Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
Green Mountain Finger Lakes Invasive Species Map and Control
Department of Agriculture · Forest Service
More open Forest Service contracts
AI summaryThe USDA Forest Service wants one small business to map and treat non-native invasive plants (NNIP) at timber sale sites in Vermont (solicitation 12444726Q0053). The job, Green Mountain Finger Lakes Invasive Species Map and Control, is a total small business set-aside with five priced line items and a single award planned. Bidders need a current Vermont commercial pesticide applicator license. The response due date is November 2, 2026, 11:59 PM Eastern, and the period of performance is in 2027. More in the summary
AI summary Beta
Summary of the version posted Oct 23, 2026. The notice was amended Oct 26, 2026. Check what else changed on SAM.gov. This summary may miss requirements: 2 of 13 attachments weren't read (C05 12444726Q0053 Attach 4 SOI RV1.xlsx, C05 12444726Q0053 Attach 4 SOI.xlsx). Check the attachments on SAM.gov.
The USDA Forest Service wants one small business to map and treat non-native invasive plants (NNIP) at timber sale sites in Vermont (solicitation 12444726Q0053). The job, Green Mountain Finger Lakes Invasive Species Map and Control, is a total small business set-aside with five priced line items and a single award planned. Bidders need a current Vermont commercial pesticide applicator license. The response due date is November 2, 2026, 11:59 PM Eastern, and the period of performance is in 2027.
Who can bid (4)
- Small business (the SAM.gov set-aside is Small Business Set Aside - Total)
- The contractor and whoever supervises herbicide treatment must hold a current Vermont commercial pesticide applicator license, and a licensed applicator must be on site during all treatments
- The prime contractor must hold a Vermont pesticide business license or employ its own certified applicator
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- Be registered in SAM.gov (System for Award Management, the federal contractor registry)
Things to watch (12)
- Serious: Vermont pesticide license required. The contractor and anyone supervising herbicide work need a current Vermont commercial pesticide applicator license, and the prime needs a Vermont pesticide business license or its own certified applicator.
- Worth checking: License proof: with the quote or at treatment?. One answer says proof of Vermont pesticide certification goes in with the quote; another says documentation is required at the time of treatment. Ask the contracting officer which applies.
- Worth checking: One award for the whole project. A single vendor gets all five line items, so a business must be able to quote and perform every site and treatment type.
Show all 12Show fewer
- Worth checking: Strict acceptance standards, rework at your cost. Work must treat 100% of the project area, more than 85% of the target infestation, and harm under 10% of non-target plants. The contracting officer's representative (COR), the Forest Service person who inspects the work, decides whether it passes.
- Worth checking: Inspection timing differs between answers. One answer says the COR inspects within 3 days of treatment completion; the site visit answers say about two weeks after treatment, and give a flexible kill rate of 10-15%. The answer that says the quality table controls sets 100% coverage and under 10% non-target harm.
- Worth checking: Map files and site details come only after award. Boundaries as shapefiles, detailed site instructions and gate keys arrive after award, so you price from the solicitation maps and the statement of work.
- Worth checking: Work past 30 feet is not in the quantities. Infestations that run beyond 30 feet from roads or trails must be treated in full, but that extra acreage is not in the line item quantities; changes need COR approval and possibly a contract modification.
- Worth checking: Written safety plan due with the quote. Offers must include a safety plan covering first aid, chemical exposure, spills, training and recent Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) history; subcontractors must supply the same.
- Minor: Response due date moved by Amendment 0003. Amendment 0003 sets the response due date to November 2, 2026, 11:59 PM Eastern; the request for quotes (RFQ) form shows October 26, 2026 at 2359 ET and earlier amendments repeated that date.
- Minor: Service Contract Act wage rules apply. The clause is checked and Wage Determination 1981-0213 for Vermont is attached, so listed wage rates and fringe benefits must be paid to covered workers.
- Minor: Possible bat restrictions. Treatment near a located bat may be limited from May to August 30; the contract may give the exact time frame.
