Solicitation
FL-J N Ding Darling NWR-Debris Removal
Department of the Interior · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
AI summaryThe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), under the Department of the Interior, wants hurricane debris removed from about 4 acres of mangrove wetland at J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island, Florida (solicitation 140FS326Q0120), set aside for small businesses. No vehicles or heavy equipment may enter the debris field, so the work is done by hand. The documents give two response due dates, November 16, 2026 and November 2, 2026, and call the site visit both mandatory and strongly encouraged. Check the notice: its text gives November 2, 2026 as the date offers are due, not a site visit. More in the summary
A newer version of this notice was posted Oct 27, 2026. See the latest version.
AI summary Beta
Summary of the version posted Oct 22, 2026. The notice was amended Oct 27, 2026. Check what else changed on SAM.gov.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), under the Department of the Interior, wants hurricane debris removed from about 4 acres of mangrove wetland at J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island, Florida (solicitation 140FS326Q0120), set aside for small businesses. No vehicles or heavy equipment may enter the debris field, so the work is done by hand. The documents give two response due dates, November 16, 2026 and November 2, 2026, and call the site visit both mandatory and strongly encouraged. Check the notice: its text gives November 2, 2026 as the date offers are due, not a site visit.
Who can bid (7)
- Small business under NAICS 238910 (set aside for small businesses only)
- Active SAM registration when the quote is sent
- No termination for fault or default within the last 7 years
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- A current, active certificate of insurance sent with the quote
- Past experience within the last 7 years, shown through references from your own company's work as prime contractor
- All federal, state and local licenses, certifications and permits, with a copy of the licenses given to the Contracting Officer before the pre-award meeting
- Supervisors with recent experience directing similar work (the PWS gives both two and four years)
How to submit: Email to the Contracting Officer, Merenica Banks (Merenica_Banks@ios.doi.gov), with the subject line "Sol No. 140FS326Q0120 Quote Submittal". What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (8)
- Serious: Small businesses only. Only small businesses can send a quote, so a firm that is not small for NAICS 238910 is shut out.
- Serious: Site visit: mandatory or strongly encouraged. The evaluation section says to attend a mandatory site visit, but the Performance Work Statement (PWS: the document describing the work) says strongly encouraged and that dates would come later; the continuation sheet gives November 9 and November 13, 2026 at 11:00 AM. Ask the contracting officer.
- Worth checking: Hand work only in soft wetlands. Crews must cut debris down and carry it out on foot through soft soil and ditches; the PWS says the field can only be reached on foot, so labor is the main cost.
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- Worth checking: Payment held until final inspection. The PWS holds all payment until refuge staff inspect, within 45 days or less, and any re-work needed to reach 100% removal is at the contractor's cost.
- Worth checking: References must be your own company's work. Up to three similar contracts from the last 7 years, and a subcontractor's work does not count, so a firm that has only subcontracted may not qualify.
- Worth checking: Period of performance dates conflict. The continuation sheet gives November 17, 2026 to January 31, 2027 and also November 17, 2026 to March 1, 2027, while the PWS says all work within 90 days of the contract being issued.
- Minor: Number of references unclear. The evaluation says up to three contracts, but the references form has four experience blocks.
- Minor: Supervisor experience window unclear. The PWS asks for supervisor experience within the last two years and also within the past four years; ask the contracting officer which applies.
Read from the notice and 5 attachments. Show which files.
