Sources Sought for Wildland Fire Support Camp Crew Services - Equipment and Services Branch, National Zone

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION – SOURCES SOUGHT - Wildland Fire Support Camp CrewsAgency: United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)  Office: WO IPO Equipment & Services Branch (ESB) RFI Issue Date: June 23, 2022 RFI Response Date: July 7, 2022 Submittal of information: The information requested by this Request for Information (RFI) – Sources Sought shall be provided, electronically by email. Provide a brief response to this Special Notice of not more than ten (10) pages, excluding cover page, by 1600 (Mountain Time) July 7, 2022 to the following email addresses: Jennifer.travis@usda.gov (Primary) and Jeffrey.gardner@usda.gov (Secondary)Synopsis: This Request for Information (RFI) – Sources Sought is for Market Research and Planning purposes only.  Product Service Code: F003 - NATURAL RESOURCES/CONSERVATION- FOREST-RANGE FIRE SUPPRESSION/PRESUPPRESSIONNAICS Code:

115310 – SUPPORT ACTIVITIES FOR FORESTRY SMALL BUSINESS SIZE $20.5MTHE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT INTEND TO AWARD A CONTRACT SOLELY ON THE BASIS OF THIS RFI OR TO OTHERWISE PAY FOR THE INFORMATION SOLICITED. This RFI does not constitute a solicitation for proposals or the authority to enter into negotiations to award a contract. No funds have been authorized, appropriated, or received for this contemplated effort. This RFI is for planning purposes only and shall not be considered as a request for proposal or as an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of contractor submission of responses to this RFI or the Government’s use of such information.  The Government reserves the right to reject, in whole or in part, any contractor’s input resulting from this RFI. Responses to this RFI will not be returned. Whatever information is provided in response to this RFI may be used to assess tradeoffs and alternatives available for future needs. The information provided may be utilized by the US Forest Service in developing its acquisition strategy and in its Statement of Objective, Statement of Work, and/or Performance Specifications. The information resulting from this RFI may be included or combined with other submissions in one or more options considered in the analysis of alternatives. Any proprietary information that is submitted may be used in establishing requirements of any future acquisitions, but specific information will be safeguarded as proprietary providing it is marked in accordance with FAR 3.104-4.  Description: This is not a solicitation announcement. The purpose of this announcement is to gain knowledge of potential qualified sources for availability of wildland fire support camp crews. This RFI/Sources Sought Notice is for planning purposes only and shall not be considered as an invitation for bid, request for quotation, request for proposal, or as an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services. Your response to this Sources Sought Notice will be treated as information only. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of contractor submission of responses to this announcement or the Government use of such information. This request does not constitute a solicitation for proposals or the authority to enter into negotiations to award a contract. No funds have been authorized, appropriated, or received for this effort. Scope:  The Forest Service is conducting market research to determine industry capabilities for obtaining wildland fire support camp crews. This is a Request for Information only and not a solicitation for award. The Forest Service understands this is a fluid situation where the landscape of availability is constantly changing.  The primary purpose of this announcement is to identify potential sources, product offerings, availability and/or challenges to procuring and obtaining such items to rapidly meet emerging requirements. Therefore, to the extent practical, additional market research may be conducted prior to posting any solicitation to capture the snapshot of the availability at that specific point in time. The Forest Service urges those companies that can provide the following category of items to respond even after the initial response due date. Work assigned to the vendor camp crew may be at the incident command post (ICP), incident base, spike camps, off site locations including but not limited to fire caches, and other designated areas of the incident.  Many sites are remote. The sites for established base camps can be schools, recreation centers, Federal Buildings/parking lots or sites that would be considered remote as farmland, open areas, and/or fields. Site locations are determined by incident needs and active fire location.Work can include but is not limited to the following:Supply Unit: allocate cache supplies to incident personnel, along with organize, track and re-stock cache supplies. Using vendor-provided vehicles, travel to the fire line to drop off or haul back supply unit equipment such as pumps, hose and tools and possible trash items. Work  includes sorting, testing, cleaning, and rolling fire hose for either return to cache, restocking, or continued incident fire line use. Vendor camp crews can also be used to support the loading and unloading of cache vans and trailers delivering or picking up supplies.  