Frequently Asked Questions – Request for Proposals – Proctor Valley Vernal Pool Habitat Restoration Project

For the 10-page limit, is the budget (Attachment 5) included in the page limit? Or is it excluded?

The detailed budget and any resumes can exceed the ten-page limit.

The last page of the budget sheet includes a line item for a bond. What kind of a bond do you need? Can you give me any details about what is required? Is it sufficient to be able to provide the bonds if/when we get a contract, or do you need to see them with the proposal? If you need them by Friday, that could be an issue.

Our entry permits with the City of San Diego require both payment and performance bonds. I don’t know many details about these but you’ll be good if you can provide certificates. Please budget for the bonds now but certificates are only required for the selected contractor. The same is true for required insurance.

We assume you are letting us develop our own assumptions about how many container plants we need and how much seed has to be bulked. If you have targets for us, let us know.

Yes, will defer to your recommendations for the number of container plants and amount of bulked seed with the following caveats: The selected contractor will need to take immediate possession and begin to maintain approximately 2500 container plants from the previous contractor; that at least hundreds of container plants have already been installed at the ORV Site B (the numbers and species of containers already installed will not be available for this RFP); and we also already have a significant amount of bulked seed for several common and rare vernal pool plants. For the seed bulking estimate, please provide recommended amounts and budget for all needed seed bulking and we can reduce this by the amount of bulked seed already available and move any savings to other restoration work budget lines.

We often save clients money by using labor from conservation corps; it’s a great way to support training in ecological sciences. I have documentation from another client that shows why these corps members are exempt from prevailing wage provisions. Can we use such people to work with our staff?

On a related note, there are some corps that cannot work directly for us as a for-profit corporation even if the work is being conducted for a non-profit like you. Are you open to taking on such a corps directly and having them work under our supervision? We have had excellent results with such an approach.

The Corps that we have worked with in the past is the California Conservation Corps. Their participation is pretty much mandated with some state-funded programs such as Prop 1 money. In those cases, the Corp members work directly for the entity (usually government, tribal, or non-profit) that was awarded the grant. I have worked with CCC on a number of projects. They used to be able to work with us directly but the regulations have changed. We supervised them on a particular plant collection effort where they worked for the client but were under the supervision of our restoration professionals.

Conservation corps can work if they are supervised by professionals but the time needed for additional administration is a concern if there would have to be a separate contract with TCLC. Please advise on let me know the logistics.

The selected contractor will be responsible for complying with prevailing wages so the documentation that conservation corps crews are exempt should be from an attorney or other experienced professional and submitted with your proposal.

Proposals should include all labor necessary to implement the project described in the RFP. Coordinating with a possible conservation corps organization is not likely to be possible prior to the RFP deadline so please just budget for your own labor rates with budget lines for laborers broken down by positions that could be filled by CCC or other similar crews. That way we can substitute in CCC-type laborers later if arrangements can be made and any savings can be applied to other budget items.
If we do end up using a conservation corps organization, the selected contractor will make all the arrangements and ideally arrange to have them work with the selected contractor as a subcontractor but we will consider a separate contract if that’s the only option.

What seed and plant material has already been collected and will be provided to the awarded contractor? Please list by species, quantity.

Seed for several common and rare vernal pool plants has been collected and will be available to the selected contractor but species and quantities will not be available for this RFP. Please provide your best estimate of the total amount of needed seed and cost for each vernal pool plant, for the Quino checkerspot butterfly seed mix, and any other seed. Seed amounts and budget can then be adjusted after the contract award to accommodate the seed that is already available.

Who installed irrigation/plants in ORV B and when?

The name of the prior contractor will not be available for this RFP. Existing irrigation and plants were installed in 2017.

How many weeding events have occurred within ORV B and when did they start?

The number of weeding events conducted at the ORV Site B will not be available for this RFP. Most of the site was dethatched between 2016 and 2017 and weeding was conducted in 2017. For this RFP, please assume dethatching will be necessary for approximately 25% of the ORV Site B and that intensive weed control will be necessary.

Please confirm the $166,000 is the amount that must be billed prior to the end of June 2018.

Confirmed, although we are still awaiting a possible time extension from a grant funder to December 31, 2018. Also, an additional $50,000 must be billed by December 31, 2018.

Are any collection permits as required by the HRP already in place with TCLC that can be used by the awarded contractor? If so, which ones?

No collection permits are in effect for sites described in the restoration plan and permission to collect seed will be the responsibility of the selected contractor or subcontractors. Seed has already been collected for most vernal pool species or is available onsite and permission to collect seed on City of San Diego Public Utilities property has been very simple to obtain on a case by case basis. Note that the sites identified for collection of several sensitive plant species are intended to guide seed selection and that the next closest sites may also be used when the closest sites are not available/permission to collect is too difficult to obtain.

Are we responsible for submitting the construction plan to USFWS 7 days prior to construction including photographs, BMPs, etc?

No.

It states the biologist must be approved 30 days prior to restoration starting (submitted to USFWS), will this keep work from starting until late June?

Possibly, but we will press for a faster turnaround.

Are we responsible for annual, as-built or final reports to agencies?

Yes, the selected contractor will be responsible for these. Drafts will be provided to TCLC for review prior to preparation of final documents, and TCLC will be responsible for delivering final documents to permitting agencies.

Has the fencing plan already been approved by the City?

The City has tentatively agreed to the fencing plan. TCLC will secure final City approval.

T&M or fixed-fee?

Time and materials.

Can topsoil salvage be done by equipment or must it be done by hand?

Equipment can be used in any vernal pools where equipment will fit.