Here are my responses in red text:
1. Assuming it gets a contractor to agree, does the Forest Service have the authority to accept the funds and deposit them in Forest Service accounts rather than as Miscellaneous Receipts? The Forest Service may have authority to collect the funds under our stewardship authority. We are still looking into this.
2. Will the amount of administrative costs be identified up front, or does the Forest Service expect the contractor to agree to whatever bill is presented? We plan to identify the hourly rates for the people and provide an estimate of the administrative time. Obviously, if the contract requires additional administration, the cost to the contractor will increase
3. What happens if the costs are identified up front and then turn out to be inaccurate, whether too high or too low? Will the Forest Service demand payment of the deficiency or reimburse the excess? We will provide an estimate, but the contractor will be required to pay actual costs incurred.
4. Does the Forest Service really expect the contractor to absorb these costs rather than build them into the price? Yes, the Forest Services wants the money to be paid, so we can have additional people available to do the administration. Remember, this project is beyond their regular program of work for which they are budgeted. What will the Forest Service gain in the end other than transferring the costs from the account that should be paying them to the account that pays the contractor? The Forest Service will gain by having additional people available to perform contract administration BEYOND their regular work load.