Vendor crews may also provide support to the fire cache system by assisting with refurbishing backhaul, restocking, cleaning, and rolling fire line hose at a fire cache location. Food Unit: Vendor Camp crews may be assigned within logistics to support the food unit with counting of meals provided by the mobile food service contract. Also providing support in the distribution and tracking of lunches, water, ice and Gatorade to incident personnel.  Vendor Camp Crews may also be assigned to provide cache provided ice chests and the daily replenishing of drinks and ice for designated areas within camp.   Facilities: Vendor camp crews may also support equipment set up and take down within designated ICP, spike camps or other designated area and may include the building and burying of small trenches to house a variety of generator extension, computer, phone cords etc. Vendor camp crews may also provide support for setting up and take down of meeting tents, yurts, and trash pick-up in camp and consolidation back haul to designed dumpster areas.   There could be needs for vendor camp crews to provide light cleaning of incident trailers, tables, common areas using government provided supplies.Camp crews may be subjected to extreme environmental and/or strenuous operating conditions, which, could include but is not limited to unimproved roads, steep, rocky, hilly terrain, dust, heat, and smoky conditionsResponsibilities:The Vendor will provide at a minimum 10 camp crew personnel with at least one designated crew supervisor (11 total) to perform support work for a variety of logistical functions at designated incident camps. All crew members shall be able to routinely lift objects up to 45 pounds when performing the duties required of this solicitation and work shifts no more than 16-hour days.The crew is required to have a unique identification that recognizes themselves and the vendor company.  Vendor camp crew personnel must annually complete the RT 130 - FSTEP Fireline Safety Awareness for the Hired Vendor or equivalent recognized course.  Fire refresher training is required of all crew members and supervisor for each new calendar year.  Wildland Fire Learning Portal: https://wildlandfirelearningportal.net/index.phpVendor shall provide company representative available for initial dispatch and during the crew assignment.  The crew supervisor working with the crew must be experienced within the incident command system (ICS) and have completed. ICS courses 100 and 200. As a recommendation the IS-700: National Incident Management System, An Introduction and IS-800: National Response Framework, An Introduction. ICS FEMA Training Center: https://training.fema.gov/emiweb/is/icsresource/trainingmaterials/#item1Provide overhead resources as requested, each crew is required to have an onsite crew supervisor to work directly with Government incident personnel.Provide Incident support camp crews that will consist of a minimum of 10 Vendor Crew Members with crew supervisor for a total of 11 crew members.  Crew supervisors common work duties include but not limit to working with crew members on a variety of tasks listed in Supply, Food and Facilities along with documenting and turning in crew time reports and other administrative duties along with ensuring vehicle upkeep of vendor equipment.  Crew Time Report Example: https://www.nwcg.gov/publications/training-courses/psm-001Vendor shall be responsible to ensure each crew member has their own Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and that all personnel arrive with the following PPE:(1) BOOTS: All Leather uppers, lace-up type, minimum of 8 inches high with lug type sole in good condition (steel toed boots are not recommended).(2) HARD HAT: Hardhat meeting NFPA Standard 1977 is required.(3) GLOVES: One pair of heavy-duty leather per person.(4) EYE PROTECTION: One pair (meets standards ANSI Z87, latest edition).(5) HEARING PROTECTION: Use hearing protection whenever sound levels exceed 85 dB.Earphones (headset) required with radio shall have built-in hearing protection.(6) HEAD LAMP: With batteries and attachment for hardhat.(7) FIRE SHELTER: New Generation Fire Shelter is required.(8) FLAME RESISTANT CLOTHING (Shirt and Pants). A minimum of one full set of flameresistant shirt and pants. For routine fire line duties, flame resistant clothing must be certified toNFPA 1977.  NFPA Standards for PPE Website: https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/all-codes-and-standards/list-of-codes-and-standards/detail?code=1977Ensure each crew member has appropriate equipment to stay on an assignment up to 14-days, i.e., tent, sleeping bag, cot or sleeping pad. Provide a minimum of two programmable hand-held radios per each crew for adequate camp crew communication, unless stipulated that these will be provided. Only radios approved are listed on the National Interagency Fire Center's National Interagency Incident Communications Divisions' website https://www.nifc.gov/resources/NIICD/niicd-documentsProvide transportation for supplied crews to and from incident and while assigned to the incident.Ensure all vendor Camp Crews are properly trained before a fire incident on use of hand tools.  