWS
will make an overall inspection of the work completed. If the work is
accepted, the Contractor shall proceed with work on the next
compartment. If the work is not accepted by the FWS, the Contractor
shall complete any remedial work as required for acceptance prior to
commencing work on the next compartment.

The Government may allow an extension of the contract term if it is
determined that the contractor cannot complete the contract within the
normal contract period due to excessive inclement weather, high water or
Government-caused delays that exceed a total of 21 days

Show Me Trip:

Prospective contractors wishing to bid on this contract will be offered
the opportunity to make an onsite visit to the contract area in
question. This onsite visit is strongly suggested, in order to provide
prospective contractors the necessary information to submit an accurate
bid.

Table of target management units, listed in the order of cutting, with
approximate acreages within each habitat type.

Fire Management Unit Pineland (acres) Prairie (acres) Hammock (acres)
Total Cutting within Unit

2 320 17 3 340

6 254 10 5 269

3 196 73 0 269

8 413 0 18 431

5 231 23 17 271

4 186 11 0 197

1 356 10 41 407

7 272 15 7 294

9 68 0 25 93

Total acres 2296 159 116 2571

Grand Total: 2571 acres