Pest Management
Overview
Federal pest management services include the planning, development, operations, and maintenance for pest control, removal, and prevention in both indoor and outdoor spaces. “Pests” are defined as insects, wildlife, or plants that are hazardous to public health, compromise operations, or destroy property.
You can determine the specific sustainable requirements that apply to pest management services by clicking on the required green products on the Left Side of this page.
You can find the federal government’s sustainable acquisition policies and procedures at Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Part 23
. Federal agencies are required to procure sustainable products and services to the maximum extent practicable. Per FAR 23.103(c), this includes products under contract actions for services or construction if the products are:
- Delivered to the Government;
- Furnished by the contractor for use by the Government;
- Incorporated into the construction of a public building or public work; or
- Acquired by the contractor for use in performing services under a Government contract where the cost of the products is a direct cost to a Government contract.
Environmentally sustainable pest control is often termed “Integrated Pest Management” (IPM). The practice of IPM has been mandated on federal property since 1996 (7 USC 136r-1). An IPM program has two basic parts. The pest control service contract accomplishes the monitoring, trapping, pesticide application, and pest removal components. However, for sustainable pest prevention, it is critical that federal contracts be effectively coordinated with the activities of other building service programs that have a bearing on pest activity, such as food service, landscaping, child care, waste management, and repairs and operations. See GSA's Integrated Pest Management Guidance for more information.
Downloadable Resources
Selected Past Solicitations If you have past Pest Management green solicitations that would be informative to the green procurement community, please submit them to sftool@gsa.gov.
DeCA Integrated Pest Management Services - SOW
Defense Commissary Agency statement of work for pest management services
U.S. Coast Guard Integrated Pest Management Services - SOW
Solicitation excerpt for pest management services at Air Station Sitka
CDC Integrated Pest Management Services - SOW and Evaluation
Center for Disease Control and Prevention solicitation excerpt for pest management services
CBP Pest Control - SOW excerpt
Customs & Border Protection janitorial SOW excerpt that includes pest control services
Veterans Affairs Medical Center Integrated Pest Management Services - SOW and Instructions to Offerors
This excerpt is from the statement of work and the Instructions to Offerors of a solicitation for Integrated Pest Management services.
Army Pest Control Management Services
Excerpt from a Source Sought
Required Green Products
In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Part 23, federal agencies are required to procure sustainable products and services to the maximum extent practicable (see FAR 23.103, 23.105, and 23.106 for additional information, including exceptions and exemptions). In support of pest management services, the following purchasing programs may be applicable:
Download a suggested list of related products covered by this federal purchasing program:
FAR 23.104(c) provides direction to ensure that federal agencies, first and foremost, comply with statutory purchasing program requirements and prioritize multi-attribute sustainable products and services, which are those that meet all applicable statutory purchasing program requirements and one or more required U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) purchasing programs.
Considerations:
- Identify sustainable products and services in the statement of work or elsewhere in the contract, including the purchasing program and type of product or service that are applicable.
- Include FAR 52.223-23, Sustainable Products and Services, which requires contractors to ensure the sustainable products and services identified in the contract are delivered, incorporated, or furnished under the contract.
- Include FAR 52.223-2, Reporting of Biobased Products Under Service and Construction Contracts, which requires service and construction contractors to report their purchases of biobased products to the System for Award Management (SAM).
- Refer to GSA's Sustainability Policies for Leased Buildings for information on both required and recommended provisions.
Sustainability Considerations
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a way of managing ecosystems and a decision-making process that minimizes harm from both pesticides and pests. Consider the practices and concepts below when defining performance requirements and developing evaluation criteria where applicable to the scope of services.
- The pest control contractor should regularly monitor pest levels.
- Select and apply pesticides as judiciously and incisively as possible.
- Non-chemical preventative measures and biological, cultural, and mechanical control methods, such as traps, are preferred where feasible.
- Emphasizes a preventive mindset, by denying pests the food, harborage, and access they need. Sanitation and physical exclusion are critical.
- Use "least toxic" or "reduced risk" pesticides only as a last resort
- Continually educate occupants on the importance of correct methods for food storage and disposal is essential.
