Ashley Balkcom. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission DATE: JANUARY 29, 2016 ADDENDUM NO.: 1 BID NO.: FWC 15/16-088

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Deborah Collins
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DATE: JANUARY 29, 2016 ADDENDUM NO.: 1 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Commissioners Brian S. Yablonski Chairman Tallahassee Aliese P. Liesa Priddy Vice Chairman Immokalee Ronald M.

1 DATE: JANUARY 29, 2016 ADDENDUM NO.: 1 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Commissioners Brian S. Yablonski Chairman Tallahassee Aliese P. Liesa Priddy Vice Chairman Immokalee Ronald M. Bergeron Fort Lauderdale Richard Hanas Oviedo Bo Rivard Panama City Charles W. Roberts III Tallahassee Robert A. Spottswood Key West Executive Staff Nick Wiley Executive Director Eric Sutton Assistant Executive Director Jennifer Fitzwater Chief of Staff Finance and Budget Office Jodi Bailey Chief Operating Officer (850) (850) FAX Managing fish and wildlife resources for their long-term well-being and the benefit of people. 620 South Meridian Street Tallahassee, Florida Voice: (850) BID NO.: FWC 15/ BID TITLE: UPDATE: ADD: Sanibel River Slough Woody Plant Removal ITB Revisions VENDOR QUESTIONS & FWC ANSWERS The enclosed addendum has been issued for consideration in the preparation of your response to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission s (FWC) Solicitation No. FWC 15/ "Invitation to Bid (ITB) for Sanibel River Slough Woody Plant Removal, issued on January 15, All responses to the subject solicitation must be received no later than 3:00 P.M. (ET) on Tuesday, February 9, A response received after the exact time specified will not be considered. Failure to file a protest within the time prescribed in Section (3), Florida Statutes, or failure to post the bond or other security required by law within the time allowed for filing a bond shall constitute a waiver of proceedings under Chapter 120, Florida Statutes (F.S.). Written notices, formal requests and proceedings must conform with the requirements set forth in Chapter , Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.). Protests must be filed with the Purchasing Office, Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Suite 100, 2590 Executive Center Circle, Tallahassee, Florida within the time prescribed in Section (3), Florida Statutes and Chapter , Florida Administrative Code. Sincerely, Ashley Balkcom Ashley Balkcom FWC Procurement Manager Hearing/speech-impaired: (800) (T) (800) (V) MyFWC.com

2 Page 2 ADDENDUM NO. 1 Item #1: Vendor Questions & FWC Answers Question #1: Will the contractor be required to have any additional licensing or permit from the City of Sanibel to remove/herbicide trees? There was something mentioned by another contractor during the Prebid, was just looking for clarification on that. Answer #1: The awarded contractor will need to have a Sanibel Business Tax Receipt -Registration in the Tree Trimmer category, but WILL NOT need to have a Vegetation Competency Card as they will be exempt under Section : (3): Persons working for a governmental agency or a nonprofit organization dedicated to conservation or preservation of vegetative resources, and under the direct supervision of a person knowledgeable in the purposes and requirements of this division. Registration (one-page form Department-Forms) is only required after the contractor is awarded the bid (The Notice to Proceed will not be issued until registration verification is received by the FWC Project Manager). Applications (approximately $50) are able to be processed immediately and should not delay the project start date. Question #2: What are we to do with the mulched material? Answer #2: We still want the woody plants within the SCCF Center Tract mulched to 1-4" pieces ( a fine biomass no longer than 4 inches and no larger than 1 inch diameter ; p. 24 of ITB, Specification 3.1.A). We ve decided we do not want the mulch piled, but just left in place so that it breaks down quickly and will not trigger the need for a pile burn. A FECON mulching head, BRONTOSAURUS mulcher, or equivalent technology may be used to grind down the trees in place. Language within Section 3.1 on page 24 has been modified to reflect that change. Question #3: In section 3.1A it states mechanical removal equip with skid steer using fixed-tooth mastication head or similar low ground pressure equipment must be used. Can the contractor use a mini excavator and then stock pile the vegetation for future burning event by other? Answer #3: Stockpiling of material will not be required. Low ground pressure equipment, such as an excavator of appropriate size for the work conditions, with a mulching or grinding head (e.g., FECON or equivalent) may be used to mulch targeted woody plants. The FWC Contractor Manager and SCCF Land Manager reserves the right to inspect the Contractor s proposed equipment to ensure it meets the specifications and functional capabilities described in the bid specifications. The FWC Contractor Manager and SCCF Land Manager s decision shall be final and not subject to legal challenge by the Contractor. Question #4: Is there a restriction on total removal including stumps for anything other than palmettos? Basically can the contractor clear the site selectively avoiding the palmettos using a mini excavator and pile the vegetation as mentioned in Q1, or are there additional tree types that you want cut stump and treated?

