Cattleguard Grilles

Scope of Work

This solicitation is for fabrication and delivery only of steel cattleguard grilles for the Black Hills National Forest. Per the Statement of Requirement and Schedule of Items, the contractor must supply:

• CLIN 0001: 28 EA Cattleguard Grilles, including one C10x15.3 end locking channel (8'-5" length) each
• Delivery to Hill City Shop, 24030 Hwy 385, Hill City, SD 57745
• Delivery within 90 days after award
• Period of performance stated on the SF-1449 as 08/17/2026 to 12/31/2026

Explicitly excluded from this solicitation:

• End wings
• Object markers
• Installation
• Note from Q&A: the C10x15.3 locking channel's fabrication details (holes, slots, bevels, attachment) are tied to a separate contract for concrete bases, so the channel supplied here may just need to meet basic dimensional requirements described, but final finishing/fabrication coordination is not fully specified in these documents.

Key Requirements

Dimensions and Design

• Grille length along line of traffic: 7'-9"
• Grille width: 8 feet
• 13 rails spaced approximately 7-1/2" on-center, spanning the 7'-9" length
• Grille top constructed of square tube HSS 3x3x0.1875 (per Drawing 619-05)
• Design live load: AASHTO HL-93
• No hold-down clamps required at corners

Materials

• Structural steel rails: high-strength, low-alloy steel per subsection 717.01(b)
• All other structural steel: subsection 717.01(a)
• Bolts and nuts: subsection 717.01(d)
• New material only, no used/refurbished components

Welding

• All-welded construction, both edges of cross pieces and joints
• Per Q&A clarification: governing welding spec is FP-14 subsection 555.17 (this supersedes the FP-24/555.18 reference in Attachment 1, which Q&A confirms is superseded)
• Welders must be qualified by test per AWS D1.5 Clause 7; certification documents are not required to be submitted

Governing Specification Version

• Q&A clarifies FP-14 governs fabrication (not FP-24 as stated in Attachment 1 text)

Paint/Finish

• Painted per Section 563, Column 5 of Table 563-1, or powder coated per AAMA 2604-05
• Topcoat color: Federal Standard Color 24325

Documentation

• Shop drawings and AASHTO HL-93 load rating documentation are only required if the product does NOT match standard Drawing 619-05
• If fabricated to standard Drawing 619-05, no shop plans or load-rating documentation required

Delivery Logistics

• CO or COR must be notified 72 hours prior to delivery
• Delivery only Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Forklift/loader will be provided by government to unload
• F.O.B. Destination

Submission Instructions

Offerors must submit:

1. Pricing for all line items in the Schedule of Items (failure to price all items may result in exclusion)
2. Product brochure of the items in Attachment 1 specs, UNLESS the grille is custom fabricated specifically to Drawing 619-05 and Attachment 1, in which case (per Q&A) a brochure is NOT required
3. Delivery date confirmation: offerors must state that delivery will occur 90 days after award, and identify any delays that would prevent meeting that date
4. Attachment 2: Buy American Certificate (completed per FAR 52.225-2)

Deadlines

• Questions due: August 4, 2026, 10:00 AM Central Time, via email to sabrina.wilfong@usda.gov, with solicitation name/number in subject line
• Offers due: August 7, 2026, 15:00 GMT (per notice header; SF-1449 lists 1000 CD, i.e., Central Daylight Time, on 08/07/2026)
• Offers must remain firm for 90 calendar days from the offer due date

Risks and Red Flags

1. Conflicting specifications in the base documents: Attachment 1 cites FP-24 and welding subsection 555.18, while Drawing 619-05 cites FP-14 and subsection 555.17. The Q&A resolves this in favor of FP-14 and 555.17, but offerors relying solely on Attachment 1 text without reading the Q&A could misquote or misfabricate.

2. Missing paragraphs L and M in Attachment 1: Confirmed by Q&A as an intentional omission/formatting error, not missing content. No substantive risk, but could cause confusion if not cross-checked against Q&A.

3. C10x15.3 end locking channel ambiguity: Q&A states this channel "is to be supplied under a separate contract supplying concrete bases," which creates ambiguity about whether the contractor under this solicitation still needs to supply the channel as stated in Attachment 1 Section A, or whether that requirement has effectively been superseded. This is a material inconsistency between the base solicitation text and the Q&A clarification that should be addressed with the Contracting Officer before quoting.

4. Drawing 619-05 Page 2 of 2 (base details) was initially missing from the original attachments but was provided via Q&A attachment. Offerors must ensure they have the corrected, complete attachment set.

5. LPTA-style evaluation despite "best value" label: Only the lowest-priced technically acceptable offer advances for review; this reduces the value of technical differentiation beyond minimum compliance, so pricing competitiveness is critical.

6. Long-dated solicitation: Solicitation response deadline (August 2026) and period of performance window (through December 2026) are more than a year ahead of typical near-term postings; offerors should verify these dates are intentional and not a possible data or placeholder error, though nothing in the documents indicates this is an error.

7. Delivery window constraints: Delivery only Monday to Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with 72-hour advance notice required, which may affect logistics planning for a 28-unit delivery.

8. DEI certification and compliance clauses (AGAR 452.203-70 and 452.203-71) impose certification obligations tied to payment eligibility; contractors should review these carefully as false certification carries False Claims Act and criminal liability exposure.