- Consider contracting with third party certified service providers.
- Use "least toxic" or "reduced risk" pesticides only as a last resort.
- As a general rule, indoor insecticides should be applied only as nonvolatile bait formulations, either containerized or as crack and crevice treatments.
- Spray or dust formulations should be used indoors only as a last resort, when baits are not feasible. These formulations must never be applied when space is occupied, and, as a general rule, should be applied only as crack and crevice treatments.
- Application of insecticides to exposed surfaces must be restricted to exceptional circumstances where no alternative method is practical.
- As a general rule, rodent control inside buildings should be accomplished with traps. In exceptional circumstances, when rodenticides are deemed essential for control, they must be placed either in tamper-resistant bait boxes or in locations not accessible to building tenants, pets, wildlife, or domestic animals.
- Educate building management staff about IPM and their role in detecting pests and recognizing conducive conditions for pest infestation.
- Educate building occupants about IPM and their role in reducing pests through proper management of food and food waste.
- The most effective pest management programs incorporate a centralized service call system in which building occupants phone in pest control requests that are logged on a work order document. Client reporting is therefore an important pest surveillance method.
- The pest control service contractor should maintain an onsite logbook or file for each building that contains labels/MSDS sheets for all pesticides potentially used, all service requests, and documentation of all work performed.
- Integrate pest management principles into janitorial and waste management contracts. For example, using dedicated, tightly-lidded receptacles for the disposal of food waste in offices, periodic cleaning of trash collection carts and trash rooms, and replacing conventional dumpsters with self-contained compactors
- Integrate pest management principles into landscaping contracts. Visit the Landscaping Services page for tips on landscaping practices that will minimize pests.
- Integrate pest management principles into your building operations strategy. For example, sealing pipe and cable access holes in outer walls, installing nylon brush weatherstripping to exterior doors, repairing gaps in all window and vent screening, installing automatic door closers, fixing all plumbing leaks promptly, and relamping exterior fixtures to minimize blue-white and maximize yellow wavelengths.
- Integrate pest management principles into your food operations strategy. For example, thorough caulking of crevices and seams in preparation and storage areas; periodically steam cleaning or pressure washing drains, preparation and serving areas, and trash rooms; properly rotating stock; storing materials off of the floor; and minimizing cardboard containers.
Evaluation Factors
IPM is an expert-dependent process that not every pest control service provider can successfully deliver. The concept of best value allows federal buyers to select a contractor with the experience and technical resources to deliver high quality, environmentally preferable pest management services at a reasonable price. Although it is important to tailor technical evaluation factors to each individual acquisition, the factors listed below tend to be universal in the most effective pest control service procurements. Note that it is important to have sufficient subject matter expertise in order to properly evaluate these factors.
- Experience/Past Performance – Offerors must be able to demonstrate fully successful previous experience in delivering pest control service that conforms to IPM principles and procedures and that are comparable to the present acquisition in size, scope, and complexity.
- Operating Plan and Staffing – This factor evaluates the offerors’ proposed resource allocation to accomplish the work, including the education, experience, and certifications of all front line and technical support personnel. A basic requirement is that all personnel providing on-site service must be fully certified as commercial pesticide applicators. It has become standard for larger projects to require a staff entomologist as a full-time contractor employee, who either holds a degree in the field or is registered as a Board Certified Entomologist (BCE).
- Personnel Training – This factor evaluates how the contractor employees keep abreast of technical developments in their field and continually develop their skills.
- Control, Monitoring, and Recordkeeping Protocols – This factor evaluates whether the proposed chemical and non-chemical control products conform to modern IPM standards and whether the planned methods for monitoring and documentation will meet the buyer’s needs.
Where to Buy
Federal agencies may purchase pest management services under GSA's Building Maintenance and Operations BMOS. In addition, Category 325320 includes products that may be used to support pest management services, such as insect repellant, insecticides, insect killers, mouse traps, and roach traps.
While these contracts include basic terms and conditions, the ordering agency is responsible for inserting any additional appropriate green requirements and language into the solicitation. See GSA's Integrated Pest Management Guidance when writing specifications. More information on ordering through GSA Multiple Award Schedules can be found here.
References