Hume and Hovell Maintenance Services

Overview Snowy Valleys Council, on behalf of the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, Crown Lands, is seeking to engage a suitably qualified contractor to carry out maintenance of the Hume and Hovell Track surface, vegetation management, and infrastructure repairs and maintenance for a period of 4 years. Scope The scope includes: General Track Maintenance Controlling grass, weeds and light vegetation using a brushcutter or equivalent, keeping growth cleared to 1.0m either side of the formed track extent across single-track sections, road reserve, disused double track, and some freehold pastoral land Removing fallen trees and branches generally between 100mm and 800mm in diameter (up to around 1.5m in some instances), including cutting a gap of at least 1.2m through large fallen trees to permit access Maintaining around 20 campsites along the track, including removal and disposal of rubbish, clearing leaves from hut and shelter roofs and gutters, sweeping campsite toilet floor slabs, clearing leaves from toilet roofs and gutters, and occasional cleaning of water tanks Weed Spraying Chemical control of blackberry in fire-affected areas, including clearing a 2-3m corridor where required and spraying using backpack sprayers in areas distant from vehicle access, used in conjunction with mechanical clearing Track Surface Maintenance Re-benching of singletrack sections where degraded by erosion, fire or flood damage, re-forming the track manually or by machine where practical, with a minimum of 5km of re-benching to be undertaken per year during the contract Repair or replacement of timber/earth steps (treated pine retainers with earth backfill) in accordance with the specification Signage and Minor Assets Maintenance of wayfinding signage, including plastic marker posts, directional bollards and urban blade signs, replacing items that are knocked over, damaged or missing Installation of 5km of marker posts carrying a chainage plaque along the northern end of the track Removal of older-style, obsolete marker posts (steel post with aluminium branded logo) Refurbishment of faded or degraded plastic marker posts by securing new aluminium plaques to the posts Installation of detour signage, including marker posts and temporary signage, during planned or unplanned track diversions, with removal once the track has been reinstated Removal and disposal of existing stock fence stiles at an SVC facility and installation of new modular steel ladder stiles, with more than 30 new stiles to be installed over the contract period Installation or replacement of track counters mounted to pedestrian bridges or housed within steel bollards Minor repairs and maintenance of built assets across the track, including timber boardwalks, information shelters and signs, bench seats and other minor assets Record Keeping and Progress Tracking Recording all track maintenance activities (accomplishments) in Council's asset management software, Reflect, using a contractor-supplied mobile device, with training to be provided Participating in fortnightly maintenance meetings, usually held via Microsoft Teams at 07:00 on Fridays for approximately one hour, to discuss maintenance progress, future work areas and resolve track maintenance issues Contractor Requirements The following equipment and capabilities are mandatory requirements for work on the project: 4WD vehicle with all-terrain tyres, low range and recovery gear (winch, snatch strap, ropes, shackles etc) Ability to action defects recorded by Hume and Hovell Track Managers and to record maintenance accomplishments using Reflect software on contractor-supplied iOS and Android devices Driver's licence for all personnel driving First aid supplies Serviceable chainsaws, brush cutters and slashers/mowers as required for team size, including various chainsaw sizes to handle logs from 10cm diameter up to over 1.0m diameter Herbicide application equipment and accreditation and training, including backpack sprayers and vehicle-mounted units Competency certificates for all personnel using chainsaws Remote communication equipment, including UHF and a satellite communicator (such as a Garmin InReach or PLB) Herbicide spraying ticket and qualifications (chemical handling etc) Recognised first aid qualifications for at least one designated worker Contract Terms and Conditions Contract period of 4 years, with the option to extend should further funding become available The contractor is expected to allocate sufficient resources to provide maintenance to the full track length at least twice per calendar year in accordance with the specification