3 Page 3 Answer #4: Because ALL trees in mechanical removal areas will be mulched in place (and not piled), an excavator with a bucket head will not be needed. Palmettos should NOT be skipped, but severed and mulched next to the ground without ground disturbance. In hand removal areas, all palmettos and other large trees shall be felled, piled, or directed towards or into the cord grass swales and herbicide applied to the stumps. Question #5: 3.1B - Please further explain what you would like to have the contractor do with the brush and debris. It says "felled", piled or directed towards or into the cordgrass swales. Do you want the material winrowed, piled, completely spread out among the site or what specifically do you want to see happen? Answer #5: In 3.1.B (p. 24 of ITB), [a]ll brush and debris that is cut should be felled, piled, or directed towards or into the cord grass swales. Material from hand removal may be cut and left in place in the marsh. No material is required to be removed from site. Leave it where it falls and treat the stump. For the USFWS Bailey Tract hand or ground treatments, the Contractor should fell targeted woody brush and trees into the cordgrass and cordgrass swales and treat the stumps using accepted industry herbicide(s) and techniques, so debris will be consumed during follow-up prescribed burns to maintain the cordgrass marsh in perpetuity. Question #6: Considering how wet the property is at certain locations. Do you have any specific dates to start and complete hand clearing and mechanical clearing at the different locations? Are the hand Clearing and Mechanical clearing done at the same time or separately? Answer #6: The preference is for the Bailey Tract to be drier before beginning hand treatment. However, the forecast is for a wet winter and we may receive additional rain as cool fronts roll into the area. With that said, waiting a few weeks for the site to dry a bit is preferred. A start date of Monday Feb 22 nd would likely be the earliest (if the Purchase Order and other paperwork is complete) in the Bailey Tract. SCCF Tract is wetter, so it will likely not begin until Bailey Tract is complete or substantially complete. Mechanical treatment in SCCF Tract will not be able to start until the site significantly dries out. If circumstances constituting Force Majeure occur, or if anything occurs beyond the Contractor s control (e.g., overly wet conditions caused by heavy rainfall delay mechanical removal), the Contractor may request in writing an extension of Completion Date ( TERM ; p. 4 of ITB). If the mechanical removal sites are dry enough to allow work and hand removal and herbicide treatment are still going on, doing mechanical treatment at the same time is allowable and may be required at the FWC Project Manager and Land Managers discretion (Contractor and Land Manager staff must be able to manage and supervise crews at both the Bailey Tract and SCCF Center Tract properties). All work is targeted to be completed before 5:00 EDT May 30, Question #7: All the Material Created from the Mechanical Removal will be pushed up into piles. Are the piles to be made in the same areas where the mechanical removal has been completed? How many piles per acres are we allowed to make? Answer #7: Stockpiling of material within the SCCF Center Tract will NOT be required. Woody plants shall be mulched to a fine biomass no longer than 4 inches and no larger than 1 inch diameter (p. 24 of ITB, Specification 3.1.A) and left in place.

4 Page 4 Question #8: Nowhere does it states what to do with material after hand clearing. Is all the hand clearing just cut and leave where it falls, then treat the stump? Answer #8: In 3.1.B (p. 24 of ITB), [a]ll brush and debris that is cut should be felled, piled, or directed towards or into the cord grass swales. Material from hand removal may be cut and left in place in the marsh. No material is required to be removed from site. Leave it where it falls and treat the stump. For the USFWS Bailey Tract hand or ground treatments, the Contractor should fell targeted woody brush and trees into the cordgrass and cordgrass swales and treat the stumps using accepted industry herbicide(s) and techniques, so debris will be consumed during follow-up prescribed burns to maintain the cordgrass marsh in perpetuity. Question #9: It is known there will be wet or muddy areas on site while doing the work, and obviously we will be making ruts in the wet areas. How deep do the ruts need to be before we have to smooth them out? Answer #9: The preference will be to minimize ruts and damage by allowing the site to dry out as much as possible before mechanical removal. However, the site might still be slightly wet or damp, and some rutting may occur. Any tracks that sink more than one inch (1 ) into the ground will need to be smoothed out before leaving the site. Question #10: Seeing how your budget is so low to produce the mulch at the size you are asking, it will be too expensive, to grind it up, push it in to piles, it will consist of more dirt especially in the low wet areas, with more dirty piles and smaller material it will make it more difficult to burn. How important is the size for the material? If the material would be processed at a larger size maybe no larger than 2 long by 4 wide it will be Cleaner and more easy to burn because the larger the material the more oxygen can pass through the material. Can this be considered? Answer #10: Stockpiling of material within the SCCF Center Tract will NOT be required (which should reduce both cost and ground disturbance). We still want the targeted plants to be mulched to a fine biomass no longer than 4 inches and no larger than 1 inch diameter (p. 24 of ITB, Specification 3.1.A), the material may be left in place. Question #11: Given that SCCF and Ding Darling appear to have secured the required City of Sanibel approvals to conduct the habitat management described in the ITB, and given that the chosen contractor will be working under their oversight, does the selected contractor independently need to have a Certificate of Competency for vegetation management from the City? If yes, do subcontractors also need to independently have a Certificate of Competency for vegetation management from the City (repeat)? Answer #11: The awarded contractor and their sub-contractors will need to have a Sanibel Business Tax Receipt Registration in the Tree Trimmer category, but WILL NOT need to have a Vegetation Competency Card (Certificate of Conformity) as they will be exempt under Section : (3): Persons working for a governmental agency or a nonprofit organization dedicated to conservation or preservation of vegetative resources, and under the direct supervision of a person knowledgeable in the purposes and requirements of this division.