Introduction of Basic Wildland Fire Hand Tools: https://training.nwcg.gov/classes/s130/508%20Files/071231_s130_m6_508.pdfEnsure one experienced crew supervisor will accompany on each dispatch/assignment and will be the primary contact for all administrative and supervisory requirements during the assigned period.Vendor company will provide labor and direct supervision, transportation, equipment and tools needed for assignment to an emergency incident.Prepare and submit, while assigned to, and upon completion of the assignment, appropriate incident time documentation.Provide state worker’s comp insurance coverage for all vendor’s personnel.Location:Assignment locations may vary from remote Emergency Incident Command Post locations to Government facilities (Fire Caches) across the United States. This will be designated at time of dispatch to the vendor.  Interagency Fire Cache Locations: https://www.nwcg.gov/committees/national-fire-equipment-system-subcommittee/niscEnglish speaking requirement:Communications between vendor crew personnel and Government incident personnel is mandatory for safe and effective performance. Vendor representative and crew supervisor will be able to proficiently communicate in English, in the language of the crew, and read and communicate the Incident Action Plan, Safety Alerts, etc.  Incident Action Plan Glossary Term: https://www.nwcg.gov/term/glossary/incident-action-plan-iapAll radio communication on Government-assigned frequencies will be in English.Vehicle & Equipment Requirements:The vendor will provide dependable equipment that meets all applicable state and federal laws relating to motor vehicles and equipment. Vendor crew members cannot at any time drive any government owned, leased or rented equipment.  Any crew member driving vendor owned vehicles must have current driver license.  The Government reserves the right to conduct inspections at any time based on the safety standards of the OF-296 - VEHICLE/HEAVY EQUIP INSPECT CHECKLIST.  Link to Form: https://www.nwcg.gov/form,of-296-vehicle-heavy-equip-inspect-checklist-(4-00)All transportation vehicles will be in sound mechanical condition with sufficient horsepower and mainframe configurations to ensure successful performance on roads and highways, or in terrain described in these specifications. It is required that the vendor have at least one vehicle that is pick-up styled vehicle with 4x4 for back haul of supplies, trash and camp assigned work. All vehicles will be able to be legally driven on highways under their own power and be able to travel at a minimum of 50 miles per hour.Equipment used will be licensed and legally operable on all roads.An audible reverse warning device (backup alarm) if equipped.  If not equipped with an audible alarm, a human spotter trained in back up procedures will be utilized.Campsite: When the Government cannot provide a campsite after the first shift worked, the Government will pay actual lodging expenses or the per diem locality rate published by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) web site (www.gsa.gov), whichever is less. Double occupancy of hotel rooms may be required. Any associated lodging taxes are reimbursable as documented. Lodging receipts, as well as documentation by incident personnel that a campsite was not provided, should be submitted as supporting documentation with payment documents.Reimbursement for meals and incidental expenses (M&IE) is based on per diem locality rates minus any Government-provided meals. The maximum allowable rates are referenced at the US General Services Administration website: https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-ratesIf the resource is allowed to return to its dispatch location during off-shift time, Remain Overnight Allowance (RON) is not authorized.The maximum RON that will be allowed is based on the number of operators or crewmembers provided under the dispatch.   Response Requirements: 1. Company name, company mailing address, and point of contact information.  2. Company's applicable socioeconomic status and available contract ordering vehicles (include contract numbers), if available. Include past Government contracting performance if applicable.3. Capabilities Statement that clearly aligns the capabilities of the company to the requirements listed above. Include a brief list of experience on similar service projects (comparable in type of services, size of program, and complexity); including client/project owner, name/title/phone number of a client point of contact, prime contractor name (if applicable), brief description, period of performance.  4. Describe your qualifications and your organization’s Key Personnel qualifications.  5. Describe your experience performing with Quality Assurance systems specifically providing the same type of service/supply.  The information provided in response to this notice may be used by the Forest Service in developing its acquisition approach, statement of work/statement of objectives and performance specifications. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response.