Project Operational Procedures


Once a proposal is chosen and approved for funding, the designated Site Manager for the project becomes responsible for certain aspects of the contract process. The process has been established to assure quality, cost-effective weed control, and to minimize administrative problems.

SITE VISIT

The contractor will contact you, the Site Manager, to conduct a site visit. To ensure that this process proceeds efficiently, results in environmentally sound control activities, and concludes with an accurate quote by the contractor, the following guidelines should be followed;

When the Contractor calls, establish a time to meet that is convenient for you. Plan on spending sufficient time with the Contractor Representative so that they are knowledgeable enough about your project to provide a reasonable estimate. So the Contractor can provide the best service to you, they need to see:

Prior to the scheduled site visit, revisit the control site to verify that treatment boundaries are clearly identifiable; fences, permanent structures, flagging tape on stakes or trees, in combination with GPS coordinates, etc. are some ways to identify to the Contractor where he is expected to work.

Please do not discuss any previous project cost estimates or preliminary funding allocation amounts with the Contractor. We are, after all, trying to obtain quality-cost effective weed control services!

If any changes to the scope of work occur during the on-site inspection by the Contractor, they need to be reflected in the Scope of Work that ultimately gets incorporated into the contract.

Control operations on invasive exotic plant species, control methods utilized, or any control operations conducted outside the boundaries of the designated area specified in the approved scope of work are not eligible for reimbursement by the FWC.

TASK ASSIGNMENT

A Task Assignment (TA) is a type of long term contract that allows multiple projects, or assignments, to implemented under a single contract. The TA determines specifically what the contractor is expectected to accomplish, and what is eligible for reimbursement.
Once our office receives the estimate from the Contractor, a TA is drafted with the approved scope of work as an attachment. This document (2 originals) is circulated for signatures within FWC, to the Contractor, and to you or your agency.
As you can see from the enclosed sample TA, attachment X, there are specific responsibilities spelled out for the Contractor, and the Site Manager. Be sure to review the actual TA language, as each task is unique.

CONTROL OPERATIONS

You should expect the Contractor to contact you and set up a date and time to begin work. It is important for you to meet with the field crew when they arrive for the first time. It is possible that the crew leader is not the representative who conducted the site visit. Review the site boundaries, target species, and any other site-specific conditions with the crew leader and crew. Also, it is quite possible that the Contractor is from another region of the state and the crew may not be familiar with your specific target species.

The Contractor's work should be monitored frequently the first few days, and then as you deem appropriate. History has proven that Site Managers who conduct frequent work inspections get better results. When the Contractor concludes all work at your site, please review all treatment areas with the crew leader to ensure that all target vegetation has been treated.

INVOICING

The Contractor is required to maintain Daily Progress Reports (DPRs). These documents are submitted to our office along with the invoice for payment. You, the Site Manager, are required to sign these forms before the invoice can be processed. Usually, the Contractor will bring the DPRs to you for signature at the end of the workweek.

The Site manager's cooperation is an integral component to the success of this project, as well as the success of this program as a whole. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.