5 Page 5 Registration (one-page form Department-Forms) is only required after the contractor is awarded the bid (The Notice to Proceed will not be issued until registration verification is received by the FWC Project Manager). Applications (approximately $50) are able to be processed immediately and should not delay the project start date. Question #12: Woody mulch deposited within wetlands has been considered in the past as fill by the state and federal environmental agencies. Will the owner provide documentation from SFWMD/FDEP and the USACOE verifying whether either would require a permit to deposit woody mulch within the wetlands, to pile woody mulch in the cordgrass marshes, or to use mechanical means (via heavy machinery) to reduce standing woody biomass, as is described in the scope of services? Answer #12: Per the PERMITTING clause of the ITB (p. 9), [p]ermitting for this project, if needed, is the responsibility of the Commission [and the respective landowners, the USFWS for the Bailey Tract and SCCF for the Center Tract]. A copy of all permits shall be posted at the work site location at all times during the project. The Contractor is responsible for complying with all permit conditions and the Contractor shall pay any penalties arising from the Contractor s permit violations. USFWS and SCCF are responsible for all permits required on their respective properties. Copies of all applicable and required permits will be provided to the awarded contractor prior to work commencement. If permits are not required for certain project activities, documentation of No Permit Required will NOT be provided to the awarded contractor. Question #13: Based upon the Lee County Property Appraiser web site, it appears that mechanical removal area C5 is on property under Shell Museum ownership and the western halves of areas C3, C6, and C10 are under the ownership of the Diocese of Venice? Given the apparent ownership, are they part of this ITB? Answer #13: Acreage for sites C3, C6 and C10 on the western end will remain the same. SCCF has an agreement with the landowner to manage that property. SCCF has decided to remove site C5 from the work plan and modify sites C14 and C17 to avoid any possible issues with the Shell Museum. Acreages within Section 3 of the ITB have been modified to reflect those changes. The map in Exhibit 2 has also been modified. Updated.gpx and.kml files for the SCCF Center Tract will be provided. The Price Sheet has been modified to reflect the updated acreages. Please bid upon the updated acreages using the updated Price Sheet. Question #14: In the SCCF Tract, is it required to push the mulched hardwoods to a specific location? Pls specify which polygons require push and pile. Answer #14: Stockpiling of material or push[ing] the mulched hardwoods to a specific location within the SCCF Center Tract will NOT be required. Woody plants shall be mulched to a fine biomass no longer than 4 inches and no larger than 1 inch diameter (p. 24 of ITB, Specification 3.1.A) and left in place. Question #15: City of Sanibel License Requirements what are the specific requirements in addition to FWC Required License that City may require.

6 Page 6 Answer #15: The awarded contractor and their sub-contractors will need to have a Sanibel Business Tax Receipt -Registration in the Tree Trimmer category, but WILL NOT need to have a Vegetation Competency Card as they will be exempt under Section : (3): Persons working for a governmental agency or a nonprofit organization dedicated to conservation or preservation of vegetative resources, and under the direct supervision of a person knowledgeable in the purposes and requirements of this division. Registration (one-page form Department-Forms) is only required after the contractor is awarded the bid (The Notice to Proceed will not be issued until registration verification is received by the FWC Project Manager). Applications (approximately $50) are able to be processed immediately and should not delay the project start date. Item #2: ITB Revisions The following items have been revised in the bid solicitation. A revised solicitation can be found on the Vendor Bid System (VBS). All additions can be identified by italicization, and all deletions can be identified by strikethroughs. Revision #1: Page 1; Purpose Revision #2: Page 2; Calendar of Events Revision #2: Page 4; Term Revision #3: Page 23; Location Reference Coordinates Removal of C5 Revision #4: Page 24; Paragraph 3.1 of the Specifications Revision #5: Page 29; Exhibit 2 Revision #6: Page 31; Price Sheet END OF ADDENDUM NO. 1

Ruth Heggen. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission DATE: JANUARY 13, 2017 ADDENDUM NO.: 1 BID NO.: FWC 16/17-60

Ruth Heggen. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission DATE: JANUARY 13, 2017 ADDENDUM NO.: 1 BID NO.: FWC 16/17-60 DATE: JANUARY 13, 2017 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Commissioners Brian Yablonski Chairman Tallahassee Aliese P. Liesa Priddy Vice Chairman Immokalee Ronald M. Bergeron Fort Lauderdale