- Sol_140FS326Q0120.pdf (read)
- Attachment_1_-_PWS-QAP_FY26_Debris_removal.pdf (read)
- Attachment_3_-_PAST_EXPERIENCE_REFERENCES.pdf (read)
- Attachment_2_-_Price_Schedule.pdf (read)
- Attachment_4_-_Service_Contract_Act_WD__2015-4529.pdf (read)
Full summary
What they want
- Remove all non-vegetation hurricane debris (construction materials, furniture, buckets, housewares) from about 4 acres of mangrove wetland; the goal is 100% removal
- Cut large debris (rafters, walls, floor joists, carpeting, roofing) down to sizes handled by hand; no vehicles or heavy equipment in the debris field
- Stage debris at the refuge's Gavin Site, about 0.90 miles east of the debris field, then haul it off and dispose of it lawfully; transport and disposal are the contractor's job
- Send a mobilization plan and an operating plan with schedule, plus a work plan, a safety and spill response plan, and a quality control plan
- Report progress at 25%, 50% and 90%, and keep daily work logs that are sent in every two weeks
- Keep one dedicated crew supervisor on site whenever crews work, and pick up all trash daily
- Work 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, at least 40 hours a week, with no work on listed federal holidays
- Re-sweep the area at no extra cost until the government inspection finds 100% of the debris gone
- Contract type
- Firm-fixed-price (FFP): one set price, whatever the work ends up costing. The Performance Work Statement calls it a Fixed Price-Best Value contract/task order
- Period of performance
- The documents disagree: the continuation sheet gives November 17, 2026 to January 31, 2027 for the debris removal line, and also November 17, 2026 to March 1, 2027 with delivery March 1, 2027. The PWS says all work within 90 days of the contract being issued
- Place of performance
- J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Sanibel Island, Florida (near Fort Myers); the debris field is about 4 acres of mangrove wetland at 26.441127° -82.098423°
- Estimated value
- Not stated
- How they'll choose
- Best value tradeoff: the government weighs technical acceptability, past experience and price, and says technical and past performance combined are more important than price alone
- Offers due
- November 16, 2026, 3:00 PM Eastern (from the version posted Oct 22, 2026; amended since)
- How to submit
- Email to the Contracting Officer, Merenica Banks (Merenica_Banks@ios.doi.gov), with the subject line "Sol No. 140FS326Q0120 Quote Submittal"
What they'll judge offers on
- Technical Acceptability: technical experience, capacity and expertise to do the tasks on schedule; no termination for fault or default in the last 7 years; active System for Award Management (SAM) registration when the quote is sent; all required forms; a current certificate of insurance; attend the site visit; every technical aspect must be met
- Past Experience: up to three similar contracts within the last 7 years, from your own company's work as prime contractor, showing your operational control or oversight
- Price: use the attached price schedule; price must be found reasonable, and prices that are too high or too low will not be considered
What to include when you submit
- Send the Standard Form 18 (SF 18) request for quotation, a Standard Form 30 (SF 30) for any amendments, the price schedule, the Past Experience/References form (do not substitute your own), and a current certificate of insurance
- Price every item on the price schedule (Attachment 2); incomplete schedules will not be considered. You may add lines to the first table only; mark lines you do not need as included or $0.00
- Fill in the Past Experience and References form with up to three similar contracts from the last 7 years, each with contract number, value, agency, contact name, phone and email. References must be your company's own work, not a subcontractor's
- Wrong information on the references form makes the quote unresponsive
- Include a mobilization plan and an operating plan with schedule as a separate attachment to the quote
Not in the notice text
- Which wage rule applies: Attachment_4_-_Service_Contract_Act_WD__2015-4529.pdf is titled a Service Contract Act wage determination, but its contents couldn't be read; check the file on SAM.gov. The documents do not mention Davis-Bacon.
- Which response due date governs: November 16, 2026 (SAM.gov and form block 10) or November 2, 2026 (continuation sheet).
- Whether the site visit is mandatory, and the exact dates: the PWS says dates will come later, while the continuation sheet gives November 9 and November 13, 2026.
- The government's estimated value or budget is not given.
- The price schedule lists six items with no quantities or units of measure.
Eligibility and how to respond
- Set aside for small businesses: only a business that counts as small under this notice's NAICS code can bid as the prime contractor. More open small business set-asides under NAICS 238910
- How to submit, from the AI summary: Email to the Contracting Officer, Merenica Banks (Merenica_Banks@ios.doi.gov), with the subject line "Sol No. 140FS326Q0120 Quote Submittal". Check it in the notice before you send anything.
- SAM.gov has no description for this notice beyond its title. The work is described in its attachments, listed under Notice details.
- Service contracts usually set minimum pay rates (the Service Contract Act). Price the labor with the SCA price calculator.
- Construction contracts over $2,000 pay at least the local Davis-Bacon wage rates, from the wage determination in the solicitation. Price your labor from it: How to price a government contract, and how Davis-Bacon differs from the Service Contract Act.
Notice details
- Posted
- Oct 22, 2026
- Notice type
- Solicitation
- Office
- FWS Contracting Activity, Falls Church, VA
- Product/service code
- F021 · Natural Resources/Conservation – Site Preparation
- Business type
- Construction & renovation (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 238910)
- Versions
2 versions have been posted, newest first.
- Oct 27, 2026 · Amendment 0001Due Nov 16, 2026
- Oct 22, 2026 · Solicitation (this version)Due Nov 16, 2026
- Attachments
Past awards and competition
Who has won work like this before, the likely incumbent, and what similar contracts paid, from USAspending.gov.
Before you respond
- How to respond to a solicitation (8 steps)
- How to read a government solicitation
- How to price a government contract
- Set-aside contracts explained
Terms on this notice: Solicitation, Set-aside
Full notice text from SAM.gov
FL-J N DING DARLING NWR-DEBRIS REMOVAL