- Minor: Rough site access. Some sites need a gate key, an ATV or walking; Catamount Cobble is reached by a gated forest road.
Read from the notice and 11 attachments. 2 of 13 not read. Show which files.
- C05 12444726Q0053 Attach 1 SOW.pdf (read)
- C05 12444726Q0053 updated maps.pdf (read)
- C05 12444726Q0053 Site Visit QA.pdf (read)
- C05 12444726Q0053 QA.pdf (read)
- C05-12444726Q0053_Attach 1_SOW_v2.pdf (read)
- C05 12444726Q0053 Attach 2 Maps_v1.pdf (read)
- C05 12444726Q0053_RFQ_RV1.pdf (read)
- C04 12444726Q0053 Attach 1 SOW_RV1.pdf (read)
- C05 12444726Q0053_RFQ.pdf (read)
- C05 12444726Q0053 Attach 2 Maps.pdf (read)
- C05 12444726Q0053 Attach 3 WD 1981-0213 rev81326.pdf (read)
- C05 12444726Q0053 Attach 4 SOI RV1.xlsx: not read (the AI doesn't read this file type yet): open it on SAM.gov
- C05 12444726Q0053 Attach 4 SOI.xlsx: not read (the AI doesn't read this file type yet): open it on SAM.gov
Full summary
What they want
- Line item 0001: treat woody invasive plants beside roads, trails or utility corridors that vehicles can reach, using cut stump and/or basal bark herbicide, QTY 76.54 AC
- Line item 0002: treat woody invasive plants on open land or along corridors that vehicles cannot reach, QTY 49.1 AC
- Line item 0003: spray herbicide on the leaves of non-woody invasive plants beside roads, trails or corridors that vehicles can reach, QTY 48.74 AC
- Line item 0004: survey and record invasive plant populations with GPS (satellite location) mapping tools, QTY 71 AC
- Line item 0005: mobilization (travel, moving equipment and herbicide, pre- and post-work meetings), QTY 1 EA
- Use a marker dye in every herbicide mix and only the approved herbicides; no substitutions
- Deliver data sheets and map files (shapefiles or online map files) by December 31
- Finish herbaceous (non-woody) treatment and surveys by October 1 and woody treatment by November 7
- Contract type
- Combined synopsis/solicitation for a performance-based service contract on a Standard Form 1449 commercial services order, priced by line item
- Period of performance
- January 1, 2027 to December 31, 2027; delivery December 31, 2027
- Place of performance
- Green Mountain Finger Lakes National Forest, Vermont (Rochester, Middlebury and Manchester Districts); sites are White Hill West, Boy Blue, Greendale Road, Rake Branch, White Hill East, Benson Road, Benson Road section 2 and Catamount Cobble
- Estimated value
- Not stated
- Offers due
- November 2, 2026, 11:59 PM Eastern (from the version posted Oct 23, 2026; amended since)
What to include when you submit
- Put the solicitation name and number in the subject line of any question email
- Complete the Standard Form 1449 (SF 1449: the form you sign and return as your offer), blocks 12, 17, 23, 24 and 30
- Price all five line items: 0001 76.54 AC, 0002 49.1 AC, 0003 48.74 AC, 0004 71 AC, 0005 1 EA; a lump sum per acre is acceptable
- Hold your prices firm for 90 calendar days from the date offers are due
- Include proof of Vermont pesticide certification: core exam documentation, category-specific certifications and a valid pesticide business license for commercial services
- Include a written safety plan: first aid and chemical exposure procedures, spill response, evidence of an active safety-training program, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) citations or actions from the past 3 years with corrective measures; subcontractors give the same
- Subcontractor experience may be used in evaluations if that subcontractor will perform the on-site work
Not in the notice text
- Several documents were only partly read: the middle of each statement of work version, of the RFQ form (quote instructions, evaluation and clause text) and of the wage determination was left out, and the Schedule of Items spreadsheets (Attachment 4, original and RV1) are attached but not read.
- How quotes are evaluated: the text read gives no evaluation method or factors, and one answer only mentions a technical and past-experience evaluation
- How and where to submit the quote (email address or portal)
- Insurance minimum limits; the answer says only that no bonds are required beyond the standard licensing and insurance in the solicitation
- The statement of work gives treatment deadlines of October 1 and November 7 with no year; the RFQ period of performance is January 1, 2027 to December 31, 2027
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 115310
- How and where to submit is in the notice text and its attachments on SAM.gov.
- Service contracts usually set minimum pay rates (the Service Contract Act). Price the labor with the SCA price calculator.
Notice details
- Posted
- Oct 26, 2026
- Notice type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- Office
- USDA-FS, CSA East 8, Atlanta, GA
- Product/service code
- F099 · Natural Resources/Conservation – Other
- Business type
- Environmental & natural resources (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 115310)
- Versions
5 versions have been posted, newest first.
- Oct 26, 2026 · Amendment 0004 (this version)Due Nov 2, 2026
- Oct 23, 2026 · Amendment 0003Due Nov 2, 2026 (changed)
- Oct 16, 2026 · Amendment 0002Due Oct 26, 2026
- Oct 9, 2026 · Amendment 0001Due Oct 26, 2026
- Oct 8, 2026 · Combined Synopsis/SolicitationDue Oct 26, 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
Amendment 0004 has been issued for Solicitation 12444726Q0053. Please review the following updates: Additional questions and responses for the questions asked. The updated documents are posted in the Attachments/Links section. All other documents remain unchanged. Amendment 0003 has been issued for Solicitation 12444726Q0053. Please review the following updates: Updated deadline for quotes. Quotes are now due 11:59pm Eastern Time, November 2, 2026. Questions and responses for the questions asked during the question period. Questions and responses for the questions asked at the site visit. Updated Maps. The updated documents are posted in the Attachments/Links section. All other documents remain unchanged. Amendment 0002 has been issued for Solicitation 12444726Q0053. Please review the following updates: The updated solicitation documents titled C05_Sol12444726Q0053_Attach1_SOW_V2 and C05_12444726Q0053_Attach2_MAPS_V1 have been posted. Additional Updates: • A site visit will be held on Thursday, October 22, 2026, at 9:00 AM ET at the: USFS Manchester Ranger Station Green Mountain National Forest 2538 Depot Street Manchester Center, VT 05255 POC for the visit: Stephanie Erlandson Stephanie.Erlandson@usda.gov | 802-362-2307 • Appendix B in the SOW has been updated to reflect the correct acreage totals. • Maps have been updated to remove Rocky Hollow. • All other changes are highlighted in yellow. Reminders: • The last day to submit questions is Monday, October 19, 2026. • Quotes are due Monday, October 26, 2026, before 11:59 PM ET. The updated documents will be posted in the Attachments/Links section. All other documents remain unchanged. ********************************************************************************************************************************************* Amendment 0001 is issued for Solicitation 12444726Q0053, Green Mountain Finger Lakes Invasive Species Map and Control. Quantities for Line Items 0002–0004 have been updated. Revised documents (RFQ-RV1, Attach1-SOW-RV1, and Attach4-SOI-RV1) are provided; please refer to the updated documents in the attachments section. All original terms and conditions remain unchanged. As a reminder, quotes are due Monday, 26 October 2026, no later than 11:59 p.m. ************************************************************************************************************************************************** The Green Mountain & Finger Lakes National Forests seek contractor support to survey, map, and treat non?native invasive plant species (NNIP) across designated timber units and adjacent areas. Work includes manual, mechanical, physical, and chemical treatments to prevent the spread of NNIP before timber harvest activities. Contractors must provide all labor, equipment, herbicides, PPE, GPS/GIS capabilities, and related materials. GIS data collection is required using GPS devices, tablets, or approved applications. Please see the attached Statement of Work (SOW) and other documents for more details.
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